#1 cockblocker (衛宮 士郎) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
anti_altruisms) wrote2020-02-16 05:19 pm
anti_altruisms) wrote2020-02-16 05:19 pm
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lastvoyages
User Name/Nick: RW
User DW:readingwhiz89
E-mail: readingwhiz89@gmail.com
Other Characters: N/A
Character Name: Archer
Series: Fate/Stay Night (Unlimited Bladeworks Route)
Age: Appears to be in his late 20's/early 30's, is actually a centuries-old spirit (if not even older).
From When?: The end of Unlimited Bladework route, after he's returned to his role of being a counter guardian.
Inmate/Warden: Warden. Archer has the capacity to be a good Warden, not because he's a strictly moral person, but rather because he isn't one. He brought a lot of terrible things on himself through his own poor decisions in life so he understands very well how one choice can have negative, broad-reaching consequences. He will not be quick to judge any Inmate, but rather he will try to see the bigger picture, to understand where they're coming from and why they've ended up on the Barge. He is a thoughtful, perceptive man, and he will make every attempt to help his Inmate see or understand whatever they need to in order to leave the Barge.
Item: A book.
Arrival: N/A
Abilities/Powers: Archer is a Heroic Spirit/Servant (a magical ghost, basically), which means he has a variety of abilities that stretch far beyond the limits of an ordinary human. In life he was a mage, and though he does not receive the blessings most Heroic Spirits do because of their fame and renown, he has perfected other techniques to make up for what he lacks. I'm going to go down his list of powers, starting with Servant-specific abilities.
Personality:
At a glance, Archer displays a very laid-back, indifferent sort of demeanor. He has a dry sense of humor, a tendency to be sarcastic, and he isn't always particularly respectful, especially if he's given a reason not to be. Though this usually just comes across as practiced indifference, some of his commentary is absolutely meant to be insulting. He dunks on Shirou as often as he can, for example, telling him his ideals are fake and worthless. He mocks Saber, as well, and her noble ideals of honor and chivalry.
In that vein, it is worth noting that Archer has little patience for idealism or altruistic tendencies in those around him. In addition, he doesn't hesitate to call others out on (what he considers to be) their stupidity, and he doesn't sugar coat (what he believes to be) bad decisions. His particular dislike of idealism in any shape or form largely comes from personal experience, and it drives him to employ methods and tactics (particularly in battle) that many would consider underhanded and ruthless. On top of being one of the more knowledgeable Servants in Fate/Stay Night (he manages to identify the True Names of a handful of his opponents with limited information), he is both highly intelligent and very shrewd. He employs all of these talents, including his own vast experience as a combatant, in order to achieve the ends he desires -- collateral damage be damned. In Unlimited Bladeworks, for example, Archer betrays his Master Rin, forms a pact with the Caster Servant, and thereafter proceeds to betray Caster....by literally stabbing her in the back. All so he can have the opportunity to kill his past self, Shirou Emiya.
The reason, of course, that Archer would attempt such a thing is that he truly, deeply despises himself. This is a core part of his personality and the driving force behind literally everything he does in Unlimited Bladeworks. He states his one and only goal is to kill Shirou Emiya -- a human destined to become a hero of justice (himself). He reasoning for this is, while he did achieve his goals of becoming a hero of justice in his lifetime, it did not turn out well for him at all. In order to attain enough power to achieve the miracle he sought, he sold his afterlife to Alaya -- the counterbalancing force of the world which ensures that humanity does not destroy itself. After he was executed for a crime he didn't commit, he was forced to repeatedly clean up the messes humans made over and over and over again...to the point of nearly driving him mad. He wanted to save everyone, and yet all he could do was repeatedly stain his hands with blood and execute people ad nauseum, forever.
It was over the course of many long years of servitude that Archer came to the conclusion that the ideal he once held of being a hero, of trying to save everyone, was shallow, foolish idealism. Having fought to clean up humanity's messes in more battles than he can count or remember, Archer effectively despises himself along with the beliefs that gave rise to someone like him. He is the epitome of the jaded, bitter idealist -- someone who believed and hoped he could somehow save everyone, only to be hit repeatedly with the harsh reality that doing so is impossible. As a result, he lost all hope and clung only to the sliver of a possibility that he might one day be summoned to the time in which he lived and destroy his past self with his own hands. Obviously, this did not end up working out for him, as Shirou was the victor of this battle. However, Archer did at least have the opportunity to vent that anger, to make the attempt, and finally receive some measure of closure regarding the choices he'd once made.
Despite the peace he has found with himself, though, he does still have his share of issues. Given that he has effectively been used as a killing machine for hundreds if not thousands of years, to say that Archer is emotionally repressed is an understatement. Though he can be sarcastic and snarky, make jokes, and connect with most people on a fairly superficial level, anything deeper than the superficial is much harder for him. He has difficulty with intimacy and anything that involves actual closeness with another human being. This is also compounded by the fact that he suffered a terrible trauma as a child and never fully learned how to enjoy life and care about himself. It's why he generally holds people at arms' length and very deliberately avoids talking about how he feels, his name, or his history. He does not like himself, does not like talking about himself, and on top of that, he doesn't like being in a place of vulnerability -- which is what most intimate/close situations represent to him. He is self-aware, of course, and knows that he's got A Lot of Baggage, but the very cyclical nature of his existence (trapped in a role that he hates) has not really allowed for much in the way of human connections. This is why, while he is capable of kindness and even giving good advice, his efforts sometimes fall flat.
In spite of all that, though, some part of the young man he once was still remains. Shirou Emiya's greatest wish was to become a Hero of Justice -- one who would be able to save everyone. Though Archer has become jaded and bitter over the path he chose and no longer holds this ideal as his standard, for the right cause or the right person, he would crawl over broken glass, take a bullet, and even die for the greater good or something (or someone) who means a lot to him. At the end of the Holy Grail War, when all hope seems lost, Archer reappears to help not only Rin and Saber, but also Shirou, so the final battle can be won. In another route entirely (called Heaven's Feel), he sets aside his grudge with Shirou, dies to protect his Master Rin, and even gives Shirou his left arm to save the young man's life -- all to address a threat he recognizes as being much greater than himself.
To sum it all up... Archer is an exceedingly complicated man who generally keeps his true thoughts and feelings to himself, for a variety of reasons. He is an old soul (quite literally), and his life from start, to finish, to what came after, has been wrought with tragedy. He has a lot of issues, but given the pain and heartache he's already put in to resolve them, he will be in a much better place to help another soul find the same resolution he desperately needed.
Barge Reactions: Archer will be fascinated, honestly. He will consider the Barge to be an odd sort of purgatory sailing through space and time -- strange, but not so weird as to be jarring. He comes from a world where gods and goddesses once roamed the earth, vampires and other undead still exist, and mythical figures can be summoned as spirits by mages in the present day. Not a lot is outside of the realm of possibility in his mind. He's familiar with both magic and technology and will be quite interested to learn about other worlds and timelines (hello, fellow Earthlings!!) so he will gladly nerd in anybody's direction about such things. He will not be very pleased by floods and breaches (is anybody?). However, he will not consider them as bad as his duties as a counter guardian back home so this is still a sort of....very weird vacation for him.
Path to Redemption: N/A
Deal: When Archer was still human (a young man, at that), he made a pact with the Counter Force -- the collective unconscious of mankind to survive and persist. He effectively sold his afterlife to this shapeless power of the world in exchange for a miracle -- the power to counter a great disaster and save the lives of many people. In making this deal, Archer shackled himself to the world for all eternity after his death and has since been summoned to various ages in human history to "clean up" messes humans have made.
Archer's deal with the Admiral will be to sever this pact, thereby freeing him from an eternity of servitude.
History: Here!
Sample Journal Entry: Here!
Sample RP: Here!
Special Notes: Since Archer is a Heroic Spirit that lives off of magic usually supplied by a Master through a contract, I'd like to request that he be allowed to operate independently of that stipulation during his stay on the Barge. For sustenance, one option could be giving him this pendant from canon to serve as a mana supply. Another idea I have is just letting him eat normal food instead -- which would not really work in canon, but since this is the Barge, maybe adjustments could be made? Any other possible suggestions welcome!
User DW:
readingwhiz89E-mail: readingwhiz89@gmail.com
Other Characters: N/A
Character Name: Archer
Series: Fate/Stay Night (Unlimited Bladeworks Route)
Age: Appears to be in his late 20's/early 30's, is actually a centuries-old spirit (if not even older).
From When?: The end of Unlimited Bladework route, after he's returned to his role of being a counter guardian.
Inmate/Warden: Warden. Archer has the capacity to be a good Warden, not because he's a strictly moral person, but rather because he isn't one. He brought a lot of terrible things on himself through his own poor decisions in life so he understands very well how one choice can have negative, broad-reaching consequences. He will not be quick to judge any Inmate, but rather he will try to see the bigger picture, to understand where they're coming from and why they've ended up on the Barge. He is a thoughtful, perceptive man, and he will make every attempt to help his Inmate see or understand whatever they need to in order to leave the Barge.
Item: A book.
Arrival: N/A
Abilities/Powers: Archer is a Heroic Spirit/Servant (a magical ghost, basically), which means he has a variety of abilities that stretch far beyond the limits of an ordinary human. In life he was a mage, and though he does not receive the blessings most Heroic Spirits do because of their fame and renown, he has perfected other techniques to make up for what he lacks. I'm going to go down his list of powers, starting with Servant-specific abilities.
- Enhanced Strength/Speed/Durability: As a Servant, Archer is capable of superhuman feats of strength. He can also cover great distances in a short amount of time and survive wounds that would kill an ordinary human.
- Spirit Form/Mana Consumption: As a Servant, Archer is capable of de-materializing and taking spirit form. This is not only to conceal his presence from others, but also to preserve his mana. Though he is still visible to other Servants, he cannot be detected by those without magical ability. In addition, given that Servants are spirits who need magic in order to maintain themselves in the physical world, Archer is very attuned to the presence of magic in others around him. In the absence of a Master, he can find nourishment in one of three ways -- by drinking blood, soul-sucking, or sex. Given that he personally finds preying on people to be distasteful, he is highly unlikely to ever resort to the first or second options. (See Special Notes at the bottom for more about this.)
- Experienced Combatant (Eye of the Mind): Even though Archer is technically weaker than most other Servants because he lacks the benefits of being a famous, historical/legendary figure, he can still go toe-to-toe with opponents that are stronger than he is because of his vast amount of experience in combat. As a human being, he pushed himself to and past his limits, and as a Heroic Spirit, he has fought in wars in past, present, and future eras. He is very adaptable on the battlefield, as he can not only dual wield with his favored swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, but he is also an exceptional marksman with his bow. Because of this, he has developed the Eye of the Mind ability, which is not so much a special power as it is "combat logic" -- being able to read his opponents movements in advance so he can successfully counter them, even if they are stronger or faster than he is.
- Archer Class Abilities (Clairvoyance & Independent Action): Though he defies certain conventions of the class, Archer's classification as an Archer grants him certain capabilities. Aside from being able to fire multiple arrows in rapid succession, magical or otherwise, he has the ability of Clairvoyance, also called the "Eagle Eye". This allows him to not only sight moving targets and fire upon them accurately from a long range (four kilometers), but it also allows him to scout from the high places with unnerving accuracy (he says he can count the tiles on a bridge from a distant building, for example). The Archer class also grants him the ability of Independent Action, which allows him to act without a Master (for two days in canon; again see Special Notes for more about this).
- Archer's Bow (Broken Phantasm): While Archer does not have a true Noble Phantasm of his own in the typical sense, he is capable of duplicating the Noble Phantasms (i.e. weapons) of other Heroic Spirits and firing them from his bow. This ability is showcased during Saber's battle with Berserker as well as Archer's battle with Caster. Said replica is destroyed after it is fired and releases a great amount of energy, equal to an A-Rank Noble Phantasm. (In other words, it makes a big explosion.)
- Strengthening Magic: One of only two magics Archer was capable of when he was alive. This allows Archer to "trace" the structure of any object and understand not only how it works but also what it's made of and its history. This is very helpful in terms of fixing things (in fact, he used to repair broken things a lot when he was young). It also allows him to "strengthen" the object's structure -- for example, he could use strengthening magic on a piece of paper and then use it as a shield. His ability to "trace" things also helps him navigate unknown spaces in that he has an innate sense of his surroundings. (In canon, he finds a secret passageway to an underground hole hidden away in a house because he could "sense" there was something there). Also, when Archer would try to use this magic as a young man, sometimes he would mess up and cause the object to "deconstruct" or shatter so that is also a possible use of it.
- Projection Magic: The second of only two magics Archer was capable of in life. Based on the information he gleans from "tracing" objects, Archer can thereafter magically create copies of these same objects. In the visual novel and the anime, Archer is primarily shown to use the ability with bladed weapons (usually swords), his bow, and the shield Rho Aius (a magical barrier capable of defending against Noble Phantasms, which also costs a lot more mana to use). It is worth noting that some weapons are beyond his ability to project, typically holy or demonic constructs (example: Excalibur). In other media (such as the mobage game, Fate Grand Order), however, Archer is shown to be able to project more complex items such as...cotton candy machines. (Yes, really.) For the sake of the game, I will go ahead and state he is unlikely to use these powers frivolously or in a game-breaking fashion -- i.e. he's not going to go around projecting refrigerators for Inmates to keep in their rooms. He still has to magically maintain the objects he creates this way so he is not going to project things and hand them out. This ability will be used sparingly and within reason.
- Reality Marble (Unlimited Blade Works): Unlimited Blade Works is the culmination of Archer's Strengthening and Projection Magic as it allows him to replicate any weapon that he sees and "store" it in his Reality Marble. A Reality Marble is defined in canon as a temporary projection of the user's inner world -- a hammerspace bolthole, in other words. Archer can summon swords and fire them as projectiles without the Reality Marble itself being active, but when he does actually summon it, he creates a "world" that effectively looks like a wasteland of cogs and machinery with blades stuck in the ground. For an example of what this looks like in action, I have this video here, but basically what happens is this: Archer casts the Reality Marble, anyone close by (in the same room, we'll say) is sucked into it, and then he can basically fling an unlimited supply of weapons at whoever he traps inside. This is a rather absurd ability, but it comes with its own limitations. For example, it is a HUGE drain on Archer's power and cannot be maintained for more than 30 minutes at a time (if that). He can only trap people in it within a defined radius (the same room, we'll say). It is also stationary and does not affect any of the outside surroundings. Also, it should be noted that when he does run out of power to maintain this, the Marble just disappears so everyone ends up exactly where they were before the Marble was there to start with. Again - this is a powerful ability, but not a particularly useful one except under unusual circumstances. Archer is very unlikely to use this...frankly ever. It is his "symbol" as a Heroic Spirit, though, since he's been visiting other eras on clean-up duty and recording their weapons for a very long time -- hence the name "Unlimited Bladeworks".
Personality:
At a glance, Archer displays a very laid-back, indifferent sort of demeanor. He has a dry sense of humor, a tendency to be sarcastic, and he isn't always particularly respectful, especially if he's given a reason not to be. Though this usually just comes across as practiced indifference, some of his commentary is absolutely meant to be insulting. He dunks on Shirou as often as he can, for example, telling him his ideals are fake and worthless. He mocks Saber, as well, and her noble ideals of honor and chivalry.
In that vein, it is worth noting that Archer has little patience for idealism or altruistic tendencies in those around him. In addition, he doesn't hesitate to call others out on (what he considers to be) their stupidity, and he doesn't sugar coat (what he believes to be) bad decisions. His particular dislike of idealism in any shape or form largely comes from personal experience, and it drives him to employ methods and tactics (particularly in battle) that many would consider underhanded and ruthless. On top of being one of the more knowledgeable Servants in Fate/Stay Night (he manages to identify the True Names of a handful of his opponents with limited information), he is both highly intelligent and very shrewd. He employs all of these talents, including his own vast experience as a combatant, in order to achieve the ends he desires -- collateral damage be damned. In Unlimited Bladeworks, for example, Archer betrays his Master Rin, forms a pact with the Caster Servant, and thereafter proceeds to betray Caster....by literally stabbing her in the back. All so he can have the opportunity to kill his past self, Shirou Emiya.
The reason, of course, that Archer would attempt such a thing is that he truly, deeply despises himself. This is a core part of his personality and the driving force behind literally everything he does in Unlimited Bladeworks. He states his one and only goal is to kill Shirou Emiya -- a human destined to become a hero of justice (himself). He reasoning for this is, while he did achieve his goals of becoming a hero of justice in his lifetime, it did not turn out well for him at all. In order to attain enough power to achieve the miracle he sought, he sold his afterlife to Alaya -- the counterbalancing force of the world which ensures that humanity does not destroy itself. After he was executed for a crime he didn't commit, he was forced to repeatedly clean up the messes humans made over and over and over again...to the point of nearly driving him mad. He wanted to save everyone, and yet all he could do was repeatedly stain his hands with blood and execute people ad nauseum, forever.
It was over the course of many long years of servitude that Archer came to the conclusion that the ideal he once held of being a hero, of trying to save everyone, was shallow, foolish idealism. Having fought to clean up humanity's messes in more battles than he can count or remember, Archer effectively despises himself along with the beliefs that gave rise to someone like him. He is the epitome of the jaded, bitter idealist -- someone who believed and hoped he could somehow save everyone, only to be hit repeatedly with the harsh reality that doing so is impossible. As a result, he lost all hope and clung only to the sliver of a possibility that he might one day be summoned to the time in which he lived and destroy his past self with his own hands. Obviously, this did not end up working out for him, as Shirou was the victor of this battle. However, Archer did at least have the opportunity to vent that anger, to make the attempt, and finally receive some measure of closure regarding the choices he'd once made.
Despite the peace he has found with himself, though, he does still have his share of issues. Given that he has effectively been used as a killing machine for hundreds if not thousands of years, to say that Archer is emotionally repressed is an understatement. Though he can be sarcastic and snarky, make jokes, and connect with most people on a fairly superficial level, anything deeper than the superficial is much harder for him. He has difficulty with intimacy and anything that involves actual closeness with another human being. This is also compounded by the fact that he suffered a terrible trauma as a child and never fully learned how to enjoy life and care about himself. It's why he generally holds people at arms' length and very deliberately avoids talking about how he feels, his name, or his history. He does not like himself, does not like talking about himself, and on top of that, he doesn't like being in a place of vulnerability -- which is what most intimate/close situations represent to him. He is self-aware, of course, and knows that he's got A Lot of Baggage, but the very cyclical nature of his existence (trapped in a role that he hates) has not really allowed for much in the way of human connections. This is why, while he is capable of kindness and even giving good advice, his efforts sometimes fall flat.
In spite of all that, though, some part of the young man he once was still remains. Shirou Emiya's greatest wish was to become a Hero of Justice -- one who would be able to save everyone. Though Archer has become jaded and bitter over the path he chose and no longer holds this ideal as his standard, for the right cause or the right person, he would crawl over broken glass, take a bullet, and even die for the greater good or something (or someone) who means a lot to him. At the end of the Holy Grail War, when all hope seems lost, Archer reappears to help not only Rin and Saber, but also Shirou, so the final battle can be won. In another route entirely (called Heaven's Feel), he sets aside his grudge with Shirou, dies to protect his Master Rin, and even gives Shirou his left arm to save the young man's life -- all to address a threat he recognizes as being much greater than himself.
To sum it all up... Archer is an exceedingly complicated man who generally keeps his true thoughts and feelings to himself, for a variety of reasons. He is an old soul (quite literally), and his life from start, to finish, to what came after, has been wrought with tragedy. He has a lot of issues, but given the pain and heartache he's already put in to resolve them, he will be in a much better place to help another soul find the same resolution he desperately needed.
Barge Reactions: Archer will be fascinated, honestly. He will consider the Barge to be an odd sort of purgatory sailing through space and time -- strange, but not so weird as to be jarring. He comes from a world where gods and goddesses once roamed the earth, vampires and other undead still exist, and mythical figures can be summoned as spirits by mages in the present day. Not a lot is outside of the realm of possibility in his mind. He's familiar with both magic and technology and will be quite interested to learn about other worlds and timelines (hello, fellow Earthlings!!) so he will gladly nerd in anybody's direction about such things. He will not be very pleased by floods and breaches (is anybody?). However, he will not consider them as bad as his duties as a counter guardian back home so this is still a sort of....very weird vacation for him.
Path to Redemption: N/A
Deal: When Archer was still human (a young man, at that), he made a pact with the Counter Force -- the collective unconscious of mankind to survive and persist. He effectively sold his afterlife to this shapeless power of the world in exchange for a miracle -- the power to counter a great disaster and save the lives of many people. In making this deal, Archer shackled himself to the world for all eternity after his death and has since been summoned to various ages in human history to "clean up" messes humans have made.
Archer's deal with the Admiral will be to sever this pact, thereby freeing him from an eternity of servitude.
History: Here!
Sample Journal Entry: Here!
Sample RP: Here!
Special Notes: Since Archer is a Heroic Spirit that lives off of magic usually supplied by a Master through a contract, I'd like to request that he be allowed to operate independently of that stipulation during his stay on the Barge. For sustenance, one option could be giving him this pendant from canon to serve as a mana supply. Another idea I have is just letting him eat normal food instead -- which would not really work in canon, but since this is the Barge, maybe adjustments could be made? Any other possible suggestions welcome!
