#i know I have some violinspector ones

[lostonehero]

Hey there! I’m preeety sure you’re a mechs enjoyer after seeing like two or three of your posts, so I have some questions for you :3

Favorite characters (mechs/album characters)?

Favorite album/song?

Favorite ship? (platonic romantic anything in between)

Favorite fiction if you’ve read any?

A mechanism that you would chose to have? (Can be anything, not limited to the ones the mechs we know and love have)

Aaand favorite live show if you’ve watched any, or favorite photos if you have any saved?

/Nf to answer this ofc, I just like hearing others’ opinions on the mechs and saw one of your recent posts so I thought I might as well ask XD

Favorite character is a split between Jonny and Gunpowder Tim also i really like Marius and TS

Favorite album is Once Upon a Time (in space) I'm a sucker for a twist on fairytales favorite song is Gunpowder Tim is the Moon Kaiser

Favorite ship is between violinspector and HeartEyes

A mechanism i would like to have, probably blood tbh because I have a blood disorder and clotting problems that woukd fix that permanently heh (also a tail. Tails are cool and I want one.)

Live show? I didn't really watch any of them but I do like the crowd interactions and character interactions.

Favorite fanfictiom that isnt mine (go read wrae) that's a tie at the moment between this one https://archiveofourown.org/works/60353695/chapters/154035385

And this one

https://archiveofourown.org/works/55785805/chapters/141625507

Also here's mine if you are curious

https://archiveofourown.org/works/57033829/chapters/145046830

Also I love any random picture of Tim because I like to headcannon him because of the mechanism he doesn't have eyelids and he can sleep standing up so you'll just find him and can't tell if hes awake or asleep and it's creepy

[rainbowstargazerlilies]

Time for a new pinned post!

Hi, everyone, this is Becca or Ori! Those in the Mechs fandom might know me for my Mechs and TMA themed knit dolls (all tagged "#stargazer's four inch friends"), or the TMA and Mechs fics I write (see below). I'm in my early twenties, am currently a graduate student in psych-related fields, and live in the eastern time zone.

If you're interested in my fics, promo for that under the cut. Otherwise, enjoy the chaos!

Why should you read what I mentally call the booty shorts saga, actually known as "The Semi-Annual Non-Denominational Winter Holiday Gift Swap"?

Have you ever wondered what gift swaps might look like in the Magnus Institute?

Do you need to imagine Certain Characters (Jon) receiving so many pairs of booty shorts?

This sticks close to canon, so. . . do you want a story about booty shorts and nonsense to suddenly give you So Many Feels?

This is a collaboration between the amazing @ladydragonkiller and myself, and it was our first foray into writing and posting fanfic. I love it. Go read LadyDragonKiller's other stuff if you're a Mechs fan.

Why should you read The Stars Claim Them?

I started this series with imagining Lyfrassir Edda surviving the Bifrost Incident, and then ending up at the Magnus Institute, so it is a TMA/Mechs crossover.

I've been consistently posting for over a year. Two years as of this March, and I am so excited for that :) Currently, we're nearly 100,000 words in and going, posting right now is concurrent with TMA season 2, and I've had so much fun.

This is the fic where I stare canon in the eye, say "coward", and save every single character I can manage.

Be prepared for a very slow burn indeed, but the Violinspector element is certainly Very Much There.

We've had road trips, heists, blood snakes, rubber ducks, far too many Michaels, and more. I did a whole Peter Pan arc. It's nonsensical and amazing and I love it.

We've got a discord, where we have Very Normal Conversations about the fic, the Mechs, the Magnus Archives, and more. If you like the fic series, you're more than welcome to join!

If you enjoyed LadyDragonKiller's Raphaella backstory, I have some Easter egg references to it scattered throughout, because we brainstorm together. I consider it canon to this series, as far as that goes, and I have fun planting those :)

Why should you read anything from Corner of Dreams?

Those were oneshots I wrote last year as a part of a challenge to myself!

The first one is the angstiest Toy Soldier thing I could manage without crying. Have fun! Bring tissues!

The second is a fun little Violinspector thing that I really enjoyed writing. It just amused me so much to think about. And that ending. . . I like to think it ended happily, but there's no guarantee, is there?

The third is a Brian/Galahad oneshot. It could go so many different directions after the ending, most of which would absolutely change up canon. I like to think it wouldn't end sadly. Probably.

If there's enough enjoyment of these, there's two more I might add one day, based on Alice and on Gunpowder Tim vs the Moon Kaiser.

Also, if you're trying to get a taste of what I've written, one of these is probably a lot easier to start with than TSCT. These are each under 5,000 words.

Why should you read I Got You, Babe?

It's now several chapters in and we already have the start of some fun stuff going on. We've got Violinspector angst, Nastya doing interesting stuff post-Out. . . Why wouldn't you?

Also, I'm having far too much fun whenever I get the time to write on it. It's going to be interesting. I can't wait to share more.

[rocksanddeadflowers]

That snake bite scene in Team Starkid's The Trail to Oregon makes me think of violinspector so much. Like I KNOW it's just the mechs brainrot whispering "it's literally them fr" in my ear but.

Marius and Lyf doing god knows what in some random planet's woodlands or something similar (like camping, running from the police, manhunting somebody for the purpose of violence, whatever you will) and Lyf getting bit by a snake. Two routes you can pick (bc this is about The Trail to Oregon. You get options. Sort of.)

1. Lyf is already a known immortal, so the bite is probably fine but super inconvenient considering it's a deathly fatal species, and it would be easier for Marius to. Yeah to suck it out. Bleh. (I do not recommend doing this irl btw. Please don't.)

2. Everyone (Lyf included) still thinks Lyf is mortal and Marius is panicking. Freaking the hell out trying to help. Lyf's concerned too, of course, but honestly Marius is doing enough panicking for the both of them.

Either way Marius does has to suck out the venom. (Also he may still be trying to make it romantic and continue his plan to woo Lyf, mainly if it's the first option. Lyf is just so done with his ass.) Realistically I'm sure that is a horrible idea, and we can conclude that either

1. It happens to work with this made up fictional space snake species or

2. Marius tries it even tho Lyf told him not to and they both die. Don't worry they get better.

Anyway if we choose option 1, Marius does swallow it. Like absently just "*gulp*. Are you okay?" And Lyf is just absolutely horrified. Marius will probably be fine bc he's immortal, but he's gonna have one hell of a trip while Lyf is probably stuck carrying his corpse back to the ship.

[fuckjohncalvin]

Emily is the best way to describe it omg you're so right

aha ha ha I have created another one >:)

so as there is so little of them in the canon, there's a wide variety in different people's interpretations and fics, so it's really up to you! I have, however, discovered some recurring traits:

-a little bit done with everyone and everything

-does not enjoy the mechanisms' bullshit (though often they grow fond of it)

-braids are a cultural things for them, with hair undone signifying mourning, or letting another braid it signifying great closeness or trust

-typically joined the police force thinking they could incite change or do real good, but came away disillusioned

-in the few mechanized fics I have read them being MAD about it

-generally not ok with their own immortality, be it from the bifrost or a mechanism

-fond of poetry and even writes some of their own (but would rather die than admit it)

-snappish

-very awkward in social situations where snark is not sufficient for interaction but also very kind and sympathetic when they realize people are hurting

-it's common that they're pissed at marius specifically for not warning them and not as much the other prison mechs, usually bc people think marius engaged with them the most, but I hc differently

-almost always HATES Jonny

-violinspector ofc

-deeply moral

-getting along with ivy and spending time in her archives a lot

-either great or horrible relationship with Nastya. no in between. oh yeah and people generally have Nastya be there, whether they try to justify it so it makes sense or not

-if they join the mechanisms, they obviously need an instrument, and most common is they used to play cello and pick it back up again, though I've also seen saxophone, flute, just the sound guy, or even violin, like I said whatever you think works best

-lots of skirts

-winged!lyf is also a common subset of lyfrassir, or them with a tail, or both, all of which I am fond of

-raph running tests on them happens a lot too

-going to/getting advice from gunpowder tim about how joining the mechanisms is hard and honestly sucks at times

-hardcore introvert

-oh and sorta related to what I said earlier just hair being really culturally important so things like head massages and playing with hair being the greatest yggdrasilian show of intense, close, and personal affection, and the mechs being entirely unaware of this and miscommunications ensue

-some sort of loss of morality arc or at least becoming more comfortable with the mechanisms' level of complete psychopathy

-general 'lyf loosens up and learns to enjoy the occasional heist or hide-and-seek-and-bloody-death game' arcs as well

So yeah. take any of these, or all of them, or none, if you don't like them.

When it comes to Lyf getting mechanized, I'm the biggest fan of the mechs find them almost dead (or already dead) and marius and/or the prison mechs are like hmmm no I like this person I know what to do! Also them joining the mechs and then dying in some mechanism-typical shenanigan and the crew being like 'yeah well they're already a crewmate so might as well' and/or 'absolutely not I care about this person they don't get to die'. Any level between comedic or angsty works for me, really.

(I probably like it best when marius is crying and begging for Brian and raph to fix them and the others hesitating but he will NOT let this happen. but uh. that's just me.)

Oh and adjusting to the prosthetic being difficult and getting advice on how to take care of it and the join site from the other mechs is always nice fluff and occasional hurt/comfort.

ANYWAYS this was way longer than I intended but. What can I say. I love them. If you want any fics recs for them being mechanized or just them in general, I have a lot. And if you do ever write a fic about them, please tag me so I can find it! I need more of them lol.

so @yourlocalmechanism has requested I give some examples of lyfrassir edda fan art, thus enabling me and giving me an excuse to go down a very indulgent rabbit hole. Anyways, here are some of my favorites!

by @v-o-i-d-p-u-n-k

by @dropitdoeeyes

by @reegis

by @lunarmicrowaves

by @southern--downpour

by @hershelchocolateart

by @pidgewings

by @twasforresearch

by @fruttaseccx

There's definitely a lot of variation in appearance, but the biggest commonalities are braids and rainbows.

I love all of these so much it's not even funny. I know you said you're not a fan/don't really get the fandom obsession with lyf, but you should still check these blogs out. each and every one of them is awesome.

[cobalt-knave]

Some Mechanisms fics recs, mostly Toy Soldier-centric because it is my beloved:

Wood and Bone by DesertLily

The Toy Soldier considers stopping pretending (but its crew is there).

Spread Thin by ShawnNeil

The Mechanisms are stranded on a strange moon and separated from one another.

Stoke my Heart with Fire by fromthedesert

Jonny does not like the Toy Solider, no. But that won’t stop him from brutally murdering anyone who slanders it.

Pretend to Pretend by fromthedesert

The Toy Soldier, Jonny, Tim, and Bertie in the moon war. I wrote “will break your heart” in my bookmark tag. And I want to reread it and maybe cry.

A Tale Not To Be Told by NammiKisulora

The crew is dead, and they aren’t regenerating, and Jonny is alone, and oh my god this fic is fantastic. He has to call in the big guns (Dr. Carmilla).

The Soldier and The First Mate by ShawnNeil

“ This is just however many words of Jonny and the Toy Soldier being friends. “

Six Times the Mechanisms Found Out The Toy Soldier Was a Nymph by fromthedesert

What it says on the tin! The mechs are protective, and it’s fun.

Giant eldritch eyes and other things that can fuck up your day by idiosyncraticprojection

A very fun, excellently characterized, crack-taken-seriously Mechs-TMA crossover.

Midas by The_Cavalier4

A fic set in the City before Ashes took on the role of Hades, back when they were running a club and going by the name Midas. Incredibly written. 

Metal warps worse than bone (but they can both be fixed the same) by Garecc, Gunpowderdtim (Garecc)

Absolutely incredible writing of Drumbot Brian trapped in the sun with a focus on the robot side of him with regard to the POV.

MCU (Mechanisms Cinematic Universe) by fracnkie, KersPastei

Superhero AU with some bonus violinspector

[lucky-sevens]

Please tell me about your eldritch lyf thoughts!

of course! (for reference, anon is referring to this post; i would also tag the people who replied to that, but tumblr is acting up on me.)

quick notes: i’m using they/them pronouns for lyf, and using ‘the bifrost’ and ‘yog-sothoth’ interchangeably.

a bit of background for people who don’t know! immortal/eldritch lyfrassir is very popular fanon! there was a conversation about the origins of this that led to this meta being edited; the original anon is here, and @violinspector made an post about fanon (unrelated to recent events) that’s worth looking at here. i personally didn’t use this trope, as i thought it more interesting to deal with the ramifications of the mechanisms growing close to a mortal, who would by default eventually die.

however! there is canonical evidence to support an immortal lyfrassir edda. i’ve talked in my deep lore post about this, but i will rephrase it here with additional evidence and a focus on lyf, because that post can be a bit difficult to navigate due to the volume of things included.

first off, the crew’s mechanisms are described as being rainbow. in ‘drive the cold winter away’-

“There is something in the rain, or in the space between the rain, which is making even their mechanisms glitch. Jonny’s heart skips a beat, and when he glances at it he sees rainbow sheens running across its surface, breaking out to be kept in check by the device’s self-regulation.“

(also implying jonny’s heart is visible on the outside- as seen in a few pictures- but that’s a different matter)- and in ‘cyberian demons’-

“[Nastya] was staring at her arm in a trance as the veins within swirled with arcane colours.”

(it’s worth noting here that in both those circumstances, their mechanisms were being broken down by a computer virus and self-repairing, and if you take the band’s costumes as reference, they aren’t normally like that.)

this could mean that their mechanisms are related to the bifrost/yog-sothoth.

though i don’t necessarily consider this evidence as it’s too vague, the mechanisms make sure to get out of the system before ragnarok happened on a wider scale. this contrasts to in high noon over camelot, where they leave brian in the sun, interview transcript 34/08/7012, where jonny certainly doesn’t sound afraid of getting hurt, and a general candor about that sort of thing. if it’s more personal, that would explain their fear.

this all is further supported by the fact that it is likely carmilla was involved in the bifrost incident. rephrasing my deep lore post here, but in the mechscord (invites closed) maki yamazaki (carmilla’s performer) made a joke in-character about accidentally calling odin, and later said that one of the criteria for choosing a mechanism was ‘a good friend for lyf’. this is one of the strongest pieces of evidence towards immortal lyfrassir we have, as it implies that they would need an immortal companion. (could also be related to ‘the much bigger process’ maki mentioned, but that’s a meta of its own and one that i am personally still unsure what the answer to is.)

there’s one more thing to address- does the bifrost cause immortality?

short answer: no. plenty of people die in the five ragnarok songs. however, can it is a different question. in ragnarok ii, tyr ‘regrows the hand he lost to fenrir’s blade’, echoing the mechanisms’ regeneration, and time in general is said to be distorted in strange ways, which could work on a single person to cause immortality.

also, loki is ‘touched by an outer god’. this affects her in the positive, fixing her memory problems once she comes into contact with it, so there could be additional healing effects here. fanon lyf tends to be bifrost-touched in order to use that piece of canon, so that works well. notably, the effects of the train only started when lyfrassir finished their report, so they could even have caused it in some way, further suggesting they are tied to it.

in summary, it’s likely the bifrost can cause immortality, and due to lyf’s interactions with it, they could become immortal.

[rainbowstargazerlilies]

Mechs Ships Tournament: Shipping Round 1 Poll 15

Propaganda:

Penelope/Ulysses:

They are so tragic, we never even learn anything about Penelope but it's so emotional and aaaaaa

justice for short king ulysses and tall queen penelope

#ulysses did not name a vault after their wife just to lose to some silly space pirates and their boyfriend#please penelope was able to die in peace because ulysses loved her so much#yeah being immortal and in prison is cool and all#but you know what is cooler#naming a vault that contains the last relic of the natural world after your wife and helping her die peacefully there#and then dying there beside her#anywho vote penelope/ulysses because i love them (tags via @yumeinati)

Prison Mechs And Lyf:

One, LOOK AT THEM!!! THEY FIT TOGETHER SO WELL AND GIRBIFJRJE AHHHHHH. Like, prison mechs is good, wonderful we love it, Violinspector is wonderful, idiots in love. Put the two TOGETEHR!! perfect ship, 20/10 it's canon to me. They love Lyf so much and Lyf loves them too but they are so annoyed at them all the time in that "gods damnit. I love you three but please for the love of the gods stop." Also the idea of Marius, Raph, n Ivy trying to woo Lyf while they are still an Inspector is so silly cause I can see it working everytime but they CANT DO SHIT ABOUT IT and girbgijrjr. And if you give me a moment to indulge in my own brand of insanity that is creature mechs, them calling Lyf "pretty bird" cause it flutters them every time. It used to work on Raph but doesn't anymore cause she's used to it and tiehfjrhjfjrj. I'm not normal about them lol

violinspecter: the stars claim them fanfictoon. more people added for more cool relationships and stuff, also i love the prison mechs

if you don’t ship it have you even listened to expert testimony????

Think about them. Just think about them. Words are not wording but oh my god think about them. You want fic recs? I can give you fic recs. Please they are so special to me.

prison mechs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lyf!!!!!! what more is there to say

#AHHHHHH GC I C B DGHTHH#THEM THEM THEM THEM THEM-#SAVE ME PRISON MECHS AND LYF#PRISON MECHS AND LYF#PRISON MECHS AND LYF SAVE ME (tags via @analog-cottage-gore)

[rainbowstargazerlilies]

Mechs Game!! :D

2, 3, 15, 19, 21

(I know it’s a lot, just pick and choose what you wanna answer! :))) )

2. what’s your favourite album in terms of music?

Bifrost, probably. I also have a deep fondness for Once Upon A Time. Fairytale retellings my beloved.

3. what’s your favourite story (album or smaller narrative e.g. GPTvTMK or alice)

Ough, last time misread this one as non-album. Out of albums, it's still a tie between Once Upon A Time and Bifrost. Bifrost has so much going for it. . . but Cinders and Sleeping Beauty my beloveds,,,

15. coolest adaptation of another song?

Nearly fell off my bed the first time I heard No Happy Ending, because that first part of it is pulled from Battlestar Galactica, which my dad is a huge fan of. I've literally played songs from it for him on piano as a birthday present. It was jarring and unexpected and it going right into the tetris theme was just wow.

19. which mechanism gives you the most gender envy?

Answered this before, but Nastya or Ashes. They're the best.

21. what’s your favourite mechanisms headcanon? (maybe some big worldbuilding thing or can just be I think this mech is asexual for example)

I've mentioned violinspector, I've mentioned Icarus Raphaella... not sure what else to say right off here, so I'll pass on this one.

Thanks for asking!