History NightmareFuel / Twig

* The Duke was terrifying enough in his displays of what absolute sovereignty means in the Twigverse, but we soon find out that he's the closest thing to a ReasonableAuthorityFigure the nobles have; the Baron Richmond is a complete AxCrazy sadist who seems to have no pleasures in life beyond tormenting others, and he has carte blanche from the Crown, the Academy and the law to do whatever he wants to non-nobles, and his physical superiority to un-modified humans makes him virtually invincible even if anyone dared to oppose him. In Arc 9 he stabs out one of Sy's eyes]] completely on a whim, forbids him from getting it replaced and orders him to tell anyone who asks that he lost it because he was an imbecile who dared to look a noble in the eye and admit failure. By the time this happens, we've seen enough to know that he can be quite confident that these commands will be obeyed by most people.

* [[spoiler:Godwin's death at the hands of the Hangman, who wrings his neck up so far that it snaps, likely causing an internal decapitation.]] The narration also goes into gruesome details about how exactly Godwin feels as this happens.

* It's revealed in the sixth chapter that the Ghosts are made from [[spoiler:HumanResources in the form of the kidnapped children.]]
* Everything about what happens to Avis. From the [[BodyHorror physical]] [[BioAugmentation alteration]] she voluntarily performed on herself, [[spoiler: to the MindRape, EyeScream and guilt trip the Duke puts her through.]] Argh.
* The Duke was terrifying enough in his displays of what absolute sovereignty means in the Twigverse, but we soon find out that he's the closest thing to a ReasonableAuthorityFigure the nobles have; the Baron Richmond is a complete AxCrazy sadist who seems to have no pleasures in life beyond tormenting others, and he has carte blanche from the Crown, the Academy and the law to do whatever he wants to non-nobles, and his physical superiority to un-modified humans makes him virtually invincible even if anyone dared to oppose him. In Arc 9 he [[spoiler: stabs out one of Sy's eyes]] completely on a whim, forbids him from getting it replaced and orders him to tell anyone who asks that he lost it because he was an imbecile who dared to look a noble in the eye and admit failure. By the time this happens, we've seen enough to know that he can be quite confident that these commands will be obeyed by most people.
** The Twins, in addition to being just as psychotic as the Baron, reveal that [[spoiler: they're actually two sets of twins; each pair of older and younger have been modified to meld bodies to look like a single StatuesqueStunner until it's time to hunt, at which point about a third of the woman's torso splits off into a large, very fast giant foetus-like thing with a pair of mantis-scythes for arms, which is just as bloodthirsty as her older sister]].

* The Baron's town in Arc 10 has been turned into an apparently neat and tidy StepfordSuburbia where everyone who arrives is made to [[spoiler: surrender their firstborn to be modified into a barely-sentient monster that will then return to its family, make them look after it, and go on a killing rampage if any disturbance breaks out]]. This ensures that concern for their family and neighbours means that hardly anyone will resist when the Baron or the Twins decide to take some random civilian away for torture.

* Speaking of... The Ravage/Red Death/Reminiscence, first shown in Arc 11, is a deadly disease that quickly became {{The Plague}}. It is a deadly rash that develops at a variable rate across hours, spreads quickly, and is so incredibly painful that the victims can ''feel'' it spread through them. Eventually, the victim, still alive, is rooted to the spot by bright red flowering vines, before finally succumbing. The worst part is that [[spoiler:the primordial who created it based it on all the things it had eaten in its life, with its entire purpose being to make everything suffer as much as possible.]]

* The Infante may be the least flamboyantly insane or capricious of the nobles, but his quiet focus on his unstated goals, extreme intellect and absolute confidence leave nobody in any doubt how dangerous he is, even before he reveals his demigod-level enhancements and we find out that [[spoiler: he has written off the entire continent to be consumed by Red Death and Black Wood, letting everyone who he doesn't care to take with him to die, so the Crown can simply return to the wasteland in a few centuries and take it back unopposed]].
* [[spoiler: Sylvester's]] SanitySlippage throughout the later arcs make him a danger to himself and everyone around him. He's completely aware that it's happening, but is unable to stop it. It reaches the point where he's got no real idea what's real or not, and ends up having to bargain with his own hallucinations in the hope that they won't make him harm his friends.

* The inside of the church seen in Chapter 10.18, where we get to see what happened exactly to those the Baron caught there. That is, they're [[ColdBloodedTorture nailed to the pews]] in an eternal pose of supplication to die of blood loss or exposure, and they've been there so long that the bodies that weren't reduced to skeletons have become naturally mummified.

* Arc 11 also informs us that the stitched are now advanced enough that most of their brains is maintained through the procedure, implying that there could still be something ''aware and alive'' left in them, but [[IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream incapable of disobeying or controlling their own body]]. In the same chapter, we're introduced to a character who keeps said advanced stitched for sexual use.

* Speaking of... The Ravage/Red Death/Reminiscence, first shown in Chapter 11, is a deadly disease that quickly became {{The Plague}}. It is a deadly rash that develops at a variable rate across hours, spreads quickly, and is so incredibly painful that the victims can ''feel'' it spread through them. Eventually, the victim, still alive, is rooted to the spot by bright red flowering vines, before finally succumbing. The worst part is that [[spoiler:the primordial who created it based it on all the things it had eaten in its life, with its entire purpose being to make everything suffer as much as possible.]]
** The cities hit by it eventually turn into perfect (and literal) examples of SceneryGorn. Thousands of dead bodies, human and animal and experiment alike, litter the streets. There's no birds, no animals, no insects; nothing, except the plague's growths. The red flowers carpet every surface, vines embrace the buildings, connect with every dead thing, seemingly turning the whole city into one organism. From afar, the buildings look as if drenched in blood, and the cities turn into one dreadful image or another.

The buildings are embraced by the red flowering vines growing from the bodies, and look as if drenched in blood. There's no animals or plants of any kind present, except the plague's growths.
* Arc 11 also informs us that the Stitched are now advanced enough that much of their brain is maintained through the process, meaning that there's increasingly something still ''aware and alive'' in them, but still incapable of disobeying or controlling their own body. This is the same chapter as we're introduced to a character who keeps said advanced Stitched for sexual use.

* [[spoiler:Godwin's death at the hands of the Hangman, who wrings his neck up so far that it snaps, likely causing an internal decapitation.]] Wildbow also goes into gruesome detail about exactly what's happening to him as that happens.

* Everything and anything to do with [[GrayGoo primordials]]. [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Being]] [[TorturedMonster one]] probably [[HumansAreBastards sucks worse]] than trying to either implement or get stuck too near [[ItsTheOnlyWayToBeSure the clean-up]]. And, that's saying something: they are ''never'' developed [[BiologicalWeaponsSolveEverything simply to enjoy what life and inteligence they get]], so it tends to [[GoneHorriblyRight get very interesting for everybody]]. Well, more so than with most experiments gone either wrong or right, at least.
* Speaking of... Redrot/Ravage/The Red Death, first shown in Chapter 11, is a deadly disease that quickly became {{The Plague}}. It is a deadly rash that develops at a variable rate across hours, spreads quickly, and is so incredibly painful that the victims can ''feel'' it spread through them. Eventually, the victim, still alive, is rooted to the spot by bright red flowering vines, before finally succumbing. The worst part is that [[spoiler:the primordial who created it based it on all the things it had eaten in its life, with its entire purpose being to make everything suffer as much as possible.]]

* Each of the Lambs come with a nightmare or two attached, and that's even without their chemical leash:-
** Gordon looks robust and well-rounded with a strong drive to enjoy life, [[spoiler:but it's all basically CastFromHitpoints, meaning he won't even hit his late teens.]] Worse, he knows this, even if he doesn't quite know when the Sword of Damocles will drop. [[spoiler: Eventually his heart does give out while on mission, giving the Lambs their first in-the-field casualty.]]
** Jaime... dear God, poor Jaime. That memory of his? [[spoiler:Comes at the expense of slowly losing himself to a wetware computer network. Every time he gets plugged in, there's a chance his brain won't be able to handle the returned data, leaving him an empty shell.]]
*** [[spoiler:This nightmare comes true. Jamie's first personality is wiped clean, and the new Jamie had to spend months re-learning everything, with a completely new personality, all while being constantly compared to the old Jamie by the other Lambs in their mourning. Worse, he knows this fate will eventually befall him too.]]
** Sy may be adaptable and ''very'' quick to learn new things... [[spoiler:but, good luck retaining anything, kid -- he could lose even basic skills at any time, forget just the memory and identity issues. Worse, the Wyvern mindset seems almost addictive. Not to mention, he's got the last expiration date of all of the Lambs, meaning he'll live to see them all gone.]]
*** [[spoiler:Later in the story it is revealed exactly how the Wyrvern formula causes one to reach their expiration date: the slow destruction of one's personality and a descent into madness up until they're put out of their mystery. Sy has adapted himself so much to imitate others that his mental models of the people close enough to him start to take on their own personalities in his brain, and then start taking control of his actions in turns, and slowly crowding out his own personality...]]
** Helen is an ace FemmeFatale in the making, but... [[spoiler: she isn't human, she is a fully artifical vat-grown creature that had to learn to act like a human. Her unique physiology and peculiar psychology mean that she needs constant appointments with her creator to stay sane and functional, and her creator doesn't consider her desires important: he expects her to be loyal only to him, and feels free to tweak her analogue of hormone-release patterns when he finds her behaviour unsatisfactory. Helen has little control over her own self: for Ibott, she's all about him and lives, dies, or is modified at his whim, never hers.]]
** Mary is barely accepted by the staff of the Academy and is constantly under pressure to be as loyal as possible. Any move she makes could be her last if it's decided she isn't good or loyal enough. And, she probably won't be replaced. [[spoiler: Worse, her accelerated maturation in addition to the initial methods used to clone her all mean she has a future with a host of aggressively interesting cancers to look forward to: a rather near future.]]
** Lillian faces all the problems of a very young scholarship student in the cut-throat world of the Academy, alongside getting front row seats to why and just how badly the place is morally bankrupt. Most students can choose to not look, but she's within the Lambs and doesn't have the luxury.
** Ashton has a few similarities with Helen combined with Mary: he's been built to manipulate the emotions of others, but has an internal psychology that's basically alien to any he can influence, so he's operating by trial, error, theory and guesswork for the most part. Worse, he's well aware that if he doesn't find a useful niche within the Lambs or the Academy at large, ASAP, he'll be discarded as scrap at a moment's notice. Oh, and he needs to replicate Sy as far as being an effective manipulator and planner goes, yet without becoming as much of a potentially dangerous random particle. Good luck, Pinocchio: you damned well need it.

** Gordon looks robust and well-rounded with a strong drive to enjoy life, [[spoiler:but it's all basically CastFromHitpoints, meaning he won't even hit his late teens.]] Worse, he knows this, even if he doesn't quite know when the Sword of Damocles will drop. [[spoiler: Eventually his heart does give out while on mission, giving the Lambs their first casualty -- and Sy gets the first real taste of what he's been dreading for years.]]

** Helen is an ace FemmeFatale in the making, but... [[spoiler: she isn't human, won't ever be human, and has Ibott constantly on her case to try appearing and even to ''try'' feeling as human as possible. Even though that's a total non-starter, yet he simultaneously refuses to acknowledge what Helen's emotions, emotional ties and opinions she can actually have by constantly trying to "correct" them chemically. Helen has little control over her own self: for Ibott, she's all about him and lives, dies, or is modified at his whim, never hers.]]

* Everything and anything to do with [[GrayGoo primordials]]. [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Being]] [[TorturedMonster one]] probably [[HumansAreBastards sucks worse]] than trying to either implement or get stuck too near [[ItsTheOnlyWayToBeSure the clean-up]]. And, that's saying something: they are ''never'' developed [[BiologicalWeaponsSolveEverything simply to enjoy what life and inteligence they get]], so it tends to [[GoneHorriblyRight get very interesting for everybody]]. Well, more than with most experiments.
* Redrot/Ravage/The Red Death, first shown in Chapter 11, is a deadly disease that quickly became {{The Plague}}. It is a deadly rash that develops at a variable rate across hours, spreads quickly, and is so incredibly painful that the victims can ''feel'' it spread through them. Eventually, the victim, still alive, is rooted to the spot by bright red flowering vines, before finally succumbing. The worst part is that [[spoiler:the primordial who created it based it on all the things it had eaten in its life, with its entire purpose being to make everything suffer as much as possible.]]

* Everything and anything to do with [[GrayGoo Primordials]]. Being one probably sucks worse than trying to either implement or get stuck too near [[ItsTheOnlyWayToBeSure the clean-up]]. And, that's saying something: they are ''never'' developed [[BiologicalWeaponsSolveEverything simply to enjoy what life and inteligence they get]], so it tends to [[GoneHorriblyRight get very interesting for everybody]].

** Gordon looks robust and well-rounded with a strong drive to enjoy life, [[spoiler:but it's all basically CastFromHitpoints, meaning he won't even hit his late teens.]] Worse, he knows this, even if he doesn't quite know when the Sword of Damocles will drop. [[Spoiler: Eventually his heart does give out while on mission, giving the Lambs their first casualty.]]

** Ashton has a few similarities with Helen combined with Mary: he's been built to manipulate the emotions of others, but has an internal psychology that's basically alien to any he can influence, so he's operating by trial, error, theory and guesswork for the most part. Worse, he's well aware that if he doesn't find a useful niche within the Lambs or the Academy at large ASAP, he'll be discarded as scrap at a moment's notice. Oh, and he needs to replicate Sy as far as being an effective manipulator and planner goes, yet without becoming as much of a potentially dangerous random practical. Good luck, Pinocchio.

** Gordon looks robust and well-rounded with a strong drive to enjoy life, [[spoiler: it's all basically CastFromHitpoints meaning he won't even hit his late teens.]] Worse, he knows this, even if he doesn't quite know when the sword of Damocles will drop. [[Spoiler: Eventually his heart does give out while on mission, giving the lambs their first casualty.]]
** Jaime... dear God, poor Jaime. That memory of his? [[spoiler: Comes at the expense of slowly losing himself to a wetware computer network. Every time he gets plugged in, there's a chance his brain won't be able to handle the returned data, leaving him an empty shell.]]
*** [[spoiler: This nightmare comes true. Jamie's first personality is wiped clean, and the new Jamie had to spend months re-learning everything, with a completely new personality, all while being constantly compared to the old Jamie by the other Lambs in their mourning. Worse, he knows this fate will eventually befall him too.]]
** Sy may be adaptable and ''very'' quick to learn new things... [[spoiler: but, good luck retaining anything, kid -- he could lose even basic skills at any time, forget just the memory and identity issues. Worse, the Wyvern mindset seems almost addictive. Not to mention, he's got the last expiration date of all of the Lambs, meaning he'll live to see them all gone.]]
*** [[spoiler: Later in the story it is revealed exactly how the Wyrvern formula causes one to reach their expiration date: the slow destruction of one's personality and a descent into madness. Sy has adapted himself so much to imitate others that his mental models of the people close enough to him start to take on their own personalities in his brain, and then start taking control of his actions in turns, and slowly crowding out his own personality...]]
** Helen is an ace FemmeFatale in the making, but... [[spoiler: she isn't human, won't ever be human and has Ibbott constantly on her case to try appearing and even to ''try'' feeling as human as possible. Even though that's a total non-starter, yet he simultaneously refuses to acknowledge what Helen's emotions, emotional ties and opinions she can actually have by constantly trying to "correct" them chemically. Helen has little control over her own self: for Ibott, she's all about him and lives, dies or is modified at his whim, never hers.]]

** Ashton has a few similarities with Helen combined with Mary: he's been built to manipulate the emotions of others, but has an internal psychology that's basically alien to any he can infulence, so he's operating by trial, error, theory and guesswork for the most part. Worse, he's well aware that if he doesn't find a useful niche within the Lambs or the Academy at large ASAP, he'll be discarded as scrap at a moment's notice. Oh, and he needs to replicate Sy as far as being an effective manipulator and planner goes, yet without becoming as much of a potentially dangerous random practical. Good luck, Pinocchio.

* In the very first chapter the MadScientist the Lambsbridge Orphans are after ends up getting eaten feetfirst by his own creation.

** Gordon looks robust and well-rounded with a strong drive to enjoy life, [[spoiler: it's all basically CastFromHitpoints meaning he won't even hit his late teens.]] Worse, he knows this, even if he doesn't quite know when the sword of Damocles will drop.

** Helen is an ace FemmeFatale in the making, but... [[spoiler: she isn't human, won't ever be human and has Ibbott constantly on her case to try appearing and even to ''try'' feeling as human as possible. Even though that's a total non-starter, yet he simultaneously refuses to acknowledge what Heleny emotions, emotional ties and opinions she can actually have by constantly trying to "correct" them chemically. Helen has little control over her own self: for Ibott, she's all about him and lives, dies or is modified at his whim, never hers.]]

* Redrot, first shown in Chapter 11, is a deadly disease quickly shaping up to be {{The Plague}}. It is a deadly rash that develops at a variable rate across hours, spreads quickly, and is so incredibly painful that the victims can ''feel'' it spread through them. The worst part is that [[spoiler:the primordial who created it based it on all the things it had eaten in its life, with its entire purpose being to make everything suffer as much as possible.]]

** Helen is an ace FemmeFatale in the making, but... [[spoiler: she isn't human, won't ever be human and has Ibbott constantly on her case to try appearing and even to try feeling as human as possible. Even though that's a non-starter.]]

** Lillian faces all the problems of a very young scholarship student in the cut-throat world of the Academy, alongside getting front row seats to why and just how badly the place is morally bankrupt. Most students can choose to not look, but she's within the Lambs.

* Redrot, first shown in Chapter 11, is a deadly disease quickly shaping up to be {{The Plague}}. It is a deadly rash that develops at a variable rate across hours, spreads quickly, and is so incredibly painful that the victims can ''feel'' it spread through them. The worst part is that [[spoiler:the primordial who created it based it on all the things it had eaten in its life, with its entire purpose being to make everything suffer as much as possible.]]

* Redrot first shown in part 11 is deadly rash quickly shaping up to be {{The Plague}}, it is a deadly rash that develops at a variable rate across hours, spreads quickly, is incredibly painful enough so that the victims can ''feel'' it spread through them. The worst part [[spoiler: The primordial a form of {{Grey Goo}} created it based on all the things it had eaten in its life. With it's entire purpose is to everything suffer as much as possible. ]]

* The inside of the church seen in Chapter 10.18, where we get to see what happened exactly to those the Baron caught there. That is, they're [[ColdBloodedTorture nailed to the pews]] in an eternal pose of supplication to die of blood loss or exposure, and they've been there so long that the bodies that weren't reduced to skeletons have become naturally mummified.

* Chapter 9.6 finally reveals the process of applying the Wyvern formula: it's injected through the nostrils, piercing bone to reach the brain and delivering a poisonous payload directly to the part of the brain that controls pain reception and causing unimaginably intense pain as a side effect.

* Everything about what happens to Avis. From the [[BodyHorror physical]] [[BioAugmentation alteration]] she voluntarily performed on herself, [[spoiler: to the MindRape, EyeScream and guilt trip the Duke puts her through.]] Argh.

** Mary is barely accepted by the staff of the Academy and is constantly under pressure to be as loyal as possible. Any move she makes could be her last if it's decided she isn't good or loyal enough. And, she probably won't be replaced.

* It's revealed in the sixth chapter that the Ghosts are made from [[spoiler:HumanResources in the form of the kidnapped children.]]

* The fifth chapter begins with Sy watching a man get converted into a Stitched for trying to betray rebels to the Crown.

** Helen is an ace FemmeFatal in the making, but... [[spoiler: she isn't human, won't ever be human and has Ibbott constantly on her case to try appearing and even to try feeling as human as possible. Even though that's a non-starter.]]

* [[spoiler:Godwin's death at the hands of the Hangman, who wrings his neck up so far that it snaps.]] Wildbow also goes into gruesome detail about exactly what's happening to him as that happens.

* [[spoiler:Godwin's death at the hands of the Hangman, who wrings his neck up so far that it snaps.]] Wildbow also goes into gruesome detail about exactly what's happening.

** Jaime... dear God, poor Jaime. That memory of his? [[spoiler: Comes at the expense of slowly losing himself to a wetware computer network.]]
** Sy may be adaptable and ''very'' quick to learn new things... [[spoiler: but, good luck retaining anything, kid -- he could lose even basic skills at any time, forget just the memory and identity issues. Worse, the Wyvren mindset seems almost addictive.]]

* [[spoiler:Godwin's death at the hands of the Hangman, who wrings his neck up so far that it snaps.]] Wilbow also goes into gruesome detail about exactly what's happening.

* Sub-Rosa crushing her creator's skull and the circumstances surrounding her creation.