#pc: astor garcia

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the laws of nature dictate that, no, a sheep cannot turn into a horse. but, as the macho men in the gym will tell you, it's all about your mindset...

despite how Astor's name has a loose connection to hawks & bears, he is neither of those things. forever an ovine.

anyway, this is the most convoluted thing I've ever drawn, so here's to hoping everyone understands the vibe here

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I needed to solidify his face. what better way to do that than make 4 versions.

crazy that ortega recognised him btw

yes I said 4... - bonus:

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so... from 1 to 10 - how obvious is it that Power Rangers was a big part of my formative years?

and don't ask me how, logically, the pieces are supposed to fit together here. I'm working from vibes alone

rendered version below (because the flat colours obviously don't show what this thing is made of)

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i've got more work to do on this yet, but this version sort of stands on its own

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when I think of the regene tattoos I don't imagine them as exactly that - tattoos. ink under the epidermis. I see them as being made of vinyl. slick, plastic ribbons; like bondage. in the same way you see wildlife and marine animals wrapped in plastic bags and fishing nets. that when Astor dies, his bones and flesh will be consumed back into the ground, but the tattoos will be left behind. rejected by mother earth as an affront to nature.

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can you believe it's been 6 years since I last drew my 'Step?

split post because Tumblr HATES .png's

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alternate version of the bridge fight if astor fucked up beyond belief

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Hello! Thank you for signing up for my little fandom project. Like I mentioned in my post, these will be once a month character building/exploration questions. I don't expect immediate answers. Feel free to take the whole month, if you need! If you have more than one Step, pick your favorite or whichever you think needs more love.

We're going to start with the basics this month: Where did your Sidestep get your name? Do they know what it means? Do they feel any particular way about their name?

- Cigs

no, thank you for doing it!! ✨

this is unironically very difficult 😅 Astor is an oc name I've been lugging around for the better part of... *checks calendar* jesus, 11 years?! First used for an Attack On Titan insert — it's been so long that I don't even remember how *I* came across it.

Where did your Sidestep get their name?

Originally, when I first played Rebirth, my idea was that he just stumbled across it. Newsflash, me from 6 years ago, you don't just find 'astors' out in the wild. Though some research today shows that it's on the rise, crazy.

Nowadays... that's his regene name. In my own hc, I see the cuckoos as having 'names', 'covers', and 'designations'. Covers being, obviously, mission-related cover names. And designations are their actual documented identification.

The only issue is that it's a bit of a mouthful to keep having to say "two-one-five" all the time, so he has a name. (And what happens when he's around 'polite company' but not on a mission? Calling someone '215' is bound to raise alarm bells). This is not to be misconstrued as an act of familiarity or colloquialism.

As a result, it almost became an ingrained instinct. "When they ask you what you are called, you tell them 'Astor'. Do you understand two-one-five?"

While the name is impersonal to those at the Farm, it was the first thing Astor was given and allowed to keep consistently. The first spark of an emerging individuality. Before he escaped the first time, his internal voice took on the name Astor, but his body was still only known as 215.

Do they feel any particular way about their name?

Sort of a continuation from before.

At the start, Astor sees it as 'a name is just a name'. Even if it was his first worldly possession, names can be swapped and traded easily. It's the intention that matters, not the letters.

But as more and more people started to use it and refer to him as Astor, as opposed to Sidestep, the more it started to stick and solidify.

The name is his now.

The neural pathways that have formed around that name are so strong, that nothing short of his true death will take it from him. No sickness, no poison, no injury, only cremation.

Do they know what it means?

Nope! Astor has never looked into it. Anathema has because "what sort of a goddamn name is 'Astor' supposed to be?"

Astor means 'hawk'.

When I first found the name, it would occasionally refer to a Goshawk specifically. Which, hilariously enough, in the last year has had its genus recategorised - along with 8 others - from "Accipiter" to "Astur".

I mention the Goshawk because, while they are fairly large birds, their hunting style consists of flying quickly through woodland. Weaving and dodging between trees to catch their prey, as well as ambush tactics.

... This is Sidestep.

Who then becomes Reflektor.

Astor wouldn't really care much if he knew the meaning of his name. That's not why it's important to him.

And Garcia? His surname? Simply plucked from a list of common surnames.

(Fun little side bit: because his name sounds like 'as-tur', if he hadn't seen it spelt out before escaping the Farm, he definitely would've gone around spelling it with a 'u' instead of an 'o'.)

again, omg, thank you for this. but I'm so sorry 😂 I didn't mean to ramble quite this much!

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Loved Astor's armor design you shared earlier this week, especially the boot details and the helmet! The crashbars make it look like cat ears from the front and it's kind of cute. Was wondering if you'd maybe like to share more about him? What's his style, is he a throw punces first ask questions later kind of fighter or more of a tactician? What upgrades does he have?

Thank you very much! those boots gave me hell for days. and oh god, the crash bars… it wasn't until I was committed to the front design sketch that I realised they looked like ears, hahaha 😅

the inspiration was originally as a halo (telepathy halo always wins the prom queen, she just cannot lose). then it wasn't until rendering that I thought of them being crash bars, and now it's stuck.

but hey, at least it's functional? sometimes my subconscious surprises even me.

Despite how his armour looks like, well… armour, there's no heavy plating. He's all about agility and flexibility. Astor is no roughhouse fighter; he's a tactician allll the way.

his martial prowess is good enough for most fights, though if he can avoid a fight and still get what he wants, he will. because if he gets hurt or injured, then that's an immediate roadblock. he can't continue with his plans (there's a set timeline for these things), and he wouldn't be able to defend himself should the absolute worst happen. avoiding injury is just the best course of action (Revelations is gonna suck for him…).

still, there are people out there who won't listen until they've been beaten - which Astor will do, even if it feels like a chore or a necessary evil. and it'll be as quick as his caution will allow, no messing around here.

first, he obviously went for those jump jets: quick manoeuvrability is king and there's no dishonour in running away, it means you can come back better prepared next time.

and the telepathy boost: to Astor, there is almost no downside here. extra telepathic assistance, better control of the nanovores, and reduced mental strain. and while he's a known telepath, how many people are gonna start popping numbers before every fight? over time that's only going to work to Astor's advantage. and dampeners require a lot of power, so not super portable.

he plans, then he strikes. not that he's immune to spontaneity, but it does make him tense when he's blindsided.

(in another life, he might've made a good leader. or a good second in command.)

ultimately the biggest upheaval you can throw at him is death.

pointless civilian death, or killing for the sake of it, solves nothing. he will save people if he can. in his eyes, he's caused enough hurt in his past (farm-era), and he doesn't want any more. it'll be interesting in the upcoming instalments if Astor can be worn down enough to kill again.

I'm sure after all of this you'll find it funny to know that he's gone down the anarchist route (with a side of justice). I see Astor as less the embodiment of an angry rally who feel like they've been failed by the current order, and more like the organiser who set it up. checking laws and policies, informing others, making sure to keep it as safe as possible, et cetera...

again, thank you for the ask!! though my apologies if this seems spotty - I kept getting distracted by rl side quests 😂😂

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I don't typically make playlists but I was possessed at work one day and now here we are.

and, like a pig snuffling for truffles, I'm always looking for more music. PLEASE tell me your guy's tunes for your 'Steps - not even in terms of the lyrics but just… vibes. I NEED it.

notes: reflektor is the playlist set piece simply because that's Garcia's villain name, teehee… and Owl City gets two spots because he's been my og since 2009.