video | un: s.wilson

[unclesam]

[ Is there anything better than hanging back in the sunshine room? Paint a picture of golden sun on warm, dark skin, of tranquil surroundings, a man reclining against the trunk of a tree with a small stream gurgling in the background, of something truly soothing to behold... or notice the fact that Sam Wilson is wearing a leather jacket that distinctly, a hundred percent has only ever been soon on one Bucky Barnes before. If one of them is gonna be a filthy clothes thief, the other is gonna follow suit, it seems.

No, they're not clothes sharing. This is goddamn war. It is a nice jacket, though, and hey, Sam can appreciate the double victory of looking fine as hell and aggravating Bucky. ]

Hey guys. Sam, for those with whom I haven't had the pleasure yet. Got a treat for you.

[ No, it's not his very fine self, thank you very much. Sam holds up a very distinct golden amulet. ]

Managed to snatch this off Lord Suk-ju all the way back in Gyeongje, when the asshole tried to escape. Some of you were around for that. For those who are unaware: This shit's magic. Protects from physical and magical harm, pretty damn completely. All you gotta do is hold it. Got about a week's worth of daily confrontation stored in it before the magic shrugs and abandons you to get punched in the face.

Full credit for the side hustle goes to Ed, Sabriel, Syrlya, Zelda and Eliot. I ain't magic, so I'm really just the eye-candy on this operation. Thanks to our resident magically inclined talent, we figured out that the magic on the original amulet can be... I guess replicated? Not copied. And not to just on any object - needs to be from Gyeongje specifically. Thankfully, Ed's got a cheat code for that and can make copies of the base amulet, provided we got enough gold to work with, and those copies can be enchanted as if they were from Gyeongje. Pretty nifty. And that means... ta-da.

[ Sam holds up 5 other amulets. They look almost identical to the first, but he keeps them on what looks a keychain, separate from the original so as not to mix them up. ]

We've been kinda running a knock-off magic amulet production line here. Now, couple things - and I'm just gonna bullshit to the best of my understanding here, I'm sure our resident sorcerers of various persuasions will chime in with more technical explanations if needed. As I said, I'm the eye-candy and one of the test dummys of this operation, not the brains.

These knock off amulets are less efficient than the original unless you're the person who did the enchantment. Meaning for the rest of you, they will block some physical and magical attacks, but not all. The stronger the attack, the higher the chance it goes through. [ That was a fun round of testing to find out. ] Protection operates at about 50 to 70% efficiency compared to the original, best as we can tell, and depletes faster. We had enough raw material and enough people to make 5 of these knock offs. Current plan is to hand the amulets out before missions. Team and I agreed to prioritize civilians and non-combatants who could use the extra protection because they don't got powers, gear or other enhancements to work with.

Let me know if you feel you could use these. Between the original and the copies, we can outfit six people for now. We need them back after missions, otherwise they can't get re-enchanted and we can't make more copies.

[ Sam's spinning one of the amulets around his finger. The gold glints brightly in the fake sunlight. ]

If you're a sorcerer and interested in helping make more of these in the future, ring us up. And if you're in a position to get some gold - bars, coins, in the form of jewellery, whatever, either on missions or through requests from your home worlds - please consider forwarding that to us. We can only make more of these if we get our hands on more raw material.

Thanks for your time.

Comments

video; un: fullmetal

[chrysology]

Think I might still have a few hundred cens. Not like I expect one of the missions to be back home, so. I guess if we really need it that might help. Not that it's much though. Ah, cens being coins, I mean.

[And given he mentioned a few hundred? It's probably something similar with the Japanese yen sort of currency. Ed also can't help adding.]

It's alchemy, for the record for those that don't know. In my case. Not magic, but science. Still, if people want me to transmute in making them stuff or fixing something, provided we have the base materials to work with, I can figure helping out. Whatever money I make from that can go towards making more amulets or whatever for everyone. Or something like that. It's simply that I need the base materials to work with, then I break down the components and reconstruct them to be fixed if you have all the parts, or I make something else out of the same base materials (like, iron I could make a weapon or cutlery or whatever from. As an example.)

video; un: megatron

[flickerandfade]

Fascinating.

[ Megatron does sound genuinely a touch impressed by this ability. ]

Are you capable of transmuting elements into other elements or must the material that results necessarily be the same as what you start with? Could I give you iron and get back tungsten?

video; un: megatron

[chrysology]

Iron and tungsten? Ah. No, it's more I need the base materials to work with. So if you want tungsten I'd need some of that to start with. At least, something made of it to build on for whatever you'd want me to make from it. I also can't just duplicate more of something without having more material to work with, which is why this is a little more complicated in us needing more gold for this, for example.

Re: video; un: megatron

[flickerandfade]

I understand. You cannot simply translate materials into others without the requisite base elements.

Still, a fascinating power and most useful. If it's not too intrusive, I would enjoy a demonstration.

video; un: fullmetal

[chrysology]

A demonstration. I guess I could. Knowing what everyone can do to help out on missions is probably a good idea.

[Ed has never exactly figured trying to keep his alchemy a secret. A lot of the others here know what he is capable of. So there's no point in trying to hide it or lay low now, just in case among the new arrivals was someone he would rather not reunite with here or in general.]

Just let me know when and where on the station to meet and I can show you sometime before the next mission, if you want.

[unclesam]

Don't gotta give me the Elevator Pitch, kid, your alchemy's proven plenty useful already. So those coins - how much do you think we could get outta those?

[chrysology]

I know I've told you about it, and some others, but since we got new arrivals from the looks of things and all. I figured to at least try explain the basics for them or anyone else that doesn't know. But uh, I want to say it's maybe almost enough for another one? Close to it if not quite there.

[He says as he counts them out in his pocket, trying to figure exactly how much he would be working with.]

I can always figure more coins or such from other missions we do too. If we get the chance to be there for a bit and work like that last one.

[unclesam]

Good to know. I'm fresh out of stuff I managed to buy up in Braccia. Definitely gonna keep an eye out in the future. Gotta this, this is one nifty production chain we managed to set up.

[chrysology]

It isn't like we aren't getting something out of it. The more of us still standing with the missions, the more chance we have one of us will make it to get the orb with these missions. That is the goal. Plus, not everyone has something like my alchemy to help them, or necessarily knows how to fight.

Video | Un: Wham!

[spacedisaster]

[ Peter will never stop being amused at Sam giving speeches. The man sure does have a knack for getting people's attention and making it interesting. ]

That sounds really useful, especially since we have young people around and some that just aren't suited for combat.

I don't have any gold on me at the moment but I can look for resources for you during our next mission.

[ Stealing. He means stealing. But like...just from bad people. Maybe. ]

[unclesam]

[ Sam knows how to put the fun back in ted talks, and he will never hear otherwise. He can even crank up the 'inspirational' part of speeches. That talent comes with the shield, he suspects. ]

Yeah honestly, I'm glad it's working as well as we could get it. The sorcerers outdid themselves, honestly. The kid, too. Thanks for the assist man - that'd be appreciated. Just stay safe, yeah?

[ Read: Do not get in trouble on Sam's account, and for the love of god do not get other people needlessly in trouble either. ]

[spacedisaster]

[ He really does, it might very well be Sam's real superpower. ]

I don't know the sorcerers, but Edward is a very skilled alchemist, I've witnessed it first-hand back during the attack at the Lionetta's HQ. But you need to feed him properly if you're going to make him work on the amulet, though, since I think he needs the extra energy. Plus...teenage boys, they would eat anything. I'm also not a terrible cook, so I could help with that.

[ Peter can read between lines, and he gets what Sam's trying to really ask with that 'safe' and gives a nod. ]

Worry not, I'm not Rocket, I'll be careful.

[unclesam]

[ The only power he has is the belief that people can do and be better. It can be surprisingly powerful. ]

That he is. And believe me, I'm familiar with the type. Steve had a black hole for a stomach. Bucky does, too. Almost no end of calories you can shovel into there.

[ And they still keep their physique without even trying, skinny legs and all. It's as impressive as it is universally unfair. ]

Let's think more Robin Hood, less Rocket. Could do with another Featherstone stint. I enjoyed spending their money, I won't lie.

text ↪ un: 朱

[blackfire]

Does the efficacy of the amulet's abilities decrease notably as it nears depletion?

（ this is not the first time he's heard this man speak, but it's the second time he's spoken sense and taken the time to make others both forewarned and forearmed. itachi is well-practiced at taking someone's measure with very little interaction, and rarely wrong. some people are natural leaders, and this man — reminds him a little of the yondaime. ）

[unclesam]

great question! I won't say 'no' outright 'cause I really don't wanna put something out there - but I'll say: not as far as we could tell in testing. if we find something to have that effect, that part of the totally awesome instruction video will be updated.

[ Really, he's not gonna promise something when the answer isn't 'no' but 'not to the best of our knowledge'. ]

[blackfire]

With the understanding that said individuals may wish to maintain anonymity, are you able to tell me how powerful those on the attacking side of the testing may have been?

[unclesam]

depends - compared to what? A well-trained human, a nuke?

we got people with super strength, a variety of magical powers, sound waves, bullets, missiles, swords, lasers...

un: song | voice

[spoilers]

Does quality make a difference? Should it be pure gold? It helps to know what I'm looking for.

[unclesam]

We've only used levels of purity used in jewellery and other likewise objects so far. Let me ping our alchemist with this question - I'd rather let him answer than speculate here. Ain't so sure myself if that makes a difference for the identical material part of his alchemy.

[spoilers]

Best shop high quality, then. Just to be sure.

[ By shop, of course, she means steal. She does so enjoy shiny things. ]

[unclesam]

Sounds like a plan. Now watch our next missions send us to places that are poverty stricken and offer no such shops. That'd be just my luck.

[ No. It has not occured to him that people will gleefully mean 'steal'. He's not naive about it - it's just not a step his mind takes by default, so the revelation would not come as a surprise. And as long as the theft doesn't come at the expense of people who don't deserve it... ]

video; un: b1-of-a-kind

[thelastb1]

Wait, sorcerors? Magic? You have that kind of stuff here? [Hearing such a matter-of-fact implication that there are people on the station that use magic is strange to Roger. He's used to the idea of organics having mystical powers he doesn't understand, but he never hears it simply explained as magic. And he is still too new to the station to be aware of all the different types of mystical abilities used on the station.]

[Roger shakes his head as he changes topics, realizing that's not the point of his reply.] I think could use one of those amulets. [He may be a machine and have abilities no humans do, but that does not mean he has powers or enhancements.] Do they work on machine life?

[unclesam]

[ that is an adorable username if he's ever seen one. And another... robot? android? droid? Sam's gotta find out what they prefer to be called, and if it's different for each of them.

This does open the other question... the fuck are they gonna do if these people get hurt on missions? Are they gonna need Stark on repair standby? ]

Honestly, I've learned to just roll with it. [ Even back home. ] So yeah - we sure got sorcerers and magic up here. Great question about the amulets though... we haven't had anyone with a non-organic body around, so I couldn't tell you. If you're up for it, care to volunteer to test that out? Not with anything that would end up hurting you, promise. You'd be completely safe, even if the amulet fails on you.

[ Sam has no clue if a bullet or a punch would hurt the guy - and no intentions of finding out the hard way either. ]

[thelastb1]

[Roger makes note of the possibility of seeing magic on the station and decides to just roll with it as well.]

...Okay, [he replies hesitantly and after some contemplation, the promise of safety very much informing that decision. He may be very difficult to seriously injure and very good at putting himself back together, but that doesn't mean he enjoys it.] When do you want me to do that?

[unclesam]

[ Honestly, it's the best approach Sam's found to all of that. Accept 'this might as well be happening' and roll with it. His life was so weird even before he came here. ]

We can meet up in the training room right now if you'd like.