#and that is pretty much exclusively what I use it for

[lalalian]

choosing weapons + what I'm choosing and why | aethergarde academy

date: december 24, 2024

The most common weapon riders choose to fight with is the sword. The sword is the most practical and it's definitely a lot easier to fight with than like a battle axe.

If you're as picky as me, you may be wondering about the practicality of some of the weapons students are able to choose to learn in the academy.

I know I know, this is shifting, why worry about practicality? First of all, true, but like... let me have my moment ok 😒😒

Today, I'll just be talking about what I chose to go with, why, some practical aspects, and an easier variation for those who don't want to suffer as much as I do (yall are smarter than me).

table of contents:

my primary weapon: close combat weapon

phasing: a skill

my secondary weapon: long range weapon

easier variation

primary weapon

Before I even redid the aethergarde script, I wanted to fight with a scythe-- so that's gonna be my primary weapon. As I was doing some research on the technicalities of this... I was... uh... a bit disheartened.. BUT! Riders aren't human, and magic exists... so... I do think we can get away with a few things, can't we?

I did use chatgpt to help me come up with how scythe fighting would work, but I will be explaining how it works in my own words here.

Fighting with a scythe isn't easy in the slightest. I assume that most riders also wouldn't choose to have a scythe as their primary weapon, mostly bc, well, there is a pretty steep learning curve.

Scythes are originally meant for cutting grass and harvesting crops; the main point of the design, the curved blade, is the biggest obstacle when talking about practicality. However, that is what makes a scythe cool so... I'm keeping it 😒

When you look up how practical fighting with a scythe would be, a lot of people would just hit a foam head with the blade facing down, right on the forehead. I never intended for scythes to be used in that kind of brutish way, it's just so inelegant honestly and takes away from the opulence of the scythe, so i kinda was like 'mm... yall are just haters' and kept researching. Then i came across another guy that tried to execute that kind of classic beheading motion-- and that also wouldn't really work out due to strength imbalances and some general balance issues in general.

My last resort was chatgpt, and now I feel like I have a solid foundation on how to use a scythe and trust me, it's not boring or too impractical (maybe a little, but let me know what yall think).

As I mentioned earlier, riders aren't human-- even before they meet their bonds, they aren't technically human; more information abt that in this post. Riders are fundamentally different than humans-- especially higher ranked riders. Higher ranked riders will have more stamina and endurance than humans; since the way I planned out scythe fighting requires more energy than most weapons... lower tiered riders and humans are highly discouraged from specializing in scythes.

Scythes require the user to have a lithe but agile physique. You need to be light enough on your feet to execute rotational attacks, and it's best to have some kind of rhythm so as to not distort balance. Core strength is also important to maintaining balance.

Another big thing with scythes is that there would inherently be a lot of space open when you fight-- this would be especially detrimental when fighting with more than one person. Honestly, this wouldn't be too much of an issue anyway because all riders are taught to use their aura to shield their bodies, but while extremely rare, there could be some situations where you should not/cannot use magic. Even with the shield, I did implement another move that would fill in this gap; phasing.

what is phasing?

Phasing is almost a scythe-exclusive skill. Phasing allows the fighter to move quickly from one position to another-- it's similar to that quick dodge feature in many fighting games. Phasing also doesn't take too much energy to execute, but it does take a little getting used to when you use this skill a few times. Phasing is mostly used with scythe masters because scythes (in this DR) help control balance by using your own mana to power weights inside the staff. The heaviness of these weights will vary as you move and use the scythe. Phasing is best used to cut through tough things or to simply move from one position to another quickly. Phasing would be a great skill to use among all riders, but it would take more effort for those who don't swing their weapon around their body often. Since scythes disperse extra bits of mana around your body as you fight, it's far easier for you to phase. A sword fighter would need to not only focus on fighting, reflexes, stance, defense (including strengthening their body with mana + using mana as a shield for attacks that cannot be defended in time physically), but also on gathering mana in a bubble around the body and focusing just enough on phasing to do said skill. Scythe masters can learn to phase through longer distances, but it's not super easy to do.

You will be learning how to use scythes with magic and without magic-- meaning that those weights would essentially not work or vary as you move. You'd be wearing culltine jewelry of some kind to block off your aura to practice not using magic when you fight + get used to the feeling of not having mana.

secondary weapon

Note that whatever secondary weapon you choose should cover the weaknesses you've got with your main weapon.

My secondary weapon of choice is a tessen fan. Initially, I was just going to go with the classic longbow because of its flexibility, but I think a tessen fan would provide a bit more flexibility in terms of transportation and fighting close-up + long-range. I can't decide which would be better, a spiked fan or a smoother fan...

PHOTO 1) These kinds of sharp points are better for those with weapons that are a lot more long-ranged-- like spears, chains, whips, or throwing knives.

PHOTO 2) This fan is similar to what I'm going to use. I def won't have that pattern on the ends of the fan bc it'll weaken the edges (😭😔) but I think I'll try to get one with some sort of pattern on the hilt + the inside of the fan. This kind of fan is best for defense and close combat (slashes).

If you are going to use a tessen fan, make sure you get one that supports auto-loading (the auto-loading enchantment allows you to not have to replace the boshuriken every time you throw one-- this enchantment would definitely double the price of the fan unfortunately, but it really is worth it!).

example of fighting with boshuriken + the fan (long range)

One of the biggest reasons why I chose this weapon is because it can be used closer to the opponent— way more than the scythe— and I can use it to shoot at stuff. It also looks fancy and it's pretty easy to transport.

easier variation

While the sword and a longbow are not technically a bad option, consider changing up the sword for a different weapon. Swords are the most predictable compared to something like a battle axe. Longbows are always a great choice for a secondary weapon even if they are common; this is mostly because you can quickly shoot arrows in a short amount of time, the arrows travel pretty damn far, and they can do a generous amount of damage.

An easier weapon combo would be:

Tessen fan (Long and close) Throwing knives (Long range): Both can be used close and long range, and I'm sure you could get a waiver to excel in the tessen fan only if you wanted to. You can substitute the throwing knives with a long bow if you want to be able to fight from a wider range.

[blujayonthewing]

accidentally getting into mixology is dangerous for the kind of person who uses different specific drinkware for coffee vs tea vs GREEN tea and who has a glass she informally but insistently thinks of as The Milk Glass

[roseworth]

based on a convo with my brother

[rythyme]

really not a fan of boston very explicitly saying "I want to be exclusive romantically but not sexually" only to be told "You're lying to yourself. I think you should be alone."

[xxplastic-cubexx]

mentally preparing myself for a switch from cherik to chax if the mcu x-men follow the comics direction

id be very surprised if people actually did- on a massive scale- switch to 'chax' when the majority, even comic readers, still call magneto erik i'll be tbh elkjaeklj BUT its not impossible ... probably ..

tho part of that may In Fact be due to the fact some people haven't learned that name yet. For Sure if it were used in the mcu/cartoons it'd become more common knowledge but still, i think most people would just stick with 'cherik' for convenience/familiarity

[deva-arts]

zomg... the girls! Sketched out! And a few characters I never showed designs for! haha! I keep thinking about the beach, so this is their swimwear.

I hope to make a full fledged drawing for all of them soon~ then the guys~~

Some newbies are: Aura (blue!) Katya (Gold!) and more of Verra (Green!) We'll eventually see more about them as I draw more things and doodles.

[shmorp-mcdurgen]

everytime you post benefactor gman i get so happy... love she/her gman like that's my wife bro!!!!!!!!!!!

YEAAAH REAL, she's so silly to me

[arolesbianism]

I’ve been thinking abt one of my older oni colonies and decided to doodle my first three dupes in that save

[bumpscosity]

my billford obsessed 14 year old self would be having a field day in the tags rn but now that i'm older and have media literacy skills i just want to see theory stuff and meta analysis and shitposts i can never win

[arcanespillo]

18.) describe your personal style? 19.) what was the last concept that inspired you?

1 for clothes i don't really wear fancy stuff just like, everything is either thrifted, gifted, or my dad's, all my jewerly is also my family's, i think my clothes = pretty masculine, my jewerly and fragrance choices = pretty much feminine (if we want to gender up stuff to make things simpler) since it's my mom and grandma's necklaces and women perfumes (i think the "aesthetic" that is closer to this is grunge? but i'm not sure also the concept of aesthetics is so limited, like sometimes i make some effort about my style choices some other times i just dress all black and basic and go out and thats it)

this comes close to it (skull and harley shirts are actual shirts of mine)

BUT i really want to start dressing more like this, like more preppy? basic? maybe i just want a leather jacket sorry + i want all the clothes alec mcdowell wears in dark angel everytime he's on screen i bite my hands

i also love this .. what is it like gorpecore? which is literally just romanticized trekking clothing but like i love love it

2 late medieval mysticism lol because i found a book about it

[phagodyke]

everyone say thank u to my roommate for going to visit her parents this weekend so I can jack it loud and nasty 🙏

[weed-cat]

god, remember when the queen died.... i got to break the news to my family....... everyone was celebrating.... it was so fun.......

[jlf23tumble]

I'm really trying to understand. I know Joshua does take good pics but some of his pics are awful and they still get so much praise. I'm seeing comments "I know the pic is blurry but it fits Louis' tour aesthetics". Seriously? Is that the excuse now? "This pic looks like shit but it fits Louis' tour aesthetics". Since that pic Harry posted on IG that was super super blurry, which I think he was trying to make a point with. That fans don't control him. I thought Lloyd's pics have got better since. They show more of the audience. I really like his recent pics that show Harry and the audience. They give a vintage postcard kind of feel. Old school. But he's still being trashed as ever. Sometimes I'll see a pic and think... that's not that bad so surely they won't be trashing that. But they will be, always are. He can't do any right. But Joshua can't do any wrong. I think it could be partly because Joshua talks to the fans on twitter. So they feel 'closer' to him. They're still incredibly bitter about the iHeart? tour photography award going to Lloyd, while also saying that it means nothing. If it means nothing then why still so bitter? Why the desperate push to vote for Joshua? They say that Lloyd only won the award because of Harries. Well yes. If Joshua won the award it would be because of Louies and Larries. That's how fan voted awards go. If anyone does like Lloyd's pics they get insulted for having bad taste. They really despise Lloyd and they just don't stop complaining about him. Why is it always like this? That everyone Harry works with is hated by the fandom and everyone Louis works with is loved?

I'm sitting here, nodding my head as I read this like a goddamned kitsch toy dog on the dashboard of someone's bitchin' Camaro because yeah, YEAH. I have some thoughts about it that I'm sure I'm not all that articulate about, so I'll take it to the tags and let your ask just shine up here, uninterrupted yet fully appreciated

[wovenstarlight]

laughing. well fuck us all it just occurred to me to check the filenames on the images included with the sranks ebooks (at least the ones ive bought so far. someday i'll get around to getting the other half) and the covers are titled neither sclass[vol#].jpg nor sranks[vol#].jpg but sgrade[vol#].jpg. so that's geunseo's answer to that war

[hylianengineer]

I have a new weird interest in Netflix medical documentaries. Not sure what to do with that but okay, sure, why the hell not?

[intersex-support]

Is there any distinction between perisex, endosex and dyadic?

Perisex is essentially only used on Tumblr. Endosex is more commonly used in real life, especially in North America and Australia, but is rarely used on tumblr. Dyadic is a term that some intersex people have critiqued because they think it reinforces the idea that the sex binary is a real biological concept. There's also some ambiguities about if intersex people coined dyadic and endosex or if that was not coined by intersex people. I also can't speak to dynamics outside of English-speaking intersex spaces, as there will be different words, translations, and nuances depending on the language and culture.

Ultimately it comes down to personal preference for what words intersex people use.