(TW: Dehumanization, Talk Of Opening Up A Mechanical Bird To Empty Out Its Stomach, Fantasy Racism? I

(TW: Dehumanization, talk of opening up a mechanical bird to empty out its stomach, fantasy racism? I guess? Martyn fears one character in this story based on appearances- You'll see what I mean.)

Entry 36

Day 229

"I told you! Ohh, look who has an upset tummy because they wanted to drink something other than clean oil?" Martyn kept a steady pace as rubbed the bird's back. "But noo, mister smarty pants wanted to drink WATER."

A defeated caw left the sickly bird trapped in Martyn's arm. Poor Brian had been sick ever since this morning. With Martyn's water bottle being knocked over and tiny claw marks all over the metal... It wasn't hard to put two and two together.

"Oh I know. I know. Water and oil don't feel nice now does it? We're going to a shop, don't worry. Get a nice mechanic to take a look at you and empty out your stomach. Then I'll get you some clean oil. Sound like a deal?"

Another quiet caw, with a hint of hopefulness. Martyn would take that response if it meant Brian wouldn't try to take off.

Thankfully the shop was just as the hostess had said. Two blocks down, take a right, and look for... The building covered in all sorts of colors. "This... Is the place we're supposed to go to, Birdy."

A very hesitant caw.

"You and me both, bud." Martyn shouldered his way through the door. "Hello?" His eyes glazed the room, taking note of the rather plain interior. A few wooden chairs, checkered tiles, tools laying about everywhere... Yep. Definitely a mechanic's office.

With nobody in sight.

"Are they closed? Oh I hope not." Martyn stepped away from the door with a small grunt. "Sorry for any turbulence on Martyn Air, Brian. We shall provide you snacks as compensation." He said in response to the flurry of caws.

"I didn't know a crow- Helllllo." Martyn's eyes flicked up to a man leaning through the door. Who just so happened to be covered in an insane amount of colors. "Are you a paying customer by chance? Did you have an appointment with Doc?"

"Doc?" The Doctor? Was he here? "No, no, no, my little friend here decided it would be a smart idea to dunk his beak in my water bottle."

Another caw, sounding apologetic.

"Oh don't apologize to me! It's your tummy that you need to say sorry to." Martyn rubbed his head with a quiet sigh. "If you can't already tell, poor Brian here needs his stomach panel cracked open and checked. Think you could help?"

The other shook his head quickly. "Not me, no can do. I work on chems and spray paints. I can see if Doc is free to help? He works with machines more than I do. He could help you a lot more than me."

"As long as he helps Brian."

The multi-colored man eventually left Martyn in the waiting room. "Well. There you go! We're getting you some help, little fella." Martyn sat down in the closest chair with a small huff. "We just gotta wait a little bit. Get the Doc to look over you. Empty out your poor stomach."

A part of Martyn's mind wondered. What... What if this was THE Doctor? Could his arm problem be solved? Could he finally embark on his way home? Was... The G.U.I.D.E even his home anymore? What about Scott? He's alive! But... He hates his guts. His stupid mouth went blabbering and rage took over... Not to forget that bird guy beside him could have been the Canary Flight Master! He had managed to piss off two people in one day! Embarrassing, really.

"Hello?" A far deeper voice lulled Martyn out of his thoughts. And oh. Oh. He wished that his thoughts would consume his mind at that very moment.

The... THING towered over Martyn by an easy two feet, if not more. (And Martyn was a proud 6"0, a height that isn't all that common in the Crashlands.) But it wasn't the towering height that threw Martyn off. No, it was the pale green skin that clung to the man like glue. The way copper clung to the man's every breath, the twitch of his hand as it rested above his shoulder- The horrific glowing red eye that seemed to bore through his soul. The horrifyingly large horns that looked so impossible and yet were possible all at once.

Martyn had seen some weird things. He'd seen a LOT of oddities and impossible things in the Crashlands. But this. This takes the cake. Whatever this FREAK was, it was a danger. And with how still Brian had gotten in his arms, his bird agreed.

"You were requesting an audience with me? A problem with your... Bird?" That voice sent a shiver down his spine and NOT in a good way.

"Y-You are Doc?" Martyn cursed the way his voice stuttered. "Yeah- Yes! Yes, Brian. He... He drank some water this morning a-and..." His grip tightened on Brian subconsciously. That hand was getting so close to his bird. And the THING noticed. And it smiled.

Fucking SMILED.

"Don't be so jumpy! I promise to not harm him." The abomination assured. "As long as he doesn't peck me, we're fine!"

Brian's small caw rung through Martyn's mind. Right. Brian. Do this for Brian. He stared up at... Doc... And let out a sigh. "Okay. Let's....If it will help out Brian."

"Yes. I think it will."

(More to be added, the author is sleep deprived.)

HERMIT A DAY MAY - DAY 16

Welsknight x Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya)

For Wels I chose the original Saint Seiya anime, also known as Knights of the Zodiac!

I watched this show when I was pretty young, so I actually didn't remember much about the plot of this show when I started this piece. What I did remember is that I really enjoyed it. It felt like both a shonen and a magical girl anime (best of both worlds) and everyone had really, really shiny armor. And I mean, obviously I couldn't pass up the opportunity to reimagine Wels as a late 80s space knight in head-to-toe chrome!

To learn more about Knights of the Zodiac, please journey below the cut. (Gamers Outreach fundraiser - keep it going!)

Saint Seiya, or Knights of the Zodiac as I knew it growing up, is an anime from the late 1980s based off a manga series of the same name.

The story follows a young man named Seiya, who is part of a group of mystical warriors that wear magical armor (called Cloths) which pull power from (and are themed after) the constellations. The warriors fight for the goddess Athena to defend earth from evil.

One unique thing about the show is the characters don't usually have weapons - they are supposed to fight with only their Cloths and the power of the cosmos (it's a whole thing in the premise). However, Wels felt incomplete without the sword, so he gets to be an exception. :)

The anime is bright, campy, and action-packed but takes itself fairly seriously - basically exactly what you would expect from a classic shonen. The plot is divided into arcs but isn't too complex, so while it is best to start from the beginning of the show you can pick it up pretty quickly from anywhere if you're familiar with the genre.

Style references:

The designs for the knights - long fluffy hair is a requirement

The dramatic shine on all the armor is both iconic and very fun to draw once you get the hand of it

Knights of the Zodiac/Saint Seiya title logo. This is actually the logo from the ONA, not the original anime, but I think this font is way more fun so this is the one I used

i can't be bothered to edit this properly so here is a bad photo of my sketchbook <3 i didn't wanna draw a person today to give myself a 'break' so instead i spent an obscene amount of time drawing wels castle (ft hypno's fireworks hehe)

Hermit a Day May: Day 16, WelsKnight, Personification of Justice!

And here's his full portrait without the text and background:

Hermit-a-Day May, day 17: EthosLab. Today's style/medium is the mobile game Crossy Road. I'm gonna be honest, this was my backup style and mostly a joke, but my first choice was not working out and I didn't have time to fiddle with it. Crossy Road is essentially just a modern Frogger, so it fits what Etho's been up to this season (at least, I think--I've never actually played the game). Details and references under the read more!

Materials/software: Blockbench for most of it; I exported the image to Krita to add a background and clean up the details.

References: I primarily based Etho's features on two of the developer insert characters from the Australian update, Ben Weatherall and Andy Sum. I borrowed the play button from a screenshot of the game and hand-wrote the font pixel by pixel, referencing several different screenshots.

This was my first time using Blockbench and I went in completely blind, but it was actually pretty intuitive! I was pleasantly surprised. I'm realizing now that I made Etho's legs a bit too short but it's fiiiine. I think that's... about all I have to say, actually. This piece was mostly a "do it for the meme" kind of thing, but I am proud of how much it looks like the source material.

(Warning for: Cracking open a very unhappy crow)

(We're in for a long one boys!)

"Set your crow on the table. Keep him calm." The man gestured to the steel table standing in the middle of the room. "I'll get a screwdriver and a bucket. And maybe some rags if he's got oil in his stomach.

Martyn was hesitant to listen, but if this Doc guy knew what he was doing... He set Brian on the cold table. "He's gonna fix you right up."

Three displeased caws at the uncomfortable table Brian had to stay on.

"Yeah, I know. It's a bit cold. But I can't exactly take you off the table, bud. Gotta get the water outta you!"

Another unhappy caw.

"Again. You drank water, bud. Water that can be bad for you." Martyn bapped the top of his beak, earning an unamused coo. "Metal and water do not get along."

Brian let out a defeated caw but finally settled in place. Just long enough for Doc to return again. With a few too many tools for Martyn's liking.

"I take it you calmed him down?" He set the tools on a cart. "You'll have to keep him from pecking me when I clean his stomach out."

Wait. Wait wait waiT-

"You're doing this while he's awake? Would it be better if I get him to fall asleep? This has gotta hurt in some way, right?" Martyn knew HE wanted to be out cold if his body got sliced open. But for a mechanical crow...

Martyn refused to take any unnecessary chances. Not if it could be avoided.

"No. He will be fine." That deep voice responded. His unnatural eye took on an even more vibrant red glow. "No pain receptors attached to the stomach. He'll only feel a lot of vibrations when I have to seal up his stomach. Just keep him from pecking me. It would stall the process."

Martyn bit his lip. He quietly folded his hands over Brian's neck, guiding the bird's head down. Another unhappy caw.

"I know. Cold." Martyn glanced down with a hum. He tugged off the dark green bandana wrapped around his wrist. "Let's try this for you Bri." He lifted his other hand from Brian's neck, folding the bandana under the bird's head. When Brian rested his head on the bandana he let out a very happy coo. "There we go. No more cold."

He could feel Doc's eyes lingering on him. He tried his best as he spoke to Brian. "We're gonna find our guy, I promise. And then me and you can go wandering the Crashlands. What do you think?"

A small caw. The metallic clinking of metal on metal. The glint of plastic in the corner of his eyes. And a laugh.

"The Crashlands are dangerous. Do you want to go walking around willy nilly?" Another shiver down Martyn's spine. That damn voice. "They will tear you down if you're not watching your step."

He willed himself to not roll his eyes. "I survived for almost a year. I think I'm doing pretty good. Saw some oddities, found this city... Gotta find more things." The soft tang of a screw hitting the ground. One, two, three, four-

"Have you found a loose bomb before?" A panel is removed from Brian, set aside. A small caw escapes Brian and Martyn has to keep his hands down to stop him from squirming.

"No? I don't exactly go looking... Why would bombs just be laying about?"

"Old world governments would threaten each other with nuclear weapons. Atom bombs, guns, drug planting. You name it, they were willing to do it. And then one of the governments shot at another and then the war broke out. They tested too many things back then. Made a metal that only reacts to oxygen in an instant. Others would combust if they got too close to water. Most were false alarms."

The way he got quiet when he mentioned "almost" threw Martyn off. He tensed up when he saw a semitransparent metal sack stuff inside of Brian. Swollen and looking ready to burst. "Ohh that doesn't look the best."

"It's an easy fix." Doc explained as he operated on the rather still Brian. "Those failed governments and their weapons are the reason this city even began in the first place." The sharp scalpel is taken away, and a bucket is placed under Brian's body. "We disabled bombs left and right. Brought any live bombs to the Core. They power this city. We were in charge of grabbing the bombs."

"We?"

"We." Was all he got in response.

Martyn fell silent while Doc drained the sack of the oil and water. He let out a dry chuckle at the happy caw escaping Brian. "Yeah, bet that feels better now that you are not walking around with water in your tummy, huh?"

Another happy caw. Definitely a yes.

"Great." Martyn's eyes flicked up to Doc. His eyes lingered on his horns for a bit too long. They were absolutely HUGE. Hanging beside Doc's head, amplifying his intimidating features... And yet making him look softer, in a twisted way. "Are your horns natural?" He

"Tumor. The organic one at least. The metal one is to balance out the weight."

A tumor. He knew that disease well. Cancer took his parents out before the plague did.

"Have you found anyone who could help you with that?"

"Not one that is alive." A soldering iron was set to heat up. "But I'm handling it well. I'm still kicking."

"If that's what you wish to call it." Martyn massaged the crow's head. "Almost done buddy. Gonna finish up here and get you something to eat. That sounds good?"

A chirp. Good noise. "You are going to be insanely hungry when Doc finishes up." He hesitated again. "The Angel. Is he here?" He asked Doc.

"No." Doc met Martyn's eye. "Left years ago. Posters are put up as a tribute to the man. Was a hero to a lot of people."

Not the answer he was hoping for. The Angel was gone. Out of town. Who knows if he would ever get to see him! Hell, would he even find the Demon in time? Was all of this just a lost cause?

"However. I know a person," Doc's hands focused on cauterizing the sack. "She's got an air ship. You get to her, and you're golden. She'll fly you to the city The Angel is in."

Martyn focused on Brian and his unhappy caws. It probably felt really weird on Brian's end to have his stomach constantly touched by something so hot. "Air ships exist? How come I've never seen one?" He ran his thumb along Brian's head.

"They're extremely difficult to find. You have to know a Captain to even get to the Hub. They sail above the clouds so people on the ground level can't see them. Their air ships are special, so most that fly them don't even show their faces. But I know a woman who has her own air ship. I can get you to her." Doc finally dropped the soldering iron and worked on putting Brian back together.

Martyn tensed up at a sharp peck to his hand. "A-And why would you help us?" He didn't even focus on Doc, too busy staring at the triangle shaped mark in his thumb. He bonked Brian with said thumb. That got him a loud, unhappy caw. "Hey, you're the one who pecked me." Martyn whispered to his bird.

A quiet chuckle from the Doc. "You amuse me. Figure I should at least entertain the idea." His red eye met Martyn's own again. "Don't see many people willing to go to such lengths. Most stay at the first settlement they find." Doc screwed in the last panel. "All better. His stomach is empty and sealed up. Keep him away from any water and he'll be perfectly fine."

"Thanks." He tugged his hands away, letting Brian hop straight up. Martyn laughed when Brian purposely stomped his two little legs over to Doc and pecked his metal hand. "Brian, don't be rude." He scooped the bird up in his hands. "He did fix your stomach."

A glare followed by a quiet caw.

"Ohhh, don't give me that look mister." Martyn bapped his beak. "Do you want air jail? You can get air jail mister!" The entire time he never noticed Doc's movements behind him. Not until he felt the cold metal brush against his back.

Did he jump nearly ten feet in the air from shock? Nooooo. (He ignored Brian's cawing laughter and Doc's quiet snickering. He did NOT jump thank you very much.)

"For a robot that does not belong to you... You take rather good care of him."

"Well I would hope so!" Martyn defended with a proud smile. "The little guy's voice box was worn out when I met him. Replaced the voice box and he's been as chatty as an old drama movie." He scratched under Brian's chin. "Isn't that right you screecher?"

A happy coo escaped Brian as the bird practically became putty in his hands. Martyn hummed as he made note of that. Birds like to be scratched under their chins. Got it. He then backtracked.

"How did you know he's not my bird?!"

"He's got a signature on him. Middle tail feather." Doc moved away to dispose of the oil and water. "He's somebody's pet or runaway experiment. My eye only tells me so much."

Runaway experiment. Was that what Brian was? ... Was that what Scott was? Martyn shook his head. No. Don't think about him right now. Don't break down.

"Thanks, I guess? Maybe his original owner passed. Crashlands are very dangerous." Martyn didn't want to think of the day that Brian would have to leave. "Where's this... Air ship?" He asked with a cough. Anything to change the subject.

Doc's eye focused back on him. He STILL didn't like that eye. "You'll see. Let me grab my signal flare."

"A flare?" Oh boy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After finding Doc's flare (And stopping for an hour to let Brian enjoy his well deserved hot oil) they made their way to a building Martyn would rather stay very clear of. "Are you sure this is safe?!" Martyn shouted over the howling wind. The air was thinner up here, and with all the holes in the crumbling concrete it did NOT help.

"No!" Doc shouted with a far too eager note in his voice.

Martyn glanced down at Brian (who had taken refuge in his arms to keep from being blown away) "Are we trusting a madman? I feel like we're trusting a madman."

Another caw and the shuffling of Brian's metal feathers. Brian was just as nervous as he was.

"DON'T STAY DOWN THERE, COME ON!" Doc yelled from the top of the stairs. "WE'RE ALMOST AT THE TOP!"

Martyn let out a deep breath as he stumbled up the stairs. He really didn't trust this building to stay up for much longer. One wrong move and this thing goes down in a pile of rubble.

Martyn peaked his head out through the heavy steel door, glancing around the empty rooftop. It seemed... Mostly safe, he supposed. No big homes in the floor at least. He kept Brian tucked in one arm as he walked out. "ShIT-" He barely caught himself as another gust of wind rushed by.

"Stay low to the ground!" Doc raised the flare gun to the sky. "It's about to get a lot worse when the Air Ship comes around!"

"WORSE?!"

Martyn barely had time to shield his eyes from the bright flash of oranges and yellows. He tucked Brian in his chest, hoping that the bright flare didn't blind the bird. "GIVE A GUY A WARNING!" All Doc did was laugh at him.

Thankfully they didn't have to wait long for this Air Ship. What Martyn didn't prepare for was the sheer SIZE of it. The large balloon strapped at the top was more than triple the roof top in length. The height itself was incredible, standing at who knew how many feet tall. More than Martyn could ever guess, the brown and white striped sails made it rather difficult to tell. The hull of the ship, composed of small circular windows and a fortified metal exterior, nearly took up the entire length of the rooftop and then some! Martyn couldn't even see the gap between the concrete and metal hull.

Needless to say, Martyn was impressed with the skillful landing.

"This is False's ship! Your one way ticket to Dia Bombia! Just stick with her until the morning and you'll be fine!" Doc shouted over the sound of the large engine. "False will treat you right!"

"Are you sure?!" Martyn jumped back when a large plank was thrown down to the ground. A hawk, made of shiny copper, pristine gold, and a craftsman quality appearance, flew straight down to him. It observed Martyn for a bit, its golden eyes raking over his body. "Well hello." Martyn mumbled. He couldn't even hear Brian's shocked caws until the bird was practically thrashing about in his arms. "Brian-!"

"Back off of him, girl, he's no danger!" A blonde woman offered her arm out like a lure. Summoning the hawk straight back to her. "Good girl." Said woman pushed her glasses up. "Doc, this better be the biggest emergency of your life! Shooting at the sky without checking your radar! Gave my poor Watchman a fright!"

"Unfortunately it's not a major emergency False. But I have a... Customer, of a sort. Needs to get to MCC."

Martyn didn't like the look of shock that crossed the woman's face.

"MCC? And you're sure you're not the insane one?" False looked back at him. "Well don't just stand there! Gather your gawking crow and get aboard! Don't have all day if you're going to MCC!"

"I-I'm not going to MCC- I'm going to-"

"Dia Bombia"

"Dia Bombia, yes yes, I know." False's voice overlapped Doc as she slammed a hand down on his shoulder. "But nobody goes to Dia Bombia unless they have a death wish or want to participate in MCC. And I don't take people who have death wishes."

Martyn gulped. "Guess I'm... Going to MCC." He muttered.

"That's the spirit! Come on!" She nudged Martyn forward. "You got a game to win! Maybe if you're lucky the Rewinder will pop up for a second. Always announces the games if his husband isn't too busy." Now that he could hear her better, her voice had a distinct accent similar to his own. "Hop to, come on!"

Martyn didn't even register that he nodded until he was being shoved forward. "Alrighty then-!"

"Take good care of him False! Don't let him fall!"

"Doc, you know I don't make promises like that!"

Martyn was regretting this more and more. Maybe he had a chance to back out- And the plank was being pulled up. Wonderful. Martyn looked over at where the plank was being hoisted and- Oh.

Oh.

So that's a Watchman.

The man's face was hidden by, surprisingly, pristine silver armor. His strength was something Martyn had not thought possible by a human, but this man could be a mutant like the others he had seen. Or a strength enhancer, he wasn't too sure. But the man was STRONG. And his stare... Ohh that was a "I will kill you if you fuck up" kind of stare.

Brian's caw snapped him out of it. "I'm moving, I'm moving." Martyn followed False into the cabin. "Thank you for taking me on such short notice. I was planning on walking but Doc-"

"Yes yes, I know. Doc does that sometimes. Unpredictable madman he is." False handed him a small key. "The bottom floor has a few rooms. This one is 103. When you leave in the morning, make sure it's nice and tidy. Don't give Wels more work than what he needs. He's a good man."

"Is that his name? Looks incredibly strong."

A nod. "Every pilot is given a Watchman in case things go astray. Sky pirates, thieves, people looking to take the engines of the ships. Stuff like that."

Martyn let a curious hum slip past his lips. "I'll find the Angel in MCC? What even is MCC?"

"The Angel is a 50/50. Depends on if the Demon's going to play or not." False approached a desk and began to press a few buttons. "MCC is the Mind Crack Championship. Every month, once a month, the Rewinder and his host hold a tournament. It's a bloody free-for-all. Thousands come every month for a chance to win. People die every single time."

That threw Martyn off. "Wait, wait, if it's so dangerous, why go in the first place? That makes no sense!"

"Because the Rewinder prevents people from dying. Gots a weird "No-Death" sorta deal going on. He waits for somebody to win, and then rewinds everyone else until they are back to health. Then everyone leaves, goes out into the Crashlands to do their own thing. Some return, some don't."

The idea that somebody could just... Bring one's self back to life... The idea boggled Martyn. And apparently, shocked Brian with the slack jawed look the crow hand- No. No, he was staring at the Hawk. Of course he was.

"So people willingly let themselves get slaughtered... For a chance at what? Money? Fame?" Martyn couldn't even imagine what prize had to be on the line-

"They get to grant a wish."

... "A wish."

"A wish. That's his husband's job. Wishmaker. The twelve Victors are brought back at the start of the year and they each battle it out for their wish. The ones that die don't get bought back. It's the sacrifice that comes with the wish."

Martyn didn't believe it for a second. "There's no way that's real. I mean... A wishmaker? What, does he conjure up the stars and goes "Your wish will come true eventually!" Or some crap like that? Seems like rubbish to me."

False narrowed her eyes at him. Uh oh.

"The wishes are real. Did you know that women couldn't pilot Air Ships? They weren't able to for as long as I was little. Hell, humans themselves are outright banned from purchasing them." Ohh boy, where did that sword come from- Where did that WALL come from?! Martyn went tense as he pressed against the wall, the sword's blade now pressed right against his throat.

"But I won. I made the wish to lift that ban. I got my ship. I got my license. I got my way. I fought my way through those games for three years." A dark look formed in her eyes as the blade dug into Martyn's neck just enough to draw blood.

"That's thirty-six games, thirty-seven if we include the Victor's battle. I fought tooth and nail for my ship. For my life. For Wels' life. And I will NOT let you disrespect those games-" The sword pressed closer to his throat- "Do I make. Myself. Clear?"

A gulp. "C-Crystal."

The sword fell. Martyn let out a relieved breath. He dragged his hand along his throat, pulling it back to see the dark red coating his fingers. He stared at False knowing his fear was obvious in his eyes. "You... Why wouldn't you just wish for the world to be normal again?" His voice was pitifully quiet.

"Because if the world were normal, everyone would lose everything. Our world may be screwed, but it is the only world we have." Was False's response. "Go to your room. Rest. Wels will call for you when dinner is prepped."

Martyn left. With too many questions still unanswered.