#i spent so much time on this you have no idea

[artistictiliqua]

ESP DIB MASTERPOST

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It’s a BIG update this time! I wanted to give you guys a bunch of panels this time around so it took awhile to post but here you go! Another instalment to the ESP Dib AU comic!

Comic continues under the cut!

warning for blood/injury

*jason mendoza voice* Oh Zim we really in it now

Looks like Zim’s having a rough go of it yall D: but if you’re wondering why Zim is more ‘tired’ than ‘feral’ in this comic, the reasoning behind it is because he’s been on Earth for a handful of years now and has mostly settled into a routine he’s happy with. He still talks about destroying earth but he doesn’t really mean it anymore. He’s content to be where he is now, and he’s taken it upon himself to prevent Dib from doing dumb shit (as teenagers tend to do) while also being irritating as hell. He’s the older sibling to Dib and Gaz even if he himself doesn’t realize it yet. Membrane appreciates it since his work takes him away from his kids so often.

And a bit of a headcanon here that I’ve incorporated into this AU:

It’s exceedingly rare for an Irken to surpass 120 (Earth) years of age, because an Irken’s greatest goal is to die in battle. Lots of Irkens approaching 120 often act more recklessly because reaching that age automatically lowers their reputation. Zim canonically seems to have a ridiculous amount of skill in cheating death, so not only is he an outcast for being ‘an embarrassment’ and ‘a hazard’, he’s also held in low esteem since he’s reached 142 years of age.

For an Irken, 120 years is the equivalent of 19-22 human years. So Zim is roughly the equivalent of a 26-32 year old human. So as of this comic he’s like a tired college grad who works the graveyard shift at a gas station and subsists on a diet mainly composed of poptarts, mac n cheese, and Monster.

[kohiua]

bonus:

please credit if reposting

[wickedknickerbockers]

Martial Arts Manifesto Pt.II

And here is the list of what I've got so far.

Black Tide (Scroll of Fallen Races) - Make use of water to impair opponent's mobility. Knockdown and knockback effects should be a big thing. Users are also more mobile and possibly more stealthy in the water. Orgiastic Fugitive (Scroll of the Monk) - Fight without impediment while intoxicated; eventually, turn intoxication into strength and even a weapon. Unpredictable attacks, confusing and disorienting opponents both through techniques and through the martial artist's own contagious inebriation. White Veil (Scroll of the Monk) - Attack without being seen or known to attack, even after the fact. Golden Janissary (Scroll of the Monk) - Fight creatures of Darkness. Even Blade (Scroll of the Monk) - Fight with a slashing sword, especially in one-on-one duels. Attack and DV boosts versus a single opponent, as well as bonuses to detecting their surprise attacks. Some sort of enhancement to the Aim action as well? Terrible Ascent-Driven Beast (Imperfect Lotus) - Make use of battlefield verticality for tactical advantage. Use fall damage to make your own attacks more powerful, increases (Str+Ath) total for purposes of dragging clinched foes upwards, Emotion effect called "They Never Look Up" that makes surprise attacks from above more effective/makes you harder to detect and notice, and another one called "Strange Fruit Falling" that causes fear and nervousness among your opponents by dropping a slain foe into their midst - possibly Stackable. Crimson Pentacle Blade (Scroll of the Monk) - Fight with spears, as a team. Lots of co-ordinated attacks, probably some "I-impose-a-DV-penalty/I-impede-your-mobility/And-we-strike-the-finishing-blow"-type features. Possibly reflexive Defend Others, or some sort of cover or shield bonus based on how many of your team-mates are nearby. Tiger (Scroll of the Monk) - Move through soft cover (brush, thick vegetation etc.) and use it to make surprise attacks. Also use it to quickly re-establish stealth during combat. Crane (Glories: Maidens) - Rewards passive self-defense and attempts to end fights quickly and with a minimum of harm to all concerned. Live Wire (MoEP: Alchemicals) - Disarm and stun opponents (has similar nonlethal applications to Crane). Thousand Wounds Gear (MoEP: Alchemicals) - Fight with a gyroscopic chakram. Lots of effects that whittle down an opponent rather than finishing them outright - disarming opponents by crushing their weapon hand's fingers, damage their legs to slow them down, herd them where you want them to go with intentional near-miss strikes, that sort of thing. Mantis (Scroll of the Monk) - Disarm and disable opponents, especially with clinches. Righteous Devil (Scroll of the Monk) - Fight against those who offend the martial artist's convictions/fight with flame weapons. Use Holy? Very focused on one-on-one duels - a Charm with similar function to the current Form forces extras to run to avoid collateral damage, and minions to stay out of the fight - possibly keep that the Form's effect, although I'd rather it be some sort of actual buff to the character's capabilities. Ebon Shadow (Scroll of the Monk) - Make use of darkness, impair foes' ability to sound alarm. Cobra (Ink Monkeys) - Fight with poisons and negative Intimacies. White Reaper (Glories: Luna) - Anti-horde fighting (fighting against weaker opponents that greatly outnumber you). Attack-chaining, a DV-booster that also inflicts knockdown/light knockback on those who fail to penetrate your DVs, make coordinated attacks targeting you more difficult, can't be surprised by being surrounded etc. Black Claw (Ink Monkeys) - Manipulate onlookers' and opponents' perceptions of fight, building positive feeling and even genuine love towards the martial artist - then use that love to destroy them. Crystal Chameleon (Glories: Maidens) - Impair opponents' visibility; practitioners fight very much like a flash grenade. Sudden entries, disorientation and confusion, then attacks and equally quick exits. Fivefold Shadow Hand (Scroll of the Monk) - Be the ninja mafia; which is to say, conceal hostile intent under veil of normal activity, attack in swarms, then vanish back into the ordinary populace afterwards.

Most of these martial arts I've talked about so far are still combat-oriented arts. While this is all well and good, I'd actually mentioned that, since I'd do away with Martial Arts (in an ideal world, not necessarily under the current mechanical system), not all styles necessarily need to have strict combat applications. At least, not physical combat applications. Dreaming Pearl Courtesan (Scroll of the Monk) - Functions mostly on a social timescale. Creates an aura of fascination and allure around the martial artist - allows them to draw their targets away from larger social groups and/or the public eye during a social engagement, effectively allowing for social "assassination" attempts. Most exemplified in one post-Form Charm called "Held-Within-A-Pearl Liaison" that creates an Illusion/Compulsion effect that draws her target's attention away from all other actors on the scene for the duration, as well as influencing said other actors to not disturb, and indeed not actually even notice, the two. This concept doesn't function with the social combat system as it stands - it assumes the existence of some sort of system revision. It's very much just a thought exercise.