#armax

[historicalfirearms]

The Mysterious Burton Machine Rifle ft. Danny Michael of the Cody Firearms Museum

In this video we talk to Danny Michael, curator of the Cody Firearms Museum, about the mysterious Burton Machine Rifle - our own research into the rifle and how it links to the republishing of some important, out of print volumes of the ARMAX journal. 

Find out more about ARMAX - Check out the reprint Kickstarter campaign

[matthewmoss]

Thrilled to once again have contributed to the ARMAX Journal. I have a new article looking at the history and development of the intriguing but little known Benson-Poppenburg rifle. A 19th century breechloader tested by both the UK and the Netherlands.

Find out more about the journal at www.armaxjournal.org

[valka-arialitan]

Here's the piece I made for @sweatyhanded for ShenkoSummer 2023 ! :D

Original post on AO3 !

After a few rounds in the Armax Arsenal Arena, Shepard and Kaidan finally get to be just the two of them together again, without millions of fans watching them trough their TV screens.

While walking out of the arena, Shepard compliments Kaidan about that one move he pulled a bit earlier, and takes the occasion to give him a quick kiss.

At least he tries to.

Kissing while wearing armor isn't an easy thing, but awkwardly trying surely lightens the mood.

[flame2ashes]

Too many "Shepard is Grunt's mom" jokes and not enough "Shepard is Grunt's dad" jokes. I need a picture of Shepard wearing a sling bag and a shirt that says "I'm not the stepdad, I'm the dad that stepped up" while he and Grunt are at the zoo

[major-alenko]

my favorite part of mass effect is the plot

[gwendolyn-of-loxley]

They just finished the Fatal Error mission. Shore leave is never boring, am I right?

I don't know why I haven't posted this--I commissioned the incredible @thatwildwolfart to do the FIRST EVER artistic rendition of my Shepard! I'm so so so glad to see John finally come to life.

[gammaraydeath]

clenches fist. I love grinding

[bytesie]

You can pay me back later.

[sol-consort]

Shepard actually gets turian fan mail if they get far enough progress in the Armax combat sim at the arcade in the citadel DLC and said turian signs it off with a picture of his bloody thumb print as a “DNA indicator that it’s from him”

Could've given a DNA sample the more fun way instead!~ too bad devs are cowards

[mxkoifish]

this is what it's all about, your mutual going ham on all your good reblogs

[twcheaded-a]

toxic — does your muse have any unhealthy coping mechanisms? what are they? do they know that they’re unhealthy or not? / miles

Technical Machine character development questions (still accepting!)

This is a really great question for him, and Miles would say that he doesn't have any unhealthy coping mechanisms. And for the most part, he's right, he'll go to the gym and/or train. But he would also say that he's doing well and doesn't need coping mechanisms. Which is.. untrue. With all of that said, sex and drinking are both unhealthy coping skills he engages in. He does not see these as unhealthy, though.

[husband-steve-cortez]

*remembers cryo ammo incinerate Steve isn’t a real dlc companion and cries*

[fllagellant]

Mass effect VI voice “ IT’ S PRIDE FEST NIGHT IN THE ARMAX ARSENAL ARENA ! “

[clericofshadows]

all I do is create wips and renders to add on to the update pile... but I decided to give the best squadmates another custom version of one of shepard's N7 sets, the armax arsenal. ash gets a refitted male version, and both have an alliance marine style motif instead of the spectre styled armors I've done for them in the past.

idk when these will actually be added to their armory mods but the renders turned out quite nice :)

[spookyvalentine]

fifty (oops again) questions for commander shepard

I said I was done!!! Alexa play Britney

Round one, two, three and four

OH spoilery things ahead n in all fyi

1. What is Shepard’s favorite store on the citadel?

2. What is the public’s opinion/awareness of Shepard?

3. Armax arsenal arena: do they participate? How do they like it?

4. Shepard wakes up in an alternate universe. What tips them off?

5. What kind of relationship does Shepard have with Javik?

6. The first thing a person notices about Shepard’s appearance:

7. How approachable are they?

8. What is the difference between me1 and me3 Shepard? Do they notice, or does someone have to point it out?

9. Did/does Shepard have any alien biases?

10. How do they handle a teammate being badly injured during a mission?

11. Who is in their inner circle?

12. What does Udina think of them?

13. What does Shepard think of Saren?

14. Is Shepard’s first death publicized? (Since in game seems both people know about it and the alliance covered it up)

15. Did they have any relationships pre-me1? Still around?

16. What additions did Cerberus give Shepard?

17. Have they done any interviews? How did the first one go? And the most recent?

18. What do they think of the alliance?

19. What are they like, when in a bad mood? How obvious is it?

20. Does Shepard’s armor hold any significance to them? What about a weapon?

21. What was Shepard like before the alliance?

22. What was the post-lazarus reunion between shepard and joker like?

23. Ever had a broken heart?

24. Are they funny?

25. Have they made pursuits into further education? Any degrees?

26. Does Shepard have a Twitter account

27. The last time they were rude to someone:

28. Does Shepard have any family?

29. Does the alliance use their image for propaganda/recruitment? Did they agree to/want it?

30. A moment that almost made Shepard quit:

31. Ask Dr. Chakwas: what kind of patient is Shepard?

32. Is Shepard the type to give speeches?

33. What does the council think of their first human spectre?

34. What was Jack’s first impression of shepard? And now?

35. How was that mako joyride from ilos to the citadel?

36. What was going through Shepard’s head, when they met Sovereign on Virmire?

37. What is their favorite way to eat potatoes

38. Lucky, or unlucky?

39. What would Shepard say their flaws are?

40. What’s their pain tolerance like?

41. Shepard’s been turned into an animal! What are they?

42. Does Shepard imagine what retirement will be like?

43. What would they rather: wake up four years into the past, or four years into the future? Why?

44. Does collateral damage matter to Shepard?

45. Do they vote?

46. Favorite bar/club in the galaxy and why:

47. Do they let others take care of them?

48. How does Shepard feel about paperwork?

49. What do they wear to sleep?

50. What was the last thing (non-email) shepard read? Book, play, poem, essay etc

(+1 would you bang your shepard? Lol jk we all know the answer to that. Share your favorite fact about them!)

[gwendolyn-of-loxley]

N7month Day 2: Arcade

    Hearing gunfire ring out in the stadium, Urdnot Wrex couldn’t help but smile wide as he walked into the arena lobby.  At the moment, the combat field was occupied by a group of asari commandos on shore leave; they’d managed to secure a position against simulated geth troops.  The old krogan made no effort to hide his disapproval, huffing in disappointment.  Sure, such tactics would have been effective against the synthetics of a few years ago, but the Armax simulations were constantly updated, and soon they were going to be overrun by the newer pyro units if they didn’t take at least some focus off of ranged combat.  Oh well.  They had to learn somehow. 

    Strolling up to a kiosk, Wrex quickly validated his member’s ticket that Shepard had gifted him not long ago.  While the forces of Tuchanka needed leadership, Wrex had led companies of troops long enough to prioritize a clear mind and a healthy body, so he’d decided to stick around for a few days after the whole clone business had been taken care of.  It’d be nice to practice with some of the simulated weapons that weren’t always available to him out on the frontline.  That N7 Typhoon (courtesy of Shepard’s pass privileges) was looking delightfully heavy. 

    Before he could head down to the locker rooms, a very familiar crest passed through his periphery, and he couldn’t help but notice the young ‘un.  Grunt had done excellently in Clan Urdnot ever since his rites, and his rescue of the rachni queen was no small feat.  Most krogan didn’t see action like that across centuries, especially not so young.  

    Wrex wanted to say hello.  

    Fortunately, Grunt saw the elder as he approached.  The battlemaster-to-be was still a bit jittery when surprised, a development that had formed after he’d encountered indoctrinated rachni young.  Wrex couldn’t exactly blame him.  In fact, it occurred to the clan-head that such an instinct would serve Grunt well if honed properly.  A lot of adult krogan had gotten themselves killed while under the delusion that centuries of natural body armor made them invincible.  It did not.  

    “Grunt,” he opened.  “A pleasant surprise.  Are you watching, or waiting to try the arena?”

    “I’m watching,” Grunt said.  He turned away from Wrex, but continued to speak.  “For now.  I wanted to get a feel for the different fields before I got myself a place in line.  If people are watching, I want them to know what Urdnot can really do.”

    Trying not to stare, Wrex was impressed.  There were not many occasions when Grunt expressed something resembling humility.  It gave him an idea.  

    “Well, you know what they say about statistics,” Wrex said.  A smug smile found its way on his lips.  “You’ve got to have a big enough sample size.”  

    Grunt turned back to look at him.  After a moment of processing his elder’s words, the krogan laughed, low and deep, a melody full of mischief.  

    The pair had decided to enact their display of murderous enthusiasm on the “Wingman” map; neither had too much experience on the arena floor, and it was the most frequently used map in the set, being freely available to both casual players and professional athletes.  They’d spent about a half-hour watching matches, memorizing potential spawn points and discussing cover options.  Grunt had attempted to call dibs on the Claymore shotgun, with Wrex attempting to pull superior rank as his clan leader.  In the end, they’d decided to make a competition out of it, seeing who could get more kills with the same gun.  

    When the speakers chimed, the two Tuchankan sons rushed forward with incredible zeal.

    The first batch of enemies spawned to the left of their starting point, down on the lower level of the setup.  Grunt rushed straight for them, vaulting over the rail of the balcony to close the distance between the two.  Wrex couldn’t help but shake his head, hearing the runt roar as he charged.  The leader of clan Urdnot strode forward, approaching the ramp, seconds from intercepting one of the simulated Reaper husks.  With a casual hipfire of his Claymore, Wrex’s lips curled into a satisfied smile while mass-propelled rounds ripped through hostile data.  The sound of his approach drew the attention of some of the enemies who had been focused on Grunt, and Wrex planted his feet, happily gunning down the crowd of human husks that tried to rush him.  The high-powered shot cut them down with ease, giving Wrex a moment of relaxation while Grunt wrestled the marauder he’d rushed to the ground.  The youthful krogan managed to get a shot off, looking up at his smug clan leader with obvious frustration.  Wrex shrugged, the announcer notifying them that the round had ended.  

    By the time the next round started, the pair had replaced their thermal clips, now set against each other.  With the next wave spawning back onto the upper level, the krogan duo found themselves backtracking.  Wrex hated backtracking; there was always a feeling that no matter where you turned, the enemy had somehow gotten behind you.  It was a problem for both hardened veterans as well as rookies, though some were able to shrug it off.  “Some,” apparently, included Grunt, who continued to rush forward, but did so at a more cautious pace.  Marauder after marauder fell to boom after boom, their shields thinner than upper-atmosphere compared to the stopping power of the Claymore.  Wrex huffed, swallowing his anxiety for the sake of a higher killcount.  

    By the time his thick krogan legs brought him to the fray, he’d managed to give the “wippersnapper” (human word, but he liked it) enough of a head start to catch up to him.  Again, he was impressed; the kid worked fast.  In fact, Wrex was so impressed that he didn’t notice the brute sneaking around to his side.  Air shot out of his four longs as the thing used its massive claw to swipe him into the railing of the upper level.  Not one to be distracted by a surprise attack, Wrex let the railing take some of his weight, promptly raising his shotgun and firing.  The virtual skull burst open before the digital corpse discorporated, and the wave pulled to a close.  Thunderous laughter came from the younger Urdnot, drawing a glare from the crimson krogan.

    Stretching their necks and rolling their shoulders, the duo readied themselves for the final wave of adversaries.  Charging down the main stairwell, the krogan were met by a squad of marauders and a trio of brutes.  Grinning at the prospect of the impending carnage, Wrex employed one of his stimulant packs, delighting at the sensation of feeling 300 years younger.  With the brutes taking their sweet time, the marauders were dropped fairly quickly, blue swirls of holographic feedback lighting up against the screen-born sunset of the arena.  It would have been fairly trivial to outlast the brutes if a terrible scream hadn’t filled the air.  

    Wrex ducked behind a corner as a burst of blue light soared across the field, colliding with Grunt and dropping him to the ground.  The chilling visage of a banshee hissed at the krogan contestants, floating in the air with a menacing form of biotic power.  Seeing that Grunt was still getting up off the ground (standing up was not the strong-suit of the krogan), the wicked simulacrum charged the young Urdnot.  

    Realistically, Wrex knew there was no danger.  It was a game, and while the hardlight nature of the simulation could rough someone up, it would be truly impressive to kill someone, especially a krogan.  But Wrex didn’t really care, because in a real fight, you don’t hesitate to help your clan.  You don’t hesitate to throw out the competition when the galaxy is at stake.  

    Before the banshee could reach Grunt, a shot rang through the air, a smoking Executioner pistol in Wrex’s hand.  The banshee dissolved before it could hit the ground. 

    “That one doesn’t count,” Grunt said, standing to his feet.  “Different weapon.”

    “Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome, Junior.  Now help me kill these things.”

    Turning his attention to the brutes, Grunt loaded another round from his thermal clip and stalked forward.  The brute closest to him growled, preparing to pounce, but recoiled in pain when Wrex threw out a biotic carnage charge, lighting it in a burst of flame.  After downing it with another shotgun blast, Grunt dropped his gun, letting it clatter to the ground.  Reaching behind his back, he pulled out a pair of grenades, tossing them underneath the second brute, detonating into its chest.  Wrex fired off another round from the Executioner pistol, finishing off the combatant, and threw it off to his side.  Together, the krogan let out their own roars, charging the final brute, hands empty and bare.  

    It didn’t stand a chance.