#im sorry playable reader just makes me go CRAZY AND INSANE

[fatuismooches]

(hello hi ♦ anon here i've been lurking)

Okay completely piggybacking off of that hsr boss idea you had where Reader takes damage for Dottore because they can't stand seeing him hurt...

I'm not even sure if this would be remotely fair, but I've been thinking up a concept for a bit and i need to dump it somewhere lol.

So, imagine a mechanic for Reader where they jump in to take Dottore's damage for a few turns (defense + speed buffs) because they feel like their frail state isn't exactly helping him win the fight. Dottore thinks otherwise, of course, but Reader is determined to "make themselves useful." It would be triggered if Dottore is attacked/debuffed repeatedly., and then would keep happening unless you decide to attack Reader outright.

HOWEVER. Dottore has a mechanic where he enters a state of fury (damage + speed buffs) if Reader is attacked too many consecutive times, obviously because how dare you harm them when he's literally right there. This self-buff would probably happen every time after the first activation until you switch targets.

Enter the scenario of Reader being hit repeatedly, Dottore becoming an absolute powerhouse (because of course it stacks), and uh oh their boss fight had to be nerfed like Aventurine's.

Honestly, looking over it while I write this out has me questioning my own brain but this has been in the thought oven for about an hour lol (do not let me design hsr bosses)

(x) AUGHH ANON THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I HAD IN MIND... I CAN'T EVEN ADD MUCH BECAUSE IT'S SO ACCURATE...

Even though Reader would have fairly low HP compared to Dottore and the backup reinforcements, they still can't help but want to do their part instead of just watching from the sides, enabling the mechanic. Therefore it's pretty hard to land any hits on the Harbinger and pretty easy to defeat Reader instead. This will automatically make you in for a tough time, as once they go below a certain percentage of HP, the buffs would kick in which would make it not very fun. It would only get worse if Reader is completely defeated - but the buffs would go away once another enemy heals Reader, and then restart the process *gets nerfed asap*.

There would also be special achievements: "A Wise Choice" - Defeat Dottore without defeating [Name]. "Intertwined Fate" - Defeat Dottore and [Name] at the same time. "A Foolish Choice" - Defeat Dottore after defeating [Name].

Also, I imagine a similar mechanic with Reader as the sole boss with the other enemies being Fatui Agents, however, they can't attack and will instead heal the other enemies while simultaneously advancing their actions, and said agents are eternally loyal to Reader, and will take the hits for them.