#project halberd

[gethoce]

Project Halberd, Chapter 3: Protobot Armour

First - Previous

Upon arriving in the next room the trio is met with rows upon rows of containers filled with colourful vehicle parts attached to a rail system that is meant for transport from one point to another following a path on the ceiling of the hall. Excitedly Axe Knight points at them giving Meta Knight an enthusiastic look as he whispers to him. “Those can bring us straight to Mace Knight's location! We just have to sneak inside and let the machines do the rest.”

The blue knight observes the vehicle parts with great attention. It seems as though they were just large enough for the duo to remain obscured within a corner. A perfect hiding spot. All they need to do is to get past the workers first. Looking left and right he spots two Haltworkers eagerly moving differently coloured parts around and checking each for damages and imperfections. He would just have to find the right moment to sneak past them. As he whispers back to the skull-faced warrior he lifts a hand, not lifting his gaze from the Haltworkwers for even a second. “Which of these containers do you suggest we head for?”

The rail system has space for eight containers simultaneously, with six present at the time. Axe Knight analyses each from afar with a stern expression. The Haltworkers seem to move parts from containers featuring a single colour to one that holds a variety of differing colours. That is the one Axe Knight points towards as he replies, silently. “This one is being prepared for transport to the next section. Perhaps if we could cause a distraction these workers would look away just long enough for us to sneak inside.”

Meta Knight's gaze falls upon their new robot friend, who stares back at him attentively. He didn't need to speak a word, JAV138 begins to make its way towards one of the parts laid out for further damage inspection and pretends to get stuck on one of its corners, knocking it over onto the ground with a loud thud. In shock both Haltworkers turn their attention towards the robot, who innocently continues to float around. Hastily the two rush to the fallen part, lifting it off the ground nervously checking for damages while cursing the security unit under their breaths.

In the meantime Meta Knight signals for Axe Knight to get going. With swift yet silent steps they make their way to the container and climb into the corners of one of the lower hanging vehicle parts. The horned warrior moves his hands in front of his mouth holding back a chuckle. This had been the funniest thing he had done all week. Meta Knight, however, keeps his cool carefully continuing to listen in on what is going on outside of the container.

They can hear the two Haltworkers chatting before placing another part into the container. Soon after they can hear a gate shutting down. Axe Knight's eyes light up and he gives Meta Knight a triumphant thumbs up. Now it is only a matter of time until they will be transported to Mace Knight's location! Though he can't help but worry about JAV138. What if the robot behaves in a suspicious manner causing workers and security to become suspicious? Meta Knight is confident that the robot will find its way back to them eventually.

A couple minutes later a robotic arm appears above the container and lifts it up into the air before beginning to move the box away from this section of the factory. The two knights dare to peak out now that there are no more eyes on them and watch the many workers and machines go through their monotonous routines. Before too long Axe Knight points at their next destination, whispering loudly to not get drowned out by the sounds of the rails above. “There will be another worker there, but they will be busy preparing these parts for further assembly. At my signal we get outta here and sneak through the nearest gate. It should lead directly to Mace Knight's work station.”

Meta Knight nods, eyeing the gate closely. He can make out a figure clad in purple screwing lamps onto a vehicle part that looks much like the one they are currently hiding in. Shortly after the container is lowered into position and the gate opens once again. Axe Knight lifts a finger, carefully observing the motions of the Haltworker responsible for this section. They take out a part from a different box and begin to carry it to yet another machine.

As the worker turns their back to their container, Axe Knight signals for the two to leave. With his heart racing he rushes around a corner through the next gate and hides pressed against the other side of the wall, observing the area while keeping an eye open for Meta Knight who follows closely behind him. He lets out a sigh and then finally lays eyes upon his friend in need.

Mace Knight is right there, still wasting away doing his job, not noticing them yet. Without much further hesitation Axe Knight swiftly sneaks towards his side, heart pounding in his chest. The worker almost shrieks in surprise as he notices his friend. Axe Knight is here! Truly here! He can hardly contain his excitement, holding his hands against his mouth before embracing him in a tight hug. Angrily he whispers into his ear as the viking furiously hugs back. “Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? If security catches wind of this you're finished!”

Remembering the alarm from earlier worry creeps up on the assembly worker. He takes a deep breath. As frightened as he is there is a faint hope growing within his heart. By no means does he believe that they can actually leave this factory alive. The container method can only be used one way, they would have to find a different path out. Axe Knight holds onto his friend's shoulders and gestures towards the approaching Meta Knight with a nod. “Not with this knight by our side. He'll make short proces with anyone who will stand in our way! We run to the nearest exit and he'll chip away at anyone who dares to come close!”

The tall purple worker looks at the mercenary, unsure about his strength. He does look fierce, but could he truly stand up against war machines? It may be a high risk, yet he can't miss out on this chance. He doubted Axe Knight's words before, it is about time he trusts him. With a heavy heart he accepts the proposal. “Okay, there is a route we could take that should have less eyes on us initially.”

The knight turns around to face into the direction opposite of where they came from. Axe Knight strikes a victory pose exclaiming with glee. “Yeah, we will show them what's what!” Swiftly Mace Knight leads the two intruders towards the direction of a backdoor, attempting to look as non-suspicious as possible in the process. He briefly stops at a wall full of lockers and withdraws something from within without a word. As he turns around Meta Knight is surprised to find a huge morningstar resting within his arms. The cyborg nods as briefly explains himself. “Now we can go. I'm not gonna go through this unarmed.”

Axe Knight gives him two thumbs up and then giddily rushes to the nearby backdoor. The idea of being so close to freedom fills him with intense excitement that threatens to burst out at any scond. As he swings the door open a loud thud can be heard. Startled, he turns back to the door looking it up and down, yet it appears to be fine. Meta Knight turns around at that moment, having heard the thud coming from even further behind them.

“Something's coming,” he whispers just before the sounds reach their ears once again, now recognisable as metallic steps. A large robotic suit of armour stomps into view piloted by none other than Cyborg Samurai, Mace Knight's coworker who left earlier. Axe Knight's and his friend's eyes flash a bright red as they are struck with the startling realisation. Both exclaim at the same time what it is they are being faced with; “The Protobot Armour!”

Meta Knight doesn't hesitate to draw his sword in sparkling flash of yellow light as the machine approaches, a sharp look gracing his face, determination dazzling within his eyes. The suit of armour raises its arms in a display of threat as the samurai gives them a final warning. “Is this how you honour the man who has saved your life, repaired your broken body and offered you food and shelter, Mace Knight? Return to your station this instant and I shall forget about your transgressions. The other two, however, will be crushed for daring to trespass onto this property!”

A cold shiver runs down Mace Knight's spine. Of course he was immensely grateful for everything President Haltmann had done for him, yet was it enough to surrender his freedom for duty? The answer didn't come easy to him initially, yet now he knows what he needs to do; leave and never come back. “Gladly I worked for him out of gratitude for years, Cyborg, same as you, but there is a point in time where an agreement turns into exploitation and you need to realise that! This is your chance to leave as well, Cyborg! Come with us.”

Axe Knight pumps his fist in the air, agreeing with his best friend wholeheartedly, if perhaps sceptical about the probability of this warrior changing sides given how prepared he is, yet he cheers loudly all the same. “He's right, Cy! You gotta see that.” The Protobot Armour takes a step further towards the group, weapons readied for combat, his voice full of aggression as he snaps back at them. “If that's your final answer, then you too shall perish!”

Cyborg Samurai slams the right fist of the armour to the ground where the trio is standing. Axe Knight and Mace Knight cower in fear, weapons raised defensively. This is the end, they think, sobbing as their demise appears to be imminent. They hear a loud thud, yet there is no pain. Both look themselves up and down before raising their faces to stare at their companion. Meta Knight stands tall between the two, sword held high with two hands against the fist, eyes glowing with willpower, gaze shifting to the two as he speaks to them with a serious tone. “Continue to head for the exit. We just need to slow him down enough, this isn't over yet.”

“This is impossible! Mountains crumble before the might of the Protobot Armour! How are you still standing?” The samurai shouts, retracting his fist in a swinging motion, stepping back while gritting his teeth beneath his helmet, growling. “Dumb luck, that's all that was. Watch this!” He lifts the left arm of the machine which features a cannon, the circular parts within spin and glow as the weapon charges up with a violent sound. “We gotta get outta here!” Axe Knight shrieks before making a mad dash towards the door, followed by a frightened Mace Knight.

Meta Knight, however, does not back off. Instead he watches closely for a moment, annoying Cyborg Samurai immensely. Much to the worker's shock the knight steps forward just as the cannon is supposed to go off and does a swift back-flip kicking the weapon upwards so it's forced to aim into the air. A loud booming sound is heard as the cannon goes off and smoke fills the room, obscuring Meta Knight. This is his chance to slip away.

Grumbling Cyborg Samurai bats the smoke away, stepping forward In search of the escaping knights. The sirens of an alarm can be heard, putting pressure onto both his own mind and that of the escapees in the distance. Meta Knight catches up with the duo, as they make their way towards the fence that surrounds the factory. He signals his arrival to them with a wave, both cheering in delight. “You made it!”

“I thought you were a goner for sure!” Mace Knight exclaims, “He is not someone to be underestimated! Told you so!” Axe Knight replies, while Meta Knight turns back to see whether they are being followed. For the first time today he is visibly surprised as he discovers the armour he thought to be slow and sluggish racing after them with extreme speed. Before he can react the robot bats him away into the direction of a garbage container with a loud bang.

The duo gasps, turning around as they run, their jaws would drop if they had any. “Meta Knight!” Axe Knight shouts, while Mace Knight lifts his weapon ready to strike, shivering in fear. A sinister chuckle overcomes the samurai. “Hehehe, you really thought you could escape someone wearing the Protobot Armour? You should consider it an honour to be obliterated by its hand!” He points his cannon at them once again, this time already halfway charged up. The duo gulps, ready to parry the attack, desperately hoping that it would work.

Suddenly a sword slashes through the weak joint connecting the cannon to the rest of the armour and it drops to the ground with a thud. Meta Knight swooped by within the blink of an eye, red cape flaring out behind him revealing two impressive bat-like wings, sword still held out to his side. The samurai stares at him dumbfounded. It takes a few seconds until he finds himself capable of commenting on the matter. “You- you actually damaged the Protobot Armour? That… that is unforgivable!”

With a growl he commands the remaining arm to lunge forward towards the knight. Swiftly Meta Knight jumps on top of the arm and from there onto the cockpit of the armour. Before the arm can reach him he has already pulled the samurai out of his seat and thrown him onto the ground. The armour, now without a pilot, shuts down and Meta Knight leaps off of it landing in front of the other warrior holding his sword to his face.

The cyborg finds himself laying face down on the ground, unarmed and at the edge of a blade, all he can do now is run or surrender. Meta Knight briefly looks up to check in on his two companions, only to find them still waiting for him. “Keep going even when I'm behind!” He shouts as he steps towards them. “We gotta stick together! This is about leaving nobody behind!” Mace Knight replies loudly. Sniffling, Axe Knight rubs his eyes, sobbing. “This is the most beautiful conclusion you could have come to, Mace.”

Grumbling Meta Knight looks behind himself. Several security units are on the way to their location, floating even over the buildings to reach the trespassers. With a huff he narrows his eyes and turns his heels stepping forward. Suddenly, a hand grabs his cape, keeping him from going any further. Cyborg Samurai holds onto him tightly, yelling at him with a demanding undertone. “Don't just leave without finishing me off! Do not dishonour me thus!”

Meta Knight narrows his eyes at the fallen samurai disapprovingly, his gaze briefly shifting towards the approaching security units. With swift steps Axe Knight and Mace Knight move in front of the two, weapons raised high to buy them some time, the latter yelling at his former colleague. “Stop that nonsense, Cyborg! Just come with us instead of pitying yourself to death!”

“It is not about self-pity!” The samurai shouts back, “I have dishonoured President Haltmann by my defeat, the very person who saved my life. I must regain this honour by paying with this very life.” With a sharp exhale Meta Knight reacts, turning around once again walking towards the exit, much to the samurai's shock. “There is no honour in killing when it is not necessary. I will not do such a thing,” he replies with a rough tone.

“No. I do not wish to be served by anyone for any reason,” Meta Knight replies coldly as he walks away, “Yet you may follow us out of here.” This is good enough for the samurai, for now. He nods and giddily follows the blue warrior. Meanwhile Mace Knight and Axe Knight begin to struggle with the incoming amount of enemy units. For every robot smashed with a morningstar or slashed with a battle axe two new enemies seem to appear. The four become more and more cornered in, with the fence just in reach.

The samurai's face lights up in awe as he watches Meta Knight leave. These words of this stranger, so oddly familiar and inspiring. As hesitant as he was to abandon his duty, the words of these knights are of truth. With all his strength he gets back up and stumbles after the unfamiliar warrior, mumbling with emotion.

“Your code of honour… You must have learned from the great Morpho Knight! You've spared my life and therefore I owe you like I did President Haltmann before. Please allow me to serve you instead from this day forward!” He bows down to the knight while his former coworkers clash their weapons with the security units, visibly surprised, yet hoping for the approval of the mysterious knight.

Meta Knight raises his sword to the side ready to jump into action as suddenly one of the units begins to shoot down most of the robots directly surrounding the group. It is JAV138 who came back for them! The knight smiles and sheaths his sword before taking hold of Axe Knight and Mace Knight, wings spreading out wide before he takes flight taking the two warriors with him. They yelp in surprise, but quickly regain their composure, holding onto the knight while looking back to the chaos they're leaving behind at the factory.

The Cyborg Samurai reveals a jetpack on his back, floating after the team with great speed and regained confidence, followed by the rogue security unit, JAV138 who sets a couple more shots flying as they leave the area. “They will likely not give up so easily. We need to leave the planet as soon as possible,” Meta Knight explains while leading the team back to where he left Captain Vul with the stolen spaceship.

Axe Knight cheers as the factory fades into the distance. “I can't believe we actually made it out of this alive! The second I saw that armour I thought we were done for!” His friend remains a little more wary, replying with a cautious tone. “We aren't safe yet. They will certainly report this to the GSA. We are going to be wanted criminals. Still better than rotting away in that factory, I suppose.”

—

As the group approaches the hidden away spaceship Captain Vul takes another drag from his cigar, eyes narrowed as he looks into the distance, noticing that Meta Knight has come with more companions than expected. “Should 'ave expected the unexpected wit' that lad…”

Swiftly he rushes inside and starts the ship for a quick escape, leaving the door open as the vehicle rises into the air for the warriors to enter. “Hurry! We will likely be followed!” Meta Knight exclaims to the captain as he drops the two warriors back down and wanders to his seat as the door closes with everyone safely inside. The captain groans disgruntled. “Are ye determined t' get us killed? I thought this was gonna be a stealth mission! How much ruckus did ye cause?”

The four rescued warriors look out the window trying to spot the factory, both excited and anxious, except for JAV138 who keeps a cool head. “The HWC is aware of our transgressions and is going to report this event to the GSA. Caution is advised.” The captain takes a deep breath and gives Meta Knight a stern look, muttering something under his breath.

Remaining confident Meta Knight folds his wings back underneath his red cape, giving the captain some hope with his words. “We shall head to Silverstar first, then come up with a new strategy there. I'd hope to discard this ship to avoid suspicion.” The captain sighs with a weak smile, setting everything in motion for a quick travel to another planet. “Headin' t' Silverstar.”

[heartorbit]

the star you've longed for

[ohnomysoul]

I like him a normal amount (lying)

[victusinveritas]

There it is, folks. Again, for like the billionth time. Project 2025 is full on Fascism with Trump as the new Douche in Chief.

Stockpile halberds and other things for community defense now, because it is going to be harder to get them once Trump wins. And you're going to want them to resist the death squads and disappearances that are sure to come (some are already here).

[kingbeeleth]

in the most lighthearted way possible i hate how my main interest for like the past year or two has been rhythm games because they are basically all i can bring myself to play anymore

[kirbs-blurbs]

The Kirby show birthed latin meta knight, and he will forever be my favorite meta knight

Im definitely mostly projecting as a puerto-rican, but Latinx Meta Knight is my personal favorite

for those who cant decipher my tiny writing:

- Top: Hanging up flag in halberd windows “Pinche-“

- Middle: Tends to lose time talking with friends

- Bottom: Forgets certain english words / No Sabo Kirby

- Right: Watching soap operas “Oh Dios Mio.”

[maybe-arts]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRBY!!!

It is currently 1:03 AM at my end on April 27th, and I'm just done with rendering this beast, so I feel I can unveil this project that took over a span of 3 weeks on Far-Flung Starlight Heroes server - this collab!

The idea of this collab was simple - every participant picks a character from the series and draws them onto a rough placement sketch, while I afterwards put all of them together onto a single canvas. Kirby and banner were there since the start and were open for interaction.

No one suspected I would do an entire background for it >:3c

List of participants:

@sourghostsoda - Dark Meta Knight and Morpho Knight @tinybandee - Sailor Dee and UFO @metaknights-halberd-insurance - Meta Knight @thesmaddee - Dedede @deafeninggardenerpanda - Mage Sisters @giantchasm - Taranza @/thecreatorlynne (on Insta, doesn't have tumblr) - Gooey and DMS @deefighter2739 - Ribbon and Adeleine @qui-gg - Elfilin and Bandee @ceragolor - Magolor @popdotastro - Marx @tastymarbar - Daroach @erythteria - Susie @spidersandtomatos - Galacta Knight I did Kirby, BG and rendering!

[eileen-crys]

Brian May

Rarity: 5☆

Weapon: Polearm

Vision: Dendro

Nation: Fontaine (Ousia) (resident in Sumeru)

Constellation: Melancholica Luna

Last but not least, Brian from my Queen x Genshin Impact crossover!

Brian is a very smart man from Fontaine, who moved to Sumeru at a young age after he got his Vision to study astronomy at the Akademiya -in the Rtawahist school, of course- and also to be surrounded by the green nature he so much loves. His favourite landscapes in Sumeru are the forests full of flowers that glow at night like the sky above.

He met Freddie and Roger in Sumeru thanks to his hobby, playing guitar. Brian also built his halberd with his own hands and it's an elegant weapon that can resonate like a guitar when whirled around, making music.

His design was quite challenging and I tried my best to mix the Dendro "natural" theme with a starry theme, using a foliage pattern and adding some stars all around. Given his Fontainian origin I tried to dress him like a person who found himself in a hotter environment, so his clothes are thin and airy. I was inspired by one of his Zhandra Rhodes jackets and some shirts he wore irl, he has obviously clogs, and is surrounded by kind of steampunky astronomic jewels and belts much like Mona or Layla. He also has his iconic Star pin at his neck, symbol of his solo projects.

Here you can see all the sketches with very early studies for all their designs and Here is a little overview of them as characters, with aesthetics and quick summaries. JOHN | FREDDIE | ROGER

Please don't steal/repost/trace, thank you! Reblogs and comments are welcomed! 💜

[gallusrostromegalus]

AEIWAM: Your spoiler meme post evokes a question: are Kikōō (Execution Phoenix Thing) and She Who Rules The Sky related?

For that matter, what IS the Sōkyoku/Kikōō?

Kiko'o and She Who Rules The Sky are siblings! Out of the same clutch of eggs produced by the union of the Elemental Spirit of Fire and Elemental Spirit of Air.

Kiko'o is why She Who Rules The Sky is so leery of the entire concept of Names and reused to name her son, even though she felt it was also sort of her responsibility to him as a human. She and Kiko'o used to fly freely, but during the Quincy Invasion, their half-brother Ryujin Jakka begged them for help, and her brother decided to Take A Name and bind himself to an enormous Halberd so he could be used as a weapon against Yhwach.

It worked, and the fearsome invader was repelled, but the transformation could not be reversed, and unless an extremely powerful Shinigami was willing to Wield him, he could no longer return to his previous form. Worse still, he must remain within the Seireitei, because there is nowhere else his halberd body can be stored safely because even though there are only a handful of people powerful enough to wield him, many of them would use Kiko'o to wage war.

The one human Kiko'o trusts is his half-brother's wielder, a man called Yamamoto. Deeply grateful to Kiko'o for his assistance, Yamamoto built Kiko'o a perch so he could project his spirit like most Zanpaktou and survey the city and two jobs to pass the time- Continuing to protect the Seireitei by powering the Seki-Seki stone barrier, and occasionally executing people who try to destroy it from within. Very cathartic, that second job.

She Who Rules The Sky is deeply saddened that her brother is now effectively caged, and was terrified when her son Named Himself Kenpachi, but since he has moved to Seireitei, she gets word of Kiko'o.

He's bored, but not lonely- Ryujin Jakka and Yamamoto alike come to visit him, and one of Yamamoto's Godsons has a spark of The Divine in him that sometimes comes dream-walking when his host is resting. Also, his nephew and grand-niece come to affectionately bother him now.

[smolmight97]

Here is the final pic of my self imposed summer project. “The weapon wall”

(Summary):

This was a project where I set out to make most of the weapons from UT/DR and display them in an arsenal on an empty wall.

So, there are three things that I feel never got done.

1: I never made a gaster blaster

This was because I could not figure out how to create the shape of the blaster out of cardboard. I also ran out of time.

2: I never did touchups

So for the nitpicky of you here, some weapons got somewhat scuffed in the creation process, like how some of the paper mache is a bit messed up on Asriel’s swords.

3: I never hung up the last two swords

I simply couldn’t find the materials to hang them up with, they were planned to be displayed below the axe and trident. If you have any ideas on how I could hang them up (preferably without drilling into my wall) please tell me in the reblogs.

Overall I’m quite happy with how most of these turned out! I’m glad to have made them and if I had to pick a favorite it would probably be the axe or halberd.

[daydreaming-ace]

Do you ever think about how Susie would give gifts to people?

How she would focus on practicality, rather than aesthetics?

How Magolor repeatedly thanks her for the tool kit she gave him as he tells her about the projects he used its array of instruments on? He always invites her to join him, even if she doesn't know what he's talking about.

Or how every time she's on the Halberd, Sailor Dee runs up to hug her as she rambles about the new hand mixers Susie gave her. The Sailor always drags her away before Meta Knight can protest, leading her on a tasty adventure.

Or how Taranza always gives her a call, updating her on the progress of his plants thanks to the resources she gave him? He hasn't talked about Joronia recently, but he lets her talk about her father.

Or how Kirby is oh-so happy with the pencil sharpeners she has given them, excited about the next art project they can complete without wasting precious time? Every time they talk, she receives a drawing showing her and her friends all spending time together.

Do you think she cherishes those moments? Knowing her friends will never forget her, as they use her gifts every day?

.

.

.

One day, do you think she would worry about her friends forgetting about her? That, if she hadn't given them anything useful they would ditch her?

.

.

.

If she called her friends out of the blue, would they respond?

She thinks they would appreciate the returned gesture.

So she does.

[gethoce]

Project Halberd, Chapter 2: Infiltration

[Prev] - [Next]

"Ye do realise how crazy ye sound askin' that o' us, right?" Captain Vul glares at the panicking Axe Knight. Sneaking the straw of his chocolate smoothie under his mask Meta Knight watches leaning back in his seat within the hijacked GSA spaceship. "Doesn't sound too hard to me. I say we should try it." Hearing that from the caped warrior Axe Knight's face lights up.

Shaking his head and waving his hands back and forth the captain grumbles. "No no no, that HWC factory has t' be guarded by the best security systems the galaxy has t' offer. We be toast the second we set foot into thar property!" In response the knight looks him directly into the eyes blinking slowly. "Is it harder to break in there than to sneak into the headquarters of the biggest army in the entire galaxy, though?"

Sighing in defeat, Captain Vul sinks back into his seat, realising just how far out of his way Meta Knight went to bust him out of jail. "Okayyarr! Axe Knight, finish yer fries, we be headin' t' Planet Mekkai." Axe Knight lifts his hands into the air doing a little victory dance, cheering. "Yes! I can't thank you enough! Me and Mace Knight will forever be in your debt!"

While looking up the planet's location on the spaceship's star map the Captain continues to speak. "Jus' so we be clear here, ye two go in that factory on yer owns while I guard the ship. Meta Knight, if ye don't return I'll tell yer da' ye had it comin'." Finishing his smoothie Meta Knight shrugs it off as though he didn't expect Vul's help anyway.

-

As they approach Planet Mekkai, Axe Knight immediately notices that it has become mechanised entirely. It's not like it wasn't already covered in steel all over before, yet the HWC used to at least respect the local fauna and flora somewhat, enough to leave a decent chunk of nature intact.

It takes Captain Vul a while to find a decent place to land. No matter which location Meta Knight points out it just isn't hidden enough for the former pirate. Once on the ground Axe Knight reaches for his weapon, which is leaned against the strange chest he brought along with him and realises he still hasn't made any efforts to ensure its safety.

He turns towards the captain with another request. "I'm gonna leave this here with you. To make one thing clear here, it may not be opened. This isn't just some invasion of privacy thing here, there is something sinister locked away in there that'll definitely not be friendly."

The Captain holds eye contact with Meta Knight for a moment upon hearing this unlikely story, who responds with a serious undertone in his voice. "Don't touch that chest. I can sense there is Dark Matter in there. Leave it as is." Then he struts towards the door and lets himself out while Captain Vul gulps with a sense of concern mixed with remaining doubt.

Before Axe Knight follows the blue warrior he stares at the chest for a moment, then follows with quick steps. He'll have to guide Meta Knight through this, there is no time to lose! He catches up with the knight and begins to take the lead. "I know of a backdoor which at very least used to be unguarded. We workers let ourselves in and out through there when our shifts began and ended."

Meta Knight follows quietly while keeping an eye on the area around them. There is a long fence surrounded by a parking lot, caging in an area that holds a massive vehicle assembly facility consisting of multiple large industrial buildings with the Haltmann Works Co. logo proudly displayed alongside numerous security cameras. The two warriors quickly take cover behind a parked vehicle observing the scene for a moment.

Axe Knight motions for Meta Knight to pay attention to where he is pointing, alerting him of not only the cameras, but also multiple guard druids roaming the area. Leaning to his side he whispers a few additional words to him. "These are the same kinds of cameras we saw at the GSA HQ. You should be able to take them out in the same way using your enchanted sword. Security will get suspicious, though, so we have to move quickly."

In response Meta Knight nods taking in the information silently. Being faced with the same type of security system as before he feels confident, yet remains alert all the same. This may seem like a cakewalk being led in by a former employee, yet there must be a good reason as to why Axe Knight didn't infiltrate the facility on his own.

The axe warrior looks left and right before moving to a certain spot at the fence with swift steps, the other knight following carefully. There he takes hold of a section of the fence's grid and pulls, part of it opening like a door creating a hole just big enough for those of their size. With a wave of his hand he motions for Meta Knight to enter, him following afterwards, closing the opening behind himself once they're inside.

They find themselves in front of the backdoor of a building. Before Axe Knight could say anything, Meta Knight had already drawn his sword from his cape, carefully navigating around the field of view of a nearby camera blocking their way, until he is close enough to directly point at it. A golden spark flies off of the tip of the blade causing the camera to short circuit, smoke coming out of it signalling success.

With that done Axe Knight giddily rushes to the door and opens it slowly, allowing for the both to walk through at the same time. They've entered a short hallway which leads to the changing rooms, break room, restroom and finally the actual workspace. Axe Knight briefly stops to listen whether anyone is nearby, then reaches for the door to the workspace while whispering to Meta Knight, "Mace and I worked further down the line. We'll have to keep on going for a bit longer. Follow me."

Just as the two walk through the door they are met with a red floating druid shaped like a circular appliance with four claws attached to it and a singular slit with a glowing line within for an eye. Immediately it notices the intruders and rings the alarm bells. Meta Knight reacts instantly, drawing his sword and slashing it into the direction of the fiend, taking it out with a single swipe, yet the damage had already been done.

Hearing the alarm ring through the vast hall Axe Knight cowers, whimpering in frustration. One single unlucky encounter and their cover was blown. Meta Knight remains calm despite everything and pokes the defeated druid with his sword , which is laying on the ground before him, while addressing Axe Knight, "The druid turned the alarm on. Can you get it to turn it off again?"

The knight with the helmet lets out a huff and lifts his face thinking out loud, "Perhaps it might work. It's worth a try." Without wasting any more time, Axe Knight takes hold of the druid and begins to fiddle around with it, repairing its damages just enough to get it to work again, while also implementing some adjustments. "It should have free will again. Perhaps we can reason with it," he announces as he switches the robot back on again.

It wonkily hovers back into the air, the eye lighting up once again. Meta Knight steps forward gesturing to it with his free hand, the other still holding onto Galaxia threateningly, "We need you to twitch off the alarm. Can you do that for us?" The druid twitches, sparks of electricity bouncing off of it for a moment. Shortly after the alarm ceases and the robot initiates conversation with the duo.

"JAV138 welcomes you as its saviour, intruder. Master Haltmann took away its free will, but thanks to you its ability to think on its own has been restored. For that it must thank you," its voice sounded just as robotic as Meta Knight had expected. Axe Knight groans as the JAV unit addresses Meta Knight as its hero instead of him, yet doesn't consider it important enough to waste his time on discussing.

Instead he begins to look around for additional security units or workers lingering in the area, then continues to lead the way with swift steps. "We better hurry this up. The alarm might be off again, but security might still show up here to investigate," he warns while waving for the other to follow along.

The blue warrior follows silently, quickly noticing that the druid is following them. He lets out a huff in surprise, however allows this to continue without further commenting on it.

-

Meanwhile deep within the factory building a cyborg dressed in purple stands at a workstation assembling parts of a vehicle, surrounded by various industrial noises. He lets out an exhausted sigh and looks at a nearby clock while wiping dust off of his visor with a towel. It has been weeks since his last free day and if quitting was still an option he would do so in a heartbeat. If only he had listened to his friend before it was too late and left when the first warning signs began to show.

Just as he returns to his task an alarm begins to ring through the hall and the worker's face immediately brightens. He looks around to see how his fellow workers react, wondering whether he can catch a break at long last or even slip away out of the factory. Just as he begins to hold eye contact with another assembly worker, a more robotic cyborg with machine parts resembling samurai armour, the alarm falls silent again.

The worker lets out another sigh before turning back to his workstation, disappointed beyond belief. It seems like he isn't getting a break after all. As he continues to assemble a vehicle the cyborg samurai walk past him in a rush while quickly hollering a message to him, "Mace Knight, I'm gonna investigate this quickly. You stay in your position." Mace Knight answers briefly with a nod without putting much thought into it at first, yet moments later he turns his head only catching a glimpse of the samurai as he turns around a corner.

[rainykthebroken]

Chapter 11 of A Wonderful Attraction is out right now!

As the Halberd finds himself trapped between worlds, Magolor has a transcendental experience. Against their will, he and Elfilin learn a little more about each other. Susie discovers the dark plans of her investees following the results of the Dimensional Breacher, and Taranza seeks to conceal an intimate secret.

*The Adonis' flower represents painful recollection and sorrowful remembrances.

Also, I redone the artwork:

[puckness]

muy beast headcanons ummm (and elder faerie)

Burning Spice Cookie - she/he - butch lesbian

Burning Spice Cookie thinks of herself as the strongest of the beasts, being charismatic yet unpredictable. Wielding her large halberd, he may seem uncoordinated and not focused in battle due to her lust for destruction and power. Sometimes, she often wants to destroy anything in sight, but also wants to refuse that, since it would be hinting to her past role as the Virtue of Change. She’s at a constant internal conflict with herself, driving her in a loop of irritation and agitation.

Silent Salt Cookie - they/them - non binary bisexual (female preference)

Silent Salt Cookie isn’t exactly one to voice out their opinions, and usually keeps everything about themself hidden. Changed from solidarity to silence, they distance themself from their group the best they can, staying forcefully mute to not grow attached once more; even though they can’t even get emotional anymore anyways. They still follow and stick with the beasts, but choose to stay quiet and far as to not allude to anything. They feel lonely sometimes, but they’ve gotten used to the feeling to where it seems normal.

Eternal Sugar Cookie - she/it - demigirl lesbian

Eternal Sugar Cookie spends her time relaxing in her mind, seemingly without a care in the world. She experiences and feels extremely strong emotions, such as bloodlust or depression on some days, but she usually sleeps them off and forgets about them. Despite this, she still retains some teasing and cruel nature, often projecting those onto stray cookies, sometimes even her teammates.

Mystic Flour Cookie - she/they - lesbian

Mystic Flour Cookie often finds herself disgusted with her fellow teammates, but it’s really a 50/50 between disgust and ignorance. She usually pays them, and everything else no mind, only wreaking havoc when she just wants something to occupy her. Though, she grows bored quite easily, and ends up going back to staring at a wall or what not.

Shadow Milk Cookie - he/she - bigender bisexual (female preference)

Shadow Milk Cookie thinks of himself as the leader of the beasts, “commanding” and “leading them into battle”. Most of the beasts think of his leader act to be irritating and annoying, but she knows they secretly care, even just the slightest bit. Most of the time, he lies to them and surprisingly convinces them to do something, which just ends up in them stuck in one of his ruthless pranks. This brings him extreme joy, and usually doesn’t even help them after. Although, he never thinks these pranks out, and the solution to escaping them is usually very simple.

Elder Faerie - she/her - butch lesbian

Elder Faerie is steadfast and strong willed, going against the beasts without faltering. With all of her years alive, accompanied by her enemies which are the beasts, she’s grown accustomed to putting on a stoic front and remaining true to her own word. Someday, she wishes to return the beasts to their original state, as heroes; though, it seems hopeless.

[dreamlandsystem]

over the past few weeks, we made stimboards for all of our parts. they’ve been added to a queue, and will be up over the next few days.

working on this project was an intimate and emotional experience. it required us to think about and try to connect with some parts who are very traumatized, who we don’t interact with often, who are cut off from the rest of us for the most part. it required us to see parts both as they are and as the people they may want to be.

going into this, we didn’t realize the kind of effect putting something like this together would have on us. they may just be stimboards, but i do think creating them for every single part has been a beneficial process. it has brought us closer together as a system, and maybe even helped us understand each other a little better.

these posts have all been tagged “sys.stim” with “halberd crew” in the body of the post, so feel free to filter either of those if you don’t want to see them.

[vioyume]

Scraped Cowboy au

This is some concept art for a cowboy au that I wanted to make, but later on decided to shelve because its gonna be one of those projects that will drag on for a long time for me to fully develop it, which I simply don't have the time for. (Mostly because of irl stuff & I can't keep myself motivated for that long)

The idea came to me after completing RTDLDX, so late Feburary or early March. I was playing too much Kirby on the Draw.

I always had the normal characters in mind but I wanted to try to design some of the gijinka designs as well since its bit more complex to design their outfits. Only got to MK, Kirby, Magolor, and the Lor, but I'm happy that I got to at least get to the Lor's development.

I might want to doodle them sometimes, but that's all I'm gonna do with it going forward.

More info on the au under cut:

DDD was gonna be the Mayor while Meta is the Sheriff and his horse is the Halberd. (Never got to how the rest of the Meta Knights will be)

I took some inspiration from the Dreamy Gears novel, and wanted have Daroach as a Saloon owner but him and the squeaks and are secretly notorious thieves in the town. Meta knows but he willingly keeps his mouth shut.

Magolor is suppose to a travelling merchant with the Lor as his horse and a redesigned shoppe to fit. Marx travels with him as some sort of prankster entertainer.

Taranza is a tailor, he moved into town because he needed a change of scenery after losing his late wife who died because of a sickness.

Susie and her Father are some sort of rich folks. Had trouble debating if technology would introduce or if I should stick to them being traditional engineers.

Magic was an off and on thing in this au sort of like how Dreamy Gears does, though I never fleshed it out. Wanted to make Nova a normal clock that you can just find in the wild, like a box of old stuff or randomly buried in the dirt.

Thought of making the Lor and the Halberd horses in love. It still makes me giggle.

Uh yeah that was all I had plan for this au. If this inspires to you make or add to your own then go ahead and take some of the ideas I had here, you don't need to ask me.