#quickest way to kill something is to make it an enemy of convenience | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dancingstarsbornfromchaos · 3 years

Text

Some random background story headcanons I have for Evil Rick, since there’s really not enough content about his character! (And since I was encouraged to share by a lovely person)

As a young kid, Rick showed all the signs what psychiatry would later label as a Conduct Disorder (which in teenagers is called Antisocial Personality Disorder): complete disregard for social norms, delinquent behaviour (mostly in the form of skipping school, stealing and destruction of property), lack of empathy, cruelty towards animals, intimidating behaviours, open aggression. So, he was damaged goods since the very start, capable of, and very willing to, destroying and twisting everything he touched.

Being as smart as he was just made it worse. He quickly learnt how not to get caught, how to act behind others’ back, how to make sure that he could get away with it, even when everyone was aware of the kind of little monster he was. But no proof, no crime, right?

He even sent several of his classmates to the hospital through his elementary and middle school years, leaving some of them deeply traumatised in the aftermath and a couple physically impaired.

His family never did anything about it. The Sanchez struggled with money and Rick’s mother was far too busy working her three job’s to care for her son...a son she hadn’t wanted to have to start with. As for his father, the man was half an alcoholic and half a criminal and, while absent in his son’s life, he was around more and the only figure Rick could learn something from. And what he learnt was that when you wanted something, the quickest way to go around the issue was to take it, rules and consent be damned.

While his parents never physically abused him, Rick grew up in a state of complete neglect (emotional, but also material), having to fend for himself since an age when he should have been too young to even just be alone in the house.

At every new school he was sent to, he attracted the attention of the local bullies, but it never lasted. Eventually, something really nasty happened to them and everyone learnt to keep their distances, kids and adults alike.

School still felt like a waste of time to him, so he chose to focus on teaching himself what he needed and wanted to learn. And that was were most of his efforts went. While he never felt the need for a connection with other people, unless it involved causing them pain or gaining something out of it, science was the one thing that made him feel more than just anger, frustration, boredom or the need to break everything around him. Where he usually lived following a primal urge for destruction, it gave him a chance to experience what it was like to create.

He left home at 16, and his family never even thought of looking for him. He made money through his inventions and crime, usually never getting fully involved and preferring to stand aside and watch the chaos his schemes and twisted games led to.

Soon, however, all that was no longer enough. Everything he did got dull faster and faster and Earth started to feel like a prison, which lead him to work obsessively on finding a way to leave that ball of dirt behind.

Diane was a convenient opportunity. She was good-looking in a way that society approved, she was easy to fall for his lone wolf act and her will too see good even where there was none made her easy to manipulate. And, more importantly, she had enough normalcy to hide away Rick’s abnormalities too. He never loved her, nor the daughter they had together. He just got her pregnant so he could marry her and use her as a walking hideout while he kept on pursuing his own interests in peace.

The very same day he finished to build his space ship, Rick packed his stuff and left in the middle of the day, while Diane was off to pick up a 5-years-old Beth out of school. He didn’t leave a note, never looked back. And forgot about them both pretty quickly too.

In that bloodied, lawless mess that space turned to be, Rick truly thrived for the first time in his life. He turned himself into a mercenary, working for whoever managed to pique his interest the most and for whoever offered him the best chance to get creative with his work. The Federation was hardly the only one to suffer from his games and whims. Some came to say that Rick Sanchez destroyed civilizations for breakfast, if he woke up in that kind of mood. Or if he had a bit too much to drink the night before.

He met the Squanchy and the Birdperson of his dimensions, but they never became friends. They were just people he had dealt with while he sold weapons to the Rebellion, two faces who stood up just a little more in a sea of a thousands more.

Of course, his lifestyle and disregard for the consequences earned him an endless list of enemy. He was hunted down and captured, tortured in all the conceivable ways. He was almost killed several times, violated in the body and the mind alike. He lost counts of all the substances that were put and that he willingly put into his body, which by now was synthetic and part machine than human. Yet, he always came out on top, covered in blood and with that insane, terrifying tingle in his eyes shining just a bit brighter each time.

Meeting other Ricks and learning about interdimensional traveling marked a new turn in his life. He moved through different realities, took a vague interest in studying the differences in the course or history (and eventually found most of them pathetic and unworthy of his time). He even spent a couple of years living on the Citadel, hidden away in its darkest corners, always under the radar.

One thing stuck with him of all his experiences among his other selves, the same thing that eventually pushed him travel back to his own Earth, something he had never even just considered doing after having left it behind for good. The boy.

Showing up at his estranged daughter’s door, Rick quickly learnt two things: one, he wasn’t welcome but they let him stay anyway because he was bringing resources they didn’t have and, especially, because Beth was smart enough to figure that there was no denying him; secondly, his daughter’s family was no different from the one he had grown up with. A house full of indifference and neglect, where the kids were left to their own devices, no matter the consequences.

His 10-years-old Morty turned out to be nothing like Rick had been as a child. He was weak, easily scared, too full of stupid hopes and dreams, craving to be nurtured and given the affection that none of the people around him was willing to offer. He was pathetic, even, a crying, shivering mess. And yet, Rick didn’t miss it, the spark of strong willpower and stubbornness that would have allowed the kid to thrive just as Rick himself had done, if properly cultivated.

Useless to say, Rick didn’t hesitate to completely take over Morty’s life. It wasn’t like there was anyone to stop him or to worry or give a damn anyway. He planned on breaking the kid into pieces, literally and figuratively, over and over and over, using his own horrifying experiences as a guide. He would have forced him to accept that there was nothing in his life, in his universe but Rick. Then he would have put him back together, shaped him and molded him into something as resilient as Rick’s own wrecked life had made him. A sharp tool, a deadly weapon, a helpful sidekick. And, perhaps, one day, a partner. Because, whether or not he was willing to admit it, Morty was the first and only person Rick was ever able and ever wished to truly connect with.

#rick and morty #rick sanchez #evil rick #rnm headcanons #ram headcanons #rick and morty headcanons #[ he and Evil Morty are my second fave duo ]#[ I wish there was more content about them ]

56 notes · View notes

ikeromantic · 3 years

Text

Lunches with Friends

A Mitsuhide Akechi fanfic, approx. 1600 words. This scene takes place post-romantic route epilogue. Fluff, angst, and friendship.

First: Mitsuhide and the Maiden

Previous: Loyalties

Hideyoshi straightened his clothes once more. No matter how he smoothed the fabric, it felt awkwardly fit. As if it wasn’t the clothes so much as his skin that didn’t sit right. The chatelaine would arrive soon to meet with him and he felt nervous. Which was ridiculous. How many times had he talked to her before? Helped her carry her bags? Had tea? But today felt different.

Maybe because she wasn’t really the chatelaine now. She’d moved herself to Mitsuhide’s manor, an outward signal of her choice. But there had been no official decision from Nobunaga, no ceremony, and that meant there was a chance he could save her.

A polite tap at his door let Hideyoshi know she’d arrived. He cleared his throat and welcomed her in. Light followed her as the door slid open, golden on her skin. With her bruises healed and the exhaustion of travel gone, she was as beautiful as ever. Like a - a very pretty little sister. “Please, have a seat. I’ll prepare some tea.”

“Thank you! It’s been awhile since I visited you here.” She sat down gracefully. Her eyes tracked him as he moved around the room. “I’m glad you had time to meet with me. I wanted to ask, well, to see if I could change jobs.”

Hideyoshi hadn’t expected that. He wasn’t sure why she’d asked to meet, but this hadn’t even made the list. He covered his confusion by rearranging snacks on the tray.

She took his silence as encouragement. “I thought since Mitsuhide was going to continue his work for Nobunaga, I need to find something I can do too. Something besides chatelaine, since I live in the Akechi manor now.”

“I see.” Hideyoshi poured the tea and sat down across from her. “What did you have in mind?”

“I’d like to join the seamstresses.” She looked down at her tea, an anxious smile playing at the corners of her lips. “In my - my hometown, I designed clothes. Sewing is something I love and I’d really-”

He interrupted her. “It’s fine. I’ll clear it with Nobunaga.” He reached over and patted her head. “I want you to do what makes you happy, which is why -” Hideyoshi cleared his throat. “Which is why I want you to reconsider this, this thing with Mitsuhide.”

Her head snapped up, eyes wide.

“I know he’s . . . interesting. But you can’t ever really trust him. He lies as easily as he breathes.” He wrapped his hands around hers, feeling how fragile and warm she was. “You deserve a love with trust that goes both ways. Someone that won’t lie to you, won’t hurt you.”

She pulled her hands back, out of his grasp. “And who is that? You?”

Hideyoshi rubbed his face, wishing just once he had the kitsune’s silver tongue. “It could be. Or Mitsunari. Nobunaga. Ieyasu . . . even Ranmaru. He’s closer to your age too.” He stood, unable to stay seated when his heart was hammering in his chest like this. “I . . . look, anyone would love you. And anyone but Mitsuhide would be a better match.”

Her small hands made tiny, white knuckled fists in the fabric of her kimono. “I love him. And I trust him. I know he sometimes . . . keeps things to himself. But he does it out of loyalty and kindness.”

“I’m sure that’s what he says-”

“Hideyoshi. I thought you were my friend.” Her eyes were damp with tears and her cheeks flushed with anger. “I can’t believe you! Trying to - to -”

“I am trying to protect you.” He bent down and took her by the shoulders. “If you marry him, you will never be safe. Never. Not from his enemies, and not from his lies.” His voice shook.

The chatelaine tried to pull out of his grasp as she stood, but he wouldn’t let her go. He pulled her close. Pressed her to his chest as if she were a balm to the thundering there.

“I love you. As my - my sister. And I can’t watch you hurt yourself like this.”

“Let. Me. Go.” She stared up at him as if she were seeing a stranger. “It is my choice who to love. And I love Mitsuhide. I will be his wife, even knowing that yes! Yes, it will hurt! I know what he’s like, and I know how dangerous the life he leads is. I am not afraid.”

Hideyoshi studied her face, seeing in it her iron will. She had decided and words would not sway her. He let go and took a step back. “Then . . . forgive me. I . . . misspoke.” He bowed low and waited there for her to speak.

After several breaths, she reached out, fingertips grazing his shoulder. “Can we just pretend that never happened? Hideyoshi?”

He straightened and gave her a nod. His chest still felt tight, his heart heavy as lead. “We can.”

She gave him a half-smile. “Good. Because I do think of you as a friend. Or, or maybe a big brother. And I don’t want to lose that.”

Hideyoshi cleared his throat. “I just need to understand that my little sis knows what she’s doing.” He tried out his own, awkward smile.

“Let’s sit and drink our tea and - we can talk about something else. Is that alright?”

With some relief, they sat down and resumed drinking their tea. They were quiet for a time, but eventually fell into the comfort of their relationship, sharing stories about the other maids and things in town.

***

Mitsuhide spent most of his morning drafting a letter to Sasuke. He wanted to make it clear what he was asking - but only to the ninja - and to cover his tracks should it be intercepted. Afterall, regardless of the friendship between his lover and Kenshin’s henchman, they were still enemies on opposing sides of an unresolved conflict. It would not do to be caught out for a treason he was actually committing.

The final letter probably read like nonsense to anyone besides Sasuke. Asking about the frequency of the ‘worms’ and whether or not they had a season . . . he just hoped the ninja understood. And that the answer was the one he sought.

He was in the process of sealing it up when his door opened. Masamune stepped in, carrying a covered tray in one hand, and a bottle in the other. He grinned when Mitushide looked up. “If looks could kill. You want a rematch for our raincheck?”

Mitsuhide chuckled. “I’d rather not. But you could have sent word that you were coming. Or at least knocked.”

“Ah, but then I’d miss that expression on your face. Crafty fox caught with a hen in his mouth.” Masamune’s laugh felt too loud for the room. He didn’t notice.

“I can only assume you are bothering me for a reason.”

“I am! I heard congratulations are in order. And, I haven’t brought you lunch since you got back.” Masamune sat down and gestured for Mitsuhide to join him.

It was the quickest way to be rid of him, Mitsuhide reasoned. And he was hungry. And, though he would never admit it, it was good to see Masamune. He sat.

Masamune unpacked the lunch he made. A variety of savory and sweet foods, all presented in easy to eat bite-sized bits. He grinned as he set out the last dish.

“What is this?”

“You always say eating is an annoyance. You want convenient foods, right? So . . .” he gestured to the plates. “Different flavors, all easy to eat. One of these has got to stir those tastebuds of yours.”

Mitsuhide hid his surprise behind a razor-thin smile. “Thoughtful of you. But what is it you want.”

“Exactly what I said. And to tell you congratulations. You and the lass made it official yet?”

“If you mean, have I spoken to Nobunaga, then no.” Mitsuhide picked up a ball of what looked like steamed daikon. “There is no need to hurry. Is there?” He raised an eyebrow.

Masamune shrugged. “I wouldn’t delay. The lass is a treat, and you can bet others have noticed. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear Nobunaga’s getting offers for her hand.”

“Those letters, if they existed, would never reach our lord.”

“Heh, that so? And what about those in the alliance with an interest?”

Mitsuhide finished swallowing the daikon. It was faintly spicy, not enough to get a reaction. “I am unconcerned. Nobunaga has allowed her to make her own choice. And I know who she will choose.”

“I think you’re scared.” Masamune sat back with a smug smile.

“Scared?” One eye brow arched.

Masamune nodded. “Of what your enemies will do to her if she’s your wife. Of the way love dies in a marriage. Of her coming to regret you.” He waved a hand in the air, encompassing all of the ways things could go wrong. “You always overthink things. Try to plan your way around problems. And now you’re stuck.”

Mitsuhide wanted to scoff. Such problems were for ordinary men, not the kitsune warlord. But . . . Masamune wasn’t wrong on any count. Ranmaru’s threat made him realize how easy a target the chatelaine would make. And he worried for her happiness. She’d yet to meet his family, see his home. And there were so many examples of marriages gone sour over time. This blissful love - he didn’t want it to fade.

“Assuming any of that nonsense was true, what would you recommend,” Mitsuhide asked finally.

“Stop dancing around it. Marry the girl. Take life as it comes. And eat your damn lunch.”

Next: My Favorite Place

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen mitsuhide #mitsuhide akechi #ikesen hideyoshi #ikesen masamune #otome guys #otome #fanfiction #fanfic

85 notes · View notes

draconivn · 4 years

Text

C.002 | Daughter of the Takeda

Disclaimer: I don’t own Samurai Love Ballad: PARTY or its characters. Please note that this will not follow all of Saizo’s route, and the MC is an OC of mine.

Summary: You wanted to do more than just be in the kitchen like any woman would’ve known how to do. You want to explore. You want to become so much more. But when you live in a world of war, what you decide to do in your past ends up following you to your future, even though the battlefield is no place for a woman. Will you find love or will you only find blood? Saizo x OC MC

Masterpost: LINK

CHAPTER 2: The Forest Maiden

Trigger Warning: Blood, Death, Gore

The makeshift home I had made for myself in the woods with Rai was my bed for the night and I left my necklace with her around her neck, a note slipped into the small locket. The cabin was a little far for the night, so this was my main option so I could at least be found closer to the enemy army. We were just on the land border that separated the Oda from the Takeda.

At daybreak, the clouds hung low in the sky as I sought the fruits of the trees for my breakfast before enemy soldiers I had 'befriended' came looking for me. Rai ducked away before there was any chance of them seeing her. I knew the reason why, and there was a possibility that the Takeda would spot them on the way: the remains of the scouts, scattered and blood splayed everywhere as they had been dug up from their hiding spots. There would be no one to withhold the Takeda from advancing, and these soldiers came to warn me once again that the place was going to be a battlefield.

"Why?" I had to ruin my sense of speaking to make it work.

Being a child of the forest meant speaking in the human language was to be new and they had spent much time 'teaching' me how to speak. They had even called me the ‘Forest Maiden’, and tried to name me, but I would shake my head as if I didn’t like the name. I offered them some of the food that I had foraged while they spoke to me, hoping that none knew of the other berries that were buried lower in the pile were not made for consumption. I ate at the same time to ease the worry that I could’ve done something wrong to the food, so there was next to no suspicion hanging around.

I let them explain as much as they would think a wolf-raised child would be able to understand, but it was long enough to let the food work its magic. When I finally agreed to leave, they all stood and readied themselves to leave. One by one, they sputtered out blood and fell to the ground as I ran to them in fake worry, the rain starting to pour down.

Bit by bit, I was initiating my plan and I knew I couldn’t leave this alone.

Poisonous food was only enough to take three soldiers down, but it wasn’t going to be enough to help the Takeda army.

I acted horrified and scared that my 'friends' were not responding and I cried out, knowing that the two others who lingered as watchdogs would come running any moment now. To them, I was trembling in fear as they held me and comforted me, but it wasn’t something they could take sitting down and decided to bring them back to the camp as best as possible, with my crying self in tow.

Just like that, I was a lone child of the neighbouring country taken into enemy camp in tears with the rain forcing my hair and muddy clothes to cling to my body.

Food poisoning had only seemed like the quickest way to decimate numbers just as they were preparing to march after their morning meals. The soldiers that had first fallen to food poisoning were curled up in the infirmary tent just before breakfast so there was a possibility that some food didn’t do well in their bodies like mine, since I had eaten with them. It was slow-acting poison in a way, but with the time to march being very soon - though I wasn’t sure if it was going to work - I knew that I had to find another opportunity to get them. The rain had died down for the time being, but it wasn’t going to be long before the armies marched towards death.

Poison in the water supply had to be discreetly poured in without me doing anything too obvious, but given that I had come at such a convenient time, I came over with curiosity in my eyes and somehow had managed to convince the soldier on food duty to let me help serve breakfast. Of course, I played the clumsy card once I had managed to complete my little task and was ushered quickly to a tent once a unit leader caught me helping, stating that I shouldn’t even be there.

He was one of the few that didn’t like me, based on previous run-ins, so it wasn’t a surprise that he was kicking me out of the area so soon.

At the Takeda camp, a great white wolf leapt from the trees and came rushing through to search for Shingen. The soldiers that were preparing to march were in alarm, grabbing their spears and ready to draw their swords, but she evaded each one as she headed towards the tent that she had been told to go into. It was enough to draw a commotion, with Shingen and Sasuke emerging from the tent in the middle of a war council.

“Stand down.”

Sasuke looked at Shingen’s command. “Milord?”

Upon seeing that the cautious warriors stepped back, the wolf kept her head up as she made her way over to the red-haired man. Once in front of him, she sat and lowered her head to allow off the necklace so it could slip off into his hand and opened it. The note inside wrote, ‘Blood, I will not shed, but their hunger will take them closer to death’.

It was a winning war playing right into our hands as troops toppled over from unsuspected food poisoning just as they were preparing to march. They could hardly make it out to the battleground in the state that they were, clutching their stomachs and groaning in pain.

When the Takeda army stormed the camp, a soldier who hadn’t fallen victim to my poison had rushed in to keep me safe. He offered me a mamorigatana so I could defend myself 'just in case'. He was in a hurry, making sure I was okay and that I understood, but before he could run back out, he was struck down.

I looked up and saw Sasuke standing there, and his expression was a mix of worry and disappointment. He was ready to just grab me and tie me his waist, but I quickly scrambled under the back end of the tent using the mamorigatana. I couldn’t let Sasuke catch me, and the many soldiers that fought despite the poison coursing through their bodies was enough coverage to at least get me deeper into the camp. Some had called for me to run away, their blood spilling onto my clothes and skin.

I bolted like I knew how.

The layout of the camp had etched itself into my mind from the previous night, and I ran until strong hands caught me, making me look up.

It was the army's commander and the clan leader. He was just as affectionate with me as many of the others once they had told him about my being there, holding me like a daughter he wanted to protect.

I could see Lord Shingen approaching with many others.

My father’s eyes pleaded with me, to get out of there and stay away from danger. In his eyes, I was in the worst spot to be hiding from war.

"Lovely morning out here, Nagamasa. I thought we would be rearing for a fight, but it seems like we have dead bodies all over the place." The poison had only been the delay in all of this to allow them to deliver the final blows, and while it was my greatest achievement, I knew it wasn't my father's proudest to see me doing this.

"Takeda Shingen!" the man growled. "Just because you've taken down my men, doesn't mean you will get me!" Azai Nagamasa, the man who became Oda Nobunaga's brother through the marriage of his wife Oichi, an alliance that was forged on the threat of losing his livelihood. The brother-in-law of the Demon King, who aimed for Divine Rule and would destroy all in his path.

"Take a good look around you, Nagamasa. You're completely surrounded. Soon, your head will be next." Lord Shingen glanced at me and smiled, making me hide my face in Nagamasa's armoured chest. "It seems we'd have to indulge ourselves a little with a newfound spoil of this war and take her in as my own daughter."

"If you touch one hair on this child, I swear-"

“Lord Nagamasa!” a voice called out, gasping for air and drawing everyone’s attention. It was the unit leader who had reprimanded me earlier. He was pointing a shaky finger at me, while his other hand was holding at his bleeding wound. “G-Get away from that child, M-Milord! Sh-She was the one who p-poisoned us!”

I kept my act up, trying to hide from the unit leader’s accusing hand and shook my head, even as the man collapsed, reluctantly allowing death to guide him away from the battle.

Nagamasa was always soft-hearted for the ones whom he cared about. He always thought alliances and friendships would never allow anyone to go against him, to make him crouch and look at me with worried eyes. In a moment like this, surrounded by his enemy, he couldn’t believe that a little girl was a traitor. The soldiers spoke about it often, wondering if he got on Oda’s bad side, would being his brother-in-law be enough to save him? “I-Is this true, forest maiden?”

That stupid name. They really were as stupid as they looked.

My head was lowered, and I knew I had to make a decision. All this poisoning… all the help I wanted to achieve for my father and the rest of the Takeda army… It wasn’t over until the battle was over. If I did this, then there would be no turning back. I would know what it would’ve been like to spill actual blood. The fear on my face wasn’t of the fact that I was being accused for something I knew I definitely did. It was the fear of my father never accepting that I was going to kill a human. “Papa and I won’t be able to go home until you die...”

“Z-Zaria! Stop this!” My father’s call of my name had reaffirmed all suspicion.

My hand moved on its own, and I knew Nagamasa’s eyes were following as it did.

I felt the resistance, the choke as I imagined him as another one of my prey in the woods towering over me to try and eat me, but I was going to make a meal out of him. My blood ran cold, as I pushed my blade in between the part where armour met armour, and blood started to come up from his lips. I knew from the way that he reacted and not collapsed to the ground completely, groaning as I turned the blade.

"Sh-Shingen, you bastard!" He gave me an angry push back, forcing himself to his feet and reached to draw his sword to try and strike me down.

Lord Shingen was quick to step between us, knocking the sword out of his hand.

It took a moment for Nagamasa to realize what happened in the moment that he pushed me away, his head stuttering its movements to look down. The sword was no longer lodged in his chest, laying on the ground as blood began to pour out before Nagamasa joined his fallen comrades.

Just like that, the battle had been won.

But the war was not over.

#fanfic: daughter of the takeda #minju fanfics ;#fanfic: slbp #I had to rewrite this chapter several times to make this work wheezes #This was pretty long pardon me

3 notes · View notes

vormitternacht · 5 years

Text

The violent and sadistic side of Midnighter

It doesn’t matter which verse I’m talking about: all Midnighters enjoy killing their opponents in a creative way (read as sadistic and cruel). He doesn’t simply murder them; he wants them to suffer, agonize and beg until their last breath. Just talking about his nature in this paragraph doesn’t sound like he’s very violent, especially if you read only StormWatch v3. Also, covering him in blood can be very scary, but the things he did in some issues can be really disgusting and disturbing.

I’ll show you some details (+18, please) about that true nature under the read more. To see the pictures in a better quality: right click on them, view image.

First, we start with StormWatch v2, issue 4.

Warren Ellis introduced The Midnighter as a man who enjoyed inflicting pain on his enemies. As you can see in this panel, he’s very happy to torture that man for Apollo, whom he describes as a polite, mild-mannered man, “that’s as angry as he gets”. The focus on the first panel goes to the word HATE. Midnighter tells the man he hates him, meaning that he isn’t the same polite, mild-mannered guy as Apollo. In other words, he doesn’t pity his opponent. This is well explained on the next panel: “Don’t you understand? I hate you. I want to torture you. I want to leave doctors puzzling for years over how I’ve done the things I want to do to you.” This sentence shows pretty well how sadistic Midnighter is. Besides his creepy smile, he affirms that he wants to do terrible things to that guy, and he will enjoy doing that, because he hates him. He also mentions that Apollo won’t interfere, so he was free to get creative. If you observe the panels, you’ll see that Midnighter stuck blades into the man’s hands and left eye. That’s not even the worst thing he’s done to criminals during the years.

In Ellis’ run of The Authority, Midnighter didn’t change. Yes, he punches and kills enemies, and even mentions that he loves being himself for doing things such as killing Kaizen Gamorra with the Carrier.

During the Millar run, first arc, this man on the first panel beat and raped Apollo. We can see during the story Midnighter crying over his lover’s unconscious body, and even trying to talk to him about the matter. As already mentioned above, Apollo is a mild-mannered man, but he’s still violent. He won’t torture his enemies like Midnighter, but if someone trespasses his boundaries, he will get pissed. Since he wants to give that bastard a lesson, he asks Midnighter to do the job since he’s still a polite man. Apollo damages his spine, paralyzing his legs, and the man even mocks him for leaving him in that state. Then, Midnighter shows up with a rusty jackhammer, giving the reader the message. As you can see, Apollo knows the true nature of his lover, that he’s sadistic and cruel, and his method would be better to show that man what pain meant.

This happens before the jackhammer scene. Apollo is REALLY angry because of what happened (the rape case), so Midnighter comes, and he knows his lover’s deeply upset. He tries to talk to him until Apollo finally tells him what he has in mind. As a mild-mannered man, Apollo doesn’t have those thoughts so often, but the situation’s critical. Midnighter, then, smiles and says, “God, I just love you to bits sometimes”, because that’s a rare scene coming from Apollo. Violent descriptions of action like that one make Midnighter happy since he’s a sadistic bastard, especially coming from the love of his life.

Jumping to Midnighter v1, we see our hero trying to kill his boredom by choosing a random place in a map, and leaving the Carrier to that specific place to find something to do. In other words, he has the urge to kill. He’s not only sadistic and violent, he also NEEDS to kill, it’s a necessity. This page in particular shows the reader Midnighter’s nature. “I am not a lover. I am not a father. I am not a friend. I am what I was bred to be. And therein lies the problem.” While Apollo spends his free time drawing, painting, doing zen things, Midnighter tries to feed his killer side. He’s a killing machine.

Call him the f word, and he will make sure to give the person a painful death. The homophobic crew has a special place in Midnighter’s dark heart.

During the first arc (written by Garth Ennis), Midnighter is abducted by a rich man called Paulus. He implants a bomb in his chest, and removes his secondary heart in case Midnighter survives the explosion. Why? Simply because Paulus is a survivor of the Holocaust, but his parents didn’t have the same luck. He wants a skilled murderer to kill... guess who? Adolf Hitler. This way, his parents wouldn’t suffer and die, and he would change the future. Paulus knows about Midnighter’s killing fame, but he’s also aware he won’t do that “favor” without some threat. So, the bomb will be triggered if Midnighter doesn’t obey him. With that, the man sends Midnighter to the past with his time machine, but before that, Midnighter threatens Paulus and his thugs that he will kill them, one way or another. He isn’t sure how, but he’s certain he will make them pay the price for doing that to him, eventually. The two pages above shows he keeps his word. The moral of the story is: don’t try to control Midnighter, because he won’t forgive you. The man is remorseless, after all.

Garth Ennis dedicated an issue for a Japanese counterpart of Midnighter, not less violent as his Wildstorm counterpart. He loves unconditionally his lover (the Apollo of this universe), and he works for a Lord who doesn’t mind his sexuality. The senior minister, though, is homophobic, and orders some ninjas to kill both Midnighter and Apollo during their sleep. Unfortunately, they manage to murder Apollo, but not without losing their lives as well. Midnighter survives the ambush, kills the senior minister eventually, and then, he decides to follow a habit for Apollo; every year, he gathers a group of great samurais and warriors next to the grave of his lover, tells them their tale, and kills them. Midnighter rips their hearts out, and refers to them as “flowers” and “roses”, a gift to his lover. Even in a romantic gesture, Midnighter manages to be violent, cruel.

Let’s get back to Wildstorm Midnighter, and skip a few issues. Basically, the last arcs of the volume tells the story of Midnighter in the city of Harmony, where he thinks he will find answers about his mysterious past. He starts his new life as Lucas Trent, apparently his old identity before the Midnighter. The thing is, there’s an organization named Anthem in the place, and they manage to capture Midnighter, because he’s working against them. Obviously, they try to convince Midnighter to join them since he’s a potential weapon, convenient to their matters. They send a man to talk to him in his cell.

As you can see, while the man tries to convince him to join Anthem, Midnighter observes the place attentively, studying every detail of his cell. He’s clearly working on his escape. This shows Midnighter doesn’t act out of the blue, and he’s not only pure violence. He’s smart and intelligent, not attacking the opponent without a plan first.

And there you go. Obviously, he chooses the brutal way.

Then, he breaks the cameras, and the reader can’t see what’s happening in the cell. Meanwhile, the Liberty One (a group of superhumans who works for Anthem) is called to deal with Midnighter. They arrive at the place, and...

Midnighter is gone, leaving only the man’s corpse. When I read this issue for the first time, I wonder how he managed to escape from that cell. Then, I realized he was probably under the bed, and the pool of blood next to it gave me the idea. That’s the obvious logic, and the group of superhumans thinks the same way. When they go check the bed...

Midnighter simply ripped the dead man’s scalp, and wore it like a hat, pretending he was the corpse on the floor. When everyone’s facing the bed, he makes his move against them. Just look at the smile on his face, the usual smile he gives when he’s being a sadistic killer (as shown in the first panel of this post). Clearly, he’s having fun. This series of panels shows the reader how fast Midnighter’s mind can be to find methods of violence, and use them against his enemies. He’s great tactician, after all. The rest of the scene is brutal.

Obviously, he doesn’t pity anybody, and kills all of them without mercy. One thing I’ve noticed in this scene is that Midnighter’s very dangerous in small spaces. The previous fight with those guys was in an open place, and they had more advantage, but in that tiny cell, Midnighter showed them nobody can’t beat him.

I’m not going to narrate the story of the last arc. Basically, I’ll just show what Midnighter did to the villain of the story after he managed to defeat him.

Like I’ve commented before, Midnighter isn’t a brainless fighter. He can see the end of a fight a million times, all of them are about him defeating his opponent. This man believed he was a step further than Midnighter, even though he almost got him and the Authority members. The only problem is that he only planned the first action; as soon as he failed (thanks to Jenny Quantum), Midnighter quickly overpowered him, and the panel above happened. Midnighter explains again he lives for fighting, that he loves what he does. But, there’s a specific panel that shows how sadistic Midnighter is, and it’s the penultimate one. He says that while he thinks of a quick solution for fights, it doesn’t mean he always opts for the quickest kill, “Sometimes I’m in the mood to savor the process, wring every last bit of enjoyment out of it before ending it the only way it can ever end...” And, when he says that, he takes the man to a barn, ready to savor his victory.

This is what happens to the man an issue later. Basically, Midnighter’s interrogations are very cruel and painful, but this one shows his sadistic side in a raw way (no pun intended, I swear). To make the man talk, Midnighter cuts each limb, taking his time. Although he doesn’t smile in this scene, it’s pretty clear he’s enjoying doing that to his opponent, but he wants answers too. He fries the man’s flesh, making him smell it. He also cleans his knife every time he’s going to cut another limb. What’s interesting in this whole scene is that Midnighter says to the man, “Guess you’ve already figured out this isn’t about pain. I placed that break specifically to paralyze. The loss of sensation... that’s added bonus for effort.” So, Midnighter doesn’t only torture people physically, but also mentally. He wants the man to feel he can’t feel anymore, and that can be worse than pain itself. “Doesn’t really help when it comes to the psychology of it, does it? Perception is everything. Loss of self. In your case, literally.” Imagine yourself losing your limbs without any pain, watching your aggressor cutting them. You’ll have more room in your head to think about your future without them. You’ll imagine yourself unable to be the same person as before. Besides, you can feel absolutely NOTHING. You can’t feel the wind touching your skin or someone placing a hand on your shoulder. This is cruel. This man just lost all his sense of touch. Midnighter also says, “Trust me. I can keep you alive, deliver what’s left of you to people whose good intentions will keep whatever’s left of you up and running.“ That only reaffirms what I’ve said above. His focus during this torture scene isn’t the physical pain, but the pride of a man who used to be an excellent fighter, now destroyed. “That’s the trouble with good intentions. It’s always about the doer. Not that you’ll be able to correct the misconception-- not deaf, dumb and blind-- and, trust me, that’s on the agenda.” It’s a psychological horror

After cutting all his limbs, Midnighter realizes the torture isn’t working, so he starts mentioning the other four remaining senses (hearing, scent, taste and sight). He follows the same torture pattern as he did to the man’s sense of touch.

The man finally speaks after this panel, but he makes Midnighter swear he will kill him after his confession. He simply can’t stay alive in that situation, he doesn’t want to.

However, Midnighter is still a sadistic bastard, and instead of killing the man, he removes his other senses, and throws him into a hospital. So, not always that Midnighter sees death as the best way to punish criminals. Sometimes, keeping them alive can be worse. Also, look at that bastard’s smug grin on the last panel. He enjoyed doing that so much. Just to conclude this part, remember that this man can’t feel, hear, taste, see and smell ever again. He’s in the dark, completely cut out from the external word. The only thing he’ll remember will probably be Midnighter and the awful smell of his own flesh burning.

Another detail about Midnighter’s violent nature can be seen in this panel of The Authority: Revolution by Ed Brubaker. Midnighter is clearly bored as hell in this scene, because all those politicians are bringing the same issue (as ever) that The Authority shouldn’t be above the government. Then, Midnighter imagines himself killing those guys in a brutal way, fantasizing their deaths. What boredom does to him, mm? He doesn’t have patience to deal with politics, so instead of actually paying attention to them, he finds in violence a way to kill his boredom (again, no pun intended). Midnighter probably has the habit of imagining those scenes when he’s doing nothing. A real killing machine even in thoughts and dreams.

Okay, I’ve talked a lot about Wildstorm Midnighter, so I’ll finish this headcanon with some panels of DC Midnighter. I’ll skip StormWatch v3 because it doesn’t show well his violent and sadistic nature. Let’s only work with Midnighter v2 by Steve Orlando. The cover of the first issue already gives us a Midnighter with a creepy grin, covered in blood. I got excited when I saw that cover for the first time, hoping that the violent Midnighter would come back in that series.

This cover is beautiful? It’s not only about the great art, but I find it interesting because it shows Midnighter’s nature in a picture: the sadistic grin, the blood on his leather clothing and skin, the clubs he’s holding, and the series of circles growing from his head, indicating his powers of reading the enemy’s moves. This cover is probably my favorite one (aside Kevin Wada’s).

The volume brings Midnighter’s fights in x-ray panels, showing the internal damage that he does to his opponents. It’s a great way to show how violent and dangerous our hero is. Basically, he shoves his arm through a man’s body, and another, through his head. To be honest? This explains well how Midnighter’s moves work. It’s brilliant.

This Midnighter enjoys fighting, hurting and killing as much as Wildstorm Midnighter. The difference is that he respects some heroes (like Grayson), and he won’t kill his opponents when they’re involved. Also, he’s more sociable, allowing himself to fall in love again after breaking up with Apollo, making friendships with common people. Even though Wildstorm Midnighter tried to have friends in vol 1, while he was in Harmony, he eventually left them to go back to the Carrier. DC Midnighter keeps his friendships, and even makes accounts on social networks, not hiding the fact he loves violence. But, like Wildstorm Midnighter, he doesn’t enjoy being used.

The more he fights, the more he enjoys. That’s why he loves Mutiplex, because the man can make copies of himself. A true sadist.

So, basically, this is all I can talk about Midnighter’s violent and sadistic nature, or else this post will get too long (it’s already long, lmao).

#headcanons #slurs tw #violence tw #gore tw #blood tw #;; In Character #re-posting this hc bc t.umblr flagged the previous one #and i believe it's important to have it on my blog bc of midnighter's nature #plus i took a long time to write and collect all the pics soooo #good thing i still had the pics on a file of my old computer

1 note · View note

ultraericthered · 5 years

Text

Underrated Bad Guy Blurbs - Disney Baddies

Br’er Fox, Song Of The South

- I think everyone knows this guy as the main antagonist of Splash Mountain at the famed Disney theme parks. And he’s real good at being that antagonist, make no mistake, but it’s a shame that most people get such a limited exposure to his wild and crazy personality.

- The thing that most stands out with me regarding this villain is his dynamic with Br’er Bear. If you’ve seen any part of the rare, banned from official release movie, you’ll know what I’m talking about. The way the two of them play off of each other is brilliant ‘cause of just how polar opposite they are in personality and approach despite having the same goal of wanting to kill Br’er Rabbit. Br’er Fox wants to kill him, but he wants to personally best him first. His mind runs wild with imaginative ways in which he can do this, and then equally creative means with which to kill him. For him, the true joy in his work is not the end result, but the path taken getting there. Br’er Bear, on the other hand, is an absolute simpleton with zero imagination. He’d prefer to just go out and catch that Rabbit as quickly and simply as possible, and then once he’s caught, finish him off in the quickest and simplest way possible - knocking his head clean off with a club. The alliance of convenience is continuously marred by this difference in approach, and it’s somehow always hilarious every time it happens.

- Probably the weirdest thing about the character is that James Baskett, the man who played Uncle Remus in that movie, provided his voice in the movie, which was also the actor’s final movie before his passing. Baskett did an awesome job with Br’er Fox and his off-the-wall zany fast talking and gleeful maliciousness, but it’s weird because the predatory animals that were Br’er Rabbit’s enemies in Remus’ folk tales were meant to represent white plantation owners and slave masters who were always out to victimize free black men out of the belief in a natural order of things that they’re pushing for. Yet here we have Br’er Fox being voiced by a black guy, something that is very obvious to tell. That the black guy in question is also Uncle Remus really makes it weird and almost unsettling - Uncle Remus most certainly did not intend for Br’er Rabbit’s arch foe to represent himself!

Samuel T. Philander, The Legend of Tarzan

- I think the main reason I’m fond of this dude as a villain at all is just the sheer bizarreness of Disney’s choice to give Adaptational Villainy to the character of Mr. Philander from the original book. Philander was Professor Porter’s bumbling assistant in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original story, but since Jane kinda took on that role herself in the Disney version, Philander was removed. Only to then later get reinvented and introduced as Professor Porter’s archrival in the spinoff show. Don’t know why that was decided upon, but it made for an entertaining recurring antagonist, especially with Craig Ferguson being the one to give him his voice. (Also, is it just me, or does his design look somewhat like an older Nigel Thornberry?)

- Philander was actually THE most recurring antagonist on the show. Most recurring villains got only two or three episodes to appear in. Philander appeared in four episodes due to one of his appearances being in an episode about Edgar Rice Burroughs learning about Tarzan’s exploits in the jungle through interviews with different people, the first being Philander.

- Despite being a comedic villain, in one of his episodes, Philander actually went over the Moral Event Horizon with a legit evil dick move. At one point in “The Silver Ape”, he cuts a rope where Tarzan is hanging on, sending him to fall to his near death. Tarzan survives but is gravely injured as he and Porter are both put in separate holding areas on Philander’s boat. Porter pleads with Philander to let him check on his son-in-law so that he can tend to his wounds. In response, Philander orders to have the “unneeded cargo”, Tarzan, thrown overborad into the sea and left to drown while succumbing to his wounds. Just to spite Porter.

Grimtrix The Good, Sofia The First

- Grimtrix is voiced by Billy West in practically the same voice used for Professor Farnsworth in Futurama. What’s striking about this is not how funny it is, but how seriously the character is played once his evilness is revealed and how legitimately sinister Billy West manages to sound in his voice acting and line delivery in spite of that voice. It’s kinda surreal but neat.

- The best thing about Grimtrix was what a great dark reflection of Cedric he was. He’s also a sorcerer with an evil animal familiar and aspirations to increase his power by taking over his kingdom. But unlike Cedric, he’s already super privileged and held in great esteem rather than being looked down upon as a bungler, having won a ton of awards and having been headmaster of Hexley Hall for years. But so long as he was of the sorcerer class, he could never be satisfied with the respect he had and the power he held - he wanted more. And unlike Cedric, he was willing to harm anyone and everyone he could without any restraint in order to get what he wanted. He even tries to steal Sofia’s amulet, but in a way that causes her pain! And this is actually visibly disturbing to Cedric, he himself a sorcerer pretending to be good while secretly plotting to take over the kingdom. Grimtrix is what Cedric could be if he gained more prestige, status, and people who supported him yet still chose not to abandon his evil dreams, and that was the best way to kickstart Cedric’s Heel-Face Turn.

- The worst thing about Grimtrix? He was only in two episodes! When he came around in the episode coming right off the heels of The Secret Of Avalor, he seemed an ideal “big villain” character in the same vein as Cedric, Princess Ivy, Shuriki, Prisma and Vor, but he ended up just being a two-off villain with both his episodes being placed very closely to each other. TV Tropes elaborates on this issue: Between "Hexley Hall" and "Day of the Sorcerers" there were only two episodes, both of which involved a new magical person coming to Royal Prep as a teacher (one of them, Baron Von Rocha, being a villain, the other one, Mr. P, not being one). Then in "Day of the Sorcerers", Grimtrix, the villain from "Hexley Hall", gathers many sorcerers seen previously in the series together for a plan where all of them can overtake their respective kingdoms, one of the sorcerers being Baron Von Rocha from "The Princess Prodigy", the episode that had immediately followed "Hexley Hall". It seems like there could have been a longer story arc here with all the sorcerers infiltrating Enchancia one by one until Grimtrix called them all together for the finale, which not only would've allowed more breathing room in between appearances by the likes of Grimtrix and Von Rocha, and would have given characters like Morgana and Graylock more time, but it would've made a bigger event out of the episode where Sofia finally learns that Cedric is a villain with aspirations to dominate the kingdom who's been after her amulet since the start of the series and also the episode where Cedric makes his Heel-Face Turn. It really is a shame the show didn’t go that route, but at least it wasn’t as egregious a wasted plot as the whole Wicked Nine business!

#underrated #villains #underrated characters #disney villains #song of the south #splash mountain #brer fox #Tarzan #samuel t. philander #sofia the first #grimtrix #grimtrix the good

20 notes · View notes

neurvelist · 6 years

Note

10, 12, 14

If they had a choice, would they prefer a subway or a bus for public transportation?

Subway. Faster and more convenient (bonus points for being underground). Before Isola living two lives had effects on the civilian side. To avoid suspicion he had to leave his apartment and since he didn’t own a vehicle on his own he used the subways to get to his planned ‘casual’ destinations and then back home, on the shortest, quickest routes. Being stuck in a traffic jam makes him unnerved, too, to an extent.

Describe 5 unusual(?) characteristics your muse has.

Matei talks to himself quite a lot, not only at home but whenever he’s alone, even during missions. It’s more like a live commentary and thinking out loud, “talking” to the enemy without them actually hearing him.

Although he claims to be personally victimised by the sun he still finds dawn fascinating and stays up to watch it before he retreats to his darkened room.

A man like him who’s in for himself, he’s still capable of bonding. It takes time but it pays off – past the ‘fun time’ flirting when things get serious he’s ready to form an ‘alliance’ with whoever got close enough to him. He’s not considering his partner more important them himself but he also doesn’t put himself in the first position anymore, he treats his partner as an equal and his loyalty toward them tends to be a priority over his loyalty, for example, to his agency, as this former one is much more genuine – not so much like the ‘creature of darkness who trust fully no one’ as what he claims to be.

There are moments when his data craving becomes high enough for Cernat to lose his humanity; not physically but mentally. He acts instinctively and morals don’t influence his behaviours. He genuinely believes he turns into a monster in mind.

Something lighthearted– I’m not saying he’d kill for skittles but it’s something he can eat any time seemingly without end.

Are they a team player or do they prefer to be solo?

He’s capable of both; his personal preference would be to work alone but his performance is better as a team mate. He has to be supervised for more efficiency but not liking to rely on others or them “standing in his way” he’d rather work alone.

#anglerfishnabe #[ incoming ]#thanks for sending in!

1 note · View note

howtohero · 6 years

Text

#122 Being Framed

Crimes happen all the time (good job). Probably there are eight or nine happening right now (so reading this is just an excellent use of your time). Many of these crimes go unsolved (probably because our worlds’ greatest crime fighters are reading internet funny blogs). Some of them do get solved though (no thanks to you). But even the ones that are solved or the ones that are stopped sometimes aren’t stopped or solved in exactly the best way possible (that’s on you too). Sometimes in fact the wrong person is arrested and imprisoned and publicly condemned as a super criminal (making a mockery of the justice system). And sometimes, that wrongly imprisoned, or falsely accused person, is you (personally, I think you did it).

The first thing you need to when you’ve been framed for a crime is find out that you’ve been framed. Until you know that, you can’t do anything. So you need to stay abreast of all the superhero news in the world. If you’re being accused of a crime that’s where that information is going to pop up. In fact you should focus more heavily on those sites or news programs that have more anti-superhero leanings.

“Anti-superhero learnings?” you ask, the donut you were eating falls out of your mouth which is now agape in horror. For you are horrified by the very notion. “How could such a thing be?” you stammer as your monocle pops out of your eye. You’ve never been more shocked and confused and afraid in your life. Well put that donut back in your mouth slovenly citizen, it’s true. Some people do not like superheroes. Maybe their jealous of their fabulous bodies, cool cars or walrus sidekicks. Maybe they don’t think punching ever single individual drug dealer in the groin is the best possible way to make the streets safer. Maybe a loved one was tragically killed in the fallout of an epic superhero battle. Regardless these people do not like superheroes and so they’ll be the first ones to report that you or some other superhero has been implicated in a crime or is the subject of a manhunt. While this is one of the quickest ways to find out if you’re about to be indicted, be warned, these programs are a bit hard to sit through. They generally feature two four well-dressed people smiling about others misfortunes and laughing at bad jokes! Can you imagine? These people have their own television program and they have the audacity to just sit around and make bad jokes. Unacceptable. I can excuse the anti-superhero rantings and ravings (our favorite anti-superhero rant’n’rave comes courtesy of talk show host Greg Greginski and features the line “these spandex sissies and their frikkin’ underwear on the goddam wrong side of the pants and their stupid astro… astro-motorhomes and their fancy pants cape-wearing horses! I can’t stand them! I wish they’d all be eaten… eaten by progress… the progress of society!” like that was crazy what was he even talking about why was he so mad about the horse? What a champ.) but the bad jokes are where I draw the line. These are the same people that start every St. Patrick’s Day show by saying “top o the mornin’ to ye” in a terrible accent. Just so we’re all on the sampe page.

In fact, interestingly enough, angry/jealous/insecure, morning show hosts are responsible for 62% of superhero framings. They do it to stoke those anti-superhero flames. That’s a true statistic. They commit more superhero framings than actual supervillains (supervillains tend to be very enthusiastic about taking credit for the crimes they commit. Heck, most of them broadcast their crimes on every screen in the world while they’re committing the crime). Supervillains don’t even make up the other 38%! There’s also dirty cops and non-dirty cops just being bad at their jobs. So disgruntled morning-show hosts take the lion’s share of that blame.

Once you are alerted to the fact that you are wanted for a crime you need to immediately get out of your costume, and then not get back into it until this whole thing goes over. The manhunt can’t succeed if the man they are hunting never shows up anywhere ever again. (Or womanhunt, women can be framed for crimes too). If you want, you can even just leave it at that. Destroy your costumes, design a new one, repaint your car to match your new color scheme and you’re good to go. Even if whoever is framing you keeps framing you for crimes it doesn’t even matter. You set that identity on fire, it’s theirs if they want it so bad. The costume was never even that comfortable. You designed it early on in your career. You were younger back then, caring more about coolness than comfort. You don’t like to admit it but you were thinner back then too. The costume was much too tight, you’re glad for the opportunity to make a new one, a better one, a costume with a future. Being framed was the best thing that ever happened to you! Thank you Greg Greginski, you’ve changed one more life for the better.

If you do want to keep your identity though you’re going to need to do some damage control. Check up on all your spare costumes, make sure every one of them is accounted for. If you find that one of them is missing, then you have a potential crime scene that you can work. Scour the site of your missing costume for any clues or forensic evidence that might lead you to discovering who could’ve stolen it, and who is now probably wearing it while commiting crimes and vlogging about it. Think about who could’ve had access to this secret costume hiding spot. Which of your allies knew where it was and which of your enemies might have the powers or skillsets to break in and steal it. A missing costume is a great place to start your investigation.

Sometimes however though you’ll find that none of your costumes are missing at all. This isn’t all that unusual or even surprising. A skilled seamstress could replicate your costume just by looking at it. Heck, even a garbage seamstress could replicate your costume approximately enough to fool the shoddy security cameras at the convenience store you supposedly robbed. If you find that all your costumes are exactly where you left them you should immediately become suspicious of all seamstresses, no matter their skill level.

Now is around the time where you should start seriously making sure that you’re actually being framed. Sure, there’s definitely someone out there assuming your identity to steal apples in order to create a worldwide apple shortage and then become rich off of their stolen artificially-rare apples, but are you entirely sure that it’s not you? Perhaps you were mind controlled, or maybe you’re a sleeper agent. Maybe you did it consciously, while in control of your body and mind and everything (I’m sure you had a good reason) and then somehow forgot about it (or were forced to forget about it). For all we know you could actually be framing yourself! To make sure that you haven’t been secretly committing crimes in your sleep or something (sleep-stealing is a real thing that effects dozens of people across the galaxy) I recommend attaching a video camera to yourself. This way if another crime is committed all you have to do is check the tapes! Brilliant! If the tapes show that you were off doing your own thing at the time of the crime then you’re golden (well, relatively, there’s still somebody defacing all the statues in the park while wearing your costume). And I know what you’re thinking, but no, you can’t use those same tapes to exonerate you in a court of law. For one thing, unless you’re wearing your costume 24/7 you’re going to give away your secret identity and we’re not quite at that point yet. Even if you were wearing your costume the entire time you had the camera on you a shrewd lawyer could just make the point that anybody could’ve wearing your costume. To which you’ll say “Yeah that’s exactly the point I’m trying to make here!” and then flip over a table and then you will be held in contempt of court.

When the public perceives you to be a criminal you’re usually on your own. The rest of the superhero community will probably turn your back on you and to be honest that might be, at least partially, our fault. So sorry about that. You see, we once said that “The average superhero is exactly one (1) traumatic event away from turning into an evil pilferer.” And all your superhero friends are definitely aware of that. They all read this blog. So that means you have to launch this entire investigation on your own (here this might be helpful).

You should try to acquire any videos or photographs or witness statements that pertain to your alleged crime. If you’re going to go after the person masquerading as you, you’re going to want to know everything that you possibly can about them. You might even get lucky and see them pulling off one of your known enemies’ signature moves! Regardless though you want to get as much information on them as you possibly can. You’ll probably need to break into your local police precinct’s evidence locker but honestly, at this point, who even cares, we have you do shady stuff like that all the time. It’s all in good fun. It’s all in the name of Justice.

Once you’ve learned everything you can about the person who’s framing you for these unspeakable crimes, you can begin checking out your suspects. The person you’re looking for will have a similar build as you and possibly a similar skill or powerset. Lots of superheroes have enemies like that, it’s like people with similar builds and powers are drawn to each other through some metaphysical drama-creating force or something. You might also actually be looking for an evil clone. Man, that would be such a hassle. Remember how annoying those things could be? Or gosh maybe it’s a shapeshifter? Those guys are such tools. It’s not cool to turn into other people! Being someone else isn’t even that hard! The true challenge, and I firmly believe this to be true, is being yourself.

Once you do track down the bad guy whose impersonating you though, you need to put on your costume again. This way (as we’ve mentioned before) the public can see that there’s both a good guy and a bad guy who have the same costume and your name will automatically be cleared. Even from bad things that you actually did! Every negative thing that’s been done in your costume, no matter who did it, will just be laid at the feet of the evil guy wearing the costume! This is a great chance to get rid of all that embarrassing stuff too. Like the time you were caught on camera in costume yelling at a pigeon who had stolen your last french-fry. Or the time you were refused service at a drive-through because technically you flew-through and there’s apparently a rule against that in the drive-through code of conduct.

Once the bad guy is defeated and captured and their costume is taken away to either be aggressively burned or aggressively laundered, you’ll be starting with pretty much a clean slate. Once again the public will adore you and see you as the hero you are and you can go back to spending your days fighting sassy swashbuckler or attending superhero drum circles which are posilutely a real thing. Don’t expect any apologies from the pundits who disparaged you on national television or the legions of police officers who agreed to unpaid overtime just to hunt you down (or me). They’re still waiting for you to turn evil for real. Frikkin Greg.

1 note · View note

sterek · 7 years

Note

Hi, I really like your tumblr ;) do you know some good apocalypse!au sterek fics you could recommend me? Especially with zombies. Thanks!

Hi, thank you!!

I only found 3 in my bookmarks. Only the last one has zombies! I’m pretty sure I’ve read more fics like that, but I might’ve forgotten to bookmark them because I can’t find them :/

The Circus at the End of the World by mikkimouse [E, 91K]

Three hundred years ago, the world ended not with a bang or a whimper, but with magic.

Since then, magic has been outlawed, and the world has clawed its way back to some kind of stability, with people and shifters alike divided between living within the walled safety of the Havens, or the small, less protected outposts dotting the frontier.

Derek Hale and his sisters, Laura and Cora, are the proprietors of Hale's Circus of Magic, Monsters, and Mystical Wonders, known colloquially as the Circus at the End of the World. They and their ragtag pack ride the rails between the outposts and the Havens, performing for those who can pay (and some who can't). Their circus is a small haven in and of itself, a place of safety for those who have nowhere else to go.

It's a quiet life...until Stiles Stilinski joins the crew.

The circus has something Stiles needs—a ticket into the Haven of Santa Francesca. His father has been abducted, and Stiles is determined to get him back no matter what he has to do.

But Stiles has another secret, one that puts him and every member of the circus in danger. And if he's not careful, it could get them all killed.

Leaving Paradise by NARKOTIKA [E, 43K]

A boy dreams of freedom, a broken man finds home, and they learn to love in a world where it feels more impossible than water falling from the sky.

Come with Me and Walk the Longest Mile by DevilDoll [E, 39k]

"Stiles shouldn't accept rides from werewolves he meets behind abandoned convenience stores." In which the zombie apocalypse is just one of their worries.

And here are some Dystopian AU recs if that might interest you??:

Enemy Lines by qhuinn (tekla) [E, 149K]

This is the story of werewolf Derek Hale and human Stiles Stilinski: two people who grew up in the same town but completely different worlds, their realities split by the war between men and wolves.

Years later when Derek returns to Beacon Hills, he does it as Alpha of a military pack on a mission to capture those responsible for the region’s resistance. With his main objective, Sheriff Stilinski, out of sight, he settles for the next best thing: his son, Stiles.

Neither of them suspects they’ll need to trust each other if they want to make it out this alive.

All This Has Happened by 1001cranes [M, 10K]

The thing is, most of it's been done before. People competing for money, or love, or fame - it's all boring, it's all been done, has-been, seen before, who cares? Until some motherfucker finally realized - you know what's really interesting?

Revenge.

Dystopian AU where fame is the name of the game. Sometimes revenge is the quickest way to the top, and Derek Hale has plenty to avenge - Stiles is just along for the ride.

#Anonymous #asks

23 notes · View notes

ciathyzareposts · 5 years

Text

Game 31: Swords and Sorcery (1978)

Monsters on the battlements from left to right: demon, werewolf, zombie, goblin, dragon, unknown, and wizard.

Ah, that familiar orange glow. Despite all the grief that the various PLATO CRPGs have given me – I’m looking at you Moria, and you The Game of Dungeons – going back to that system almost feels like going home. There’s something warm and comforting about it. It could be Stockholm syndrome, or it could just be that the best PLATO games are so much better than their contemporaries on home computers. It’s one of those.

(While I’m on the topic of Moria, Ahab over at Data Driven Gamer has just started playing it. If you didn’t get enough of that game during the eight months that I was immersed in it, that blog has you covered.)

Today’s game is Swords and Sorcery, which as far as I can tell is the second-last PLATO game I’ll be covering. It was developed by Donald Gillies, who was a student at Urbana High School at the time, where he had access to PLATO. Its inspiration was a game called think15, created by Jim Mayeda, which is another one we have to chalk up as having been deleted by an overzealous system administrator. Following think15 was another game called think2, which Gillies describes as running incredibly slow. Development of Swords and Sorcery started in 1976, but the full game wasn’t playable until 1978. Thankfully, Gillies made the game available again on cyber1.org back in 2003, so we can still play it today.

Apparently, this lineage of games is heavily influenced by Star Trek from 1971, which is a very important piece of early gaming that I’ve never actually played. In that game, you fly the Starship Enterprise around a map with 8×8 quadrants, blowing up Klingons and seeking refuge in starbases. Swords and Sorcery takes the same idea and applies it to the fantasy genre.

There’s no back-story in the Help file (no Help file at all, which is unusual for PLATO games, which normally have manuals that go into excruciating detail). It’s set “1200 years ago,” and you play a warrior or a knight undertaking missions for the king. These missions take place in a forest, and usually involve killing a certain number of a specific monster, except for a character’s first mission which requires chopping down trees or collecting treasure chests.

Before you are given a quest, the king will ask you to determine the dimensions of the forest you’ll be exploring. You can go as small as a single screen (1×1). I’m not sure what the upper boundary is on size; I’d test it out, but I don’t want to get locked into a mission that might take me over an hour to complete. The larger the forest, the more monsters you have to kill to complete the mission, and the higher the reward you get from the king when you finish. I generally default to a 2×2 configuration, which is 4 screens. In the note files for the game, Gillies says that playing with a single screen is the most efficient way to advance, but I find that I rely on shifting from one screen to another quite a lot to survive. There’s not a lot of room to maneuver one just one screen.

Moving around the screens takes a bit of getting used to. You need to type M (for move), followed by a direction, followed by the desired speed. You can move in all eight directions, using a number pad (or the arrow keys if you only want to go north, south, east or west). If you don’t have a number pad the directions are mapped to different keys, but I can’t remember what those are. The speed you set determines how many steps you move in one turn. Normally you can move from 1 to 3 steps, but by using adrenaline (which you can buy or find in phials) you can move 4 or 5. The trickiest thing to master is the inertia mechanic, where once you start moving in a direction you keep moving that way until you stop or change direction. I spent a lot of time early on killing myself by bumping into trees, because I couldn’t figure this out. Once you get the hang of it it’s not too bad, as you can stop your movement by pressing 0.

Loads of monsters, three chests, a Magic Circle on the far right, and me at the bottom, surrounded.

Each screen will be filled with monsters, which will move towards you and try to kill you. Melee combat is a simple matter of hitting S (for sword) and choosing the direction you want to swing. Either you do enough damage to kill the monster, or you don’t and it gets to retaliate. The weakest monsters are goblins, with about 10 hit points. Moving up from there are thugs, zombies, werewolves, dragons, wizards, and demons. Worst of all are the invisible demons, which have about 10,000 hit points, deal almost 2,000 damage per hit, and can’t be seen. I’ve lost a number of characters to them without even realising I was being hit.

You can attack monsters from a distance with arrows, which do more damage than your sword early on. Arrows can be fired the length of the screen in eight directions, but they’re in short supply; you need to buy them or find them. There are magic arrows that do extra damage, and can fire through multiple foes.

Some screens have treasure chests, which are opened by pressing T when you’re next to one. Most of them contain bags of gold, but occasionally you’ll find gems, jewels, or a magic item. Gems and jewels can be sold, and are extremely valuable. Much like original Dungeons & Dragons, finding valuable jewels is the quickest way to advance in experience. Magic items include swords, shields, boots of flying and the magic lamp (which allows you to see invisible enemies). I’ve found a few cursed weapons as well. Your character will normally default to the best weapon and shield, but a cursed item will force you to use it instead.

The forest will have a number of Magic Circles, which are vital to your success. Once you step on a Magic Circle, you can’t be damaged by attacking monsters. You can retaliate, though, so it’s a good place to fight back against those monsters that are more powerful than you. You can also sell gems and jewels here, trading them in for bags of gold. The Magic Circles are also where you can buy experience points (1 gold piece buys 25), arrows, and adrenaline. You can also pay for the ability to fly, but this isn’t something I’ve tested out much yet; the one time I did it I accidentally left the forest and was executed by the king for failing my mission. If your sword breaks (which occasionally happens during combat, even to magic swords), and you don’t have a spare, you can buy one here or beg to have the king send you a replacement if you don’t have enough gold. A sword costs 50gp, but you’re better off spending that money on experience points, then begging for a free sword. Speaking of swords, don’t swing one at a magic circle; the circle will become hostile, and you can’t use it any longer.

Enjoying the protection of a Magic Circle.

Experience points are the most important thing in this game. Not only do they measure your progress, but they double as your hit points. You can buy them, and earn them by killing monsters, but every hit you take reduces them, and if you go below 0 you’re dead. It’s a fairly elegant distillation of the Dungeons & Dragons system, in which earning treasure grants you experience points that allow you to gain levels and more hit points. Swords and Sorcery does away with levels, lets you spend your treasure on experience directly, and uses that experience total as your hit points. A simplified system like this works for a simpler game.

I found this game to be very Deadly at the start, to the point where I started to despair of ever making any progress. The first mission can be tough, because you begin the game with 0 experience points. Any damage will kill you, even bumping into trees as I mentioned before. Combat is right out, because you start out not being able to do enough damage to kill even a lowly goblin in one hit, and the return strike will absolutely be fatal. One method of survival is to outmaneuver the enemy, and either collect the required treasure (or chop the required amount of trees) without entering combat. Another is to try to nab a treasure chest and then find a Magic Circle, where you can buy some experience and arrows. The third method, the one I eventually came to favor, is to find a Magic Circle and use its protective power to kill your enemies without taking any damage. Also useful is switching from one screen to another; you’ll never be attacked on your first move into a screen, and the layout will rearrange every time you enter. So if there’s a Magic Circle that’s too hard to get to, just leave the screen and return and it might be in a more convenient spot.

My current character.

Using these tactics I’m making slow and steady progress. My current character has about 130,000 experience, and is mostly being given missions to kill Demons. I’m enjoying it quite a bit; it’s not the sort of game that dominates my thoughts when I’m doing something else, but when I do play it it’s very easy to get into a rhythm and lose a few hours. It has that thing where a mission is just short enough that it’s always tempting to play just one more. I could probably finish this up in one post, but I want to keep playing, and I suspect that there are more powerful enemies that I haven’t encountered yet. I’ll give it one more week and see how it goes.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/game-31-swords-and-sorcery-1978-2/

#retro games #dos games #retro #crpg #adventure #amiga #oldcomputers #8bit #16bit #blog #repost

0 notes

ciathyzareposts · 5 years

Text

Game 31: Swords and Sorcery (1978)

Monsters on the battlements from left to right: demon, werewolf, zombie, goblin, dragon, unknown, and wizard.

Loads of monsters, three chests, a Magic Circle on the far right, and me at the bottom, surrounded.

Enjoying the protection of a Magic Circle.

My current character.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/game-31-swords-and-sorcery-1978/

#retro games #dos games #retro #crpg #adventure #amiga #oldcomputers #8bit #16bit #blog #repost

0 notes