#and i think that would be easier than making something for each weapon? but idk if that would work

[scionshtola]

currently cori has the emperors new fists for their mnk weapon bc the whole idea behind mnk cori is estinien was like “you need to learn to throw hands in case you can’t use magic or your gun.” but i’m kind of enamored by the idea of them engineering themself a pair of gloves or aetherically charged brass knuckles or something after enw

[i-starcreamed]

Hey, I was thinking of a oneshot request for MTMTE Rodimus, Megatron, Drift, Whirl, Tarn, Shatted Glass Optimus Prime and Bayverse Ironhide with a Cybertronian S/O who can transform into a weapon (and it depends on what weapon she turns to, depending on who the character she is with). I was thinking it could be a female S/O as well, to make it easier for you cause I'm aware that's a lot of characters lol. Thank you, have a good day/afternoon/night 🤗

Part 2 of this request

MTMTE Whirl x Cybertronian!reader

this one ended up longer than I thought LOL

Whirl is immediately thrilled to have such a cool partner. At first he was distrustful of you, as usual, and even challenged you to a brawl for no reason. All you were doing was having a small drink at Swerve's, chatting and laughing with a couple of other bots. It was about your second or third time showing up at the bar, you found it quite easy to make friends here. Now, Whirl wasn't particularly interested in you when you first arrived on the Lost Light. Nothing unusual, you were just another bot, right? And yet like many others, after seeing you a couple of times he just couldn't figure out your alt-mode. Were you on the LL for no absolute reason and just another has-been?

And so he did the most logical thing, he suddenly marched up to you and said something like, "c-mere!" So...you did the most logical thing as well. Despite the mechs holding both Whirl and you back, you managed to transform and fire in a split second before you hit the ground.

Despite having a gaping hole in his chassis (nothing fatal, don't worry) he never left you alone after that.

It's been a while since the two of you have been together now, to the surprise of many and others simply said you were meant for each other. So it came to the point where you could trust him as the one to handle your alt-mode.

"You sure this won't uh, blast my arm off or something?"

"I'm not sure, actually, but we'll find out." Anyone who was unfamiliar with you two would wonder why Whirl was talking to a talking blaster that was bigger than the size of his clawed servos, but luckily you were alone. This was the first time either of you had done this, it startled the both of you when you transformed and magically clipped onto Whirl's arm like a built-in blaster meant just for him. Unexpected, but convenient.

"Ready?"

"Re-"

He fired and the both of you went flying backward into the wall. The blast didn't hit the desired target and instead a bit above it, creating a burnt mark on the metal walls. Meanwhile, debris fell onto Whirl as he recovered from the hit, you were both sitting in a dent in the used-to-be wall.

"Whirl! Are you- are you okay?!"

You transformed back and knelt down beside him, gently shaking him by his shoulder plates. He seemed a little dazed, you always wondered how his single optic can be so expressive. He lifted his right servo a bit shakily, the same one he fired with, and placed it near your chassis.

"That was...that was hot.."

You best believe after that, you grew closer than ever. He no longer collapses at your alt-mode's recoil and he looks badass while attacking his enemies, what more could he want?

Although the mech was a little funky, you wouldn't change a thing. You snapped out of your thoughts when suddenly your surroundings went silent, you looked up at your conjunx only to meet his gaze as well. His yellow optic turned into an upside-down "u" shape and you couldn't help but smile.

MTMTE Tarn x Cybertronian!Reader

Let's head back to Issue #7, yeah? Also I can't see Tarn being in a healthy relationship but I love him just as much as others do, so I made him somewhat sane for you, anon (or I made reader just as crazy, idk)

Tarn would never admit how much he enjoyed your alt-mode and well...you in general. He does, but in his own odd ways. The mech is so accustomed to using others for his own gain, taking and taking and taking but giving only when it's beneficial to him. But you? He cherishes you the way he cherishes what he does. You would've never thought you'd be part of the DJD, much less being the literal conjunx of their leader. Yeah, you knew about all their actions but you couldn't help but hold your helm high up as you stood next to your partner, peering down at a beat-up mech as the rest of the DJD stood around him.

Black Shadow, you remembered, was quivering on the ground with most of his armor melted off, barely cooling off. But at what cost? He had already been partially melted by Helex and now it was time for you to partially do your job.

"Y/N, love. Care to assist me in teaching this traitor a lesson?"

You obliged, you transformed into the cybertronian equivalent of a circular saw with the sharpest of blades. Over time, you too had gotten your own modifications of course. More and more blades were added to your alt-mode, resulting in a ravishing and formidable torture machine. The beaten mech's optics widened, albeit weakly, knowing what was about to happen.

--

You thought it was sweet the way Tarn would carefully clean off the spilled energon from your blades every time you were finished with a traitor. Suddenly with you, he had the most gentle servos known to cybertronian-kind. After that was done, the mech let out a soft sigh. He would- read this carefully, he would give your alt-mode a peck and gentle pat on the weapon. He would take pride in the way your bio-lights would brighten.

"You did so well, as always, Y/N."

[arisenreborn]

Going to start posting some of my pawn lovers guild qotd answers here for archival purposes (and to fondly look back on the Pain).

Todays question was... well, I think it was something about what music would play in a fight against them which turned into "Design a Boss Battle" 😂

Emrys Boss Battle

Okay so he’s a pain in the ass. He’s taken the form of the dragonsplague dragon evolution pretty much; similar features but a little more physicality to him, bigger than a drake (not as big as Grigori), very sexy and fucked up. More aerial a bit like a wyvern, he’s frustratingly fast and fights like an archer/thief: pelting you with briney arrows that leave corrupting puddles where they hit for a small period, or darting in close and lashing you with his tail or talons before dipping back out. He shouldn’t be able to move so fast for something so damn big. 

Poisons, fire breath, duh, but it has a cool briney effect to it and will have an acidic-like effect around it (similar mechanically to poison really). He’ll occasionally control one of your pawns. Higher chance of dragonsplague infection just fighting him in general.

I like to think he wanders the world and is kind of a “random” encounter. Gonna segue a second about the music: Lux Aeterna is the inspiration but definitely a twisted up version that ‘grows’ with every encounter; it starts out discordant and hard to pick up on the melody, with sort of Silent Hill-ish vibes woven through it. With each encounter (three MAIN encounters depending on how each fight goes) it grows in intensity, frenzy, and drama. It becomes more ‘clear’ but also more ‘violent’, the final version has an aspect of ‘anxiety/fear’ - a creature torn between fight or flight. 

Getting him in a ‘downed’ state in the first two fights is just him hovering feebly closer to the earth and making him an easier target.

Each encounter can be ‘failed’ or ‘succeeded’, failure is him flying away, success obviously when you defeat him results in him basically divebombing the ground which almost seems more like a kamikaze/escape…he crashes and bursty-melts into a plaguey, brine-like substance in the ground you shouldn’t touch until it gradually goes away -will have the same effect as genuine brine. You get exp but frustratingly no loot, alluding to the fact he’s not actually gone yet. Each success grows the difficulty (and music) of the next encounter. 

You probably get garbled dragonspeak also: mostly just cursing you as the Arisen, the second fight gives you a ‘you won’t take … from me…’ as he fades away. 

Third fight will be the most intense - and he’ll try to escape often. He’ll lose -some- of that physicality and be more of a dick to hit without magic/enchanted weapons. A lot more briney attacks, can control up to two pawns if you’re not quick about dealing with the first one. 

However once in his downed state he’ll actually slouch down on the ground on all fours, and his ‘heart’ will be revealed, a cavity in his chest leaking out what looks like a woman wrapped in black and red tendrils and fleshy sinews.

Yeah, it’s Olivia, though she looks a bit, yanno, like she’s become the pseudo-heart of a plaguedragon. So you’ve gotta attack her while he’s downed and you will hear him make… awful awful sounds when you do. He may even beg you to stop. 

But you won’t, of course, and once you’ve broken his heart sufficiently he’ll gradually crumble to mist and dust with the final words "Olivia... forgive-..." and leave you with all the gold and wyrmslife crystals you could have hoped for, you monster.

Also a ‘Corrupt Dragon’s Aegis’, idk what it’s stats are (probably not *super* different from the usual) but it’s probably neat. And depressing. Probably a description along the lines of ‘A shield once carried by the brave Arisen of another world…’ Finally, a wolf fang necklace… (it was a gift Emrys gave to Olivia. It can be given to an NPC for high +40 affection)

The description on the necklace is: "It seems to exude an aura of love, whoever once owned it treasured it dearly."

[rustyvanburace]

you know I gotta suggest Navarre for the character ask! and asahi if you’re feeling up to it :^D

Thank you so much!

favorite thing about them: I love how much PIZZAZ he adds to the early game! How can I not like a character with such a flamboyant, demanding personality whose very presence is enough to make everyone react with shock, contempt, laughter, and awe? Navarre is an ass, but a necessary ass to carry the early narrative and add so much excitement to it. I cannot help but giggle to myself everytime he appears. AND THEN, all that character growth in IVA towards becoming a better, more self-aware ghostie. Ohhh I love he so muuuch~

least favorite thing about them: Definitely the unnecessary perversion in IVA. Enough said.

favorite line: The "dawdling Casualries" line will always hold a special place in my heart, but I am also really fond of the stuff he says when you speak with him during the training drills in one of the rest spots,

"O-Oh, it's you… I thought you to be a demon. Don't start me so… I've never carried a blade any heavier than a knife before. If Mother were to see me dashing about with such a weapon in hand, I think that she would faint…"

And

"I landed a critical blow when I accidentally tripped… The next quest was much simpler, since as you might expect, money is no object to me. 'Twas actually easier than the first. But the final challenge all depends on one's strength, and that's a field I'm particularly lacking in… S-Someone else may have first place, I care not whom. Merely let this debacle of a training exercise be done with!"

brOTP: Nanashi and Navarre are best BROS!

Bad edit aside, can't forget the actual bros, Navarre and Gaston lmao. I really enjoyed their sibling relationship and it opened up so much insight into their familial life and personal struggles. I'm so so happy they got to rekindle at the enddd, it was so sweet

OTP: Everyone knows that I am the sole resident of the Issachar x Navarre Crack Ship Kingdom!! Idgaf that they've never canonically met nor even know of each other's existence, the POTENTIAL between them is enough to keep me content and well fed! We support random rarepairs in this house!

I also really like Flynn x Navarre too and they're my second fave Navarre ship, for much the same reasons!

nOTP: Needless to say, my NOtps would be pairing Navarre with his brother or any of the IVA kids. Eeeugh. Enough said.

random headcanon: It's something I've been wanting to analyze in more depth, and IDK how much of this is actually canon or headcanon considering, but I very much fancy the idea of Navarre always having close connections with the Samurai seniors and keeping close tabs on the Rite and new inductions. He's very astute with the going-ons in Samurai business and likely has been anxiously watching them for quite some time.

unpopular opinion: I understand that Navarre is a very unlikeable character, and he's supposed to be! But it honestly does get really bothersome seeing how much dismissal, if not outright hate, he gets in the fandom. Navarre IS an important character within the early game! It is his very antics that adds the necessary tension and tone needed to carry the early narrative and worldbuilding. It does admittedly make it hard for me to approach other SMTIV fans because I like this bean so much.

But that is okay. I am perfectly content with those who seek out, stick by, and enjoy my bean musings. :)

song i associate with them: Tbh I'm pretty bad at that sort of question, lol. I don't really have one for him right now, so pass? (Open to suggestions though! I want more tunes to listen to.)

favorite picture of them: SO MANY panels of him from the Prayers manga FOR REAL. He's SO expressive in that and has TONS of good moments!! But I am especially fond of the mini bonus chapter that features Navarre~

Masataka Miura can agree: Navarre can have a little moment in the spotlight as a treat~

Thank you again so much for the ask! I think I've written quite at length here, lmao. I'm a bit tired now and I don't think I can fit Asahi here, but I could post hers later on!

[thescribeoflostmemories]

The Hunter becomes the hunted

Yandere! Capitano x huntress(?) Reader 

Uh… I don't know what I was going for with this (not accurate, so I have to kinda go and just make it since this thing's rotting in my brain since my economics exam along with a few other fanfic/fic blogs to write, this'll be the last one and I'll make a bit more original ones in-between (probably..?) took heavy liberties so uh, might delete this when Natlan comes out or something.

Tw: graphic stuff, trying to murder, implied sexual themes at the end. And uh yeah if I miss anything just comment so I'll fix it., IDK if I should put 18+ warning here so better be safe than sorry folks!

Also, y'all are crazy. 100+ notes, wish I could hug you guys. 😘

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arte, that's what they call you. Sure, you're not as strong as the title given to you but there's no denying your prowess of such skill with the bow and arrow. Being the youngest in the family, it's easier to overlook your talents and place you on the sidelines.

You've enjoyed a quiet hunt by yourself. Your family knows of this and tries to encourage you to be stronger like your siblings… your parents, grandparents, well you get it. 

Rumors started around when you saved your sister from being wed to someone she didn't love, and she lacked the courage to brandish her blade to defend herself. So of course you've donned your garb, mask and weapons to 'eliminate' the suitor in a duel for her hand. Her lover too is at the side ready to swap places with you so pretend they’re 'Arte', then it was your brother's turn…  followed by distant relatives, countless people tried to ask for your help in avoiding their inevitable marriage to mess up their courting competition to every eligible adult available and swap out with the person the client intends to marry at the last second. Everyone's happy with it, afterall who would question the winner?

Well, that would be the case, except. Everyone's having their own competition for your hand in marriage, not knowing that you were the one foiling other's initial plans. So imagine the shock on their faces when you tell them you'll fight for your own freedom and expect Arte to show up and sweep you off your feet. There were multiple rounds, and each battle you came out victorious. Half of the suitors had fled once they realized how much of a beast a spouse you'd be.

You had fallen in love with a hydro vision holder, a law enforcer from Fountaine. Not a person of war but a master of the quill. Their words could bend mountains and find the undeniable speck of truth. 

With the finals closing in, your opponent turned out to be a gnarly man, his body riddled in battle scars. Toothless and bald even! It disgusts you to think of what he'll do to you if he wins.

The man favors raw strength, while you on the other hand are in need of swift and more tactical skills. And all it takes is to tire him out and strike where it hurts after numerous twists and turns and occasional cuts at his leg. Unknowing to the dark and cold eyes that are trained on your nimble body. 

You have to thank Murata that she had given you strength and wisdom to overcome the brainless suitor. "If this is the kind of suitors that people expect me to marry, I might as well wed to myself!" Grinning as you came out nearly unscathed, victory is in your grasp! 

"It would be rude to not include me, young miss." A person in armor announced his arrival. You are well aware of this person, if you are given a chance to give a description of the word abyss. It would surely be him by definition.

"Your timing is rather poor, sir knight. Unfortunately for you, I have won my own hand in marriage." You faced him, face determined to not be conquered by anyone.

" As long as there's still a suitor left, the competition for your hand is still available. Isn't that right?" It irked you that he's right, now that he's here your own victory is nulled.

"I am honored that one such as myself is considered someone of your status, however." Pointed your fletching at him. " It is unethical to participate in this time. Tomorrow dawn, sir knight." 

And that was the first vow made, the last hurdle to challenge your fate. It was night, you were praying feverishly for every archon to help guide you in your journey as a last ditch in assurance. That man is not to be trifled with, who has the strength of probably more than ten. And you know this, you may only have a sliver of a chance to get out of this. But you swore to yourself that you will be unconquered and unrelenting as the howls of the fearsome storms that haunt the calm and still-ly days of yore.

At the same location, early dawn. The skies merely darken, fitting for a time of battle. In this location, you have prepared all obstacles to merely disable him and strike to end all of this charade. Legs furtively ran through nature in hopes to catch the black knight off guard. Arrows flew in all directions, in an effort to slow him down. 

One mighty swing of his claymore to cut the futile attempt at harming him. You only cursed yourself at your lack of preparations. The rain's pitter patter turned heavy and made your clothes clung to your body. 

The gallant man slowly closed in on you, seemingly to take a moment to savor what view he could. For a man with few words, it sickens you for feeling his eyes undressing you, yet it was hard to read his thoughts with his helmet on. 

His claymore clashed against your steel bow, it doesn't feel like he's taking you seriously. More like toying with you that's for sure! The skirmish lasted for who knows how long. Heavy breaths from you and the sound of metal on metal can be heard for miles. He's enjoying it, every second of it.

A flash of light had taken you in a daze with how bright it was and he managed to scratch your eye. The searing pain caused you to scream, writhing in pain, thunder howls along with you. It was the first time you had been injured during the 'hunt'. Blood seeps out of its fleshy prison and down to your cheek, staining the ground.

You snarled at him as you disregard the weapons on hand, a flash of light signaled for the clap of thunder. Feeling the electricity coursing through you, and threw your fist at his helm as vengeance. Causing him to collapse to the ground from the shocking experience. 

Time felt like it stood still. No movement was made, you won. You finally won, laughing freely at your new found freedom. Facing away from the stunned man and at the skies thanking them, the archons. Especially Murata, your beloved pyro archon and the Electro archon for their assistance in your road to freedom. Head got lighter from the blood loss, but you didn't care for that anymore. Standing a few feet away from him, relishing this greatest victory for you. At your feet is the electro vision, a prize that would forever change you. 

Indeed, it is. The long, black haired man grabs your leg, forcing you to the ground clawing the earth as it leaves trails of resistance. He forced you to look at him, back against the cold ground, your hands pinned above your head.  "You.. lost!" Anger seethed through your teeth.

He's so titanous compared to you. " That's what you wanted, but only a child could win so prematurely." He taunted with his baritone voice, laughing at your silly notion of winning.

" You sly bastard, unhand me!" You yelled, trying to wiggle your way out under him, his leg preventing you from moving. It only excites him, gaining a soft chuckle from the one topping you. 

"You're quite adorable like this." With his free hand, ignoring the blood he smeared, caressing your cheek so lovingly, as if he had been dreaming of this moment long ago. "I finally have you within my reach…" he was saying something but with the amount of blood having spilled from your eye similarly to a tear continuously falling. A weak, pitiful cry left your lips as you kept thrashing under him. The pulsating pain filled your head, lulling you to sleep, loud ringing in your ear and as the world blurs into one all you saw is him, your soon to be husband. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Capitano had been obsessing on you since his first witness to a 'contest' from one of your recent clients. He had an agent gather information about you to at first recruit you for your finesse. Next thing he knew, he's falling for you. You don't know how delighted he is when he finds out a contest is being held for your hand. He nearly had everything planned out. Well almost perfectly… 

Once pristine face, now scarred by him. A mark that no doubt you’ll wear proudly on of these days. No one had the guts to help you, even when you aided them when they needed it. So here you are after the ceremony in your cold, dreary, shared chamber with your monstrous husband. Not many people attended the wedding, or perhaps they were warned to stay away from you. 

Your older brother tried to take you back. But was given seven scars, one scar for each time he tried to get you back by your menacing fiancé for going against the rules. None would want to summon the ire of the harbinger of the cryo archon so they left you be, knowing how strong you are. 

"My dear dove." He called out, slowly getting closer. When he's leaning in, merely a shy away. Holding tightly on to the ceremonial dagger tucked between the folds of the garb. Obliging him in a kiss, his tongue forcefully went past your lips abusing and possibly bruising your small mouth. His hand caught yours that was about to strike him at the back. Deepening his kiss until your back touches the king size mattress. 

Capitano pulls away, after leaving you breathless, "It should be the other way around, are you that eager?" He teased, taking in the moment before enjoying you on your first night together. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 1 complete!

Part 2:

[lofthousezzz]

anything for woodman? they're a pair after all :)

WOOD MAN IS FORCED TO BE THE "LEADER" OF THE 2NDS AND HATES IT I WILL STAND BY THIS!! He is literally the only level headed one, he is the only one who thinks for more than 2 seconds without immediately going ok!! Time to cause property damage!!

This is because he's much more fragile than the rest of them. Wood Man is an art project before a weapon. He was made to see if it was possible. If it was possible for a clockwork robot to function, and it was. It was so possible. He's Wily's favorite for a reason. So much time and effort got put into him. It's a wonder why Wily even thought to put him through combat.

Bubble Man hides in water and is basically modeled after every effective deep sea predator that also has a GUN, Heat Man is literally shown ramming himself into shit constantly, Flash Man can stop time, etc. Wood Man has none of that fancy stuff. He has his leaf shield. Kind of. Doesn't offer much protection really. His protective coating only works so well before he gets charred to a crisp. He has to be smart and levelheaded because if he isn't he CAN DIE.

He has to keep everyone in line he has to do everything he can do prevent everyone from doing something horrifically stupid. It's so stressful. It's partially why he practically abandons all of them. He regrets it constantly, but at the same time he feels much more at home in the shoddy cabin he built himself than with the 2nds. It's hard for him because he's supposed to be part of their family, he supposes. But... He's never felt that way. He's always been disrespected, hurt, and yet still forced to make sure none of them kill each other. It was too much for him. Too much stress. He left.

He's honestly off put by Shadow Man once he starts to get to know him better. The whole, you know. Kill drive thing. Wily made him to be an affective assassin, but instead created a loaded gun with a busted trigger that goes off at random intervals. It reminds Wood Man a lot of the 2nds. How they just sort of have destruction and apathy on the mind constantly. Except that's not Shadow Man at all. Wood Man eventually learns more to the best of his ability. Shadow Man doesn't want destruction at all. Shadow Man isn't apathetic. He's just scared. He's scared and was abandoned and was given violence as a means to get all of those bad feelings out.

Wood Man is the only Robot Master to be almost completely immune to Shadow Blade. He's not made of metal. He has a protective metal coating, but the more integral coating is the one on the inside that protects his internals. The outer one is a lot easier to mend. It lends well to being able to try to help Shadow Man. Shadow Man's outbursts can end up in Shadow Blades being thrown, effectively the same as someone wildly flailing their arms while panicking and hitting someone to Wood Man. Feels about the same anyways.

Wood Man does his best to not let Shadow Man be reliant on him. Shadow Man is not a child, Shadow Man doesn't wish to be viewed as such, so Wood Man treats him as an adult. He deals with Shadow Man's problems as two adults would. They communicate, Wood Man is patient if Shadow Man struggles. Wood Man's patience is something I'd really like to stress. He's seen what real violence is like. He's seen what it turns people into. He knows Shadow Man is a victim. A victim of something horrible, no doubt.

It takes a LONG time for any romantic feelings to actually crop up. Or at least the robot master equivalent of such. It's a different kind of protectiveness. 'You are good and I want you to stay with me and I would give my life for that to let you stay longer because I feel a deep bond with you' idk it's hard to explain. It's a complex feeling. They're inseparable and a bonded pair at that point practically. It comes naturally, really. They do get influenced by humans though, mostly Shadow Man. Shadow Man loves his comic books and kissing is shown to be a nice thing bonded human pairs do together. Things like that. They're nice.

[riovano-sandrax]

Source is my fantasies about krs BCZ I LOVE HIM SO MUCH.ahem. 

Ok so we know that krs was a strategist in team 1 right? And from what we know even though he was a strategist he still went to the frontlines even if LSH and CJS told him not to.

And from what we know he didn’t have any other talents or skills like record (not instant bcz he gets that when he becomes team leader) 

So I had this idea that due to LSH and CJS opposition to him recklessly running to the frontlines, he decided to help them in ways other than strategy.

Which is what this au is about! SNIPER KRS HELL YAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAAYYAYYA 

If you think that normal bullets or weapons won’t work on the monsters, which you are right but what if the sniper and bullets he uses are created from a special ability user.

I don’t really have a name for them or gender or really anything appearance wise, but you can have them be mysterious or something or you creat an identity for them if you like.

But their ability isn’t support or attack based, not even healing or anything else.

It’s creation. Only weapons tho, which is plenty of things so they were dubbed the ‘special’ grade 1 ability user bcz of how useful it is. I didn’t really think of any rules or backlash the ability might have but you don’t really need to explain that.

So about how they(special grade 1 ability user) create the sniper for krs is up to you.

But they should probably know each other beforehand so setting up the convo can be easier.

But krs will probably be really straightforward and just go to their workshop or wtv and ask them to create it. Everything else is up to you.

So about how you’re gonna start the Fic I really want you to include both cale(og krs) and og krs..when he was og krs? 😭 

Timeline can be after cale stabbed him self with a chopstick, (you should probably not include hunters cuz they’re a bitch and just toooooooo much) or a few years prior to that event when they just be chilling in the villa and cale Vibing with his slacker life.

I should have probably explained this at first since all the things I said about og krd is when cale is recalling a record when he’s at the training grounds at the villa or black castle/castle of light? In the FOD.

So liek the wolf kids be training with Choi Han and Hannah and one of them (your choice) ask cale if he knows how to wield any type of weapons.

We know cale would say no but for the sake of this Fic….he’ll tell them.

And his family should probably know about the transmigration but no need to write that it’s too much. But say that they know about it and they chill.

So when one of them asks this question all of them focus on cale bcz they want to know too. Especially Choi Han (if he isn’t the one who asked) since he knows about the weapons on earth.

So yea cale says he wields a sniper they ask what that is (add convo of your choice and other people present when this convo happens if you want) amd fast forward to when cale is sketching out a blue print for a sniper.yes. They go to the lab and shit and stuff stuff I don’t want to write too much about this bcz it’s not important details I trust you can take care of that. So Rosalyn and Eruhaben are there cuz if not then where would they be lol. Cale gives the blue print to Eruhaben and told the group to get out so he can start creating it (ik they should probably go to a blacksmith or weaponsmith….? Idk but sniper pretty complicated and literally from another world so it’s should be handled by gramps) Choi Han asks about the bullets and cale says he wrote the formula and materials to make the stuff inside a bullet (yk the powder thingy that’s black) on the blue print.

So fast forward two days later or how ever much you want. The sniper is created and literally all of his family at this point heard of this new weapon and they’re very curious so all of them gathered in the training grounds (all of them should be there but you can choose who to include in dialogue and narration so yea ppl can be there but you just don’t know..)

Oh yea cale should probably wear headphones or the equivalent of headphones in that world I guess should probably exist since winter and the cold exist so yea OH EAR MUFFLERS I think that’s what they called so yea that.

It’s 12 rn so I’ll finish this tomorrow but the outline right now is:

1-Someone ask cale about weapon. He creat blue print. He request grandpa to make weapon

2-during the time Eruhaben the creating the sniper he recalls a record which is what I told you about I DONT WANNA WRITE UT AGIAN A

SHSBUHSBSH😭😭😭

3-weapon done. We go boom boom.

(I wrote this way before for one of my fav authors, but they’ve been busy lately so here do what you want with it)

[servamp-musings]

I have a theory! Sry if this is long, and pls tell me if this has already been theorized before.

So we all know about the Envy pair's connection to Christianity, and I just wanted to speculate about Jeje's past. (Might be gruesome) so many ppl theorize that jeje used to be a clergy/priest (idk). I imagined his death to be a bit gruesome as the origins of a snake (according to the Bible I think) was that a lizard's limbs were cut off in punishment. I don't remember if this is the same snake as in Adam and eve, but I think so. What if Jeje's death had something to do with his limbs being removed? That would kind of explain why he likes being covered, and probably explain why he shot a gun out of his knee when he shot Nicco.

If in this regard, jeje represents the snake, would his eves be the Edens? Jeje mentions in one of the flashback chapters that he contracted many eves, but they all succumbed to jealousy. If all the eves are Edens, what is the apple? And is the "adam" out of the picture?

In addition, where do you think Abel came from? I thought that similar to Kuro, Jeje asked Gear to seal a part of himself within an object (the doll) and so Abel carries most of his malice in hanging people. I thought that, but then it was revealed that Youtarou also makes those dolls. Unless the dolls are like an old ritual, i no longer have an hc for explanations. What do think of this?

Don’t worry, thank you for sharing this with me ☺️ I have heard that a lot of people theorise that Jeje used to be a priest/part of the clergy (me and my sister included) but that’s the first time I’ve heard loss of limbs being a possibly attributed to his death. I think it makes sense. I’ll be honest, seeing that he can summon a gun out of his knee kinda reminded me of the people considered Weapons in Soul Eater 😂 All jokes aside, it’s possible that it was done against his will either as a punishment of some kind, similar to the story or as a sacrifice for something. Another theory both me and my sister thought was that he could have been a soldier at some point as well, having died fighting in a war but then that doesn’t really explain how he apparently asked to be brought back to life (if I read that right).

Now, if Jeje did represent the snake, I think it wouldn’t be far off to consider his Eves to be Edens. The story of Adam and Eve took part in the Garden of Eden, and with each Eve, there are endless possibilities of what could happen. They could have all been considered “ideal” or “good and virtuous” people but within all that, there’s always a little bit of darkness deep down, sometimes disguised, sometimes simply hidden away and surpressed. That would be the theoretical “apple”; jealousy, insecurity, being scared etc and being more aware/conscious of it.

With Jeje, I truly believe that he never intentionally lead them to that but it just became easier to access the longer they stayed with him and the fact that he was the first Servamp stable with his demon, but how stable was that really? As a result, it ends up building and building until it gets too much and consuming them. This could be seen in Mikuni’s mother, she tried her best to atone for making a contract with Jeje and killing Misono’s mother by taking Misono in and raising him, but that darkness remained a part of her and as Misono grew up and began looking like his mother, she ended up being reminded of Mikado’s infidelity and couldn’t handle it anymore. People are often afraid of others seeing that side of them, so keep it to themselves. However in Mikuni’s case, he’s not afraid, or at least shows he’s not. He’s fully aware of what he did, and has stated himself that he is not a good person. He’s fairly open about his jealousy as if he’s accepted that it was a part of him. That’s probably why Jeje is ok with sticking by him (other than as Servamp and Eve), because it is probably unlikely for him to be consumed by Envy. For this reason, I think I agree with there being no “Adam”, as in they don’t have someone to share that “apple” with. On the flip side, “Adam” could be those they have shared it with, but only temporarily so that status doesn’t fully stay, if that makes sense.

With regards to Abel, I really like your idea. Before the latest chapter showed that Abel was made by Youtarou using Gear’s fur, and I’m assuming Mikuni’s able to use magic because of that, me and my sister did have a few ideas about her. Even though they’re disproven, I’ll share them anyway:

Abel holds a part of Mikuni that is considered to be “rational”. By keeping her with him, he was able to maintain his sanity and think clearly about what he wants to do, being “himself”. Without her, he becomes rather child-like and unstable. We originally thought that Mikuni had went to Gear to “remove” the side of him that he wants to forget (killing his mother) and the doll was used as a medium. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, it ended up being split into two; “Abel” and “Cain”, Abel housing “positivity” and Cain, “negativity”. Because Cain was the one who held the memories Mikuni wanted to forget, he left her behind with Gear. I know Gear’s ritual thing was to seal power into an object, but we thought maybe it could work for memories too.

Abel could be considered having part of Mikuni’s mother’s consciousness within her. One thing we had always thought is that Abel either was, or contained Mikuni and Jeje’s contract item. Therefore, similar to my mum’s theory on how maybe Mikuni is influenced by his mother’s jealousy through Jeje since Servamps and Eves are connected, it may have some play in Mikuni’s actions.

She was a gift to Mikuni from his mother. I like to think that Mikuni grew up rather open-minded and enjoyed a lot of different activities, including playing with dolls and being taught how to sew by his mother. Because she was special to him, he took her with him when he left the Alicein Manor. This somehow later became incorporated with his Lead. Speaking of his Lead, with the information from the new chapter, I’m now thinking that Mikuni’s “My Fair Lady” is the spell/technique that he uses to make Abel heavier and summon the statue, his Lead is only acting as the pivot. This makes it slightly different from the “team attacks” the other Servamps and Eves have.

However, if Abel meant so much to Mikuni, I was wondering why he allowed her to be beheaded in his technique (other than it can be seen as “killing” his mother once again as Abel was hers) but then realised that one of the properties of Gear’s fur was to repair matter so I’m assuming he didn’t really mind (and we saw that black wispy smoke from her).

As for now, I’m not really sure. In one of the events in the Land of Nod, I think Youtarou mentioned that he often makes dolls, clothes and other accessories to sell online although not all of it was made using Gear’s fur. I am curious as to how Abel got confiscated and ended up with the Aliceins. Also in why Youtarou thought about making dolls with Gear’s fur. Perhaps it was for some old ritual as an medium like you said, or to hold parts of Gear’s power in his attempt to still maintain his form of self when full moon comes. In that case, does that mean anyone with a doll can use magic with it as a catalyst as long as you know the method?

Overall, thanks again for this and I’m sorry for the long rambling, Jeje’s one of my favourite characters and I’m looking forward to finding out more about him 😂

Hope you have a nice day, and thanks for reading ☺️

[devilbrakers]

3, 19, 30 for sylvan, 7, 18, 31 for valen, 5, 22, 32 for helena pleaseeys

thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu beloved <3333 from this ask game

Sylvan:

3. weapon of choice? any particular reason they chose their weapon?

He uses a sword and shield more often than not but he can rarely be seen using a bow. He wasn't really blessed with that natural bosmer talent nor with any magical prowess so he trained with warriors or just by himself growing up. His weapons are made of bone since I assume that would be custom in Valenwood?

19. are they quick to anger? what sets them off?

No, he's pretty tolerant for the most part! He's usually the one pissing people off jfkldsf. But lying (which is a bit hypocritical) and social injustices are the probably the best way to piss him off. Also messing with Valen or any of his family.

30. do they smell like anything notable?

He most often smells of leather and sweat so not the most pleasant but honestly probably just blends in with everyone else in the group especially after battle. Though maybe for more formal events, he'll use cologne or something like that if they have that in tamriel 😭. He'd like something earthy so maybe cedar or sandalwood.

Valen:

7. favorite animal? why?

She LOVESSSS monkeys so much. She just thinks they're cute and she still has a plushie from when she was little 😭.

18. their opinion on lying, stealing, and killing?

She's pretty chill about stealing especially since she used to be a bit of a klepto as a teenager. If I remember correctly it's common in bosmer culture to just take shit from each other and then return it when you need it without saying anything, or something like that? I guess that's more like borrowing but that's a big reason as to why she's okay with it.

As for lying and killing, they are certainly not her favorite things in the world but understands the necessity (mostly lying) from time to time. She actually had never killed anyone until she came to Skyrim and knowing that would be a very real possibility caused some reservations but her love for Sylvan obviously overrode that. But it's not something she does senselessly, it's always out of self-defense. As for lying, she very rarely ever does. It makes her feel guilty and she sees it as a type of betrayal if that makes sense? So she's pretty much always honest. She might just rephrase certain things to make the impact softer for more serious things.

31. do they like receiving gifts? giving gifts? what is their ideal gift?

She loves gifts, both giving and receiving! Though she does have a slight preference for receiving. She's always been most partial to jewelry/accessories so she especially treasures what Sylvan's made for her and Kaidan's talisman :)

Helena:

5. how do they typically dress? does their wardrobe lean more towards practicality or aesthetics?

As much as she loves aesthetics, she mostly leans towards practicality. While out on contracts that don't require much socializing, she's usually wearing black hand robes since they're dark and light-weight, allowing for easier stealth kills. But she'll occasionally go for the armor if she knows she might have to do a lot of fighting.

Around the sanctuary, she's also probably just wearing robes though maybe something more elegant looking, or maybe just a simple looking dress with some jewelry. She really only dresses overly formal for balls or social events where she actually has people to impress.

Ik I pin a lot of stuff or put stuff on my oc blog that kinda contradicts this but 😭😭

22. do they sleep well at night?

In more recent years, yeah, she sleeps like a baby. But in her earlier years as a vampire, she had a much harder time sleeping because of all the awful shit she's been through but the memories have faded with time and she's moved on from a lot of it anyway.

32. do they have any habits that aren't particularly self-destructive, just maybe odd?

Idk if this is really odd but she likes to smell books especially newer ones? She also talks to herself a lot since she's spent a VERY long time by herself.

[strongfuck]

Not the typical song anon but. Eat Your Young by Hozier. What vibes you getting? I don't know much about Rhys but it definitely seems like a hidden metaphor for his CEO vibe he has going on. Despite the punching montage. What a meow meow.

holy shit, the moment i clicked "answer" on this question, Eat Your Young came up on my Rhys playlist shuffle, so that's hilarious

i find it VERY interesting that you're here despite not knowing much about rhys, but the reasons i'd put this song on my rhys playlist to begin with is the self-awareness he has of the nature of his work. he's been in the borderlands megacorporate world for years now (and idk how canon-familiar you are with it, but the biggest profits come from enabling wars and violence; considering megacorporations have their own private armies to fight each other and conquer other planets, this could not be clearer), and while he is in power, he also isn't important enough to be entirely different

Putting food on the table selling bombs and guns It's quicker and easier to eat your young

so despite all the philanthropic ventures that atlas has going on (i.e. rebuilding its planet, which was close to decay before rhys arrived; making a better environment for its people; providing the basic necessities AND a chance for its people to have luxury instead of just surviving), rhys is still a part of the machine that kills so many of the galaxy. and because he's still got shareholders to please, he can't remove himself from it-- nobody would invest in a corporation known for weapons manufacturing if they just suddenly Stopped Making Weapons

so he perpetuates slaughter. he would love to sponsor war efforts, as atlas' CEO, and provide weapons to armies direct so they don't profit his competitors. and he's aware that he's doing these things, and he reminds himself daily that, hey, there's nothing to feel bad about when it's the nature of the world you live in

I won't lie, if there's something to be gained There's money to be made, whatever's still to come

he doesn't even want to stop, really. all his life he's been working to get to this point-- he chopped an arm off and took an eye out in his twenties just to become more efficient-- and rhys doesn't know what it's like to not be hungry for more. he wants to inspire positive change and he is, for all intents and purposes, doing it for promethea (and in my mind he'll do the same for other underdeveloped planets, considering that was how he got off his own backwater rock to go to college), but in order to keep the resources/power required to do that, he needs to continue to make money. you need to gain more to give more, and rhys is starving so bad he's likely never going to stop until he's worked himself to literal death

to rhys, being a leader is less about making his own dreams come true and more about making sure that everyone he's taking care of-- the people of promethea, the people in atlas-- are given enough resources to pursue their own dreams

Honey, I'm making sure the table's made We can celebrate the good that we've done I won't lie, if there's something still to take There is ground to break, whatever's still to come

in a nicer world he'll be able to retire, likely with the influence of other people, but i imagine he'll probably die young with everything he does, like in his late forties or early fifties at the earliest. canon has shown us that rhys is willing to risk life and limb to protect the corporation and planet that he's built up with his own hands. canon has also shown us that there are people after his head for how much of a Big Deal he's become being the CEO of atlas

one of these days there won't be anyone to protect him, and then he'll just. be gone. and i don't think he'd die with regrets, either-- he did his best to the end, and that's really all he's ever needed; he put some bad into the universe, but he also put a helluva lot of good, and that's better than most in the fucked up galaxy that he lives in

[mortallycoiled]

mortally coiled patch notes

(because i couldn't think of something better to call this)

Nil survives the narrative now (kinda). I've been thinking about how Null gets to have a slightly normal life post-c1 and like. Man. Nil kinda got completely fucked over in the whole thing, and also I kept thinking about little Null/Nil interactions that wouldn't be able to happen since they knew each other in person for a total of like 5 minutes before Nil gets knocked off a cliff. So now, Nil kinda/sorta comes back post-c2. How that'll work is that Rasputin's first Dogkiller weapon is made from Nil's stinger, salvaged from their corpse. A few Sundogs get stabbed and/or killed by the knife, and eventually Gazer uses the knife to kill Rasputin before discarding it. All the soul energy and stardust and significance and shit formed from that makes the knife imbued with power, allowing Nil's soul (previously anchored but dormant in his corpse) to anchor to the knife once Gazer tosses it back into the swamp, reuniting it with the rest of the corpse. Eventually, Null gets a hold of the knife. Nil is able to "reform" when the knife is stabbed into the dead body of an animal (since Nil is tied to meat the same way Null is tied to stone) and reshapes the body into their own image, with the knife still present. If the knife is removed, the body Nil is possessing turns back into what it was originally, and cannot be possessed by Nil again. This can also technically be done to something alive, with interesting results (ie idk what the results are yet but they'll be wacky)

Roach is being... demoted? relocated? it's complicated. I don't think they really fit where they were in cycle 1 originally. That was kind of a remnant of a much earlier version of the storyline, where Roach had a much more active role compared to everyone else in the Null squad. However, Roach's character now just doesn't really make sense with that removed. Originally, Roach was entirely passive for most of the story, to contrast them being the only one to actually escalate things in the end, but since that was removed Roach really doesn't... do anything, and doesn't have a good motivation to do anything in cycle 1. I've also had some ideas in the past where Roach instead plays a bigger role in cycle 4, and I've lately had a SIGNIFICANTLY easier time incorporating then into the storyline in that cycle. Also, I think Bang would fit into the cycle 1 group WAY more smoothly than Roach ever did. Having an aspect of unexpectedness also fits WAY better with Fane's aspect of misinformation than the aspect of decay, and makes Null's team have more concept-based vs the more physical aspects of Nil's team (the hunt + group fights).

some more minor changes as well under the cut;;;

-Bo is more Rasputin than Nil, rather than the other way around, but at the end of the day is just kinda their own person. They were created more by the combined excess Eternal energy released by the death of Nil and Rasputin- probably some of Rasputin's soul is in there, but most of Nil's stayed bound to their corpse (and later, the knife)

-Judge is now the FIRST mooncat instead of just an average mooncat. Being first, they formed with significantly more power than one normally would due to the power vacuum created when Sar'kai was restored. this is also why angels are formed way more often than mooncats- compared to sundogs, an individual mooncat is more of their aspect, if that makes sense? A mooncat and a bunch of angels is kinda like having a counterbalance of a single kilogram weight and a whole bunch of gram weights

-Still trying to develop how ecclecto-mechanics work. I'm thinking that electronics and mechanics came first, but since the constructions were Significant they would occasionally just... spontaneously develop a soul, especially in highly populated cities. Ecclecto-mechanics specifically is the construction of something with the express intention of it forming a soul, maybe to the point of purposefully prompting the formation of a soul? Idk, I just really really like the idea of magic and machine intersecting because they're just. they're siblings to me ok

[mystech-master]

Hero Artifact: Shirou Emiya

For my own BS Massive Multiplayer Crossover ideas, I have been trying to imagine special weapons/artifacts (since weapons were too limiting) for various protagonists across all the media I know. Shirou Emiya from Fate/Stay Night was one of the first ideas I thought of. Honestly I think I may have peaked and went a bit overboard.

The big question I had at first was "How do I make a unique special weapon for someone whose main gimmick is SUMMONING WEAPONS!?". This is where I decided to switch to artifacts. But I have been keeping the Kouma Sword/Kurikara used by Rin Okumura from Blue Exorcist (Another character voiced by Bryce Papenbrook) in my mind with it's portal to Gehenna in the scabbard, and I thought that was a cool idea.

The weapon is only a sheathe and a hollow handle. The sheathe is connected directly to Shirou's Reality Marble and can allow for the easier summoning of the weapons, but not in their usual form. This artifact's deal is making new weapons using others as a base/material, summoning them into a Katana shape, and maintaining the original weapon's unique characteristics/features (such as Rule Breaker's Anti-Magc, or Durandal's indestructability). When summoned, it can come out forcefully; holding the handle as the blade is being summoned, you'd feel it go through the hollow handle (as Katanas do go all the way through the handle b/c if they were just from the top of the handle they'd be weak IIRC) and force your hand out, this is to allow for a quick-draw Iai-style draw.

You may have noticed that the sheathe has a similar design to Avalon. The artifacts/weapons I am making take traits from stuff that the heroes have been through/connected with. Of course, Avalon would be referenced in Shirou's artifact b/c of how important it is in his Origin (literally and figuratively). This grants his UBW some Avalon-esque traits as well as allows him to use the super dense Mana from Avalon to add to his Iai-draw for a sort of Mana Burst, but there IS a drawback to this.

Originally I was going to have a Jewel with similar power/traits to the Jeweled Sword Zelritch on the Handle, and when a blade is summoned from the Avalon sheathe it'd plug into the handle and empower it with the so-called near-infinite power of the 2nd Magic of the Zelretch sword. I scrapped this idea b/c 1. That is pretty OP, 2. IDK if only Rin or someone connected to Zelretch could use the JSZ's power, and 2. I added it to it at first b/c I wanted something from each of Shirou's 3 possible waifus, but I couldn't think of how to incorporate Sakura in it. So yeah, no Jeweled Sword Zelretch power. If point 2 isn't true, then maybe it'd just be a certain mode it has.

Other traits include him being able to use Reinforcement on the sheathe, similar to what EMIYA does for Kanshou and Bakuya Overedge, when the main blade is already in use into a second blade for dual-wielding. Also, he can attach Kanshou and Bakuya to the ends of the artifact to form a sort of Bow, think Jin Kisaragi's Moonsong special in Blazblue.

As for the downside of Avalon's power I mentioned. It isn't just Avalon that was important to Shirou's past, but also the Fuyuki Fire caused by Angra Mainyu's curse. That cursed fire is also within this weapon as part of its power. The issue is, since these artifacts are connected to their user's souls, and Shirou's Magic Circuits in this specific instance, there runs a risk of overusing this artifact. In Shirou's past, Angra Mainyu's cursed fire erased his past self, while Avalon gave him his Origin and Element of "Sword", partially being responsible for his "Hero" complex. Using this artifact too much can erase what remains of Shirou's humanity and make him a "Weapon of Justice" rather than a "Hero".

Not really sure what to call it though, I could use some ideas. I will want to make other artifacts for other heroes.

[attourney-at-lycan]

i wna talk about my ocs! they’re just small concepts but they’ll be under bc im somehow really embarassed about my ocs. so warning if u dont like oc stuff giygrfyueiwuy (these characters take place in a ... second? rewrite where i morph the plot/lore where they all fit bc this is all self indulgent) im gna reblog this for each character to make this a little bit easier? bc i might... spam on them too... much?

GENESIS ACORSO *human & jo9 member

so first up i have genesis! she’s one of my favorites so far. she’s a jury of nine. she’s not v liked? i mean this as a public figure. 

she’s the one that zane goes to when he wants a dirty job to be done, a true puppet. 

this is bc with the other jury members, he’s either had to pay for them to join him or he’d have to blackmail them into doing his dirty work or other reasons that make them loyal but still untrustworthy. 

take ivy for example, she probably enjoys her job (maybe a bit too much) and then there’s jeffory, whom he blackmailed into staying. (i think. idk its sMTHN along those lines)

with genesis, it’s different. she was raised from a child to be a weapon basically. her family, the acorso family, are known for having the strongest and most productive guards. they’ve prevented horrible tragedies from happening yaddah yaddah. 

however, they were taught w/o morals, almost like empty and dangerous puppets to do anyone’s bidding.

growing up, her mother would remind her daily “we are weapons. we cannot afford to have attachments, only enemies.” she was taught to listen to anything her future.... ‘boss’ would tell her to do and it was dishonorable to disobey orders.

this makes genesis the perfect go to for zane when he wants a specific job done quickly and quietly.

so far, i have planned for her is- her relationship with jeffory and katelyn. i love the concept of people with different morals just chilling together. 

genesis has a sorta curiosity? with him. she’s never truly been around someone who was as kind hearted as him? she thinks he’s not fit as a member of the jury and thinks it’s a pity someone like him is in this place. 

jeffory feels pity for genesis because she’ll never understand what amazing things the world has to offer. it’s not a secret how children of the acorso family are raised so, he sorta feels bad that she had to grow up in such a strict and warped environment. 

their interactions usually consist of jeffory trying to be friendly and genesis shooting him down. 

also, sometimes he’s sorta her consciousness during missions?

for example, if she’s about to do something cruel, per say.... killing an innocent bystander because they saw too much, jeffory would try to reason with her, keep her from killing that person until they run away or he manages to convince her. 

i feel so fucking bad for jeffory for having to deal with her plssss.

do i think she likes jeffory? i think so? or i mean.. at least she finds him favorable? basically if she had to kill him, she’d hesitate. at least that’s what she thinks.

with katelyn, they..... constantly fight. i think she’s the only person so far who’s gotten genesis to show any emotion other than slight annoyance. she’s gotten genesis to get pissed pissed. this is because i think genesis sorta respects katelyn’s strength? they’ve sparred a lot and their scores are always even (yes, they keep score). also yeah genesis has pissed off katelyn way too many times. they just at each other’s throats constantly with snide remarks to the side. but zane puts them in missions together a lot bc their teamwork is remarkable.

and uhhh I THINK THAT’S ALL MY BRAIN CAN MUSTER ON GENESIS RN?

here are some tiny facts from the top of my head.

strong mommy issues

i do have a “faceclaim” for her and it’s casca from berserk bc fuck she’s so pretty

her sense of humor is.. nonexistent. she’ll easily make a funny situation into a serious one.

she surprisingly gets along well with ivy. ivy always goes to place to complain about anything while they spar or while genesis is getting ready for bed

if someone were to ask for her opinion on irene she’d give a generic vague answer but doesn’t personally believe irene was a goddess

has a pretty big family all scattered throughout the ru'aun region (and later on the tu’la region) serving different people of power

she’s a magicks user which makes one of the few acroso family members to have magic. (i just................. have to find out what that power is)

i dont know what weapons she uses which means i dont have a title for her yet. but im thinking she either uses a flail or a polearm

also these are her picrews! i think she’s pretty hot ngl. she keeps her hair short because she can’t be bothered to spend time on her hair when she could be out training. the white streak is there for........cool character design purposes idk i just love characters w/ gray/white streaks and once again, these ocs are for self indulgent purposes.

[darkfinch]

making an ask bc the comment got long but how do you see the team name thing?

i've always felt like hitter/hacker/thief is more, what they do for the team and it's all about "i am a x and i work alone doing x" until nate calls bullshit

vs. grifter/mastermind is a more all encompassing "this is who i am"

also, maker and fixer feel more like the latter bc brianna grew up w parker/hardison/eliot and this is harry's whole career, just, more illegal and less morally ambiguous

so i think to classify quinn as the former, it's like, enforcer, i.e. will do the murder eliot can't. or, on a funny note, Problem

but if it's the latter it's more......bastard, i guess.

but also, both could be just Quinn. which also would go along with the running theme of "who is this??" "it's. just. quinn."

(and i feel like there's precedent since fake nate said like hitter hacker thief and a sophie)

i apologize this is probably way more thoughts on the matter than u wanted i am just overly invested

WAIT THESE ARE SOME INTERESTING THOUGHTS

for me i've always thought about the titles as what their primary specialty is For This Crew Specifically? because there's definitely variable levels of like. how much each of them actually considers that as their Whole Deal

honestly i think parker, sophie, and quinn are the people who identify most strongly with their roles as being Who And What They Are? they'll pick up additional tips and tricks if it helps to make their Main jobs a little easier, but those are just to supplement their actual primary skill/interest

meanwhile hardison actually does a ton of stuff for cons and for fun that isn't related to hacking or to computers at all; he does forgeries, he comes up with aliases, he builds physical things etc

eliot has skills and hobbies that are completely unrelated to fighting, and he's the second-best grifter on the team, and he's worked alone as a hitter/grifter/thief combo doing retrievals

nate's a grifter and a thief and a string-puller and while i think he's a menace 2 his core, i don't know how strongly he identifies as a mastermind specifically, because while he does have control issues and a god complex, he also worked solo for a really long time?? nates a dude who does stuff idk man

also i do agree that bre and harry seem to fall into that second category, especially since bre's is kind of vague and harry's role on the team is absolutely just his existing career slightly to the left

quinn tho is tricky because it...depends?

like *eliot voice* people are like knives, except eliot is a swiss army knife, and quinn is less knife and more gun and should really only be used in certain contexts actually. pre-team qwat au quinn is absolutely an enforcer, it's him and his new bestie against the world and he'll kill anyone eliot (a bewildering little pacifist) can't or won't

but qwat au quinn doesn't really get written into the cons most of the time, and is mostly just there to hang out while occasionally freelancing in the background? he's just chillin on the floor with his book. vibing. he's the backup, but not like...actively. he's the nuclear option. weapon u keep under your pillow in case shit gets real etc

like you only really ask quinn to do something if eliot can't, or won't, and most of the things eliot can't or won't do aren't things the team is regularly asking for? so he's less Enforcer and more just little bastard man who eats all their food and provides unprompted suggestions of how homicide could solve all of their problems

he waits in the van. he reads books. his role on the team is Quinn

[m-aster-of-spinjitzu]

the hues of an empty sky

Missing memories, or having two of them for one moment - not quite the same, but if there's one thing Jay's leant over the last few weeks, it's that literally nothing makes sense anymore.

Or, some Skybound aftermath, Zane actually expressing emotions about his memory switch being turned off for all those years, and what was supposed to be a 'they tell everyone about the erased timeline' fic, but it turned into a 'two characters who barely interact on screen talk at like one am in the morning, and don't actually tell the other what exactly they're alluding to the whole time' fic that I wrote at like one am- 

Also yeah, I realized too late that they split up to look for Wu after s7, we’re just gonna pretend that they waited a few days or something, idk anymore tbh, lol.

(I also didn't have time to edit - so please tell me where the typos are? 😂💛)

Word count: 4539

Prompt: crying, from @ninjago-bingo 's warm board.

Trigger warnings: the main character has a panic attack, and squeezes their fingernails into their hands once or twice but I think that's it.

*facepalms* also, guys, i’m so stupid - i literally just realized that this freaking CHANGES TENSE HALFWAY OHMYGOSH I-  i don’t think it’s super noticeable, but ugh, apologies to anyone who actually thought my writing was good lol-

---

It's cold.

Bitterly, freezing cold.

The biting chill of the air is a bit strange for this time of year, but, heck, that's nowhere near the craziest thing that's ever happened to him - not by a long shot.

He sighs, squinting at the stars dotted liberally against the black canvas of the sky.

Cole had once joked that one of them might be the remains of their golden weapons, after they'd hurled the burning mass into the sky - in another alternate timeline; one that only existed in the memories of a certain few.

Gosh - that seemed like such a long time ago.

Wouldn't it be nice to go back to that time, when he'd still thought that their powers were the coolest thing ever - instead of despising them for all the responsibility and sacrifice that came with them? When one of his biggest worries was whether the girl he had a crush on liked him back - not wondering if his friends would survive the night?

"I did not expect to find you awake at this hour, Jay."

Reflexivity, he jumps back, his mind twisting his friend's gentle voice into the- the djin's triumphant, accented one.

You're supposed to be a ninja. What good are you if your friends can still sneak up on you?

"Geez, warn a guy before you sneak up on him! I almost fell off the Bounty!"

"My apologies. I was... surprised to find you awake at this hour," Zane answers. "What are you doing?" "Couldn't sleep. It's too cold," he confesses, not entirely a lie. Ninjago wasn't 'that' far from the Sea of Sand, but he'd grown up in a much warmer area - unfortunately resulting in his practically nonexistent tolerance to the cold. That never failed to stop Kai from teasing him about it, though. He doesn't mention the pressing weight on his chest, almost tangible - or how it constantly makes him feel. Like he's being dragged through the darkness of an empty sky, spikes of fear making everything so freaking terrifying- "You?"

"I have been analyzing my memories of Pixal, in the hope that it may lead me to her whereabouts. However, all my efforts have proved... unsuccessful," Zane answers wearily, shifting his gaze to the sky.

Oh- oh. They'd all be so caught up in the chaos of the last few weeks - hey, it's not like any of them had asked the universe to permanently be out to get them! - that they'd forgotten Pixal was still offline.

"Hey, I'm sure that she's still there somewhere," he says, earnestly. "After all - she wouldn't be your girlfriend if she didn't pull a vanishing act every now and again, eh?"

The question is punctuated with a laugh, but he doesn't say that he's a little worried about her too. They hadn't talked much, but-

I can't see one of my best friends find out that his girlfriend is dead, a quiet voice at the back of his mind points out. Well - been there, done that, wouldn't recommend, he thinks bitterly. Emotional breakdowns and frequent nightmares apply. Anxiety attacks are half off, too!

It's quiet for a few minutes, neither of them seeing a need to break the silence. The wind blows softly through the sails above them; gray wisps of cloud revealing a pale sliver of moonlight that paints the sky in its glow.

It should be a peaceful night: beautiful, calm, no one trying to kill them or destroy their city - for a change.

His hands won't stop shaking.

It should be a peaceful night, but, as usual, the world is too freaking unfair for that-

He hasn't even slept for a full night in weeks! Well, not since- since-

Don't think about it! That's only going to make it worse, duh-

"Are you alright, Jay?"

"Yeah- I- I'm good, thanks," he says quickly, ignoring the way his breathing keeps speeding up. FSM, not this-

Not for the first time, the world suddenly becomes too loud - too much. Every little thing, from trying to breathe properly or even walk- feels insurmountable, because, gosh, oh gosh, it's going to come crashing down if he even moves-

The memory starts off the same as it always does.

Rubble strewn over the temple grounds, his friends literally reduced to nothing more than statues. A shot that hit the mark perfectly, but perfectly shattered his world in the process.

A poison-splattered dress, a terrifying realization.

Her well-aimed joke, but one that never fails to sting every time. Gosh, why hadn't they just allowed her to join their team in the first place? Maybe they could've prevented this- this- whole situation, if they hadn't been so freaking egotistical-

And, again, he's overwhelmed by the sheer sense of helplessness, all his power and training and skills completely useless to one of the people he cared most about. FSM, if only I hadn't used my first w-request so carelessly! If only I'd been able to escape- or, or if only I'd been able to assemble the team faster! If only-

Despite being in what must've been unimaginable pain, she offers a strained smile - a sweet gesture that, ironically, feels like she's poisoning him, because- because FSM, this is all so wrong, it wasn't supposed to end like this-

He watches with horror as her eyes dull and she stills in his arms.

She's gone, FSM, she's gone and it's all my fault-

"Jay?" a voice asks, concern evident in their tone. Distantly, he registers that he's having a breakdown in front of one of his best friends - one of the things he'd been trying really hard to avoid.

Dang it.

"I-" he tries to say, but, great, he's breathing too fast to even get the stupid words out.

"Breathe in for four seconds," Zane says, softly.

Four seconds? Time has no meaning right now, narrowed down to, like - falling down a chasm, terrified of what's at the bottom, except the fear's all around, this- this... foreboding thing of his mind that keeps yelling that he needs to run, or fight, but he can't, can't-

Right. Four seconds.

You're okay, you're fine, no one's trying to hurt you or your friends. She's not dead.

But what if- what if they're being dragged out of this ship right now? What if it was all a dream, and she's dead anyway, because all of us were too stupid to come up with another plan, and none of us could even do anything when she-

After a little while, when he could breathe a little easier, and the fear didn't feel like it was slamming into him from every possible direction, he slowly opened his eyes. Shakily, he wiped a tear from his face - as if that would wipe away all the weeks that had, theoretically, never even freaking happened.

The sky comes back into focus - pinpricks of light against pitch black. 

How was he going to come up with some sorta explanation without... well, explaining everything?

Great.

My nerves are frayed, and I have to lie to a walking lie detector - what could possibly go wrong?

"Are you alright?" Zane asks, his brows creased in concern.

"Heh heh, yeah. Probably just too many video games," he replies quickly, laughter a bit strained.

"You were muttering to yourself," his friend replies quietly. Ugh, trust the way-too-observant-nindroid to call him out on the remains of his facade. "If you do not mind me asking, what was 'all your fault'? I am sure that it was probably a misunderstanding."

You're the one who misunderstands everything, he thinks wearily, ignoring the part of him that yearns to tell someone else about... well, everything that's happened because of that stupid teapot. He's not one to keep secrets by nature, and it's been taking a bigger toll of him than he'd thought it would. Is this how Nya felt when she was still the Samurai? "It's- it's nothing, probably just nonsense."

"Are you sure? You seem... quite worried about something."

Dang it, were his hands still shaking? He presses his fingernails into his palms, squeezing his eyes shut for a second.

He's talking to one of his best friends, FSM. Weren't friends able to tell each other anything?

"Do you think it's easier to forget? Better?"

He didn't even realize he'd asked a question until Zane's eyes widened in surprise.

A forest coated in snow, ice crystals dangling from the tree branches above their heads. Plenty of screaming - way too much, he reflects, couldn't they have been a bit nicer? It must've been pretty jarring to learn that you weren't human, or that your father had erased years of your life from your mind - in that weird underground treehouse. Those crazy tree monsters - and the realization that they all had much more power than they'd thought.

"N- nevermind," he stutters, fleetingly thinking of kicking the deck. "That's way too personal, you don't have to answer it-"

"I do not mind," Zane says, a bit sadly.

Oh.

Heck, his friend was way too nice.

They gaze up at the stars for a few minutes, not really seeing them - one drowning under the weight of too many secrets, the other, too many memories.

It's quiet - too quiet.

Ugh, he thinks, sighing, that sounds like something a low-budget horror movie would start with, cringey sound effects to match.

But the silence is a painful reminder of the days he'd spent tossing and turning in a cramped cell - nothing but his worries and the bruises on his leg from that stupid ball and chain keeping him awake.

He's been trying hard - maybe too hard - to avoid being alone, avoid being in a situation where they've gotta be quiet ever since then, because, dang it, his memories always seem to fill the silence, and they're always far more terrifying than they should be-

It's easier, in a way, to be mocked for his stupid jokes than it is to relive a single moment from those nightmarish few weeks.

Almost reflexively, he grasps for something to fill the quiet.

"Heh, this is a bit awkward. It's okay if you wanna leave-"

"I do not mind," Zane echoes, walking a bit closer. "It is not as if I need to sleep. But... I do not quite know what to think of your question."

There comes the answer - or a semblance of one at least, and it's the last thing he'd been expecting.

"You don't know?" he blurts out before he can even think of trying to filter the thought. Way to treat your friend who's been nothing but kind to you, Jay. "But you're- you're a nindroid! You know everything-"

"Pixal," his friend mutters softly, sighing, and the hurt, the fear, laced through the word makes something in his heart practically twist. He knows all too well what it feels like to be in that situation - even if, technically, it had never happened.

Then- "I wish that were true. But I suppose that my emotions make certain situations much more complicated than... than they need to be. Thus I cannot give my perspective on this - or, at least, without sounding quite conflicted."

"You know that you're allowed to be conflicted, right? Even the coolest Nindroids don't know everything."

"...Yes, I suppose so."

Jay frowns at the almost subconscious hesitation, eyebrows creasing in concern.

"Seriously," he starts earnestly. They're both leaning on one of the railings just above the deck now. "Just 'cause you're a nindroid doesn't mean that you've gotta chase some kind of perfection that doesn't even exist."

He doesn't miss how Zane's eyes widen in shock, their bright blue hue glowing a little brighter - and heck, if that doesn't hurt even more than the earlier realization.

"Besides - it's not like none of us haven't made mistakes before. Hate to go all Wu on ya, but they help us learn or some stupid thing like that. Even if the mistake is trying not to make 'em, you know?"

"Thank you," Zane replies, a tired smile on his face. "Even the most advanced tech is susceptible to error, I suppose."

They've all made lots of mistakes, heaven forbid if one of them is still agonizing over messing up over the crazy situations the universe constantly put them in. It's not like they were told they'd have to face more ancient evil armies than they could count, were they?

Maybe it's time to stop focusing on events that never even happened, and pay more attention to your friends. What's the point of being part of this team if you're always scared or selfish?

"Shut up," he mumbles, rubbing his temples. What's the point of fighting if your own brain is gonna fight you whenever it gets a chance? A few seconds later, he schools his face back into his default anxious grin. "Great, cause I- I- could use your advice on something." "Alright," comes the quiet reply, his friend seemingly lost in thought.

"What if you wanted to tell someone something, but you couldn't?"

His breathing starts to speed up again, but he grips the deck until his fingers are practically bruised, stark white against his tanned skin. Not this time-

"Is this what you were referring to earlier? An event that you blamed yourself for?" Zane asks, eyes flitting between the floor and the sky.

Dang it, way too observant as usual. He masks his surprise with a laugh, but the conversation definitely isn't going as planned and, oh gosh oh gosh, what if-

No, there's no way that any of them would even believe that. Besides - no one can remember stuff that they've forgotten, especially if magic's at play.

"Yeah, kinda," and he's surprised by how steady his voice sounds. It's not easy to even think about that- event, talking about it is a whole different thing. A much more difficult thing, but also - a bit, a little bit, easier. "I-" "Apologies for interrupting," his friend interjects. "I suppose that I have not been entirely honest with you." What?

"A few days ago, I discovered a number of deleted memory files buried deep within my code."

Just like that, his whole world tilts out from underneath him.

It takes every ounce of his strength to keep himself from falling into the abyss again.

Wait, what?

Has he really known for all this time? It's been weeks! Surely he would've said something? It can't be, it never even-

The rational part of his mind points out that he can remember every day of those few weeks. Well, he was the one to make the wish - magical logic is kinda stupid, but maybe that's why he had to remember it or something?

Well then, a small voice interjects, why was Nya cursed to remember everything too?

Of course, even the stupid magical logic doesn't even make sense to the one who caused this whole mess in the first place.

"They were almost entirely corrupted - scrambled in a way that I am not familiar with. However, I did realize that certain files bore dates that have not even occurred yet. I dismissed it as a problem with my code, however..."

Breathe, calm down, it's not like he was able to process them or anything-

We agreed that no one was supposed to know! What if they end up blaming us for keeping it a secret this long, or, or-

"I mean, they could've been-" he starts, but the way in which he's nervously twisting his fingers is a pretty clear indication that he's lying, dang it.

"So when you mentioned that you were unable to tell someone something - did you mean that it was because they had quite literally forgotten about it?"

Great. Fantastic. Of course the literal robot has pieced it together by now-

He squeezes his eyes shut for a minute, hoping that if he ignores the problem, maybe it'll go away.

Okay, fine, maybe he's trying to figure out a way to fix this whole mess. Doesn't mean that he's any closer to coming up with a solution, though.

"Er, yeah," he whispers, shoulders slumped, eyes still firmly shut. Because gosh, he doesn't want to - can't, can't - see the realization dawn that, yeah, he's lied to people he's known for years and years, even though they've all seen way too many times that secrets bring nothing but trouble-

"Well, then - I would say that you don't have to tell them," Zane replies, surprisingly... earnestly? That, or he's either too freaked out to understand the tone properly. Could be either.

He opens his eyes, hesitantly.

And it comes as a bit of a shock to find nothing but concern reflected in his friend's.

The almost persistent weight on his chest feels a little lighter now, like the sky isn't as quite so empty.

Well, it still kinda is. But that doesn't hold as much weight as he'd thought it did - not if one of his friends is willing to look past that; past the heaviness of holding up all those memories with nothing his single star, flickering in and out of the darkness, to try and light the unforgiving darkness of the sky.

"Why?" Jay asks, so quietly he can barely hear it himself. "Don't I owe it to them? Do you?"

"No. Definitely not," comes the reply, so full of conviction that he almost stumbles back. Why-

"My father..."

Oh- oh.

"thought it was better to spare me the pain of mourning him than for me to know who I was," Zane confesses, hesitantly. "Not that I disagree, necessarily. I just..."

He trails off, clutching the railing so hard that the wood almost snaps beneath his titanium fingers.

It takes Jay a little while to realize why - why exactly his friend, who has access to a wealth of knowledge and information, is grasping for an answer. Because- because, well, even if someone does something in your best interests - sometimes the choice isn't always up to them. Or maybe it is, but it was... difficult, to say the least, to let go of the fact that his parents had never told him the truth sooner. Not that he blames them, necessarily - it's not like they knew that his father would pass on before he'd even get the chance to meet him - but... it's confusing, and difficult, not to know why you were left at a junkyard as soon as you were born. Maybe if he'd known that sooner, he could've asked the one person who might've had answers - although it's not like hoping for the past to change will actually change it.

They don't even know that you know, a small voice at the back of his mind points out, and suddenly everything makes a lot more sense-

"You wanted a choice," he breathes, eyes widening. A choice - like one that he'd never been given, one that he stills struggles not to hold against two people who've always had his best interests at heart. Even if they did have the right to withhold that one thing, after all they've done for him - the 'what if's' still echo in his mind far more often than he'd like. "There's nothing wrong with that, even if it feels that way. I kinda get where you're coming from, dude, and it's... super confusing, but I'd be pretty mad if my memories were tampered with like that."

So would anyone, he realizes, heart sinking. Oh, great. Not helping-

"I- I suppose so?" Zane answers, but it sounds more like a question than a reply. "However, in the same vein, it would be unwise for you to give away your choice whilst you still have one." "But don't I owe it to everyone? You just said it, it's horrible to alter people's memories and I- I-" "Did we forget... whatever it was for a good reason? "I- I mean, I guess, but..." "Then you do not owe it to us to relive something that we do not even remember." The words should be a relief - and they kinda are. But some part of him really does want to explain the crazy alternate timeline, and everything that happened in it. It's just... really, really freaking difficult.

"What if- what if I wanted to, though?" Jay asks hysterically, running his hands through his hair in a frenzied sort of way. "And I still couldn't? I just, I-"

He cuts himself off with a bout of forced laughter.

Zane takes a moment to reply, the bright blue light in his eyes flickering - a small tell that he was thinking so deeply, his processors were literally sparking up a bit.

"You queried earlier if it was easier, or better, to forget. And while all situations are different, I suppose it is... well, subjective. What do you think?" Zane asks, softly.

Derailing the conversation a bit, but his friend's obviously smart enough to be leading up to something.

Sure, he'll go along with it.

"I mean, there are some things I'd rather forget, you know? I guess we all know what that feels like," Jay replies, the statement with oddly sad air to it. They're still kids, after all, and it gets a bit exhausting pretending that their superhero lives were all fun and games - when they'd just given him enough grey hair to last then lifetimes, and enough nightmares to keep him from ever getting the normal amount of sleep his mum always prattled on about.

Sleep, heh heh. Practically a foreign concept, now.

"And I know that stuff that happens, like shapes us or something - and Master Wu would probably go off on a whole ramble about why we learn from our mistakes or whatever," he laughs nervously, resisting the urge to just fall headfirst onto the deck of the stupid ship instead of continuing the conversation," and how 'our scars only make us stronger', crap like that, but I just-"

"I'm just really... tired of this," he confesses warily, shoulders slumped. "W- I remember so many horrible things, and I-" he breaks off, laughing bitterly. His voice takes on a sort of brittle quality, way too high pitched, "and I can't even talk about them, dude. If that's not the most pathetic thing ever, I dunno what is."

"It does not-"

"Don't say it," Jay mutters, rubbing his temples. "I know, I know, my feelings aren't pathetic, they're always valid, whatever, spare me the lecture-"

"That is not what I was going to say," Zane replies gently. "It just seems that you have answered your own question."

"Gee, which one?"

"I do not know how much helpful assistance I can provide in this situation, but it is understandable to wish certain events had never occurred. However, seeing as we cannot change the past, it seems unwise to dwell on said events if you can avoid it."

Jay stiffens, clamping a shaky hand over his mouth. Something seems to press down even harder on his chest, a heavy sort of weight that causes his breathing to speed up again. Don't say it don't say it there's no reason to warn them this time-

"If you would like to tell any of us about something, of course you are welcome to. It does not to be the whole story, after all. Just make sure that it is the decision you choose, not one you choose because of what you think how it will affect others," Zane finishes quietly, ducking his head as if he's embarrassed.

The stars are still white-hot, burning away some million miles above them.

"Thanks," he says, and puts his hand softly on Zane's shoulder. "I mean, I know - that all makes sense, I guess. It's just- I-"

"You want to?"

"Yeah," Jay starts, sighing, "I do. It's just- it's not just my choice. And I'm pretty much dying already right now, so, as fantastic as making it all worse sounds, hard pass."

Oops, maybe he shouldn't have said that last bit. They'd agreed not to tell anyone about it - even this conversation was cutting it way too close. It wasn't impossible for them to put everything together - they were a pretty smart group, after all, even without their resident inventor and engineer - and Jay didn't really know what he'd think if they did. Fearful? Relieved? Angry?

"That does... not sound great? Dying certainly does not seem-"

"It's called sarcasm, Zane."

"Oh- yes. My memory now accesses the fact that people often speak in that manner. It does seem a bit counterproductive, though. Why not just say what you mean?"

"Shut it, you have no clue how integral to my life it is," Jay replies with a halfhearted grin.

A few seconds later, he remembers something his friend had mentioned earlier, and the grin disappears.

"You know that you can talk to us if you're not happy, right?" he asks, earnestly. Sure, it's not like he could always do that, considering, well, a stupid djin and even stupider magic, but it's not like he needs to. It's- well- he'll be okay, probably. Maybe. Kinda.

Zane's eyes blink on and off again, blue fading in and out. "I... I suppose that I was not quite aware of that."

Okay, they've screwed up way too many times, but this... this is pretty bad. Dang it, how long does it take for them to throw self-preservation instincts at their friend before he freaking- picks them up or something?

"However, will it not hurt those who have experienced the same unfortunate events?"

Dude, not the best question to ask someone wondering the exact same thing-

"It's been... uh, nice, kind of, talking to you. So- I don't think so, and I'm pretty sure someone would say so if it did. Besides, don't we talk about our adventures all the time? It'd probably be better if we... uh, well- heh heh, nothing."

"If we talked about the less than positive elements of them? Perhaps, but I still-"

Maybe it's the fact Zane has always tried to be there for him, or maybe he's too sleep deprived to care anymore, but this is a way too familiar situation and-

Well, not ignoring the issue would be a start.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we're family, Zane. We care about each other. And, gosh, that means that we care about you too. Memories are stupid and annoying sometimes, but we have to make good ones too, right? To block out the bad ones a bit, I guess? Kinda, at least."

They both look away from the stars now, grappling for something else to say.

In the end, they leave it be with a hug and a fondly exasperated warning about sleeping, if you happen to need it.

After all, they're family. They don't have to be perfect, or tell each other everything - even if it does take them a long time to realize that, and an even longer time remembering it.

---

The next time Jay startles awake from a nightmare, the sky is still empty - painfully so, like an ache that simmers beneath the surface even when it's not able to be seen.

The hue, though, is a little lighter.

Just a little - the all-encompassing darkness of it is now a navy sort of blue, his star shining a little bit brighter.

It's still not sunrise, not even close - but he'll take it. AN: the ‘sky’ mentioned at the start and end is a stupid metaphor that i somehow ended up liking too much to trash, it’s ‘empty’ because he hasn’t told anyone about the timeline, and Nya’s not included because they never had a chance to tell each other everything significant or even talked about it or processed it on screen. so yeah! if you read this,,, not great thing, can i send you a hug or good vibes or smth? tyy🥺

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #203

Today on Fate and Phantasms, we've only got one goal in mind: Golems! Thanks to Avicebron, we'll make just that; lots and lots of golems! Avicebron is a Battle Smith Artificer, so you'll always have at least one on standby.

Check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

Next up: I did naht kill him, I did naht. Oh hi Mark.

Race and Background

Avvy might not look it, but he's still a Variant Human, giving him +1 Intelligence and Wisdom, plus proficiency with Deception to keep your mentees close and your golem ingredients just as close, plus you get the Servo Crafting feat! You can cast Find Familiar as a ritual, but instead of getting an animal, you build a small golem called a Servo. You can speak with and through the servo, plus sense through it, as long as you share a plane of existence. You can also attack with the servo instead of your wimpy noodlearms once per attack action.

You're also a Cloistered Scholar, which gives you History and Religion proficiency. You are nerd! No duh!

Ability Scores

Your Intelligence should be pretty high, you make golems and you don't afraid of anything, that's what you do. After that is Dexterity, you're better off not getting hit than anything else, and also having 4 arms means you're pretty good at sleight of hand. Wisdom is also pretty good, you're a religious man, and while you don't get power from that you're still wise. Unfortunately we gotta make Strength the next highest stat. I mean, two of your arms are robots, so I guess it kinda works? Your Charisma is pretty low, you just don't care about people that much, but we're dumping Constitution. Trust me, it'll make sense in a bit. (Don't do this in-game, this is a flavor thing, you WILL DIE)

Class Levels

You're 100% artificer, so you start off with Magical Tinkering, letting you stuff minor magical effects into tiny items. I don't know why you'd make a fart sound producing golem out of a pen, but I'm not Avicebron. You also learn Spells. They use your Intelligence score for prep and casting. Grab Mage Hand to build a little drone to carry stuff for you, and Message for a messenger golem. Really you can take whatever spells you like as long as you call them golems, but the most golemy are Alarm golem and Catapult golem. Why throw stuff when you can just make it throw itself? You also get proficiency in a buncha stuff, like Constitution and Intelligence saves, plus Nature to figure out good materials for golems and Arcana to build them!

Second level artificers can Infuse Items, adding cool effects to up to two items per long rest from a list of four options. Grab Armor of Tools so you'll always have your golem-making kit on ya, Enhanced Arcane Focus for stronger golems, Homunculus Servant for a golem, and Mind Sharpener to help keep track of your golems. I can already tell golem isn't even gonna look like a word by the end of this build.

Your artificer subclass is the Battle Smith, which makes you Battle Ready, so your golems can use martial weapons. Of course you're not swinging them yourself, so you can use your intelligence instead of strength when attacking with magical weapons. You also get a second permanent golem, the Steel Defender! You gotta use your bonus action to make it do stuff, but it'll hit people, repair stuff, and protect its allies! Also, you can cast Mending on it to heal it. You don't have that yet, but you will! You can also make The Right Tool for the Job over a long rest, and you also get subclass spells for free. Heroism makes a very pretty golem that inspires all your allies to not get scared and get temporary HP. Shield makes a golem that'll stand in front of someone as a reaction, adding 5 to their AC and blocking magic missiles for a round.

Use your first Ability Score Improvement to bump up your Intelligence. You use it for pretty much everything, so your brain's gotta be good!

Fifth level battlesmiths get an Extra Attack, so your servo, your steel defender, and your sword-holding golem can all attack at the same time. You also get second level spells, like Branding Smite and Warding Bond. Neither of those are golems tho. Grab Rope Trick for the first of many rope golems, and Enlarge/Reduce for later. Adam's a big boy, so you've gotta make a big golem.

Sixth level artificers get Tool Expertise, doubling your proficiency bonus with all tools. Golem making is complicated, the DCs are gonna be high. You also get two more blueprints and one more infused item, like a Spell-Refueling Ring for extra spell slots and a Rope of Climbing for another rope-based golem to help your bad climbing skills.

At seventh level you get so smart you have Flashes of Genius, adding your intelligence modifier to checks and saves near you intelligence modifier times per long rest. Yeah, it's actually just weirdly specific golems.

Bump up your Intelligence this ASI for more of everything you like. Smrt.

Ninth level battle smiths add an Arcane Jolt to their steel defender and magical weapons. Once per turn, intelligence modifier times per long rest, you can either add extra force damage to the hit, or heal a nearby creature. Still not sure how to make those golems, but you'll figure something out, you've got 20 Intelligence! You also get third level spells, like an Aura of Vitality golem and a Conjure Barrage golem. You can also can Create Food and Water golems for gathering, or turn just about anything into a Tiny Servant. For up to 8 hours after casting, you can turn a tiny object into a tiny creature, commanding it as a bonus action. Finally, a spell that makes golems! You can also use Glyph of Warding now, though it won't be that useful for the build until you get fourth level spells. The idea is, you can keep a bunch of these bad boys in your base, all set to trigger against a creature that knocks you down to 0 HP. All of them summon constructs, beating up the guy after you're already unconscious. This is the closest we could get to Avicebron's third skill, D&D doesn't really plan for character death that well. Also, just a correction. I just found out you can't carry glyphs around without them breaking :(

Tenth level artificers are Magic Item Adepts, giving you an extra attunement slot and you can create uncommon magic items for cheaper. You also get the Mending cantrip for golems, and two more blueprints for an extra infused item. The Helm of Awareness will help you stay out of trouble, and the Periapt of Wound Closure makes it easier to not die. Your master strategy is all about getting knocked out, so it would be nice if you automatically stabilize.

Eleventh level artificers can create Spell-Storing Items, stuffing weapons or focii full of first/second level magical goodness. It's like you're casting the spell, but it uses the other guy's concentration.

Another ASI! Bump up your Dexterity for less dying.

With fourth level spells, you can cast all sorts of golems. You're stuck with Aura of Purity and Fire Shield, but you also get an Arcane Eye for a drone golem, plus Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound and Summon Construct for fighting golems.

As a Magic Item Savant you get another attunement slot, and you can ignore requirements when attuning magic items. You also get the Prestidigitation cantrip to make whatever small tools you need for a second, and two more blueprints for one more infusion. Bracers of Defense will help you not die if you don't think Avicebron's outfit is armor, and the Ring of Protection will also do that regardless.

At fifteenth level you get your last subclass improvement, the Improved Defender. Your arcane jolt gets bigger, and your golem gets tougher and can reflect damage, not just deflect it.

Use the rest of your ASI to bump up your Wisdom. Making yourself better isn't in character, so just be wise.

You've got fifth level spells! Banishing smite isn't a golem, but I guess Mass Cure Wounds could be Adam's feet? Idk. You can also use Bigby's Hand for Adam's hand, and Animate Objects for more item-based golems. Now you can turn your trusty frying pan into a-golem. Everything turns into a golem.

Eighteenth level artificers are Magic Item Masters, letting you attune to six items at the same time. You also get two more blueprints, so grab two copies of Arcane Propulsion Arm for the four arms of your third ascension. Arms are cool.

One last ASI, grab more Wisdom.

Your capstone ability grants you a Soul of Artifice, giving you a +1 bonus to all your saves for each magic item you're attuned to, and you can destroy an infusion to drop to 1 HP instead of 0. Remember, getting KOd only helps if you're near one of your glyphs.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Between your Steel Defender, servo, tiny servants, and animated objects, you don't have to do much. Plus you can just rope trick away and let them take care of everything!

If your DM ever tries to spook the party by fighting you in your own base, you can spook him right back by taking a fall and filling your study with angry golems.

With expertise and flashes to help your repairs along plus mending, you're a great repairman. If the DM tries to block your path with a broken bridge, it won't stay broken for long. Plus, your warforged allies will love you.

Cons:

DONT DUMP CON. You have less than 100 HP at level 20, and your constitution save is really bad (for an artificer). Don't do it. Look me in the eyes, don't. do it!

Having any part of your battle plan being getting knocked out is not going to make you popular with your party members. Maybe you should help out yourself? Nah, golems are better.

All of your infusions and spells are focused on helping yourself, a stark contrast to most of our artificer builds. Keeping all your toys to yourself will not help your party like you, especially with a +0 charisma.