Uncle techno but he’s immortal and tommy and wilbur grow up being like “yeah thats dads friend he’s funny” not thinking much of him until they start to hit college and theyre like “Dad. Why hasnt uncle techno aged a day”
this and also fanfic writers choosing to write a chapter a year, because they don’t want to write more often than that, or abandoning their works entirely because they lose interest and don’t feel like continuing anymore is also a valid reason, and you’re an entitled asshole if you attack, guilt trip or shame them for it (being sad/disappointed is completely okay and normal, you can’t control how your mind feels and reacts to something, what matters is that you respect the author’s decision and don’t be a dick to them about it).
fanfic writers write for themselves and their own enjoyment. they’re kind enough to let you read their works for free. they don’t owe you any explanation. they don’t owe you the details of their personal lives. they don’t owe you anything.
Techno regretted coming to consciousness the moment he did so.
Ow. Ow ow ow. Primes, the Lady, and the Mother, everything hurt so fucking much.
He blinked his eyes open after some consideration and was met with the sight of cold blue sky in the far distance, craggy rock and ice framing the otherwise picturesque view.
Huh. He was at the bottom of a ravine.
He’d barely had time to register that fact before a small hand not-so-gently patted him on the cheek, a familiar voice ringing in his ears a moment later.
“Techno? Emperor? Blade? Hellooooo, anyone in there? I’ll take spirits of the Blood God, at this point.”
The voice was faux-casual, but there was a definite amount of concern behind the even tone, and that more than anything got Techno’s brain to start moving.
Techno blinked a few more times as he tried to take a deep breath, wincing as he realized the sharp ache in his side was probably broken ribs. He tried moving, regardless, and made it as far as pushing himself up on his elbows before his body thoroughly rebelled and refused to move another inch.
“Wow, hey- don’t do that-”
Techno squinted at the vaguely blurry blue figure in front of him, finally recognizing Sneegsnag through all the fog in his brain. The inchling didn’t look injured- which made one of them, apparently- but he did look worried, and that was never a good sign. He grinned at Techno anyways, considerably closer than he usually would be since Techno was laying on the floor.
“Good to see you not dead,” Sneeg remarked, relief coloring his words despite their casual nature. “You hit your head pretty damn hard, though. How many fingers am I holding up?”
Techno shook his head in an attempt to focus, and the new jolt of pain in his spine managed that well enough. His vision slowly sharpened, and he painfully brushed some blood-soaked hair out of his face as he frowned, focusing on Sneeg’s hand, which was-
Techno coughed out an exasperated groan and let his head tip back to lean against the cool stone once more.
“One,” he grumbled. “Very funny, Sneeg.”
"Heh."
Techno rubbed at his eyes, grimacing when he pulled his hand away and saw his gloves soaked with blood. He turned his hand and wiped away at his face again, clearing off some of the blood that stained his face and dripped down his cheeks.
“What happened?” he asked, glancing back towards Sneeg, who was poking at his communicator with a furrowed brow.
His lieutenant frowned, pausing in his motions to meet Techno’s gaze.
“You hit Conduit Mode around 0900 hours,” Sneeg said slowly, glancing up at the clear sky. “Do you remember that part? The Southern forces had pushed us back to the treeline.”
Techno did vaguely remember that part of the battle. His… Phil had taken the 2nd and 3rd Divisions west to pincer, but the enemy reinforcements had come sooner than expected, so it had just been Techno, about half of the 1st Division, and the Imperial Guard, and…
“We lost Mika,” Techno said hoarsely, the last moments of his Guardsman suddenly fresh in his mind. He closed his eyes, allowing himself a heartbeat to mourn his fallen comrade before pushing himself back into the present. “I engaged after that.”
“Yeah.” Sneeg’s own voice was quiet. “Most of the 1st got out, by the way. And so far as I know, the rest of the Guard is still alive.” His expression was grim when Techno opened his eyes again, the black markings on his face making the lines even more severe. “You did… something, some Ancients bullshit or whatever, and basically collapsed the cliffside.” He nodded off to the right. “We’re the only ones in this part, but I’m pretty sure you buried the first five rows of their infantry in that mess. Some probably survived.”
“That explains why I hate myself so much at the moment.” Techno managed to push himself up onto his elbows this time, gritting his teeth at the waves of mind-numbing agony rolling through his body with even that small amount of movement. He dragged himself back against a rock so he could sit up, leaning back and coughing out another breath and- oh yeah. Ribs were broken. “Communications?”
“Mine’s still working.” Sneeg wiggled his communicator even as he went back to typing. “I sent our coords directly to the good General. It’s gonna take a bit for them to get to us, though.” He looked back up at Techno and grimaced. “You’ve been unconscious for… over an hour, I think?”
“Ouch,” Techno said dryly. “And why haven’t you gone and regrouped with the others?”
Sneeg gave him a look that very clearly said You fucking idiot.
“Uh, because my Emperor, whom I am a Guardsman of, was lying unconscious at the bottom of a ravine in a pool of his own blood?” Sneeg raised both eyebrows, managing to look both incredulous and insulting at the same time. “You know, upholding my job requirement?”
“Fair enough.” Techno pressed a cautious hand to his ribs, biting back a growl at the painful sensation. “Do you have any regen potions?”
Techno generally tried to down a regen potion before hitting “Conduit Mode,” as Sneeg so kindly put it. While his version of channeling divine energy was less taxing than Phil’s, it still hit like a bitch, and the regen helped with both the blood loss and the general exhaustion that came with it.
Sneeg just grimaced, which was as good of an answer as any.
“Just health pots left,” the inchling admitted. “And a speed, but that’s not really helpful right now.”
"...Damn."
-
Some AntEmp boys to start- everyone welcome in Sneeg!
me watching tumblr go nuts over phil getting trapped in a literal birdcage on the qsmp in an attempt to save his kids: wow thats so fucked up that sounds like something I'd do to him in one of my fics
For those of you who follow the Stay Alive series pretty closely, you'll notice that some ocs from the Antarctic Empire get mentioned here and there- and they'll get the spotlight sooner or later
Anyways, here's a rough sketch of Asper, Chief Medic
WriterGreenReads on AO3 has written several of my comfort fics and I have not drawn fanart for any of them, a travesty! This is from their fanfic "You either die a hero"