#and make more adaptive armour forms for all of them

[0m3g45n1p3r4lph4]

Okay so obviously Adaptive Armour has a silver default like Nuva armour. And obviously it can change colour when shape-shifting to match the environment- see the Toa Nuva Phantoka. Dark Gray armour to blend in with the dark gray rocks of the Stalactite villages.

So why did the Mistika have silver? Doesn't fit. I could see them all reverting to silver in the Codrex, or while piloting the Battle Vehicles, but in the Swamp? There's a better colour match.

They should've used Metallic Green.

[gumbootillustrations]

laurance's ref sheet!! it only took me a month and two different versions to finish lol

but yeah. backstory, lore, closeups, etc under the cut :3

laurance is the adopted son of hayden zvahl, a blacksmith, and joh zvahl, a jeweller, and grew up in meteli alongside his adoptive sister cadenza. cad's the reason why his hair is bright red when aph meets him en route to scaleswind - he's been dyeing it this colour since he was young so that he and cadenza could match and look more like siblings. as such, much of his colour scheme is based around soft reds and oranges, with some golds thrown in. additionally, his earrings (although u can't really see them here) were made by joh, alongside most of his other jewellery, before joh passed away a couple of years prior to aph showing up outside of phoenix drop. his armour is also a lot lighter than garroth and katelyn's due to his fighting style prioritising speed and mobility over strength and endurance - that, and the fact that he works around water a lot and can't let metal weigh him down too much.

after ungrth drags him out of the nether, laurance's colour scheme undergoes a major change - instead of being based around reds and golds, it shifts to be focused around greens and browns. laurance also dyes his hair back to its natural colour (brown), and due to the trauma of being forced through the realm barrier (and having his eyes cut out multiple times by gene), his eyes fade to a pale, milky green. there are other physical changes that come with being turned as well - his nails turn into talons, his ears become pointed, and, due to his now-undead nature, his heart stops beating. he also loses the need to breathe, although he keeps doing so to keep up the facade of being human (he really doesn't want to acknowledge the fact that he's undead now). however, around the start of season three (right before the main cast makes the trip to tu'la), he decides to dye his hair red again and return to the reds and golds that he loves (something something "reclaiming his fire" something something). it also doesn't help that his hair has started growing in a bright copper ever since they returned from o'khasis and xavier's relic had gone missing. surely these events can't be connected

not too many comments about laurance's out-of-armour/casual/tu'la arc outfit. his eyesight's dogshit now (due to the aforementioned events surrounding his turning n escape from the nether) so he technically needs glasses, but he never wears them unless someone (usually garroth) tells him to.

with laurance's shadow knight form, i rlly wanted to showcase how unnatural it is to him. it's big, and bulky, and covered in spikes n shit - it's entirely antithetical to laurance and his fighting style. personally, i think that a shadow knight's armour adapts to their fighting style and personality over time, but because laurance like. never uses this form it doesn't get the chance to adapt to him, although i added in a doodle of what his form might've evolved to look like had he used it more often.

uhh shadow knight lore stuff. shad is a psychopomp - at least, the fragment of his soul/essence/whatever that didn't get totally fucked up by the void is. however, the shadow lord (aka the fragment of shads soul/essence/whatever that did) tends to snatch souls that either a) die in the nether (like laurance n sasha) or b) are deemed to be useful to his cause of destroying irene (like gene and vylad) to make into shadow knights. different things play into how powerful a shadow knight is - gene, being part-mer'ai, being a descendant of kul'zak, and having memory manipulation magicks, is pretty powerful already, but when he's made into a death knell (aka a general in the shadow lord's army) his power can pretty much rival a relic wielder. laurance mayyyybe could've become a death knell if he wanted to, but unfortunately he has a stupid strong sense of justice so uh. yeah.

all shadow knights do get a boon from the shadow lord - it usually reflects their personality, their soul, or their past, and it always centres around blood, fire, or shadows (or a mix of some or all of these - for example, zenix's boon is that his blood essentially acts like napalm). laurance's reflects his childhood in meteli, a town built in a saltmarsh/estuary - his blood is stupid acidic (like acidic enough to melt through flesh, bone, and metal if he's not careful). however, for a long time, he assumes that his boon is being able to alter the temperature of metal (as sasha has told him that all shadow knight's blood is poisonous on some level - he just doesn't know that his blood is particularly poisonous) until vylad tells him that it probably isn't metal related.

uhh more lore stuff - this time regarding xavier, his relic, and plot stuff.

zane absorbs xavier's relic (sort of unwillingly?? like he wants power, and he wants to try and push back against his father's influence, but if he's being honest he would've preferred to take on esmund's relic (which is missing. weird.) but beggars can't be choosers so eh it's whatever), but because not everyone can wield a relic and not every relic can be wielded by every relic-wielder it sort of starts to eat away at his soul and fuck him up. this leads to the climactic battle of s1 in irene's cathedral dimension, which ends when garroth (who gets possessed by esmund's relic) kills zane by ripping xavier's relic out of him. when they get back to the overworld and realise what exactly that weird fuckoff hunk of metal that garroth yanked out of zane's chest is, they decide to give it to garroth for safe keeping - only for the relic to go missing when the main cast breaks into an occupied o'khasis to rescue zianna, although they don't realise it until they return home to phoenix drop. it's around this time that laurance travels to new meteli to catch up with cadenza and get her to dye his hair orange again, only for cadenza to discover that his hair is growing in a bright copper. they... sort of brush this off as a weird shadow knight biology thing until laurance gets into a fistfight with gene and transforms for the first time. it's a bit of a mess but hey we got there in the end.

but yeah i decided to tweak his design a lil bit from my lineup of the second war of the magi's divine warriors because i wasn't suuper happy w how his chestplate turned out n i wanted to tutu w it a bit.

anyway. laurance's ref sheet is fucking finally done. the next ref sheet will probs be either katelyns or an updated ref sheet for garroth since ive tinkered w his protector form a Lot and i probs need to add in a cold weather outfit (laurance doesnt need one bc shadow knights r weird n basically space heaters anyway) and his juror form.

as always, let me know if u have any questions!! :D

[earthstellar]

A lot of mini-bots (and quite a few other bots) have what might be considered neurodivergent traits (or have been confirmed as such), and I wonder if certain frame types or classes --or Cybertronians in general-- might have physically type-specific processor structures which allow for greater diversity of thought, and if some frame types or spark types might be more or less likely to have or develop neurodivergent traits

We know the Quintessons fucked with the Well of All Sparks in the Aligned Continuity which had unknown effects, and in IDW 1 given the spark as the core of a person's individual spirit (for lack of any better phrasing), it would make sense for Cybertronian sparks to imbue individual personality etc. while the processors are physical hardware with software flexibility to permit and adapt to those unique aspects of self

For example, in the continuities where spark development influences protoform development and therefore what type of frame a bot might ultimately have, it is still simultaneously possible to alter a frame to some degree with armour changes, mass manipulation, etc. (and in most continuities, alt-modes can be altered as well, to at least some degree within the range of someone's core specs)

But the processor and spark are the two things that generally (although we have seen some exceptions to this) cannot be physically altered without incurring significant damage-- Making them some of the few constant components in a species designed to physically change

Sparks have significant individual variation in terms of the personality etc. that evolves from each unique spark, so perhaps processors have some physical elements designed to best accommodate a certain frame type, while also allowing for individual experiences and perception etc. to form unique thought pathways for each individual -- This would allow for any Quintesson or Functionism-related frame alterations or requirements, while also still enabling a spark to produce a unique person as it forms and as experiences accumulate

Sort of like genetics vs epigenetics in human beings; Some things are physical and structural, but some things are informed by environment, experience, etc.

It's interesting that we do seem to see a lot of mini-bots specifically who might fall into a neurodivergent category or exhibit behaviours or thought process that might reasonably fall under the category, but of course it's not universal so there is still greater variation

Although characterisation varies from series to series, here's a couple examples:

Cliffjumper tends to have impulse control problems that are sometimes similar to ADHD impulse control problems, and he sometimes has difficulty prioritising or hyperfixates on one aspect of a situation, leading him to reach the wrong conclusion or focusing on the slightly wrong thing; He also struggles to manage frustration. This could all be related to something similar to executive dysfunction, as it commonly manifests in humans with ADHD.

Bumblebee seems to be conflict-avoidant to some degree in most continuities, and aside from that being part of his friendly nature and kind disposition, it might also hint at something similar to rejection sensitive dysphoria, or a greater sensitivity and emotional response to perceived interpersonal conflict or perceived failure. Some versions of Bumblebee have particularly struggled when faced with high stakes/high risk of failure scenarios, and he has a tendency to internalise blame, directing it towards himself even when a failure is not necessarily his fault or even truly a failed mission. This is often comorbid with Autism and ADHD in humans, but it can also exist on its own.

It's not just mini-bots; Misfire canonically has ADHD in IDW 1, Geomotus in IDW 2 is Autistic and his neurodivergency is even highlighted by other characters, and so on.

So all of this (and how it might work) varies from continuity to continuity, but I just like thinking about how neurodivergent bots do exist, and how that happens and how it manifests and how it is perceived by others and by society at large is interesting

In IDW 2, neurodivergency seems to be viewed in a more understanding and positive light. But in IDW 1, neurodivergency may be viewed in a more ableist way under the Functionist system, and in the Aligned Continuity, perhaps neurodivergency is seen as a potential indication of Quintesson alteration of the Well or of the individual themselves (this would depend on a bot's age).

We don't have too many details on Cybertronian medicine in general, but it's interesting to think about!

It's 8 AM I'm gonna go have a tea now lol

[thecryptidgrey]

As an avid lover of his Dark Materials I have yet to see a BG3 daemons concept and that is a Crime. So here are some Thoughts below the cut :)

(Also something something about the representation of religion in HDM and how it correlates to BG3's depictions of faith and trauma. I have the Idea but I am too tired to do much with it; may return to the thought later.)

Shadowheart- a borzoi. Elegant, spooky looking, dramatic. Borzoi don't make much vocal noise but are very playful- instincts surpressed by Sharrens that thrive with the party (see that very cute night orchid scene specifically). Generally very sweet, loyal animals, like SH when you get to know her. Plus they look amazing.

(Act 3 spoilers- I also appreciate that she'll match it when she dyes her hair. Seems suitable dramatic for her.) Anyways, I also really like borzois and think it's be funny af to see in them trotting around in game like the weird willow tree ghost things they are.

Lae'zel- Githyanki don't have daemons; she finds them baffling. Very impractical to carry one's soul on the exterior, although perhaps an efficient companion in combat to have someone you share instincts with. After much discussion by the others she decides for them if she did have one it would be a red dragon. Nobody argues with that.

(She does decide she'd have to prove herself worthy of such a beast first, and if she trusts Tav admits that maybe she'd like if Vlaakith could give her a daemon bond with her future dragon. Would she get a dragon if she became Vlaakith's chosen? Idk, she would now.)

Karlach- Tieflings also don't have daemons. She wants one wholeheartedly. The party finds her a magic ring that allows her to summon a familiar- she gets a direwolf puppy as enthusiastic and adoring as she is :)

Said ring is obtained somewhere in the Shadowlands after she gets the cooldown upgrade so she can hug it as soon as she has it. Also it grows up absolutely massive. Its paws are the size of its head when it's a puppy. All the better for cuddling with!

Gale- Tara. Wizards, sorcerers, etc, tend to have magical creatures as familiars. This AU he had Tara since the beginning. He still summoned all the other weird shit he did as a kid, just with Tara's help. She is his voice of reason and holder of the braincells; he gets to keep one and it's all about Mystra. She's protecting the rest from its corruption. He gets them back when the party convinces him to tell Mystra to go fuck herself.

(I do chew upon the trans Gale headcanon sometimes. If anyone wishes to muse with me on how daemons, which are typically of the opposite sex to their human, would be incorporated into that, please do.) Edit- pls see comments for very illuminating interpretations of daemons and gender!! Very cool stuff!

Wyll- lanner falcon. Medium sized yet formidable bird of prey, the head of which was often depicted on Egyptian gods like Ra and Horus. Beautiful, noble and nimble creatures (good for a dexterity based build, which I focused on for him alongside charisma).

Mizora's pact significantly lengthened their tether; her devil-form punishment broke it and weakened their bond significantly, much to their distress- they hate to be out of vision of one another as a result. Halsin, Jaheira and especially my Tav Cerewyn helped him adapt to and understand the new tether.

Druids and their daemons are based on the His Dark Materials witches, who have significantly lengthened bonds. Druid bonds are just as strong in markedly different ways; each is more independent and their personalities more distinct. I will definitley expand more on this; I adore Wyll and really want to do his character justice. He's the knight in shining armour but he also made a deal with a devil to be said knight, so, y'know. His daemon should really reflect that complexity.

Astarion- luna moth (changed when he turned- he can't remember what she was before.)

Beautiful in a fragile, showy way. Short-lived. Desperate for the light. A silkmoth; silk for embroidery. He resents her for being such a reflection of the self he tries so desperately to hide yet is fiercely protective of her, so beautiful and soft and hopeful- moths exist to seek light, craving it like he longed for a knight in shining armour, like he yearns for the sun.

Cazador liked to pin her wings.

(I love my sad wet cat very much and so as payback for hurting my soul he is subjected to the tragedy that is my attempting to be poetic :) )

Halsin- bear. Druid daemons reflect their favoured Wild shapes. Strong, steady, reliable, protective. Optimal shape for snuggles, very nice and warm, overall :) vibes to look at and be around. (Bear is not present for That Scene. That Scene and daemons are not up for discussion, you degenerates. Thank you <3)

Jaheira- Eurasian lynx. Struggled a bit on this one- didn't think any of the wild shapes suited her as a daemon- so looked up the national animal of Romania (supposedly Jaheira's accent?) for potential inspiration. Got the lynx, which seems perfect. Medium sized, elegant, very dignifed and deadly hunters who inhabit forests. Notably very quiet and hard to track. Endangered, which resonated with me because of Jaheira's status as one of the last of the Old Guard, so to speak. Nocturnal, which I like because we meet Jaheira in the shadow-cursed lands. Ambush predator, which just goes with my Gloom Stalker build for her. Overall seems perfect for the legendary druid.

Minsc- Boo? Fuck knows man, Minsc gonna Minsc. I spent way too long thinking about Jaheira and now I don't have the energy left. If Gale can have Tara, Minsc can have Boo. I do love Minsc so I will be back to expand on him if the mood strikes me but also I think maybe I don't need to? Daemon Boo just seems Right. Will consult Minsc's backstory and update later if necessary.

Minthara- yet to recruit her so uncertain. Displacer beast seems apt, maybe? Something felinoid would really fit her tbh. Elegant and lethal, very aloof but loyal once you've got her. Input would be appreciated.

My Tav, Cerewyn, just in case ya'll are interested- a raven named Gwyn, short for something I haven't figured out how to spell yet.

Clever, calculating, very blunt and sarcastic to balance out Cere's generally stoic, quite, calm demeanour. Sharp eyed bird for a sharpshooter ranger's daemon. Cere is a beast master ranger/ druid of land multiclass; ravens are summonable both for wild companions and familiars and are a wild shape (Cere's preferred wild shape too).

A common species but not to be underestimated and generally unpredictable, which suits her. She romances Astarion and both she and the raven think he and his luna moth are the prettiest things they've ever seen. They're also very patient and perceptive of trauma due to (Extensive Backstory), so they're more than happy to take their time with earning his trust. Astarion is very appreciative of all the shiny things the raven likes to bring him, and also that it clawed one of Cazador's eyes out for daring to speak to Astarion like That.

CONC.; symbolism is fun and also painful :)

Daemon names are a work in progress; the muses gave me this then said lol nope and fucked off before I could ask them for appropriate names. Might post them with some sketches of the party and daemons together?

(I wrote this in Notes app at an ungodly hour with fuck all editing. It is incoherent, but if anything is genuinely incomprehensible, please tell me so I may at least try to fix it. Much love <3 if you made it this far you get to know I welcome suggestions for NPCs to give daemons next!)

First edit- I misspelled quiet so many times omfg

[wjbs-aus]

Sorry for the two Doom 3 posts in a row earlier, but I unironically love all the demon designs they did for it. They're that special type of 2000s sci-fi/horror monster design that I can't get enough of.

Anyway this is now an alphabetical-order Doom 3 monster design appreciation/thoughts/interesting facts post (images from Doomwiki), followed by enemies that only appear in the Resurrection of Evil expansion. Be warned that most of these designs involve heavy amounts of body-horror and gore, and at least two of them might trigger arachnophobia and/or entomophobia in some people.

Regular enemies

Archvile - Basically just a 3D adaptation of its Doom 2 design, with the only differences being the colour, the weird tumorous hands, the smoother head, and the smaller cheekbones. Nothing else to say.

Cacodemon - Due to the original Caco's sprite being traced from a DnD monster, every redesign has tried to make it look different, but I personally think Doom 3's is the furthest from the original design, though it's still recognisably Cacoesque (with the wide mouth and lower "feelers" that people often seem to ignore). Amazing redesign, and I can definitely see some of it in the 2016/Eternal design (specifically the "tentacles", which became the modern!Caco's dangling "legs").

Cherub - I remember, during the leadup to Doom Eternal's release, the Fandom Doom Wiki claimed it would feature Cherubs and used what was clearly a close-up of the Carcass enemy as "proof". As for my actual thoughts on its design, it's very cool, and honestly I really wish it did show up in Eternal, especially if it got redesigned and was a Maykr instead of a Demon.

Commandos - I think it's neat that Doom 3 doesn't just remake the Former Humans in HD, but instead gives them unique twists. In this case, rather than the Chaingunner equivalent being a big dude in red armour carrying a chaingun, Commandos are slightly less bulky, don't wear shirts, and come in two flavours; the one on the left uses its nasty tentacle to do long-range melee attacks, while the one on the right is more "classic" and carries a chaingun. While they are cool, I personally feel like they should have either merged them (like how they work in Metadoom) or had a more traditional Chaingunner and left the tentacle form as it is.

Demon - Much like the Cacodemon, the Pinky got a unique design for 3, with its front half being almost entirely organic, while its back legs are mechanical, and it does that thing I like (for several reasons) where it has a prominent mouth and no eyes. Unlike the Cacodemon, this design was actually used elsewhere, namely in the 2005 Doom movie (which uses designs from Doom 3 for its monsters, which are mutants rather than demons for some reason) where the character "Pinky" gets mutated into one by a virus or something, with his prosthetic lower-half becoming the monster's back legs (albeit with wheels instead of feet).

Hell Knight - When they were first introduced in Doom II, Hell Knights were just palette-swapped versions of the Baron of Hell, so for Doom 3, Id decided to give it a redesign, despite the Baron not appearing in Doom 3. While I think the Hell Knights and Barons looking similar was kinda interesting, this design is really cool and I love it a lot more than the original, especially the alternate texture used in the Hell levels. The Hell Knight is also the only demon to retain its Doom 3 design all the way into the modern games, albeit with minor changes to its design, mostly in regards to its face and palette.

Imp - The first demon encountered in every Doom game, the Imp has varied drastically in design in each game, and much like most of Doom 3's returning demons, is probably the most divergent from the original. Instead of a spiky humanoid with glowing red eyes, this imp is more like an insect, with chitinous grey skin and 14 eyes. Like the Demon and Hell Knight, the Imp appears frequently throughout the Doom movie.

Lost Soul - In the first 3 Doom games (1, II and 64), Lost Souls were giant human skulls with horns, which were inexplicably on fire. For Doom 3, Id got a bit creative with things and instead made them into hideous-looking, sharp-toothed disembodied heads attached to rockets, and there's even a sequence where one flies out of a scientist's head, killing her in the process (though the way the cutscene's set up makes it look like the Lost Soul is her head). Very interesting, though the mechanical details kinda make it fit in more with the later-released Quake IV (which used the same engine and artstyle, but with more of a focus on cybernetic body-horror).

Maggot - The most horrific-looking demon in Doom 3 by far, with two heads, five legs, and what appear to be exposed lungs. I love it. Interestingly, they appear to have influenced the modern Imp design, as they also have gross fleshy back parts that look kinda similar, although the similarity ends there. I also feel like this is the most representative of the Doom 3 design philosophy.

Mancubus - Hell yeah. The Doom 3 Mancubus feels like an update to its classic design rather than an overhaul, with its more cartoonish ogre-like face being swapped out for a disturbing mouth-tube and pair of facial tentacles that evoke an elephant's trunk and tusks, respectively (although apparently it's meant to resemble Cthulhu). Its cannons also look delightfully 2000s.

Revenant - Much like the Mancubus, the Revenant also feels like an update to the original, removing the original's "shorts" (which are actually blood) and replacing them with a translucent, gelatinous mass resembling a human, while also 2000s-ing its chestplate and shoulder-cannons. I haven't encountered them yet in my current playthrough, so I don't know if they still do the silly walk, but I doubt they do, which is sad.

Tick - While Doom's original spider-related demons (the Spider Mastermind and the Arachotron) don't appear in Doom 3, there's still room for spiders. The Tick features a humanoid face incorporated into the front of its carapace, and has 6 legs, meaning it's actually more of a bug, but I honestly don't care.

Trite - The Trite is much fleshier than the Tick, and functions very similarly. Its face kinda reminds me of the Hell Knight, with the Imp's eyes and a disturbingly humanoid nose; in fact, what the whole thing makes me think of is, well, The Thing, namely its upside-down head-spider form.

Wraith - Wraiths are interesting in that they appear to have gone on to inspire two modern Doom monsters, coincedentally both from Eternal; their faces slightly resemble the structure of the Doomhunter's skull, while their body-shape and pose resembles the Gargoyle. Overall it's very cool, especially the avian leg-scales, but weirdly it doesn't seem capable of flight.

Zombie - Unlike Doom 1, II or 64, Doom 3 has human NPCs as part of its attempt at something closer to Half-Life's structure (in fact, Doom 3 released only a few months before Half-Life 2); as a result, there are also zombified versions of them, which are the bottom of the game's enemy heirarchy. They filled a niche that, until this game, the Doom series lacked, namely a weak melee enemy; however, I find their designs kinda uninteresting, mostly because they're just generic zombies, albeit with slightly futuristic-looking clothing. Doom 2016 and Eternal would later introduce more visually-interesting zombies which fill a similar role however, so that's neat!

Z-Sec - The Z-Sec are basically Doom 3's equivalents of the Zombieman and Shotgunner, with two new variants, one with a machine-gun and another with a shield; these two probably inspired 2016's Possessed Soldier and Security respectively. Again, they're not the most inspired designs, though I really like their cool helmets and extremely mid-2000s sci-fi armour designs.

Bosses

Vagary - All I'll say about this one is that the part in The Making Of Doom 3 (a book I have read about half of I think?) where they say that "Sexy + Gross = Creepy" is absolutely correct, and also the Vagary's abdomen contains a Mancubus fetus so that's cool. Still think the Whiplash from Doom Eternal does the whole "feminine torso on a non-humanoid lower-half" thing in a better and more tonally-consistent way.

Guardian - This is the closest Doom 3 gets to having a Baron of Hell, I guess. Apparently it's meant to look like a dinosaur's idea of what a demon would look like, so that's neat!

Sabaoth - I'm pretty sure this one was meant to be a call-back to Quake II's final boss, which is also a giant cyborg with an organic upper-half that uses its game's BFG variant. But this one is different, because it's, like, a mass of meat rather than a weird skeleton, so that's cool, and the guy it's made of is the player's mission-control for the first few sections of the game. I don't know why the three "main" Idtech 4 games (Doom 3, Quake IV and Prey (2006)) all have a boss that consists of a major side-character grafted onto a big (bio)mechanical thing, but I expect to see that return if we ever get a 2000s FPS revival. Also something something "it looks a bit like the Doomhunter from Doom Eternal".

Cyberdemon - Unlike the '90s Doom games, where the Cyberdemon was an end-of-episode boss that eventually became a recurring level hazard/miniboss, Doom 3 made it the final boss that can only be harmed with the game's situational utility weapon, the Soul Cube; this probably lead to the modern!Cyberdemons both being bosses (the one in 2016 is fought midway through the game, while the one in VFR is the final boss) before Eternal replaced them with the Tyrants, which are literally just classic Cyberdemons in 3D with more interesting attacks. This design is... interesting, removing most of the more iconic details of the original Cyberdemon (its asymmetrical legs, the mass of wires in its abdomen, the arm-cannon being smaller and on its right arm, and the small, wide-set eyes) in place of a design that, again, fits more into Quake IV than Doom, but also it kinda makes it fit Doom 3's world more, and it's actually more "cyber" than the original Cyberdemon (the only cybernetic parts of which are its right leg, left hand, torso and some parts of its right arm).

Resurrection of Evil

Biosuit Zombie - Apparently this has some gameplay use in the non-BFG Edition versions of RoE (dropping a useful item), but otherwise it's just a single-level gimmick version of the regular Zombie enemy. Still, I love hazmat suits in general, and this one makes the look cooler by adding that delicious mid-2000sness.

Bruiser - The Bruiser is another candidate for being Doom 3's equivalent of the Baron of Hell (since Barons are sometimes referred to as "Bruisers", and the pair fought as Doom 1's first end-of-episode boss are known as "The Bruiser Brothers"), but with a design that's closer to both the Mancubus and the classic!Cyberdemon, but with the extra detail of having a TV screen for a mouth, which is extremely cool, and its arm-cannons look more industrial than the Mancubus's, which helps differentiate them physically. Apparently they were originally going to appear in Doom 3's main campaign and blend in with the environment before attacking, but this was scrapped, and Nerve (who developed Resurrection of Evil) ended up reusing the model in the DLC.

Forgotten One - According to the Doom Wiki (which is where I'm getting most of my information, since I'm not particularly far into Doom 3 at time of writing and I haven't even touched the DLC yet), these are just reskins of regular Lost Souls, but closer to their original appearance, which is. Fine, I guess? Honestly I prefer the regular Lost Souls over the Forgotten Ones.

Vulgar - Another case of Nerve recycling cut content, the Vulgar's model was used for the Arch-Vile in early versions of Doom 3, before being replaced with the more sprite-accurate design used for the final, and honestly I can see why. This design doesn't fit well with the Arch-Vile's whole "demonic wizard" thing, but what it does work well as is a fast enemy, and apparently the Vulgar is, being the DLC's equivalent of the Imp. I really like the little crustacean legs and the very Xenomorph-like body-plan, and I wish they did something like this again in the modern games. The closest is the Prowler in Eternal (which is essentially a stronger Imp).

The Hunters (Helltime, Berserk, Invulnerability) - I'm grouping these three together as they are all just modified Hell Knights, but as bosses rather than regular enemies, and each unlocks a new ability for the Resurrection of Evil-exclusive Soul Cube equivalent, the Artifact. The Helltime Hunter is really cool and honestly looks more like the 2016 Hell Knight design than the standard Doom 3 one does, the Berserk Hunter is genuinely kinda unnerving and feels like something from a 2000s horror movie, and the Invulnerability Hunter has a really neat armoured design that's kinda hard to make out through the particle-effects it's surrounded by.

Maledict - The final boss of RoE is a giant skull-bat I guess, with a human face inside its mouth. This is a reference to the ending cutscene of Doom 3's main campaign, in which its antagonist, Dr. Betruger, is shown transformed into the Maledict; you only get to fight it in Resurrection of Evil. This design is kinda generic but also very Doom-y, and works really well as the final boss of the entire Doom 3 subseries (after Doom 4 was cancelled and then revived as Doom 2016, which is set in a different timeline).

[holmsister]

Snippet of writing in which I describe kabrus official knight armour because I read the iliad at a formative age and never quite recovered

Kabru's armour is not quite as decorative as Yaad would have liked it to be. He refused to get two sets made, so this is supposed to be both his parade armour and his battle one, and most of the decor has been sacrificed to practicality. He just allowed a couple details - his left pauldron, his open helm, his left greave and the sword's crossguards all have the head of wolves on them, mouths open and snarling. He likes this imagery. The lion for Laios and for himself the loyal follower and the watchdog. This is also why he insisted on unadorned steel. Gilding should be reserved for the King. Yaad will probably eventually force him to get himself a fancier parade armour, but that's in the future.

For now, this is the ideal set for him. Built for the asymmetrical elven fencing style, instead of clumsily adapted to it, the maille of half-foot make, thin and lightweight, the shape less clumsy around his bust, elbow and knee cop leaving him mobile even with full coverage on his limbs. He has worn it before, trained in it to get used to the weight distribution, but he has never gotten the chance to break into it properly. He was reserving it for today.

It shows - the steel is blinding in the sun. It feels too new, too pretty. He cannot wait to get it dirty.

A pageboy - Adhemar, he thinks - approaches him nervously.

"Sir Kabru?" He asks.

Nervous might have been an understatement - He seems about to pass out in fear.

Kabru gives him a reassuring smile, even thought he can't help but feel a little flattered by what an intimidating figure he cuts, apparently.

"What's the matter, Adhemar? Do my adversaries have something to say?"

The page looks so awestruck at Kabru remembering his name that he stutters for a bit.

"I. Uh. There has been some discussing about the, uh, established order of duels."

Kabru tilts his head and purses his lips.

"I have decided upon the order based on the levels of duelling experience as self-reported by my challengers. I thought I would even the playing field thusly, as there's only one of me and many of them. I'd met the more experienced first, at the top of my strength, and least experienced at the end, when I am more tired and possibly wounded."

"Yes, ah, uhm, the challengers, they, uh. The dwarves... they say they should go first as that is the right of hospitality. And the nobles want to go before the peasants."

Kabru sighs. He was kind of hoping that showing his skills in the first few duels would help making his day shorter. Especially for the dwarven challengers - duels are a big production in their culture - but also for the green noble brats, a few duels before their turn would have given them more time to realise how out of their depth they were and find a face-saving excuse.

Whatever. He did what he could. It's their funeral.

He asks for a stylus and two wax tablets and quickly devises an order for the duels based entirely on age and rank, with the dwarves at the top as their 'esteemed guests'.

He grins reassuringly to the kid as he gives him one of the two tablets.

"If this is more to my adversaries' liking, we can proceed immediately, Adhemar. No need to discuss this further, just give me a signal from your side of the field. I'll have this brought to the king's tent in the meantime." he says, gesturing to the other tablet.

The page looks at him as if he is the sun, accepting the tablet with a deep bow.

"Thank you, sir Kabru." He lowers his voice and tilts towards him with the air of sharing a secret. "We field pages are all rooting for you. Everyone who has met you knows there isn't a finer warrior or a nobler man than you in all of Melini."

"Except for the King," Kabru says, still smiling reassuringly.

Adhemar bristles. "Of course, except for His Majesty!" His correction is earnest, and Kabru's smile widens.

He pats the kid on the head.

"Your support is greatly appreciated and won't be forgotten. Go now. Let's not drag this any longer."

[wjbs-bonkle-au]

Random Human-AU character-design notes, some of which probably won't make sense to anyone else since I haven't actually properly designed them yet.

Whenua is bald, even before becoming a Turaga.

Vezon looks basically the same as Vezok but thinner and younger. The Ignika is fused to his mechanical skeleton (since the MU inhabitants are actually extremely humanlike robots).

Masks are replaced with geometric, "artificial"-looking face markings that roughly resemble the canon mask designs, sometimes supplemented with other things (e.g Onua has a series of horizontal lines on his cheeks, along with two beads threaded into his beard that match up with the small circular holes on the Pakari's chin); the markings glow when the characters use their mask powers. The Inika's are smoother and more natural-looking.

Nidhiki, the Hordika, the Rahaga, the Barraki and the Mistika Makuta are all animal-human hybrids with varying degrees of (semi-technological) body-horror. Pre-mutation they just look like the rest of the MU's highly-humanlike beings. The eel-mode Piraka also look more fishlike rather than just being disembodied heads and spines. Since the Magnans are actual humans, the Vorox and Zesk are fully organic and have some actual body-horror going on, with insectoid mandibles made of bone, arm-like tails, and extra eyes with uneven sockets and distorted pupils.

Spinax looks like a wolf made out of crustacean parts.

The VNRT have stitched together, decayed "skin" that leaves their endoskeletons partially exposed, with outsized limb-sockets visibly attached with crude weld-trails and irregularly-placed rivets. Their weapons are attached to their wrist-sockets. Also their eyes are pitch-black, as a reference to their set-forms' lack of eyestalks and also partially due to author-appeal.

The Inika have glowing lines extending back from their fingertips, all the way up to their wrists; the lines' shapes match with their respective elements (Jaller's are curved like flames; Hahli's flow like waves, with bubble-like circles mixed in; Nuparu's resemble crystalline facets; Kongu's look like stylised clouds, with lots of swirls and spirals; Hewkii's resemble cracked stone; Matoro's are long and jagged, with small points that branch off). Upon becoming the Mahri, the lines stop glowing, becoming markings that are slightly lighter than their regular skin tone.

While wearing the Adaptive Armour, the Toa Nuva look like more solid versions of their 2008 set forms, with different proportions.

The Vahki look like their LOMN designs; the Maxilos robots look like their set-forms, but slightly more "filled in" and with extra details like a glowing mouth-grille in their "mouth", and bioluminescent barnacles growing on parts of them.

Roodaka wears the Makuta-stone fragment as a necklace.

Tuyet's hair is based on Galva's original Mask of Intangibility design. Her Toa Empire counterpart has it tied back.

Av-Matoran (and, by extension, Shadow Matoran) have exotic hair-colours, as opposed to everyone else whose hair is more realistically-coloured (with a few exceptions who explicitly have dyed hair, e.g Dalu). Shadow Matoran have darker hair that fades to dark-grey towards the tips. Takua's hair changes from teal to literally-golden when he becomes Takanuva.

Toa Tools that "replace" the arm/hand of a character (e.g Hewkii's Cordak Blaster, Pohatu's propeller things) are either just handheld or take the form of gauntlets (in terms of the examples, the former is handheld and the latter become gauntlets).

Toa Ignika looks a lot more artificial than everyone else, with a wood-like texture on his body and frame, visible joints on his hands and limbs, and no face underneath his mask.

Mata Nui's form while on Spherus Magna looks like an animate sandstone statue with faded paint.

Shapeshifted Makuta retain some element of their main form (e.g Antroz's vehicle-piloting form (which, in this AU, is his default form) looks like his main '08 form but smaller and without the additional vampire-y bits; Miserix has feathers resembling his main form's hair).

Hydraxon's helmet covers his entire head and face, and has opaque lenses. Dekar!Hydraxon looks exactly the same underneath the helmet, but without a beard and with red eyes instead of green.

After being possessed by a Krana, Lewa has a marking on his face where it was; this vanishes when he becomes a Toa Nuva.

Annona is still a horrifying eldritch monstrosity.

Marendar looks like a heavily mutated human with mechanical parts sticking out of its body.

Prior to going to Karzahni, Velika's Matoran form looked almost exactly like he did as a Great Being, but shorter.

Helryx's "skin" has mostly disintegrated, with her face and some of her torso being the most intact parts; her upper arms and thighs have their exposed endoskeletons wrapped in cloth and leather, and strange hoses connect from her abdomen into her face. Her hair is mostly missing.

Pohatu's sideburns turn into a full beard when he becomes a Toa Nuva.

While Onua is technically one of the tallest Toa Nuva, he's hunched over so he looks a lot shorter.

Scopes are attached like eyepatches; when Nuju becomes a Hordika, his scope fuses into his head. Instead of losing the scope when he becomes a Turaga, he accidentally drops it in the ocean while taking the Matoran Spheres to Mata Nui and doesn't notice until he gets there.

Sidorak is balding and has a large beard.

Keetongu is a big bug.

Krakua is old.

This isn't a design note, but love is canon and Axonn X Brutaka not only happened, but they're also canonically divorced.

[gods-and-monsters04]

I was searching online for images of Van Helsing to post, and I came across a gallery of concept art created for its video game adaptation!

Here’s what I have found:

(Apologies for the grainy quality of the images, I was unable to get them in higher resolution. I’ll leave a link to the gallery below)

A trio of cinematic pieces for the game. One of them possibly a alternate version of Van Helsing’s battle with Mr Hyde in Notre Dame.

Next are some pieces of alternate costumes that Van Helsing can wear. Interesting to note (although it’s hard to see) Van Helsing has a outfit that he wears during the 1400s, said to be 400 years ago. Another weird one is that he appears to possess a gun, possibly a prototype?

Concept art for a Dwergi warrior. I kinda like it, with the spikey shell on.

Next are original enemy types in the form of these Undead warriors and archers. Gotta say I love the more monstrous appearance of these guys, especially with the more animalistic skulls and the protruding spinal cord.

Another creature and probably one of my favourite inclusions: a Gargoyle! I like how these creatures are included, given how Van Helsing makes mention of them when he chats with Friar Carl.

Last one (Because Tumblr on mobile refuses to allow me to post more than 10 images) is a colossal set of haunted armour, with Gabriel attempting to attack it.

Anyway, that’s all I can post. If you guys want to see more of these images, check it at Sierra Chest.Com. That is where I found this out.

And let me know what you think about the artwork! I don’t know who did it but credit where credit is due to the person who made this artwork.

[profanetools]

some first council era trade headcanons:

enchantments became far more commonplace and also more refined as a magical practice in this era due to steady trade links. dwemer would mine or manufacture empty soul gems, sell much of them to chimer - telvanni, dagoth, and ashlander communities principally - who would fill them either for their own use or sell filled gems back to the dwemer or to other chimer groups.

due to the trading of techniques and expertise, the dwemer were able to start their own silk farms and manufacture their own silk far more readily instead of relying on expensive imports. often they would interweave silk with brass threads to make it more durable - and brass weave became commonly used as a protective layer in both forgework and the battlefield. another later development was automaton-led synthetic silk farms.

the dwemer were able to dye their clothes far more readily and easily using a range of synthesised colours drawn from dwemer oil. many of these dyes were bottled and traded with chimer (often for much coveted velothi silk!) leading to the first council era silk being known for their bold colours and almost incandescent sheen.

a running joke, as tensions increased and the declaration of war between dwemer and chimer neared, was that the chimer couldn't declare war as all the best blacksmiths in Mournhold would leave. a common profession for dwemer on clan leave or in diaspora was - stereotypically, smithing. In larger cities, such as Mournhold, dwemer-run smithys had been running for generations by families of dwemer living outside their clan. while chimer traditionally tend towards carapaces and other materials for arms and armour, the increased availability of both metal and metalwork did lead to incorporation of this into both weaponry and armour but also design, tools, and architecture (of the non-tonal variety). things such as metal hinges, locks, buckles, handles, screws and nails and so on became far more commonplace.

there was a fair bit of exchange of art. while dwemer music and opera - the art forms dwemer are most proud about following architecture - were too culturally specific to really catch-on, chimer were fond of dwemer fashion and jewellery, musical instruments, as well as dancing - and a lot of chimer dance and theatre in the late 6th and 7th centuries took very strongly from all those trends. dwemer, it turned out, were particularly fond of tragic chimer theatre and poetry. a lot of tragic 'mephalan' plays where everyone ended up murdered by the end were surprisingly popular and some travelling players would visit dwemer strongholds on occasion. dwemer poets would sometimes try to adapt chimeris metre and rhyming schemes to their own language.

[tiredspacedragon]

I'm currently in the process of reworking my adaptive Nuva MOCs into Inika builds for a combination of lore, parts-availability, and just-to-see-how-I-like-it reasons, and it's going alright for the most part. The limbs are take 'em or leave 'em in some places, but that's fine. In an ideal world, I'd probably opt to go with custom articulated Nuva limb parts for them all anyway, to keep them connected to their original forms and go for that unified aesthetic. Figuring out what, if anything, to do with Pohatu's hips is proving bothersome, but otherwise I'm very happy with how the torsos have turned out. They've got this lovely armour harness arrangement going on, it's lovely.

What's bothering me is their heads. More specifically, their masks. As it turns out, Inika torsos and Kanohi Nuva do not get along. The shape of the torso's shoulder-pistons just does not mesh with the shape of the masks, leaving it looking like the Toa have no necks. It's great until the masks go on, but then everyone gets uncomfortably beefy, ironically except for Onua and Pohatu. Onua is spared thanks to his unique neck connection, and Pohatu pulls it off because the Kakama Nuva just doesn't have this problem. Don't know why that is exactly, it just doesn't look nearly as squashed on there as the rest. Go figure.

So now I'm stuck with having to decide between just running with beefcake city for the other four, swapping out the masks for custom variants (at least in my imagination, where I could afford to do such a thing), or reworking the heads to give everyone longer necks, which runs the risk of looking kinda uncanny and potentially making them too tall, but it'd probably level out to something decent so idk. I like the Inika torso more than most, but those shoulder pistons are really not friendly to a distressing number of masks. If you've ever tried to give an Inika build character a Great Rau, then you know what I mean.

Stupid realistic shoulder profile turning everyone into football players...

[dead-loch]

wondering what my Deadloch folks think of this headcanon which I will be working into my fic:

Eddie throughout the season is very over-the-top homophobic in ways that, to me, obviously speak to someone who has repressed a part of themselves (I’d be interested to know how others feel about my read on that, specifically people who identify with wlw). The things she says are made to be as offensive as possible but they don’t strike me as coming from a place of hate (tbh this might be due to the writers and the actor, but again, let me know if you think differently).

(Homophobia stemming from repression is not something that needs to automatically be forgiven or I guess a better word might be it’s not an excuse, but it is an explanation. I don’t want to downplay it because it can cause real harm both inwardly and outwardly)

At the end, of course, she reveals she’s “done stuff” with women.

I’m wondering if Eddie-the-young-person (and let’s include here anywhere up to the age of 25 maybe? Idk how old you are or what kinda schooling you need in AUS), prior to her career in law enforcement, had tentatively been exploring queer relationships of some kind. But once beginning her career in law enforcement, (which, I mean, need I say more than that really) realised how Not Good of an environment it was for someone discovering they might be queer (whatever that may entail for her). And that for years she prioritised her own safety and sanity by adapting to a shitty, homophobic and sexist and racist environment and becoming “one of the boys” as a sort of armour. Of course, this armour would not ultimately protect her from being thrown to the wolves and blamed for the death of her partner, and boy was that a piss off.

Throughout her time in Deadloch, Eddie is (maybe for the first time ever) surrounded primarily by queer people and by queer women specifically. She goes from an environment of toxic masculinity, one she’s spent a very long time adapting to and-maybe-ingratiating herself to, to an environment that is, well, nearly the complete opposite. If it was me, I think I’d be angry. And maybe feel betrayed. Like… I could have had this all along?

Holly, I believe, is the only woman Eddie has had a close relationship with prior to Deadloch, and even then, it was through her partner on the force. But we know that Eddie and Holly were close enough because Eddie keeps calling her. But this one relationship (and here I mean friendship, not that there was anything romantic or sexual between them necessarily), to me, seemed important to her and not just in a “you’re my work partner’s wife” way. It felt to me like Eddie, on some level, really valued that relationship but that it was also something she craved, again, on some level, and probably not on a conscious one.

Just… imagine chipping away at yourself for years and years so that you’re protected from poisonous hate, and then suddenly finding yourself in a place where others like you— or like the you-who-could/might-have-been— have allowed themselves to exist as they are. (And again, this is fully said without judgement. We deserve to feel safe and that can take many forms and should be up to the individual to decide for themselves what is best for them at any moment in time.)

I can’t speak for queer Australians (although I’d love to hear from you) but even just discovering that marriage rights were only afforded to queer couples in 2017 pushes this narrative even more. For comparison, my country legalised “same sex marriage” in 2005, with some provinces having legalised it as early as 2003, and civil marriages between “same sex” couples existing since 1999. I was 15 in 2005 and I can assure you it didn’t really make anything in my day-to-day life easier but it did mean… other people like me are out there. We didn’t have the world at our fingertips as readily as we do now, even so relatively recently.

[republicsecurity]

take a break

In the recruits' canteen, bathed in the dull glow of overhead lights, IU664 and H2U8M sat facing each other. The visors of their suits were retracted, revealing their faces in a rare moment of unfiltered interaction. The steady hum of conversations and clinking of utensils formed an ambient backdrop to their one hour of reprieve.

IU664 sipped on his tea, the warmth seeping through the suit's helmet and into his senses. Across from him, H2U8M mirrored the action, a silent acknowledgment of the simple pleasure found in a hot beverage. The metallic tang of the suits, a constant companion, took a temporary backseat as the recruits bantered about their shared experiences.

"So, H2U8M, how's your love affair with the suit going?" IU664 quipped, a wry smile playing on his lips.

H2U8M chuckled, the sound reverberating inside the sealed confines of the helmets. "It's a complicated relationship, you know? Like a marriage with no possibility of divorce."

IU664 raised an eyebrow as he noticed AS555 with his visor lowered, a rare sight in the midst of the recruits' designated free time. "Hey, AS555, why have you lowered the visor? It's not required." IU664 asked, curiosity evident in his tone.

AS555 visor deplorized making his face visible again.

"Nah, I prefer my entertainment with a touch of augmented reality. Corps-issued digital comics, you know? Propaganda with a side of visual flair."

H2U8M chuckled, "So, what's the gripping tale in this one? More heroic paramedics saving the day?"

AS555 tapped on his helmet's interface, projecting a snippet of the digital comic onto the outside of his visor. The vibrant panels displayed scenes of paramedics in action, their Mark IV Armour Suits gleaming heroically as they faced various challenges. The visor acted as a shared screen, and the trio gathered around to get a glimpse of the digital narrative.

H2U8M squinted slightly as he observed the scenes. "Looks intense. Do they at least get the suits right in these comics?"

AS555 grinned, "Oh, absolutely. They make the suits look even more impressive, if that's possible. Glowing with heroic radiance, you know? It's like a recruitment poster in comic form."

IU664 chuckled, "Well, at least they're consistent with the propaganda. Can't have us forgetting the 'glory' of our service, even during downtime."

IU664 raised an eyebrow in astonishment. "Wait, it can project on the outside too? I never knew that."

AS555 nodded, a hint of pride in his tone. "Yep, the HUD is quite versatile. We usually see the displays inside, but for moments like these, sharing something with others, it can project outside as well. Makes digital comics and other visual information easy to share during breaks."

H2U8M chimed in, "That's pretty neat. I guess there's more to the suits than we've been told explicitly."

AS555 grinned, "Always more to discover. The more you understand about your suit, the more efficiently you can use it. The corps wants us to be one with our gear, after all."

H2U8M chuckled, his voice slightly muffled by the suit. "I don't remember a comic book feature in the training manual. Must be one of those hidden perks they don't tell us about."

IU664 nodded, "I suppose the suits are what we make of them, within the limits set by the Corps. Finding those little moments of humanity might be crucial to maintaining our sanity through all this. Who would have thought a comic break would be part of suit survival strategy?"

As they bantered, the realization of the suits' versatility, and the small ways the recruits adapted, added another layer to their understanding of the technology that surrounded and defined their lives.

Instructor KO10T clarified, "Exactly. Sometimes, in collaborative efforts or public situations, it's useful to project information outside for everyone to see. It allows for better coordination and transparency"

As the recruits finished their banter and drained the last dregs of tea from their canteen cups, the authoritative voice of Instructor KO10T cut through their conversation like a blade.

"Informalities cease now," he declared, his tone brooking no argument. "Prepare yourselves for sleep. The docking stations await, and tomorrow brings a day filled with challenges and lessons."

The recruits, visors now descending to cover their faces once again, exchanged glances. There was no room for protest or negotiation.

The docking stations, resembling futuristic sarcophagi, awaited their occupants. The recruits entered, guided by the dim glow of their HUDs. The familiar hiss and click of docking clamps echoed through the room as the recruits settled into their individual compartments. The AI took over, establishing the necessary connections between the suits and the station's systems.

As the recruits lay down, the docking stations contoured to their bodies, enveloping them in a secure embrace. The visors, now closed, plunged the recruits into darkness. The sounds of the room faded, replaced by the subtle hum of the station's machinery.

In the dim solitude of his docking station, IU664 initiated a private channel to Instructor KO10T, his voice reverberating within the confines of his sealed helmet.

"Are you in the suit as well?" he inquired, his words tinged with a hint of curiosity. The silence that followed felt elongated, a testament to the isolated existence within their individual chambers.

"Are you lying in a docking station?" he added, seeking a connection, however ephemeral, with the instructor who, like him, navigated the intricacies of life encased in the formidable embrace of the Corps' technology.

"Yes, IU664, I'm in the suit as well," KO10T's voice emanated through the digital channels, a blend of assurance and authority. The acknowledgment carried a peculiar weight, a reminder that even those in positions of instruction were not exempt from the encasement of the Corps' technological embrace.

"In this corps, we share the experience," he continued, the words carrying a strange mixture of guardianship and stern instructorship. "When you recruits are in the suits, we platoon instructors wear them as well. We understand the challenges, the nuances, and the solitude that comes with it."

There was a momentary pause, a digital breath in the vastness of the virtual space. "You're not alone in this, IU664. Embrace the unity that the suits bring. Rest now, for tomorrow holds new challenges and opportunities for growth. Sleep well." The connection closed, leaving IU664 with a sense of reassurance in the artificial quiet of his docking station.

[missile-silo]

Why I think atmora and akavir were geographically close, or a study on wolf and blades armour in Skyrim.

This is long and I’m no blacksmith I just really like learning about blacksmithing and have some thoughts.

So here we can see the similarity in construction, the sloped head piece and the splayed neck. The shaping especially tells me that they would have used similar, if not the same, techniques to draw out the metal. However there are key differences, the blades helmet having a more rounded shape says something about their advanced techniques. This could also be a tell of having only one smith working on each piece of armour, eorland greymane is the only person who sells it, it would make sense if it could only be crafted at the skyforge.

Onto the armour itself, there are even bigger differences.

The obvious is the segmented panels. The blades armour is likely heavily interchangeable. Taking a hit is expected, and having segments be replaceable is cheaper than replacing the whole set of armour. It also leads into how the blades are espionage, wearing only certain sections under clothing to protect them and keep them inconspicuous. Wolf armour has more outright protection, the pauldrons are much larger. The weapons of the companions are bulky, Wuuthrad being a war-hammer.

The similarities are easy to spot though. Around the waist they both have some form of fauld, with both having an ornamental belt. The chest armour is in a similar number of pieces, the more protective wolf armour having less manoeuvrability. Both have some form of thigh protection, and have a piece around the neck.

Onto the last parts of the armour. The boots share similarities, with that central line continuing on both, with some form of armour on the toe. The gauntlets do differ, but they share a similar plate on the back of the hand.

Something interesting; wolf armour is only found in one other game-morrowind. Precisely bloodmoon, which takes place on solstheim. But it’s light armour, not heavy, suggesting an adaptation. Perhaps the concept of wolf armour was made back in atmora, with the Skaal needing light armour to hunt where the companions needed heavy armour to genocide elves.

Tell me if you liked this and I could perhaps do more studies on armour in TES

all pictures found on the elder scrolls wiki

[cyanocoraxx]

Fire In The Sky (Chapter 1)

Metal Sonic / Silver Sonic MK II / Mecha Sonic / Shadow

A horrid replica of something supposedly regal. A false god. Trying to be something it was not - the robot could dryly relate in their own way. Neo dryly noted the resemblance to what humans would call "demons." Perhaps Silver's little dance with religion wasn't so useless for today. (Shadow the Hedgehog 2005 adaptation. Continuation of Damage.)

"Brother."

"Brother."

"Little brother."

"Silver Sonic MK II."

...

"My scanners indicate that your internal alarm clock is functioning. You are thus opting to disregard it of your own volition."

Silver rolled over and nestled deeper into his blanket nest. "Just five more minutes, M..."

Mecha stood over him, looming ominously in the darkness. A beam of crimson cast over the small black and silver form below him. "Negative. Your appointment is in fifteen minutes and three seconds. You must attend. Do recall that it is a greater distance this time, as you must attend in Westopolis today. And, good afternoon. You have undertaken this "nap" for more than eight hours. If you continue in this manner, you will not only fail to attend your appointment, but you will also miss the Fire in the Sky Festival-"

"Alright, alright... jeez." Silver sleepily held a hand up to Mecha, who clasped it in their own and pulled him up to his feet. The blanket over his head fell to the floor in a crumpled heap, complete with new rips and tears from his sharp metal spines. Silver stretched out his free arm and shook his head to wake himself up.

Mecha led, or more accurately, dragged their little brother to the bathroom by the hand. "Good. Remember, you must appear presentable."

Silver frowned at him. "Are you calling me ugly? Rude. You're just as rude as Neo today."

"Negative, I am not calling you ugly. You must merely adhere to social normality for optimum results. Based on your previous appointments, this is likely the best course of action to proceed with. I do not wish to witness another person dismissing your case."

Mecha grabbed a tin of metal polish from under the sink and swiftly got to work spraying it across their brother's armour. They then turned back to pick up a microfibre cloth and started working it in with mechanical precision. They were careful to pay extra attention to Silver's black arrows, keeping them well-maintained, for they knew that the markings bore importance to him.

"I think the grime gives me a certain rustic charm," Silver argued playfully.

Mecha didn't pause. "It does not."

"Gimme that." Silver took the polish from his sibling's hand and pointedly sprayed their face with it.

"I object to this." Mecha stated simply, staring ahead at him.

"Over-fucking-ruled. C'mere." Silver grinned and buffed the polish in quite aggressively with another clean cloth. "There, you look like a pretty princess now. You and Princess Neo would make beautiful rulers one day."

Mecha remained as deadpan as always. "Indeed. Now, let us proceed to your appointment with haste."

Silver paused in the doorway, apparently remembering something. He popped his head back around and looked about for Neo.

"Neo! We're going! Do you need anythin' from town?"

Neo signed something back from the shadows of the far hall, and Silver frowned.

"I can't hear you from all the way over there. C'mere."

Neo rolled his optics and wandered over to him. Where Silver could see his hands, he signed, "be safe." If you would just brighten your optical scanners and enhanced your vision, you would have been able to interpret my message. Fool.

"I can see a sarcastic remark rolling about in your processor, Neo. Put it back." Silver teased him with a flick to his nose.

Neo squinted his optics at him in disapproval and signed, "make me."

"I'll take it out and shake it around like a snow globe if you don't quit it." Silver retorted, slapping a hand onto his brother's forehead and using it to shake his head.

Neo swatted at his hand and revved his engine in feigned anger. He lifted a warning claw tip to Silver's armour.

Mecha peered around the corner to reprimand them. "Do not scratch our little brother's paint. He is looking 'presentable'."

Neo withdrew his hand a fraction. "He is looking as supershit as ever. Do not give him false confidence."

"These remarks are unnecessary."

"As is this appointment. They will drop him again."

"We must try. We both wish to provide him with a life of normalcy."

"Yes, we do. I worry about giving him false hope."

The two older siblings watched Silver kneel down to inspect a tiny beetle that scuttled into the warehouse. He followed it slowly and carefully, tilting his head this way and that to listen to its scuttling feet. Neo's squint subtly turned into a smile in his optics.

"If it brings him some kind of happiness or hope, I believe it is a worthy endeavour. Stay hopeful, brother. Hope is all we have at certain times."

"Alright. Be safe, collect whatever data you need. Watch over him."

"Priotity one: eavesdrop on hedgehog-series unit Silver Sonic MK II's private conversations."

"When you put it that way, it sounds horrible."

"It is for our safety. I may also obtain information on how to... best assist you and myself as well."

Neo tapped Silver's shoulder to get his attention. When he looked up, Neo finally finger-spelled, "jokes aside, you scrub up well. Good luck."

Silver sat opposite his newly-assigned therapist in a cozy but clinical room. The robot looked out of place amongst the medical books, polished table, and well-kept furniture, but he didn't seem to mind or notice. His mind had already wandered to the many certificates framed on the walls, displaying his therapist's credentials. He scanned each one and checked them for validity in turn-

"So, let me get this straight, erm, Silver... you were imprisoned for a few days in a cryotube, broke out, met your brothers for the first time on a ship in the sky, your older brother was taken prisoner by the government, so you and your middle brother rescued him and became criminals, the government came back for all of you, you gave yourself up with your middle brother, developed a personal "beef" with the military commander... you then died with your brother, came back, were physically abused by your creat- father, saved Station Square from a giant robot, and now..."

The art of a great therapist lies in being a role model for self-control and the use of one's prefrontal cortex in responding rather than reacting to problems as they arise. They demonstrate how to weave self-control, logic, and empathy into one whole for a shift in perspective, thus enhancing emotional intelligence. On paper, at least, that is the goal - which is why Silver was now on his ninth therapist, and in a new city, nonetheless.

Silver nodded enthusiastically. "And here I am!"

"And all of this happened before you were one year old?" His assigned therapist replied quizzically.

"It sure did. Not the usual litmus test for maturity, but it tracks."

"Silver, I'm not sure if... I'm equipped to handle this case, I have to be honest with you. I've never worked with a... well..." The therapist leaned back just a little, examining her papers. A Mobian Labrador retriever. She squared her glasses and spun her pen in one hand as she read back over her notes, seeming puzzled.

As expected. Silver had to hold himself back from deflating then and there.

"Lady, I'm an artificial intelligence in a metal tin can. Just think of it that way - I'm alive like you, I'm not the microwave brand of machine."

A hesitant sigh from the golden canine. "Where would you like to start?"

Silver leaned back in his seat with an arm slung over the back. "Sheesh. There's a lot to unpack, so it's kinda hard to pick, but... my entire dance with death seems to be a recurring theme. Maybe we can start there?"

The therapist clicked her pen in thought, seeming to come to some sort of private realization. "Of course. Silver, are you religious?"

Silver gave her a pointed look. "Come again?"

She set her pen down and clasped her hands together. "There are many deities that watch over Mobius. Chaos, Dark Gaia, Light Gaia, Solaris, and The End to name a few. Do you worship any of them?"

Silver tilted his head. "What interest would a god have in something like me? I'm the Ghost of Station Square these days for a reason. I kicked the bucket already and no god stopped that from happening."

"You said yourself that you consider yourself to be alive, yes? That means a deity would be interested in you. Gods love all sentient beings." She enunciated her words clearly but with emotion, as if speaking from the heart rather than mind.

"Huh. If you say so... never been the worshipping type, though. I mean, where were these so-called deities when my brother was imprisoned and experimented on by the military? Why didn't they stop Neo from dying? If they're all-powerful, why didn't they stop any of that? It seems to me these deities care more about the state of the world instead of individual people."

"Well, maybe it was all a part of a god's plan for them."

Silver grimaced noticeably. "Seems cruel. My brothers have been through more than the average person. Why test them like that?"

"Good question, Silver. I think sometimes, deities like to test our faith to see if we really believe."

Silver frowned at that. "Why test literal children? What do we owe to some sadist in the sky? The three of us aren't even two years old yet."

The therapist offered a smile - but with Silver's social aptitude, he could tell it was forced. Fake, even. Did all these people read from a script? Maybe they felt they had to fall back on their training when it came to facing him. Silver's optics wandered again, struggling to stay focused when these points were like alarm bells in his mind.

"To make you all stronger."

Oh. Well that suggestion jettisoned a bitter feeling in the robot's tanks. Looking for a distraction, Silver's optics fell down to the necklace the woman wore. He paused for a moment, processing. A human religion? The symbol was unfamiliar to him. It seemed that there were plenty of opinions in this world. He was thus entitled to his own, surely?

"That's just wrong. It didn't make us stronger. We've all been torn apart by different people and different situations. We had to build ourselves back up - literally - and all we have from that is pain. We made ourselves stronger in spite of what happened to us. No supreme being played a single hand in that-"

The therapist quickly cut him off. "That's a very interesting perspective. But, I think that's all we have time for this week, Silver. Same time next week?"

Silver held air in his vents before letting it out in a sigh. Disappointment, perhaps. This one didn't last more than five minutes.

"Sure. Thanks for your time, ma'am."

"Not a problem."

Slinging his bag back over his shoulder, Silver stood up to leave - but then he paused for a moment, looking back at his therapist with a small, nervous smile.

"Uh, did I do good?"

"Yes. I just need to assess your case."

She looked unsure. Nervous, even.

"Oh. Okay. I was just, uh, worried. I've seen a lot of different people about this now and they keep dropping me-"

"Same time next week. I'll see you then."

Not the most convincing response. It was getting more difficult to hold on to hope that someone could really help him navigate his issues - but hey, without hope, he didn't have much else sometimes. Silver took his leave on that note, half-expecting her to text him to say she couldn't take his case later on, and half-expecting some kind of miraculous breakthrough. Oh well. His optics lit up at the sight of Mecha waiting for him outside. At once, they picked themselves up from sitting on the ground and took Silver's hand in theirs. Somehow, seeing his brothers always lifted Silver's spirits. Other people would never understand what they had gone through, but the brothers were entwined in heart and soul and code. And appointments, apparently.

"So? Aren't you gonna ask me how it went, M?" Silver asked hopefully.

Mecha shook their head. "Negative. My auditory sensors were capable of detecting your conversation. It took a different route than usual, I noted."

"You and your scanners! No privacy around here..." Silver murmured, but quickly perked back up. "M, you're smart. Tell me, what role does a deity play in our lives? The lady got all supernatural on me and it's psyched me out a little."

Mecha paused, thinking. Silver looked to him with interest and intrigue.

"We were created by a human. No deity or supernatural being contributed to our construction. Consider this: a machine created by a deity would be capable of exhibiting further ingenuity than man could ever ascribe to it," Mecha explained dutifully, "thus, no deity played a role in our construction, as per this hypothesis."

Silver tilted his head. "When Neo had his breakdown, he said he would rule over the world as the most supreme being. What was up with that?"

Mecha gave a nod of affirmation. "Imagine a god who has abdicated all obligations towards its creations making a triumphant return in the guise of software. Conceptualize all of the changes that could be made to this world - faster and more efficient cures, results, and reactions. Beyond supporting Neo as their sibling, this was my thought process. That we would alter this world in a manner that mattered. I regret my complacency in their endeavours. I now understand that they were unwell."

"And did it- did that situation make him stronger?" Silver asked, intrigued by his brother's wisdom.

"Negative. However, the pain has had its place. I have learned that nature cannot exist without pain. The two concepts are intertwined in complicated manners."

The pair spotted Neo standing atop a hill outside the city beneath a sturdy oak tree, unsubtle navy blue and white against the ambering horizon. They both took off into flight at once to rendezvous with him. Mecha bumped their forehead to Neo's as per their silent greeting. Silver paused for a moment, looking at Neo with refreshed wonder.

Nature in itself was an expression of the universal machine, an algorithmic immanence. All of it an immense calculus, a code. So, Neo was a child, machine, survivor, counterfeit not-god. An oil-driven contradiction in a living world, but still just a child finding their place. Neo curled his hand into a fist and scrubbed his little brother's head between the ears with it, whilst Silver laughed and playfully growled at him.

The pain had its place, for it is what one does with it that matters.

Silver looked back to the city with perked ears. "Hey, guys? I'm still full of beans 'cause of my cat nap. Can we go explore Westopolis? I heard the Fire in the Sky Festival is tonight, I wanna see what that's like too. You know, as a fire sign.."

Neo and Mecha exchanged looks. Neo shrugged a shoulder and Mecha nodded.

"Affirmative. I shall accompany you," Mecha decided kindly.

Neo nodded. "I will stay here in case you need my... talents. And to witness the festival from a distance. Be safe."

The blue machine took rest behind a conveniently sized rock, leaned their head back, and proceeded to sort through their cache for files to delete. They would await any communication from Mecha if it came. The Festival was of little concern to the ex-killer at this point. Too many people in one location.

Neo shuffled a little to assume a comfortable position before pinging Mecha. "I will speak to you before the Black Comet passes through the sky. If I ping satellites, I should be able to find its coordinates before you can even detect it."

"Does this not spoil the surprise for him, brother?" Mecha replied, quicker than usual - something that made Neo's heart unexpectedly warm.

"I want Silver to see it. Ensure that he has an optimal view in time," Neo responded.

Upon the eye of the evening remained the strength of day yet the softness of night. The hush of deepening blue brought eventide to life.

Beneath the harmony of cerulean and amber, the city came alive with music and light. Each vivid hue collected its boarding pass for the city of dreams. A newspaper blew by in a gust of unusually strong wind, where it found a temporary home stuck to somebody's leg. It lingered for a moment before blowing away into the distance. The recipient did not notice, for their attention was fixed on the city of Westopolis. In the city, the Festival was just beginning to come alive. Birthed with orange lanterns that dotted the roads and pathways and bonfires in back gardens, it was a truly charming sight to behold.

Neo was alerted to the sudden movement by their peripheral scanners. They looked around the rock and watched as the person standing a few feet away cringed and squeezed his eyes shut. He tilted his head just a little and squinted an optic. Were the city lights really that harsh on the person's eyes? Did the newspaper hurt? Neo frowned with his optics.

"Who am I... and why can't I remember anything? And who is this Maria?"

Shadow the Hedgehog. Another person who played a hand in Neo's downfall... but Neo put that dagger to rest. Shadow was just as lost as Neo was. So, Neo sank back - this seemed private. But he was curious and had not seen the hedgehog for several months now. Perhaps he would give up something on Eggman's current plans. Neo had known of his presence for the past half an hour and allowed him to stay. A test, perhaps, of the ex- overlord's patience and social battery.

He did privately wish that the hedgehog would choose a different spot to brood in, though.

The robot's attention was sharply drawn to the sky above upon noticing a drastic change in pressure and wind direction. His HUD immediately roused alerts of a potential hurricane or other natural disasters. Dark crimson clouds loomed over the atmosphere, gathering over the city, where a white opening formed in the center. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed within the clouds, a cacophony of sound - which gave way to a mass of unusual beings who descended and immediately laid siege to the city.

The hedgehog watched the carnage with disgust. Neo's frame moved before he commanded it to, but he stayed himself. Mecha was out there with Silver, they would know what to do to stay safe. He just needed to stay here at ground zero and gather some more data...

Shadow shook his head and scoffed. "Look how pathetic they are. I don't have time for these humans..."

A strange response, Neo thought. Shadow had helped to save the world from him not too long ago. Was his amnesia getting worse?

Neo's vision wavered and blurred with static for a moment, and then he felt a surge of energy roll over him - something sick and dark. The air before them shimmered and blurred. Out of this wavering anomaly came forth a being the robot had never laid optics on before. The being wore a dark brown robe with shoulder pads and golden accents - the latter of which did nothing to hide the wear and tear of its garment, Neo noted. A maroon scarf hung around its neck, and golden chains with a set of spiked medallions hung amongst double black cord necklaces. These chains and cords were adorned with red, blue, and purple ornaments. By its side was an apparent extension of it, with a large red eye in the center and star-like protrusions from its form - Doom's Eye.

A horrid replica of something supposedly regal. A false god. Trying to be something it was not - the robot could dryly relate in their own way. Then, Neo looked to its face, its triangular head with leathery skin and horns protruding from the sides. He dryly noted the resemblance to what humans would call "demons." Perhaps Silver's little dance with religion wasn't so useless or misplaced for today.

"Shadow..." The creature spoke. Its voice was distinctly deep, harsh, and angry - extremely demanding for someone who had apparently only just met the hedgehog.

Neo leaned forward in interest. Did Shadow play a role in this destruction? The robot's distrust of others immediately set in. His claws flexed and tensed without his input, ready to defend himself if necessary, and he had to mentally remind himself to stay focused. Stay put. Gather the data, gather the intel. You can figure out what the fuck is going on here and return to your brothers.

Doom advanced on Shadow with outspread arms. "As you can see, the Day of Reckoning will soon be here. Find the seven Chaos Emeralds and bring them to me, as promised."

Shadow recoiled in surprise, a frown clear on his face. "Huh? Who are you? How do you know my name? And what are you talking about?"

Neo rolled his optics. All very pertinent questions, hedgehog, but this is clearly the bad guy. Do not fall for it.

Doom's Eye terminated the apparent projection of the real Black Doom and floated away. Then, several explosions set off around Shadow - which Neo dodged with assassin perfection - to prevent Shadow from chasing after it. Then, the smoke cleared. Neo hoped and prayed that the smog of deceit would clear from Shadow's mind as well-

"Just what was that all about? If he says he knows the truth about who I am... then like it or not, I have to believe him."

Neo shuttered his optics in disbelief. To themselves, they signed, "you idiot..."

Shadow clenched a fist decidedly and lifted his head with renewed confidence. "The only way I'm going to get the secret of my past is to get those Chaos Emeralds!"

"Hedgehog, WAIT-"

Neo's robotic call fell on deaf ears, as Shadow was already skating down the slope of the hill toward the city in a flash of yellow inhibitors and red shoes. The impulsiveness of it all first shocked Neo, then caused him to deflate with a robotic sigh. There were several other ways to obtain data on Shadow's past - such as the supercomputer hiding behind a rock right next to him. This was going to be a long evening. He reached to his ear to comm Mecha.

"Mecha, are you safe?"

"Affirmative. I have secured our brother with an optimal view."

"I-... I will be at your location soon. Until then, remain safe."

An explosion behind the two robots almost sent the younger one toppling over, if not for the older one catching him by his middle. The uptown section of Westopolis was alight in crimson and amber, a city of forest fire and demonic presence in a matter of moments.

"I'm assuming this isn't part of the Fire In The Sky Festival?!" Silver squeaked out.

Mecha shook her head as she set Silver up on his feet. "Negative. This is... something else."

"Great observation skills as always. What do we do?" Silver asked, brushing dirt from his armour with a grimace. So much for being presentable today.

Mecha looked around, scanning each new enemy, absorbing their weaknesses as data. "We do what we do best."

"Explode? We don't exactly have the best lighting for it, everything's already red and orange. To really make an impact, we need total darkness."

"Negative, brother. We must defend this place. Protect the citizens. Save our home. Life must be protected." Mecha responded factually. They shifted their stance so one foot was planted in front of the other and bent at the knees ever so slightly.

"Is this what I get for calling the gods "sadists in the sky" or what..." Silver lamented, scratching his head.

The small issue - the creatures were huge. Each infantry warrior was a humanoid creature with leathery green-crimson skin and bright yellow eyes. Their hands were large and tipped with sharp claws, while their arms and legs were adorned with rigid spines. Mecha watched neutrally as one swung a fist and knocked a nearby car ten feet in the air. Said car flew across the street and exploded against a wall.

Silver winced at the bright light. "Mecha? We don't have time to stand and process things, there's literal fire and flames and blood everywhere!"

The alien turned sharply to look at the two robots, and then moved toward them, fists drawn back to strike. The harsh shadow cast by flame lit the creature's silhouette in burning orange. Mecha darted to the left like lightning, around behind the Warrior's back, and hurled themselves into a killing spin-dash. The robot struck it square in the back and bounced off. Instantly, the Warrior roared in pain and surprise. Mecha spun around to assess the damage to find that one mere spin-dash had easily taken the being down. Not dead, but incapacitated. Its leader would surely tend to it later, if it was kind to any degree. Mecha hoped it was, for they would not abandon one of their own companions in this way.

Yet, in contrast to their softer heart, it was terrifying how quickly Mecha could strike when they decided to.

"Hey, that gives me an idea!" Silver eyed the street, now heaving with these alien creatures who wreaked havoc on all life in the city. "I say we take all these guys down with... efficiency."

Mecha's shoulders squared and her head lifted in approval. "Now you are speaking my language, so to speak."

In unison, without verbally announcing their plan, the brothers moved as one. They knelt down on one knee side-by-side, exchanged looks, and then broke into killer spin-dashes all the way down the street. Both robots scanned ahead to avoid civilians. Thank Chaos for their supercomputer abilities. At the same time, the brothers uncurled and skidded to a halt by a roadblock. Backlit by flame and smoke, the brothers had almost successfully cleared this street - for now.

Right on cue, a familiar blue machine leaped over their heads and tore down the street to tackle a straggler who was running toward them. Neo collided with the Warrior and the pair tumbled down the asphalt until only one rose to stand unscathed. Neo looked to his brothers with brightly glowing optics and glinting claws.

"You missed a spot," Neo remarked in a comm to Mecha.

Silver jumped up to his feet and gave a "woo" down the street to his brother. "And one by one they all become a black mark on the floor!"

Mecha spun around and punched another Warrior who crept up on them from behind the roadblock. "But when it is just too much to take they sneak up from behind."

"Is it me, you say, you're lookin' for..." Silver sang with a grin as a Warrior peered around from behind a car at them, "lemme show you who I am and what I'm here for... here for..." The Warrior quickly fled into the darker crevices of the city at the lyrics.

"Really?" Neo signed with narrowed optics.

Mecha collected themselves. "I-... Indeed. We must apply a level of seriousness to this situation. It appears the invasion has spread through to Downtown Westopolis from here. People are thus in danger."

"You know this is serious because the sky is red," Silver remarked casually, "listen, nothing good ever happens when the sky turns red."

Neo strode towards them, privately sweeping his optics over his brothers to check for injuries first before speaking. Good, they were unharmed. If they were not, Neo would have laid waste to every enemy in its path. With that information secured, they turned to more current matters. Their sentence was too long to finger-spell quickly, so they spoke in code and let Mecha translate to Silver after. "I believe Shadow the hedgehog is playing a role in this sudden invasion, somehow. In what way, I do not yet know. These aliens appear to want the Chaos Emeralds from him."

"Shadow?" Silver looked to both of them with curiosity. "How? He doesn't even know what day it is, probably."

"The leader of the aliens called him by his name," Neo explained carefully. He squinted an optic in thought as he signed his words, mulling over the implications of that himself. Shadow had not known who this being was, so it was a strange situation to witness. "He thinks the leader can tell him who he is."

"Couldn't any of us here do the exact same thing?" Silver asked with a small smirk. He planted a hand on his hip in a very Sonic-like fashion.

Neo released the air he had been unconsciously holding in his vents and nodded.

Mecha stepped forward. "Indeed. However, it is unlikely that Shadow would believe us at our word. As far as he is concerned, we likely remain his enemies, as per the Incident several months ago. According to the data I possess on his nature, Shadow will accuse us of fabricating our evidence. He likely seeks answers from this potential higher power rather than those he already knows of."

"I think we should find Shadow and see what the fuck he's up to in all of this right now," Silver suggested, shifting his weight onto his other foot, "'cause by the sounds of it, he's been given some kind of order by that leader dude. We need to know if he's a threat to the people or not."

"I think we should have all napped like you and stayed in sleep mode..." Neo murmured, rubbing their face with a hand. So much for a simple afternoon excursion to the therapist's office. Now the whole city was on fire. At least, for once, it wasn't his own doing.

"I concur," Mecha replied, "however, our role in this is currently clear. We must act to prevent total annihilation."

Disregarding his brothers' hesitance, Silver stood proudly. "Superbot, Sparky, and Murder Machine are back in action! Let's go fuck this shit up and stop this... alien invasion thing! The Festival must go on!"

Mecha chuckled and nudged Silver forwards. "Never change, Superbot. Let us proceed."

"I can't wait to tell my new therapist about this."

"Please refrain," Mecha murmured, shaking her head.

[heredis-sanguinis]

[Headcanon] Creation of Briar

Note: This is a personal headcanon in relation to Vlad's involvement of the creation of Briar. If she is your muse, do not assume I automatically only consider the following as canon for interactions with Vlad. This is merely for this blog's passive development.

-From the journal of Vladimir, the Crimson Reaper, hemomancer master of the Black Rose-

[Noxus Prime - 988 AN - Spring] Emilia desires to remove the pup Jericho Swain from the board. He is deemed a liability towards the Rose's goals. Sion is not a potent tool to use, with his interment and volatile nature. She desires something more potent. More powerful and swift in dealing with the boy. More, controllable. Another living weapon created for her schemes. I ache to create once again. Perfect.

[Noxus Prime - 988 AN - Summer] I have begun my tests and experiments with hemomancy to create the ultimate living weapon. The deceased were not up to standards. They lacked a will of their own, even with their minds restored. Like Sion before them, they lingered on their dying thoughts and emotions. I need to further explore my options. I have demanded to work alone, as the underlings are unskilled and unknowing to these rituals and spells. Something I have made sure to never divulge onto others that I mentored. She reluctantly complied.

[Noxus Prime - 988 AN - Autumn] Progress! From my tomes of the past I found one from the days of my stay in Helia. It spoke of golems; inanimate behemoths given life to perform mundane tasks and act as guardians. Usually made of stone and iron and wood. I have altered them into that which I fully control and can shape to my heart's desire: blood. The first specimens look promising. They are being cultivated into grown forms and will commence battle simulation and survivability soon.

[Noxus Prime - 988 AN - Winter] The subjects are flawed. They show resilience and destructive capability. But remain unstable. They can not naturally recover wounds inflicted and those that remain unscathed show to be unstable and cease to function eventually. The process of creating them is too cumbersome to allow that to happen and 'just' remaking them when needed. No, I require a more permanent solution. Add stability and a form of sustain. But not one that relinquishes dependability from us, from me. I may have an idea to make this happen.

[Noxus Prime - 989 AN - Summer] She seems stable. Unrelenting hunger for destruction and the potential to inflict it. Beautiful. I have added my own genetic code into the creation process for the blood golem; hair, blood, skin. A small amount of each. They appear to function as a stabilizer and allow me to make modifications more precise and efficient. A side effect is certain traits shared: white hair and pale eyes. To be expected from a creature made of hemomancy given flesh. It also allows me to sense and detect her more precise and stronger. She will be able to sustain and heal through the consumption of blood. Any source suffices, and of any type as well. Her genetics composition allows the adapting of it into her own native one. She lacks hemomancy control. Unsure if naturally or inability. Perhaps it is better this way, for she lacks emotional control as well to make sound decisions. She is exactly what she was created to be: a weapon, living and breathing to enact the will of us, the Black Rose. She will need no handmade weapon. Teeth that can bite through armour, claws that can rend flesh apart. They are all she'll need. Speed and efficiency will be her forte, so she has ill need of tools that can obstruct or slow down. I will keep her dormant as I finish her form. I will name her Briar.

[milfnecromancer]

Also I am curious on your thoughts on the designs for Stronghold in VI and VII. Obviously different designs because one is the Pao Islands Orcs and one are the Ranaar orcs, but you can still compare the two.

VI is probably the first Heroes game that made me actually enjoy Stronghold. They felt far too dry in the other games, especially due to them leaning into the “no magic” thing. VI having them have Prime magic as a barred school is much more interesting, letting their casters sacrifice power for diversity.

I actually really like the concept of VI being tropical island orcs and VII being desert ones, and them having adapted differently to these environments! It makes it possible to keep iconic creatures like the harpy and the centaur but still making them distinct.

My personal favourite is the harpy/fury, both versions look nice and make sense for their environment, but this applies to the centaurs and the brute/mauler as well, although the VII units are in general a bit plainer, but that is an overall theme in VII. (also a harpy based on a tropical bird is such a cool thing to me so the VI harpy will always be very special to me)

The goblins are also an iconic feature of stronghold and I'm glad they kept them in the form of the basilisk riders.

As for new creatures, the gnoll is a pretty good replacement for the jaguar warriors, which were never my favourite, they are a bit boring and not distinguished enough from the maulers imo, I like the concept of the hyena beastman a lot more, although the actual design could be a bit more interesting (like making the clothes a more vibrant colour or something).

On the other side the sand wyvern and the behemoth made no impact for me whatsoever, they look way too generic, I wish they at least had some cool armour. also there is already a big desert lizard in the form of the basilisk, making the wyvern even less distinct.

They really didn't change much with the cyclops and the dreamwalker, so I don't really have anything to say lmao.

(on an unrelated note am I insane or does this concept art look weird somehow, as if his chest was too smooth)

On the heroes, I am still salty that there are no longer 9 unique designs I really like the different masks (and the warmonger's mask looking somewhat demonic) as well as the difference in colour palettes between tears/blood/balanced (as opposed to for example inferno, where tears and balance look very similar, tears is just a bit more orange)

Despite that I like the design for the VII shaman very much, especially the female version's top, something feels off about the barbarian though, it would have looked better with less mail armour.

This is also a good point to talk about something that I will probably expand on in another post, namely that I don't like how VII made the female forms notably different from the male ones, mostly by giving them smaller/less bulkier armour and accessories as well as excessive cleavage (very obvious with the barbarian). Now this is not a new or unexpected in video games and VI definitely had instances of weird boob armour, but i feel it did an overall better job at equality.

Overall I like Stronghold in VI very much as well, yeah it would have been a shame if they didn't have magic at all :)