#imagine a skull-tutored tsuna though

[fallingyams]

A little thing I wrote a while back when I was revisiting KHR... basically my very self-indulgent thoughts on a BAMF!Skull who decides the best strategy to survive the underworld is by letting everyone else underestimate him.

I've never really been fond of the way he's treated by others in canon, and it completely baffles me why they'd choose to characterise him like this if he's supposed to be one of the strongest seven.

There are ways of making supposedly OP characters weaker - inner fears, disagreements, conflicting loyalties, a person who is their achilles heel, a lack of motivation - you DON'T need to make someone into a bullied lackey.

----

As far as navigating the wild seas of the mafia goes, Skull believes that being underestimated is the best strategy.

Skull is a method actor.

And that means embodying clumsiness and hysteria.

He makes mistakes. He plays up his confusion. Joins the weakest family that he could find (With some sense of ethics that he could stomach, obviously. He'd be speeding down the highway in the opposite direction if he so much as caught a whiff of the Estraneo. Ugh, hurting children.)  He botches his jobs. He falls and screams and cries and shrieks. He lets himself get hit and made fun of.

He picks himself up and dusts himself off at the end of every day.

It's a fine balance, this game of being just competent enough to affirm his status as the Cloud Arcobaleno, and yet leaving others completely baffled at his continued survival.

It's a risky game to play, stringing some of the world's most powerful along and playing them for fools.

He is Skull, the world's greatest stuntman. Taking big risks is just another day to him.

You see, those who are born and raised in the mafia have a complacency to them. They look at civilians and think weak.

They look at Skull and see nothing but civilian. Weak. Coward.

These mafia men forget that stuntmen like Skull actively run into death with their eyes wide open. 

They forget that being born a civilian means that they have actively chosen this life of danger. They have seen it all and decided to stay.

So Skull lets the other Arcobaleno have their fun at his expense. He takes on the role of useless lackey and screams into all their ears at the first sign of danger. Makes them forget that he's the first one to spot any danger at all. Lets them gloss over the fact that appearances aside, he was also chosen to stand beside them as one of the strongest, in spite of his civilian background.

It feels like a huge prank he's playing on them, one that may never see an end and it tickles Skull deep inside that these mafioso who pride themselves in their strength and intelligence and spy networks have never quite figured out that Skull is simply performing a role in front of them.

He's content to let life continue on this way. He has no qualms allowing their arrogance to one day cause their demise. After all, the fall of many great men has been caused by their very own hubris.

That is, until, he catches wind of something very interesting.

Reborn has been assigned to tutor the up and coming candidate for Vongola 10th.

A civilian candidate.

And Skull has never quite been interested in involving himself in mafia affairs, but just perhaps…

He could impart some teachings to help a kindred soul navigate this world.

And really honestly, it seems like it'd be fun to fuck around with Reborn. Just a little.

-fin-

Like I REALLY don't get canon. He's a STUNTMAN. Danger is pretty much his job??? He actively chooses to jump through rings of fire and taunt death and the mafia decides he's weak?????

[fleeting-whimsies]

Name: Reborn

Aliases: A lot, don't worry about it.

Age: appearance: 30, true age: 55

Birthday: October 13th

Horoscope: Libra

Height: 6''

Gender Identity: Gender fluid

Pronouns: Any are fine, though he tends to default to whatever matches his current appearance. "He" for masc, "she" when feminine.

Sexuality: Pansexual, leans towards femme

Personality: Reborn is an incredibly confident and blunt man, he's proud and could be considered arrogant by many but he's often able to back up his claims so most just fume in silence. He's versatile and talented, able to pick up subjects quickly. He's a hard worker and will completely bury himself in whatever task he's expected to compete. He always gives his all in anything he does, no matter how small or even silly the task may be. He is calculating and manipulative, he's willing to do just about anything to ensure that things progress as he believes they should, even if this results in bumps later down the road. Open minded, Reborn is an old fashioned gentleman---his respect is generally reserved for his superiors, women, girls and possibly the elderly. Everyone else could frankly kick rocks. In spite of his outward behaviour, Reborn is someone with depression, ptsd and experiences night terrors. He is hyper vigilante, will sleep with his eyes open and set up traps before he sleeps. Suspicious by nature, whenever a new face appears he is sure to do a background check on them and dig up any secrets they may have.

Past: Due to circumstances he found himself joining the Mafia, from a young age he was skilled and with both determination and hard work he was able to become the world's greatest hitman. At some point he was cursed and was transformed into an infant, for more than a decade he had stayed in this form before he was finally free once more. Due to this his true age doesn't match his appearance.

Appearance: Reborn is a tall, lean man with tanned skin. He's got dark eyes and hair, the hair is combed back and spiky. A unique feature of his are his large curly sideburns that looks like spirals. Reborn considers this to be his most charming trait. He's often seen in a black suit, the shirts ranging from yellow, white or orange. He also wears a fedora, the band matching the colour of his shirt typically. Reborn is always neat and immaculate.

Main Occupation: World's Greatest Hitman, tutor

((Other Occupations under different aliases)): mathematician, philosopher, director, sports coach\trainer, if you could imagine it, he's probably been it.

Hobbies: cosplay, bird watching, weapon maintenance, tutoring (especially Tsuna), napping, caring for his plants and Leon

Skills: organization, disguise, cold reading, profiling, ventriloquism, voice acting, acting in general, multi-lingual, ability to speak to animals, gunslinging, is incredibly strong, fast and has acrobatic abilities.

Likes: espressos, vongole fettuccine, Tsuna's mother's cooking, indoctrinating the youth into the Mafia, animals,

Dislikes: shit ((cheap)) coffee, cowardice, weaklings, those disrespecting women,

Allegiance: Vongola

Family: his blood relations are unknown but his students, Dino Cavallone and Sawada Tsunayoshi are like family to him. Tsuna, especially, is like a son. Yuni who is his "niece."

Pet: Leon, a chameleon with unique abilities

Friends: Luce, Fon

Acquaintances: Colonello, Lal, Skull, Verde, Viper ((Now Mammon))