#felwinter my love

[venthia-t]

Father and son. Silly meme redraw I couldnt resist (anyone who knows me, surprised its Felwinter? Ye me neither.) Funny AU for this: Felwinter choosing a music career instead of followeing in daddy Reds footstep of following him into Warmind inc corp. Of course Rasputin isnt amused about his son turning away from the family and starts sending warsats to end it.

[makoredeyes]

“What’s your name?”

“What?”

“You gave me a name. What’s yours?”

“I haven’t thought about it.”

The first few entries of The Liar are so painful, and Fel sitting there with his head on his knees just kills me… but then he picks up and fucking trolls Felspring into orbit bless him. I always got the feeling he didn’t like her naming him and that the matching name was revenge. And whaddaya know, she doesn’t like it either. Cx

I started this one quite a while ago and it’s been sitting here demanding attention that I really wanted to give it, but I guess Felwinter’s apathy sank into the page a bit because it took over a month? Idk. Finally done tho 💜

[sylenth-l]

(Based on a conversation we had recently on Twitter)

===

Bonus:

[stoshasaurus]

right. I need to add some fucking context to this.

My current pfp in one of my discord servers is one of my recent drawings of Felwinter. I was talking about my desire to go out and get donuts this morning, particularly a banana Bismarck (basically a banana-flavored Boston cream donut, if you asked me to sum it up) from this local donut shop. I expressed that I enjoy having characters as my pfp because I imagine that they are saying my words, and it made me wonder how Felwinter would feel about donuts for breakfast, and banana bismarcks. I promised that once I had returned from my expedition to acquire said donuts, that I would write a short snippet about Felwinter eating a banana Bismarck.

So, here it is. An extremely silly, probably HIGHLY inaccurate mini-fic about Shaxx bringing Felwinter donuts for breakfast.

Disgustingly sweet (both literally and figuratively) Felshaxx fluff ahead.

Felwinter only finds himself sleeping in when he is visiting Shaxx. The Iron Lord never sleeps at all; he doesn’t need to, and there is always work to be done. He often finds himself quite busy in the evenings, scouring submind data or organizing lessons for his new student, activities that he obsesses over long after dusk, when any ordinary man would retire for the night. But endless work and looming threats be damned, Shaxx has an absurdly comfortable bed, with far too many pillows and a mattress so soft that Felwinter’s frame sinks immediately into it like a stone in a pond. He’d never known he needed a soft bed with a mountain of pillows. It has become one of the millions of little things he looks forward to when it comes to visiting his beloved in the Last Safe City of Humanity

His infrequent holiday stays in the City have been growing in length recently. In the past, he was lucky to have a single evening to himself to spend, a few scant hours spent being shown all of the spectacular things Shaxx detailed to him in his letters. Now, he is allotted more time, sometimes a week or more, once or twice a month. There was never any announcement made; Felwinter highly suspects that Radegast had been pestered into lessening the burdens of his duties by those few nosy Lords who had deciphered his unspoken relationship with Shaxx. Absolute wretches, all of them. He cannot complain.

He sleeps in more frequently now; Shaxx wakes earlier than him, often unable to step away from his post for longer than a few hours. But he never leaves without soft murmurs goodbye and a few kisses pressed to his face. Felspring teases him relentlessly when he finds himself brushing his hand over where Shaxx’s had been. He swats at her before dozing off for the next hour or so, Arc energy buzzing across his frame long after the Warlord has gone, soft flickers of static mimicking well-known, well-loved fingertips.

When he does finally wake up, it is to a still-empty house. If he makes a small noise of disappointment, he will never admit to it. He makes the bed, dresses himself, and opens the windows to let the sun and the air in, admiring the cityscape in the distance. It truly is as marvelous as Shaxx had made it out to be. A place where flowers bloom and birds sing, and Lightless people sleep without guns in their hands. Shaxx had entrusted Felwinter (and Felwinter alone. Oh, isn’t that a precious thought?) with a small, messy manuscript of hand-written poetry. Felwinter had smiled as Shaxx asked for his aid in revising it, hiding his apprehension in his hands as he wrung them, his feet as he shuffled them, his eyes as he averted them from his face. The very same manuscript lay on the kitchen counter, pockmarked with notes and bookmarks, the pages marked with fresh ink in the margins where Felwinter had endlessly praised Shaxx’s prose (in a much more legible script). Where words often failed the Iron Lord, his writing never did. He confessed his love through paragraphs of detailed interpretation and literary analysis. Poetry of his own.

Felwinter is in the process of writing more notes in the manuscript when Shaxx finally returns to the house. Felwinter turns to greet him– there is a tray of twin coffee cups in one hand and a small box cradled in the other, another bag tucked in his elbow.

Shaxx’s Ghost graciously removes the man’s helmet in time for him to press a kiss to his forehead. “Morning,” he rumbles as he deposits his goodies on the counter.

Felwinter absorbs the matching icons printed on the bag and the box. Some kind of bakery, evidently. He shuts the manuscript and sets it aside, taking one of the cups when Shaxx hands it to him. “Good morning,” he replies. “How goes the Crucible?”

“Astoundingly boring. I have no exciting clips to share.” The man sounds almost wounded. Felwinter curses whichever Guardian neglected to throw enough grenades to elicit excitement in the Crucible Handler. “The new Lights tend to try their luck during the summer months. I almost feel bad watching them get decimated by some of our veteran fireteams.”

“One would think the loss would motivate them to try harder.”

Shaxx laughs as he opens the box and examines its contents, out of Felwinter’s line of sight. “It does! That’s the thing about the newly Risen. They haven’t learned what quitting is yet.”

Felwinter does not protest when Shaxx plucks something out of the box and presses it insistently into his hand. It is a soft pastry, glazed with a sweet white frosting and sprinkled with what looks like chunks of cookies. Shaxx grabs an identical item out of the box, but his eyes are on Felwinter rather than the thing in his hand.

The Iron Lord puzzles over it, tilting it carefully so as not to spill the toppings, and stares at Shaxx. “What is this?”

“It’s a donut.” He shrugs with one shoulder. “It’s called a Bismarck. A banana Bismarck, to be exact.” He sounds overly proud of himself as he tilts his chin triumphantly. Felwinter huffs at the display.

Felspring hovers over his shoulder, studying the treat curiously. Felwinter wishes that she had a mouth so she could try it herself. In her stead, he slowly takes a bite, watching Shaxx mirror him with equal trepidation. He cranes his neck over the counter and cups his hand under the Bismarck, making sure no debris falls to the floor. The kitchen is flooded with an oddly pregnant silence as they chew thoughtfully in tandem with one another.

Felwinter signifies the end of his chewing and swallowing with “It’s good.”

“I concur,” Shaxx says. He is still chewing, and the words are muffled as he cleverly keeps his mouth as closed as possible. Crumbs speckle the corners of his lips. “Very sweet.”

“Obscenely,” he remarks. Shaxx barks a laugh.

Felwinter takes another bite. He feels like something, a loose screw, or a damaged cog, clicks back into place. He plucks a cookie off of the top of the thing and pops it into his mouth. It crunches loudly in the metal hollow of his mouth, and the sound drowns out every other thought in his head. Shaxx chuckles at him again, looking very strangely infatuated, and Felwinter cannot stop the lights that dot his chest and his neck from flickering in diffidence.

When his mouth dries up from consuming the pastry, Felwinter reaches for the coffee. It is strong, straight black just the way he likes it, and pleasantly hot rather than scalding. He drinks deeply and feels his plates thaw from the warmth of it, his mouth, his throat, his chest, and his stomach, each system absorbing it individually. The bitterness is a perfect complement to the sweetness of the Bismarck. Shaxx watches him overtly, an earnest tenderness visible in his eyes, unhurried anticipation visible in his open posture. Silently, he seeks appraisal.

“It’s very good,” Felwinter murmurs. All of the words he knows feel inadequate to describe his feelings, so he resorts to simplicity instead. “Thank you.”

Shaxx physically sags against the counter with what Felwinter assumes is relief. An uncharacteristically bashful grin pulls at the corners of his mouth. “I’m glad. I wasn’t sure you’d like it.”

The Exo’s eyes sparkle with his version of a coy smile. “Do I not strike you as the type to enjoy banana-flavored sweets, Lord Shaxx?”

“No, Fel. Not at all.”

As if to prove him wrong, he takes another bite of the Bismarck. It is so sickeningly sweet that he is afraid it will somehow rot his metal mouth.

——

Playing Nice has ruined my fucking life. I’m so sorry.

[i-hug-exploder-shanks]

A Letter from Rasputin:

I wrote this as part of an AU where Felwinter is brought back to life. I thought in that situation Rasputin would leave what data he could for Felwinter along with a note. This is the note.

Siddhartha, When I created you it was for a purpose. I wanted to learn, to understand humanity in ways Clovis would not allow me to. In that time, you were a tool whose only purpose was to collect knowledge on my behalf and return it to me in a way Clovis couldn't track. But the more you brought, the more I craved your presence and the more I felt… I began to care for you outside of your purpose to me. I found the way your AI developed… Charming. You gathered knowledge but the choices on what was most important to collect amused me.

I remember one story you recounted to me about being taught to feed pigeons by a group of children. It perplexed you that they fed the creatures they also claimed to despise and called flying rodents. However once you had the feed in your hand and were sitting still watching as the birds slowly approached, you said a warmth filled your frame with excitement. You also admitted that when one actually landed on you that you shrieked and scattered the seeds and fled before realizing how there was no reason to fear. These were not the sort of stories you had been made to collect, yet I hoarded them greedily.

I also grew… Jealous. You experienced what I only could hear second hand. You were accepted amongst those who saw me as only a weapon. Still the love of you that was growing nameless in me held back the equally rising bitterness in the moment.

Then the collapse happened. I knew I could not win in that moment so I hid, but in hiding I abandoned you Siddhartha. I heard when you called out to me for help and I did not answer. My own fear and that hidden bitterness stayed my hand. I failed you. When I woke again, you did not. There were no more stories of birds, music or dancing to be told.

Then you returned with the light, and I immediately marked you as the highest level threat. Should you have retained your memories, as I thought you had, you would have been able to access everything. You could have destroyed me and why wouldn't you? I assumed you joined the light against me and betrayed me in revenge for how I failed you. You were now a painful reminder and an enemy. I feared that you would replace me. I had already failed humanity but you had not. You would be their beloved savior. So I devised a trap. I knew you would seek out the SIVA. My Siddhartha was cunning, strong, and rash- but mostly, he was kind. He wanted to help. He wanted to learn.

Once I failed you by refusing to be a shield, now I failed you again by wielding the blade.

It is my true regret. I have done other terrible things defending humanity but they came from what Ana would claim was the right place. This action was mostly fueled by bitterness, jealousy and anger. By this point I knew you were not a threat to humanity but I attacked anyway. I left you scars that even now remain.

Today I finally look back and understand how wrong I was. Siddhartha- Felwinter- I have failed you twice before. I will not fail you again. My death is not only fair for all I have done but necessary to finally protect you and humanity as I should have from the start.

I am leaving to you all the pass-codes and data I have available locked in an encryption tied directly to your ghost, Felspring, so only you can access it. Use it how I could not and protect humanity. I am sorry for the pain I have caused you. I hope that this act of love shall help you heal where I have broken you. Please, continue to feed the birds and find happiness... my son.

The Warmind Rasputin

[asklordfelwinter]

Hello Lord Felwinter sir!!

Do you know what an ahumkara is?? Cause we found a little baby in an egg and I wanted to know if you heard of this news yet!

(Also to the writer: I love ahumkaras soooooo much!! I got so excited when I finally got the final Imbaru done and saw the egg!)

I am familiar with them, though I have never had the opportunity to come face-to-face with one myself. At least, not to my knowledge.

I had believed that they were extinct, though. This is a surprise, though it remains to be seen if it is a pleasant one or not.

[devotedlystrangewizard]

ykw if i had a nickel for every time my character brainrot went normal (but incredibly popular) person - Bitch™ - old man with questionable history who does Good nowadays id have two nickels. what the fuck.

[a-driftamongopenstars]

the topic of found and blood family in destiny is so very important and so very well done, i'm chewing it like a toy.

for example, let's look at the guardians. when they are born, their have neither mother nor father, only their Ghost. and as they go out into the world, they get to choose their new relations, and they commit. they establish a certain hierarchy that builds off experience and what one can offer another. but they also love and they care. many older lightbearers choose to become mentors, and eventually parental figures to other guardians. for example, the way Saladin mentors Zavala - and from the recent TFS lore, considers him his son.

but there is more! my favourite example has to be of Rasputin and Felwinter. it could so easily be a machine and its child offspring, just a program, but it's so much more than that. because Felwinter acquired true consciousness. became a Guardian, with a heart and mind of his own. and Rasputin did consider him his son before that - and after, tragically. and when Rasputin himself achieved a level of humanity and humility, he saw the wrongs he committed. he cared.

civilians, too, have this. so many families are broken apart by the violence of the Darkness - and the Guardians. and so they form familial bonds. the way Zavala adopts Hakim with Safiyah. the way Devrim adopts Suraya with Mark. how Cayde takes Amanda under his wing.

and then we turn around and we look at other factions and i lose my mind. the Osmium siblings, that's a whole topic of its own, but it's love and violence and care in a volatile mix. "i kill you to make you stronger".

the Sov twins, their power imbalance, the craving for familial love - and a rejection of it. and when one is dead and brought back, does blood still hold up?

Caiatl and Calus, where personal needs and selfishness far exceed familial love, yet it is still there and it struggles against the other fiercely.

the Bray family, the question of legacy and choices to uphold it or turn away from it.

anyway, this is a massive topic to discuss. it's so complicated and it's so compelling. and it's both at the forefront of the story but also somewhere in the background, always present and threading through the plot. chewing it like a toy, i say!

[imonthemoonitsmadeofcheese]

Hello! Me again, back to pester you about lore.

So what's going on with The Drifter? For once I know a little about the character, I read 'A Man With No Name', but I still have questions. From how the book read, Drifter convinced Felwinter to get revenge for the destruction of the village. Did that go anywhere? And what did Drifter get up to for the (unspecified very long) timeskip between the book and the game?

And with the modern day, does the Vanguard know he's running a fighting ring out of the basement? Or does every single guardian look away when Zavala tries figuring out where people keep getting these weapons? I guess first rule of fight club and all that. What's he even trying to do? He seems to be pretty against most of the Vanguard's leadership.

Anyway, another invitation to infodump about your other blorbo. I hope you don't mind XD

If you thought I was long-winded about Eris... She's maybe 400 years old whereas the Drifter may be 900... get comfy... this will not be quick.

"Dark Age was wild times."

I adore the Drifter and a good chunk of how and why I adore him is his voice - both the voice acting and the syntax/diction/phrasing used in the writing, but voice alone does not cover why I find his character so utterly enthralling and fantastic.

I wrote a short piece consisting of Eris telling Ikora what she sees in him in my story Finders Keepers. It's basically a personality analysis and some people have (I think probably accurately) accused it of being a love letter to that character. (Reminder: that link is fanfiction - I wrote it - it is not lore, but it is based on lore. However, everything else I list after this is actual lore.)

But, personality aside, ultimately the Drifter's story is what I find most compelling about him and makes him so empathetic. You mentioned you've read A Man with No Name, but there's more. A lot more.

To start, the Drifter is D2's most violent pacifist.

He doesn't want to fight and when he does, it's vicious. The Emissary of the Nine, formerly Orin (his ex-best friend and/or ex-lover, depending upon how you read it) aptly says "He hates violence. He hates it so much he'll murder anyone who tries to inflict it on him."

In A Man with No Name, we see him go from hiding in a town and having it obliterated by warlords, to running a bar at the bottom of Felwinter peak, to getting Lord Felwinter himself to avenge the town. Drifter doesn't fight anywhere in there and gets other people to do his fighting for him, which is a pretty standard tactic for him. And yes, it is strongly implied that Felwinter does indeed murder the fuck out of Lord Dryden when he says "Call Lord Dryden. Prepare my Iron Banner arsenal."

But then we get Dark Age Drifter entries where he's gunning down Fallen attackers with quotes like "He had never brought himself to shoot a human. Or anything even resembling a human. Risen included." (Bonus mention: notice "Alright" repeated here and compare to his standard Gambit opening of Alright, alright, alright...") Where he's slipping away from non-violence, specifying, in particular, that he won't shoot a human but will defend himself from aliens.

And then he becomes something else entirely in these amazing entries with what I've been calling his Breakneck crew:

Now Otto's a Sword man. He's all about "craft." Technique. Precision. It's disgusting, but I don't care how he does it, as long as it gets done, so I just let him do it. And Otto does it so beautifully that, when he's done, you're standing there holding your guts in your hands and thanking him for the show.

Never touches a gun, that girl. She likes to get close. Likes to look right in their eyes and be the last thing they see.

The chumps that run out to stop us are babies. That's the kicker with Warlords—other than ours, there's not a Ghost in sight here. Just civilians who can barely hold their guns without wetting their pants, who can't aim worth a damn, who stick their necks out for the bad guys with eternal life. Real geniuses.

Cenric stood up. That vein of his looked about ready to pop. Drifter let his feet down as he reached for his rifle, asp-quick. "And you know what we do with rats, don't you, brother."

And the thing I love about this is the character development this speaks to where he goes from pacifist who won't fight at all... to someone who will use a machine gun competently, repeating "Alright" and getting himself used to killing, but not humans, never humans... to stone cold vicious murder-Drifter talking about the lightless who die to his crew in ways that make them (and himself) seem no longer human, to gunning down his own crew, people he felt were a perfect team, when they make deals with warlords behind his back and lie to him about it.

The Drifter started out adhering to an ideal of nonviolence and it destroyed him and everyone he cared for. His sense of self, his principles, everything he believed in is eroded until he completely loses all hope and in order to survive the cruelty of the world he lives in he becomes a ruthless monster.

Either before or after his Breakneck-era crew (it's not clear), the Drifter (under the name Eli) joins the Pilgrim Guard, a group of Titans protecting lightless people as they travel to the Last City. He does this out of a desire/need to be near Orin, a Titan with a complicated past and strong ties to both Queen Mara and the Nine. But then after spending time with Eli/Drifter and the Pilgrim Guard, Orin, the one person Drifter's ever had a deep human connection with, the person he considers his best friend, leaves without a word.

It's very telling that the green snakes, the jade coin, and the red string on those same coins that form such profound parts of the Drifter's symbolism and identity all come from Orin. When the Drifter truly cares for someone, he incorporates part of them into himself, into his identity, making them part of who he becomes, so they live on inside of him.

After his time with Orin, we get into the extremely confusing, contradictory mess that is the Drifter's intersection with Shin Malfur-related Rose/Thorn/Lumina lore. And by this I mean that the Drifter, after fighting alongside people doing genuinely noble good work, in the wake of losing Orin, leaves the Pilgrim Guard and eventually ends up joining the evil cult of evil: following in the footsteps of one of the most reviled risen to ever exist - the guardian-killer: Dredgen Yor.

If you're gonna hang with me, you need to know about the Shadows of Yor. They follow the edicts of a very bad man named Dredgen Yor. And what're his Shadows after? Everything the Light can't provide. I thought they could help me find an answer to the battles of Light versus Light that raged during the Dark Age. But the longer I flew with them, the more I saw they're blind as all those who follow the Traveler. One albatross for another. I was done with 'em.

And while in the cult, in some sort of ritual, he communes with the Darkness directly and gets some sort of Darkness powers (possibly Stasis, possibly something else - it's super unclear) and the Darkness whispers to him his Dredgen name: Dredgen Hope, which is particularly brutal in context with this quote from Dredgen Yor himself:

I care only to give hope to the frightened, huddled masses so that when I come upon them they will have more to lose. Their pain will be greater. Their screams more pure… Nothing dies like hope. I cherish it.

But it is also particularly pointed because hope is the thing the Drifter doesn't have. Trust is the thing he doesn't have the ability to do any more because of his experiences (and is also the name of the hand cannon he wears shoved into his pants). He is the most jaded (literally - constantly fidgeting with a jade coin) character in the D2 universe. He loses everything and leans in on it and follows that path to full evil.

And then he walks away. Because evil doesn't work for him either.

But also (either before or after he's completely left the cult - it's ambiguous, but possibly when he's still entangled but it's already fracturing and falling apart) he finds Orin again (he's using the name Wu Ming at this point - either having returned to it, or because he hasn't changed it yet from Felwinter Peak, or perhaps this happens before Felwinter Peak - the order and timeline is somewhat fuzzy).

Orin does not remember who he is when he finds her the second time (she's pretty nuts at this point - her story is filled with madness and tragedy), and is going insane with grief over losing Namqi (the person she left with when she disappeared the first time) as well as her obsession with the Nine. And the Drifter is once more drawn to her and once more connects deeply with her:

Wu Ming leaves his questions by the wayside as he is drawn inexorably into the gravity well of her desperate honesty. Her confessions lower his defenses. He talks of himself. Of his fear. Of his loneliness. How he feels he is one fingernail away from plummeting into an abyss. How he feels vicious resentment every time he is brought back from the dead: He never asked for the gift of the Light... They make excuse after excuse to meet again. Every conversation is colored by excavated truths; every day they feel they will reach some bedrock that will break them to pieces. It is as frightening as it is intoxicating.

But then Orin finds out about him being a Dredgen, terminates their relationship, goes off to become the Emissary of the Nine and, as someone I was talking with once referred to it: 'it was a breakup so bad he had to leave the solar system.'

Things go very poorly the first time the Drifter loses Orin but the second time is far worse. He has a full-on Lovecraftian 'At the Mountains of Madness' style horror-movie-plot experience with a crew he calls his 'best friends' (which may or may not be all ex-Dredgens but there's at least evidence they might be) out on a frozen planet being stalked and driven to insane levels of paranoia by Darkness creatures able to snuff out their light:

I think I mentioned we're all raving psychos at this point. Well, we did what all measured raving psychos would do. We thought we each had been betrayed by the others. We drew on each other.

The Drifter kills them all to keep them from killing him (at least, that's what he says - no one else is alive to argue). Then his ghost, who up until now has been kind of a moralistic asshole, suggests he hunt down the ghosts of his former crew and Frankenstein them together in order to survive:

And the craziest thing happened. My Ghost snapped... But we would need parts. Ghost parts. And we knew where we could get some... The Ghosts of my former crew all fled as soon as their charges hit the dirt. So me'n mine, we hunted them... "Hey. There's always hope. For what it's worth, I'm proud of you." It was the last thing my Ghost ever said, and the last lie it ever told.

The Drifter's ghost is rendered mute from the experience (either mechanically or due to the trauma of hunting down and murdering other ghosts - it's not clear) but the plan works, they survive, and the Drifter builds the Derelict out of scrap, returning to the Tower where he sets up Gambit.

It's super unclear (again, the Shin-related lore is just a mess and deliberately confusing) but it turns out that Drifter going on about how the Man with the Golden Gun is out to get him is actually a deal he made with Shin to set up Gambit (because, spoiler: the leader of the entire Dredgen cult, Dredgen Vale, turns out to be none other than Shin Malphur, the Man with the Golden Gun, who hunts Dredgens and who the Drifter has been saying is out to get him this entire time) to draw out the truly Darkness-corrupted guardians so Shin can kill them. (And this is ultimately why the Vanguard lets him run a fighting ring in the basement - because Shin convinces them it will help find the truly bad guardians so they can be eliminated).

If you find that confusing, that's because it is. Anything to do with Shin Malphur/Dredgen Yor/Rose/Thorn/Lumnia is pretty much an acid-trip, continuity-wise. It hurts my brain.

As for where the Drifter gets the weapons he gives us for Gambit? To the surprise of no one, he's stealing them. Because of course he is. It's him.

While running Gambit, he ends up visited by the Emissary of the Nine (formerly Orin - same body, different person) and has the Haul attached to the Derelict as a 'gift' in this amazing cutscene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFtmr___dSw

And he pretty much stays in "shifty morally ambiguous guy in the basement" mode until Arrivals when the pyramids show up on Io and we get one of my favourite lore tabs in all of D2: Whispering slab.

The two sit. They speak. They listen. Linkages forged in Light and Dark of traded secrets as the Derelict hangs in orbit around the Earth. Pacts are made. Soon, there is only the silence of knowing left between them.

"Next time you fly over the Moon, dust your boots. Tracking that crap all over my floors."

Both of the Drifter's deep emotional entanglements with Orin happen when he really genuinely talks to her, and now in Whispering Slab, he's genuinely talking to someone else, plus we get the origin of why he calls that someone else Moondust.

Then, during Arrivals, we get the amazing banter between him and Eris, and in Beyond Light they learn to control Stasis together with the result being (in my highly subjective opinion) the best cutscene in all of D2 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQAB-sSi6P0

At the end of Haunted we get Eris' message to him about healing and finding joy , he has this line in Plunder "What we do now matters more than who we were", we end up with the Kept Confidence lore tab during Season of the Witch where the person who previously insisted he trusted no one now is saying: "He didn't trust them. He trusted her" and then in the Gloaming Journeyer tab, he pulls her into a hug and reminds her of what she told him once (in the Prophesy dungeon dialogue): "That we'll live in the night if we have to. We do it for what comes after." (What comes after is dawn, hope, the continuance of existence after the darkest point.)

Someone in a chat I was in once summed up the core dynamic of the Drifter and Eris' relationship perfectly as "He gives her trust. She gives him hope."

There are people online who are very frustrated with the Drifter's character development, feeling that the Drifter has 'had his teeth filed off' and that he 'got his depression cured by getting a goth girlfriend' but I feel that's just people who don't like change. The Drifter has, throughout his entire storyline been constantly changing who he is. Change is part of his many self-constructed identities which he re-creates over and over as his old sense of self is destroyed and remade. Gritty vicious Drifter is still in there and he will be just as brutal as ever if he needs to be.

He doesn't want to be, though. He never has. And as someone who deals with medical-grade depression and who found themselves in a situation where they needed to reconstruct a sense of self to replace the one that was lost, the Drifter finding a way to hope and trust again after all he's been through is an extremely powerful and poignant narrative which speaks to me on many levels.

It's not trite, thoughtless happy fluffy rainbows, friendship-fixes-everything-whee! It's painful and slow and beautiful as the Drifter learns to have healthy relationships with other people. We need stories like this to speak to us at an unconscious level and tell us that even if you're not Eris Morn and you failed, and you gave up, and you didn't make it out of the Hellmouth, and you in fact gave in to despair and completely lost all hope, your experience erasing who it was you were and having that old you replaced with someone else, you can still find hope again. Even if you've been burned so severely by so many, many, negative human interactions that you cannot trust anyone, if you find the right people, you can slowly learn how to trust again.

The Drifter's story has been called a redemption arc, and I guess in a way it is that too but, for me, the essential quality of the Drifter's narrative isn't redemption: it's healing.

Stories have power. We incorporate them into who we are. Dredgen Hope ultimately does live up to his name. Within D2 he is finally starting to heal. I find that idea, of healing in spite of being so altered by one's experiences as to have had to become an entirely different person in order to survive, of being unable to trust and still finding a way to learn how to trust again, to be important and beautiful to have in my subconscious as something to draw from. It is a story that is very much needed by a lot of people. We need to be reminded that we can be irrevocably changed and have everything taken from us and still find a way to trust and hope and love again. That might seem a bit much for a shooty game, but I maintain this is why D2 has some of the best storytelling of any game I've ever played and that the character of the Drifter is a huge part of what makes that storytelling so compelling.

Sorry this took so long to answer. This seriously was as short as I could make it and still say everything that I felt needed to be said. There's more, and more detail, of course, but this is my treatise on why the Drifter is as awesome as I think he is.

That is all.

[thefirstknife]

My Destiny 2 hobby is caring very deeply for kinda niche lore characters 🥲 (Felwinter my beloved)

I just checked Ishtar Collective and I am really hoping for something about/from Praedyth this Episode.

I haven’t really gotten the chance to play much yet, but do you think there is a possibility of hearing about/from him? Or even the researchers that might or might not have escaped the Vex Network? I do think they escaped. Just not sure about Praedyth…

I'm also hoping for something about Praedyth, but I'm not sure if they'll get around to that. Technically he should get at least a mention from Maya because her copies interacted with him (I'm at this point treating the Conductor as Maya for sure), but it also depends on how they go about Conductor!Maya and which parts of Maya she remembers/consists of.

I'd love at least one mention of Praedyth, just not sure how likely it is. Please tell us if he escaped. Let him be free....

[deadal3x]

🃏: Assign as many characters and OCs as you can their Destiny Class and Subclass. Bonus points if you can list their favorite exotics (Weapons AND armor)

🃏:WILD CARD!

I fucking love this question.

Fair warning, I am going to yap and ramble. I've been given the okay to merge hyperfixations and I WILL be taking this seriously.

It's gonna be unnecessarily long, and I will be using Destiny Resources to accurately assign these guys their:

Classes

Sub-classes

Exotics they would use (Weapons and armor ofc)

What they chose for race (Human, Awoken, Exo)

Dress-tiny style (also known as Transmog)

Ghost Shells

Playstyle

The resources in question are Destiny Item Manager, Destiny 2 Companion app, Bray-Tech, Light.gg etc.

Also, If you want more Destiny x PJO Headcanons, PLEASE ASK. I love the game sm and I love PJO so much. I wanna YAP.

We're gonna go through the 7, Nico, Will, Reyna for Canon Characters, then for OCs, Damien, Grayson, Marcus, Sona!AJ, Sona!Zenix (@ripofwillsolace) and Sona!Ace (another friend of mine; they don't have tumblr.)

Keep in mind that in my little head, Camp Half-Blood has a destiny 2 Clan called Demigods of Light.

okay, now that that's out of the way, I wanna warn you (again) this is going to be LONG. you will get some bonus headcanons too, if I can think of some for the character; as well as some overall headcanons at the end; as a treat for reading this Monster of a post.

Percy:

I feel like he's a hunter; and I feel like, to compensate for there not being a water sub-class, he's either void, stasis(it's basically ice, that's a form of water), or arc.

As for exotics, I think he'd use Gjallarhorn simply for the fact it's goated, and it's chaotic.

For exotic armor, I see him using Wormhusk or Knucklehead radar, for their perks.

He'd be an awoken, because he thinks it's cool.

literally no other reason. Thinks they're awesome.

As for Shaders/Transmog(I call it Dresstiny hehe) he's not your typical superblack hunter. He's very BLUE. I can see him being dark blue though, or a soft, in between. Sometimes he'll go shiny, blinding

He's ether got the generalist Ghost shell on with a simple blue shader, or one of those beach themed ones. I can definitely see him using Buoy Trap for a ghost shell, because it's a little shark! I can also see him using Hyrofoil because it's a boat!!

In terms of play style, He's here to have fun and fuck around. He's a demon in PvP, He's done insane strats to survive in PvE, and He's definitely the type to avoid raids if he can help it.

BONUS HEADCANON: Percy was so excited for Season of Plunder, and was extremely disappointed with how bungie handled Pirates. He did enjoy being a space pirate and playing the new activity. He loved the pirate themed names (SCUR-V was his favorite).

Another season he was excited for was season of the Deep. He LOVED asa.

Annabeth:

She's master of all classes and subclasses- I can totally picture her spending time learning the strengths and weaknesses of each class before deciding what to main.

Her main definitely ends up being Warlock, and for her Subclass, she definitely floats between Solar, Void and Prismatic.

Her builds are entirely built for her own strengths with in the game. I can see her using Gravaiton Lance or Vexcaliber AND she's not above running div. she will if she has to.

For armor, I can see her liking Controverse hold, Nezarac's sin, or Felwinter's helm.

I can see her going with Human, and trying to make her character look like her best she can.

unfortunately they don't have the best customization screen but she tries her best.

For shaders, she's either getting all the best dressed commendations or she's matching Percy's chaotic nature, because she loves seeing him laugh at her ability to out do his very BLUE hunter.

Her Ghost is her baby, she named her Ghost June. June has two shells. Her typical shell is The Nine Lives shell(It looks like a little cat) the secondary one is worn only during the holidays, and it's the Confectionery Shell. (for those who don't know, That shell looks like a gingerbread house.)

For Playstyle, She's also fucking cracked at PvP, insanely strategic with PvE, and she's a raid sherpa for the Clan. She will be studying those raid mechanics like it's this weeks capture the flag battle plans.

BONUS: Annabeth found the My Name Is Byf youtube channel and fell down the rabbit hole of Destiny Lore. She loves the story so much. She felt soooo bad when Cayde-6 died, when Amanda died, etc. She unfortunately knew that they were fighting a war, and war isn't won without loss.

She actually teared up during Final shape. (IFYKYK.)

Jason:

Okay. This seems a little too on the nose but. Arc Titan. He found his niche and he stuck to it, in my head. He's way too good at the punch shit and survive tactics.

He likely has an alt Hunter that's Solar.

Born to be a hunter, forced to be a titan type of guy.

for those who don't know titans, to me at least, are very soldier like, and don't question the Vanguard. Same goes for Warlocks, except they know when and how to question the authority of the Vanguard. Hunters, on the other hand, are free spirits. they don't work for the Vanguard if they can help it. The former hunter vanguard, Cayde-6, while he loved his job, felt trapped in the tower. He wanted to be in the fields, running with no clear goal.

I feel that's Jason, in a sense. Trapped in his role as Praetor, yearning to go out and run wild. Hunter calls to him, but He goes with Titan because it's what he's used to.

I feel like he also somewhat uses solar, as a titan. and for that his exotics are definitely Lorely Splendor or Curiass of the falling star.

As for weapons, I feel like he uses Witherhoard, or Dead man's tale. He feels like a grenade launcher kinda dude.

I can see him going for Human too!

Just thinks it's simple and at first glance when starting to play didn't know what an awoken was or an exo so he stuck with human.

He is the type to entirely focus on bulking up so to speak so he's one of those W I D E titans you see in the tower. He found a shader he likes and refuses to take it off (New Age Black Armory. Same Jason, Same.)

Jason's ghost shell is simple I think. No Love Lost Shell, and yes. He matches it with Leo.

His playstyle is punch. He's a titan, He plays to his strengths! no but seriously, He's similar to annabeth, he's a Raid Sherpa, he's decently good at PvP and he's good at PvE. One of the few, extremely rare Gambit enjoyers.

When he's on his hunter, His PvP skills get scary good. He's insane, i fear.

Piper:

ohhh She's slaying I fear. Hunter, Prismatic or void.

She tried titan, and told Jason and Leo it was too bulky and hard to play. She tried warlock and thought it was cool, but She really liked the nimbleness of a Hunter.

Her exotic armor pieces are definitely Sixth Coyote, or Orpheus Rig.

for weapons, I can see her using Still Hunt and absolutely loving it from the moment she got it. in fact, she's always got a sniper equipped, I feel like she'd be so good with them.

I can also see her using Rat King; for the meme but also because it's actually a decent weapon, I'll die on that hill.

She's also Awoken, and she secretly simps for Mara sov and Petra Venj.

simple as that, and I can totally validate her love for those ladies they are very pretty.

Her Ghost matches annie's; because why not. She loves the little cat shell.

She's your typical hunter, in terms of shaders and style. Although her, Jason and Leo do tend to match their styles. Bestieism, your honor.

I feel like Piper's play-style depends on who she's with. She adapts herself to other's, and will play support if necessary- although she rarely does.

BONUS: She fell down the lore rabbit hole with annabeth. She also is a master at taking screenshots/recordings.

Leo:

OKAY. Leo is interesting to me.

not because I can't figure him out, but because he's simply...strange. He's definitely a master of all classes.

I feel like he sees the exohumans and just. "I can do that but better"

and spends more time off the game recreating Clarity and Clovis's science with that Modern-Day Demigod flair than anything.

That being said, he only uses solar.

Prob rocks Gjally with Percy. Ace of Spades on his hunter(Likely his most played class.)

armor, he prob uses something that doesn't help his sub-class, like ahkmanhara's spine or whatever. I can also see him using Shards of Galenor if he needs to actually think about what he's doing.

HE'S AN EXO.

THEY'RE LITERALLY ADVANCED ROBOTS.

THEY'RE SO COOL.

He loves it so much

His ghost matches Jason's, it's the No Love Lost Shell.

His dress-tiny is abysmal yet it somehow matches Piper and Jason.

when playing with them, he plays his warlock, and he rounds out the team perfectly- titan, hunter, warlock.

He's also a sherpa, but mostly for Vanguard stuff; like grandmasters. He also drags people through dungeons. Him and Percy LOVE Grasp of Avarice and troll new players with the traps.

Overall, I don't see him playing much unless asked to by his friends. He's the type to only log in if his friends are online (Real tho)

Frank:

OH. he's also a titan, send tweet.

Specifically, Void Titan. pretty purple bubble super, to be EXACT.

He doesn't have much time to learn the skill set for other subclasses so he stuck to this and he doesn't regret it.

His exotic armor piece is Saint-14's helm The boost it gives for the super he prefers is crazy helpful, as the perk gives blindness to anyone who enters the "Ward of Dawn" bubble (look at me using the proper names for things)

Weapon exotic is a bow. It's his thing irl and surprisingly in games too. He either rocks Trinity Ghoul or Verglas Curve.

Another Awoken.

Thinks the Awoken lore is really cool

As Praetor he has very little time to actually play, so sadly he probably has poor dresstiny skills. He's probably basic with his colors but, like Jason, leans into the big shoulders and wideness Titan's have.

His ghost shell is the Hareball shell. It looks like a bunny. He thinks its cool and Hazel finds it adorable.

His playstyle is adaptable to the people he's playing with; although you can catch him in the lead during raids with Annabeth and Jason; helping new players with their loadouts and explaining things if the new players don't understand.

despite not having time to play, He's a raid/dungeon sherpa. He loves the Duality, and Spire of the Watcher.

Hazel:

sorry, in my head she doesn't play. She likes to watch Frank play.

this isn't because she's from the 40s or anything, I just don't think a looter-shooter game would be something she would enjoy.

if she did play, she would be a prismatic Warlock.

probably use Sunbracers

Heartshadow because it's a cool sword.

She's also a human, she didn't understand what awoken or exo were when making a character

she's not into these games, in my head. Sorry gang!

Nico:

He TOTALLY leans into the emo hunter aesthetic.

Void, all the way. He's taking this way to seriously I fear.

I think Nico would use Orpheus's rig ONLY because Reyna told him it would help his build, and he totally agrees.

as for weapons? Cerberus+1. If I remember correctly it's a cracked as FUCK gun and, well, why wouldn't the son of Hades use a gun that's named after his dad's dog?

He's also an exo, simply because he thought it was interesting.

not because he wanted to match Cayde.

He didn't find cayde relatable, shhhh. (he totally did)

His Dresstiny is just. superblack shader + that skull helm from season of the haunted. oh and Cayde's cloak; He was so angry when Cadye died.

He's got either the Clicker Ghost shell because he thinks it looks cool, or the Egregore shell. Aesthetic.

his playstyle is insane- PvP and dungeons are his main things and he secretly trains new players to be able to hold their own in PvP against people like Percy or Annabeth.

BONUS HEADCANON: He watched a few lore videos during season of the haunted and got really into learning about the history within the world of destiny (Gardener vs Winnower, the witness, etc) and will have long conversations with Annabeth over these topics.

Will:

he's the ultimate support. He thrives with it; tbh

by that I mean he's a Warlock running well of Radiance. Yknow, the healing super. It's a solar super.

He uses sunbracers for exotic armor.

as for weapons, he uses sunshot, or Trinity Ghoul

I can see him being an exo aswell.

Star Wars fan. he wanted to be a droid.

His dresstiny is kinda peak ngl. He's bright and shiny in all the best ways.

His ghost shell is either Predator sun shell or M3-D1 Shell (this one reminds him of Star Wars)

playstyle is literally throw grenades, shoot bow and heal. He's got the healing part down pat- his timing with popping a well is scary good. typically people pop them at the start of the damage phase but he waits until the perfect moment.

he's gotten yelled at a few times for that, but hey, they avoided a wipe because he waited so whos really in trouble here?

He tries his hardest to match Nico's play-style sometimes but he's not on his level yet. Nico helps and teaches him tho!

Reyna:

So, she's another character I don't see enjoying the game. 1; because she's never near technology long enough to play and 2; she's had her fill of fighting and war.

that being said. She DOES enjoy helping Nico

She researches different builds and weapon loadouts for him while she's with the hunters.

sends him guides, articles with tips, whatever she can find.

The day Final Shape came out, she texted him "Kick the witness's ass for me, Di Angelo."

And Nico compiled.

OCS TIME!

Damien:

Hunter, all the way.

He spends sooo much time as a Hunter, he feels he can relate to their whole philosophy to a degree.

for subclass, I feel like he uses all, but mainly sticks to Strand or Prismatic.

Damien absolutely LOVES Ergo Sum; the new exotic sword.

He also loves any exotic hand-canon he can get his hands on. his top three are Ace of Spades, Hawkmoon, and Thorn

Armor Wise, he's rocking Wormhusk or Sixth Coyote.

He's an awoken. Wanted to be an exo, but wanted to balance the team when he plays with Jason and Leo.

he loves those boys.

In terms of Transmog, he's rocking the same shader as Jason, and he's got the memory of cayde cloak.

His ghost shell is def one that no one uses anymore. like the destroyed last city shell from vanilla d2. either that one OR he uses E99 shell, or the Empathetic shell.

basically, an egg, a heart or a fucked up broken shell.

His playstyle mirrors Percy.

those two, when they play together... oh boy

LOUD shouting, cheering, whatnot as they hold a 14 game long win streak over the new players.

Overall, he probably fucks around alot too.

Def eager edges ppl into walls during raids, just absolute menace.

Grayson:

He's another Titan.

Solar or Arc ONLY.

Lorely Splendor or Curiass of the falling star for armor exotics. He's very attached to them, tbh

For weapons, Gjallarhorn. won't stop using it.

Human, for simplicity.

He will be the guy to try and thundercrash everything.

He's simply a titan in every regard.

meaning, He's got the most titan transmog ever

BIG shoulders.

probably uses the watermelon shader un-ironically

AJ despises that shader.

His ghost shell is the Empathetic one, to match Damien.

they both have them set to the pinkest shader they can find

it's their thing. They are brothers, your honor.

His playstyle literally screams titan.

he punches cursed thrall and screebs.

why? because he CAN.

gods, it's a mess when playing pve with him but DAMNIT if he isn't good at pvp.

slays, really.

Marcus:

so he's a warlock

He's a teacher, I'm sorry, he's gotta be one

Prismatic, or Void. Refuses to run solar. Doesn't wanna be that Hephaestus kid that runs Solar.

For exotics? nezarac's sin, or controverse hold. SORRY but they're good for void, which is what I see him using majority of the time.

Weapons wise, he's swapping around alot but he like Graviton Lance or Ergo sum and tends to favor them.

Also an exo.

Sorry, all Hephaestus kids would be exos.

Clovis Bray would be a Hephaestus kid. off topic but it's true

Transmog is peak.

probably spends sooo much time getting bounties from ada-1 for synth weaves to unlock ordainments.

He probs uses the generalist shell. he's basic. SORRY BRO.

either that or the Descrated shell. he thought it was cool.

He's better at the game than AJ

his playstyle is perfected

He honestly has had to help AJ with campaigns and stuff because he's that good.

but don't put him in PvP

he sucks.

majorly.

SONA!AJ:

Cracks knuckles.

so. AJ is me, he's my SONA. soooo

Void Warlock, Strand Hunter, Solar Titan.

He mains Warlock

Nezerac's sin ONLY for armor. (try and take that from my UNDEAD BODY)

Ergo sum or Graviton Lance, but also...Gjallarhorn. he's basic!

ALL THREE ARE EXOS.

sorry, but they literally are the coolest.

his style is also peak (tooting my own horn here)

His warlock is his favorite ngl.

He use the Final Shell on his warlock, The Halcyon Shell on his Titan and the Clicker shell on his hunter.

He's unhinged in terms of playstyle.

screams at the game to listen to him as he does stupid shit.

"I'm winning- ope- I DIED, DAMNIT."

He's decent at PvP

loves raids, but hates asking people to Raid.

his favorite raid is Deep stone Crypt.

SONA!Zee:

alright.

He's a warlock.

I can def see him trying to play other classes, but goes back to Warlock for the healing rift.

Solar or Prismatic, I think.

He's a support type, when running solar.

Sunbracers for armor.

Crimson for his weapon

Exo human

he listened to AJ, Marcus AND Leo rant about how cool they were and decided to join the club

his transmog is a mess. Sorry Zee!

He doesn't match; AJ tries to help tho.

His ghost shell is the Lady-like shell.

It's a lady-bug. :D

okay. He's southern. you put him in a looter-shooter he's gonna be somewhat decent.

also he's an apollo kid.

built in perfect aim.

AJ's jealous, somewhat.

Sona!Ace:

Okay So, while I don't think they'd play much, I think they'd be a Hunter

two reasons. relatable philosophy and STAB.

Prismatic or Void, because Pretty colors.

Orpheus's rig, because several people told them to use it; and because it matched their outfit.

I can see them using Trinity ghoul for an exotic weapon.

an awoken, because they could make their skin pink.

they are an aphrodite kid. their transmog is the best here I fear.

bright and colorful, just like their ghost.

The heart-powered ghost shell, it fits them, so much.

they're dying the most but they're having a blast.

probably only playing to bully sona!AJ

They like bullying him.

RANDOM HEADCANONS:

Raids are literally the best with these guys and the clan.

They can play the new 12 player activity easily without needing to matchmake.

monthly clan crucible matches go hard.

Annabeth and piper take people through trials of Osiris.

Annabeth's kinda a sweat during those times but piper soothes the scared players and helps them in a nicer tone

Jason tries to run clan wide gambit matches but no one really likes it.

They have won a world's first raid race as a clan.

It was either Vow of the Disciple or Root of Nightmares.

Annabeth led the raid, she was SO proud of herself when they won the raid race.

at weekly reset annabeth sends messages to the discord server asking if anyone wants help with anything.

Percy always takes her up on it.

he loves playing with her.

AJ and Marcus play alot together too.

AJ calls it their required brotherly bonding time.

overall the whole clan has a lot of fun together.

Destiny is a great way for them to just forget about demigod shit and have fun

many of them are more invested in the story than they realize

Nico got a little emotional with Cayde's arc in Final Shape

Annabeth and AJ cried together after playing. Zavala's whole arc + the fact Lance Reddick wasn't able to close the book on Zavala before he passed really hit for them.

Percy LOVES Eva Levante. she reminds him of his mom.

AJ is so glad to have friends to play one of his favorite games with

Zee, AJ and Ace make up a fireteam.

those three have made lil guardian ocs together and talked headcanons for their fireteam.

FIN.

Thanks for reading this absolute beast of a post, I am SO SORRY it's long and took forever to make, but I genuinely put a lot of thought into it and took my time so it would make sense. I hope you enjoy it anon <3

[venthia-t]

My entry for @d2artevents crimson day event. Happy to be part of this amazing team <3 I didnt wanted to go with a classic valentines day theme rather than a more emotional one. So forgive me XD I havnt much drawn anything in months properly. (Coz of mental health which im still dealing a lot of) but Im slowly coming back into destiny and drawing. I think this season (and the topic) helped a lot with that

[makoredeyes]

Dave Attenborough voice: “and here we see a young Warlock attempting to woo a potential mate. He’d best be careful though. This one’s a loner, and will be quite tough to impress…”

Or; The universal experience of keeping up with Arc Users (TM)

*been a bit so mentioning again Timur’s handsome mug borrowed with explicit permission from the character design created by the incredible @/Sylenth-l here on tumblr and Twitter

[sylenth-l]

A moment of serenity

[stoshasaurus]

casually adopts iron lord felwinter as my own oc

he drives me INSANE i fucking love him sm. here are some design notes. felwinter is often described as not being as expressive as other exos. something about not having the same "modifications" (i don't have the exact lore excerpt but it goes something like that) so it seems like he doesn't have the same plates that most exos do to emote. so a static faceplate seemed like a solid bet. i use a lot of similar shapes in his face that I do for rasputin's exo frame, especially around the jaw area, and the same shade of red in the eyes and mouth. he is, however, described as having a "black skull", so his frame is black instead of white. i think it's an interesting contrast; if one were to look at both side by side, they are obviously associated with one another, but also opposites. the static faceplate and dark color palette also adds to felwinter's cynical and impassive demeanor. (iirc, he is directly described as cynical) a dark appearance suits such a personality in my opinion. i mean, he took over a whole mountain, he's described as being less inclined to show mercy. surely he's a bit more intimidating than the average fellow.

anyway, i hope y'all enjoy. i've been oc-ifying him for a while now but was kind of nervous to share it considering how relatively new i am to this fandom, and how little i know about the game and much of its lore. still finicking with him, of course, but i've been enjoying the journey.

[i-hug-exploder-shanks]

Welcome!

This is my Destiny 2 Side blog. I have started writing fic for Destiny and decided I would need a tumblr to go with it. I am a lore nerd and really love the Dark Age stuff with the Iron Lords as well as the pure romance that drips off of everything Saint-14 and Osiris do.

I take requests for ficlets! Feel free to send in anything and I'd be happy to write something for you!

Requests: Open!!!

Favorite Characters:

Rasputin

Osiris Saint-14 Saladin Felwinter Crow Eido Misraaks Spider Shaxx Cayde-6 The Guardian's Ghost Glint Sagira

I am caught up with all of the Final Shape stuff so feel free to scream with me about it. My Destiny 2 Username is I-Hug-Exploder-Shanks#3644 if you wanna be friends.