Palisade

Palisade is a hydra created by Mastin/Mastin2 and Pine. The two created the account because they have had similar playstyles since they first met, and both had noted the similarities constantly. It got to the point where it was inevitable that they would eventually decide to Hydra, and after a little discussion, the account was created.

Games

Palisade first was used in New York 134: Planet of Hats, run by Wraith. They drew a Serial Killer Role, investigation-immune and with their choice of Kill-Immune and Lynch-Immune. Turned out that they neeeded both.

http://www.mafiascum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=17770

Before Planet of Hats had ended (but when things were beginning to look grim for them), Mastin and Pine began talk about their next game, and eventually decided to follow through with one of their favorite moderators, Demon Hybrid. This ended up being Mortal Kombat Mafia.

Names

Regardless of who the two players inside the hydra are, they are addressed as Almond and RedHead. This was created because when the account was used in Planet of Hats, they wished to remain anonymous while still being able to sign which head was which. Even though to enter Demon Hybrid's game, they had to out their heads, the two still prefer this method of signing.

When playing, they sign as either

~Almond

-RedHead

Or Anonymously.

Sometimes, the speaker is anonymous because they don't want people to know who it is. More commonly, however, an anonymous voice is supposed to represent both the Hydra Heads working together as a single player, a combined voice, rather than two individuals who happen to share the same role PM.

Dynamics

The players present in the hydra of Palisade always must serve to "Check And Balance" each other. Since the two players in Palisade are always similar opposites, they often-times have a lot in common, while still being different enough to generally work well.

When one head is being reckless, the other must be more cautious. When the cautious head begins to get reckless, the reckless head becomes more calm and collected, becoming the rational voice. This system was devised by Mastin, albeit not intentionally, to stabilize their play and keep themselves from getting lynched. It continues, because Mastin liked the idea of not falling too far to one side of the spectrum. By constantly keeping each other in check, Mastin realized that the hydra could be everything he'd hope to be.

Dissonance

One of the risks in this dynamic is creating hydra dissonance. This is a nearly-unavoidable part of the hydra process. This dissonance tends to occur more frequently in the early-game, where the heads are still trying to adjust to the game and get into each others' rhythms. Once they begin to understand each other, the dissonance disappears from the thread and they become almost one entity. In thread, at least.