#How To Give More RAM To OverWatch

[genji-centric]

Genji Shimada NSFW Alphabet

MDNI!! Warnings for NSFW under the cut!

A = aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Overwatch Genji is a respectful lover, aftercare always I includes him getting a cloth for you to clean up, a glass of water to drink and of course lots of loving words and thanking you for a great time. During his blackwatch days aftercare would be laying in silence, maybe just leaving you be after the fact. Pre-incident Genji would either be out like a light or leaving, thanking you for a good time but he enjoys being single.

B = body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Genji really can't decide. He loves how your arms wrapped around him, giving him that familiar sense of heat that he often lacks. He loves your eyes and how you look at him with such love even if he's a cyborg. Genji loves how your neck feels on his teeth as he's rutting in and out of you at a furiously fast pace and the taste of iron that spirs him on more. Everything about you is precious to Genji.

C = cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Genji's cum is watery, and has a distinct taste that isn't good but isn't horrible. He has a proper diet, but he doesn't eat many acidic fruits, which could improve the flavor. Genji also cums alot, he can go a solid week without touching himself and he gets pent up because of it. When he cums, his stomach is covered, and you can feel every spurt of it inside of you

D = dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Genji always dreams of what it's like to cause a bit of pain. When he first was experiencing the joys of sex he'd dabble in light bondage and biting but not much more. When he first became a cyborg, that anger festered into more.. out there fantasies, including more hard-core acts such as complete domination and blade play. After he grew to accept himself those thoughts of trying out more painful ways still stuck, when alone he pumps his cock drooling at the thought of forcing you into a chokehold while clawing into your sides drawing blood. One day, he wishes to try it, but for now, he wants to keep you happy, not bring you any pain.. yet.

D = experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Genji was a major player in his younger days. Girls loved to flock around him, and Genji never was alone. He gained alot of experience, knowing all the right ways to make a woman cum around his cock and he takes pride in that. Even after the accident, he still knows all the exact pinpoints to make anyone crumble beneath him if he desired it.

D = favorite position (this goes without saying)

Genji likes a lot of ways to do it, mating press gives him a perfect view of your face and total control over you. He likes cowgirl when he's feeling a bit lazy and wants to enjoy the show. But Genji's absolute favorite is you pressed against a wall, him allowed to ram into you at any pace he likes while feeling your legs grow weak. He loves how you rely on him to keep you up, and he loves how he can press you into the wall at any time for easy access no matter where you two are.

G = goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Overwatch and pre-incident Genji can be playful, always teasing you and making you feel a little embarrassed before ripping a moan out of you. He can be a jerk, but the way he keeps you feeling good makes it acceptable and, in fact, something you look forward to. Blackwatch Genji is totally serious. He never jokes outside of the bedroom, so why would it be different? He's mean, constantly belittling you and blaming you for how he feels. So just take it and let him let out that anger, he'll make it feel good.

H = hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Genji always kept himself trimmed, not totally shaved because he thought it looked weird but enough to keep it under control and presentable. His pubes are black, and around that area, he doesn't have any hair.

I = intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Pre-incident Genji is not romantic at all. He's there to get his rocks off, but everything else comes second. Including you, he will make you cum out of curtesy but don't expect him to whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Blackwatch Genji is mean, he's so mean during the act. Any shred of intimacy you think is there is replaced by harsh insults and biting. Genji's romantic side only comes out after he finds himself, after he accepts what he was. He realizes that you truly care about him if you look past his mostly metal body, and Genji takes true affection from that. Expect to have crazy passionate, needy sex with him all the time. It had been so long since he had last felt the touch of another person he will make it special every time it happens.

J = jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Genji is a needy man. Back when he was active a lot, he never needed to use his hand, but after becoming a cyborg, that lack of action got to him. He would jerk off 2-3 times a day, at least. He didn't care if it hurt because at least the feeling distracts him from everything else. As Genji grew more accepting, he tones it down to maybe twice a day, one in his morning shower and the other before bed. He only uses his still human hand, and the metal hurts. (He's tried)

K = kink (one or more of their kinks)

Genji is a very kinky individual. He's tried a lot of positions, kinks including the more taboo ones. He really enjoys bondage, knife play, marking, free use, blood play, and pet play. Pet play was something he tried once and really enjoyed, the idea of having his own little pet on a leash abiding to his every command made him harder than he thought he could be. Genji also loves being edged when he's in a more sub mood, feeling you bring him so close then removing your hand just as he feels that coil begin to snap gets him hard. He's whimpering and groaning each time he's brought to the edge. Make him cum and he's moaning loudly, edging makes cumming that much better and it's a favorite of his.

L = location (favorite places to do the do)

Simple. Anywhere. Genji has always been a bit of a voyeur. He's done it outside and in public alleyways. The risk is what gets him going, the idea that anyone could see you like that makes him insatiable and want to claim you as his even harder. He has good hearing and a great reaction time, so you don't really have to worry about anyone seeing you.

M = motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Genji is simple, offer the idea he's on board and stripping his pants off while tackling you. Wear something tight or revealing, and he will not look away and will definitely initiate when given the chance to.

N = no (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Genji does not like praise or being mocked. He's okay with how he is. Overdone praise makes him remember the state of his body, and he hates it. Mock him for it, and it's over. He just can't focus on the act when your words are replaying through his head. Genji also doesn't like the sounds of being hurt himself. He's in enough pain as it is, and he doesn't need more.

O = oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Genji loves it both ways. When he was younger, he was selfish and liked the feeling of a warm mouth bob up and down his shaft, but now he can appreciate his lover. Genji lives to hear any whines and groans come out of you. His mouth is still human, and he treasures it. Tasting you feels like heaven, and he's proud every time you come on his tongue. Feeling your legs close around him feels so hot, choke him with your thighs a bit and he's coming hands free.

P = pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Genji had always been the same. He likes it fast and rough. He has the stamina too, so why not use it? Genji lives to make you go dumb around his cock, the fast speed making the pleasure feel even better to him and you. Genji loves things to be fast and intense. Passionate sex is the best when rough and overwhelming.

Q = quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Genji loves the idea of them but they never do stay quickies, he lives initiating one under the saying 'only one round' and soon that quickly turns to 3 and whatever plans you had gone just like your energy as Genji fucks the 5th orgasm out of you. Genji loves you so much, and once he gets a taste, he's not going to stop.

R = risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Genji is always down for something new, no matter how taboo or strange he'll give it a try. It's how he learned his favorite kinks, so what's more experience? He will try anything once as long as it doesn't cross either of your boundaries.

S = stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Before becoming a cyborg, he was pretty good with stamina to begin with. He could make it 2 or 3 rounds before having to stop, each round being average in length, but he made up for it in his experience. After becoming a cyborg, his stamina is near infinite. Genji can go for as many rounds as he wants, and if you're okay with it, he's happy to use you for hours on end.

T = toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

He doesn't use toys, open to trying them but he'd much rather make you cum from his fingers then a vibrator anyday of the week. But with enough asking, he might allow a dildo to be used on him to expierence the feeling.

U = unfair (how much they like to tease)

Genji is the definition of unfair, edging you is a garuntee and making loving jabs at you only adds to the lust and frustration you feel at him. He can be such a tease in the hottest ways, he can seductively whisper sweet nothings in your ear as you spar in the morning and leave you no chance of getting back at him all day. He then always makes dun of you for being so desperate, yet he started it.

V = volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Genji is LOUD. Do you know how he sounds like when being frozen or burned? Yeah, he's louder. He's always saying something or grunting in your ear. But can you blame him? You feel so good, and he needs to let you know how close he gets from you alone.

W = wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Genji definitely has a habit of smelling your clothes. It's a sense that reminds him of his humanity and the fact it's your smell it gets him going. His imagination goes wild when you're away, and a spare pair of underwear is there calling his name. He definitely will cum on them and leave you them to find.

X = x-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Genji's cybernetic parts stop above the waistband of his boxers, the metal legs only begin 3/4 up his right thigh and his left knee down. The rest is made of flesh, so he can still jerk off as much as he wants with everything still in tact. Genji's cock stands at an average 5.5 inches with a dusty rose tip, he takes care of it and he's clean.

Y = yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Genji is the most down bad hero. He's game for it anytime and anywhere. Never one moment goes by that the thought of you flashes his mind. If he focuses on those thoughts, he's hard and bothered and definitely will track you down to help.

Z = zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Genji, before the accident, would fall asleep quickly afterward. He didn't care much about aftercare and more about how tired he felt. Now that Genji is a cyborg, sleep isn't really needed. He more sleeps out of habit, over necessity. Genji often watches you sleep, he loves how at peace you look and how you trust him enough to sleep beside him. Genjiw catches you for a while before drifting off to sleep himself, happy about how amazing his partner is.

[lifeweaverspeach]

Ngl I'm so unexcited for season 13. Mercy and Kiri get more skins (kiriki gets like 4 for ONE season), more records of the previous skins, nothing for ventures as always and the map updates are not really great

Maybe it's all because of the layoffs that happened so I won't blame anybody, but comparing it to the very first season, it feels so disappointing and underwhelming

The same characters get so much and blizz will continue doing so because most mercy and kiriko mains will buy them which will more than likely encourage blizzard to make more of this skins and neglecting other characters. At this point just stop making skin for other characters because we see how much you care about them

Amd I get it, the skins they got pretty, ofc, but still...can we stop encouraging blizz to let them make this? Idgaf about lw, even though I was hoping that he would get a cute skin - there are other characters that should get skins!

And yes I know, there are other characters that get shit ton of skins (widow, rein, dva), but let's be honest - kiriko and mercy get THE MOST

Map updates - I am not a fan of them, I'm sorry but they look kinda ass. And I feel like they made the design simpler which I feel like makes the map looked empty

Also the new hero? I am excited cuz if it's a punk guy then I'M FUCKING LOVING IT, but I feel like we get new characters too often. Let them have their time in community in guess. Take yoru time, give them skins and emotes and all, because we get less and less for new characters and it's genuinely disappointing

And the trailer just felt so underwhelming. There was barely anything in it :///

The Widow's skin is fire tho

And as much as I think kitty skins are adorable, besides the same characters getting them, I wish male character got cute Halloween skins. I'm more than sure lots of people in the community would love some cute lifeweaver, ram, zen, lucio etc. I don't get why didn't they make them?

And in general after the trailer yesterday, I felt so disappointed and was actually thinking about just leaving the game. I have love-hate relationship with ow, I have fun in it and sometimes get pissed. But it feels unexciting at thing point.

For me overwatch feels like there's much less put effort in it, even though I know lots of people do their best to make it good (and they obviously deserve credit for it!), it just feels disappointing. Like I feel there's now much more effort put into skins for the same characters because their basically overwatch's money makers rather than into the game itself

Sure cosmetics are pretty and nice, but this is tiring at this point. I remember being excited for ow when I first saw in 2018, then I was excited to play when I got it 2021. Now I just try to get through the battle pass so I don't have to play the game ://

[t3chborb]

As depressing as the 2 Ramattra + Zenyatta spawn room interactions are, for me, 2 outta the 3 Ramattra + Echo interactions take the cake. Both are just... insane.

Echo: You... are an R-7000 unit. The one humans call... umm... Ramattra: Ravagers, yes. Squad killers, and... ruder things. Echo: Does it trouble you? Being so feared and hated? Ramattra: Once. Now, it gives me a warm little feeling inside.

... A few things:

(Putting a read more cuz the post got a bit long)

Being judged for being the model of omnic his soul just happens to occupy bothered him.

He likes it now. Which, good for him, but imagine liking being hated, especially when it used to bother you. Just how far gone you have to be for that?

... Does he truly like it now, or is he pulling an excuse out of his ass? Because the sheer strain in his voice when he finishes Echo's sentence kind of suggests otherwise.

Wait a minute... Does... does he hate his body??? That could explain why he's having a hard time talking about his model, yet is perfectly content with humans hating and fearing him, as that could be tied to his personal choices (standing up for the survival of his species, Null Sector, all that jazz), not something he can't control (his model, which is something he didn't choose and can't change)...

The other interaction doesn't get any better.

Ramattra: It's a shame none us have ever met Aurora, your predecessor. Echo: I hear that often. *throat clearing noise* What would you have asked her? Ramattra: The same thing I ask her every day. I wish she could answer.

The "asking every day" is potentially metaphorical, not pin-point accurate, which... honestly doesn't matter. He asks often enough to use such wording. That naturally begs the question, what is he asking?

When I first heard this interaction all the way back, I knew whatever he's asking has to be some rough shit, just based on the sheer nature of his character, and the fact Aurora is lowkey a God (weeell not entirely, according to Symmetra's short story, but whatever, close enough). But, it's hard to pinpoint what exactly he could be asking. Bro has a lot on his plate, and, at the time, there wasn't much evidence.

There certainly still isn't anything concrete to figure it out... but... since then, we have received this.

Sooooo just on the fact of where this information comes from, it isn't anything too solid. It's from the PVE missions menu. Which is told strictly from the perspective of the Overwatch-the-in-universe-organization's members. They don't know what the audience does. They don't even know who's in charge of Null Sector beyond Genji's educated guess.

That means this entry existing in OW's archives is from Genji, who is the only one on the squad who has any idea who Ramattra is. Aaand, based on Zen's flashback in the PVE missions, Genji has never even met Ramattra. So what Genji knows about the guy comes strictly from Zenyatta (maaaybe Mondatta), either by Zen being observant enough to notice, or Ramattra straight up told him.

Aaaand Ram and Zen haven't seen each other in decades. Obviously, Ramattra has changed a lot since his Shambali days. So OW's archive might not be exactly up to date.

But, it is the best piece of information we have. And Jesus Christ, it hurts a lot by itself, but in the context of Echo's interaction, it's even worse.

[artistic-dead-dreams]

All aboard I'm fucking seething

Blizzard you stupid whinny piece of fossilized mammoth shit. Another anime Collab? Another Collab in general??? Overwatch used to be a game with obvious flaws but those flaws had heart to them (usually.) now fucking...MHA Collab?? Oh let me guess the characters! Should be interesting considering Reinhardt, kiriko, mercy, Pharah, genji, reaper, tracer have been the ONLY FUCKING CHARACTER'S TO GET ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL THE SHOP SKINS NOW

So fucking tired like yeah they are great cosmetics I reallllly like these skins! Surprised. They aren't bad. Its just sad seeing how the only thing that the richies in charge of the company think..."yes...yes...get more...COLLABS" like u just had one with yourselves.

I'm seeing alot of people say ramattra should have been all might and I agree ( however I knew that if they did this Collab Rien would be the ultimate choice for all might..)

But my god...I could go on and on about how I personally feel that kiriko is a big ass mistake of a character. Now don't frown ☹️ because I main her I get to hate her and I do hate her but I have a bit of love for her. But SHE IS NOT THE POSTER CHILD I AND I WILL SHOVE THIS DOWN PEOPLES THROATS. She will NEVER be the poster child. There are already two. Winton and tracer. Never kiriko or Juno or whatever fucking new character comes out. Although I wouldn't mind Sojourn or junker queen as new poster children, they have my endorsement.

Now I know this aint serious at all but it is to me. As a ten year old I'd plead with my poor poor family to buy overwatch for years because I was obsessed (heavily fixated) with overwatch. It was a whole new world for me to dive in and tracer is the reason I pretend to be British! So I must give my hand to her.

So many people have brought up amazinggggg ideas for lore cosmetics/animations/sprays/voice lines etc, but no all we get is dull overused franchises. We could have Lifeweaver in his science fit, ...more sojourn skins...., THERE ARE IDEAS I'm blanking tbh

Clenches fists white froth coming out of my mouth

veins popping up upon my forehead and arms

I could make overwatch overwatch again...

But no one knows that....

I main D.va by the way like she's my most played and I'm bronze cause why would I actually try to rank up? I play to win bitch not to brag

Although D.va to me is a very neutral Aroace she/her transmasc socially tired kinda guy. No one gets her like I Do. She probably drinks diet soda for the taste like i do, totally

Yeah NGL I dont be shipping D.va, Hanzo, illari, Juno with anyone...it makes me gag and ya know I obviously don't ship the omnics or animals

However u can ship omnics with humans (I personally might start a Sombra x zen just for the hell of it ) I say that because In certain maps there are posters with human omnic romances, and yeah I'm one of those ram and zen r brothers brothers people. If u ship ram and zen keep it to urself I'm very hostile when it comes to shipping...it's a job not a fun hobby for this man. Aka me I'm the man ♂️😂

Okay I won't out right bully you for shipping but I'm also not gonna be very considerate in the way I talk about said ships..

Like I can't STAND dead by daylight ships...my word so bad...HOW DO U GET JAKE PARK AND MICHAEL CUCKING MYERS AS... BOYFRIENDS?? i have been bamboozled for 6 years with that one. Or GHOSTFACE AND MICHEAL?? GUYS MICHAEL DOES NOT WANNA BE KISSING THESE MEN. Wait hold on. Let me make another post about ships I hate I'm passionate now

Turbo-tastic!

[satans-codpiece]

I was not expecting EY epilogue to be so short or come out so quickly and neither was I prepared for it. Tbh you should rename it to "How to fuck up an audience in 600 words or less" because HOLY SHIT. I knew it wasn't going to be pretty™ but did you really have to go this hard??? The 2 being all cutesy romantic on a cruise with a burning harbour literally in front of them???? THAT RAM SET ON FIRE????? The tea vendor?????? READER FEELING GUILTY AND RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESTRUCTION????????

And then you have the nerve to answer that other anon's ask about Ram saying I love you with "haha no he loves you but he has too many issues to admit it out loud" ONLY to then turn out the next day and use it HERE of all places is. God. You bastard-

Oh shit uh.... I kind of realized I don't really have anything laying around in the horny Ram art department (that isn't a total disaster or way, WAYYYY too self-indulgent) sooo.... may I offer you a WIP in these trying times??? Entirely SFW but I feel like it's plenty horny still, just in a different way ;) (Link in another ask again. Btw, you can post the WIP publicly if you feel like the Ramattra nation should see it. I still have no goddamn idea if I should try to revive my abandoned art blog or start a new one or if I should even commit to posting semi-regularly in the first place why are my feelings so fucking complicated on something so basic-)

OH I FEEL YA MAN, same story here, don't care about the game I care about the universe, except I left the franchise entirely ages ago only for Blizz to be like "hey you liked Zen right? Here's his hot angsty younger brother" and I'm like FFFFFFFFFFFFFFfffffffffuck you Blizzard, and fuck me for falling for that eye and brain candy...

Heard about that "sometime in 2024" release date, THAT AIN'T IT MATEY, could be in December for all we know, I NEED it sooner- But hey, I guess Blizz's laziness means the fans can go wild???

And oooooh you say shit like this keeps you active? Guess I gotta bother you some more then :P Also NEEEEEY you an SSS+ tier writer the heckle you talking about-

HAHAH YEAH FKDJSG So my original draft of it was actually even darker, with more of Reader "waking up" on being released from their room, then spiraling and feeling guilty and only being maintained by the feeling that they have to keep Ramattra in check. So, I think this one's a bit kinder in that Reader's still feeling guilty, but it's easier for them to push away the darkness.

fjdhsgks listen! Again! My original epilogue was darker (I think I didn't have him use it, but I also don't think Reader prompted him to say it?) And to be fair it's more that he has too many issues in that moment at the end of Ch5... and he's kind of settling into accept that you do love him and want ("want") to be there with him by the epilogue... so he can choke it out sometimes.

PLEAES STTART AN ART BLOG???? HES SO FUCKING GORGEOUS???

Like, yeah idk, it certainly is... difficult to know how to engage with fandom. More than a few times I've wondered if just being in a small, dedicated discord would be a better choice (but then I'm awful at engaging with people directly, so I tend to lurk in discord servers...)

Hah, see, I completely missed Ramattra's release. I played a little bit at OW2's release, so a bit into season 1, then I just stopped playing. I don't think it was intentional quitting. But I somehow completely missed Ramattra's entire existence until I randomly started playing Overwatch again in March/April (I don't even remember why? I think the Minecraft server I was playing revealed itself to be run by morons and I was looking for a game to spend most of my time and just ended up back with Overwatch).

Only to, bam, load into a game with someone playing him and for me to immediately go "oh my god" (and also he gave me headpats and i...... I wonder if that person has any clue what they've done. but then I think most Ram players who give headpats are also Ram Enjoyers.)

LISTEN.... I DONT EVEN BELIEVE ITLL BE 2024 BC BLIZZARD BUT I HAVE TO PRETEND......

gjkhgsd You know that um. that chart that depicts "art quality vs perceived art quality over time"? to show how artists' perception of their work changes as they develop it? I feel like I'm permanently stuck in a "I'm sure my work is fine given the time I've spent working on it as a craft, but it still doesn't look/behave in the way I want it to." groove for like. at least a year.

The last time I genuinely 100% liked something I wrote was uhhhh probably in Februaryish with an unpublished DBD!Wesker/Reader WIP. (The WIP title is Boon: Wesker's Worms LOL)

[laptopscope]

[tonberry-yoda]

Might I get headcanons for Zen, Ram, LifeWeaver and Moira with an s/o that is always "peeling" for them if they are in missions together. Like everytime they need help reader is always at their side to help from those pesky flankers? Tyy

Zenyatta, Ramattra, Lifeweaver, and Moira with a helping s/o who def loves them

notes - anon, this idea is so cute omg!! literally I just thought i'd knock it out because of how short and cute this is and getting everyone's reaction is priceless lolol. Thanks anon! Stay super hydrated and well <3

Zenyatta

he would actually think it's so sweet!

every time you come over to help him, he gets all flustered and tells you that he should be the one helping him

and then he starts noticing that you do it A LOT

which he's totally fine with, of course because of how sweet he thinks it is

but then he'll shyly tell you to focus on helping other people too lol

but you still come after him and help him fr lolol

Ramattra

he would low-key get annoyed LMFAO

like he would appreciate the help at first but because he's an annoyed omnic who doesn't like humans he would get all snippy and tell you to stop

ofc you won't stop because he needs help but also, he's really pretty and you just wanna be there for him lol

after a while though, he literally cannot fight without you by his side helping him because he cares a lot about you and is very thankful for all your help <3

Lifeweaver

he would literally love it

he's such a baby and always seems to get himself hurt and to know that you're going to run to his side makes him so so thankful

plus it gives him a bit of time to flirt with you ;)

and sometimes y'all are too focused on each other that everyone is like HELP US and you're like "wow lifeweaver, you have beautiful eyes <3"

Moira

she would be so mad LMFAO

she doesn't want to show any weakness, so she never asks for help

so you will just help her and she will claim that she doesnt need help

so when you leave her alone one mission, she realizes how much she needs you

and quietly, while you're alone, she asks for more help, which you will provide with a smile and help her out a ton! <3

~~~~~

overwatch masterlist | pinned post

2023 @tonberry-yoda – do not repost or claim ANY of my work as your own! likes, reblogs, and comments are not only welcome, but appreciated

~~~~~

[ce-heich-ce]

Had a pair of dreams this morning that may or not have been induced by me eating an opened yogurt I found on the fridge I found yesterday

First dream starts with me playing some sort of managing game, its like an rpgmaker looking game where you have to manage some sort of hospital, the characters are all chibi and there are large and complicated charts on how you have to pair the doctors with the patients for the best results or something. Before I can understand any of that, it changes into some pokemon game where its presenting one of the new pokemon which is this regular pink and somewhat sausage shaped cartoonish looking pig refered to just as “swiny”, its an undestructible pig that “eats” other pokemon that got to close to it, it would walk by one and it would just dissapear and everyone was mad because of how annoying that was, people would try dumping it into pits or waterfalls, but it would just jump back up unharmed, I woke a bit after that.

Second dream revolves around me in a group of “pirates” on a modern non-water, non-ship, non-pirate elements setting, where we were trying to eat a meal we had prepared fast because some big and famous pirate was coming over and could give us trouble, so we ran into some outdoors restaurant and started eating some things that had manjar on it, but as we did that some other group of pirates came over wanting trouble, mainly this guy who wanted to break my fingers with a hammer that kept trying to start trouble until a trio of old pirates said “BEARD” and pointed at me, which I guess was some sort of rule they had were they wouldnt hurt other pirates who had beards (which I had in the dream), so instead of breaking my fingers he licked whatever it was that I was gonna eat in an attempt to make me angry and start a fight, but I just ate those things instead because we were in a hurry. Our “ship” was an entire room with windows, tables and chairs that could somehow run like a car on the highway. At this point the dreams started getting fucked up, outside tons of people were being infected by some sort of zombie virus that made their skin have weird colours and turn them aggresive, so one of the guys on my crew was shooting vaccines through a gun that was on a window in an attempt to calm them down, but they kept throwing logs and rocks into the room even when it was moving forward and one of them got me on the shoulder so I fell unconcious and when I woke up alone in the room, it was now somewhere else connected to a big door that was sealed shut but kept banging, so I tried to open it to see what was behind it and I cant remember what it was exactly, but the sheer horror I saw made me wake up again. Third dream was somewhat shorter, it starts with me watching some “Overwatch 3″ game, where the game trailer was so awful the guys didnt know how to play the game and kept ramming some bike into a wall and the price of the game kept showing on screen. I looked away to lay down a couch outside my room, the area looked like some venice looking city, with water and rivers instead of streets and my neighboor took a picture of me laying down and I got really mad when a friend pointed out that they used that photo to promote their shitty Instagram music video that was a still image of me on the couch, so I jumped on some boat to my neighbor’s house that was across mine and he trapped me in some room where he made me play that awful overwatch game until I broke free and demanded him to delete my photo and that video, which he was surprised about for some reason, thinking I wanted something more important considering I broke into his house. After I was done with that, we got on the boat and went into my house where now the big sealed door from the previous dream was now inside my room, the windows and other doors dissapeared and the door bursted open with the same things as before, I woke up again and decided to just stay awake until it was time to get up

[lily-orchard-gossip-blog]

4th best Finn

I don't think of Finn as a bad character so much as just badly written one. From the very beginning of the film, he does not have any motivation, but he seems to kinda get it later. Throughout the entire trilogy, I can say that he did not just skipped his character arc, he basically had no personal qualities. You know, not so long ago I saw a comparison between Fin and the overwatch character - Baptiste, they dedicated a short two minutes long to him... What's funny, in these two minutes Blizzard wrote a character better than Disney in three films. Their main difference is that the character himself decided his fate. Baptiste made a choice to work with Talon to survive, then made a choice to leave, since he understood that the organization was doing evil, and then made a choice to help in the war, since he himself had previously been its victim... Fin, compared to these, is simply awfully written. He is passive. Fin escaped from the first order because he was scared by the battle... although he was raised as a soldier since his childhood, he for some unknown reason joined the rebellion (but he has no motivation for this, since in fact he was not friends with anyone, no matter how Lily tried to prove it), but later he simply just dissolved into the plot. The question remains, why was he the best? Ah, wait, he's sweetheart ... okay.

I don't mind the idea of ​​his character. The military man sees how his own faction is doing evil, betraying it and repenting. But Fin has no such thing, he is passive. If you think about it, Finn has nothing to do in the trilogy, he could have got a great solo series if he had good writers.

4 the blandest Rose Tico

Well, she was a pretty unnecessary character from the start (like the whole Fin arc in the 8th movie). The sequels are, in principle, overwhelmed by a crowd of new but useless characters (add to them the old trinity which, yes, eventually dies one by one, still occupies a large part of the plot). So, okay, this top deals with the most inexpressive, undeveloped and (in theory) boring characters, okay, let's see what happens next.

4 worst amilyn holdo

I'm kind of compliant, but not for Lily's reasons.

Despite the outward attractiveness of the actress, her design ... does not fall into the image of "Admiral" at all (rings, painted nails, dyed hair during the war ... seriously?), And if we analyze the actions of the character, it will bring us into the abyss. To put it simply, Amilyn is just a bad commander. Disrespect for subordinates, eternal antics, bad tactical plans, due to which the scriptwriters have to make retcones so that the characters can get from point A to point B, (like using the hyperdrive to ram the ship, do they at least understand that during the hyperjump the ship ceases to exist in space-time and, well, unable to do so ?? ... and I only took one example)

Anyway, I can already see the characters in 3rd places and hoo booyyy, prepare the shelters, as the destruction will be scarier than a nuclear fucking war. To be continued

Best

I really love Finn, but I agree that he has very weak motivations in the story, because he doesn't have any outside of the initial escape. This is actually something I tried to fix in my fanfic, namely, giving a bit more weight to his leaving.

It's a shame too, because he's by far the most interesting character in the new movies. I actually really wanted him to be force sensitive, because I though he was so interesting, and the force would give him more to do in the films.

He's such a wonderful character that got wasted. We should start a petition: Finn solo series, make it happen Disney!

Bland

I don't know much about Rose, but she is kind of pointless, but that's because her whole story line is kind of bizarre. But on the bright side, it does mean you can use her however you want in fanfics, because she doesn't have a lot to do outside of being a vector for lectures.

But unfortunately, that doesn't save her from being uninteresting in the films.

Worst

Holdo really doesn't look like a general, does she? And her plan was dumb. Even just going off hearsay, I couldn't find her really interesting, and I get why people didn't like her.

It's a shame, but I think it shows how poorly written the movie was, when there are two new characters that don't work in it.

I can't wait to read the next part!

[pavys-originals]

Fandoms I will be writing for + the original characters within

Including a brief summary of each. 

Birds of Prey Valerie Steward - Crime boss, rival of Roman Sionis, has Renfield Syndrome, usually likes the most expensive and lush possessions. Has very large circles beneath her (In a social/hierarchical sense).  Can be incredibly eccentric, and very passionate.

One/Omni- The first of the Blackcoats, a large group of highly trained marshal-like operatives. Omni himself usually does not get involved in combat, and pays close attention to details. 

Two/Hyinth- The second in the first thirteen/High Council of the Blackcoats. Isn’t quick to rush to violence, though they will do what they must to get things done. 

Three/Cettie- The financial backer of the council. Doesn’t usually get involved with the violent sectors of the organisation, she finds it a waste of time. 

Four/Aven- Pure bodyguard material. That’s it, that’s Aven. Not himbo- he’s to smart and sharp for that- just muscly man who will protect at all costs.

Five/Aretha- Now when I tell you that this woman knows how to kill someone and get away with it, I mean it. She trained to be Valerie’s understudy in a sense, and has perfected her own technique in disposing of people when asked.

Six/Giga- The techie. Honestly, they know so much about random stuff they will RAM it down your throat. They’re also kind of jokey, hence the pun. 

Seven- Seven gave up his name when he was fairly young, and is now one of the most powerful and down-to-earth of the Blackcoat high council, as he is the one who oversees the training regimens.

Eight/Axel- A total wild card of the group. Rarely follows orders, and lashes out with violence fairly frequently. He’s honestly a big softie though. 

Nine/Jerra- Usually the one that gets sent in when they need an undercover job done, or a mole of some description. He’s a phenomenal actor. 

Ten/Rocsas- One of the youngest. He’s very ‘in’ with the word on the streets of Gotham,and often informs the council of riots/coups that are being planned by the gangs of the city of crime.  

Eleven/Ixi- Iris/Thirteen’s twin. They are very detached, and don’t often show emotion in the work place. It is suspected that they show lots of affection in a domestic setting though. 

Twelve/Brutus- As his name suggests, he is the strongest of the group, naturally born this way and has honed his skills in since starting training. He is very protective, and follows orders. Not always the brightest spark though, but occasionally he will get a good idea. 

Thirteen/Iris- Sometimes referred to as the ‘softest’ of the High Council, as she is much more compassionate than the majority of her peers. She doesn’t mind it all that much, and often interjects in debates with the more emotional side of the story. 

Twenty-Six/Kalmiya- Almost an entirely blank slate, she is seen as the perfect soldier. Little room for emotions, much room for logic. However, she does seem to learn social cues and expressions very quickly off of other people. 

CATS  A note- about the cats ocs; Just because they are stated to have mated with another Tom/Queen does not mean I won’t write for them. If I write for the children, the bond between parents is not usually mentioned.  

Ariadne-A witch’s cat. She is quite mysterious, but once she warms up to you she’ll adore you like there’s no tomorrow. She is able to teleport over a short distance, has slight telepathy, and sometimes has visions of the future. 

Graciette- The pub cat. Daughter of Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots, younger sister to the mischievous twins Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, and older sister to the young kitten Electra. She is always on  time, and is very enthusiastic about overseeing the games in the pub. 

Leviticus- The oldest triplet, son of Ariande and the Rum Tum Tugger. He is very close with his grandfather, Old Deuteronomy, and very wise. 

Squiggletigs-The middle triplet, second son of Ariande and the Rum Tum Tugger. He is usually found with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, he is much more playful than his older brother. He’s like the middle ground between Leviticus and Pixietrick.

Pixietrick- The youngest child of Ariande and the Rum Tum Tugger, and their only daughter. She’s very much like her father, both in appearance and in personality. 

Fantasma- The inventor’s cat, and daughter of Graciette and Alonzo. A lot of her time in the junkyard is spent finding random little trinkets and other doo-dads to use for her inventions, or just random collections she has. She’s very shy, and very sweet. 

Zilke- The blind cat, mother of Quaxo/Mistoffelees and Victoria. She tried to stick by Macavity when he was kicked from the tribe, her love blinding her to the near regicide that was committed. Eventually, she became actually blind. 

Seattine- One of the two pirate cats, rumoured to be descendants of Growltiger himself. They rarely come ashore, but when they do, they play many a shanty for old Gus. Seattine favours the concertina as her instrument, and is usually very upbeat.

Hurdeon- One of the two pirate cats, rumoured to be descendants of Growltiger himself. They rarely come ashore, but when they do, they play many a shanty for old Gus. Hurdeon favours the hurdy gurdy, and is a lot calmer than his twin sister. 

Doctor Sleep  Elva Warren- The owner of a sweet little antique shop in New Hampshire. She is always welcoming to new faces, and she knows just what cheers them up when she meets them, what to say to make them smile, all because of her Shine. 

IANOWT  Marilyn Higgins - An uncool kid like Stan and Sid, though a lot of people consider her to be less cool then them. Mostly because of all the morbid facts she spouts, especially during Science class. Probably also doesn’t help that she knows a fair few ways that the world could end that make some people uneasy.

IT  Melissa Farley- A British exchange student from a small village in Norfolk. She is very kind to those around her, even willing to take them in and introduce them to her family’s traditions and interests. She has even offered to tutor some of the Losers, should they ever need it.  Tiffany Crandall- A farming gal from Ludlow, Maine. She moved to Derry with her grandmother and grandfather after her parents were hit by a speeding Orinco truck. She is neughbour’s with Mike Hanlon, and has very little fear when it comes to brawls. It’s traffic and roads she doesn’t like. 

Moulin Rouge  Celine Bisset- A dancer in the Moulin Rouge. She is usually quite gentle, unless her client asks for her to be rougher and more assertive. She ended up becoming a dancer there because her fiance left her stranded when he ran off with another woman. 

Overwatch Asteria Murphy- After surviving an omnic siege where Blackwatch was sent to free the inhabitants of an apartment block, Asteria joined Overwatch to try and make sure nothing like that happened again. 

Mars Virgil- Son of Asteria Murphy, and Jesse McCree. Grew up in Deadlock Grange with his mother, and Robert Virgil- the man he assumed was his father. He joined Overwatch after  an attack on his mother’s diner, and found out his true family soon after.

Resident Evil Village Ihrin Moreau- Sister of Salvatore Moreau. Unlike her brother, her experience with the Cadou did not mutate her into a fish at first glance. It is when she comes into contact with water that her first stage mutation reveals itself, and her true mutated form shows when she is critically injured. She is vain and practically unfeeling unless something catches her eye.

Aeolus Aetos- Self proclaimed “Lord of the Wing”. Aeolus is a man who’s mutation made him think so highly of himself that he only concerns himself with his own problems. He is vain, and keeps himself the most pristine he can. Being mutated to appear part eagle gives him both his pride and his expert hunting skills

Mori Russell- One of the village hunters, who survived the lycan attacks by fleeing into the forests, and hiding out of sight. 

Lena Vaughn- Daughter of the local brewer. Also survived the lycan attacks, but because of her skill with a shotgun rather than running away. 

Shallow Grave Deirdre Sullivan- A failing artist who moved from her family home in Ireland to chase her dreams. She’s partway there, she’s just lacking in the money.Money that she has a hand in keeping away from David. 

Star Wars  Alaana Rohiikshuul- A Jedi consular/seer. She is very down to earth, and tries her best to have the mysteries of the Force reveal themselves to her so that she may write of them. It is this constant search for knowledge that has her meditating for days on end, lost in her own thoughts. Alessandro  Rohiikshuul - Alaana’s twin brother, and the slightly more impulsive of the two. This is not to say he is outwardly violent. Like Alaana, he makes sure to exhaust all other options beforehand. He is much more openly passionate.  Othkiir Rohiikshuul- A young, feline force sensitive from Alaana and Alessandro’s home planet, Tmryn. He can be a little all over the place sometimes, but he tries to do everything he  can for the greater good. 

Daesha’Tiatkin- A Twi’lek force sensitive who deserted the Jedi Order in her late teens- opting to live a scoundrel’s life. She does what betters her, and usually her alone, though you should not mistake this for having no moral compass. She is impulsive, and almost always optimistic. 

Kyden Kenobi- Son of Sith!Obi-Wan and Sith!Alaana. Captain/Commander of the Night Witches squadron in the Empire’s fleet. Usually incredibly goofy and sweet. 

Trainspotting Ava Byrne- (First film)- A philosophy student who got stuck in Edinburgh when she left her home. She got stuck in the same apartment building as Renton and the other boys, but refuses to divulge in their illegal activities.  (Second film)- Ava didn’t end up leaving Edinburgh, the best thing she managed to do was write “The Ethics of Drug Use”, which was of course inspired by the boys’ old lives. She hasn't properly seen the boys since Mark left, though she will occasionally pass Simon or Daniel in the street, and give them a semi-respectful nod.

Misc  (Special Ingredients- my original story in the works) Tex Hudson-  The eldest brother of the trio of brothers, and he was the one to change his name when he got married the first time, as if it would help him in his family’s “business”. He has quite a temper, and is usually rather gruff. There are occasions where he can be sweet, they’re just growing exceedingly rare. Sloane Sawyer- The middle brother, and arguably the most elegant of the three. Always in a suit, he acts like the perfect gentleman in front of others, however when there’s no one else around, he tends to gloat about how many kills he has under his belt.  James ‘JJ’ Sawyer- The youngest brother, but also the tallest. Standing at a whopping six foot nine, Jamie may seem like a beast of a man, but he actually quite gentle. He’s a little slower than the others when it comes to figuring some things out, but he doesn’t let that slow him down anywhere else. He is incredibly sweet, quite passionate, and not afraid to show his vulnerable side when his brother’s aren’t around. 

Victoria/Victor Farley- A pirate captain who sails within the Devil’s Ring (more on that in their first piece), and acts however they so please within the pirate code. Born as Victoria Farley on mainland England, they followed their father through to the centre of the Devil’s Ring- becoming one of his crew in the process. From there they fought on and on, till they became a ship’s captain themselves. 

Scenarios/genres I will write -Fluff -Angst -Smut* -Horror -A combination of those stated above *This will only be written when I am in the mood. Bear in mind these may take longer than usual because I have to be in the correct mindset. I will edit this when necessary

Character Q&A is currently open! 

I will include trigger warnings and such at the beginning of each Oneshot/imagine/headcanon list.

[hellagaymccree]

Wear Something Sexy

I’m about to post this on twitter as a tread (hence the censored words and /’s), but have it here first. And if you wanna see some of the threadsfics I have up already, check out my twitter. (Under pinned tweet>>>mcreyes, near the end since they’re the newest additions.)

I’ve seem some art about portals in panties/mask where someone can stick their dick somewhere and it teleports there (??) So let’s add some mcreyes to that in which Reaper uses his nanities somehow. Eventual NSFW since I took longer than expect to get to it.

******************************

Jesse knew exactly who the Reaper was once he saw the first footages of him. Though his movements where smoother due to the wisps of smoke that carried him, they were the same as Gabriel used to dance around the battlefield. Then he pulled out two shotguns and Jesse’s cigar dropped from his lips. His chest swelled and then it felt cold, like a round of said weapons had ran through it.

McCree haunted down the wraith. Even when the Overwatch logo in his pocket blinked for a call, he could not accept it knowing the person that made him felt whole was out there. But every time Jesse felt close to him, he could feel Reaper slipping through his fingers. Once, it was like Reyes actually /ran/ from him just by the sound of Jesse’s voice.

Finally, when they were face to face, after Reaper swept Jesse off his feet during an ambush set against the gunslinger. Chaotic was one word for how their first encounter went down. There was silence before the yelling. There was cursing one another and reminders of promises neither could keep. There were tears from Jesse’s part and Gabriel looked away from him. McCree wanted to believe that a tear or two peaked out of Gabriel’s eyes. Then there was the fucking. It happened sooner than Jesse expected, but if he was being honest, he’s damn glad they collided in an intense, passionate kiss that was mostly teeth than tongue. A way of saying ‘I hate that I still love you’.

The cheap bed on the motel they were on stood no chance to their love making as the head board cracked and Jesse’s sure the springs aren’t right anymore.

“This can’t happen again,” Reaper had said, his voice raspier than when Jesse had last talked to him. His armor was back on him, except for the mask and hood. His eyes were dimmer, and his hair a wild mess of curls that Jesse had loved from the moment the mask and hood came off.

But it did happen again. It happened in Russia, in Mexico, in Ital and in Spain, close to the new Overwatch’s base, close to Jesse’s new home. He had accepted the call after not only finding what had been missing in his life, but also because Gabriel asked him too.

“If they ever find out you and I—” He had gone quiet, whether it was because he couldn’t imagine of what would happen to Jesse or because he didn’t know what to call /them/ again. “You need to be protected and secure, Jesse. Or they will find you when you are at your weakest and most lonely.”

The call for his name had been what gave Jesse the assurance enough to contact Winston and join Overwatch.

It’s been months since he joined and the affairs with Reaper have not stopped. He flirts with death on almost weekly basis, and no one is the wiser yet. If they are, they must be hiding it well. Sometimes Jesse gets away while they go on mission and meets Gabriel in an abandoned place, in a forest or a motel room. Other times Gabriel crawls his way into Jesse’ room in Gibraltar and they spend the night together. Those times, they try to not break the bed.

Before Gabriel leaves one night, he hands Jesse a small box. “Chucks, I didn’t get you anything.”

Gabriel grins. “Don’t worry about it.”

Jesse’s smile drops as he looks at the small little lace number (picture) neatly folded inside the box. When he pulls it out, he eyes Gabriel and raises an eyebrow. He’s never worn lingerie, and Gabriel never asked.

“Wear it when you go on your missions,” Gabriel requests, stepping closer to Jesse and brushing his claws through his hair. They spark thrills into McCree’s scalp and he’s almost ready to submit again. “I want you ready for when we do meet in one.”

Jesse has to admit that would be sexy. While the others fight, Gabriel and him can just play a game of cat and mouse until they find a dark corner and break each other apart in their own way.

 Jesse wears the lacy pantie on his next mission. He can barely feel it on and his soft member is quite snugged in it. He gets butterflies in his stomach to the thought of Reaper catching him with them. Will he pretend he didn’t know? Act out some roleplay before one of his claws pulls the back part aside and so he can fuck Jesse properly.

He gets to King’s Row and part of him is disappointed they don’t encounter Talon, but he focuses on the mission none the less. That is until his paired with Genji to explore the dark streets in search of their target that took flight once he knew Overwatch had landed in London.

Minutes pass and Jesse swears he feels something brushings his ass. He swats at it, but there’s nothing over his clothes. Then, somehow, he feels something tickling his entrance. He halts and ponders over it. There’s a second flick of it and his skin rises in goosebumps.

“McCree?” Genji asks, tilting his head.

“Thought I saw something,” Jesse replies and continues walking. The sensation doesn’t stop. And after a while, he catches on to it quickly. They are Reaper’s wisps, they have brushes Jesse’s body first, and his hole as well. Gabriel uses them to tease Jesse in all the sensitive spots that get him to moan and arc his back. He can feel at least two slipping into his hole.

“I, ah,” Jesse says, pressing his cheeks together as if that would stop whatever is happening. “I’ll check this way. Meet you back by the clock tower in fifteen?”

“I guess that’s out best option,” Genji agrees. “We can meet up with Hanzo as well.”

Jesse nods and steps into a dark alley. There’s a corner where it’s almost pitch black as the light closest to it has gone out. Jesse slumps against the wall and spreads his legs. He has to be sure. The trails of smoke continue to play with him. Of course they’re not real smoke since they’re solid, but they feel velvety and smooth, more like locks of hair if Jesse had to explain it.

“What the—” He stutters as the wisps go deeper in him, brushing his sweet spot. “Gabe,” he calls, hoping that bastard his somewhere to listen.

“His eyes widen when he feels the head of a cock pressing against his hole. /How?/

Jesse digs one hand into the back of his pants to check. His clothes are intact, but he feels the back of his panties bulging up a little. When the slick head pops in, there’s more length following behind, even if Jesse can’t feel it over the underwear.

/How?/ He wonders again as he pulls his hand out of his pants. His fingers twitch against the brick wall that supports him, and his toes curl in his boots.

Somehow, Gabriel is /inside/ of him, right in this moment. He’s fucking Jesse in the middle of a mission through the panties Gabriel gifted him.

“Gabriel,” Jesse pleads. He wants his lover to appear. To hold him. To pick him up and fuck him against the wall properly.

He feels the impact of a full ram, causing him to move forward and hold on to the wall in front of him as he gasps. His body is bended over, pretending Gabriel is behind in his solid form, ravishing him on the spot. Another thrusts tells him this would have to do. He will have to be satisfied with what Gabriel gives him.

In retrospect, this is a brilliant idea. When they can’t get away together, Jesse can simply put on this pair of lingerie and it would work for the most part. He tries to wonder, imagine, how it looks from Gabriel’s end. What is he fucking into, but his thoughts start to fade as Gabriel still manages to wreck him not only in body but mind as well. His bottom lip is swollen and plump from biting it so much. There’s sweat pooling on his forehead and he’s going mad with lust. He wants to take his clothes off, to fall on his knees and completely surrender to Gabriel.

When his knees feel like they’re about to give out, the pace becomes feral and fast. Jesse has no time to even react as his quiet moans are being cut with each push of Gabriel’s c*ck in him. “Fuck, Gabriel,” he whispers and whimpers his fist hits the wall. He can’t take it anymore; he’s about to slip one hand into his pants to attend his untouched d*ck, when one of the wisps beats him to it. It wraps nicely around it like a viper and begins to move, slithering and circling, a never thread caressing his member softly. Too gentle compare to the abuse happening behind.

Jesse comes with a gasp and falls to his knees. Gabriel thrusts in him few times. Frantic jerks to get off until he spills in Jesse. McCree hums to the sensation of the warm come bursting in him and how he would love to feel it. After Gabriel’s member stops jerking and leaking, he slowly pulls out, leaving Jesse empty and gapping.

“The hell was that?” Jesse asks, looking back as if he will find Gabriel there, zipping up his pants and smiling like the devil himself.

 He’s back at base and the first thing he does is check if his room is empty. Sadly, it is, but h goes and takes a shower, and returns with a towel around him, his clothes left back in a hamper, except the panties. That’ when he finds Gabriel sitting on his bed, mask and hood down, a smug smile on his face.

“Ya crazy son of a b*tch,” Jesse says, playfully.

“Did you like my present?”

Jesse grins. “Y’know I did. But how…?”

Gabriel shrugs. “One of the few perks, I guess.” A short answer, meaning Gabriel simply doesn’t wanna talk. And, if Jesse’s being honest, he doesn’t either. He might have gotten /a/ part of Gabriel back in King’s Row, but there’s other parts he has missed. He first goes for a kiss, deep enough to push Gabriel back before he traps him in a hug.

“I can keep them, right?’ Jesse asks once they break apart.

Gabriel nods.

“Will they continue to work?”

“They will.”

“Great.”

“Just wait to try my next gift for you.” Gabriel raises one hand, and, hanging on one of his claws there’s a bandana. It’s black but has a design of a skull’s mouth. It might look like a simply accessory at first, but by Gabriel’s smirk and the exciting and strange experience Jesse just went through, he knows he’s about to have more fun that he has in a while.

[simranger]

a somewhat comprehensive performance guide for the sims 3

what it says on the tin. i’m sticking everything under the cut to avoid clogging everyone’s dash because, hoo boy, this is a looong post

welcome to my kitchen, and hopefully i can help you get your game to run a bit better!

first, if you haven’t already, make sure to launch your game (i recommend just bg so it loads quickly) and check if you need to change your graphics settings. if you’re on windows and would like to play your game in windowed fullscreen: 

download and install this program (it’s safe, i promise)

open the program and you should get a notification that it’s running in your tray

with ts3 open (in it’s windowed mode), click on your tray and right click on the program’s icon, then select Add window

go back to ts3′s window and press F3 on your keyboard. you should get a notification that ts3 has been added to the program’s list, and you’re done!

you’ll also need an fps limiter to prevent the game from frying your video card. i use this one, set at 60fps. alternatively, you can download MATY’s fps limiter and place it in your game’s bin. (The Sims 3/Game/Bin)

is your game crashing on startup? check your DEP settings or try using 3booter.

some tips to help your game run better

have as few programs as possible running while ts3 is open.

run a 4gb patch on your game. download this, run the .exe, select the game’s executable (The Sims 3/Game/Bin/TS3W.exe for patch 1.69 or TS3.exe for patch 1.67), and click open. you’ll get a pop up saying it’s patched. please note that your computer needs to have over 2gb of RAM for this! (most do, but do check how much RAM you have!)

if you’d rather increase how much RAM the game uses yourself, follow this tutorial.

download razer game booster. this frees up some memory on your computer to increase performance.

check how much virtual memory your pc is using. follow this tutorial.

delete cache files. the game will generate new ones every time you open the game, so make sure to delete the following files before running the game: CASPartCache, compositorCache, scriptCache, simCompositorCache, socialCache. these files are found in Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3.

if you’re on pc, delete your WoldCaches folder. not everyone will have this folder, and the game may also regenerate the folder. (mine didn’t regenerate the folder, but it’s happened to others)  DO NOT do this if you’re on mac!!!!

disable your FeaturedItems folder. this prevents the game from generating a fuckton of store thumbnails you’ll never look at. follow this tutorial or just set the folder to be read only.

turn off the following in your game settings: shop mode, interactive loading screens, and online features. i also recommend turning off story progression and memories and using mods to handle these instead.

edit your GraphicsRules.sgr. this will help your game load textures faster. (it also helps how fast your sims change their clothes!) do it yourself by following these tutorials ( 1 + 2 ) or download avian’s graphics fix (v1.69) (v1.67). i recommend doing the latter more than doing it yourself!

modding your game: a quick crash course

yeah, i know most people know how to download and install custom content + mods, but this is still good to give a read for managing your sims 3 cc!

first, you’ll need a mods folder because ts3 won’t generate one by itself. i recommend you download this framework and follow MTS’ guide to setting it up. it comes with a nifty little no intro video mod!

use the compressorizer redux. you can extract it wherever you’d like, just make sure to keep all its files in the same folder. this program is pretty self-explanatory, it compresses .package and .sims3pack files. to use it, click Add Files to List, select the folder with your files (you can do this multiple times), and click GO! now, just let it do its thing! it may take a while to process everything if you have big files, but you’ll get a pop up saying how many MBs you saved when it’s done. you can also use decrapify mode on .sims3packs (useful for store content!)

i recommend downloading Delphy’s Sims3Pack Extractor. i avoid using the game launcher to manage my cc at all costs, and this tool is useful for extracting .package files from .sims3pack files. follow this tutorial to use it!

Delphy’s Dashboard Tool is also useful for finding any broken, duplicate, or conflicting cc. i don’t recommend using the fix all problems option, do it yourself instead to make sure you don’t delete anything you want to keep.

renaming cc files can also help with lag. follow this tutorial!

you can also merge your package files to help with lag and load times using this tutorial. i don’t do this personally, but my mods folder is pretty small too.

note: the game launcher can only load 500 .sims3pack files at a time. only use the launcher to install absolutely necessary items!

to help reduce lag and load times, you can delete everything in your DCBackup folder (Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/DCBackup) EXCEPT for ccmerged.package. DO NOT delete ccmerged, it has all the cc installed through the launcher. (ps. you can safely use the compressorizer to compress your ccmerged file!)

final tip: try to control the amount of cc you have installed. i’ve noticed that the game takes a lot longer to load when my mods folder starts to reach a Gb. my mods folder is currently 368Mb, and it takes around 5 minutes to load any saves.

helpful mods for your game

the ETERNAL must have: nraas’ mastercontroller. you’ll need this to run all nraas mods! also be sure to grab overwatch and errortrap while you’re at it! these catch and clean any errors that happen in your game. i also recommend register and traffic.

no (or fewer) auto memories is SUPER useful for controlling memories in the game and helps with game performance. it’s super customizable!

ellacharmed’s world fixes. not really a traditional mod, but this helps with routing and camera control! note: don’t use these on preexisting saves! some lots have been moved and there will be little gaps in the world with preexisting saves.

routing fixes for schools + other lots. be sure to use nraas to reset your school lot after installing!

interaction on sloped terrain. this is mostly just a sanity saver, but very useful!

finally, i recommend grabbing awesome mod. it has a bunch of fixes and is very customizable!

reducing save game bloat

a.k.a. the steps i go through to make sure that my game loads relatively fast and runs with minimal lag. 

if i’ve taken any screenshots the last time i played the game, i move those out of ts3′s screenshots folder and into a separate folder.

i delete all generated cache files. see the tips section above for more info

i run kuree’s save cleaner on the save i’m planning on playing. if the latest version (2.1) doesn’t open/work, try using v1.1 instead. you can also do this manually, though i don’t recommend it for the sake of your sanity.

every couple of in-game weeks in a save i run a total reset on the world i’m playing in. this is done through nraas mastercontroller. click on your city hall from map view>nraas>mastercontroller>total reset

tip: to help prevent your saves from corrupting, use save as and keep multiple versions of your save. for example, i have 3 versions of my lepacy save. this way, if a save does corrupt, you have a backup! 

misc. ways to reduce lag

don’t run the game with all packs enabled. it’s going to murder your game. only run with packs you know you’ll use. you can also refer to this masterpost for bgc items if you only want certain items from a pack.

don’t keep tons of stuff in your sim’s inventory. use the fridge to keep fish and harvestables instead.

if your sim has the collection helper LTR in their inventory, make sure you have it set to none when you’re not using it.

i recommend downloading simborg’s CAS hiders, ILTS’ CAS Rehaul, and/or sweetdevil-sims’ CAS hiders to reduce CAS load times.

change CAS’ catalogs to show in compact form using nraas mastercontroller. select a sim>nraas>mastercontroller>settings>CAS and look for show in compact form options and set each to true

nona’s no limos mod can help nraas overwatch’s nightly clean up

make sure to turn off any build/buy cheats you activated when you go back into live mode. (even if it’s just to save)

if you’re using CAS a lot in a play session, it’s a good idea to quit to desktop and reload the game every once in a while

try to avoid saving presets and CASt swatches

disconnect from the internet. i don’t do this often because i usually have spotify or carl’s sims 3 guide open alongside ts3.

good resources to refer to

the sims wiki’s game guide to improving performace

nraas’ tips for better game performance

this thread @ MTS

optimization guide @ games4theworld

this post by darkfridaysims

that’s all folks!

if you’d like to know what cc and mods i’m using, here’s my resources page. thanks for reading all this, and if you need any clarification or have anything to add onto this, definitely hmu!

edits

*ps that i won’t be tagging people i credit so i don’t risk clogging their activity, i’ll still include a link to their blog!

the fps and 4Gb patch aren’t needed, it was fixed in a patch! (thank you, create-a-sim!)

[swatikumari0123-blog]

Best Gaming Laptops For Overwatch Reviews

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Like each other snowstorm game, Overwatch can run on anything shy of a toaster oven. In any case on the off chance that you attempt to play Overwatch with old and powerless specs, the game will begin to appear as though a PSX game with barbed edges, polygons and immense drops in framerates.

Luckily…

On the off chance that you need the best PC for Overwatch, something you can begin playing seriously with, you don't need to dish out 3000$ for the most recent alienware/ASUS ROG either.

Yet, better believe it the cost will rely upon how definite you need the game to look and what framerates you need.

In any case, I need to play at high settings… ..

I think as long as you settle with 1080p goal at high settings and getting +60fps you don't need to spend in excess of 800 bucks.

I myself didn't need to go that high however and didn't embarass myself when playing the game either lower settings at medium or low are cool as well in the event that you get sufficiently high framerates.

The issue is…

Getting a PC fit for hitting high framerates all alone can be bad dream.

Regardless of whether you know precisely what specs you need, there are several models to browse and amazingly troublesome which ones are giving you the best value for your money.

At any rate… .

That is the thing that this post is about.

We are not simply going to list the 5 best PCs for Overwatch with the best value for your money yet in addition go over all the information you have to pick a PC for Overwatch all alone( for any setting you need: from 720p to 4k goal at 30-150FPS).

For this I've partitioned this post in 2 segments:

First we will show you the 5 best workstations for Overwatch then we'll uncover all the subtleties you have to make sense of this thing all alone and play with the settings/FPS you need.

Substance [hide]

Top 5 Best Laptops For Overwatch

1. Acer Nitro 5 Best Budget Laptop for Overwatch

2. ASUS TUF FX505DT Best Laptop for Overwatch 60fps and 120fps

3. HP 14 TouchScreen Cheap Laptop For Overwatch

4. MSI GF65 Thin 9SEXR Best Laptop For Overwatch under 1000

5. Acer Predator Helios 300 Best Gaming Laptop For Overwatch

The most effective method to Buy The Best Laptop for OverWatch

Top 5 Best Laptops For Overwatch

When getting a PC from this rundown remember that overwatch is a quick moving, serious title.

On account of the huge speed of the game play, you ought to organize on picking a PC that can run the game at any rate at 40FPS(60fps is ideal however).

Note: If you can't bear the cost of a PC from this rundown that can run it at 45 fps for the settings, at that point help yourself out and get a PC that can play it at lower settings with 45FPS. Higher goal/high settings look pleasant however they won't up your game.

1. Acer Nitro 5

Best Budget Laptop for Overwatch

Acer Nitro 5 - Best Laptop For Overwatch

Intel Core i5 9300H

8GB RAM

GeForce GTX 1650

256 PCIe SSD

15" FHD 1080p IPS

5.07lb

5 hours

The 1650/Core i5 9300H/10300H combo on certain PCs have the best presentation/cash proportion for OverWatch as well as practically any game. They're both considered "mid-run" in the gaming business yet this is sufficient to play the game at 1080p at ultra settings and get 85FPS.

The best piece of this PC (and different models we'll go over) is that the producer hasn't chop down costs on the presentation quality (it's despite everything full HD IPS) nor the capacity: the PCIe NVMe SSD.

On the off chance that you can't locate this model on stock or you discover it too costly look at this table with more other options (we'll go over the most ideal choice out of these the ASUS TUF in the following survey).

Amazon Link CPU GPU Price

Acer Aspire 5 Core i5-1035G1 MX350 2GB 649$

ASUS ZenBook Ryzen 5 4500U MX350 2GB 699$

HP Pavilion Gaming Core i5 9300H 1050 3GB 760$

MSI GF63 Core i5 9300H 1650GTX 4GB 750$

ASUS TUF FX505DT Ryzen 5 3550H 1650GTX 4GB 750$

MSI GF63 Thin 9SCX Core i5 9300H 1650GTX 4GB 699$

ASUS VivoBook Ryzen 5 3500U 1050GTX 2GB 599$

ASUS TUF LCD Ryzen 5 3550H 1650GTX 4GB 719$

*Note those with 1050/MX350/250 will get you around 60fps at medium/high rather than +85FPS at ultra in the event that you get a 1650GTX.

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2. ASUS TUF FX505DT

Best Laptop for Overwatch 60fps and 120fps

ASUS TUF - Best Lapto For Overwatch 120fps

AMD Ryzen 5 R5-3550H

8GB DDR4

GeForce GTX 1650

256GB PCIe SSD

15.6" 120Hz Full HD

4.85lb

5 hours

Odds are the Acer Nitro may be out of the stock or the cost has expanded fundamentally (there's been a tremendous interest for it for as far back as months) and there resembles 5 surveys of that PC on Amazon accumulating regular.

In any case, this PC acts the hero it gives you practically the equivalent framerates at ultra settings ( as should be obvious it has the equivalent GPU). It is genuine the Ryzen 5 3550H isn't as ground-breaking as the Core i5 9300H (~0.3GHz) yet is anything but a major contrast actually so you will get 80FPS on normal at ultra settings 1080p goal.

There's an or more side on this model however, you're really getting a 120Hz presentation, which the Acer Nitro 5 nor any model under 800 bucks has. This is one reason why it's a smart thought to get a Ryzen AMD chip nowadays, they're similarly as ground-breaking as their Intel rivals and less expensive so the makers has additional money to add new highlights to their PCs.

In the event that you change down the settings to medium or high (which is the thing that a ton of players due at any rate), your framerates will go past +100FPs and may even go similarly as 130FPS . So this 120Hz will def. prove to be useful.

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3. HP 14 TouchScreen

Modest Laptop For Overwatch

HP TouchScreen 14 - Best Cheap Laptop For Overwatch

Center i3-8100U 3.4GHz

8GB RAM DDR4

AMD Radeon Vega

256GB PCIe NVMe SSD

14" IPS full HD 1080p

3.24lb

8 hours

This isn't the least expensive PC that can run Overwatch however it is the least expensive on that can run the game at 40-50FPS w/low settings at 720p .

Those models used to cost around 350$ a year ago (with more seasoned CPU/GPUs obviously) anyway they've currently included a PCIe NVMe SSD and 8GB of RAM taking the value leap by about 450$.

You can attempt to search for less expensive models like on the table here:

Link CPU RAM OS Price

ASUS ImagineBook Core M3-8100Y 4GB Windows 10S 349$

Acer Aspire 5 Ryzen 3 3200U 4GB Windows 10S 349$

Acer Aspire 5 Core i3 1005G1 4GB Windows 10S 399$

ASUS VivoBook 15 Ryzen 3 3200U 8GB Windows 10 HOME 450$

HP 15.6″ Core i3 1005G1 4GB Windows 10 HOME 424$

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Ryzen 3 3200U 4-8GB Windows 10 HOME 359-449$

The issue is that huge numbers of these don't accompany Windows 10 so you'll need to either pay for a Windows 10 permit or not play Overwatch on the grounds that it isn't viable with Windows S.

Anyway a large number of them do accompany Windows 10 and are less expensive like the Lenovo 3 anyway they likewise accompany simply 4GB RAM so you may need to do an update all alone. I'd prescribe doing that to individuals who think about PCs yet in the event that you don't simply purchase the HP model here and spare yourself the issue.

Shouldn't something be said about the AMD Ryzen 3/AMD Vega 3 GPU? Isn't the Intel HD/Core i3 combo better?

Well it is better however generally for multicore applications and OW isn't realy one of them so you'll get about the equivalent framerates.

Then again, the Vega 3 incorporated GPU isn't significantly quicker than the Intel HD 620 however it is quicker.

At any rate, the fact of the matter is that Ryzen 3 PCs are as of now the thing for those on a truly tighit spending that wouldn't fret playing or doing anything at low settings.

4. MSI GF65 Thin 9SEXR

Best Laptop For Overwatch under 1000

MSI GF65 Thin 9SEXR - Best Laptop For Overwatch

Center i5-9300H

16GB DDR4

NVIDIA 2060RTX

256GB SSD

15" full HD 120Hz IPS

4.10lb

4 hours

I composed the article on WoW as well and I'm going to state it once more. I'm a major enthusiast of the 2060RTX.

Why 2060RTX? Since it is the least expensive of the most recent Ray Tracing GPUs at the present time and the one that gives you the best value for your money (you'll be hitting +100 FPS on ultra for most games) and may even be useful for 4k gaming (however you will battle to get 60fps with this CPU).

At any rate I made top notch of around 50 workstations with a 2060RTX. what's more, the least expensive one truly came down to this MSI model which was delivered a month ago and it's anything but difficult to why: it has a Core i5 9300H.

The Core i5 9300H isn't as costly as Core i7 of a similar age yet it has about a similar clock speed and that is what's significant for gaming. What I'm attempting to state you're not losing a great deal of framerates except if you step into tenth Core i7 yet that would expand the cost essentially.

Something else to know about is the 120Hz presentation, it's still there.

The 2060RTX will get you around 130FPS at Ultra settings with 1080p goal. 4k gaming isn't generally savvy here on the grounds that the showcase just has 1080p however it tends to be utilized for that as long as you get na outside presentation (however you should get a work area).

Purchase Now

5. Acer Predator Helios 300

Best Gaming Laptop For Overwatch

Acer Predator 300 - Best Gaming Laptop For Overwatch

Center i7-10750H

16GB DDR4

NVIDIA RTX 2060

512GB PCIe NVMe

15" full HD 120Hz IPS

4.10lb

4 hours

Ultimately, the PC I right now own myself and the best arrangement among the latest prevails over there.

The Acer Predator, I am certain you've known about it, if not, is really mainstream among gamers .

source

https://trickyfi.com/

[jesawyer]

Unsolicited Opinions on Improvements for Mordhau’s Frontline Mode

In spite of not being particularly good at them, I’ve been a fan of competitive team-based, objective-oriented FPSes going back to Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and Battlefield: 1942.  When they’re good, they’re great.  The thrill of victory/agony of defeat on map like W:ET’s Fuel Dump is hard to match in either a single player game or a standard DM/TDM environment.

When I saw that Mordhau was coming out with a team-based, objective-oriented mode (Frontline), I was thrilled.  Mordhau’s combat is challenging and I always appreciate when something is...

There are problems with balance (HORSES) and, as with any online competitive game, the in-game chat being a vortex of brain-destroying negative energy, but the developers at Triternion have already discussed plans to address those issues.  And while they’ve also discussed plans to look at Frontline, that’s not going to stop me, who has no experience working directly on team-based, objective-oriented FPSes (other than giving advice on Armored Warfare, I guess... ), from giving my unsolicited opinions on how Frontline could be improved as a mode of gameplay.

I’m an RPG designer, so if anyone reading this wants to dismiss these ideas immediately, feel free.  Take ‘em or leave ‘em, baby!

Things I’m not Going to Address (Except Here)

It’s worth saying things that I’m not going to really dive into because I don’t think they’re problems with Frontline as a mode.  First, weapon balance.  I have opinions on how weapons and weapon costs are balanced in Mordhau as a whole, but I don’t think any Frontline map is made or broken because of overall weapon balance.  Horses and firebombs are sort of the exception here, but Triternion has already acknowledged problems with both, so there’s no point to beating on that billhooked horse.

Second, in-game chat being a cesspool of idiocy.  I mean, it absolutely is, but it’s also 100% unnecessary for playing Frontline.  Because Frontline has a single conflict point at any given moment of the game, it’s really rare that any deep team coordination is required.  And if the mode evolves to require better coordination, it would be better served by the existing voiced in-character quick bark system (which is not dissimilar in overall structure to Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory’s) than by requiring characters to type in / read text chat.

As a reminder, you can disable the chat log entirely from the options menu.  In my experience, it is only an improvement.

Asymmetry

One of the first enormous hurdles to achieving good gameplay balance on any Frontline map is that every Frontline map has either asymmetrical map layouts, asymmetrical objectives, or asymmetrical map layouts and objectives.

It’s hard to un-ring the bell on these design decisions, but it’s important to recognize that when both the layouts and objectives are asymmetrical, it’s significantly more challenging for designers to achieve what feels like (to players) a fair set of challenges for both teams.

On maps where the layouts are close to symmetrical (e.g. Mountain Peak), it’s important to ensure that the final stage objectives feel like they require a similar amount of time, effort, and focus to complete.  Of course, Mountain Peak’s final stage objectives don’t require a similar amount of time, effort, and focus to complete, so whether your team wins or loses once pushed back to their final spawn can feel like a tooth-and-nail struggle (pushing the ram to red) or like you suddenly lose out of nowhere without even seeing the final objective fall (burning tents in blue).

To compare these two objective types, we can look at how they work in games like Overwatch or W:ET.  The ram at red is like an Overwatch payload and other than the fact that it moves, it’s not much different from flag objectives in Frontline.  Blue players stand around the ram and it moves -- unless red players stand in the area and/or kill the blue players in the area.  Unlike an Overwatch payload (or the train car on W:ET’s Rail Gun), the defending team cannot reverse the direction of the ram once it starts moving.  They can only stop it (reclaiming their nearest flag will also halt forward progress).  The ram is easy to track and players from both teams can try to dogpile onto it (or the nearby flag).

In contrast, the tents that blue has to defend are spread out over a relatively large area.  A single red player can throw a torch and light up a tent and there’s not much blue can do to stop it.  Of course, red can just forget to do it, which is a real and separate problem, but all of these problems contribute to making the final objectives feel massively different in terms of the effort and coordination required to accomplish them.

It would probably be easier to change the objectives on Mountain Peak than to try to use map layout as a balancing factor.  On maps like Grad, where the layout is so totally asymmetrical, making the final objectives more symmetrical could help a lot.  Even if both red and blue had to destroy three carts, the layouts of the final objective zones are so fundamentally different that the experience would be inherently different.  And that’s really the goal, right?  That it feels different winning as blue than it does winning as red?  I believe most players would rather have symmetrical objectives that feel more balanced for each side than to have asymmetrical objectives that feel massively lopsided in execution.

Map Refinement

This is related to asymmetry, but is a separate issue.  There’s a lot that could be edited out or changed on each of the existing Frontline maps to make gameplay more enjoyable.  A relatively minor, but significant, change on Taiga’s layout made a huge impact on the viability of blue taking the central flag.  There are two types of map refinements that are important: large scale and polish.

Large scale issues are things like Grad’s subterranean dungeon.  I would argue it doesn’t need to exist at all, but a reasonable argument could me made that having another path into the castle is valuable for red.  Still, it could be cut in half in terms of overall complexity/size and it would still accomplish the same goal.

Another large scale issue is the distance of blue’s spawn from the center of Crossroads relative to the distance from red’s spawn.  Blue’s is quite a bit farther away and their path is obstructed far more than red’s.  Additionally, red horses can (and do, nonstop, every match) run circles through blue’s spawn.  I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that the base spawn of each team should be blocked from continuous horse access.

In general, looking at each team’s spawns relative to the capture point between them, consider if each team has a similar burden to access the capture circle in terms of distance, obstruction, and vulnerability to enemy harrying tactics (i.e., prior to even entering the circle).  If they don’t, address those as part of large scale map changes.

Polish issues are things like the myriad small collision hangups that exist on almost every map.  E.g. on Crossroads, overhead clearance between the ground and stairs in the central fort, the chunk of debris on the ground just around the NE corner of the base of the central fort, and red’s ramps over the palisade wall.  Making movement collision accurately model every bump and nook and cranny produces frustrating experiences for players.  Smooth out the collision to produce walking surfaces that don’t stop player movement because of minor, almost imperceptible height differences.  If smoothing the collision out makes it differ too much from the world geometry, change them both.

Catapults, Trebs, and Similar Instant Death Machines

Speaking personally, I don’t think these add any value to Frontline.  When I get killed by one of them, 3/4 times I had no indication that danger was imminent and in many situations there was nothing I could to avoid death.  E.g. on Grad, it’s easy for red to launch catapult shot over the wall into the smithy, giving even players who are looking in that direction less than half a second to react (i.e., realize they will die) to the enormous stone sphere as it crests the wall.

If these siege weapons continue to be a part of Grad, Camp, and other maps, please give players an audio/visual cue - regardless of where they’re looking - that death is inbound.

Airstrikes and artillery in W:ET are preceded by colored smoke and distinctive sounds that give players a window of opportunity to get out of the way.  I’m not saying there should be smoke where they will land, but a better audio cue would go a long way to making siege weapon deaths feel less random and arbitrary.  Yes, silent death from a catapult is realistic, but it’s obnoxious from a gameplay perspective and can instantly change an objective from being threatened to being completely cleared.

Better Audio Cues

Players have a difficult time focusing on Frontline.  It’s just human nature.  There’s a reason why Overwatch focuses everyone toward a single payload that they stand on.

Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory used voice of god-style announcements to indicate when major map-critical events were occurring and to tell players what they were supposed to be doing.  At the start of Fuel Dump, the Axis announcer says, “Don’t let them construct the bridge! Construct the command post!”  When the Allies construct the bridge, the announcer yells, “Bridge constructed! Destroy it!” The announcer keeps track of every major game state and constantly reminds the players where they stand on the map.  When dynamite is planted on an objective, everyone in the game is made aware of it and it focuses their efforts on defusing it / ensuring it goes off.  Critically, there is a window in which the defending team can rush to the objective and stop / reverse what has been set in motion.  

In Frontline, when enemies are attacking a flag, players on the defending team don’t get an audio cue until the tide has turned in the attackers’ favor.  But by that point, if a player is not already involved in the defense of the flag, it’s unlikely that they can reach the flag in time to make a difference.  Better and more audio cues about the state of an objective would help focus players more on the objectives than they currently do (not much).

Audio cues can also apply to player-initiated barks being broadcast across the team.  Yes, spam can be a problem, but muting players should be an easy process in any competitive online game.  Mordhau already has a robust set of voice barks, but they’re only heard in proximity to the player and most of them aren’t useful in any practical sense.  Being able to yell for help isn’t that appealing when it’s limited to a 15′ radius around you and everyone in that radius can already see someone feint morphing a maul into your face.

However, being able to call for help or reinforcements and having it broadcast to the team with an on-screen indicator of your location or the nearest active objective -- that could be quite helpful.  Arguably one screen of the commands could be reorganized to only and always be team-wide barks: Hold, Follow Me, Help, and Charge.  Need Healing or Need Repairs could also be added to the list.

Point Scoring and Display

Even players who elect to play Frontline are often awful at actually focusing on the objectives.  A lot of players go into it as though it’s TDM.  How many times have you seen Crossroads end and the losing team has a proud player at the top of the leaderboard with a 50:3 K:D due to running down the enemy team’s spawn with a horse for the whole match?

K:D is a fine metric for success in DM or TDM, but it’s not the point of Frontline -- at least, it isn’t when it’s away from the objectives.  I think there are a variety of changes that could be made to scoring and to the display of scores to help focus people on the objectives.

First, killing and, arguably, dying on or near an active objective should be weighted as more valuable than killing random enemies 75m away from an active objective. Players currently accrue points for neutralizing and capturing an objective, but if the needle isn’t moving, they don’t earn any points for fighting on the objective.  This discourages proactive defense and doesn’t motivate attacking players to push fights into the objective unless the odds are already heavily in their favor.

Damaging blockades (with anything other than firebombs, anyway) and repairing them are tedious, often dangerous activities that arguably do more to aid/hinder access to the objective than killing an individual unit.  Since firebomb damage is being tuned, it may be worth considering increasing the score bonus for damaging or repairing blockades to encourage more players to prioritize taking down barriers before entering melee with people in the general vicinity.

For Frontline, consider highlighting score in a lighter color (vs. K/D/A) and either adding additional stats (healing, capture, and repair/destruction score contributions) or only showing the player’s K/D/A (no one else’s) to de-emphasize the importance of K/D/A.  I’ve seen a lot of posts online where players post screenshots of someone “scandalously” at the top of a Frontline scoreboard with a poor or mediocre K/D/A.   Yes, it’s not DM/TDM, it’s Frontline.  The point is ostensibly about pushing objectives and helping your teammates do that.  The way points are scored and displayed should emphasize that, with K/D/A only being one element.

Supply Boxes and Their Placement

I have pretty mixed feelings about deployable objects in games of this type, but rather than advocate removing any of those things, I’m going to suggest rethinking the inclusion of supply boxes and, if they stay in the game, where they are placed.  Supply boxes are the easiest way to build ballistae and for that reason, where they are placed can have a huge impact on the defensive capabilities of the team controlling the space around the supply boxes.

If the developers’ intention is that ballistae should be used mostly defensively, supply boxes should be placed primarily away from central objectives, and not close to lines of sight that point toward central objectives.  This promotes back-and-forth gameplay across the center, rather than entrenching the dominant team’s position at the center.

Transparency and Tuning in Objective Capture Mechanics

It’s not currently obvious to most players how the capture mechanics on an objective work.  What changes the objective from Attacking to Capturing?  What ratio of attackers vs. defenders are required?  Some UI changes could help highlight exactly what’s happening.

Finally, I urge the developers to think about the timing of captures and how that works with spawning mechanics.  It’s common for a defender on an objective to die, be unable to respawn before the objective is considered “Losing” and, after respawning, be able to reach the objective before it is fully captured by the enemy.

Is this the desired pacing of objective captures?  I would guess that something more forgiving is desired.  Once an objective is “Losing”, if it’s technically impossible for respawning defenders to reach the objective in time to prevent it from being fully captured, it can be extremely frustrating.  Tuning the pacing of objective captures can help make the back and forth feel less hopeless, more satisfying.

Thanks for reading.

[calamumnomen-official]

Ideas for Talents in Overwatch 2

(From my Reddit account)

One of my biggest fears for the sequel is that talents will only be for the heroes chosen for Story missions. I wanted to see how hard it would be to make talents for all 31 heroes. It only took me a day, so if I could do it I don't see why the entire Blizzard team couldn't.

Reinhardt has at least 7 talents, so I came up with 8 talents for each hero to round it out.

(Talents with * are official talents revealed in gameplay or BlizzCon)

Tank Talents

D.va

Level 1

Game Over- When Mech health reaches 0, mech will fall apart as usual, but each piece explodes to deal 50 damage

Landing Zone- Call Mech produces larger shockwave that knocks enemies back and deals 100 damage

Level 10

Shooting Star- Ram into enemy with Boosters to set them on fire

Micro Flares- Micro Missiles shoots flares that can intercept projectiles in midair

Level 20

Build Up Charge- Mech draws in enemies before it Self Destructs

Disassembly Matrix- Barriers do not block projectiles while under Defense Matrix, enemies covered by Matrix take more damage

Level 50

Defensive Dome- Defense Matrix covers 360 degrees in 7.5 meter radius

Photon Cannon- Micro Missile fires the projectiles from Pilot D.va's Light Gun instead

Orisa

Level 1

Mobile Barrier- Protective Barrier hovers in front of Orisa instead of being placed on the ground

Charger Shield- The Supercharger is protected by a 300 HP barrier

Level 10

Fusion Charge- Critical hits from Fusion Driver charges your Ultimate faster

Cease!- Halt! stuns all enemies it passes through before it activates

Level 20

Ubercharger- Supercharger gives Fortify effect to all allies boosted by it

Citizen's Arrest- Halt! holds enemies in place for 4 seconds, but they spin around the way they used to in Zarya's ultimate

Level 50

Immovable Object- If you are hit by a melee attack while Fortified (Talon Assassin or Talon Heavy's charge) the damage is deflected back to attacker and they are stunned

Fortification- Fortify increases health by 300 Armor

Reinhardt

Level 1

*Fire Burst- Fire Strike explodes every time it deals damage, lighting nearby enemies on fire

*Frenzy- Rocket Hammer swings faster after consecutive hits

Level 10

*Impact Converter- Rocket Hammer damage recharges your Barrier Field

*Amplification Field- Barrier Field increases damage of friendly projectiles passing through it

Level 20

*Balderich's Stand- Gain armour and damage when your barrier breaks

*Fault Line- Earthshatter does more damage in a narrower cone

Level 50

*Epicentre- Earthshatter travels in all direction

Forward Assault- Charge can pin up to 3 enemies at once

Roadhog

Level 1

Barbed Hook- Chain Hook stuns enemy even after they are released

Sinker- Scrap Gun reloads automatically when you successfully hook an enemy

Level 10

Slag Metal- Whole Hog sets enemies on fire

Junk Ball- Scrap Gun alternate fire headshot does triple damage if it hits before detonation

Level 20

Stored Fat- Gain 150 additional HP if Take a Breather is used at full health, for a total of 750 HP

Funnel- Whole Hog fires in a tighter spread instead of a cone

Level 50

Chem Pump- Damage taken during Take a Breather heals for 50% of damage taken

Scrap Blast- At point blank range Scrap Gun knocks back enemy

Sigma

Level 1

Iron Core- Accretion knocks down enemy for maximum amount of time regardless of distance

Reconstruction- Experimental Barrier is restored by 50% of max health when taken down

Level 10

Asteroid- Accretion launches in straight line at faster speed

Kinetic Converter- Kinetic Grasp heals and boosts healing received from allies

Level 20

Optimal Barrier- Experimental Barrier does not take damage while it is being deployed

Gravity Anomaly- Gravitic Flux draws in enemies into area of effect and deals constant damage until the slam

Level 50

Gravity Well- Enemy is briefly held in place if both Hyperspheres hit

Black Hole- Kinetic Grasp draws in every projectile that enters a 5 meter radius and gives shields for 100% of the damage

Winston

Level 1

Primeval Rage- Surrounded by electricity during Primal Rage to deal extra damage

Take Off- Surrounding enemies are set on fire when Jump Pack is triggered

Level 10

Re-entry- Enemies get knocked down if you land on them with Jump Pack

Projector Error- Barrier Projector explodes when it expires

Level 20

Electrobarrier- All enemies inside Barrier Projector are electrocuted

Primal Beast- The extra 500 HP during Primal Rage is converted to armor

Level 50

Malfunction- Tesla Cannon does extra damage to barriers and reloads while damaging them

Giga Coils- Tesla Cannon reloads and increases damage by 33% with each kill, maxes out at 100%

Wrecking Ball

Level 1

Multi Claw- Grappling Claw has 3 charges

Blazing Speed- At high speed enemies struck are set ablaze

Level 10

Meteor Mines- Mines float above out of sight and come crashing down when enemy is detected below

Adaptive Drop- Gain 100 shields for every en enemy hit by Piledriver

Level 20

Rocketball- Use Piledriver even when on the ground

Billiards- Enemies take bonus damage if they are knocked into each other or walls

Level 50

Volatile Mines- Destroy one mine to set off entire field at once instead of each individual going off automatically

Eruptive Shield- Whenever Adaptive Shield takes damage, it explodes and deals damage to nearby enemies

Zarya

Level 1

Frontline- Damage boosted when shield health is depleted

Plasmathrower- Particle Cannon sets enemy on fire at high energy

Level 10

Power Surge- The more enemies caught in Graviton Surge the higher Particle Cannon damage is

Particle Charge- Damage blocked by barriers give extra ultimate charge

Level 20

Event Horizon- Enemies caught in Graviton Surge take extra damage

Damage Conversion- Damage blocked by Projected Barrier boosts ally's damage

Level 50

Shield Network- Projected Barrier covers up to 3 allies in a group

Energy Conversion- Plasma Barrier converts damage into healing by 50%

Damage Talents

Ashe

Level 1

Double Barrel- Coach Gun has 2 charges

Firing Squad- B.O.B will focus fire on any enemy who mark with a sniped shot, shooting with firearms on both arms

Level 10

The Muscle- B.O.B knocks enemies down

Speed Charge- Headshots give extra ultimate charge

Level 20

Sensor Fuse- Dynamite explodes automatically once it is close to enemy

Black Powder- At close range, Coach Gun burns enemy

Level 50

Nitro- Dynamite sets the terrain on fire

The Gunner- B.O.B is equipped with shotguns

Bastion

Level 1

Ironclad- Take 50% less damage during transition between Recon and Sentry

Artillery Elite- Sentry weapon can deal headshots

Level 10

Incendiary Rounds- Tank rounds set enemies on fire

Assault Shield- Use Self-Repair to deploy a 400 HP barrier in front of you for 4 seconds

Level 20

Configuration: Grenade Launcher- Tank rounds contain shrapnel

Upgraded Repair- Self-Repair heals in a 200 HP burst

Level 50

Treaded Feet- Move faster in Recon form when not firing or healing

On-Field Repair- Take 50% less damage while healing

Doomfist

Level 1

Unstoppable Force- Rocket Punch works in any direction you aim like Genji's Swift Strike

Fisticuffs- Successful damage with any ability fully restores ammo

Level 10

Perfect Defense- There is no limit to shields gained by The Best Defense

Knockout- Rising Uppercut stuns enemy

Level 20

Extinction Event- Meteor Strike has an explosion with 16 meter radius that deals 150 damage

Seismic Strike- Seismic Slam always does maximum damage

Level 50

Shatterwave- Rocket Punch can knock back multiple enemies

Newton's Law- Enemy struck by Rocket Punch damages and knocks back other enemies it rams into

Genji

Level 1

Assassin's Blade- Swift Strike damages enemy by 20/sec for 4 seconds

Hyper Agility- You can triple Jump and wall climbing is indefinite

Level 10

*Dragon's Breath- Dragonblade shoots out a projectile

Steady Blade- Deflected projectiles are automatically returned to the attacker, no aiming required

Level 20

Perfect Parry- Deflected projectiles double in power

Sojiro's Teaching- Swift Stike cooldown instant if you cut more than one enemy

Level 50

Dragon of the North Wind- Dragonblade surrounds you in a cyclone that slices up enemies that get too close

Scatter Shuriken- Fan of Blades shurikens split into 9 shurikens and ricochet

Hanzo

Level 1

Skywalk- Lunge has 3 charges and wall climbing is indefinite

Assassin's Arrow- Storm Arrows slow down enemy

Level 10

Dragon's Fang- Storm Arrows pierce through enemies and barriers

Quick Charge- Headshots give extra ultimate charge

Level 20

*Sojiro's Guidance- Arrow hunts down all enemies detected by Sonic Arrow

Taser Arrow- Sonic Arrow stuns enemy

Level 50

Dragon of the South Wind- Dragonstrike sucks in enemies that stray too near

Simple Geometry- Fully drawn arrows and Storm Arrows ricochet

Junkrat

Level 1

Parting Gift- Total Mayhem drops a trap and grenades that go off when the trap activates

Hunting Gear- Steel Trap has 3 charges and Concussion Mine has 3 charges

Level 10

Armed Trap- Steel Trap explodes when it is triggered

Scrap Frag- Frag Launcher rounds contain shrapnel

Level 20

Oil Drum- Concussion Mine sets enemy on fire

Gaspowered- RIP-Tire sets enemies on fire, runtime is longer

Level 50

Sticky Bomb Launcher- Frag Launcher shoots grenades that only explode in proximity to enemy. They don't bounce instead sticking to any terrain. Up to 10 can be on field at a time

Tire Spikes- RIP-Tire damages enemies it makes contact with, HP is Armor

McCree

Level 1

Take Cover- Combat Roll has 3 charges

Fully Loaded- Fan the Hammer always fires 6 shots

Level 10

Steady Hand- Fan the Hammer has a tighter spread, can headshot

Standoff- Taking damage speeds up time Deadeye needs to deal killing blow

Level 20

Blinding Flash- Flashbang not blocked by barriers, blinds enemy for 3 seconds

Dust Roll- Take no damage during Combat Roll

Level 50

Shootout- If killing blow is lined up before enemy gets behind wall or barrier, they are not safe from Deadeye

Crack Shot- Consecutive shots rack up damage 25%, up to 100%

Mei

Level 1

*Shatter- Frozen enemies shatter when killed dealing damage to surrounding enemies

*Cold Snap- When exiting Cryo-Freeze, nearby enemies are frozen

Level 10

*Hypothermia- Blizzard instanly kills enemies below 200 HP

*Snowball Effect- Bowl forward with Cryo-Freeze to knock over enemies

Level 20

*Frostbite- Frozen enemies take more damage

*Polar Vortex- Blizzard covers a greater area and ignores line of sight

Level 50

Spinechilling- Enemies freeze faster the lower their health

Brain Freeze- Headshots give extra Ultimate charge

Pharah

Level 1

Aerial Refuel- Jump Jet fully restores fuel

Crowd Control- If Rocket Launcher hits enemy directly, splash range is doubled to 5 meter radius

Level 10

Emergency Fuel- Hold jump to descend slowly when Hover Jets fuel runs out

Lift Off- Jump Jet burns nearby enemies

Level 20

Concussion- Concussive Blast stuns enemy on direct hit

Mortar Barrage- Barrage sets the terrain on fire

Level 50

Flash Barrage- Barrage fires flares that negate incoming projectiles

Strike Down- Enemy killed by Rocket Launcher or Barrage explodes to deal 100 damage in 5 meter radius

Reaper

Level 1

Soul Eater- Enemies drop souls that heal 50 HP

Shade Gate- Shadow Step makes you invisible for 10 seconds

Level 10

Hellstorm- Death Blossom launches 12 grenades that deal 100 damage each

Harvest- Headshots give self healing for 100% of damage dealt

Level 20

Gift from the Devil- If a shotgun is fully depleted when it's dropped, it will self destruct and spew shrapnel

Demon Form- Drain health from nearby enemies in Wraith form, deals 20/sec, heals 10/sec for each enemy affected

Level 50

Hellfire- At pointblank range shotguns set enemy on fire

God of Death- Every kill boosts damage by 30% for 10 seconds, capped at 120%

Soldier:76

Level 1

Recharge- Ammo restored while dealing damage, similar to Symmetra's primary fire, also slowly reloads over time

Focus Fire- Heavy Pulse Rifle more accurate for 6 shots instead of 3, maximum spread is tighter

Level 10

Shoulder Check- Sprint directly into enemy to knock them back

Multiple Hostiles- Tactical Visor can target up to 3 enemies

Level 20

Hyper Rockets- Helix Rocket makes enemy explode to deal 100 damage to surrounding enemies

Boosting Field- Biotic Field boosts damage by 30%

Level 50

Hardened Veteran- Tactical Visor deals more damage the less health an enemy has

Biotic Shield- Biotic Field deploys a 250 HP barrier

Sombra

Level 1

System Failure- Enemy immobilized when hacked

Firewall- Hack puts a 50 HP barrier in front of you when hand is raised

Level 10

Covert- Damage does not remove Stealth until you are under half health

Reversion- Translocator works like Tracer's Recall, restoring health to what it was when you placed it

Level 20

Marionette- If you hack an enemy that's at critical health, they fight on your side until they die

Critical Failure- EMP cuts the targets current HP in half

Level 50

Turn Coat- Targets hacked by EMP fight for your team for duration of hack

Cheap Shot- Shooting an enemy in the back deals critical hit

Symmetra

Level 1

Gamma Ray- Photon Projector attacks go through enemies, alternate not blocked by barriers

Symmetry- Up to 6 Sentry Turrets can be deployed

Level 10

Crystalline Barrier- Photon Barrier does not expire until it is destroyed

Electro Turret- Sentry Turrets shoot electric current to hit multiple enemies. Has less range but deals 60 damage per second

Level 20

Shield Generator- Teleporter replaced by Shield Generator that increases health by 50% in shield form

Nuclear Fission- Primary Fire max damage builds up faster and lasts longer

Level 50

Sentry Orbitar- Sentry Turret orbits around you at chest level, hold key to have it follow ally

Photon Fortress- Photon Barrier has 3 charges, 2nd charge requires 840 points, 3rd charge requires 420 points (nice)

Torbjorn

Level 1

Flaming Hammer- Forger Hammer damage gives twice the ultimate charge

Red Hot- Rivet Gun spews flames during Overload

Level 10

*Flame Thrower- Turrets shoot out flames

Heat Wave- Molten Core heat reaches upward to damage enemies midair

Level 20

Melting Point- When Molten Core is shot out, it goes straight through enemies and barriers

*My Babies- Place 3 miniature turrets

Level 50

Extra Supplies- During Overload, Alt and Primary Fire are combined. Fire 10 shot spread and the 70 damage rivet in one shot

Power Up- During Overload, turret is upgraded to Level 3

Tracer

Level 1

*Adaptive Reload- Pulse Pistols reload when using any ability

*Chain Reaction- Pulse Bomb triggers a secondary explosion on all enemies caught in the splash

Level 10

*Flash- Blinking through an enemy damages

*Hindsight- Recall triggers additional damage to enemies marked by Pulse Pistols

Level 20

*Vortex- Enemies are pulled towards the point of Recall and snared

*Speed Kills- Killing blows speed up cooldowns

Level 50

Slipstream- Shooting an enemy in the back charges ultimate faster

Time Anomaly- Enemies that survive the Pulse Bomb are greatly slowed down

Widowmaker

Level 1

Reposition- Grappling Hook has 2 charges

Kiss of Death- Fully charged scoped shots poison enemy during Ultimate

Level 10

Merciless- In full-automatic mode, headshots deal 2.5x the damage

One Shot- Headshots give twice the ultimate charge

Level 20

Crippling Venom- Venom Mine slows down enemy

Optimized- Scoped shots always at full charge

Level 50

Lethal Gas- Venom Mine effects last until enemy reaches half health or death

Phase Shifting Rounds- During Infra-Sight, scoped shots go through everything, even walls

Support Talents

Ana

Level 1

Heavy Tranq- Enemy does not awaken from Sleep Dart until it expires, even if they take damage

Nanobolster- Nano Boost fully heals and increases speed by 50%

Level 10

Expertise- Consecutive shots increase effects by 50%

KO Drug- 5 consecutive scoped shots put enemy to sleep

Level 20

Alchemy Grenade- Biotic Grenade heals allies over time, poisons enemies

Quick Dispatch- Kills give extra ult charge

Level 50

Nanite Darts- Nano Boost has 2 charges. 2nd charge requires 1575 points

KO Grenade- Biotic Grenade sleeps all enemies

Baptiste

Level 1

Anti-G- Hold jump in midair to glide

Matrix Shield- Amplification Matrix negates enemy damage

Level 10

Skyshooter- Healing and damage increased in midair

Reinforce- Use Regenerative Burst to make Immortality Field invulnerable

Level 20

Undertaker- Kills speed up Immortality Field cooldown time

Immortal Hero- Immortality Field heals 50 HP/sec, health does not drop below half

Level 50

Immortal Warrior- Immortality Field boosts damage 30%

Rejuvenation- Regenerative Burst increases maximum health

Brigitte

Level 1

Chain Extension- Rocket Flail extends to hit more enemies and from farther away

Suit Up- Repair Pack armor is permanent

Level 10

Booster Mace- Whip Shot can pin enemy against wall to deal 210 damage

Embolden- Inspire healing boosts the more enemies hit in one swing of Rocket Flail, Inspire heals barriers

Level 20

Shield Blast- Shield Bash can stun multiple enemies

Build 'em Up, Break 'em Down- Kills restore Repair Packs and Inspire heals in burst

Level 50

Invigoration- Armor gained from Rally restores over time like shield health until it is depleted

Deflector Shield- Barrier Shield increased to 400 shield and reflects projectiles

Lucio

Level 1

*Healing Wave- Soundwave heals 25% of allies' max health

*Mashup- Both songs take effect during Amp it Up

Level 10

*Beatmatching- Damage dealt during Speed Boost adds bonus healing to Healing Boost

*Fortississimo- Projectiles added to Primary Fire burst for each enemy struck by Soundwave

Level 20

*Power Skating- Soundwave's damage and knockback scale up based on your forward speed

*Accelerando- Critical hits speed up Amp it Up cooldown

Level 50

Blastwave- Knock enemy into wall with Soundwave to stun them and deal extra damage

Wall of Sound- Enemies caught in Sound Barrier when it's cast get stunned

Mercy

Level 1

Battle Angel- Caduceus Staff engages healing and damage beams simultaneously during Valkyrie

Get back in the Fight- Ressurect is instant and has 2 charges

Level 10

Shining Beacon- Stun enemies when flying with Guardian Angel

Herald- Double and fully restore HP when Valkyrie is triggered

Level 20

Guardian- Guardian Angel teleports you to ally

Leader's Devotion- When ally is being damage boosted, they get heal themselves for 30% of damage they deal

Level 50

Miracle Worker- Ressurect multiple allies during Valkyrie

Acceleration- Damage boosting an ally increase the rate they charge their Ultimate

Moira

Level 1

Dual Orb- Biotic Orb heals and damages, has 2 charges

Phase- Fade poisons enemies you pass through

Level 10

Biotic Bomb- Biotic Orb explodes when it expires

Cellular Increase- Ally under Biotic Grasp effect receives less damage

Level 20

Danger Zone- If you are at critical health, self heal is 100% of damage. If ally is at critical health, healing is boosted 50%

Disseverance- Choose between either doubling the damage or doubling the healing of Coalescence

Level 50

Strangle- Biotic Grasp damage increases over time like Symmetra's primary fire, goes from 50 to 100 to 150

Biotic Tracker- Healing Orb follows ally, Damage Orb follows enemy

Zenyatta

Level 1

Despair- Enemies marked by Discord Orb receive 3x the damage from critical hits instead of 2x

Emblazon- Ally marked by Harmony Orb receives 25% less damage

Level 10

Comfort- Harmony Orb can go through walls to heal ally

Amass- Amount of enemies in vicinity increase amount of projectiles in Orb Volley. 2 enemies gives 6 orbs per volley, 3 gives 7, caps off at 8

Level 20

Turmoil- Discord Orb target takes more damage the less health they have

Eradication- Orb Volley pierces though enemies and barriers

Level 50

Ascension- Team becomes invincible during Transcendence. Even heals dead allies, resurrecting them after 4 seconds

Yin and Yang- Harmony and Discord can be both be cast on target to triple respective effect, 90 healing/sec for ally, +75% damage received for enemy

(I'm looking forward to feedback and any ideas other people might have)

[alphawave-writes]

Evil actions and good intentions chapter 13: ‘Charon and Sigma’

Synopsis: The penultimate chapter. The climactic battle to end all battles, as Harold, Sigma, Symmetra, and Winston face off Harold's mysterious imposter. But who's really behind the mask?

Read it here or find it on AO3. You can find me on twitter @alphawave13 or on my Sigrold discord server. 

If you like my stuff, please do support me by asking about my writing commissions, or by supporting me on ko-fi.

-

It’s almost like gazing into a phantom. For the longest time, his mind adrift in that accursed facility, he often wondered how Harold would look like if he were alive. That was long before he knew Harold was alive, of course, long before he had any control over his abilities and long before rescue would ever come for him. Perhaps it was a coping mechanism, having someone on the other side to comfort him. He knew Harold’s mannerisms well enough. It was a simple thing of transplanting that to a new body. The Harold his mind concocted was not unlike the one that stood before him right now, a voice as soft as silk and eyes that perfectly reflected the stars in the sky.

It’s a stark contrast to the Harold by his side, scarred physically and mentally by the Earth and the Moon and the space in between. This Harold, who has lost the innocent naivete of his younger years, who dirtied his hands with blood in a moment of fury, who chose the moniker of Charon and has stuck by his side all this time. This Harold stares at his counterpart in absolute hatred.

“Don’t play games with us. Who are you really?”

“I think you’ve got other things to worry about other than my identity. Your reputation, for example, if you attack me. It won’t look good on Overwatch if you do anything. And that’s not to mention this.” He puts his hand into the pocket of his lab coat and reveals a small USB. Sigma is only able to catch its bright purple colour before the imposter pockets it once more. “You’ll be wanting this, won’t you? All the files have been backed up in here. And you know what, I’ll do you a favour. I’ll do what you want, and we can all leave here in peace.”

As he says that, there’s a large creak as metal breaks. Computer screens all around them begin to fizzle. The server is down. All communication systems are down. No one can contact Horizon ever again.

Winston’s brows wrinkle. “What do you want?”

The imposter smiles impishly. “What I just said. No one will ever know the truth about Harold Winston. The only remaining evidence of your existence and your research is on this USB. You have what you want. Let me have what I need.”

“You know we can’t allow you to do that. That research is important,” Winston says.

“You really want to stand in the way of science?” He shakes his head. “I thought I raised you better than that.”

“You are not me,” Harold growls.

The imposter stares at Harold for a few seconds before chuckling softly. “No. I’m not. I am Harold, but you? You’re the Jade Hare, Specimen: 31. If you really are with Overwatch, I bet you’ve been given another codename on top of all that.”

Harold grits his teeth but says nothing. His cheeks are slightly pink in anger, or perhaps shame. Sigma glares at the imposter.

“The world wants me to return to Earth, I want to return to Earth. They don’t want this Jade Hare nonsense, and they certainly don’t want Overwatch because they are looking into the future. I can give them that future because I see it too. I share their vision. And I will do anything to make sure it comes true.”

Sigma wants to fight back, but his allies do not move and so he does not either, not even to protect Harold’s honour. Even if he was not part of Overwatch, he does not know if he has the strength to fight even a figure in Harold’s image. He wants to hate this man like Harold does, but he loves Harold too much, and that love extends to people that bear his appearance. He's not strong enough, of mind and spirit.

Beside him, Harold crouches down and drops the files on the ground. He holsters his jet injector and walks forward purposely. The other Harold quirks an eyebrow behind his rectangular frames.

“So, I’m not Harold then?” The real one asks.

“You don’t have to be. Not anymore,” the imposter says.

Harold’s lips pull up into a smirk. “Good.”

Suddenly, with ferocious speed he dashes forward and shoves his palm into the imposter’s frames, disintegrating before his very eyes. The imposter steps back, falling to the ground in surprise as Harold grapples him, punching once, twice, before the imposter disappears, leaving behind a robotic endoskeleton. The USB clatters harmlessly onto the ground. The imposter reaches for it but Harold is faster, hissing loudly as he shakes his hand, when suddenly Sigma hears a metallic whirr followed by the clang of metal against the hard floors. Sigma turns around, just barely avoiding a lunge from his imposter. With his powers, he breaks bits of the floor, smashing them together into a boulder before flinging it at his opponent. The imposter is smashed into smithereens, reverting back into its original robotic appearance. A third robot behind it takes his appearance.

“What are you?” Sigma growls.

There’s the puff of an explosion as Symmetra zaps another robot. “Cease your games this instant.”

The imposter laughs maliciously. Their voice has taken on a metallic tint. “Still haven’t figured it out, Satya? It’s a shame. I thought you were much better than that.”

“What…?”

The imposter laughs again, but not in Harold’s voice. The illusion flickers as their appearance morphs and warps. His hair turns into a lighter shade of brown while his skin turns dark as mocha. Their face twists and turns until it no longer resembles Harold, clothes transforming from a lab coat into a familiar looking uniform made of purples and whites.

“Sanjay Korpal?” Symmetra gasps.

“I didn’t want to have to do this,” Sanjay says. “You had so much potential. You could’ve grown to be a great agent for Vishkar, possibly even the best. We could’ve helped the world be reborn. Make sure no one ever has to suffer like we did.”

“You are not the real Sanjay.”

“Of course I’m not. I’m back down on Earth, but I’ve got my helpers up here.” Sanjay smiles. “Funny what a bit of connection can do for you. Hard light and space technology really do go hand in hand. Perhaps the next step for Vishkar is to collaborate with Lucheng Interstellar more in the future.”

Sigma stares at the robotic endoskeleton, vaguely human in shape, a camouflage device imprinted on their head. Beside the device was a flickering dot. All the other bodies have their own flickering light, beating to the same rhythm. A rhythm that does not repeat. Sigma’s seen this technology before, when Lucheng first tried to establish contact with Horizon shortly after the gorilla rebellion. The robots worked on the same neural network, not unlike a hive mind.

“We are meant to bring peace and order,” Symmetra says. An orb of hard light penetrates through a mob of robots, collapsing in a line like domino pieces. “This is not the way of Vishkar.”

“No, Satya. This is the way of Vishkar. You just never saw it for what it truly is.”

The other robots charge at Winston, who stands his ground, ready to fight, only for the robots to all run past him. They smash their heavy bodies to the glass. An alarm whines in the background, an automated voice calling throughout the speakers warning people to avoid damaging the glass. The robots ignore this, charging again and again, the voice repeating its warning again and again. Winston takes off his glasses, growling menacingly as his skin turns crimson, swiping the robots away with his arms, but it doesn’t work. There’s too many of them.

Sanjay smiles cruelly as he turns to Sigma, eyebrows raising as if daring him to attack. Sigma’s lips twist into a scowl as he hurls the hyperspheres at him, destroying the robot, but soon another robot takes his appearance, and then another. The laugh that Sanjay gives is cruel, almost mocking.

“He’s trying to trigger a lockdown!” Harold shouts. “Stop him from destroying the glass. If he breaks it, we won’t be able to get back to the spaceship.”

“You’ve got other things to worry about,” Sanjay says. “Did you really think that USB has what you’re looking for? I’ve got copies. All I need to do is get the encryption key and transmit it back down to Earth, and soon we will know all about your secrets.” His eyes flit to Harold. “You really want to risk that?”

Harold shoots electricity from his jet injector, frying Sanjay. The other robots all begin to take the appearance of the fake Harold as they continue to ram themselves into the glass. Sigma joins Harold, Satya, and Winston in destroying as many as they can, a mountain of bodies by their feet, but the robots still come. It feels endless. Tiring. Sigma can feel his grasp over his abilities slip in exhaustion.

“Please avoid damaging or tampering with the gla—please avoid damage—please avoi—please av—ple—ple—ple—”

The voice dies, and the alarm stops for a second. The lights power down, the only illumination coming from the glowing lunar surface outside and the brilliant blue Earth. Then a new sound echoes, and the world is bathed in blood red light.

“HORIZON LUNAR COLONY INTEGRITY BREACHED. INITIATING LOCKDOWN. INITIATING LOCKDOWN.”

The sounds of shutters rolling down masks the cruel laugh Sanjay gives. Winston is the first to act, leaping out of the way of the robots, glasses returning to his face. He grabs ahold of Satya, and leaps forward back to the observatory and the spaceship.

Sigma is about to follow them when he hears Harold yell. The robots, having completed their job in initiating the lockdown, are now mobbing him. With a wave of his hand, Sigma breaks the chains of gravity and lifts them above Harold. He rushes over, helping Harold stand.

“We have to get on the spaceship before the shutters close. We don’t have time,” Sigma orders.

“I can’t,” Harold says.

“Why not?!”

“The gorillas. They’ll die if we don’t stop the lockdown. The shutters will corner off each individual section of the colony. If they’re relying on the self-sufficiency stations, the farms, the medical stations, they'll all be locked off. No one else will be able to get back here to save them in time and if Sanjay has corrupted all the robots, they won’t be able to do any repairs. I have to help them.”

“Those damned apes have done nothing for you, there is no need to sacrifice yourself for that selfish lot.” Sigma gingerly cups Harold’s face. “Don’t do this. I’m not losing you again. Come back with us before it’s too late.”

Harold frowns. “Siebren,” he starts.

“D-don’t do this,” Sigma whispers. “I’m not as smart as you. Not as strong. I can’t do this.”

“Help me, Siebren. We can do this together.” He takes Sigma’s hand and grips it firmly. Amidst the red, Harold’s golden eyes are as warm as the sun. “My nanobots and your powers, we can be unstoppable.”

“Dr. Winston! Dr. de Kuiper!” Winston calls.

Sigma grits his teeth, tears beading from his eyes. He turns to Winston and Satya, a pained expression on his face, his throat impossibly tight.

Harold smiles bittersweetly. “Get to the spaceship and get out of here, sport. Before it’s too late.”

Winston’s eyes widen in understanding, then horror. “Dad!”

“I’m sorry, champ.”

Sigma opens his hand and uses the force of gravity to push Winston and Satya away, back towards the door to the observatory. Winston stares at Harold for a few seconds from the other side, just as the shutter closes over the door. Winston bangs frantically at the door but apart from some small dents, it does not budge. There is no noise for a minute or two, and then there is the sound of the spacecraft disembarking, blasting off into the cold regions of space.

By Sigma’s side, Harold gives a small smile. Sigma huffs. “I am going to regret this.”

“I know.” Quieter, he says, “Thank you.”

One side of Sigma’s lips quirks up as he brings the robots down to the ground, smashing them into bits. With his powers, he clumps them all up into a ball and hurls it at the shutter to the next sector of Horizon, cracking it open. They run through the wreckage and into the next section.

Harold runs forward, Sigma using his powers to destroy the shutters that block their way. He can see Harold’s eyes flit through the different sectors, mind racing.

“What do we have to do, Charon?”

“We’ve got two options: seal the glass or stop the emergency lockdown. Even if you destroy all the shutters and unlock all the different sections, the base will be losing oxygen. Depending on how much oxygen is leaking, we’ve got anywhere between minutes to weeks.”

“And how much oxygen is leaking?”

“I don’t know,” Harold says. “All I know is we need to head to maintenance. Sector 02. Best case scenario, one of the systems might be able to put an emergency seal in. Second best, there’s a kit for us to do it manually.”

“And if neither of those things are possible? If we can’t get there for whatever reason?”

Harold glances nervously at Sigma.

“Harold,” he utters slowly, “there is a way for us to get back down to Earth, is there?”

Harold doesn’t respond. He keeps his head straight as Sigma blasts down the next shutter doors.

As they race forward, Sigma sees glimpses of the other primates, staring curiously at them. He sees the different sectors, once built for human research and human needs, now repurposed to suit primate needs. Farms are at maximum capacity, growing a variety of fruits and vegetables, the auto-dispenser distributing the rare bit of meat. Clothes are ripped to make hammock nests. And there are so many more of them, so many young ones that can make even his heart melt at the sight. He has to admit, he’s worried that he may have to fight them off, but they’re all looking strangely at him.

No…not at him. At Harold. They’re looking at Harold like he’s a stranger.

Harold glances over his shoulder. “Keeping up?”

Sigma huffs. “May I be the first to say that Horizon was structured horrendously? Why have all your departments in specific sectors?”

“Blame Lucheng, not me,” Harold laughs.

When they finally get to the maintenance sector, Harold immediately dashes for the main office where the computers are. He fiddles with one of them for a minute, his face lighting up.

“The system is still in place," Harold says excitedly. "And not just the one to cease the lockdown, I can stop Sanjay too. All I need to do is—”

Sigma is about to join Harold at the computer when suddenly he feels a pair of strong arms shove him forcefully to the wall, one hand clamped tightly over his neck. His eyes widen as he takes in the massive gorilla holding him like he weighs nothing.

“Simon?!” Harold shouts.

“Why are you here?” Simon’s gorilla eyes narrow on Harold. “You,” he seethes.

“Let him go!”

Before Simon can respond, Sigma hears the distinct clank of metal on floor as multiple robots charge in, bearing the imposter Harold’s appearance. Harold tries to get his jet injector ready, but it’s swiped out of his hands. He’s shoved to the floor, fists desperately trying to get some damage on the metal surface underneath, only to return battered and bruised. Simon doesn’t react, just stares at the scene with mild confusion.

Sigma’s not sure if the oxygen rapidly escaping his body is from Simon’s grip or from the colony itself. He hears another siren, a different warning blaring over the speakers, which he assumes it about the oxygen levels. All he can concentrate on is the area where that little flickering dot would be behind the camouflage. He wants to fight back, but he can't. His powers are failing him with every breath he attempts. His body gets weaker with every second that passes.

“You want to be dead so bad, don’t you. You really have a death wish,” one of the imposter robots snarls.

Harold doesn’t look at the robots. He’s staring at Simon, making a complicated hand gesture. Simon’s grip weakens slightly. Harold’s doing his own plan, Sigma realizes, but is it the same as the one he’s thinking? What is Harold thinking? Why can’t he figure out what Harold is thinking?

“I should have done this earlier," the robots say simultaneously. "Back when you were in Oasis. I chose to keep you alive, because I thought you’d be more useful alive to us. But that’s my mistake, one that I shall rectify.”

“S-Simon,” Harold gasps. “A-air…lock.”

Simon’s lips twist into an unreadable expression, and then his skin turns crimson, letting go of Sigma to swipe at the imposters. Harold is able to scramble free, racing to the computer. His fingers dance on the keyboard while Sigma catches his breath, trying to make sense of this battle between robots and gorilla. Nothing makes any more sense. But then when did anything make sense in his life? Harold types away, “One moment, give me one moment…yes!”

With his words, the lights go out once again. When it returns, everything is the same clinical white. From Sigma’s angle, he can still see the shutter to the next section still firmly in place. Sanjay turns to Harold, shoving Simon away to race after Harold. He is fast, able to close the distance quickly, only for the robot to stop dead in its tracks mid-stride. It falls down with a heavy thud by Harold’s feet.

Sigma turns to Harold, not sure if the expression on his face is amazed or terrified. He assumes it’s the former when Harold chuckles quietly. “These robots are still the original service bots from decades ago. No matter how much Vishkar or Talon might have tampered with them, you can’t get rid of that killswitch. They won’t be moving or transmitting anything anytime soon.”

“You noticed the hive mind network too?” Sigma asks.

“You’re not the only smart guy here,” Harold chuckles.

Simon is still staring at Harold. His skin returns to a dull grey as he brushes himself off. There’s no more anger in his expression, but his face is not entirely kind. “I have built up my people here on this land. If you think we are giving it over to you—”

“I’m not here for you or the others,” Harold replies. “This is your home now. If you know how to get us back to Earth, I’ll make sure no human will ever disturb you.”

Simon gives a soul-piercing glare at Harold for a few seconds before retreating. His expression is stoic. “Fix the mess you made and get out of here. This is our territory now. The moon belongs to the animals.”

It’s not the peaceful conclusion Sigma hopes for, but considering this was the very gorilla that threw Harold out of the airlock the first time, he thinks it’s as much as he can hope for. He's not sure even he can win in a fight against gorillas, much less genetically-engineered ones with a vendetta against humans.

Sigma rounds up all of the robots into a pile near one of the airlocks while Harold undoes the lockdown and seals the crack in the glass. With Sigma’s abilities he forces the weight of gravity on the endoskeletons, crushing them beyond repair and recognition. All except one, that is. There is one endoskeleton that is still maintaining the Harold disguise. Using the pieces of the other endoskeletons, Sigma is able to take a rudimentary picture and send it back to Lucheng Interstellar. The assumption will be that Harold Winston is dead for real this time. Sanjay won’t be able to use Harold’s appearance for his own purposes anymore.

They have a small audience now comprised of the other test subjects, all bigger and older than when Sigma last remember seeing them, silently judging from a far distance. Sigma catches Harold gazing upon them sadly but it is clear there is no love lost between the animals. Though Harold loved them like family, they only saw Harold as the torturer who got away. One wrong move and the animals will attack again. Sigma would comfort Harold, but he knows it's not necessary. This life is no longer his. In more ways than one, the Harold Winston that Siebren de Kuiper fell in love with did die on the moon.

The glass sealed, a warning sign of common lexigrams placed next to the crack, Harold helps Sigma push the robot pieces into the airlock. Harold puts in his code, and the pieces fly off into the moon, scattering across the crater. Not the most environmentally friendly way of disposing the robots, but the safest given the circumstances.

“There is one escape pod in the Hangar,” Simon says. “I do not know if it is functional. You will have to repair it yourself.”

“And if it can’t be repaired? If it doesn’t work?”

“Then we’ll throw you out the airlock just like last time.” His voice is neutral but the way his brows lower make it clear he will make good on his promise.

Slowly they make their way to the Hangar. The escape pod in question is in fact an old satellite. There is no propulsion system, and very little in the ways of comfort and safety, but it can be repurposed to be habitable and be directed to Earth. With the combined efforts of their powers there is a possibility they may be able to survive the impact. It’s far from ideal, and the chance of death is high, but Simon’s threat still hangs in the air. There is no way that Overwatch will be able to requisition another spacecraft in the near future.

“It’s funny, being up here, fixing this up. Wouldn’t have considered doing this the last time I was up in space,” Sigma says.

“How so?” Harold asks.

“The last time I was away from Earth, I was trying to harness a black hole. It was all to do with space travel, actually. Considering what I know now, I probably harnessed something more akin to a wormhole than an actual black hole. I saw it both in reality and in my mind’s eye. If I try, I can almost hear its melody.”

“You think you could do that? Make a wormhole to get us back home?”

Sigma frowns. “You don’t know what it was like when I had my accident. Everything happened all too fast and then far too slow. I felt like I spent a second and a million years trapped in that moment,. I don’t know what will happen if I try to summon it again. I have to get the math right, I need to make sure all the equations are correct.” Sigma gazes at the floor. “Truth is, I am afraid of that thing. Have been ever since.”

Harold puts a hand on Sigma’s shoulder. “Let’s get this thing done then. We’ll keep it as a last resort.”

Sigma smiles. “Sure.”

They continue working side by side on the old satellite. Sigma doesn’t know how much time has passed, just that his body is slow to respond when he hears the ringing alarms of the hangar doors open. Outside is a construction robot, designed for the continued repair of Horizon Lunar Colony, but it’s long since been dormant since the rebellion.

Or at least it should. But all too fast and all too slow Sigma realises that it's moving. And it's charging at them.

Harold whips his head around, readying his jet injector, but he’s too slow to react. He’s pinned to the ground, heavy metal trapping his leg with an audible crack, making his shriek in guttural pain. The gorillas hoot and screech in anger, going red in rage as they try to attack this new intruder, but the construction robot swipes them away with ease. Sigma fires a volley of hyperspheres at the robot, but he’s also shoved to the ground. The voices in his head are drowned out by the alarms blaring above his body and the weak groans that escape his lips.

The construction robot picks the two of them up like they weigh nothing, rapidly moving to the hangar doors. Air is rapidly escaping from them, gravity threatening to pull them out into the moon’s atmosphere. Sigma needs to concentrate to use his powers, but he needs one look of Harold, blood oozing out of his leg, and his breathing gets heavier and quicker. Gravity is fluctuating, but it doesn’t affect the massive construction robot, built specifically for use in multiple different gravity conditions.

The voice that comes out of its voice box is filled with static, crackling noisily, and barely audible. “You make my work worthless. You ruined months of work and years worth of research, and for what? To hide your precious little nanobots for a little bit longer?”

Harold punches until his knuckles are bleeding. “Siebren!”

"If you want to be dead, Harold Winston—"

Sigma desperately flings whatever piece of equipment his powers can raise at the robot, but it only dents it slightly. The construction robot is still functioning.

“—then I’ll make your wish come true.”

“Siebren, make the wormh—”

The construction robot throws them out into the cold reaches of the moon and shuts the door. Even if the door wasn’t locked, they’re floating uncontrollably, the low gravity propelling them far away, too far away to get back in time. They make no sound when their bodies finally hit the coarse surface of the moon. No sound can be transmitted from this world without air. The only thing Sigma can hear is not the universe’s whisperings, not the incessant voices in his head, but his own thoughts, as clear as crystal.

We’re going to die.

Harold stares at Sigma with golden eyes as he tries to crawl to him. It’s not easy in the microgravity, but he floats over, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to his lips. Sigma feels the soft glow of the nanobots surround his body and enter his bloodstream. Suddenly his one breath feels like it can last so much longer, but it will only buy him seconds. It’s lunar day on the moon, and the temperature is so hot it feels like he’s melting. His skin is sticking to his armour. He's burning alive from the intense heat.

Harold is mouthing some words at him. The same thing he was trying to say before they got sucked out. In this moment, time all too fast and all too slow, he’d tell Harold his greatest fears if he could. He’d tell Harold that the only reason he’s never tried to summon the black hole is because he’s afraid. He’d tell Harold the only reason he never tried to summon a worm hole is because he’s afraid. So much of his life after that tragic accident has been dictated by fear, both the ones he acknowledged and the ones he didn’t.

He almost expects the universe to whisper its dark magic at him and tell him to give up his mind once again, but it remains silent this time. It’s his decision, the universe says in its silence, to die on the moon by the side of his beloved or risk his mind once again and open up the wormhole and take them back to Earth. He wants to give up. He wants to be weak by Harold’s side one final time. He wants to, because he is a villain who has done nothing good in his life, regardless of his intentions. Villains deserve to die at the edge of space, boiled and frozen alive.

But he’s not a villain anymore. He has people who love him. People who care for him and about him. People who look up to Overwatch and its members as a symbol of hope. If he inspires just a little bit of heroism, just enough of a spark to incite curiosity in just one person out there in the world, he can’t be a villain.

He wraps his arms around Harold, humming a noiseless tune that no wind can carry. A wormhole appears, growing between their chests, threatening to consume them. In that wormhole he sees the bridge between time and space. He sees the infinite realities and the infinite version of himself warped and changed through the efforts of infinite realities. Except it’s not just infinite versions of him, but also infinite versions of Harold and Overwatch, all smiling brightly. He thinks of Watchpoint: Gibraltar and the medical wing with Mercy and the training areas with the practice robots and that comfortable king-sized bed and the glimmering waters of the sea, the moon high above their head.

In a flash, they are gone, disappearing from the universe for a moment.

-

When Sigma wakes up, he thinks he might have died for real. All he can see is blinding white surrounding his vision. He sits up, wincing as pain shoots up his back and all throughout his skin. He glances down, his body wrapped in bandages like a mummy, drips attached at his forearm. Slowly he peaks under the bandages. His skin is noticeably burned, but in the final stages of healing. In days, maybe a week, it'll look like normal flesh once more.

He's alive, he realises slowly. He's alive and breathing and safe.

“Dr. de Kuiper,” a voice sighs. “We were so worried about you.”

Sigma blinks as the light fades into acceptable levels. He’s in a hospital bed, surrounded by many of the members of Overwatch. Mercy is there, as is Tracer, Symmetra, Genji, Sojourn, and many others. He's almost certain the entirety of the reformed Overwatch team is there in this room, except there are some noticeable exceptions. Winston is not here. Neither is Harold.

“Where…?” He coughs loudly, his throat impossibly parched. On instinct, Mercy hands him a glass of water with some kind of tablet fizzing inside.

“Drink,” she says.

He nods slowly, being careful to down it all. He wipes his mouth, relieved that the skin on his face feels relatively normal.

“We found you both on the cliffside here on Gibraltar, unconscious. A gust of wind could have blown you off the cliff altogether if we didn’t catch you as soon as we did. You had severe burns on your skin and a few of your internal organs. I had to work day and night to save you both.”

“He’s…he’s alive, isn’t he?”

Mercy’s face falls for just a second. The rest of the crowd glance nervously at each other.

Suddenly there’s the sound of the door opening loudly, crashing into the wall. Mercy glares at the intruder.

“S-sorry about that,” Winston smiles nervously.

Sigma turns his head slowly to see Harold himself, scarred but smiling, tears beading in his eyes. With Winston's help, he slowly approaches Sigma’s bed, putting a hand on his leg.

“Thank god you’re OK," Harold says.

He can’t stop himself. He turns his body and pulls Harold into a crushing hug. Harold’s laugh turns into a groan as he pats Sigma incessantly. “O-OK, big guy, let me down.”

There’s a few quiet chuckles from the others as Sigma hesitantly lets go of Harold. When Harold relaxes, Sigma punches him lightly on the arm. Harold yelps, more in surprise than pain.

His gaze sweeps over Harold, from the nasal catheter and his grey hair down to his casual clothes, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His eyes settles on the newest addition on Harold’s person. One of his legs is in a cast, messages written out on blue and green marker on the bandages. The wheelchair he’s sitting on is old and decrepit but usable. “Turns out nanobots can’t do much about broken bone,” Harold explains. “Compound fracture like you wouldn’t believe. I saw my leg in the x-ray and it was like a jigsaw puzzle. But I’ll be good to go in a month or two, depending on how fast the nanobots work.”

“That is if it sets in the correct position,” Mercy counters. “You must be very careful to ensure that the bone does not set in the incorrect position. If it does, you won't be able to walk or run properly ever again."

"I'll be fine," Harold insists. "I'm sure I will with your nanobiotics. I've been doing some reading on them, and I'm thinking it might be possible to combine them with my nanorobots. Nanobiotic nanobots. Has a nice ring, doesn't it?"

Mercy gives a hint of a smile before it gives way for professional stoicism. Sigma turns to Mercy slowly. "Is it possible I can talk to Harold? Alone?"

Mercy isn't even able to open her mouth before Tracer blinks forward, pushing Mercy towards the door with an overenthusiastic grin. "Not a problem, Doc, we'll get out of your hair. Come on, everybody. Hut two, hut two. Leave the space dads to do their space dad things."

On Tracer's orders and her incessant shoving, everybody crams themselves through the door and shut it behind them. Harold looks up at Sigma, his soft smile growing coquettish. "Guess we're alone now."

"Indeed," Sigma says softly.

There are a thousand different things Sigma can say to show his appreciation and his love and his relief and his hurt. There are so many things for him to say, but he doesn't say them. He just takes Harold's hand into his own, feels the warmth spread through his body, and knows deep in his soul that this is the man he loves, and whom he will love in return.

"Never make me do that again," Sigma whispers. "And never risk your life like that again."

Harold grips Sigma's hand tightly, his smile as bright as the light of a 1000 suns. "No promises, big guy. I'll always help the ones that I love and care about."

"Does that include me?"

"That will always include you," Harold says. He places a tender peck to the back of Sigma's hand. "From now till death do us part."

Sigma laughs weakly. "I don't think even death can tear us apart."

Harold stays for the rest of the day, chatting about everything and nothing. Sooner or later, the two of them fall asleep, Sigma in his bed, and Harold in his wheelchair, their heads leaning towards each other.