Monthly Create-A-Servant Contest

[Morg van Destro]

Really? I feel like there was one more somewhere.

[Spammin Spiff]

Just curious, first, would the prompt include figures that appear in multiple mythologies? Like let's say Bob is from one source, however he also appeared as pretty much the exact same character with the same name in a later different mythology. Would this count for this prompt?
Second, would a character who is themselves from an ancient mythology, but is under heavy influence due to worldwide modern fiction (as in fiction come up with in the last 100 years) count for the prompt?

[Random]

Second, would a character who is themselves from an ancient mythology, but is under heavy influence due to worldwide modern fiction (as in fiction come up with in the last 100 years) count for the prompt?

Depending on how sensitively you measure it, wouldn't this apply to literally all figures to some degree or another?

[Alexcoene]

Yeah, modern fiction isn't religion anyway. Lovecraft might say Dagon is a freaky fish guy, but that wouldn't count because nobody uses Lovecraft's work as a base to worship anything.

[DelRey]

Usually, but the contest is set in the TMverse, where the hpl gods exist
And the prompt is syncretism in general, not just gods

[Random]

the hpl gods exist

That depends on what you mean by "exist".

Also, I just checked back when Bn asked Pine a similar question, and considering the answer, it seems like your first example would fly just fine:

Syncretism is a cultural phenomenon and doesn't have to be limited to religion. A group adapting another group's religion to fit their own culture counts, the lack of an obvious second faith being mixed in doesn't really matter because the insertion of these new characters into the myths — regardless of origin — is already a reflection of both cultures interacting.

The actual sociological definition of syncretism might be more restrictive than that (I have no idea) but I won't be.

Something new being created by either the interaction between two cultures/ideas or the assimilation of a culture/idea by another. That's what I'm looking for, you guys don't have to worry so much about the minutiae.

[Spammin Spiff]

Depending on how sensitively you measure it, wouldn't this apply to literally all figures to some degree or another?

Like let's say a mythological character has a core aspect of their character, like, purely for example let's say we have something like Zues' lighting bolts, and we know that mythologicaly they're famously owned by him. But let's say that hypothetically, someone from a time like the 20th century gave a totally different character in their own story (which isn't tied to Greek mythology) those exact same lightning bolts, and this new character and fiction becomes so popular and world renowned that eventually whenever someone would think of said lightning bolts, they thought of this new character before the even thought of Zeus or maybe didn't think about Zeus at all. Would this type of scenario work for this prompt? A character's core aspect being adopted by a new character to the point where the old character is secondary or not even considered when thinking about said core aspect.

To clear this up, the character related to this question that I'm planning on doing would be the original character who is majorly affected by this new thing to the point where there's innocent monster type repercussions going on.

[Comun]

Yeah, modern fiction isn't religion anyway. Lovecraft might say Dagon is a freaky fish guy, but that wouldn't count because nobody uses Lovecraft's work as a base to worship anything.

Wasn't Dagon's motivation in his event that he was pissed because Lovecraft calling him a freaky fish guy is the one thing he's remembered by nowadays?

[Alexcoene]

I have no idea who you're thinking about, but I don't think that'd fly unless this affect actual myths or worship of them, personally.

Wasn't Dagon's motivation in his event that he was pissed because Lovecraft calling him a freaky fish guy is the one thing he's remembered by nowadays?

If I was being pedantic, I'd say that was technically the 11th century bible commentator Rashi's fault for making a wrong fish ethymology connection back in the 11th century. But my point is that Dagon wasn't worshipped or part of an actual religion as the freaky fish guy, so I don't think it counts.

[pinetree]

I'll say "lovecraftian syncretism" does count because as Del said, they're real in TM, and as Comun mentioned, FGO has already used this exact same narrative beat.

Like let's say a mythological character has a core aspect of their character, like, purely for example let's say we have something like Zues' lighting bolts, and we know that mythologicaly they're famously owned by him. But let's say that hypothetically, someone from a time like the 20th century gave a totally different character in their own story (which isn't tied to Greek mythology) those exact same lightning bolts, and this new character and fiction becomes so popular and world renowned that eventually whenever someone would think of said lightning bolts, they thought of this new character before the even thought of Zeus or maybe didn't think about Zeus at all. Would this type of scenario work for this prompt? A character's core aspect being adopted by a new character to the point where the old character is secondary or not even considered when thinking about said core aspect.

To clear this up, the character related to this question that I'm planning on doing would be the original character who is majorly affected by this new thing to the point where there's innocent monster type repercussions going on.

You guys think too much about this stuff, just do it bro. If you're that worried you can send me a PM to ask.
If it doesn't fit the prompt well enough people will mention it in their critique.

[Alexcoene]

Okay then, I'm overthinking it way too much, yeah.

[pinetree]

I swear to god my prompt is simple guys please believe me

[Spammin Spiff]

That's a no. This is by far the hardest prompt I've taken part in yet, I almost gave up thinking of something.

[Baron Magnus]

here's a question to decide it.

Pine. With enough BS can we connect two completely different entities together? like, say, I dunno, having a character manfiest in the Pretender class as entity A when really they're entity B and when revealed they become Entity C?

[pinetree]

Random's Mononobe-no-Moriya: Now usually I'd start this by praising your conciseness, but I think this one sheet did need you to take your more of the reader's time. The concept is thought provoking and very creative, approaching the theme in a way I never imagined someone would. Not to mention how flavorful it is. Fusing Lostbelts/fiction with real history is a fine concept but the whole idea of the celestial reflection alongside the radiantion in relation to the primordial kami just ties it all together in a much more interesting package.

That said, it's unecessarily dense. I love how the keywords led to the story in this one, specially ending with echo, but they are not enough. The sheet makes it very clear how the different characters relate to each other and how their story together went, but the whole time I was reading through, I was still trying to understand who the hell each of them were. I adimit I have a problem parsing Japanese names, but still, each paragraph had me rereading the previous sections to try and understand who was who.

Your formatting is quite consolidated at this point but I do think you needed to tweak it for this one to be a better experience. Multiple profile sections, for example, focusing on each character before diving into their relationship with each other would've made it all much easier. The keywords try to do this, but they serve more to attach your concept to the setting than to explain anything about the Proper Human History characters.


Vance's Demetrius of Thessaloniki: Very short for what's trying to do. You can't have impact without buildup. When I got to the gifs, I was more taken aback for the level of effort being put into a section that didn't seem much different from the others than impressed by the transformation the character was undergoing.
I know I said peoeple could make up the syncretism but you do have to justify it, and a secret backstory about being a child from a secret cult doesn't cut it, especially when it's so quickly brushed aside for the next section. You don't even explain what the Eleusinian Mysteries actually are.


Serra's Archer: I truly don't get it. It's just all of them with very little to no justification? Is there even any syncretism at all in the sheet?
I get that it's a joke but it didn't get me I guess. If I wanted just a bunch of fused divine spirits with no justifying cultural background I'd have gone with a High Servant theme.

Baron Magnus's Hermes Trimegistus: I'll echo Draco's thoughts. The sheet is quite long bu I don't think you used that length effectively, and it feels like a lot was still left unsaid.

like, say, I dunno, having a character manfiest in the Pretender class as entity A when really they're entity B and when revealed they become Entity C?

I mean, that's just how the Pretender class works to begin with. If you want to use that to frame the theme of the contest then I don't see why not.

[Baron Magnus]

Thanks for the feedback and... I think I'll be reworking him. Half because of feedback and wanting to do Hermes Trismegistus right and half because since the second entry is a certain servant and it can work for the theme its making me want to revisit the first sheet and put it how it was meant to be. Can't take everything away but... for example instead of Syncretism as a skill I might just go with some form of High Servant or Innocent Monster.... or maybe not at all. As one of the most famous syncretic figures I think just him as him qualifies for the contest. I dunno, I'll need to think more about it.

Also means I can give Caduceus to him as an NP.

[DracoScribe]

I swear to god my prompt is simple guys please believe me

All I can think of is because of the syncretism is what makes it hard?

Like, when does one thing end and another begin. Or worse, they've been so syncretised that it's hard to know they were syncretised in the first place.

Or maybe it's just not knowing how to present a sheet of syncretised figure and make it be about the syncretization.

Idk. I just felt like speculating 'cause in theory it's an easy prompt, and yet in practice so many are asking questions and havng trouble and it's interesting.

Serra's Archer: I truly don't get it. It's just all of them with very little to no justification? Is there even any syncretism at all in the sheet?

Aha. Aha. Aha. I hope I did well enough then 'cause aha...

I'm done with my sheet!
And I'm so nervous about it I swear I almost didn't want to make it.
Why?
Because this feels like the bull shitiest idea I've done so far.
And it's not for a joke unlike with Anti-Summer Jaguar Warrior.
This is just me using this as an excuse to indulge in, well, self-indulgence, instead of actually spending time researching stuff that's already been syncretised.
But you did say we could make up our own as long as we tried to be convincing.
And basically that sheet gave me a little more confidence to at least give this idea a try even if I failed.
Sooooooo...
Hopefully, if it isn't that convincing, it's at least enjoyable self-indulgence...?
oh gosh so nervous
Also yes I posted this in tandem with my Sigyn sheet. There was no way I was going to ignore this serendipity.

On a more serious note that I gotta ask: does anyone know what causes special symbols to go nuts? 'Cause sometimes I put it in (like the fused "ae" or the o with two dots over it) it's fine in the preview and sometimes it isn't when I update the preview. Is it just because of my internet or something? 'Cause for now, I removed all but one special symbol for the sheet since I don't wanna edit this sheet later to add stuff in only to somehow accidentally cause the special symbols to go haywire again when I don't know what causes it.

---

"Ah... Well, this is certainly unexpected. I didn't think I would ever be summoned like this. Heh heh...looks like it's your lucky day, my new Ward! You have summoned a specific aspect of me, one that has long since been lost to you and your kind's memories. In other words...you got the friendliest version of me! Ah, though considering who you are, you probably wouldn't have minded my other selves... But I digress!"

The Servant takes a brief bow, returning to his full height with his smile ever present.

"Loki-Rod at your service. Ha ha, yes, you heard that right. Don't worry, I'll explain myself in good time...eventually."

Source
Gatekeeper of the Hearth

Other Eligible Classes: Saber, Lancer, Archer, Caster, Rider, Assassin, Avenger
True Name: Loki=Rod
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Origin: Norse mythology, Slavic mythology
Attribute: Heaven
Height: 170 cm / 5'7''
Weight: 90 kg / 200 lbs
Traits: Male, Divine, Humanoid, Weak to Enuma Elish, Trickster, Loki
Catalyst: A spider web over a burned out hearth; honey, cheese and/or kutia

Talent: Making children smile, protecting families, mischief
Natural Enemy: Abusive families and the like, Heimdall, Chernobog

Likes: Children, his children, Sigyn, mischief, video games
Dislikes: Odin, abusive families and the like, earthquakes

Parameters:
STR: D+
END: A+
AGI: C
MGI: B
LCK: E
NP: A

BOND 0Loki Laufeyson.

The trickster god of the Norse.

The father of Hel, Fenrir and Jormangandr.

The harbinger of Ragnarok.

Of the figures of old Norse known to modern man, he is among them. Practically anyone who knows of the myths of that culture will have heard of Loki at least once before, and anyone entrenched in it will most definitely know his deeds. How he caused problems for the aesir, how he caused the end of the world...quite the troublemaker, to put it very lightly.

But there is one aspect that has been forgotten about him.

His role...as a protector of the home.

As a spirit of the home.

A husvaettir.

A role that also belonged to the god Rod and the domoviye.

"So buckle up, my Ward... This will probably be a doozy."

---

BOND 1Class Skills
Territory Fortification B+
A class skill of Gatekeepers, it marks the ability and disposition to defend one's territory with stalwart courage and devotion. Whenever a Gatekeeper is guarding a designated area marked as their "territory", their offensive capabilities are increased and their defensive ones significantly so. However, as it a skill that is dependant on the Gatekeeper's ability to repel invaders, so should the intruders break through, the effects of this skill will be lost.
As the god of family, a protector of the home, and ruler of the domoviye, Gatekeeper has this skill at a high rank, giving him boosts that make him a force to be reckoned with even if his offensive capabilities are limited. He receives an extra boost if the territory he defends is designated as a "home" by his allies, or the area has a "hearth".

Magic Resistance A
The ability to repel and cancel spells.
As a god from the Age of Gods, an instigator of the end for the Norse pantheon, and a commander of house spirits, nearly all modern magecraft is useless against Gatekeeper, with only a few exceptions, as it is his job to protect the home, including from more supernatural dangers.

---

BOND 2Vaettir.

The supernatural.

Just as you would call living beings either a plant or an animal, whatever otherworldly life that lived in the world of the Norse in the Age of the Gods were the vaettir. The vaettir of Asgard were the aesir and vanir, the vaetir of Muspelheim and Jotunheim were the jotnar, and vættir of Nidavellir were the dvergar.

The word is usually used, however, when talking about the spirits that lived across the Nine Realms.

There were sjovaettir deep in the seas, skogvaettir skuttling through the forests and, most importantly for our tale, the husvaettir dwelling within the homes of people all across Midgard. They liked to stay in the hearth or in thresholds, acting as protectors for the home and sometimes even helping out in everyday life when treated well. But the moment they are not, then they will retaliate, much like many whenever they receive unfair treatment.

Domovoi.

The "grandfather".

A Slavic spirit which dwelled within the house, most notably in the hearth, that could take on the form of its denizens and ware.

They are protector spirits that are just as much as a family member as your parents or any of your siblings. When joyful tidings are had, the domovoi bellows its shared mirth. When hardships or death are dealt, it wails in shared sorrow. Should a treat from other spirits come, he will defend the house. Should any turmoil or misbehavior happen in the home, it will be sure to give a scolding through broken or misplaced items. And if he is mistreated, he will make his displeasure known, but as family should, he will never truly hurt them. Sometimes, he even foretells what will come, letting the family know whether good or bad omens come their way. All the time, the family would give offerrings as a sign of good will and foster their relationship with the house's domovoi.

---

BOND 3Personal Skills
Core of a God EX
The mark of a divine being.
In most summonings, Loki usually has a much, much lower rank in this skill. However, because Gatekeeper is specifically summoned as a god of the hearth, the home, and family, both because of it being a specifically an aspect of Loki and the syncretism with Rod, the rank is instead at the typical rank for deity Servants.

Silvertongue A+
The ability to weave words in an eloquent and persuasive way. At higher ranks, it acts more like mental interference thaumaturgy.
As a trickster, Loki is able to easily convey lie as if they are truth, and just as easily persuade others to do his bidding. It is to the point that it can send mere humans into a trance that has them do whatever he bids and even Servants who don't have the appropriate skill at an appropriate rank to counter the effects of mental interference thaumaturgy can be affected. But just as easily it can used for malice, it can also be used for goodwill. As he has been summoned as a god of family, along with Rod's nature influence on him, this skill can also be used to calm those who hear them or boost their morale. It has boosted effects when calming down children.
"Words of lies and words of wamrth. I can weave both as easily as I wove the net that entangled myself and the quilts that warmed my children. But words of wisdom and words of mischief are those of which I wish to tell. A story to buoy your senses and spirits, and a story to steady your fervor and impulse. That is what and which I shall yield. So I await your verdict and hope my words have assuaged your heart."

Guidance of a Domovoi A
The capability of a domovoi to use their precognition in order to warn their family of either good tidings or ill fortunes.
Through Rod and his domoviye, Gatekeeper also has a level of precognition, specifically able to see the fates of those he deems as his "allies". Should anything fatal befall on one or more, he is able to see it a few hours at most before the event even happens. However, the higher the chance for that fatal event to occur, the less time he is given before he can receive a vision of it (i.e. say, if he recieves a vision of someone's chest being pierced one hour before the event, it has a low chance of actually killing that someone, but if he recieves it a minute before, it's not onlt harder to prevent by how much time he has before he can act on it, but it has a higher chance of that someone being dead no matter his actions). So in practice, Gatekeeper rarely can effectively use it to prevent the deaths that he is more likely to want to overturn. However, he is Loki, so he still finds uses for this skill, mainly in that he can usually know when an ally is planning something reckless before they even have the thought in their mind, and what an enemy would do thanks to them targetting his allies.

Shapeshifting A
The ability to change one's form. The higher the rank, the more kinds of forms one can take shape, and the more perfectly they can mimic them.
The domoviye are known to shapeshift into the animals that were found at the home, such as pets and farm animals, while Loki is known to shapeshift into practically anything. As such, Gatekeeper still can shapeshift into many things, from animals to even Phantasmal Species like jotnar. This is his main form of offense, as he takes on the strength and speed of the various forms he can take. However, he cannot mimic special abilities or magic any species or humans he takes on. So while he can certainly mimic the appearances of, say, a dragon, he is unable to wield any of the powers unique to them. In theory, the only exception to this would be when he takes the form of a jotun, however, since this version does not have the skill that denotes Loki's heritage as half-giant, in large part due to specifically being a "deified domovoi"/"deified husvaettir", Gatekeeper cannot access any skills a jotun could have should he take on a jotun form.

Familiar B
The ability to create familiars.
Believed later to be outright manifestations of Rod and his will, Gatekeeper is able to create familiar in the form of a domovoi, which its capabalities include Shapeshifting D, being able to change into coal and the humans and animals that live with them, Guidance of a Domovoi D, which allows them to sense when danger is coming towards allies, and thus each other, and Territory Fortification D, which allows them to defend any homes they are placed in. Gatekeeper is able to create them through either a pieces of a hearth or coals that were used for it. Much like Gatekeeper himself, they are best at defending whatever home Gatekeeper has planted them into, and can act as his foot soldiers in defending his territory. In theory, he could create an army's worth of domovoi, for there was always a domovoi in a home, but that requires a lot of magical energy, and uninterrupted time, to do so. So typically he makes about ten of them before he stops himself from draining so much from his Master. Of course that is under the assumption he cares about said Master, but still.

---

BOND 4Rod.

One of the few Slavic gods to have been found once again and retain some semblance of their original role from the pantheon even with the advent of Christianity.

He was believed to be one of the supreme gods of the pantheon, presiding over light, creation and fertility, until he was ultimately replaced by Svarog, a god of the sun and the forge, and Perun, a god of the storm and war and much, much more, with their worshippers becoming a majority. Still, even though he was "overthrown", he was still worshipped, as a god of the home, as its protector and peacekeeper, and even when his name was for a time forgotten, he was still worshipped through his domovoi, who were believed to be the spirits of the home's ancestors given power to protect it.

Loki.

A god known for trickery, his many children, and the instigator of Ragnarok with the murder of Baldr. He has many other tales to him. Some being harmless mischief, some not-so-harmless mischief, and some solving problems either he caused or the aesir wished for him to deal with. There are few who don't know of this Norse god and his exploits.

And yet.

And yet.

And yet...

None seemed to have remembered what he had been worshipped for.

---

BOND 5Noble Phantasm

"My flesh the strength in your walls.
My voice the guide in your lives.
My heart the light in your hearth.
My name..."

Grandfather Lord of the House

Dedushka Domovoi

The Guardian of Your Home

Rank: A
Type: Anti-Unit (Self)


The essence of Gatekeeper's very being is to protect the home; to protect his family.

All his skills, all his thoughts, and all his feelings, dedicated to that one simple role.

And so, when the True Name of Gatekeeper's Noble Phantasm is unleashed, it helps him in doing exactly that, up to eleven.

Upon activation, flesh turns into rock and blood turns into fire, as Gatekeeper's being turns into the coal that a domovoi is bound to. As a result, his strength and defenses are further increased to better enact his role as defender, the boosts seperate from his Territory Fortification skill. His other skills are also still usable in this form, though Shapeshifting has the caveat of any and all forms he takes also appearing as if made of living coal. But that is not the true power of the True Name release. Its true power lies in that Gatekeeper tethers his existence to the territory he defends, the "home" he "lives in". And just as a domovoi cannot truly leave the home and hearth he is bound to without invitation from his family into their new home, so too Gatekeeper can never truly be removed from a territory without it. So long as the home he defends exists, it doesn't matter if one threw him off the earth, or destroyed his body, his soul will simply move into the territory and form yet a new body.

The only conditions the Noble Phantasm has for it to end are if the invaders have been repelled.

The entire territory is destroyed.

Or if his Master, of their own free will, invites him to a new territory, a new "home", to defend.

---

BOND 6Long, long, long ago.

When the Age of Gods was still strong for the Norse, there was Loki, doing as Loki was wont to do.

Causing mischief, spinning tall tales, solving problems caused by his shenanigans and lies, and having a child or three inbetween.

In general, enjoying his life as a trickster and a father.

And as a trickster father, it was no surprise he quickly came to enjoy watching humans and how chaotic their families could get. Sometimes with adventures much smaller scale than Thor's but just as grand in the children's minds, sometimes with opinions that were as different to each as they were to the æsir, and more often just the temperaments, morals and relationships colliding with one another to change and evolve in unpredicrable ways.

So of course, as Loki watched, and sometimes either assisted or sabotaged one family member of a household or more over another if it amused him, it was no surprise that they decided to do something he hadn't expected: worship him as a husvaettir. Loki was amused. Not only did they misunderstand that his little antics were for their benefit, not only were the actual húsvættir of the homes were exasperated at his tricks, not only were the aesir were absolutely befuddled on how they could worship him in such a capacity...but there was only one woman, one asynja, who figured out how it came to be that way, and was absolutely amused and charmed by it.

A woman known as Sigyn.

The woman who, after one little trick lead to another and yet another until it wasn't a trick anymore, would be his wife.

One who joined him in on his little schemes as the humans continued to worship him as some sort of god of the hearth, her more quiet yet equally mischievous demeanor to his benefit as it endeared the various husvaettir they met, his wife, in their eyes, "reigning him in" as she would assist in his schemes just as much as she would sabotage them. And so, that was Loki's life.

Until he learned of the prophecy of Ragnarok.

And with his punishment for Baldr's seath came Sigyn's self-imposed vigil by his side.

BOND 7So by the time Ragnarok came and Loki died to Heimdall, with Sigyn soon following her husband to the afterlife, all of the worship to his wife and his aspect as a husvaettir god stopped as their prayers to their gods went unanswered.

All but the most devout.

As the Norse dispersed and evolved, some went east, where they met and intergrated with the Slavic. It was then these former Norse learned of Rod and the domovoi. And among them were those who had vague memories of a time when a god of the husvaettir and his wife who helped the spirits and the residents within the home, the descendants of the few remaining devotees of Loki and Sigyn. And so those assumed that these were another incarnation of the gods and spirits of their distant ancestors' homeland.

Rod, though, wasn't either of them. He was just a Slavic god of family, a humble god, one who had fallen in love and had a child, had been the Slavs first "grandfather", and so was closer to and understood humanity better than many other deities. It was only his main cult who believed him to be the supreme god of light and fertility and creation, when the other tribes and such mainly viewed him as the family god that he was. But he had known of the Norse deities. It was hard not to when the domoviye would talk with their neighbor spirits in the land, and those neighnor spirits would talk with their neighbor spirits until stories from the Norse husvaettir would reach his ears.

If it had been Perun that was given the comparison, he probably would've been confused, maybe even amused, at yet another comparison to a Norse god. If it had been Svarog, he probably wouldn't have given it a second thought. Both would've corrected it. But he was Rod. He was a god of the family and of ancestors. He had let his worshippers believe he was a supreme god, so he would yet again let them believe as they wished so that they would feel welcomed into their new "family". He let them believe he had his wife still lived and walked by his side; and that his domoviye followers had their own as well as children; and he let them believe that the mischief they made were remnants of when they were under their "old" rulers, the trickster and his beloved.

Just as he had them believe—even as they forgot his demeanor, his appearance, his name—that the domoviye were extensions of his will.

For he was Rod. A god of family. Even if he disappeared and no one remembered him, so long as the family he cared for prospered, that meant he had done his job well, just as any good father would. And he was content with that.

"And now, I am here. I trust that will be an adequate explanation of my existence? Because that is truly the story, and why this version of me is like this. An aspect of a god not strong enough to normally be summoned, and a god who has lost so much of who he was to time he cannot be summoned on his own. If you're not satisfied with that, well... There's not much I can do about it! But that doesn't matter. As I said, I am here, and will do my role once again...with a little fun inbetween of course."

BOND 8Personality: An easy-going temperament, a warm disposition, and a smile as bright as the sun... Gatekeeper is the very picture of a "fun parent". He loves being around children, more than willing to do all sorts of things to see them smile, from playing with them, to probably less adviseable things, like perilous adventures or pranks. His favorite part would be telling them stories, whether it be ones he experienced, ones he made up, or ones he exaggerated. He's the first person to give a hug to another, the first person to try and get others out of their shell, and the first to jump at the chance for a celebration. A "free spirit", one could say.

But he is still very much a parent. A warm one, but much so. If he sees any behavior that could be harmful, especially to a child, and even more so if the child could harm themself, he is quick to remedy it with whatever he feels is appropriate for the problem. A scolding to get it through their thick heads, a warm reassurance for those with low confidence, and a cold silence that spoke more than any words could convey are just some of the things he would do to handle such. If someone is in need of help, he will do what he thinks is best for their growth and safety, which means he is just as likely to offer kind words, sound wisdom and ready assistance, just as flippant disinterest, goading words, and hindering actions. He values other's boundaries, what they like and what they don't, so adapts accordingly to what fits them best. But he will explain himself should they ask and he shall further change his methods if they tell him so and prove him incorrect. After all, communication is key in any relationship, and even more so for a parent caring for their child and helping them grow. Gatekeepet wouldn't want to build up resentment against him.

With such an attitude, one might sometimes forget that Gatekeeper is Loki just as much as Rod, that he has as much capability to destroy as he does to nurture. Which is understandable, as Gatekeeper is being honest about his intentions. He truly is enjoying himself being friendly, being helpful, being a "father" again. But that doesn't mean the darker aspects of his Loki are lost. He can still be manipulative, he can still be cunning, and he can still be cruel. But they are solely reserved to those who gain his ire, and those who are the enemies of his new "home", something which is enforced by Rod's own feelings on the matter, that anyone he hates—the abusers in a family, the negligent in a family, the kinslayers in a family—fully deserve all the pain he can inflict. For his parental wrath burns at who dare raise their arms against his new "family".

In terms of how he views himself, though he is the sum of his parts, and more literally has the memories of both Loki's life and Rod's, because Loki has a strong sense of individuality, Gatekeeper can, so to speak, "switch" personalities, acting more Loki or Rod just as easily as the usual combination of the two. He mainly does this to make it easier on some of people and deities in his seperate mythologies, so that they may speak to "Loki" or "Rod" specifically. And well if his Master also cannot quite comprehend that he is both at once. He knows the whole fusion thing can sometimes hurt people's brains in terms of how that "works", so it's easier if he seems like he, to use more modern terms, has "two pilots controlling one body".

Wish
"A wish? Ha! I know the Grail cannot grant what I want. Oh it could help, but that doesn't change the fact that it is essentially a magic battery...and that I've already been recorded in the Throne of Heroes. I know I cannot change my own fate, not like this anyway, but you want that Grail. So getting it for your is more than enough, Ward."

(If you prod him enough though...)(If you prod him enough though...)
"Ha...very well, my Child. I will tell you my wish if the Grail truly could have granted it. I am both Loki and Rod, but I am still parts of a whole, so I have two wishes. The me that is Loki simply wishes a chance to be worshipped once again; to be, you could say, 'the good guy' once more. I quite enjoy this role now that I have it again. The me that is Rod...well, normally he wouldn't say a thing, but thankfully Loki is here to help him be a bit more selfish. He wants to see his wife again. The domoviye are the 'grandfathers' for a reason. Well I was one as well. I had a wife whom I loved, I had children who I was so proud of, I had grandchildren I would spoil with all my heart, and then my family grew and grew until they became tribes and followers. So yes, he would like to see his mortal wife yet again, and show her how big their family has gotten since her passing."

BOND 9My Room Dialogue:
Likes
"I know you can already guess the answer, but well, since you asked...children, my wife, and mischief, in that order. My wife? Well, for Loki, that would be Sigyn. For Rod though...she has been lost to time, so there's no chance for me to see her again. Oh! And video games. I like how they can gather a family in the living room, sometimes right before a hearth."

Dislikes
"...anyone in a family who does not do as a family should. The abusers, the negligent, the kinslayers...among other things. And earthquakes too. They...give me bad memories. Like Odin."

An Event is Ongoing
"Ha ha! Sounds lively. Do you think it is safe enough for children to attend? Hmm, nah, even if it isn't, I'll make sure it is!"

Relationships
Master:
"How do you do, my Ward? Is there something you need? Well, if not, shall we play something together? Maybe a game of Smash Ultimate? I promise to not play Steve this time."

Cu Chulainn (Caster) (FGO):
"I hope you can hear me, old man. I hope you're happy that I played the role you foresaw...because I will find you and tear you apart if you take even this away from me. Hmm? Oh. Right. You. Sorry about that...want to have a drink? It's on me."

Scathatch-Skadi (Caster) (FGO):
(Gatekeeper sighs)
"Oh boy. Well...at least you're not the one from Proper Human History. Otherwise, I wouldn't be saying this. From what I've heard of your world from mt Ward...thank you for doing your best to take care of and love the humans."

Brynhildr (Lancer) (FGO):
"Ah, my niece... I hope you don't mind me saying this, but if you ever need any help, I'm always open for it. Especially in regards to you and Sigurd."
(He cannot help but be reminded of his wife, both of them, at her devotion despite the terrible circumstances)

Brynhildr (Summer) (FGO):
"Ha ha! I'm glad you're having fun my nie—er, Brynhildr. Mind if I give a few recommendations for things you and your love can do?"

Valkyrie (Lancer) (FGO):
"Ah, the Valkyries...it seems I am in a similar yet different situation to yours now. Ha, how ironic. No, I promise I won't try to start Ragnarök. You can tell I'm not completely 'Loki', can't you?"

Sigyn (Lover) (By yours truly!):
"Hello, my love. What do you think of my new look? It's good, right?"
(Gatekeeper does a twirl, seemingly puffing up to his wife, which is true...but there is a sheen of unshed tears in his eyes as he smiled)

Veles (Caster) (DelRey):
"Hello, old friend! Wait wait! I promise to not ruin your garden with my antics. Truly. I merely wish to help and make up for last time. I swear. It's the least I could do for when you took care of the souls of the dead. The families I watched over appreciated it."

Santa Rachmaninoff and Santa Veles (Rider) (DelRey):
"Heh. Oh you tsunderes... No, I didn't say anything. I was just thinking how to help you! I quite like socks put over hearths. Shall I go do that for you? I can be your elf helper!"
(Despite his amusement at their attitudes, Gatekeeper is very much happy and glad they are taking part in such an occasion)

Loki Laufeyson (Avenger) (RoydGolden):
"My Ward, I suggest you keep me away from that version of me. No, not just because of his resentment and wish for Ragnarök again. No. I know his host's sins. And I very much cannot stand him, and that is putting it lightly... And knowing myself, he would hate me and provoke me. So if you don't want an ungodly amount if repair costs and paper work to deal with, please keep us as far away from each other as often as you can. I know you cannot always do that, but all I ask is that you try."

Loki (Avenger) (Shiki-pon):
"Ha...I knew my resentment was so much that I could be summoned as an Avenger, but still... I can understand why Sigyn grieved for me...just as Rod grieves for me as well. Such a state is not something you wish was the case for a loved one."

Loki (Caster) (ElioHerondale):
When talking to Caster:
"My children... If you do not mind, Loki, could I...could I please speak with them? Perhaps have a few games with them?"
(He is obviously trying to hide it, but it takes a Loki to know a Loki, so Caster can easily tell Gatekeeper is trembling and near tears at seeing his children again, and in such a way that peaceful times can be had together)

When talking to Master about Caster:
"Hmm? Don't worry, I can tolerate this version of me, my Ward. Though I still very much wish to turn his host into ashes and then be rid of those ashes as well...this one was when I wasn't so consumed by grief and anger and more. It's actually fun. ...almost as if I am speaking to my children with Sigyn..."

Baldr Jölnir (Saver) (DelRey):
"Here. Let me hold that mistletoe for you. Where do you want to put it? If you don't mind...nephew."
(He knows the god wouldn't feel the need for him to apologize, yet still, Gatekeeper wishes to make up for not spending time with him and endning him)

Munch-Pesta (Pretender) (DelRey):
"May dear daughter... What has happened to you? Stop this. You will harm the children. ...no, I probably cannot understand what you're going through...but as your father, I will always try."

Mononobe-no-Moriya (Alter Ego) (Random):
"Ha...a existence forgotten and yet not, in such a way it begs the question if you truly have been remembered... I will still count myself lucky for once. I at least still have the core of who I was still intact."

Demetrius of Thellasoniki (Lancer) (Vance):
"Ah, a Roman. Well done in defending your home! I apologize on behalf of my people invading your home, even if you wouldn't want to hear an apology from me of all beings."

Archer (Serra):
"Ha ha! I admire your attitude, but yes I am not lying about the sun disappearing would be very bad for humans and Earth in general... ...This time."

Hermes Trismagestus (Caster) (Baron Magnus):
"Ha...yet another who lost so much of themself... Hello Trismagestus. I understand you are a teacher now, yes? Then perhaps you could spare some time to teach some the children under my watch."

Sakunabikona (Alter Ego) (Nuclear):
"What a lovely establishment. Do you mind if I brought several children to the hotsprings?"

Santa Claus (Stranger) (Gl4re):
Talking to Stranger:
"Oh, Santa Claus. Ha ha. Of course you'd show up. Do you mind if I be one of your reindeer? Or maybe even a helper elf? To help the image and all for the kids."

In response to Stranger:
"...Thank you. I'll be looking forward to that game then."

Matarisvan (Archer) (TheOnePaladin):
"Oh? You want to test my wit? Careful now...it never ends well when you try to out-trick a trickster."

Erzulie Freda (Alter Ego) (jishara):
"Hmm... What are the chances of me being horribly maimed if I turn into a spider to spook her...?"

Cuca (Berserker) (Wyvern):
"Oh dear. I suspect she would be quite exasperated with me. ...let's see how far I can push her."

Lieutenant Mars Thingsus (Alter Ego) (Vividii):
"Why hello Lieutenant, or is it Tyr? Or would you prefer...Thingsus? Well, either way...it has indeed been a while. Yes, I'm well. And it's good to see you, Son. If you're mad at me, feel free to bite. I can take it."
(It's clear from his eyes he knows he's entirely either, but he is not one to "kiss and tell" when no mischief can be had with the secret. Besides, another version of his son is here)

Llue Llaw Gyffes (Lancer) (Morg van Destro):
"Hmm. Well, if you want something to do, then perhaps you'd like to learn to take care of children? It's a neverending learning experience."
(Lancer might notice that, try as Gatekeeper might, he's giving him a paternal look of concern. The kind that wishes to hear of your problems but won't push until you're ready)

The Corn Husk Doll (Caster) (FarewellToMrA):
"Ha ha! Yes, let's. It's good to see another family god. Though you...might not quite like some of my methods of entertaining children."

panty and stocking Agape & Chione (Alter Ego) (WhiteFrenzy):
Talking to Alter Ego:
"Ah, if you don't mind, could you do me a favor? I have a little...idea I want to pull off and I need your help with that."
(It's very obvious Gatekeeper is up to one of his many pranks; there's a good chance he's gonna use them on one of the more propriety oriented Servants in some sort of scheme)

In response to Alter Ego (featuring a Sigyn cameo!):
"Well, normally my wife and I wouldn't mind. She wasn't always in the mood to reciprocate and I wasn't always patient enough to wait until she was, so I had plenty of dalliances. But, well..."
(Gatekeeper glanced to the side. It was very faint, but it was there: a seething mix of obsession and mischief shining in the eyes of his wife, hiding in the distance. A vision he was very happy and very amused to see)
"...unfortunately, I am not quite comfortable doing such dalliances anymore with the nature of my Spirit Origin, Rod was a loyal and faithful spouse like Sigyn you see, and thus my wife is, well, very possessive of me, since she will do everything in her power to make sure I am comfortable in this life. Still, I'm willing to give little advice."
(He leans in to whisper, but mischief is also shining in his eyes as he smirks)
"Do not underestimate her trickery as less than mine. She is my wife for good reason."

The Horned God (Lover) (Alexcoene):
"Ah...new yet old...and a fellow family god too. Ha ha, I hope you don't mind me viewing you more as a...'kouhai' then 'senpai', as they say."

The Langlands Program (Binder) (DelRey):
"Ah, a symbol of unity...and the end of an era too. I'm glad to see that you did not have to suffer for your contribution towards a new age. But until humanity reaches it...would you like to see for yourself how different it is now compared to your time?"

Sir Orfeo (Lover) (BnEl15):
"Ah...you remind of Sigyn... Loyal to the end. Even willing to fight fate. But she cared for my choices just as much as I cared for hers. So, in the end, after we talked it over, we decided to go through with our fate. In hindsight, perhaps I could've fought a little harder. No, a lot harder. But...well, there's only so much I could've withstood until I broke. And that was the last straw. Besides...it wasn't as if...as if I knew what would happen to my children with Sigyn. If I knew then..."
(Gatekeeper falls silent as he decides he doesn't want to think on that anymore)

Lover (Drangle):
In response to the male half:
"Ah...hello Lífthrasir. I'm sure you're none too happy to see me, and I don't blame you. Still, you can suspect all my other words all you want, but I hope you don't think the same of my love for my wife, Sigyn, so you doubt when I say: I hope you reunite with Líf."

In response to female half:
(Gatekeeper snickers)
"Would you like me to have my domoviye keep an eye out for me?"

Harun Al-Rashid (Saber) (Kamera):
"Stories, eh? Mine probably pale in comparison to some of the greatest you've seen, but perhaps you'd still like to hear stories from a god."

The Horned God (Moon Cancer) (sutaa):
"A-ha...I can hear Sigyn laughing at me, because I am finding this man very irritating, despite his literal incapability of hostility towards humanity. Hmm? Why? Simple. I am parent, and every good parent wishes for their child to grow to be the best they can be. We might miss when they were little, but seeing how far they can go is all the more satisfying. So I'd very much not want him to do as he pleased."

Menrva (Saver) (Serra:
"Hmm. I know you wish to lead others to enlightenment, but I hope you remember each person has different ways of learning, so being flexible in your teaching methods would mean more people can be lead to the enlightenment you wish for them to reach."

"The Stronsay Beast" ("Monster") (Morg van Destro):
"Ha ha... Oh, I wish the triplets were here. They would've loved you."

Huwawa Nemean (Rider) (Mycielhasbroken):
"... Of course, little one. I'd be more than happy to. Which story would--eh? A hug?"
(If it was even possible, Gatekeeper softened even further)
"Oh, no no, it's not rude at all. It would be my honor. Come here."
(When Huwawa comes close, Gatekeeper makes sure to move slowly, so that if she changed her mind she could, before he enveloped her in his arms)

"Anbei Qingming" (Caster) (Justiciar Hux):
In response to Caster:
Ah...yes... We knew it was coming. I was immortal and she wasn't. And even if we did have some way to infuse immortality into her without consequence, she...didn't want that. And I love her, so I respected her decision. My other wife though...don't worry about it. She didn't want to live without me once we decided our actions with our lot in fate, so she died with me. I appreciate your sympathy though."

BOND 10Craft Essence

Source
The Heart of the Hearth

"Come come, Father! Come see what I made!" said a son to a god, who smiled at his child showing his creation.

"Here, Papa! Here! Let's go here!" said a girl to a god, who smiled at his child showing her spirit.

"Domovoi! Domovoi! Don't stay here, but come with our family!" said one of his people to a god, who smiled at his children, as close to his heart just as much as his own flesh and blood, showing their new home.

Memories of a time long since past.

Touched by a faint hint of bitterness and melancholy.

But most of all, reminders of his resolve for his role.

The hearth spirit smiled.

"Yes, I'm coming, Child."

(Pretty Long) Author's Notes

So. How well did I bullshit this sheet's existence?
Because as much as I enjoyed writing this sheet, this sheet is basically just me making a headcanon of mine come to life.
A headcanon that can be summed up as "papa wolf Loki", or more specifically in this case, "hearth spirit Loki".
Which you may or may not already tell is largely fueled by my bias for MCU!Loki, and further fueled by Red's speculation in Overly Sarcastic Production's video on Loki.
So I don't necessarily really think this syncretism is something that happened in real life, however I did think it was a good enough excuse to bring my headcanon to life. It's also why I'm pretty nervous about this one because I'm so fond of it, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a "good thing". ^^;

But anyways, a couple things I wanna mention to provide a bit of background for this.

I actually read two books for this sheet. Okay, specifically parts of two books relavent to this sheet, but two books nonetheless. One being "Russian Folk Belief" by Linda J. Ivantis (which has a free pdf here; note that it's an automatic download) and The Mythology of All Races Vol III by John Arnott MacCulloch (free pdf and other types of files here on archive.org). It's thanks to them that I came up with the NP for Gatekeeper (specifically on page 243 of the MacCulloch book and page 56 of "Russian Folk Belief"), where one of the ways "transfer" a domovoi is by taking the coal from the old hearth into the new. Meanwhile the line "Domovoi! Domovoi! Don't stay here, but come with our family!" in the Bond CE is me quoting page 55 of "Russian Folk Belief", where that's one of the lines you can use to invite your domovoi into your new home.

I had a hard time actually deciding how to do the syncretisim bit, and I realized why I was because the more I looked into Rod and the domovoi, the more I wished he was his own thing, you know? To try to give it my own spin. So in the end I made it that they were two seperate beings in life but because of Rod's actions, among other things, they're summoned like this. Hopefully I made it believable enough. As for Rod himself, I ended up that he wasn't the creator god or something of the Slavic world and played into the fact that the domovoi are worshipped as manifestations of a family's ancestors by basically making it that he had a family with a human woman (who is currently unnamed because I didn't think about it too much yet; will try building on it later though), and then he watched over his children, and then their children, and their children's children, which then led him to meet the domovoi that were in the homes and they basically ended up under him since he wanted to protect his growing family and domovoi are personafications of the homes they lived in.

I also took a little creative liberty on the "domovoi were given power by Rod line". I was just basically combining the aspect that they're a representation of Rod's will (which is from a single line on the wikipedia page that I would've read the original source buuuuut...apparently it's in Polish. So never mind), that when Christianity rolled around they started seeing them more as spirits that weren't allowed into heaven, and that, again, the domovoi are deified ancestors all rolled into one in that one line.

His faceclaim I found thanks to DelRey's faceclaim gallery, so thank you for that resource DelRey. I went with it...mostly because that's how I imagine this Loki. Don't ask me why. Okay I think it's largely influenced, again, by the design by Red (of Overly Sarcastic Productions), but other than that, I just literally imagine him this way and it's hard for me not to see him as a smug red head with a toothy smirk. Surprising I don't just imagine Tom Hiddleston considering my fondness for MCU!Loki (or rather fanfics of him...and Sigyn).

I originally thought of making him a Ruler or a Shielder, but then I saw on DelRey's Extra Class comp explaining the two types of Gatekeepers that have spawned in here. The one pinetree and he does, the "trials" one, and the "'protector of a certain area' interpretation". Which made me go "WAIT THIS LOKI IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THE HOME/HEARTH, AKA 'A CERTAIN AREA', SO HE SHOULD COUNT" and that's how I settled on the Gatekeeper class. Which I'm pretty happy about because that led to coming up with the skills and NP a whole lot easier. Though the only ones I'm not sure about are Magic Resistance and Guidance of a Domovoi. The former because I'm not sure if my excuse for including it is good enough even if it is for me, and the latter because, well, while I made it the way it worked so that it wouldn't be too OP as a precognition thing, I don't know if I conveyed it well enough, or if the "balancing" I did actually balanced it or not.

I kept the whole thing about which people the Norse interacted with vague because, while I think I have an excuse in the form of the Rus, with a brief look, supposedly being former Norse who went east, but I wasn't in the mood to research about that so there.

But anyways, that's it for explanations. I had more to say, but I kinda forgot some of it, and don't feel up to saying the rest, except for this:

Thanks to this sheet, I got two books (well actually three but I didn't use it for this sheet) to read. Ironically I also found out other syncrenisms that could be done. Like Elijah the Prophet/Perun, Saint Nicholas/Veles and Brigid/Saint Brigid.
Which am most definitely not going to do 'cause I'm fine with doing this sheet.
And doing Sigyn, but that's another story.

And this: CAN I JUST SAY HOW LONG IT TOOK TO FIND A HEARTH ART THAT I LIKED?! I swear finding environments are harder than FCs, and FCs can already be hard at times...

[Nuclear]

All I can think of is because of the syncretism is what makes it hard?

Like, when does one thing end and another begin. Or worse, they've been so syncretised that it's hard to know they were syncretised in the first place.

Or maybe it's just not knowing how to present a sheet of syncretised figure and make it be about the syncretization.

Idk. I just felt like speculating 'cause in theory it's an easy prompt, and yet in practice so many are asking questions and havng trouble and it's interesting.

just throw everything in the blender lmao

More seriously, Servants since the moment of their inception have been vehicles for the story's themes. One reason I can think of for people being at a loss in this contest is the fixation with accurately reporting every pertinent aspect of a figure into their Servant form, which just isn't going to happen given the demands of the prompt. Once that mindset is broken out of, conceptualizing Servants becomes exponentially easier.

[DelRey]

here's a question to decide it.

Pine. With enough BS can we connect two completely different entities together? like, say, I dunno, having a character manfiest in the Pretender class as entity A when really they're entity B and when revealed they become Entity C?

Here we go, another convoluted caster->faker->pretender sheet that is a pain to compile

[Nuclear]

CW: copious amounts of manservice

Passages colored like so may be clicked for footnotes. Passages contained within quotes may be further clicked for the original Japanese text.

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	I am the Issun-Boshi Sukunabikona, answering your summons as a Servant of the Alter Ego class. --Eh? 'Nothing about you is small', you say?
	W-Well... That's not exactly wrong, but... Anyone would look like a dwarf standing next to Mucchi...
	R-Regardless, I'm sure this heated body of mine will be helpful to you one way or another, Master.

Class: Alter Ego
Alternate classes: Saber, Voyager, Avenger
True Name: Sukunabikona
Gender: Male
Height and Weight: 210* cm, 108 kg
*The horn adds 5 cm to his height.

Source: Japanese, Chinese, Indian mythology
Region: Japan
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Attribute: Sky

Parameters
Strength: C
Constitution: A
Agility: D
Magical Energy: C++
Luck: EX*
Noble Phantasm: EX
*Technically E-rank, but he requested that it be displayed as such

Overview

Background
Sukunabikona, in full Sukunabikona-No-Kami, is a dwarf deity who assisted Ookuninushi in building the world and formulating protections against disease and wild animals.

A god of healing and of brewing sake, Sukunabikona is associated particularly with hot springs. He first arrived in Izumo in a small boat of bark and clad in goose skins, and when he was picked up by Ookuninushi, Sukunabikona promptly bit him on the cheek. The two, nevertheless, became fast friends. Many later folktales about dwarfs and fairies-- like Issun Boshi and possibly Kaguya-hime-- are derived from Sukunabikona. He left the world by climbing to the top of a millet stalk that, rebounding, threw him into Tokoyo-no-Kuni, the Land of Eternity.

It should normally be impossible to summon Sukunabikona within a standard class considering his divine status, but he can graft the legend of Issun-Boshi onto his Spirit Origin (as he does now) in order to appear in the Saber class. However, such modifications also paved the way for several other aspects of Sukunabikona to manifest within his current Spirit Origin, the glut of which forced him into the Alter Ego class.

As implied by their names, the two collaborator deities in the creation of Japan, Ookuninushi ("great lord of the land") and Sukunabikona ("little lord of renown") are closely-knit existences. Indeed, it was said of Ookuninushi that his great work of creating the country was halted by Sukunabikona's sudden departure. However, this is as far as the Japanese instances of these two divinities go, and does not explain the existence of Alter Ego Sukunabikona's horns. Considering the pair's Chinese counterparts, Fuxi and ShennongFuxi and Shennong

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Comun explains the relation b/w Ookuninushi and Fuxi better here. Shennong-Sukunabikona is a bit more of a stretch compared to the former, but their domains (agriculture, magic, healing) overlap so much that one has right to be suspicious, which is heightened by the fact that they are both enshrined at Sukunabikona Jinja in Osaka.

---

, provides some answers, but to fully plumb the truth behind the bond between these two kami, one must, as the song says, go west.

Ookuninushi is connected to Shiva through Mahakala and Daikokuten; it is through this same path that he is linked to the serpent motif which originated in Greece. Furthermore, Shiva has a non-aggressive relation with a bovine divinity who has anecdotes of agriculture and the spread of knowledge: his vahana Nandi. The close relationship between the Hindu god Shiva and his vehicle Nandi thus perfectly explains the heretofore-obscure relationship between their Japanese "masks" Ookuninushi and Sukunabikona: they are a bull and serpent pair, whose karmic opposition is generative rather than destructive. This relationship finds its archetypal expression in the tales of the kuni-tsukuri, and more specifically in the legends of Dogo Onsen in ShikokuDogo Onsen in Shikoku

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From the kojiki.co article on Sukunabikona:

Ookuninushi and Sukunabikona appear in the legend of Dogo Hot Springs. When the two pillars came to Iyo Province, Sukunabikona was seriously ill, and Ookuninushi took him in the palm of his hand and warmed him in the hot water of the Dogo Hot Springs. Sukunabikona immediately recovered, and was so overjoyed that he danced on a stone. The stone is called "Tama-no-ishi" and is enshrined on the north side of Dogo Onsen Honkan.道後温泉の伝説に、オオクニヌシとスクナヒコナが登場します。
２柱が伊予国（いよのくに。愛媛県）に来た時。
重い病にかかったスクナヒコナを、オオクニヌシが手のひらに乗せて道後温泉の湯で温めました。すると、スク ナヒコナはたちまち元気に。
大喜びしたスクナヒコナは石の上で踊ったという説話があります。
その石は『玉の石』と呼ばれ、道後温泉本館の北側に祀られています。
道後温泉は、日本書紀にも登場する日本で最古といわれる温泉とされており、古くから大勢の偉人や書画を書く 風流人に愛され、神話の時代のオオクニヌシ、斉明天皇や聖徳太子をはじめとした皇室の方々、万葉歌人の山部 赤人、正岡子規、夏目漱石といった文化人など、多くの来訪記録が残っています。

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and Haniwa Village in HarimaHaniwa Village in Harima

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Chinese Wikipedia has a section on this anecdote, but DeepL spits out some really garbled translations for it. The gist of it is that Ookuninushi and Sukunabikona once wanted to find out who could travel further between a Sukunabikona who was lugging around a pile of clay, and an Ookuninushi who was holding in his bowels. During the race, Ookuninushi reached a point where he absolutely had to go, and so relieved himself. Sukunabikona then stopped and covered up Ookuninushi's poop with the clay on his back, thus rendering the contest a tie. The poop and the clay ended up being really good for making haniwa figures, hence the name of the village.

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Character
Likes: Baths, slow-cooked food
Dislikes: IPAs, nepotism
Talent: Alcohol tolerance, national rule

Although his stern face and rugged body might be intimidating at first glance, Sukunabikona's true nature is soft-spoken and gentle, with a strong sense of responsibility. These prior impressions are tempered by the fact that he's clumsy to an almost miraculous degree. He's so clumsy, in fact, that many thought he was messing up on purpose, leading to his later reputation as a prankster.

Sukunabikona is a conflict-averse god who has no anecdotes of martial exploits, so his natural combat ability is low. What battle experience he has was inherited from Issun-Boshi, so he's largely incompatible with opponents his size or shorter. However, this means that his combat abilities will truly shine in situations where "the enemy is massively larger than oneself".

Befitting the country-forging god tasked with cultivating and protecting "the people", Sukunabikona is highly sensitive to the emotions of others and to the distance between people. This sensitivity is why, upon perceiving the overwhelming envy of the heavenly deities over what he and Ookuninushi had built, Sukunabikona chose to disappear, rather than let Ookuninushi's reputation be tarnished and the land spiral into chaos by continuing to stay as "a suspected saboteur sent from heaven". His best friend and equal, rather than stopping him or pointing out his selfishness, wished him well and even gave him an immeasurably-heavy parting gift; it is Sukunabikona's most-tightly-held regret that he was unable to do anything other than numbly accept it, then never use it.

Relationships
Master
Sukunabikona is a god who loves and guides humans, so establishing good rapport should be a matter of course for any kind of Master. Even though he grafted the stories of Issun-Boshi onto his Spirit Origin in hopes of rousing his courage and becoming more assertive, Sukunabikona remains a relatively reserved Servant, and will more readily become attached to Masters with strong convictions or lofty aspirations.

That said, Sukunabikona is also a god who clearly distinguishes between "humans" and "humanity"; one of the reasons he answers the summons is to compare the "humanity" developed by those thieving heavenly gods with the one he cultivated.

Sukunabikona's wish to the Holy Grail is "to return the land to its rightful sovereign Ookuninushi". He sensed what was coming, and could do nothing except run away. In Sukunabikona's mind, the only way he could atone for the sin of leaving a friend behind in his hour of need is to fix the consequences of his mistake. Again, he is convinced of how selfish he's being to want such a thing, so it's up to Sukunabikona's Master and the humans he will interact with to be proof for or against such a wish.

Daikokuten
"--Right, the laundry room is over there. Don't forget to add some fabric softener when you wash those sheets, No.13. --No.57, seems like there's a fracas in the restaurant; go check it out for me, will you? --No.8, if you're going to the steam room to clean it, it's on the opposite direction. Oh, hello there, Master! Mucchi's mice are just helping me sort out the hot springs part-time. It isn't the same as when Mucchi himself is around, but I'm thankful he sent these little ones in his stead."

Yang Guifei
"Lady Yuhuan, I've just watched your video reviewing our hot spring's services. I'm pleased that you found our amenities satisfactory, but there's just one thing I'm confused about. Um... in your video you said something like 'the manager is so thoughtful and considerate that I want to pamper him until he becomes absolutely useless'... Well... As the one providing the service, shouldn't it be the other way around?"

Shuten-Douji
"(Haah... How did I even get roped into serving in this den of iniquity... I can't believe this woman mistook me for an oni of all things...!) --Ahem. Here's the liquor you ordered, Lady Shute-- Oof! --M-M-My deepest apologies! I wasn't aware of where I was going and so I accidentally spilled the drinks on your perso-- Eh? 'Go get some salt and sprinkle it on me so we can do body shots'?! N-N-N-No thank you! A man's heart can only take so much! I'm so outta heeere!"

Parvati
"Uuugh... Master, do you have any more of those S*lonpas patches with you? --Yes, Lady Parvati insisted on riding atop my shoulders again. No, I'm not implying what you might think I'm implying about her measurements."

Asclepius
"Master Asclepius can be a bit scary sometimes, but even I'm surprised at how well we get along. That said... I wonder if we'll ever be more than two people who happen to hate the exact same things. I sometimes feel like chiming in when he goes off-tangent to talk about some medical breakthrough, but I fear my therapeutic methods might be strange even for him."

Nikola Tesla
"A noble figure aiming to humiliate the gods of thunder... How admirable! Please, should you want for anything on your quest to pull those uppity gods down from their thrones, don't be afraid to ask."

Tiamat Larva
"That lady reminds of my mother; you might know her as the creation goddess Kamimusubi. She was always fretting about me getting sick and mixing things up when I was young, which I suppose is the root of my own worrywart tendencies, ehehe. But... I like to think that she isn't as worried about me now as she was before; I had Mucchi and the people by my side, and now I'm even fortunate enough to serve a Master as excellent as you!"

Erice Utsumi
"Yes, that's right. The sailing device that young lady uses really is my Utsurobune. Hmm... ... --Eh? Oh, my apologies, Master. Seeing my old boat got me thinking about a few things. Things like... places I could take you to when I get it back... Oh! Um, I-I haven't said anything yet, how terribly rude of me, ahahaha..."

Sun Goddess A-sama and company
"They should do us all a favor and explode already." (deadpan)

Class Skills
Independent Action: C
The ability to remain independent even when rejecting the Magical Energy supply from one's Master. It is possible for Sukunabikona to stay in the world for one day without a Master.

Item Construction: B+
The Skill to manufacture magical items. As a god who establishes the nation, Sukunabikona can freely create items that fall within his domains of agriculture, medicine, and hot springs. Incidentally, he seems to be drawing lots of negative attention from other medicine-related Servants, as his miracle cures always smell suspiciously of alcohol.

Personal Skills
Divine Core of the Bull God: A
Skill that expresses one being a perfected god from birth. A composite Skill that comprises the Skill Divinity, preserves the absoluteness of the mind and the body, repels all mental interference, prevents the body from growth and prevents the figure from changing no matter how many calories are absorbed. In addition, as a bull god who governs agriculture, it is also possible to passively boost the fertility and growth rate not just of plants, but also of animals and human beings.

Mana Defense (Onsen): A
A sub-species Skill of Mana Defense wherein the magical energy used becomes colored with the fire and water attributes. Since it's rooted on the concept of "a hot spring cure", it has the added effect of removing the allied party's negative statuses.

Paddle of Rewards: B-
The yumomiyumomi

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Yumomi is a special ritual done at Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma Prefecture which involves stirring up the hot spring water using special paddles in order to lower its temperature without having to dilute it with cold water.

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paddle that Sukunabikona wields as a weapon. Its original form is the Uchide no Kozuchi, a legendary mallet that is said to produce various objects when shaken. It was won by Issun-Boshi from an oni that swallowed him whole, and is usually taken as a symbol of Daikokuten in his capacity as a god of wealth.

Originally the mallet was a Noble Phantasm that could endlessly produce a large variety of objects, but being incorporated into Sukunabikona's Spirit Origin greatly reduced its capabilities. It is now "merely" a Skill that raises rare item drop rates for everyone in the party-- except Sukunabikona himself.

Sable Seed Storage: EX
An id_es derived from Poison Resistance that is the manifestation of Sukunabikona's authorities as a god of alcohol, magic, and medicine, and one proof that Sukunabikona is indeed Ookuninushi's alter-ego. It is said that Sukunabikona taught mankind all manner of sorceries for averting sickness and calamity; the foundation of this magecraft is naturally Sukunabikona himself, invoking his status as a dwarf godstatus as a dwarf god

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From the 日本の神社.asia article on Sukunabikona:

Is the Original Figure a Doll that Absorbs Impurities?

What is the original image of the "dwarf" that is the secret to Sukunabikona-no-Mikoto's popularity? There are many theories about it. One theory is that they are associated with dolls and katashiro who take on people's sins and impurities as a substitute. Another is the existence of dwarves. In the old days, servants of the imperial court and nobles had dwarves who could be called "living dolls" and played the role of absorbing impurities from the emperor and nobles. From the above point of view, we can see the original image of this god in the belief that small things absorb impurities.原像は穢を吸い取る人形？

スクナヒコナ命の人気の秘密でもある「小人」の原像とはどういうものか？それに関してはいろいろな説があり ます。
１つには人の罪や穢れを身代わりとして引き受けてくれる人形・形代と結びつける説。もう一つは、小人(侏儒 、小さ子、矮人)の存在です。
昔は朝廷や貴族の使用人に「生きた人形」ともいえる小人がいて、天皇や貴族に対して穢れを吸い取る役目をし ていました。
以上のような考え方からすると、小さいものが穢れを吸い取るという信仰に、この神の原像をみることができま す。

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to swallow misfortune, his reputation as a seed god and companion of Ookuninushia seed god and companion of Ookuninushi

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Seeds are just smaller boxes, after all :p

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to contain it, and his link to Shennong to render it harmless.

In exchange for Sukunabikona's Luck parameter being permanently set to E-rank, nearby allies receive two plus-corrections to their Luck parameter. Additionally, substances, spells, and even concepts that result in misfortune for Sukunabikona and his allies can be absorbed and neutralized within his Spirit Origin, which is then excreted in the form of "a minor goof".

Noble Phantasms
Tokoyo Mame-Onsen: A Small World No One Knows**

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"A Small World No One Knows" is a 1959 Japanese children's fantasy book by Satoru Sato which connects Sukunabikona with the Ainu figure Korpokkur.

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Rank: B
Type: Anti-Army
Range: 1-25
Maximum targets: 75 people

The Bean Hot Spring of the Eternal Land (常世まめ温泉)(常世まめ温泉)

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The use of まめ here is deliberate, since I wanted to do some word-play with 豆 (bean; small-scale) and 忠実 (hardworking; healthy) which unfortunately doesn't translate all that well into English.

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which serves as a fitting summation of Sukunabikona's character and abilities: a luxurious, hot spring resort-styled Bounded Field overflowing with ancient flair and booze. Whilst within this space or within 30 turns of leaving it, Sukunabikona's Item Construction and Mana Defense (Onsen) Skills receive a rank-up, and allies will receive passive health regeneration and resistance to negative statuses.

Incidentally, this is one of the few sections of Alter Ego Sukunabikona's Spirit Origin that is purely his, so he's uncharacteristically protective of it. The previous fact is also the reason why this Bounded Field's sigils take the form of stones with Sukunabikona's footprint stamped on them.

Mahakala Rockout: Ookuninushi's Thirteen-Stringed Koto
Rank: EX
Type: Anti-Country Noble Phantasm
Range: 1-99
Maximum targets: 999 people

The twin halves of the nation-founding Authority entrusted to Sukunabikona at the time of his departure from the Central Plain, unleashed in all their glory. A glimpse into the concerted cosmic dance of Ookuninushi (that is, Nataraja) and Sukunabikona (that is, Nandikeshvara) which reshapes creation. Upon True Name Release, Ookuninushi's half of the Authority-- that which governs "the subjugation of the land"-- is taken out of storage, causing the stump on Sukunabikona's head to grow back into a splendid horn and enabling a terraforming process of awe-inspiring proportions.

-- Naturally, this sort of full-power usage will quickly rupture Sukunabikona's Spirit Origin, so a more economical partial-release version has been prepared. In this form, the Noble Phantasm presents itself as "Sukunabikona smashes the ground with his paddle, causing a torrent of scalding-hot water which takes the shape of innumerable rampaging dragons to crash into the enemy camp".

The draconic appearance this Noble Phantasm takes has not been definitively explained, but there is one theory as to why. With their snakelike bodies and horns suggestive of oxen, dragons are creatures that combine the serpentine and bovine attributes which Ookuninushi and Sukunabikona respectively possess. These creatures' forms are also splendidly captured in the zithers of the Orient (a category which includes the Japanese kotoJapanese koto

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Please refer to the image below:

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, Korean gayageum, and Chinese guqin), musical instruments which trace their origin back to two of the Three Sovereigns, Fuxi and Shennong.

Spiritron Dress: Steamy Supervisor

	As always, thank you for your continued patronage of this Mame-Onsen, Master. If there's ever anything I can do to improve your onsen experience, promise you'll let me know?
	Eh? The thing that'll make your stay is 'spending time with Sukunabikona'?! That's...
	(Haah... How ironic is that? I've been taking on so much work making sure Master is comfortable here, but all they really wanted was to spend time with me... How am I supposed I make this up for the monumental goof of not even knowing my patron's basic preferences?)
	--Ahem. I'm terribly sorry, Master, but you've caught me quite off-guard with your request. I realize this solution might be a bit unorthodox, and I assure you I can come up with something grander given more time, but...
	My evening break is coming up in half an hour. Would you do me the honor of joining me in my office for dinner? Our staff menu is nowhere near as extensive as the stuff we serve to customers, but you can find some real diamonds in the rough there. What do you think, Master?
	('It's a date, then', Master says, before bounding off without a care in the world... ... ... Ahahaha... I am so screwed...)

Author's Notes

Art sources: Live A Hero official art, Kakuriyo anime

An Alter Ego Servant that explores Japanese syncretic shenanigans. How original amirite. However, ultra-thicc cinnamon roll malewaifu remains 100% worth.

I wasn't super on-board with doing this for the contest, but since pinetree and I did discuss it around the time Avenger Erice came out, I figured there would be no better time to make it. I ran into the usual problem of not knowing who to give relationship lines to, but I ended up writing quite a lot :yukasperm:

Gameplay-wise, I envision him as a support-type welfare Alter Ego because fuck rolling for husbandos. His rarity and stats are the exact same as Lip's, which, together with the name of his second NP, is meant to give the astute observer the impression of him being Melt's natural enemy. The background on his Servant cards is the Dogo Onsen mentioned earlier in the profile.

I think this profile diverges quite a bit from the concept pine and I initially talked about, but I'm overall happy with what I have right now. If I could be bothered to change some things, I'd definitely give Shennong and Issun-Boshi more prominent roles.

PS: mentaiko servant fucking when lasagna

Anyway. Ciao.