#steve labs

Design used is a modified version of this post: https://www.tumblr.com/itsgirlcraft/777378731161452544/tw-goreveins-bloodshot-eye-so-guess-who-just?source=share

I wouldve done the more detailed rainbow design but i! Only had 10% battery to work with. Thats not enough time to figure out fingers i fear

anywho. Tags time @dracl-dragon @itsgirlcraft

AR:

Mark, before receiving his new glaive, would usually fiddle with sharp rocks and his bandages when lost in thought (in an attempt to ignore the urge to pick at his skin) - now, he's often stretching and practicing with his weapon, feeling useful for once, and making jokes like he always does - otherwise, he's usually wandering, taking in all the sights on his fantastic journey.

Azrael can usually be seen trying to spiffy himself up as best he can, of course much more hesitant about all.of this than the undead guard, trying to stick with the people he's known the longest and follow their lead (he's trying to take a bit of a break from advising tbh) - but when he's not freaking out over something, he can appreciate a bit of a breeze once in a while.

Janet and Bridgette (the old lady mentors) usually prefer to gossip between one another, but they (surprise surprise) are not just catty old women - if they're not sneaking in a few observational notes of their teammates, they're often sewing or knitting, slowly making blankets, bandages, and other fabric gear that might become necessary.

(New) Gemma, in the Spiritless World, honestly was going on a Princess Bride style adventure, getting into all sorts of hijinks and attacking anything that dares get in her way, when she's not biting shit she often is hiding in one of the forests, collecting food and the fungi - once reunited with her beloveds, she ofc is gonna take them on equally insane sidequests, but also with plenty of cuddles and calm too (she can't risk losing them so soon...)

Trapped:

Sabre, when he isn't overthinking, he likes to try to practice stuff, keeping to himself more than usual and just kind of....letting the moment wash over him, if he's not yapping with Galaxy or one of his friends - he likes keeping things quiet when he can - especially as he's struggling to come to terms with this new life of his.

Francis, though still uncomfortable with his...everything, does find some solace in dark caves, often being found napping against cold hard stone and examining the underground fauna and flora - rarely, he enjoys climbing up into trees to watch the stars, contemplating life and what it means to be alive when he's half-demon now.

Ivy, after waking up, is taught how to make flower crowns by Francis, becoming her new favorite thing - she especially loves making them with sunflowers - and though she's still confused by the...everything, she enjoys talking with the Steves and learning about their world and Sabre's adventures there.

Other:

Daycare Sabre, ironically, kind of enjoys ToT's adventures in Doors - they remind him of some of the spookier games the daycare would have, death impermanence and all - but he also just enjoys being a little shit to his temporary guardians, especially with the leftover glitter and materials Mal had given him - sometimes he just stomps and runs around with his little hooves kicking up dirt everywhere.

Labs!Rainbow loves to make flower crowns and gift stuff to friends, and also is deeply touch starved, so he finds himself often cuddled up with his nearest close friend when he gets tired and lonely - if he'd gotten to live a normal life, he would've had a flower shop he ran in his spare time as the hero.

Labs!Sabre/Assistant, truly, are only satisfied putting on grand, horrifically hilarious experiments and acts for their "viewers," the former having a laugh that only happens on camera, and the latter simply performing his duties as he was programmed, or so it would appear..

IGC just loves to travel through her created world, being able to guide people through something so mysterious that she understands like the back of her hand fulfills her so much - she'd do almost anything to keep going, in a way that she was never allowed to or capable of before....she hopes it will never end in bitter tears.

(Extra) Coconut the dog adores her owner IGC, but she loves eating sticks and rocks and pretty much anything she can get - she's obsessed with licking people's noses, ears, and toes, so she's quite a good distraction from anything and everything - she loves chewing on her stuffed panda bear in the dead of night.

Twisted Rainbow, SSO/BSS:

TR M is usually stitching and sewing, if he's not trying to keep an eye on Shadow and Sabre - but he also likes to carve while watching the sky (he's very very glad to be out of the Nightmare dimension, he missed seeing the stars) - having lived such an intense life, he's often trying to find busywork, but the quiet moments are something he still quietly savors.

TR Shadow Sabre, aka Elite, is much like M, being unsure what to do in peace, but he finds himself drawn to flowers, especially dandelions, as they remind him of the Yellow Steves that showed him mercy and kindness - though he's equally uncertain of caretaking, a small part of him finds a little fraction of pride as he sees Sabre and Shadow enjoying themselves and feeling safe around him.

SSO chicken!Purple usually yaps with pickaxe!Rainbow, Rain really being his only friend at first - but as he gets comfortable with the others, he likes to squawk randomly to bother them, then teleport away so they can't reach him - he's also deeply fascinated by Galaxy and is constantly asking him questions.

(New) BSS Blue is often thinking deeply about Rainbow no matter where he is - once finally out of hell, easily his favorite thing is to just dive into water, letting his gills and scales soak as he watches the sky above, but he also just loves to take a deep breath and not feel dizzy for once - once he gets comfortable, he most certainly will yap with Hypno and the Lights about his best friend.

(New) BSS Light doesn't have a clue about Rainbow, but he does like listening to Blue and the others yap about him - when he's alone, he often enjoys collecting flowers, even though they usually turn white after awhile.

(New) BSS Guardian is very similar to regular Guardian, but he has much closer ties to his mortal life as an Orange Steve - whenever he takes a kind soul in, he often carves into their skull (moreso spiritually than physically) the same ritual patterns, as to ensure their body and soul will both rest in peace - he finds himself drawn to the local spiders whenever he visits the mortal plane, being very gentle with the varying-sized creatures.

(New) BSS Demon is usually bothering people for entertainment, yes, but he also likes to carve things in his free time, reminding him of home, or coating his wings and horns in gold again, trying to cover up the nasty wounds he'd gained so long ago - rarely, he will attempt a small prayer and sacrifice to the gods he once sacrificed for in life - though, he doubts they hear him anymore.

RQ:

Swaploop!Rainbow, aka Sabow, once he starts to get used to his body, finds quite a bit of freedom in being able to fly and create on the dot, his favorite thing to build being small teal and orange cabins just left behind for any poor, lost soul, as an attempt to make up for all the people he'd hurt in his human life - he also likes making goofy feathery accessories for Oranbre.

Swaploop!Sabre, aka Oranbre, is just happy to see Sabow start to feel comfortable, he loves the goofy accessories his companion makes, but also enjoys bothering Gerald Steve with increasingly silly questions when bored, usually carving dumb stuff into trees when alone.

Swaploop!Gerald Steve obliges to answer the questions, which give him an opportunity to distract himself from the existential nightmare they're in at the moment - when he's alone, he usually is journaling or meditating, trying to keep his connection with his kin strong - they're often the one thing keeping him sane, sometimes.

(Extra) Leaf the dog, of course, is obsessed with rolling in leaf piles - but when that's not available, she chews on leaves and hides in bushes when she's not running around with Coconut or jumping in puddles - like her original owner, she can be a bit intense, but she's much nicer than RQ Elemental, (usually) not having any grudges.

TSS:

Galaxy, having no physical body, usually is just yapping and making jokes, oftentimes trying to get Sabre out of his own head - though he does tease and goof around with the others, he is genuinely a very solid advice-giver and quite helpful to Sabre's practicing of Minecraft life (especially when it comes to cooking delicious meals).

Stone!Shadow Sabre truly isn't that aware of many things, but he knows one thing: that the people that found him are worth sticking around - he learned to laugh from D!Sabre, how to control his powers and stress from Elite, how to keep his balance and understand language from M - and while he might not know the word for it, he's so so very grateful for them.

Pickaxe!Rainbow, naturally, enjoys bothering and yelling at Galaxy/Sabre for not hurrying up and fixing him, but he does also try to help them in what little ways he can, usually involving biting or whacking shit and just yapping to get Sabre's mind off stuff - he likes hanging out with Chicken Purple and recounting his adventures, and exploring flower fields - he's just glad they're not stuck with Brain fried!Purple.

Guardian, of course, likes cuddling with his friends, finding freedom in his flights - in addition to his BSS counterpart's interests, he would often be seen chatting with some of the more "morally gray" spirits, making sure they're doing okay - with the rest of the team, he often tries his best to listen to what's on their mind, and much like Mark, take in all the sights.

Time's love language is cooking, easily, and it shows with the role he's taken on in the team, but he also enjoys making little gear-based gadgets and gathering new culinary materials to test out - experimenting with cooking is easily his favorite pastime.

Illusion, of course, sticks to being on his own, but he does take great pleasure in being able to show off a little, especially when it's something he created with no relation to anybody else - he obviously likes to complain a lot, and will grumble about being forced into this adventure, but he secretly appreciates that this team isn't actively grinding him into dust with how annoying they are.

Hypno obviously loves to freak out and annoy people, especially the ladies, but he does try to make some semblance of friends, for Rainbow's sake, even if it's usually through mutual pettiness and other such activities - he genuinely enjoys Zero's presence, both as a partner in crime and just as a person - when the two of them aren't scheming, he's often thinking ahead of everyone or thinking of Rainbow, as to be expected.

Fax!Light, being in such a weak state, usually spends most of his time sleeping, so he likes to cuddle - but when he does have the energy, he likes making flower crowns or writing to communicate (though his handwriting is messier than usual), he also doesn't actually mind Hypno all that much, enjoying being able to communicate through his mind reading about Rainbow.

Emerald, nowadays, spends his time carefully examining samples of the local flora and fauna, trying to understand the universe-mixing through the soil - when he isn't halfway to insanity or working, he's usually just sitting quietly on the sandy hills, unable to really calm his thoughts otherwise.

SL:

Ocean Leader, once things settled down (and when he's not getting sent to random places-) finds some peace in resting in a pond a bit away from the kingdoms, where he can take a deep breath and watch the stars without interruption - in his kingdom, when not helping about, he likes to spend his time caring for the local fish and corals.

AR:

Mark is terrified of not being accepted at Cozen, or, more specifically, by Petro, for being well...undead. Even if Azrael manages to pull some strings for him, he feels he doesnt deserve his forgiveness due to him being the reason Azzy was imprisoned. He's terrified he's not human anymore, and that he'll never get his old life back. He's desperate to protect and "fix" Petro, but he doesn't know what to do with his complicated feelings for him and his complicated thoughts on his own humanity. He doesn't know if he's enough anymore for anyone but the worms in the dirt...

Azrael is easily the most terrified of losing everything, especially when he found Cozen had been...relocated. Especially with the death of Elric years after Gemma's assassination, he fears he'll lose himself in this strange new world, become something he's not just to survive, letting go of rules and prim and proper style and such. He feels the weight of the entire kingdom on his shoulders, and yet too little to even care properly for himself.. He fears he failed them all, and there's nothing left to return to, and even if so, he'll just lose them again.

Janet and Bridgette (the old lady mentors) are struggling to control things and feel at peace. Their ornery personalities are exaggerated by the intense strangeness of TWA, and they keep finding themselves pushing away others. They know full well they're dead weight; most people are unwilling to stick around someone like them. But they're still trying to just make it out alive with however many years they have left, and they aren't too sure how to change to ensure that. If Azzy and Mark are scared of changing too much, these two are terrified they will be unable to, and get left behind for good...

Trapped:

I've discussed Sabre enough. We're doing the others now! :)

Francis is very similar to Mark, in that he's not quite sure how much of his humanity is left. He wanted to collect that demon bounty to make money to feed his wife and son (in my headcanon at least), and how is he supposed to do that now? He neither knows WHERE home is, nor if they'll accept him, and he can't help but feel he's already died and come back wrong (even though he never has - he's very much alive from the start). He feels both weak in his clumsiness and too dangerous to be around, having innate instincts and abilities he doesn't understand or want.

Ivy, once she wakes from her statue-NPC state, is deeply concerned for everyone's well-being - but as Sabre gets worse, she gets more worried. She's just a normal woman, not any stronger, and she has never practiced these survival skills she needs. How is she supposed to fix and comfort her friends if she doesn't know how? Much later on, when she learns she was programmed specifically to help Sabre, her feelings are.....complicated. Her loyalty stays, and she can't help but wonder if Sabre is right when he mourns for her freedom...does she have free will at all? Or are these thoughts of affectionate worry not her own?

Non RQ/TSS/SL:

Daycare Sabre is just a young kid that goes to a daycare with some silly magic, he's not used to high stakes. He's just a scared kid, maybe 7-10 years old max, and he doesn't understand why he can't go home, why the magic corrupted and...sent him here. Why it caused him to stay as a centaur, it was never supposed to be permanent! Life has become deeply confusing, and he's just trying to find a little comfort in this terrifying world.

TR M was apathetic by the time the end of his world came about, injured and exhausted in every way. But he's alive, and he's stuck with his former enemy, again, at what seems to be a different end of the world as they know it. He's only about 18, and his life has already been so rough... sometimes, he wishes he did die. Those thoughts terrify him, because...he might just have a second chance, and he doesn't want to destroy it, no matter how exhausting and weird it is. He desperately wants to find Assistant/Prof. Red, at least...He feels like a wilted flower, trying to desperately reach the nutrients left in the soil, meager as it is.

TR Shadow Sabre thought he lost everything, all the attempts at being better, at somehow trying to fix his horrible deeds and mistakes, and he's genuinely surprised to be alive. Due to being the only mostly-functional person of his group, despite his injuries, he's unsure how to protect and care for people. He's trying not to hurt them, but that was all he'd known for a long time...He didn't even know he WAS Sabre's shadow until the last moments before death. He can't help but feel intense guilt and self-hate, and fears he will become so clouded by it he'll become a monster again...

Labs!Rainbow is terrified of forever being the strange critter he's become, permanently scarred and unable to grow beyond his trauma. Because he was freshly created, he can't help but feel like he's already been denied his own life for something he never asked for. With his bitey tendencies, he's terrified of somehow, some way, accidentally becoming just like those that did this to him... he feels like an empty shell that doesn't even resemble the person he was going to be one day.

Labs!Sabre did not know it could be so horrifying, or in fact, that Rainbow was conscious in the process. He knows exactly what he did. But at the same time, he feels coerced by...almost a force possessing him. His actions are his own, but...there are horrible visions and ideas inserted into his mind. He can't help but wonder if Assistant Steve is behind this, and if there's really anything behind the cameras but some sort of empty viscera. Something untangible, that isn't the good people, the viewers he thought he was doing ALL of this for. ...is he really a monster? A puppet for something greater? Is this laugh his own? He will likely never find the answer, not before the consequences catch up to him... So, he'll just laugh and laugh, until he can finally succumb to whatever it is that he's become.

And IGC? She just hopes no one finds out this freakish world is her comfort space, that she created intentionally to be the way it is. She yearns to create a life for herself that she wants to live, hurt when she chooses, instead of having no control over it. She's been lying this whole time, and yet, she'll probably drop the disguise if she must. She does not know that part very well...

SSO chicken!Purple is deeply confused by everything, and has no idea what to do when he's in such a fragile chicken body now. He's not sure if he can use his powers, much less protect his weird new friends, and keep Rainbow safe when he, too, has become incapacitated as a pickaxe... All in all, he feels useless and stupid for trusting Prof. Red with the potion and he doesn't trust Sabre or really any of Rainbow's friends much, especially upon learning Rain is from the future. He's scared that he'll just up and vanish again for years, not noticed or missed, being too small to be worth anything.

RQ:

Swaploop!Rainbow, aka Sabow, is having a 24/7 identity crisis living in a body that isn't his. He was sent into the timeloop by Time Steve, and the solution was in trusting Gerald. And he did, he did escape! But then he went on to witness his Rainbow die....only to wind up HERE, back in this....almost uncanny version of his friend. Is this cosmic justice for it all? To become the very person he mourns for, with his "real" self having his friend's voice? He's frankly on the verge of a delusional breakdown, unable to tell what is and isn't reality. Thanks to him being more bird-looking than dragon-like, he feels like an imposter, and fears this is what RQ Orange himself had gone through, and he is so so very afraid of becoming the same - having his life taken by Void after trying to become normal, become...not Rainbow. Anyone but The Hero, Rainbow Steve.

Swaploop!Sabre, aka Oranbre, is just regular ass RQ Sabre. He didn't know about the timeloop, nor saw his Rainbow die, and everything was...normal, until it wasn't. Suddenly, Rainbow isn't Rainbow, but a version of himself, with complicated, messy feelings and experiences. He doesn't know how to handle any of this information. He misses his Rainbow, but he can't help but feel like he has to make himself smaller for his poor friend, trying to make up for something he can't control (being reminiscent of regular Orange Steve). He refuses to leave Sabow's side, but he's so overwhelmed and so scared he WILL lose his friend, completely and totally, if he doesn't try.

Swaploop!Gerald Steve is very much like SL Judge, existing to keep the timelines in order and such. His entire race exists for that purpose, himself being the first. When he arrives in TWA and finds the swaploop duo, he quickly realizes....there is no way to fix this. He can't fix their fates, none of them are able to be set on track now, and despite all his efforts, he feels now as helpless as everyone else, even with his fellow Gerald Steves, there's nothing that can be repaired, just...adjusted. To maybe learn to survive like this, in a perpetual state of chaos...

TSS:

I've already told you Galaxy's, but I'll post his excerpt here for everyone else. Galaxy's main two fears both have to do with him being labeled "the funny one." If he's not joking, making the situation lighter, being a warm presence, what is he? And if being the silly one makes everyone annoyed, if he's too much, then how can he be a person at all? His fear shows up as being physically and vocally Void Steve, his voice and presence being distorted and cold. Sometimes his real voice comes back, but it's too loud. What little he has left of himself physically is dreary and quiet, or too loud and bright. His body is thin, his hair messy and tangled, he can't think of jokes anymore.

Stone!Shadow Sabre is barely a conscious being and doesn't quite know anything at all but his instincts. Easily, he's the most terrified of any version of Sabre, but TSS Sabre he hates the most. If only, because he feels compelled to mimic them... In the time he's been alone in the nightmare dimension, he started to become a person. He desperately doesn't want to lose it, even though he barely understands what it is. All he knows, is he wants to be something else. His inability to speak, or, frankly, to communicate or understand others at all, makes it incredibly difficult for him to bloom into an actual person. He needs practice, but at the same time, he can't help but feel he should be alone...but he also doesn't want to be alone...He's clung onto TR Shadow in an attempt to mimic someone other than Sabre.

Pickaxe!Rainbow is incredibly angry with Sabre for his sheer inability to fix his current state, but he's also uncomfortable with how weak he is. His old friend Purple barely recognizes him, and with Sabre/Galaxy's...everything, it's so hard to feel like he'll ever be the same hero he once was. He doesn't want to become a tool, meant to attack and fix rather than to speak and hurt. He's pissed at Sabre, yes, but he can also see how genuinely horrified he is, and so he's also furious with the universe too. He's terrified of being perceived as a useless object, something whose screams of refusal are unheard.

Guardian had spent a week in TWA alone, combing over empty ruins. He is also currently being forced to confront his worst fear as it is - the fact that BSS Demon Steve scarred him forever (I'll DM you the images heheh). Because of all his failures to protect and warn in the past (BSS Blue and Light getting got by Demon, the spirit world's ruin bc of the infection, Sabre not listening to his warnings) he feels very useless, and the reason he hides beneath a cloak is largely bc of Demon's effects, and his own shame. He tends to spread himself thin in overcompensation, repeating this cycle...if only he could see his very presence is enough sometimes.

Time severely misses his family, and their influence is in his every action - his every attempt to comfort and protect. He's the group's cook, making delicious meals out of strange things, following in his dad's footsteps. He's trying to be kind to Illusion, because he reminds him so much of El in his later mindset, after...Memory and Void had destroyed his sense of peace. In many ways, he's quietly haunted by his family, by Void and Memory, by his past. But he is determined to give the group a baseline sense of normalcy and comfort, to do the little things they can't do. But can he keep up with the demand...? A broken clock is only right twice a day, after all.

Illusion just wants his freedom, to try to become his own person and get away from everything he once knew. Much like Stone!Shabre, he doesn't want to become a puppet for someone else's will. He's essentially a 20-something trying to heal after horrid teenage years spent doing things under his parents' choices, and frankly, he only regrets trying to escape the server, because he's still traumatized from that. In his nightmares, he can feel his body vanishing, Sabre taunting him from his failures, Galaxy's nonsensical words becoming truth, forced to conform to their wills... He doesn't have the energy to placate others anymore, he just wants answers to why he has to keep going, why he can't just LIVE, and he receives none.

Hypno is very confident in himself, especially after learning so much from other variants of himself. His greatest goal is to return to the afterlife, hand in hand with Rainbow. Even with all of his power, he can't parse through the massive, strange world around him to find Rain, and he's refusing to let go of an ounce of confidence that he's out there somewhere.. He is unapologetic in his unusual personality and body, but he is indeed trying to protect those he knows. The only thing is, that IGC seems....odd...she knows something, doesn't she...?

Fax!Light can't help but feel fundamentally broken, which...he kind of is. His core code is incompatible with an old version of his body, making his body's weak state worse. When he heard Hypno was looking for Rainbow, he refused to stay behind, even as his body is in ruins - he MUST find his brother. It might be the only thing that saves him... Due to how his "sickness" works, he's having essentially seizures as he glitches out, his voice backwards and too loud.. In his own way, he feels a severe disconnect from his healthy form and now, and can't help but wonder if it's indefinite - will he one day just fade completely...?

Emerald is just trying to get by, and understand this strange world. When the others welcomed themselves into his home, he felt utterly betrayed and unsafe in his own place (which he was, because Hypno shoved him down the stairs and broke him twice). Though a couple people were a little nicer to him, it made him realize just how alone he really is - his homeworld is decimated, the universe as he knew it is gone, replaced with something....unusual. He's now struggling to come to terms with his insane state of mind and all that he's sacrificed.

SL:

Ocean Leader's anxieties were confirmed by Void's Biome-wide extinction event. If things get too quiet, he swears he can feel Dread's infection creep up into his eyes, the darkness' cold tendrils leaching every drop of water from his body... Being so young, he feels like he's seen centuries of despair - and it doesn't help that the Ocean/Winter kingdoms are merged now. The cold water mimics their deaths in the opposite effect, cold so extreme it burns and dries their lungs out. His lack of confidence makes it so difficult to know what's best, and he frankly was horrified by the idea of lava-based water heaters...But he tried to trust the group, and trust himself. He's scared a lot of the time, and worries that his own doubt killed his people.