#ace doesnt need a weapon but hed get that brace i designed him ages ago

[mamamittens]

You know, if I didn't have Nikia's canonverse job be a ranger on a snowy mountain, I probably would have done something along the lines of like, a blacksmith.

Mostly because it's cool as hell and would enable me to design my little blorbos custom weapons and jewelry.

So I did revisit the idea today while actively putting off anything more productive than a shower after work.

Specifically I've had those "if this was domain expansion what would it be?" Prompts where it's a sick ass picture of some sort of landscape and the next slide (on Tiktok, not even going to pretend) has a screenshot of some commenters sick ass lines.

And anyway, it brought to mind how I'd like to imagine my 'inner world' as like, a sea of stars. Similar to the mirror lake world of Tanjiro (I think? Haven't watched demon slayer) but just endless galaxies. And the ground is only indicated by glowing stardust at your feet like fog. Billowing and drifting by with every step.

This is going somewhere, I promise.

Anyway, I thought it'd be neat if there was a particular calling of blacksmithing where some people can create weapons or other objects perfectly in sync with a specific person. Lowkey Soul Reaper shit from Bleach (say what u will about the plot, Kubo designed sick ass hell shit left and right). And Nikia ends up finding out she's one of these people.

It's not a perfect system, of course, and rarely is someone's 'perfect' weapon like, a black blade from the start. You have to cultivate that shit.

But hers is an unexpectedly short blade, with a shattered edge. Like it was meant to be a full katana or kodachi blade but broke. And it is black, but not perfect. It almost looks like the night sky, stars scattered along the sides. It came to her in a dream and is actually exactly as it's meant to be. With the use of haki, it's full length is revealed as a sort of ghost blade. The hilt wrapped in braided silk and tied with hanging bells.

Maybe she even has a long range weapons. Torn between a bow that sings when fired and is waayyy too accurate or she makes her usual sniper rifle anyway and it's silent, no kickback unless she wants it. Just a little shit of a weapon, perfectly suited to her more deadly mischief.

Neato!

Anyway, she prefers to make jewelry but on special request, will make these custom "Spirit Weapons" that have unique properties suited to the user and basically no one else. There are people she won't make blades for, and Shanks is one of them cause his own blade is "very possessive, anything I make would need to be both an equal and a competitor. And Shanks only has one arm so..."

She has to sort of meditate with them and if they want that fucking weapon, they better play along. She has to sort of... Divine? Invite the spirit of their perfect weapon? They start off pretty sentient or haunted, like old cursed blades lol

Sometimes the blades are already black when she's done (usually older, very experienced customers) but usually not even close. She can also make other weapons but people usually only think to ask for a sword. Some would end up with a different, very unexpected weapon instead.

Thatch would probably try and ask for custom blades for himself, expecting something like his usual blades. But winds up with vicious, twirly blades. Izou doesn't expect anything but Nikia gifts him a special gun with a set of bullets, shockingly. Thatch's blades meant to be quick, cutting deep and leaving gaping wounds. Izou's shocked at how quiet his new gun is, and how far it shoots for a handgun.

Or something like that. Just fiddling with ideas lol

I thought it would be neat! I don't see a lot of blacksmiths specifically, and if the idea of a sullen, well-meaning part-time hostess part-time rescue ranger didn't enthrall me so much, I'd go with this!