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signedkoko · 5 months

Note

Ello there Koko! Welcome back! 💙 I'd like to request Sir Pentious with a reader who's basically his little evil henchman/sidekick. I don't see much writing for the bastard but I honestly love him so I'd love to see more! It could be platonic or romantic, either way is good!

Anything At All [Platonic]

In which you are Pentious' assistant, and hes been requested to help the V's. Genderneutral Reader.

Song - The Party Line by Belle and Sebastian

Everyone could use an assistant, especially the overlords of hell, because they had all kinds of important things to do. Menial tasks requiring trust should be left to someone who can act as the right-hand man. Or at least, that was what Pentious always told himself.

None of the other overlords really had a sidekick, assistant, or whatever you choose to call them; they were all servants.

Loyalty was the first thing you had to achieve when finding an assistant, but who could ever be loyal? Everyone down here had something they'd give it all up for. Thus, Pentious was constantly ridiculed for choosing to trust someone who could easily overthrow him given the right opportunity.

What they didn't consider was that you'd give up everything and anything for him, but they didn't need to know that.

Most of what you did was surveillance. While Pentious much preferred to bury himself in strange inventions with grandiose ideals, you handled all the real work that might actually get him the title he so desired. While he trampled on his own reputation, you fixed it and elevated your own.

Pentious was known, but mostly because it was next to yours. Even so, you hated the spotlight because it took it away from him. Pentious was like a mascot; he was perfect at being in the public eye and had the confidence of a lion, except without claws or teeth. It was all so unlike you, so you would rather support him.

Besides, it was at least a little amusing to watch your friend go all out, despite not having all that much to back him up. He was always especially hostile to Alastor, to the point where you knew not to be anywhere near him since it always ended so badly.

It was another cleanup day, and after being totaled by the radio demon, Pentious was as antsy as ever to restore his ship to its prior glory.

" Pentious? Do you ever think about moving on from him? " You'd always make sure to ask after their scuffles, hoping the answer would change.

" Of courssse not! That would be admitting defeat! "

You sighed, a small laugh hidden in the veiled disappointment. It was still nice to see that he was so optimistic.

Pentious is extremely smart when it comes to weapons, engineering, and the sciences—he was anything and everything but street smart.

You'd prepared a meal for the two of you to share, asking questions that would help you navigate the next plan, and so you had an idea of what you'd need to round up. You loved hearing his next idea—what the new gun would be, how he figured he could defeat one of the strongest overlords of hell, and so on.

Unfortunately, your lunch was interrupted by your phone ringing, which you pulled up to see—the very face of technology himself. Before you could answer, the call started anyway.

" Tch. "

" Heyyy this is Sir whateveryoucallhim's assistant, right? Yeah, nice to meet you. Listen. I have to talk to Pentious. " You couldn't even get a word in before Pentious lept forward, stealing your phone from you and pushing you away.

" Its finally happening! Wait outside!! " Pentious urged you to the door, though the moment you were out, you pressed your ear to the door, trying to catch the conversation.

" Yess of course! It was a sssplendid idea speaking to the likes of I! I'll be on it straight away! " You figured the call ended because there was no more speaking.

When he opened the door, you almost fell forward, catching yourself so as not to make it seem like you'd been trying to listen in. Not like it mattered, because in a moment, Pentious was sharing every detail of the conversation with the excitement of a kid who got unlimited candy.

" Infiltrating the Hazbin Hotel? I don't know... It sounds like he just wants you to do his dirty work. Besides, doesn't Alastor work there? Won't he kick you out or catch on? "

" Come now; we cannot wassste any time! " He hadn't listened to a word you said; he was already on his way to set course for the hotel.

As worried as you were, maybe the hotel would be kind to Pentious. If all went to hell, you could only hope the princess would have mercy on him.

At the very least, you urged him to wait a day so you could prepare to come along with him and suggested he leave his technology on the ship so as not to alert anyone in the hotel that he may be hostile.

While most may not recognize you, Alastor certainly would, so you were sure to leave any and all weapons back at home. Just in case, right?

While you dressed more cleanly in softer and more welcoming clothes, Pentious didn't change a thing despite your protests. He waltzed right up to the door with no care and was immediately greeted by the princess's significant other shoving a spear in his face.

Stepping forward, you caught the edge of her spear and moved it up, just barely missing Pentious's face. You smiled in warning.

" Sorry for him; he is just so excited to stay at your hotel. As am I. " You looked down at Pentious, signaling for him to get up.

Thankfully, Charlie was quick to grab him and drag him on in, which you followed behind, nervously shuffling past the girl who'd just tried to kill Pentious.

Unfortunately, another wall blocked you, as the one and only pornstar Angeldust was quick to shove the wannabe overlord out the door and into you.

" Wait wait wait, are we really letting the guy who tried to kill us six hours ago in? And who the fuck are you? " The spider was extremely tall and still managed to tower over Pentious by a fraction.

You opted to stay silent, amused at how Pentious managed to pull himself through this one. Even so, the team did seem interested in your appearance; they'd never seen Pentious with anyone before.

For a moment, Charlie turned to look at Vaggie, and seconds later, the woman seemed to slouch in defeat.

" Whatever, not like hes harmless with or without the way machine. " Pentious pouted at her words, and you chuckled.

" Ooooh yes, yes, yes! Thank you so much! Right this way, you two, it is so exciting to have our first official guests!! " She seemed a lot more focused on Pentious as she pulled him through the corridors, showing off every aspect of the hotel. In a way, she reminded you a lot of Pentious.

You could already tell Pentious was going to be easily distracted from his mission, though before you could remind him, a stark static filled the air.

" Oh! Alastor! Our property manager: You've met our newest guests, Sir Pentious, and-- "

" Ah yes! Hell's best underground assistant, it is such a pleasure. " Alastor took your hand into both of his, shaking it with a tilted glance." Oh! And the one who ruined my coat! I definitely remember you now. "

Still flabbergasted by the radio demons approach to you, you were frozen in place, Pentious anxiously shifting when Alastor's tone shifted between the two of you.

"Best assistant? You flatter me. " You tried to take the attention back, looking to the princess for some kind of relief.

" This seems like a, uhm- perfect opportunity for a lesson on apologizing! "

Author's Note - This is a fic exchange with @sillypenguincats ! You can read their Alastor x Reader here. Thank you for requesting, working with me, and being so kind 🖤

Word Count - 1,243

#koko writez #koko collabz #hazbin hotel #helluva boss #hazbin hotel x reader #helluva boss x reader #reader insert #x reader #sir pentious x reader #sir pentious

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nights-legacy · 6 months

Text

Don't Mess with Our Girl - DabiHawks x Vigilante! Reader

Main Masterlist ~ MHA Masterlist ~ #2

@lil-writer-523

2190 words

Warnings: vague mentions of torture, fighting, language

+ Y/N is a vigilante that is secretly dating with the #2 hero and highly wanted villain. You've been seen helping both men at some point in time. While out on a patrol one night, you get caught by a rogue villain and tortured. Unfortunately for them, the two men are already on his case and are out for blood.

Y/N's POV

Walking through the city at night would turn most people off but not me. I loved the night. I loved to take night time strolls, go stargazing, and Moonlite picnics. It made sense since my quirk was starlight oriented. There is also a lot of trouble at night. Normally.

"Damn. Nothing tonight." I groaned and layed back on the roof. I checked the time and decided to call it a night. I rolled back into a handstand and set my feet on the ground before scaling down the side of the building.

I never really worried about someone attacking me. I was able to protect myself easily and most people don't mess with me anyway. I shouldn't have let the false sense of security delude me. Out of nowhere, I was grabbed from behind and a rag was placed over my mouth roughly.

"Should have been more vigilant, little girl." Someone growled in my ear. I tried to throw my quirk back but the person grabbed my wrist and wrenched it behind my back.

"Ah!" I yelped and my head started to feel dizzy. I realized the rag was drugged and before I could think of anything to do, I passed out.

When I woke up, I was laying on the ground with my arms bound behind my back. I tried to get the bonds off but they weren't budging. Looking around and I was in a dilapidated warehouse of some sort.

"Oh she's awake boss." A voice said nearby. I quickly sat up and found the person who spoke. They were sitting at a card table playing a card game of some sort.

"Who are you?" I demanded. The two men only laughed. One stood up and came into a better light. My eyes widened when I saw a jagged scar across his neck, disappearing down onto his left shoulder. I knew who this was.

There was a man that always butted heads with Dabi if they met out in the streets. Keigo had some encounters with him too. He was known as Slit and was known for his love for torment and torture.

"Slit. It's not a pleasure to finally meet you." I sneered. He smiled big and walked closer.

"Miss Starlight. It is finally nice to meet you." He spoke in a jagged voice as he squatted in front of me. He roughly grabbed my chin and held my face. "You really are a looker, aren't you?"

"Fuck off!" I snap. He only smiled and roughly let go of my jaw. I stretched my jaw as he moved away. "Why am I here?"

"For fun." He said.

"Who's?" I glared.

"Mostly mine. But..." He turned back towards me. He crossed his arms over his chest and stood in a wide stance. "But you are here for an actual reason."

"And what's the reason?" I asked. The man at the table got up before coming over to grab me. He pulled me off the floor and drug me towards another room. Slit followed behind and I struggled against the other man.

"Dabi pissed me off and Hawks arrested my right hand man."

"And? That's what they're good at. And what do I have to do with that?" I winced as I was shoved down on my knees in front of a water tank.

"You're going to be the one that pays." He snarled with an evil grin. A shiver went down my spine as the two men shared a sinister look.

*Time skip*

I gasped for air as they brought my head up out of the water. Coughing and sputtering as the henchman held a tight grip on my hair. I struggled against the bonds again. I was soaked to the bone and cold. My lungs were screaming from the torture.

"Had enough?" Slit asked, sickeningly sweet. I glared at him and he started cackling. Motioning with his hand, the hackman shoved my head underwater again. I barely got a breath before he held me under. I struggled and tried to kick the guy off but I was growing weaker as the minutes ticked by. He pulled me back up and dropped me to the ground.

"Fuck." I coughed and sputtered. Squeezing my eyes shut as I tried to calm my lungs down. Tears mixed with the water already on my face. A shadow came over me. Glancing out of the corner of my age and saw Slit standing over me.

"You have held up longer than I thought." He knelt next to me. "That just means I get to have more fun."

"Psycho!" I snapped through my panting. He glared at me before grabbing me by the next. Lifting me from the ground, he shoved me against the side of the water tank. "You're in for it."

"Screw you." I spit. He raised his hand to hit me when a voice called out from somewhere.

"Never took you for a coward, Slit." Slit looked around frantically and I immediately found Dabi leaning against a pillar in the shadows. Slit looked at me and followed my line of sight to Dabi.

"Dabi." Slit muttered. Dabi's eyes were nearly glowing in rage. He was leaning against his shoulder with his arms crossed over his chest. "How am I a coward?"

"Going after her when your fight is with me and Hawks. She had nothing to do with this and now you just dug your grave but bringing her into this." Dabi stepped forward.

"Oh, have I? I'd like to see you try. Plus, I'm surprised at you. I never pegged you for someone to care about some girl."

"Well you were wrong. As usual." Dabi lit a fire in his hand. “You don't mess with our girl.”

"Good to know." Slit smirked before reaching down, grabbing my leg and flipping me over into the water tank.

I had no time to get a breath before submerging into the water. I squandered in the water and tried to find my way to the surface. Being so disoriented and my hands still being bound wasn't helping matters. I couldn't help but take a breath and water filled my lungs.

I started to black out when someone grabbed my arm and pulled me from the water. I coughed and hacked up water as I was lifted out of the tank. My bonds were cut and I latched onto whoever was holding me.

"I got you. Birdy. I got you." I heard Keigo whisper into my ear. I whimpered and hid my face in his chest. Keigo flew away from the tank and landed. I felt his wings wrap around me as I started to shiver.

"Keigo..." I coughed a little.

"Sh. It's okay." He patted my back as I coughed up the water caught in my lungs. He pulled his wings back to look me over. In the background we can hear Dabi and Slit fighting.

"Hawks! Lookout!" We heard Dabi yell.

We turned to see Slit jumping at me with a knife. Keigo blocked with his wing and knocked Slit back. He took over the fight as Dabi ran over to me. He threw his coat over me and I could feel the heat radiating off it. Picking me up by my arms from the ground, he led me away from the fight.

Out of nowhere, the henchman jumped out. He was covered in bright red thorns. Dabi shoved me behind him. They charged at each other. Flames flew everywhere and I could see the henchman trying to slash Dabi with the thorns. I could see the moment Dabi had enough and there was a big burst of flames. The henchman screamed and ran of in flames towards the water tank.

"Dabi! Let's get out of here!" Keigo landed next to me, setting a hand on my back. Dabi nodded. I looked past Keigo and saw Slit on the ground but still conscious. Dabi stepped forward and threw a fireball at the rafters and beams, setting the building on fire. "Dabi! Hurry!"

"Coming!" Keigo pulled me out with Dabi right behind us. We ran from the building and down the street. Exhaustion caught up with me and I stumbled before my legs gave up on me.

"Shit, baby." Keigo caught me before I hit the ground. He picked me up. I clutched his jacket while holding onto Dabi's that was still on me.

I spaced out after that before passing out. When I woke up after that, I was in dry clothes and covered in a warm blanket. I could feel someone's chest moving agaisn't my back. I opened my eyes and looked at who it was. Dabi sat there, holding me against his chest while he rested his head against his hand. He looked like he was asleep.

"Fly so high but I need to come down for oxygen." Keigo was singing somewhere in the apartment. I smiled before a pop from a fire I only just now noticed spooked me. I turned to look at the fireplace while Dabi shifted against me.

"You're awake. You had us worried." Dabi muttered.

"Sorry." I set my head back on his chest.

"Don't be." He grunted before looking behind him. "Birdy! She's awake!"

"Oh great. Coming!" He yelled back. We could hear the tinks and clatters of dishes from the kitchen. After a minute, he hurried out with a tray. He was dressed in a plain tshirt, sweats, and fuzzy socks.

"Here, sit up." Dabi said before helping me sit up and pulled me back against his chest. Keigo grabbed a mug off the tray and gave it to me.

"Here, drink." He said before hopping on the couch and curled up with us, slithering under the blanket and pulling my legs over his lap.

"Thank you." I drank from the mug and sighed. The warmth of tea was nice. Keigo rubbed my legs and Dabi buried his face in my hair.

"We're glad you're alright sweetheart. You had us worried." Keigo said.

"More like you had birdbrain panicked." Dabi said with a smile. Keigo rolled his eyes and smacked his head. Dabi glared while I chuckled and took a sip of my tea.

"What happened?"

"It all happened so fast." I started. "I was out like normal and as I made my home, I was grabbed from behind. They drugged me so fast, I couldn't do anything."

"Damn fucker." Dabi muttered.

"How did you two know I was taken?" I look between the two of them.

"You had said that morning that you would be home by midnight that night so when you didn't show, I got worried and called Dabi. When he hadn't heard from you, we both knew you were in trouble."

"It took us over 18 hours to find you." Dabi added. He grabbed my chin and made me look at him. "Don't let it happen again."

"Dabi." Keigo chuckled. Both Keigo and I knew what Dabi meant and that he meant well. He always came across rough but a long time ago, Keigo and I learned how to speak "Dabi".

"I won't." I cuddled into Dabi's side. "I think I'm going to take a break from the vigilante stuff anyway."

"You sure?" Keigo looked at me surprised. He began to rub circles on my leg. Dabi leant his head against mine.

"Yeah." I sighed. "I'm gonna have to rest anyway but..."

"Obviously." Dabi interrupted by muttering. Rolling my eyes, I choose to ignore him.

"But I am just getting tired of the same thing right now. I just want some downtime. Is that alright?"

"Of course." Keigo kissed my head. "We want you to do what makes you happy. Right Dabi?"

"Hmm?" A sleepy reply came.

"Touya!" Keigo exclaimed before punching the opposite shoulder I was laying against.

"What?! Hey!" Dabi jumped before glaring at Keigo. "What is your deal?!"

"You're falling asleep while we're trying to have a conversation!" They began to bicker and I chuckled. I snuggled in between them and drank my tea. The normalcy of their bickering was comforting. Dabi pulled me closer and Keigo laid a wing over our laps. It was cute how attentive and protective they were even if it was absent minded.

"Old married imbeciles." I muttered against the rim of my teacup.

"Hey!" They both yelled at me. I giggled furiously. Keigo pouted and Dabi rolled his too.

"See if we save you again." Dabi snipped with no malice in his voice.

"You'll always come save me Hot Stuff." I teased.

"Shut up." He muttered, turning away with a blush. Keigo laughed and poked more fun at the other male. Ever though he was sulking, I could see a small smile behind Dabi's hand.

"He's smiling!" I said excitedly. Dabi glared at me. "I said what I said."

"I can't with you two." Dabi groaned and let his head drop back. Keigo and I burst out laughing. These two were the light of my life and I was theirs. You don't mess with me unless you want to get in deep shit with my boys.

Tag List: @iris-shihabi @cl0verbby @lilparcheesie @keigos-baby-bird @evilunicorns4minions

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itsbenedict · 13 days

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How would you make mario a villain?

Huh! Tricky one. I mean, there's tons of Newgrounds parodies about how fucked up it is that Mario goes around crushing turts all day, and there's the obvious "silent scary henchman of the image-conscious dictator" angle. Tricky to cast him as the villain rather than the muscle, though...

There's only one thing that notably motivates Mario, and that's Princess Peach. Extreme devotion, there. For him to have agency, she needs to be removed from the picture- and I think that neatly answers the motive thing, too. Peach hasn't been kidnapped, this time- there's something more permanent. But what? "She's been killed and he's out for revenge" is a little 3edgy5me, and also if Mario sets out to get revenge I think he just gets it. His antagonists have rarely put up the kind of fight that would require him to concoct a villainous scheme.

Who's the protagonist, if not Mario? What is Mario doing that requires someone else to go on an adventure opposing him? How do we make this something that Nintendo would actually consider releasing?

...Okay, what's Mario's usual M.O.? How do we make that villainous? He... goes to dangerous places, nimbly circumvents all obstacles in his way, and claims powerful, usually star-shaped magical objects, in order to rescue the princess. This time... he isn't really concerning himself with who the rightful owners of said magical objects are.

It's a Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego situation. There's been a rash of heists committed by a strange masked phantom thief, and the protagonist's job is to find out how the relics were stolen and where the culprit hid them, and get them back before their clients suffer dire consequences as a result of missing-magic-item-itis. You investigate crime scenes, pick up the phantom thief's trail, chase him down, and bop him one but good to recover the relic and save the day.

This is complicated somewhat because this phantom thief is in league with Bowser, who keeps causing trouble in ways that the phantom thief takes advantage of to get past security. The Koopa Troop often assists the phantom thief in his getaways. Why are they working together???

Flash back. Mario standard plot- Bowser has kidnapped the princess. This time, he's done it using some magic item or invention doohickey whose provenance he doesn't quite understand, which has turned Princess Peach to stone. True to form, Mario goes through several another castles and thrashes Bowser and breaks his evil doohickey, and... uh. This fails to rescue the princess. She is still a statue.

Bowser doesn't know why she's still a statue, and both of them panic. How do they fix this?! They need to try something- find some new magic thing that'll bring her back! They've heard of the Sacred Star of Healing in one of the neighboring Kingdoms (which exist in infinite supply in the Mario universe to be adventured through precisely once and then forgotten about forever), and agree to work together to steal it and use it to restore Peach.

It doesn't work. They ditch it somewhere. They follow up on another rumor- the Golden Coin Spirit in the Treasure Kingdom or whatever, and that's a bust too. And after a couple of these, the international community is forced to call in an expert to catch this thief and bring him to justice.

So who's our protagonist? Who in the Mario universe is a famous detective who specializes in guarding star-shaped magical relics from would-be burglars? WHAT IMPROBABLY LARGE-BRAINED PENGUIN COULD POSSIBLY THWART THIS MASTER CRIMINAL?!?

#villain ask meme #i'd kind of like a subplot where it turns out peach is just like #fully alive and somewhere else and the statue is just a statue that got swapped out somehow #hence no attempts to magically restore the statue succeeding #but idk how to do that without it being her fault for not just letting people know she's alive and solving the plot #i'd give it more thought but this is long enough

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creadigol · 5 months

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iff you want could you maybe continue this? this ask is a request ofc and idk if you do continuation, so if you don't want to then it's okay!! ^_^

Hey y’all! Apologies for the long absence, but I’m back in town and have finally come up with a continuation of my Hero Domestic Violence/Abuse snippet.

I have had many requests to continue this one so I spent a lot of time trying to make it good!

As before, there are very heavy mentions of such topics stated above in this snippet as well as mentions of violence, emotional abuse and choking. Please be safe my darlings! I love y’all!

Part 1

Hero must have blacked out or entered into some sort of daze, because the next thing they knew Hero was sitting on an exam table in what must have been one of Villain's many bases.

Though the room itself was no doubt a medical facility, Hero knew this by the various medical equipment and smell of antiseptic, but there was a certain ambiance about the room which did not match any hospital or medical offices Hero had been to before…and Hero had been to many.

If Hero only ever went to one, people would catch on. So Spouse was always sure to bring Hero to a different facility every time.

Everytime.

God, this was a mess.

This room wasn’t lit like typical exam rooms. Rather than harsh fluorescents of busy ER rooms the lights held a warm sunlit-type glow. Welcoming, yet still bright enough to see. Instead of the stupid grey-white walls which everyone had switched to in the early 2000’s, it was bright wood paneling. Oak of some kind, Hero guessed. It complimented the warm glow quite nicely.

And it was warm! So warm! Villain must have had the heat up to at least 75 and Hero was basking in it!

At home, Spouse kept the heating down to 65, due to their powers causing them to run hot. Hero didn’t mind of course, they understood, but it did cause Hero to feel cold constantly. They had never had much in the bodyfat department and there was more than one night when Hero would go and take a bath just to unclench their frozen muscles.

Until Spouse complained about the water bill that is.

Taking stock once more of the room they were in, Hero noticed that the main door had been left open by a crack. Not that they could have gotten up and run out, not with their side, but they wondered if Villain had done this to make them feel more comfortable.

Speaking of Villain, they had yet to reappear. Villain and Henchman had helped Hero to a car after the rather embarrassing display on the rooftop and once they had made it to this base, deposited Hero here and left. That had been about twenty minutes ago.

Maybe they were planning something nefarious? What if this was a kidnapping? Honestly, this was the weakest Hero had ever been in front of Villain. It would be easy, tricking them into willingly walking into a trap with the promise of medical help…Hero had been a mess after all. Supervillain wouldn’t have hesitated in killing Hero on the spot.

But then again, Villain was not Supervillain. Hero had seen Villain display acts of humanity on several occasions. Sure, they broke the law and believed their government to be the ultimate evil, but they never went in for harming those who didn’t deserve it.

Didn’t deserve it? God, Hero was starting to think like Villain. No one deserved to be hurt. That was Hero’s motto.

Things really were confusing right now.

Maybe they should just go home. Surely, Spouse would understand why they didn’t answer their texts for the past few hours. An hour of yelling tops and then Spouse would see the error of their ways and apologize and try to make up for the original fight in the first place by a heated night of…

Hero stopped that train of thought. No, this had to stop. Hero had to get out of the relationship and start thinking straight again…but, then again, Spouse held all the cards. The apartment and car were in Spouse’s name, their bank account was joint, the phone plan was set up by Spouse because they could negotiate better on cellular deals…not to mention, Spouse was more powerful than Hero. Much more powerful than Hero. Even back at the Academy Hero had never won at hand to hand against them. It was what made them seem so strong and confident and…perfect at the time.

Hero suddenly realized what they were doing and how it would not end well. There was no way Villain could hold against Spouse when it really came down to it. Spouse was constantly bragging about how if Villain had been assigned to them and not Hero, the problem would have been resolved years ago. Hero didn’t want that on their conscience.

Perhaps they should look at the texts…just to assess the situation. Damage control.

They picked up their phone.

As the screen lit up a voice interrupted Hero before they could look at the no doubt anger fueled words.

“Hero,” Villain stood in the doorway holding gauze, antiseptic, a board of some kind and an ice pack. “Sorry, had a hard time finding an ice pack that was the right size. We’ve gotta get that swelling down on your neck or else you’ll never be able to harass me with those classic witty comebacks again.”

Though it was said jovially, Hero could sense the hardness behind the tone. Not to mention the look of hatred as Villain glanced at the phone.

Wanting to respond, but not being able to, Hero nodded once.

“Great!” Villain strode over and placed everything on the side table. Picking up the board, Hero saw it was a dry erase. Villain handed it to them along with a red marker.

“Henchman uses this to put up daily reminders for everyone. They thought it would serve for you to tell us what ails you.” Villain glanced back at the door, “They wanted to come in and help, but I didn’t know if you would want that. Figured I’d ask first.”

Hero couldn’t help the small smile. They had always liked Henchman. Like Villain, they certainly had committed their fair share of crimes and violence, but they also seemed to live by a code. Unlike Supervillain.

If it hadn’t been for Henchman, Hero was sure they would have passed out on that rooftop and who knows who would have found them if that happened. Hero uncapped the marker.

Henchman can come in.

Villain smiled, “Anyone ever tell you your penmanship is crazy good? God, it’s like looking at Victorian script.”

They turned towards the doorway once more, “They said it’s fine Henchman!”

In an instant Henchman was walking through the door. They must have been just waiting on the other side.

“Hey Hero,” they said. “Hope you’re doing better.”

Hero nodded at Henchman.

“Good,” Henchman looked between Hero and Villain for a moment, it looked like they were debating who to talk to next. They settled on both of them. “Looks like it’s just going to be us. Doctor said they couldn’t make it until morning. Still at that conference.”

Villain nodded as if they knew this was going to be the case and addressed Hero.

“Anything serious? Or are you okay to wait for the Doc?”

Hero thought for a moment. Their neck should be fine with the ice, their jaw had certainly been hit harder, but their side…

I think everything is fine, but I’m not sure about my side. Hero wrote. They gestured to their left side as Villain and Henchman read the script.

“Alright, let's take a look then. Shirt off.” Villain ordered.

Hero hesitated. Oh, right. To look at their side, Villain would have to have their shirt off. And to take off their shirt was to expose the…history written across their chest, back and torso.

Hero was shy about their body. Sure, there was the occasional scar made by Spouse, but most of them were from past fights while Hero had been off hero-ing. They knew it was an occupational hazard, but they also knew it wasn’t great to look at. God only knew the many times Spouse had commented on their unsightly appearance during their intimate times.

Villain seemed to notice the hesitation and said, “What? It’s not like I haven’t seen it all in this line of work. You should have seen Henchman last month. Supervillain’s Henchman got ‘em pretty bad.”

Henchman nodded, “Not pretty. Gained me a few cool new scars though.”

Cool new scars, huh? Perhaps it won’t be so bad.

Hero took off their shirt slowly. It was difficult and painful at first, as it zipped in the back, but Henchman wordlessly walked to the other side of the bed and helped. Villain supporting Hero’s side as they undid the clasp and unzipped.

“Want to take off the mask as well?” Henchman asked.

Hero made a face.

“We’ve already seen your face. Remember? Three months ago it fell off while we were grappling in the snow.” Villain smirked.

Hero peeled the mask off. They had forgotten about that. The snow had made the normally sticky mask slide off. It was something they had never told Spouse.

Once deprived of their shirt and mask, Villain took a step back and surveyed the damage. Hero tried not to squirm under the gaze.

Hero expected Villain and Henchman to make disgusted noises or grunts of anger at their bruised up side and swollen jaw, along with their neck, but instead Villain looked calculating. A slight hint of irritation coming though with their twitching eyebrow.

“Alright, I’ll have to feel those ribs. They don’t look broken, but it’s best to make sure.”

Hero nodded their permission to Villain and tried to sit straight.

“No, no, don’t straighten up yet,” Villain flew to their side. They placed one hand on hero’s back while the other poked and prodded their ribs.

Everytime Hero hissed or flinched, Villain apologized and would move onto another part. It was strange. This whole night was strange. Hero had never seen Villain act this way before. Sure they had their own scruples, but Villain was never…gentle.

Henchman stood off to the side looking rather anxious as Villain examined Hero. That was another strange thing. Why did they both seem to care?

“Well, good news, they’re not broken. Bad news, I’ll still have to wrap them.”

Henchman immediately grabbed some wrappings from the cupboard behind them and handed them to Villain.

“So, Hero,” Villain began as they tightly wrapped their ribs. “Want to tell us how this happened? We need to know if we’re going to treat your injuries effectively.”

Once again Hero could tell Villain was stating things conversationally for their benefit. Hero made no move for the marker board.

“We already know who did it, all I want to know is how,” Villain continued.

Hero thought back. It had seemed like a haze when it happened. All the adrenaline and fear. The normal evening that went from good to horrific. The slight mess up on Hero’s part, the yelling, the grabbing, the throwing…the hands. The hands on their person…the hands on their neck…

Hero felt tears slip past their eyes once more, the sadness and fear coming back. Their jaw shook with unshed sobs.

They felt the marker and board being pressed into their hands.

“You don’t need to push yourself. I just need to know what to check on you,” Villain’s voice was soothing and once again uncharacteristically gentle.

Hero shook as they wrote; the script that Villain had complimented earlier suffered for it.

It’s never been this bad. Hero wrote.

They knew it was a cliche response, but they also needed Villain and Henchman to know that it had never gone this far before. Henchman made a noise in the back of their throat as they read the words.

“How bad?” Villain prodded.

Before, Hero hesitated in writing. How could they word this?

Before I could always justify it as my fault. I mess up alot. I’m not so good at relationships.

They waited for them to read this before erasing for more room. Villain had their jaw set and Henchman’s cheeks were getting red.

I know it’s stupid. I know it’s bad. I just wanted to pretend it away. That was easier. I’m not stupid, I know what’s happening.

Villain nodded at the words. Hero didn’t know why they were starting out like this. There was just a part of them that needed Villain and Henchman to know that they were still competent. Despite putting themselves in this situation, they weren’t stupid. There was just so much more going on.

“I don’t think you’re stupid Hero. I never have. I meant it when I said you’re the best this city’s ever seen,” Villain said this while not breaking eye contact or blinking. As if the stare itself would get the words into Hero’s brain.

Hero nodded with a small smile. They needed that.

They’ve never gone so far before. The other times, I knew I would recover. But this time…Hero stopped writing again. Once again looking for words. They let Villain and Henchman read.

“What happened this time?” Henchman asked softly. Hero couldn’t tell if the softness was for comfort or if they were so angry they couldn’t raise their voice higher.

This time, Hero spelled, I really thought they’d kill me.

Their hands shook terribly now and they had to stop and take a breath.

Villain looked up at the ceiling for a moment while Henchman turned around. It seemed this news really affected them.

“How?” Villain once again looked Hero in the eyes. They didn’t even try to hide the anger now.

I can’t remember everything. I know I was thrown into our coffee table. Spouse hit me in the face, Hero paused and let them read while gesturing to their jaw.

Villain nodded for them to continue.

They’ve never tried to choke me before… Hero couldn’t seem to finish that one.

“I understand,” Villain said. “Anything else?”

Hero thought for a moment and then shook their head. That had been the most of it. The violence itself had only lasted a couple minutes, but it had been the most painful couple minutes of their life. Not only physically, but emotionally. They had never felt so betrayed.

“Are you going to leave them?” Henchman asked. Hero looked at them and noticed fear in their eyes. Henchman was very concerned with Hero’s answer. Villain made a gesture at Henchman, but they were undeterred.

“Are you going to leave them?” Henchman repeated.

Hero uncapped the marker again.

I want to.

“But you feel you can’t,” Villain finished the sentence for Hero.

Hero nodded.

It never ends well. I know I need to, but they hold all the cards. Hero shrugged sadly.

“Who cares?” Henchman said angrily. “So they have your money or whatever? That’s not worth you!”

Hero was touched by the sentiment, but felt the need to explain.

It’s not only that. They’re more powerful than me. More powerful than anyone really. I shouldn’t even be here. The last time someone tried to help…it was bad.

Villain felt their blood freeze, “What do you mean more powerful?”

It was hard to think of anyone more powerful than Hero. Except themselves of course.

“Who tried to help?” Henchman asked at the same time.

Hero grimaced,

Do you remember Other Hero?

“Oh god,” Henchman whispered.

“Your Spouse did that?” Villain asked, shocked.

Hero nodded.

I don’t know what they will do to anyone else, or the city itself if I’m not there. I hate it, but it’s the only way I know to protect everyone.

They looked at Hero to continue.

I knew it was bad not long after our second anniversary, but by then Spouse was too dangerous. They need to be in jail, not only for me, but for everyone else they’ve hurt. I just don’t know anyone who can take them.

Villain made a noise, but Hero raised a hand to silence them while they wrote more.

In a way this is my ultimate sacrifice to protect my city.

“Hero,” Villain breathed.

Henchman looked like they had tears in their eyes, “Hero, I’m going to hug you now if that’s alright.”

Hero looked at Henchman quizzically, but nodded.

Henchman wrapped their arms around Hero carefully and squeezed with a force that was both powerful, yet calming.

“You really are the best the city’s ever seen,” Henchman spoke against Hero’s hair. “All this time you’ve been living in hell and it was to protect all of us.”

Hero released more tears. They patted Henchman awkwardly on the back.

“They’ve always been a hugger,” Villain chuckled as they watched the scene. “If you can’t tell, Henchman has been a fan of yours for a while.”

Henchman released them with an undignified HEY at Villain. Villain shrugged and turned their attention back to Hero.

“Hero, I don’t care what danger it might put us in. I knew this was going to be messy the moment I saw you on the roof. Anyone who can take you on is going to be a threat. I knew that and helped you anyway.”

Hero nodded at Villain’s words.

“But what I need to know now is who Spouse really is. I don’t think I’m far off in thinking that they’re a part of the hero agency?”

Hero nodded, there was hesitation in their eyes.

“And they’re more powerful than the other heroes.”

Hero looked down, but nodded again.

“And you two went to the academy at the same time didn’t you?”

Hero winced and nodded.

“And came to the city at the same time.”

Hero closed their eyes and nodded.

“Villain, what are you getting at?” Henchman asked slowly. In their voice Hero could tell they were on the same train of thought, but didn’t want to believe it.

“Hero,” Villain waited for Hero ‘s red rimmed eyes to look up and meet their gaze. “You’re married to Superhero aren't you?”

Hero nodded.

“Shit.” Henchman said.

Hero nodded their agreement.

There was silence while everyone processed the news, Villain and Henchman the knowledge and Hero for sharing it. Finally Villain broke it.

“Well,” they clapped their hands together, “Here’s what we’re going to do. Tonight we do nothing.”

“Hero, tonight I want you to focus on yourself. I know you want to look at your phone, but maybe hold off until tomorrow morning, yeah?” Hero made to protest, but Villain continued.

“Look at it like this. You said this is how you protect the city. Now I don’t doubt that, especially knowing who Spouse is; but I want you to picture it like you're on a sinking ship. Lots of people need saving, but you can’t exactly help them into the lifeboats if you yourself are still in the water.”

Hero wrinkled their eyebrows.

“You’ve got to climb into the lifeboat first before you can pull anyone else in.”

Hero was taken aback. That was…that was…really good advice.

Villain smiled, “So for tonight, leave the phone and get some rest. We can make a plan tomorrow about what to do. You’re no longer in this alone. I don’t want someone like Spouse protecting my city.”

“You’re not alone in this anymore,” Villain reiterated.

Hero couldn’t help the smile on their lips or the hope in their chest. They weren’t alone in this. Perhaps this time, Superhero really could be caught. Hero could stop pretending. They suddenly felt so tired.

Seeing this, Henchman helped Hero lay down and placed the thin, long ice pack on their bruised neck.

“I’ll stay here a while, there’s an all night Friends marathon on right now,” Henchman nodded to the TV on the wall, “I always fall asleep during that show.”

Hero knew Henchman just wanted to keep an eye on them in case their throat swelled anymore, but they appreciated the company. It had been a while since they had people around them that knew everything and still wanted to be with them. They nodded.

“Great,” Henchman walked over to the television to get it started. Villain followed them.

“Once they fall asleep initiate plan orange,” Villain whispered so Hero wouldn’t hear. Henchman kept flipping through channels, but Villain saw their eyes harden a moment.

“Are you sure?” They whispered back.

Villain nodded as they looked at the channel guide.“Yes. Tell Supervillain we have a mutual enemy,” Villain glanced back at Hero, “And the key to defeat them. Once and for all.”

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ladyluscinia · 9 months

Text

Izzy Hands Is Manipulative, But Not That Way

...or I finally finish that long ass meta post about why I love the fucking Navy Plot lol

The Izzy manipulation debate has been really interesting to me pretty much since it started, because I'd see a post arguing he's manipulating Edward and go "No, and he couldn't if he tried" and then the next post would say he sucks at manipulation because he's a blunt fucking instrument and I'd go "Yea- wait. Hmm. No, he can be targeted and tricky as fuck." Which does, on its surface, seem like a contradictory stance, but I swear it works.

Because the thing with Izzy - and this is such a fun thing imo - is there are two core types of manipulation that characters engage in, and Izzy fucking sucks at the one you expect his style of antagonist to focus on. But he's scarily good at the other.

Long meta under the cut, so get comfy.

...

From his role under Edward to the protagonist vs antagonist dynamic setup to his introduction scenes, Izzy is very much invoking the conniving second in command. We know this character from other media. He doesn't have the full power he wants so he's constantly scheming to get it. He can't or won't challenge his boss for some reason, so he settles for being the devil on their shoulder or working behind their back. He's the voice constantly ready to inflame insecurities and turn relationship cracks into chasms, and usually he's lying constantly to do so. His fingerprints are all over his boss's problems up to the moment they show some weakness, and then their loyal second goes right for the backstab. He is THE ambitious manipulator. The shady advisor. The snake.

And then you actually look at Izzy and he is not that guy. In fact, it's a testament to the strength of Edward's character arc how much his evil little henchman is not causing his problems.

So - Izzy and manipulation:

Izzy Can't Convince People To Do Things

Like. He really can't.

This interpersonal struggle is fairly fundamental to his character. And moreover, it's a skill that Izzy is intensely aware that he lacks, so usually he doesn't even try.

In his first episode he walks right up to Buttons and just straight up asks him for the information on his party. He doesn't even resolve to steal the hostages until he realizes that Stede has lost them in the bush already, and Izzy obtains them by buying them. When Stede confronts him they end up splitting the pair in a very above-board negotiation and he pretty much just goes with what Stede suggests.

Then in 1x03, people make a big deal of Izzy "manipulating" Edward by not clarifying that Stede didn't know who he was when he turned down the invite, but kind of importantly he repeats the damning line of the conversation faithfully. If he was going to lie, then why not lie? Why even go see Stede at all? And, if he didn't want Stede dead until after the conversation (understandable, tbh, since "Iggy" was stab-worthy), surely he could invent a better insult to rile Edward up. It makes his omission hit more like being bitchy about Stede not recognizing the obvious - namely that Izzy Hands works for Blackbeard and literally everyone knows this - than a slander campaign to get him killed. And once we properly meet Izzy and Edward in 1x04, Izzy's inability to manipulate becomes his main struggle.

Izzy's a blunt and direct person. He leans on authority bestowed by Blackbeard to take control of situations, playing the role he's supposed to play, and without it he lacks a Plan B. In 1x04 he doesn't have any authority over Edward, so his efforts to get him to take the danger of the Spanish seriously amount to "Well as bored as you might be, if you don't make a decision soon we're gonna fucking die." And this is true! There might be a very subconscious attempt at manipulation in his resignation speech before the "That's Blackbeard. I'm Stede, remember?" line - of the piss him off to get him to get his shit together variety - but Edward literally makes a joke out of it so not exactly effective.

And once Edward stops giving Izzy authority in general, his plan to make Lucius do stuff is still just... brute force. Which works at first when Lucius doesn't realize that Izzy's on his own now, and stops working as soon as Fang breaks ranks. His last ditch blackmail attempt isn't manipulative either - he just plans to tell the truth to Pete and assumes he'll be pissed about it. My guy loses a fight over the pirate equivalent of making an uppity employee clean the coffee maker while the boss is out. Not only does he fail to manipulate the crew in a conniving antagonist way... he doesn't even try.

I mean, the only time he (somewhat) succeeds in talking someone into things is 1x06. Getting Edward to agree to killing Stede isn't really manipulation - Izzy gets Fang and Ivan to back him in a very straightforward way because they all actually do have a stake in this - but he's passably able to push Stede to go through with the fuckery via fake compliments. It's not exactly high level work, though. Stede being vulnerable to ego-stroking / dares is pretty obvious.

So what is Izzy good at?

Well, if you can't make people do anything other than what they were going to do in the first place, you might as well lean into that.

...

Izzy Manipulates Situations, Not People

Situational manipulation is one of those fictional tropes that rarely can happen in real life, but there's not much resemblance because real life rarely gives you all the building blocks for a proper gambit and lets you loose. Too many factors. In narratives, though? It becomes one of my favorite ways of having a character be clever.

And before I get into this too much, a really fun sidenote - I think Izzy does situational manipulation more like the way protagonists do it. See, antagonists are usually emotionally and situationally manipulative (ex: provoking the hero to lash out and using it to frame them for a bigger crime), but it's not a good look when your hero drives the target to do something bad and then punishes them for it. So heroes lean on stuff like Batman Gambits - where the lynchpin of the scheme is the target fucking themselves over by behaving completely in character. They've written Izzy so ineffective at emotional manipulation that he pretty much has to rely on other characters' flaws or histories to cause problems, which has a very similar result. And it's wild.

...

Going back to the 1x03 confrontation in Jackie's bar, Izzy doesn't really do anything abnormal in how he conducts himself, but people are picking up on an agenda for a reason. Namely, the whole damn conversation quickly turns into a trap, and Izzy fully sits back and watches Stede spring it from sheer idiocy.

There's no indication that when Izzy walked up he wasn't going to carry out his task with all the bitchy professionalism expected of him, while probably hoping that Stede would eventually stick his foot in his mouth without Izzy's help (assuming he's the kind of idiot Izzy thinks he is). His first section of this conversation is nearly polite:

Izzy (about the Nose Jar): "I have a few colleagues in there." Stede: "Ugh. You again." Geraldo: "Mr. Hands, welcome. It's been a while." Izzy: "(To Geraldo) Yeah, because I hate this fucking place. (To Stede) But for some inexplicable reason, my boss would like a word with you. Bonnet."

It's not until Stede starts talking that I think Izzy clues in that Stede doesn't actually know who his boss is. He didn't introduce himself until the literal last second of their 1x02 interaction, so it wasn't obvious Stede wasn't literally bolting into the forest in horrified realization.

And Stede? He goes hard on being a bitch right out the gate. Brushes Izzy off, tells him to "get in line", calls him the wrong name, says he doesn't care who Izzy is...

Izzy so far has met Stede in a public place, in front of people who clearly treat Izzy with respect and fear. He doesn't bring up their previous interaction, Stede does. He doesn't even goad Stede beyond existing. He corrects him on his name, and watches it not register in the slightest. The next line is the clincher:

Izzy (slightly incredulous): "So I'll tell my Captain that you're declining then, yeah?"

As Izzy is speaking the conversation becomes a trap - he chooses a reasonable way to refer to Edward that isn't "Blackbeard" and waits to see if Stede will make this worse. The jump from "no I'm busy" to "tell him he has terrible taste in flunkies and he can go suck eggs in Hell" is all Stede, completely ignoring context clues as Geraldo stares on in horror. Hell, Jackie only refrains from later de-nosing Stede on the spot because Geraldo knows what's up, and Stede still doesn't pick up on the fact he should maybe be asking some questions (though I'll give him the knife was distracting).

Izzy returns to the ship, quotes Stede directly for his damning line, and waits to see what Edward will do with it. It's not good behavior on his part (and if he could have seen the future he might have tried worse), but switching mid-conversation to offering Stede an opportunity to fuck himself over is a very different mindset than simply lying to / provoking Stede or Edward to get what he wants. He's mostly being petty.

Stede did insult Edward of his own volition, after all, and just because Izzy fudges the truth to hide he didn't know he was insulting Blackbeard instead of just Izzy and a random stranger doesn't change that. All Izzy did to "escalate" that conversation was give Stede a second opening to do so himself.

But there is a far better example of Izzy masterfully manipulating a situation than this in-the-moment bit of pettiness, so let's move onto my favorite bit... explaining in extensive and slightly awestruck detail why the Navy plot. Fucking. Rules. Because it does. Ready?

...

How to Mastermind the Decisive Removal of One Stupid Fucking Stede Bonnet Over Drinks

Ahem. The Navy plot. Masterclass in intimate betrayal. Izzy's biggest escalation in the total collapse of Edward and Izzy's relationship, but also a completely fucking fascinating glimpse into whatever tangled web of codependency they've got going on, because Edward isn't even mad after 1x09. This wordcount is going to be insane enough without me getting into the Blackhands relationship connotations, so I will... attempt... to stick to breaking down the actual scheme.

And what a scheme it was.

Let's start at the beginning. Jack showing up to lure them into the trap at the start of 1x08? Nope, earlier. Izzy getting kicked off the ship and going to Jackie at the end of 1x06? Further back. Edward proposing the "kill Stede" plan at the end of 1x04, which is the domino that starts all this, right? Closer, but still no.

Izzy's first appearance on screen is in episode 1x02, and that episode is where the seeds of the Navy plot are first planted. See, during Stede's confrontation with Izzy, both of the hostages chime in:

Hostage 1 (Wellington): "Believe him, he's quite insane." Hostage 2 (Hornberry): "He does have the eyes of a madman. Sorry, you do."

Wellington says his line in a tone of voice that clearly indicates a story to tell, and it should also be noted that he is the same one who earlier jumped at the chance to tell the tribe chief about Stede murdering their captain - Nigel. And he's the one that Izzy leaves with, in a sour mood and wanting information about this "Stede Bonnet" character.

When Izzy later reaches out to the Navy, it's no coincidence that he finds Chauncey. He's known since right after their first meeting that Stede was directly responsible for the murder of an Admiral's brother and that the English Navy would know soon enough, since he was literally about to ransom a hostage back to them who would tell the story. And he filed that information away until it was useful or relevant like a clever pirate should.

Moving on to Jackie's bar in 1x03, Izzy gets more potentially useful observations / inspiration. Jackie is actually the first person in the series to make a deal with a naval power. Izzy and crew track the Revenge to the Spanish warship, which means they must see Geraldo sold out Stede to them. Izzy isn't stupid. He knows Geraldo and Spanish Jackie, knows that she's the brains and brawn behind this deal, and has seen enough of Stede that he'd absolutely believe that he did something to get Jackie pissed enough to plot his murder. File away Jackie wants Stede dead and details of how she nearly succeeded in offing him for later.

Izzy spends 1x05 up to the fuckery demonstration observing Stede's crew while waiting for Edward to pull the trigger. I definitely want to note the scene where they interrogate the Frenchman at the beginning of 1x05, because Izzy is staring directly at Stede as he leans away from Edward threatening violence (we know this will later be in his love montage so not actually a turn off, lol, but like... it looked like one). His opinion of the crew is that they like to fuck around without structure (1x05 during the party), probably that they enjoy more standard pirate levels of violence (not shown directly since they are kept out of the 1x05 raid, but fairly obvious), and that they are really easily awestruck by the chance to hear "real pirates" tell charismatic stories (1x06 ghost story).

Any of that sounding like someone we know?

And now to go back to Izzy in 1x06, when he gets sick of Edward being cagey about the plan to kill Stede and decides to "make" him stop stalling, he's straightforward again. Getting Ivan and Fang to back him isn't emotionally manipulative, but it does give him weight in the conversation. They are the ones who bring up the whole "love of a pet makes a man weak" thing, and they do it in the context of calling out hypocrisy. Izzy knows the standards Edward holds his crew to. He lets them convince Edward it's time.

Taking the chance to suggest Stede try a fuckery is a strong blend of situational and emotional manipulation, and later challenging him to a formal duel knowing he'd be overconfident enough to accept is more situational again. Even the terms of the duel are designed to take advantage of the situation. And then Izzy loses in the most comedy way possible, Edward lets him get banished, and Izzy decides that if he was ok with just sending Stede Bonnet on his way to fuck-off before... he's fucking gonna kill him now.

My guy is not a creative thinker, but he's definitely a logistical one. And as he rows away from that ship, all the pieces fall into place.

First, Spanish Jackie. Who listens to him bemoan his relationship woes because she likes him (Izzy gets Jackie in the divorce). Who wants Stede dead and has the clout to summon and deal with a distasteful ally - Chauncey. Together, they concoct an arrangement where a trap will be set and Chauncey gets Stede and only Stede. This isn't a tip-off or a free-for-all. Stede comes from Chauncey's world and they are sending him back. Permanently.

Then it's time for the trap itself, which needs to do two things: get the Revenge somewhere that Chauncey can corner it, and get Edward out of there. And Izzy? Izzy knows Edward. Knows there's one particular person in his past that will have no trouble integrating with the crew, getting Edward to act more like a pirate than a gentleman, and who happens to have a great ambush location on hand.

I've said this before but I'm gonna say it again - I don't think outside characters realize how hard and fast Edward is falling for Stede. The BlackBonnet bonding moments happen almost exclusively when they are alone. The place Izzy dramatically fails to manipulate the situation is not having the evidence he would need to predict Edward going back for Stede. He (and Jack) both think that a precise wedge between BlackBonnet - one that Jack delivers near flawlessly by playing into real issues - will be enough to remind Edward that Stede isn't his people. This isn't a plan to murder the love of Edward's life while his back is turned. It's a plan to get rid of Stede, and remind Edward why he was on board with doing that in the first place. "That's fair," Izzy says about a punch to the face.

Instead, Izzy's plot accidentally backs Edward into a corner and forces him to publicly pull a grand-gesture relationship level-up that he was not emotionally ready for, and the fallout from that explosion is way worse than any of our conspirators were counting on.

Still... you gotta admit. It was a really good plan.

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rose-tea-and-strawberries · 6 months

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Hi! I found your house of mouse au pretty recently and I am LIVING FOR IT. And I wanted to ask... How do you think Miss Yuu's interactions with Peter Pan's characters would be like. I'm dieing for seeing how she would get along with Peter, Wendy, Jane, the lost boys Captain Hook and the pirates

Alright so my Yuu is actually kind of a mix of Wendy Darling (sweet, motherly, mature yet innocent, protective, a pacifist that will get angry/annoyed when the situation calls for it, loves children, very imaginative with a love for stories, etc) and Snow White (a forest nymph that has animals flocking to her, angelic singing voice, enjoys baking and acts of service, loves to tease and will put her foot down if things aren't right/up to standard, forgiving, feminine, sees the good in everyone but understands danger, etc)

So I see Wendy and Alice as like the quote-unquote 'leaders' of the younger Disney girls and those two definitely look up to Miss Yuu as an older sister. Since Wendy's mature for her age, she kind of sees Yuu as a sort of mentor(?) and has a lot of respect for her. The two of them especially love to tell stories to each other since they love fiction and magic and all that. She's not exactly part of the shipping war since she's so young and her idea of love is 'girl likes boy so girl kisses boy' but she is a huge romantic and does sigh happily whenever she sees Malleus act all prince-like with Yuu.

John and Michael (and the lost boys), like Wendy, look up to her as a big sister. she does entertain their adventurous spirit when she's with them and she cares for them deeply. The Darling brothers and their friends usually hang around with the other little boys though so she doesn't get much time with them - but they are 100% down to stand up for her if they see her in trouble.

I've answered an ask about Tink and Yuu's relationship before but to add on I think she was insanely jealous of the attention Yuu got from everyone else at first and then was hit by the Yuu charm after one (1) conversation with her where Yuu just gushed about her and praised her so know they're bffs.

Mr Smee dotes on her. Like Kronk and LeFou, he's a henchman that's not evil, he just cares for the villain. The pirates have accepted her as one of their own and since she loves hearing about their stories Hook and his men just love to hype themselves up. I don't really know what else to write.

Okay Peter, I think would first not like her because, well, girl. He does try to pull that whole 'girls talk too much', 'well, get on with it girl', 'wendy's enough' thing that he did with Wendy but Yuu was very quick to put a stop to it. He doesn't have any real strong feelings about her but he lives for chaos and chaos always follows her so he'll help her if it means causing annoyance to the villains/nrc boys.

Thanks for the ask ☺️

#asks #twst #twst yuu #fem yuu #twisted wonderland #house of mouse au

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thepenultimateword · 10 months

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What do you want to see/read more with heroes and villains?

Oooo love this question. There’s probably more than I can think of at the moment, but I’ll give you three that come to mind.

1. More villain x villain combos. I really love this pairing in all its forms (villain x villain, villain x supervillain, henchman x villain, henchman x henchman, etc.) and even though I think people gravitate towards the enemies to lovers of hero x villain, there’s something about two evil people in love that appeals to me. I think I dominate most of the villain x villain tag (at least from what I can see), and I’m always longing to see what other people would come up with.

2. Actually bad villains. I love fluffy villains too, but sometimes I think there’a not enough truly villainous villains. Villains who may fall in love with the hero, but don’t automatically transform into a good guy along the way. @arealphrooblem and @the-modern-typewriter are really good at making this type of villain, and I think it makes hero x villain dynamics much more intriguing.

3. Scary heroes. Especially scary heroes x rookie/low-level villains. I like the idea of heroes who are truly terrifying to the villains around them. That criminals flee from them. And to the city they are the best thing that ever happened, but to a villain they are a nightmare. I don’t think we see enough heroes who strike terror into the hearts of their enemies. And I just think the pairing of a villain who should be scared of them but is actually just enamored is fun.

#ask #ask reply #no writing #heroes and villains #hero x villain #heroes and villains community

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carrotkicks · 2 years

Text

some designs for the evil Young Injustice team i've got in my head, here's some ideas i've got too if you want to see:

Tim is a sniper bc "evil au so Bats use guns lol." he doesn't really enjoy getting his hands messy so prefers long distance stuff rather than actual fighting even tho he's perfectly capable of hand to hand.

He's got a really lazy and childish personality, and his costume is just a Robin vest layered on top of sweats to visualize it. He also has an eccentric/batshit crazy and obsessive side but i didn't really want to draw that atm. he's also the very human protege of an Eldritch Horror Batman.

Cassie was prty much the origin of making all these designs. I had this idea that her Amazonian brace thingies are replaced with gold handcuffs bc Evil Cassie has a cop fit because yeah. She fights with a sword because i think that would be cool.

She's still the leader, and pretty much has the same personality as YJ'98 Cassie, just meaner. She curses in every instance she can, and insults her friends as a love language.

Also i think the world of this au is somewhat inspired by flashpoint, so Cassie's like, the general of WW's world domination scheme

Conner is Lex Luthor's bodyguard/ top henchman, hence the business suit/mobster vibe. He's a very moody, angsty dude, and prty violent. The collar Lex gave him has a little kryptonite in it to keep him in line. It's why he looks kinda sickly.

He's not necessarily as morally twisted as Tim and Cassie, but he's still loyal to Lex, so he commits crime because he's very ride or die, and also Luthor could very well exterminate him and make a replacement.

Bart is literally just normal Good Boy Bart who took an unfortunate wrong turn while time traveling and ended up in the evil fucked up timeline instead. Bart doesn't really wan't to be violent and hurt people, so he doesn't and usually tries to convince the others to lay off the murder when they do team stuff at the least.

He's super nervous around the others because they are absolutely insane, but also he still loves them a lot and because he's naturally chaotic like that, commits so much crime with them because friendship comes first, morals second.

#doodles #doodle #young justice #young just us #tim drake #cassie sandsmark #bart allen #conner kent #kon el #evil au #dc comics

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cho-aaacho · 5 months

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Stupid fucking idea that me and my sister made up:

Evil Wesker but with energetic henchman reader. Kinda cartoon villain like but it was too funny me and my sister kept giggling about it.

Imagine Wesker and the reader are trying to infect the world with Uroboros and Chris keeps fucking up Wesker’s plans.

Reader is like “Cheer up boss, we’ll get Chris next time! You’ll reach godhood in no time!”

Wesker hates, but also loves the fact that they’re willing, and energetic to help him achieve his goal. Kinda protective over them.

But imagine at the end of RE5 instead of dying, Wesker is just locked up in some maximum security prison.

But it’s just a little more bearable with the reader with them.

“Aw shucks. Well we didn’t get it this time. But i’m sure next time we’ll get it! Have faith boss!”

A very small, smile itches its way onto his lips. Maybe life imprisonment wouldn’t be so bad with you around.

Haha. What a fantastic idea! I have a scenario about this. I hope you love it!

Wesker is really good at being a leader. We can see how he carries S.T.A.R.S. and how he has a good relationship with them. Despite only acting, no one can detect that at all. So he's a good actor or just a psychopath?

He has charm and charisma, and everyone seems to depend on him. His charisma allowed him to entice people to do his dirty work. Narcissists are known to be charismatic, intelligent beyond the human realm, and highly manipulative.

Even no one notices when he's hacking a Bravo team's helicopter, which is the end game for them.

However, during his days in Tricell, he found someone interesting. And it's you. He barely talks with anyone at the Tricell facility; it's not because he hates them. He just doesn't have time to chit-chat.

At the time, his mind was consumed with Spencer and, of course, Uroboros. But one day, you told him something, and it was simply a strange conversation.

You say, "Let go of anything holding you back and die. There's nothing wrong with harboring dislikes toward others."

Realizing that he was only wasting his time, he started tracking and eliminating Spencer while ambitiously pursuing the Uroboros project. You've never seen him like this before; even Irving and Excella were upset by his unusual behavior.

Wesker even tells you about his Uroboros plans, including a backup plan in case he fails. You could not help but listen to him. Because he appears to be pleased with how you respond to him and reply to him.

"Okay, boss, do as you wish. Even if you try to burn everything down, the world around us remains the same. But it will feel different if you are not beside me."

After facing defeat by Chris and imprisonment, he doesn't hate or feel upset. It contradicted his nature, as he despised being defeated, especially by his archenemy.

Nothing else matters to him as long as he has you...

"Hey, Wesker... it's impressive that BSAA was able to lock us up. But don't worry; it's only a mild prison. After this, Chris will lose interest in us and eventually retire. At that moment, we will shine and return. If Chris wants to stop, he will. It's human nature."

He just... smiled. It was the first time you saw him relaxed like this. Though you are not worth it for that smile, you were really happy with that little detail about him.

"It appears I have your attention, Wesker. I am pleased to see you smiling. Let us try again and see if we can defeat Chris or those who support him, friends, and families."

#albert wesker x you #albert wesker x reader #wesker x you #wesker x reader #albert wesker #resident evil albert wesker

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fun-k-board · 1 year

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Hello, it's my first time to send an ask, more recently I finished the school good and evil books, And I fell in love with Hort, but he has literally no content x reader, so you can give hort simps some romantic content?

sorry if this is a bit confusing, english is not my first language 😅.

Of course! Now, I've only watched the movie and read the first book, so apologies if how I characterise him isn't that good or accurate. Also! Your English is really good so dw it wasn't confusing at all!

Pronouns: None

Info: Reader is described specifically in some parts but it fluctuates, ex, if you're very kind, then the next paragraph, if you're rude and abrasive.

General Headcanons

He's not the strongest or most impressive of boys, nevers and evers alike make fun of him for being weak physically and not bring the smartest of the bunch. What he lacks in a lot of things he makes up for in his devotion, despite being a never, he cherishes those he cares for and doesn't dare waver against his undying loyalty. So, if you show him that you're loyal, you understand his boundires and don't push them, he couldn't ask for anything more. Hort just wants someone who loves him for who he is.

Hort is very caring and won't be afraid to help you if you're down or acting strange, in private that is, in public it'd be a string of almost coded phrases and attempts to get you alone so you wouldn't be embarrassed of him calling out your behaviour.

I wouldn't say he's extremely protective, but he's definetly up there, and can become overbearing if you don't sit him down and express your boundaries. Hort wants you safe, and in a school like this? Safety is the last priority of the staff, somebody has to step up to get you safe and it may as well be him.

Appreciates if you at least comfort him or even try to stop the bullying that happens regularly to him, or even the manipulation provided by Sophie. In return his loyalty is tenfold.

He likes matching pyjamas, cute little animal patterns that you wear in each other's company.

Never Headcanons

If you're a never like him, many factors can benefit or dampen the process of knowing him. Especially if you somehow befriend Sophie, the small crush he has on her is just that in this, a small crush. It ends faster than it begins, and he realises your beauty and personality is something Sophie couldn't compete with.

Even if you may be too thin or too big, with scraggly and unwashed hair, pimples and rough skin, that's beauty for him. It gets you far for a never and hey, even if you're insecure, the school for evil and it's inhabitants will grade you good on it. Conventially attractive people are beauty in a different way, in that they're unusual, and a never with those features, as seen by Sophie, is still something he finds pretty.

Now onto your personality, for a never, this could go two ways, maybe you're nicer and shy, or even confident yet respectful, either way, they're traits unlike a never. While this places a target on your back and could cause some tension with teachers and students alike, it places an unfamiliar comfort when it comes to Hort and his love for you.

While he still wishes to be seen as someone capable of bad, and understands he can't always be the one to protect his significant other, he appreciates the kindness you extend to him. Hort hasn't known much kindness, and even a shy glance as you hold your hand out for him to hold, or a confident and outgoing grab as you smile at him, makes a far larger impact that you could ever realise. Especially since you're a never, he can't fathom that someone set out for cruelness and evil could still find it in themselves to love him, it proves to Hort your love couldn't be fake, and any seeds of doubt are dispelled by the adoration you show whether veiled or outright.

If you're harsh and the typical never, he adores your villainy and although he wants to become a villain himself, he can settle for a henchman if its under you, only you however. Hort doesn't mind if you're a little cruel to him, he's completely use to it, there are definetly lines that if you cross he's not staying with you, manipulating his love and devotion is a deal breaker. Especially if everything with Sophie happened before you were together, he doesn't want to go back to being used.

That said, you being 'cruel' is sometimes a plus, it makes you familiar and him relate to you more, which is always great when it comes to a relationship. Being a never doesn't always mean lack of love, your love isn't all cruelty, yelling and hitting, it lacks those at all later on when you or him confess.

Whether you're completely capable as a never or need help, he's always ready to assist if you need it. Struggling with homework? He took some notes! While the handwriting is barely understandable and messy, he will read them for you and even add some things onto your own studies he forgot for his. If you don't at all need nor want help, or even excel in studies compared to him, he's still there for when you somehow miss a lesson or maybe weren't paying full attention on a bad day. Hort even asks for help himself from time to time, while not outright, you can tell from how he's been placing lower these past few days, and you won't allow a fail no matter how cruel of a never you are.

If you were born a guy the chances of you being in the same dorm as him increases, and even if you aren't in the same dorm, you can still visit without eyebrows being raised, you may get put in the doom room if you aren't supposed to be out, however. If you were born a girl, you won't have a chance of dorming with him and will need to be sneakier when visiting each other so people don't think anything weird, and so you don't get put in the doom room.

When it comes to being between, neither girl or boy / both, you won't be treated well in the school for evil. In the handbook, it's explicitly stated that before, and after for the School for Evil, Agatha, both schools were very traditional and separated students based on sex.

Hort would be very lovely to you, helping in any way he could to lessen bullying or separation, and the last statements stay the same based on your biological sex. Which is unfortunate, but you can't exactly break a system with two teenagers, one a guy who has cute pyjamas.

Ever Headcanons

Now for an ever reader, things play out differently. Let's say you are a conventially attractive ever, beauty and grace your defining features, he may think you blend into the crowd. To him, all evers are self absorbed and fake, their kindness isn't unlimited, nor is it true, as when a never is in the room, or just a regular person that may not look the most rich and extravagant, the true colours start shining. That doesn't mean he believes them to be ugly or denies that fact, only in a jealous stupor or when aggrivated by one does that happen.

I can see this going two ways, either you catch his eye despite wearing the same uniform, being attractive and having the same sickly sweet attitude as everybody else, or, you notice him.

If you don't notice him, then perhaps your kindness is what allows you two to meet. Whether befriending the 'evil' Ever, Agatha, and meeting Sophie through her and therefore meeting Hort, who'd already had his beady eyes upon you. You could've defended him from a group of ignorantly loud and aggravating bullies, especially if they're Evers, his once smaller crush turns into respect. While he may not show it completely, and to an outsider he seems creepy with his affections, you understand him. If you don't? You know how Nevers act, they're strange and not like an Ever, so it's hard to judge what you have limited knowledge on. Given your already stated kindness, it's hard to imagine you'd be too judging.

If you're instead a very rude or just unusual Ever, being anti social in a harsh or awkward fashion, then it's your appearance that gets him aware of you fully, he notices you, of course. But, besides a few glances admiring your beauty, or gawking at your lack thereof, Hort doesn't try to know your name nor speak to you. He's busy getting bullied and used by a certain blonde never.

Your meeting is either coincidence or founded by you speaking to him first, if you're cruel, he is shocked at how outward you are. Most Evers are passive aggressive, his interest is piqued, and if you wanted him to leave you alone or you believed him to be weird, the chances of that happening have been lowered to zero.

If you're a shy and awkward type, Hort is drawn in by your cuteness for lack of a better term, how you try to seem confident because you don't want to fail or be bullied, he sees himself in you somewhat. His attempt to know you comes off as rude and overall strange, depending on your reaction, this could speed up the process or slow it. If you continue to try and be nice and respectful, he may just keep up this dance of insults, but if you fight back, Hort realises you aren't exactly the most different after all, and attempts a new approach.

No matter boy or girl, or either, in which case shouldn't be an issue since the school for good seems to be much more progressive, you won't ever share a dorm with him, which sucks, and you'll need to be more sneaky with your dates as to not be made fun of.

#Hort x reader #Hort #School for good and evil x reader #Sge #Sge Hort #Hort sge #School for good and evil Hort #Hort school for good and evil #School for good and evil #Hort x gn reader #Hort x gender neutral reader #Hort x gn!reader #school for good and evil x gn reader #school for good and evil x gn!reader #school for good and evil x gender neutral reader #sge x reader #sge x gn reader #sge x gn!reader #sge x gender neutral reader

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knightsickness · 28 days

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now i NEED to know what you think criston is thinking when a) aemond bitching about alicent b) aemond calling his mom "ALICENT" and c) aemond x criston ""friendship""

okk so c) first aemond and criston dynamic in my head is that they dont especially like each other which the actors do not agree with. i dont think criston views alicent’s kids as his and i think when he said the ‘i know what it is to struggle for what others are freely given’ thing it was even as he was thinking godd i had it so much harder than him. likewise aemond kind of thinks criston is too lowborn to actually understand the gravity of his problems. reintroduced in s1 harshly shutting down criston’s attempt to be casual about aemond beating him (best knight in the realm w a complex about it) in front of everyone. saw a # anti criston cole post that was judgementally like woww you can see in his face hes seething about being beaten by his own protege he should be proud of and i do agree with this. aegons like waaa cole likes aemond better bc everyonee (alicent) likes aemond better but he doesnt actually like either of them aemond just goes to his lessons

b) i think is interesting bc its such a point that aemond calls her mother in s1. ive seen people speculating alicent aemond falling out after b&c and she still wants peace and thats why he said that. on what cristons feeling about it i dont think he over-cares about alicents sons relationships with her + also part of his and aemonds relationship is the combination mentor servant role hes in .. i dont think he really has the desire or position to be heyy thats not normal whats wrong sport-ing aemond

a) is the most interesting to me bc aemond says it clearly expecting agreement and in the quick reverse-shot of criston hes not shocked or angry. while cristons driving motivation is to be alicents yes-man henchman i would say his hatred of rhaenyra is a pretty close second he and alicent are closest when theyre both talking about how shes an evil whore. he also has moments e.g. the aemond de-eyeing where he hesitates and its like. you could argue in his head hes like well alicent is the virgin mary and good and forgiving and loving unfortunately she suffers with wandering womb as all women occasionally do shes not always rational. if alicent after lukegate and b&c has been talking about how they could maybe still spare rhaenyra i think hed get weird about it hes an unpleasant and jealous guy. do i think hed be feeling kicky enough to call alicent a weak foolish woman in front of aemond no do i think hed silently agree yes

#asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #hotd #house of the dragon #alicent hightower #aemond targaryen #criston cole

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neitherabaron · 1 year

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Really looking forward to the Chris Pine D&D movie, and I want to share some love for the original attempt at a D&D film from 2000!

Make no mistake, this is a so-bad-it’s-good film, with digital effects that are ropey as hell (especially when you consider that Fellowship of the Ring was already in post-production in 2000), a plot so disjointed it barely exists, (including a final battle that the main characters don’t even really take part in) and staggering levels of camp.

But it’s fucking charming.

Jeremy Irons (Scar from The Lion King) is the villain, an evil archmage who wants to overthrow an (not particularly benevolent anyway) empire with a plan that is never really clear but involves dragons?

Just look at this guy:

:readmore:

He walks about like that for the whole film, waggling his fingers slowly so you know he’s the baddie. He has an office where all the furniture and decor is made of human skulls and bones (a real location; I believe it’s a church somewhere?) and likes swooping his cape about. And Jeremy Irons himself is so bored, it’s hilarious. I seem to remember that in the dvd extras he’s interviewed alongside Gary Gygax and pretty much expresses open disdain for the whole process. He’s a serious actor! This is beneath him!

Elsewhere on the supporting cast, we have a henchman with spiky armour and inexplicably blue lips that are always pouting in a way that seems vaguely sexual; Tom Baker(!) as a wood elf Druid who only exists in order to say something vaguely mystic about dragons for 20 seconds before disappearing forever; and Richard O’Brien in full fey bastard mode as a camp thieves’ guild master who challenges the party to…find a crystal…in a deadly maze filled with traps and puzzles. Like in that game show he used to present…I forget the name. I wanna say Diamond Labyrinth? 😂

As for the party, it’s all delightfully one-note characters. We’ve got a rogue? bard? who goes from being a selfish dickhead to altruistic freedom fighter on a dime. Some dialogue suggests he’s some kind of chosen one, but the plot never actually explores or resolves that. Then there’s a wizard who doesn’t like poor people, an elf fighter who doesn’t like anyone, a dwarf who’s so out of it he barely knows he’s there and is never given any character motivation to explain why he’s travelling with these guys; and some dude called Snails, whose personality is…he’s scared? Basically Shaggy without Scooby.

These guys have to save a princess from Jeremy Irons, who wants to kill her because she has friendly dragons or something. But here’s the great thing: the party have very little reason to want to rescue her (most of them as non-mages are actively oppressed and even enslaved by the ruling mage class of which she is the figurehead) and they never actually *meet* her until the very end of the film, after the evil archmage has pretty much already been defeated - by the princess and her dragons btw, not the party, who basically teleport a magic wand to her and then just watch.

They rescue her because in order for the film to be a film, there needs to be an end goal, even if it’s totally arbitrary. And that’s what I love. Isn’t that just so reflective of a slightly haphazard campaign of Dungeons & Dragons with a party that’s hastily thrown together?

And there are more similarities that compound this feeling of watching some randoms play a home campaign. The plot as I mentioned is disjointed. It’s not a series of events that flows or has any kind of pacing - the movie is a series of 15 minute adventures that don’t really connect to each other or build to the ending. As if the director is a dungeon master arbitrarily stringing together modular adventure sourcebooks! Let’s storm a castle for reasons! Great, now let’s raid a tomb. No, I don’t know why. At one point a party member just bounces from the plot and is never seen again, just like that player in your group who never shows up and you all just move on.

It’s like the writers transcribed a home campaign, warts and all, into script form and then somehow successfully pitched it as a B-movie. Though the Chris Pine version will doubtlessly be a much better movie, Dungeons & Dragons (2000) is perhaps the most accurate possible dramatic presentation of D&D as it actually is in practice for most people playing it. What could be more charming than that?

#dungeons & dragons #D&D

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