As can be inferred by his reputation as a popular video game villain, anger is an emotion that Mantis feels and identifies with quite easily. As a child, it allowed him to attach himself to others around him so that he could have a reliable outlet to feed off of so he could use his abilities and direct them in appropriate ways. Unfortunately, this also meant that his will was often suppressed by the will of whomever he was attached to, ending with him finding Eli in the midst of the chaos surrounding Mother Base. It was the first time he was able to find someone who he could feed off of while still maintaining a distinct sense of self. In the game, this was explained by how Eli was a child much like Mantis was, and thus was strong enough to become a host for Mantis’ need to feed off of others while not being strong enough to suppress his mind. The two of them formed a strong alliance this way and Mantis often worked to keep Eli safe in the midst of things. They felt a unique kind of friendship that endured to such a degree that the two of them became an even more formidable pair when they met again as adults. Once more, Mantis was able to have Eli’s anger nearby and he was now old enough that he had a very strong sense of self.
Liquid’s friendship is about the only thing he values as much as his own abilities as a psychic, which he takes a great deal of pride in. He likes to boast about his abilities and show them off in whatever way he can. These powers are telepathy (the ability to read people’s thoughts), psychokinesis (the ability to move objects without touching them), and pyrokinesis (the ability to produce spontaneous combustion). It’s a triple threat of abilities that he puts to great and terrible use, whether as a spy, a law enforcement agent, or a soldier. There are only two crucial downsides to his abilities. The first is that he has a particular lack of control over his telepathy where he cannot keep out the thoughts of others on his own. To get around this, he wears a gas mask as a kind of psychological crutch to keep the thoughts of others out of his head. My personal explanation for why he has this lack of control is due to the fact that he instinctively blames himself for what he did to his village after reading his father’s mind, even though he outwardly denies any wrongdoing from the incident. Because he cannot forgive himself for what he did or make amends, he cannot gain full control of the ability that led to his actions in the first place. The second, and more noticeable influence his powers have on him is that he’s got an incredibly high metabolic rate and quickly processes most of the calories he takes in, leaving him significantly underweight, even when he’s eating quite a lot. In addition, his slew of psychological issues leave him with a kind of diminished apatite, further adding to the issue of his body mass or lack thereof.
{ [CANON] Psycho Mantis || Metal Gear || No Reserve || 2 of ? }
As can be inferred by his reputation as a popular video game villain, anger is an emotion that Mantis feels and identifies with quite easily. As a child, it allowed him to attach himself to others around him so that he could have a reliable outlet to feed off of so he could use his abilities and direct them in appropriate ways. Unfortunately, this also meant that his will was often suppressed by the will of whomever he was attached to, ending with him finding Eli in the midst of the chaos surrounding Mother Base. It was the first time he was able to find someone who he could feed off of while still maintaining a distinct sense of self. In the game, this was explained by how Eli was a child much like Mantis was, and thus was strong enough to become a host for Mantis’ need to feed off of others while not being strong enough to suppress his mind. The two of them formed a strong alliance this way and Mantis often worked to keep Eli safe in the midst of things. They felt a unique kind of friendship that endured to such a degree that the two of them became an even more formidable pair when they met again as adults. Once more, Mantis was able to have Eli’s anger nearby and he was now old enough that he had a very strong sense of self.
Liquid’s friendship is about the only thing he values as much as his own abilities as a psychic, which he takes a great deal of pride in. He likes to boast about his abilities and show them off in whatever way he can. These powers are telepathy (the ability to read people’s thoughts), psychokinesis (the ability to move objects without touching them), and pyrokinesis (the ability to produce spontaneous combustion). It’s a triple threat of abilities that he puts to great and terrible use, whether as a spy, a law enforcement agent, or a soldier. There are only two crucial downsides to his abilities. The first is that he has a particular lack of control over his telepathy where he cannot keep out the thoughts of others on his own. To get around this, he wears a gas mask as a kind of psychological crutch to keep the thoughts of others out of his head. My personal explanation for why he has this lack of control is due to the fact that he instinctively blames himself for what he did to his village after reading his father’s mind, even though he outwardly denies any wrongdoing from the incident. Because he cannot forgive himself for what he did or make amends, he cannot gain full control of the ability that led to his actions in the first place. The second, and more noticeable influence his powers have on him is that he’s got an incredibly high metabolic rate and quickly processes most of the calories he takes in, leaving him significantly underweight, even when he’s eating quite a lot. In addition, his slew of psychological issues leave him with a kind of diminished apatite, further adding to the issue of his body mass or lack thereof.