#but better that I did than I didn't

[thetruearchmagos]

Worldbuilding Wednesday ask for you is,

Restructuring of forces! I recall you having quite an extensive focus on military worldbuilding so I'm wondering if any troops have been redeployed later on during the conflict under different designation. Perhaps due to some changes in military doctrine or reassignment and merging of regiments which have been drastically reduced in combat.

Hope ya enjoy, and drink some tea!

Thank you so terribly much for the Ask! To be honest, I'd say you've packaged a ton of very, very different questions in one Ask here, but I've picked which of these possible topics I would go with, and I've very much enjoyed the whole process of coming up with my answer.

Tagging @athenswrites @theprissythumbelina @hessdalen-globe @lividdreamz @caxycreations @thatndginger

I've spent a lot of time charting the organisational evolutions of military organisations within the UC, but for the sake of not boring everyone*, in this piece I'll be covering the restructuring and reallocation efforts of battlefield units, in this case those of the UC Army of Upepwani in the Chainbreaker War.

Tested In Battle; The Continuing Evolution Of The Commonwealth Infantry Battalion

I've brought up the changes in organisation, equipment, and doctrine of the UCA's infantry battalions prior to the Chainbreaker War before, but I'll briefly cover them here. In short, the late 60s A.S. would see the Army begin a programme to convert itself from a solely peacekeeping and policing force into one able to wage large scale warfare against another similarly powerful adversary. Most of the experimentation that would inform these changes would take place within the 'Trials Mobile Force', under the command of then Major General Faiz al-Saqr. Well known within his service for his modernising zeal, al-Saqr would recreate the three Regiments of the TMF - the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd - in his own image and according to what he viewed as necessary to fight the battles to come.

Aftermath

Those battles would be fought in the autumn of 75 A.S., marking the beginning of the Chainbreaker War between the Fuhrati Empire and the United Commonwealth, for the sovereignty of the former's breakaway province of Upepwani. While the Trials Mobile Force, redesignated as the United Commonwealth Army of Upepwani, was successful in beating back the imperial invaders over the border, it would take heavy casualties in the fighting, which would reveal major flaws in the organisation and methods of UCAU's three Regiments.

As It Was

Probably the most radical departure from the Army's existing practices under this system was the massive increase in the battalion's firepower, especially at the small unit level. Individual Platoon Leaders controlled two machine guns and six sharpshooters each, and with four Platoons per Company these supporting units amounted to thirty two machine guns in the whole Battalion. The Battalion HQ also directly controlled a Platoon of between four and eight mortars, able to provide punishing indirect fire.

Such an excess of firepower would come with significant concessions, in this case by significantly decreasing the 'bayonet strength' of the unit as a whole. Previous Battalion organisations, with their peacekeeping focus, were organised around Platoons consisting of four 'Lines' of twelve soldiers each, which made the task of conducting constant foot patrols and garrisoning outposts easier. These were replaced by three smaller 'Sections' of ten, reducing the amount of riflemen across the whole Battalion by nearly three hundred. Still, in light of the new weaponry being introduced, this was deemed an acceptable sacrifice.

Another groundbreaking change to these Battalions was the introduction of motor vehicles. Indeed, the TMF's original mission was to experiment on and develop the usage of modern motor vehicles at a large scale within the Army, paving the way for a more general expansion of motorisation. Each of the TMF's three Regiments commanded their own Motor Trains Battalion, which controlled enough Danho Type-D 'Duster' lorries to haul an entire Infantry battalion in one go. Common practice would be to distribute the MTB's Companies across the Regiment's Battalions, allowing each to move small elements of their own units by vehicle.

Hindsight

While this particular set up had performed while in exercises back home, when push came to shove in the struggle for Upepwani a myriad of issues were brought to light.

A major discovery, and a singularly annoying one to al-Saqr, was just how slow and sluggish his new Battalions were. While motorisation had promised lightning speeds over far greater distance than on foot, the sheer amount of heavy equipment and ammunition even individual Platoons had to lug around made rapid and responsive movements difficult. On the Northern Front, dominated by freezing taiga and hills with nary a well built road in sight, the 21st and 22nd Regiments were forced to leave half of their infantry's machine guns behind before setting off on their trek.

A second revelation concerned the strain imposed on junior officers, especially Platoon Commanders. Once only concerned with the activities of their four Lines, PC's now had to manage and position thirty riflemen, two MGs, and a section of marksmen on their own. The strain was less noticeable when on the defence, when time to prepare positions and analyse the terrain was available, but when conducting the quick offensive movements called for by their commander's aggressive mindsets coordination frequently failed.

Finally came the question of 'mass', or sheer numbers. Machine guns and mortars were lethal tools, but in numerous instances of fierce, close in fighting between the infantry ranks of both sides, those of the UCAU would frequently rack up brutal losses which could render entire Companies out of action in a single engagement, whatever losses they inflicted on the Imperials in turn. While modern war machines were supposed to spare the Commonwealth the worst of war's bloodshed, commanders in the field would quickly realise that they would lose soldiers either way, and when Platoons had as many crewing their MGs as they did carrying rifles, those three hundred shaved off bodies would be sorely missed.

Course Corrections

With the effective break in the fighting brought on by Winter, UCAU's first order of business was to withdraw from the field. As reports and assessments were made of the three Regiment's remaining strength, their results would give rise to the name 'Butcher's Autumn'.

Of the nine Battalions of Infantry which UCAU had entered the theater with that June, four were classified as entirely unfit for service. Most of their losses were, of course, concentrated in their fighting ranks, but nonetheless all four would be sent back to their respective Military Districts for reconstitution. The remainder weren't in a much better state; in some cases, Companies commanded by their most senior Lieutenants were down to two Platoons each, and even those had to be put together from the shattered remnants of their brethren.

al-Saqr would devote an entire branch of his Staff to analysing the fighting of the previous month. Their sharpest findings pertaining to UCAU's infantry are outlined above, and here we shall go over their recommendations.

Remove the MG and Marksmen Sections from Platoons, replacing them with an additional Rifle Section.

Half the amount of MGs assigned to each Battalion, and centralise both MGs and Marksmen into their own distinct Company directly under Battalion supervision.

Push down Signals equipment to the Company level.

These account for the immediate alterations to UCAU's existing Battalions, but in reality many were quite unfeasible in the immediate term. As additional Battalions poured in from across the United Commonwealth, however, they would be retrained and reorganised in light of UCAU's experiences, even as further technical developments were initiated within the Army in hopes of solving the tactical challenges faced thus far.

Closing Words

The problems and solutions I've outlined here are only a small part of the vast story of the UC Army's evolution over the course of this single conflict, and its even broader history. As new technologies entered the battlefield and the character of the Chainbreaker War changed as it churned onwards, even more reforms and alterations would be made to its Infantry Battalions to reflect it.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Trapped in a vicious cycle of pining? Try gay sex! (More things to learn over at Tiger Tiger!)

[sincerity--extreme]

[fishfood22]

I lubv dr. peppa.....

[dandelion-roots]

[ID: a series of drawings featuring Riz Gukgak from D20 Fantasy High. In the first, Pok holds Riz's shoulders in heaven as says, smiling, when you work until the dead of night, your friends know you do it because you love them. In the second, Riz is having a group hug with his party and the text reads, but is it really love that drives you, Riz Gukgak... In the next, a desperate, pleading Riz clutches the shoulder of an indifferent, faceless person and the text continues, ...or is it fear? In the fourth, Riz is younger and digging through crystals with bleeding hands; the text reads, what use are you when you can no longer dig. In the fifth, Kalina, shrouded in darkness with only her eyes glowing, reaches towards the camera with a smile; the text reads, when you're too scared to think. Sixth, Riz is filling out Fig and Kristen's papers under the light of a lamp, serious and tired; the text reads, when you're too tired to work. Seventh, Riz is lying in bed, eyes hidden behind hair, hand on his father's picture; the text reads, too sad to keep the mood up. Eighth, Baron stares into the camera; the text reads, too lonely, too insecure, too weird. Ninth, Baron is holding a defeated Riz by the throat; the text reads, to keep moving? Tenth, Riz is standing in the distance, holding his briefcase, and behind him is a football/soccer ball; the text reads, what use is a ball that can no longer roll? The last drawing just says none in brackets on a dark background. End ID]

[monabee-draws]

Crazy that one of the underlying takeaways from MDZS is that you should be punished for believing what people show you.

Jiang Cheng was never told anything about wwx's actions and repeatedly watched him break all his promises to him and YMJ (even after he, JC, gave up himself and YMJ for wwx, he did not receive the same in return from his own knowledge pool.) Yet, he is very suddenly expected to be remorseful and grateful when Wen Ning reveals the core transfer. The world JC lived in had these truths: WWX isn't helping to rebuild our home, training our disciples. He has become a drunk and is actively undermining the sect and what little authority I've been able to cultivate, which is devastating enough when I am the only young war hero/sect leader excluded from the great sects' sworn brotherhood allyship. When I (JC) try to find out why he's doing this and stop him, he brushes me off and makes light of it. I continue to tolerate it anyway because he's wwx and I love him. Then, instead of putting in the work he should be to save our people he turns around and saves the Wens, at great expense and danger not only to our sect but himself, as one of the only people I still have left. When I tell him he cannot have both he chooses them. I still make sure he knows he's loved and belongs with the Jiang (by bringing our sister to see him before her wedding) even though, by all accounts, he has foresaken us on what feels like a series of whims. Then, he kills our brother in law (he never gives me an explanation or excuse.) Then, when I and everyone he's pissed off confront him, he gets our sister killed, goes crazy, and is torn apart by his own ghosts. Somehow 13 years later after picking up all the pieces he left behind and raising the nephew he orphaned and rebuilding the sect he abandoned (alone) I am simultaneously expected to be remorseful for not being grateful to him all these years for something I never asked him to do or knew about, and which I was actively tricked into and repeatedly lied to about. In the adaptations where I don't immediately fall on my sword and punish myself in the epilogue (seclusion in CQL the donghua) the fanbase determines I am a terrible horrible person for it.

This post is also tangentially about Lan Xichen taking the heat for JGY's actions even in MXTX's writing (abandoned by LWJ at the height of his pain, entering seclusion.)

[hajihiko]

Hey guess what I finally finished!

[technically-human]

Hi i'm absolutely in love with the reverse au!!

I want to know, in this verse does edwin still confesses to charles? if so how is it different? i feel if he did he would end it by apologizing, you know, religious guilt and all

There’s a train that goes through Hell.

Its journey starts in Wrath, and it departs already full of souls. It took Charles far too many years to realize that there were separate, more spacious wagons that demons could board. Not that he could understand why anyone, hellborn or not, would want to get into the damned thing. He certainly hadn’t.

Actually, Charles couldn’t recall ever boarding the train. As far as he could tell, he just appeared there one day, and had spent the next tortuous decades trying to get out. It was part of the torture. Getting out was entirely possible. More than that, it was necessary.

The train had no regular schedule that he could discern (not at first, though he had always been good at finding patterns, and was eventually able to crack it) but it would make quite a few stops before finally returning to the Wrath ring. Souls inside the train were already angry and far too close to each other (close, so close not even air could squeeze in) but when they got really violent was when the train made a stop.

Getting out didn’t mean you were free, no matter where you managed it, be it Sloth or Gluttony, Pride or Lust. No, as soon as the train finished its journey, you would appear back inside, in Wrath where you belonged, suffocating once again, getting ready to claw your way out for the millionth time.

Because if you didn’t get out, The Conductor would get you.

If he thought about it calmly, Charles could probably say that he got out of the train more times than not. Still, being caught by The Conductor once was bad enough, as there was no coal in Hell, and something had to serve as combustible. Souls could not burn to death, and the whole journey always felt longer than eternity when he was caught. Once it was over, he would be inside again, and fight with more desperation than before, not caring who stayed inside so long as it wasn’t him.

He couldn’t understand why anyone, hellborn or not, would want to get into the damned thing. He certainly hadn’t. But as the souls pushed and bit and clawed and punched their way out, Edwin boarded the train. And that wasn’t even the most groundbreaking revelation Charles had that day.

ko-fi

[ubtendo]

Lil treat?🥺 lil treat for myself??🥺🥺🥺 (they are literally just for my own enjoyment)

Full canvas version because I realised that over a half a year ago I first drew them:

[cockworkangels]

tried really hard to capture some of his whimsy

[darkeneddawning]

Escaped clone au

You know all those fics where Danny and Damian are twins but everyone first assumes Danny must be a clone? How about an au where Danny is Damian's clone who escaped the League after he was assumed dead. Damian could even have been the one to have "killed" him, back when Danny was a newly created, fully brainwashed clone minion and trying to kill Damian himself.

Danny gets adopted by the Fentons and canon goes on as normal, until Dan. Witnessing what would happen to the world should he turn evil really drove home to Danny how dangerous he is.

Even if he was confident he could be trusted with his absurd amount of power (which he isn't), what if the League of Assassins found out about him? Does he still have programming triggers from his evil assassin clone conditioning?

So, Danny does the responsible thing: he goes to Batman to turn himself in.

Cue Danny showing up on Bruce's doorstep with ghost hunting equipment, intel on the afterlife, and an almost unbelievable backstory. Somehow he still managed to be more well-adjusted than Damian.

More thoughts under the read more

Here's how I'm thinking Danny leaving the League went down:

After surviving his wounds but failing his mission, Danny (then an unnamed potential Damian replacement) knew there was no point in returning to the League. As a failure, he was meant to be disposed of. He even thought of simply allowing himself to perish, since that was what the League would do.

But he couldn't help but feel as though that would be a waste of a resource. Surely he could be of more use to the League alive than dead?

That tiny bit of rebellious logic is what caused Danny to go into hiding, only living on based on the off chance he would find opportunities to further the League's goals. Obviously, that mentality didn't last long after being exposed to the real world and meeting one Jazz Fenton.

Being adopted by the Fentons was the best cover Danny could have asked for, since any odd behavior he couldn't hide while he was learning how to be "normal" was totally overshadowed by the sheer bizarre eccentricity of his new parents. He was still the neighborhood weird kid, but even that was a major upgrade from disposable tool, so Danny considered it a win.

Anyway, if anyone likes this idea, please feel free to have at it! Interpret it as you please :)

[canisalbus]

The juxtaposition of these two posts has me thinking it's Ear from the first post waking them up, and Machete is just like "...I'm really not pleased but I'm also not going to be angry because that's not what Ear needs right now."

.

[silverwhittlingknife]

So you're a go to source for all things Dick&Tim bros and you tend to write primarily from Dick's POV. So, odd question, but if you were to summarize their relationship from his POV in FIVE panels which panels would you pick? Keeping in mind that one specific aspect of their relationship that you love needs to be clearly represented by each panel (loyalty, trust etc). I hope this is a fun challenge and not an annoying question so if you don't want to answer that's cool! Have a wonderful day!

No more talk. The same thoughts run through two minds... (SotB 29) / You're my equal. My closest ally. (RR 1) / I can't stop thinking how much I rely on him. (GoG 3)

25 Feelings Dick Has About Tim

This was such a kind ask & a cool challenge which I totally failed; here are TWENTY-five panels of Dick's POV on Tim sdfdsfds Look, I got carried away! Marcia and Cindy! The boys!!

OKAY SO BEFORE I GET TO THE PANELS A FEW NOTES:

WARNING THAT THERE ARE SOME NEGATIVE EMOTIONS IN HERE because I love conflict but but but you gotta remember those are not the final word!! They are complicated people and sometimes they get mad at each other BUT ultimately their relationship is so hugely important in both their lives & they love each other and rely on each other so much -!!! <3

Also I have CONCLUDING THOUGHTS at the end about what Dick's POV leaves out (mostly: a lot of Dick defending & protecting & supporting Tim, which Dick does instinctively but isn't very self-aware about most of the time)

I have loosely organized my list into 5^5 format (5 categories with 5 examples each!), so if you want to skip to a relevant one, here are the categories!!

Below the cut:

I hate him and find him infuriating (#1-5)

On second thought, he's endearing & fun (#6-10)

Grief is complicated & he's all tangled up in mine (#11-15)

I love him & think highly of him (#16-20)

I rely on him & though it's hard for me, I trust him (#21-25)

I hate him and find him infuriating (#1 - 5)

1) He thinks he’s so smart and can psychoanalyze me and Bruce, but he doesn’t know me at all, he should get lost (New Titans 61)

2) He thinks he’s so smart and can psychoanalyze Bruce but he doesn’t know Bruce at all, he should get lost (Gotham Knights 26)

3) He is so nosy about stuff that is MY business (Robin 0)

4) He sounds like an insincere suck-up half the time... but okay, fine, if you push him he's got a sense of humor about it (New Titans 65)

5) I'm sure he's a better vigilante than me. It's my fault for being a failure, but I resent him anyway. (Nightwing 9 - Dick's having a nightmare)

On second thought, he's kinda endearing (#6-10)

6) He worries too much and gets anxious so easily, but it makes him fun to tease (Robin 67)

7) I'm not that competitive - okay, so maybe I'm a little competitive, I gotta make sure he doesn't get a swelled head (Prodigal)

8) I'm supposed to be his favorite! It is not cool for him to be fanboying over my not-girlfriend's not-boyfriend!! (Birds of Prey 19)

9) We have fun together. I can kick back and relax when it's just the two of us. Plus I get to boss him around a bit. (Prodigal)

10) He’s always trying to reassure me, and I guess it's a little comforting, but also he doesn’t really get it. Or me. He makes excuses that he shouldn't, because he doesn't understand that I suck. (Nightwing 64)

Grief is complicated and he's all tangled up in mine (#11 - 15)

11) He reminds me of everything I try not to think about. Sometimes the memories are so strong it hurts to look at him. (Batman 441)

12) WHY IS HE BEING IMPOSSIBLE ALL OF A SUDDEN??? THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING (Nightwing 139)

13) We're the same. He says all the things I don't let myself think about. It's like arguing with myself. (Nightwing 139)

14) He thinks he gets to tell me what to do but he doesn’t, fuck him (Battle for the Cowl)

15) Life sucks, so what. I sucked it up so he should too (RR 1)

I love him and think highly of him (#16 - 20)

16) He’s the closest thing to a brother I’ll ever have.  If someone hurts him I will hurt them harder. (Nightwing 6)

17) I can't handle the idea of losing him. (Nightwing 97)

17) He’s so good and I’m not. I'm afraid I’m bad for him. (Nightwing 110)

18) He’s better than me, and it’s kind of a relief because I know no matter what he’ll be okay. (Gates of Gotham 3)

19) In my head he’s the responsible one.  (Gotham Knights 10)

I rely on him, and though it's hard for me, I trust him (#20-25)

20) I know I have to trust him but I'm afraid he'll make the wrong choices and get hurt (Nightwing 139)

21) I'm sure I know what he should do because I see myself in him - not that I can take my own advice, but he should (Blackest Night 3)

22) I trust him.  When I’m losing my grip on things, he pulls me back. (Gotham Knights 10)

23) I want him to trust me (Red Robin 12)

24) He can tell when I'm lying. Sometimes he sees my weaknesses better than I wish he did. (Detective Comics 874)

25) He’s always there when I need him. (Teen Titans / Outsiders Secret Files)

Final rambling thoughts:

TIM: Uhh, okay, so I'm just skimming this list - do you really trust me? you're not just saying that? - but anyway, I'm confused because you left some stuff out? Like some stuff that's kinda important? DICK: No? I think I got everything? TIM (starts counting on his fingers): The time I was having a bad day but then I called you. The time I got captured by Two-Face but then you saved me. The time I fell off a train but then you saved me. The time I fell off a building but then you saved me. The time I fell off a different building - DICK: I feel like you're trying to make some kind of point but I'm not sure what it could be.

SO THE THING IS, I put 25 panels in here and not a single one has Dick catching Tim when he’s falling!!! But I think that's a central motif of their relationship from Tim’s POV, not Dick’s. I love Dick, but in some ways I think he is spectacularly un-self-aware.

And I think he especially has a lot of blind spots about Tim. He kinda intermittently gets that Tim admires him, and he enjoys it in a playful I-get-to-boss-you-around way. But Dick tends to consistently underestimate all of his own good qualities & skills, and he meets Tim at a point in his life when he's especially down on himself & his abilities. And so he's unable to see his own influence on Tim, & therefore unable to fully understand a lot of Tim's priorities and loyalties and motivations, because you can't actually understand Tim without understanding Dick's impact on him. There's a fascinating moment in Bruce Wayne: Murderer when Dick's completely blindsided & upset to discover that Tim doesn't entirely trust Bruce, even though this has been a definitive fact of Tim's whole thing ever since he showed up with his Batman needs Robin theory, and Barbara has to actively remind Dick of the obvious-to-everyone-except-Dick fact that a lot of Tim's loyalty is to Dick, and Tim loves Bruce but feels free to be more wary of him. (And to give Bruce credit: this is not something he ever begrudges.) But anyway Babs points this out, and Dick manages to sorta process it for about five seconds, but he cannot actually accept it into his worldview so instead he discards it at the speed of light and goes off and has an argument with Tim instead sdfsfdsf

All of Dick's virtues - Dick's kindness at the circus and Dick's determination to fight through grief and Dick's rigid sense of morals and Dick's vigilante skills and every time Dick has ever backed Tim up or listened to him or protected him or saved him from something or just been casually kind to a stranger in Tim's presence etc etc etc - all these things loom really large in Tim's mental story of Who Dick Is, and What Dick And Tim's Relationship Is. Tim meets Dick before he meets Bruce, trusts Dick more than Bruce, aspires to be Robin instead of Batman. And so in Tim's default version of the story, Dick is the super-special and admirable hero and Tim is... nobody in particular, a tagalong outsider who's barely managing to be a hero, not part of Dick and Bruce's family and not part of their story, who, if he's VERY LUCKY and tries REALLY HARD, might be able to fight his way to proving himself and offering something to Dick that Dick will value, if Dick doesn't get fed up with him first.

But that's not Dick's version of the story!!!

Dick's version of the story is almost the exact opposite, a story where Dick's an outcast failure black sheep who's screwing up everything he tries, and meanwhile Tim is The Sudden New Perfect Robin Who's Better Than Me And Probably Bruce Loves Him More And Probably They Gossip About What A Loser I Am, mixed with a complicated edge of Tim Thinks He's So Smart But He Doesn't Know Me/Us At All. Dick gets much more attached to Tim over time, and Tim gets unnervingly better at the know-it-all psychoanalysis so then Dick gets to have complicated feelings about him being right instead of just annoyance at him for being wrong, plus Dick's relationship with Bruce improves a lot, so Tim stops feeling so threatening. But Dick never fundamentally changes his basic theory of their relationship in which Tim is highly impressive and capable, and Dick is not so much.

And so asking Dick about Tim is kinda like if you asked George Bailey to tell you about Harry Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life; like, you'll be there for five hours while he tells you how great Harry is, and how accomplished Harry is, and how he doesn't really get how or why Harry does the things he does, and maybe George does feel a little resentful or jealous sometimes, but that pales in comparison to all his admiration and trust for Harry who he loves so much, who's better than him in so many ways, and he's not gonna openly gripe but secretly he can't help but feel sometimes like he's such a failure in comparison to Harry, a perfect person who emerged fully formed from Zeus's head with all the virtues and also all the accomplishments, etc. etc. etc. --

-- and he will not actually remember the part where he changed and saved Harry's whole entire life unless you literally send him to an alternate timeline in order to force him to remember it. <3

[contamination-zone]

"Why do you keep those pretty eyes hidden?"

honestly I can't explain this.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Happy Valentine's Day! (and this blog's first post anniversary!)

[middle-earth-marauder]

AKA, no one told shadow babies kick lol (he's gonna blame this on it being sonic's heathen, but really, between the two of them, who regularly uses literally kicking ass as a way to express his feelings???? c'mon shads that lil kicky gremlin is all yours-)

wanted to do something fluffy and quick tonight so here have a sketch of my favorite pregnant dumbass while i convince myself to go back to the comic pages lol