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sombruhmoment · 4 years

Text

the correct ‘hottest character’ tier list

not actually please dont yell at me

E: Unavailable for ranking

Hammond + Winston; Animals

Bastion + Orisa + Echo; Naive, ‘childlike’ robots that just are not attractive.

D: Hot only to very specific people

Widow; My issue with Widow is she’s basic. I’ve seen this dozens of times. Her hotness is artificial - everything about her to shove in your face her hotness, and unless you’re a very meek lesbian or a weird creepy dude, she just isn’t that hot. She’s a gimmick. If she was more professional and less for show, she’d be higher.

Tracer; Yorkshire terrier. She’d be a great s/o and friend, but she’s not exactly hot. She’s plain jane. Only especially hot to very Jane Austen lesbians and again, weird creepy dudes.

Mercy; Boring. She doesn’t really have much personality in the media she shows up in beyond ‘angel’ and ‘tired’. The latter is the smallest portion of her character, but the most embraced. This is why she’s only hot in the fan portrayals of her in fic or art. She’s too plain and basic to be more than conventionally attractive.

Junkrat; He just ain’t, dude. Unless he’s your type, he isn’t hot. His personality doesn’t lend to his sex appeal, either. Very specific taste needed.

Mei; Only if you’re a butch lesbian or an even weirder dude. Very plain, but the body shape rep is nice. Her personality is probably only attractive if you’re into the same interests as her, or are familiar with your interests being shut down. This relationship will be a lot of gushing about fun science facts and god dang, you go you funky butch lesbians. Still not hot.

C: Boring + bad idea

Brig; She has a hotness factor from the muscles. She still is not hot because she is so plain. She is white bread incarnate. Her personality of sweet, ‘girl-next-door’ is appealing for a relationship, but she just isn’t that hot aside from her buffness.

Sigma; He’s often cited as one of the hotter guys, but is he, or do you just like the idea of cosmic horror? Is he hot, or do you want to be a monsterf*cker without actually commiting? He’s a traumatized Grandpa. He’s like an old, white man Mei. I’d go to the park with him and feed ducks. I would not canoodle.

Ashe; Like Widow, but more professional. She’s still boring, but at least the outfit makes her have some intrigue. Her story has the potential to make her more interesting, but let’s be real, she was only made as an attempt to stop the McHanzo shippers.

D.va; She’s fine. She’s just a young adult. Nothing much to say. Blizzard really wants you to think she’s hot, though.

Hanzo; Look. This man, no matter when you approach him, is in a crisis. Before meeting Genji, he’s stuck in the past. After, he’s gone full white girl reinvention. I wouldn’t be surprised if your hookup was a rebound. If you canoodle him, there will be strings attached. He will call you afterwards and ask if you happened to find one of his nipple piercings in your sheets. You’ll get text messages asking if you want to smoke a joint. He has no skill in this. Until he goes to therapy, wide berth. He’s hot, but the consequences and implications outweigh the good time.

B: A lil spice to ‘em

Torb; The personality is there. He’s a dilf. He’s a serious, but not without humor, haunted man who loves his family dearly. He gets made into a joke, but guys, this man would be a fan favorite if he wasn’t short.

Ana; She’s adopted the Grannie personality, which knocks her down a bit, but Ana is hot even as an older woman. Not my cup ‘a joe, but she oozes sarcasm and confidence. Also, strikes fear into the rich and corrupt? Hot.

Genji; He’s Hanzo, but after therapy. He’s got his ish together. He’ll treat you right. It’ll be the best relationship you’ve ever had because he’s so good at communication. But this isn’t about relationships. He’s hot because he’s vanilla. He’s a simple guy - and lets face it, a bottom. One of the plainer options, but still has some appeal to him with his maturity.

Zarya; Buff woman. Hot. Her personality isn’t for everyone, and her racism is...ugh...but c’mon. Look at her biceps. Look at them.

Moira; Will experiment on you in more ways than you expect. Androgynous, David Bowie. Not for the faint of heart. You’re definitely a lesbian or a femboy. Hot for her evilness. Not so hot for her nails. Not a good idea. Be careful.

Reinhardt; Big grandpa man. A gentle soul. Very loud. He’s hot for his confidence and voice. But, again, sooner feed ducks with him than anything else.

A: Hot

Sombra; Evil, intelligent, mischievous woman who is always one step ahead? Hot.

Doomfist; You are lying to yourself if you think he isn’t attractive. Jerk? No question. But listen to his voice. He’s classy, humorous, and very nicely muscled. Do not pursue a relationship under any circumstance, but look all you’d like.

Zen; Like Genji, but hotter because of the inherent controversy of canoodling a monk.

Soldier; Raspy voice, nice bone structure, haunted past, beefy but not too beefy. Kinda basic, but still appealing.

Roadhog; Voice. Voice. Voice. This man is hot. You are a coward. Dad bod x 10.

Lucio; Anarchist, fights corps, very kind and sweet. Lean muscle and fierce. Gentle and plays with kids. Cutie.

S: Hottest

Baptiste; Beefy, has some cake, romantic flirt, will take C A R E of you and make you breakfast. Look at him. Haunted past, muscles, nice voice, you KNOW he takes care of his nails and hygiene. Not just a good night, marry this man. Someone else will if you don’t. Hottest character in Overwatch.

McCree; Voice, dad bod, tanned, probably smells like smoke and sand. He’s a sweetie, but has some edge to him. A nice middle ground between Hot Evil and Hot Cute. Beard is definitely scratchy.

Pharah; Buff woman with a nice voice, cute sense of humor, and sense of loyalty and responsibility? Like a female Baptiste. Go get the ring. Now.

Reaper; Haunted past, claws, monster/inhuman, and that voice. Don’t pursue relationship. Casual meetups? Sure. Do not catch feelings, this isn’t a Wattpad story and you are not y/n, you will not change him.

Symmetra; She’s kinda confused but she has a good heart, good voice, and very nice legs. She’s dripping charisma and confidence, look at her. You are below her and that is quite an enjoyable experience. Would be a decent s/o, would have a lot to learn but she’d try her best.

#jesse mcree #overwatch #hanzo shimada #genji shimada #lena oxton #gabriel reyes #jack morrison #solider 76 #gangpost

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self-shipping-time · 4 years

Photo

Warnings: cursing, arguing, death mention, fighting mention (no actual descriptions of the fighting, but it takes place in a battle)

Word Count: 1017

Notes: Under the cut is a short fic I wrote to go with this! I’ll rb with the ao3 link if you’d rather read it there.

Parker looked at the view from the top of the building. They were raiding Numbani today and, while he wasn't thrilled to raid a city that was so peaceful, he had the small hope that it might put an end to all of this.

Of course, that was impossible. Talon had far too many people on its side, and what did everyone else have? Overwatch? They'd just resurfaced a few months ago and, as far as he knew, all they had was Winston, Lena, Genji, Reinhardt, Angela, and a few new faces. What they had done in Paris was impressive, but there was no way they could stop this alone.

He shook his head, he should focus. He was supposed to be making sure that there wasn't anyone around except civilians. He scanned the streets and the coast looked to be clear. He turned, ready to give everyone the all-clear. When he turned around, he stumbled. Parker was face to face with none other than Genji Shimada, who caught Parker's arm to make sure he didn't fall to his death.

"Shit," Parker said under his breath.

"It's nice to see you too, Parker," Genji said, with, was that a chuckle? He only knew Genji for a few years, but not once had he heard him laugh.

"Sorry, I just didn't expect to see you here."

"And I didn't expect to see Jack, Ana, and Gabe's kid as a Talon scout," he said as Parker looked away and mumbled a small "me neither."

Genji saw Parker slowly try to lift a hand to the comm on his ear, so he said, "I don't recommend that."

Parker dropped his hand from the comm, but he wasn't worried. He'd already alerted his commander that he'd been compromised through a secret communicator he kept in his jacket. It was only to be used for situations like these where he couldn't talk.

They were quiet for a bit before Parker said, "You've really changed, huh."

Genji nodded, "I am at peace with who I am now."

“That's pretty sick, dude."

"Although, it doesn't seem like the same can be said for you."

He rubbed the back of his neck and said, "No, I guess it can't." Parker looked down and said quietly, "Y'know, I know you're probably just a distraction or something, but I really missed you. I've missed Overwatch in general."

Genji was going to respond when he turned his head to hear the sound of others coming to the roof. Genji quickly looked back to Parker in confusion.

"Yeah, sorry about them. Everyone just really wanted this day to go smoothly, you get it." Parker said with a small smile.

He could practically feel the disappointed look Genji gave him from behind his visor, but Parker tried to ignore it as Genji slipped away.

He sighed right before the door swung open. Then, he started to explain what had happened and that Overwatch was nearby.

They thought it would just be the agents they saw in Paris, but Overwatch's return had a lot more support than expected. They were going to put up a good fight.

Parker had been fighting for a while and he hadn't seen many other old faces. He saw glimpses of Angela flitting between patients and the blur of Lena zipping throughout the fight, but none of them had seen him face to face. That was until he saw Jesse.

He had hoped that he wouldn't run into Jesse, but it was just his luck that he and his brother happened to be fighting near each other.

Parker saw Jesse before his brother saw him and he quickly stuffed the yellow bandana he wore around his neck into his pocket. Jesse gave it to him when they were both younger. He wears it when he fights so he'll always have something to remind him of who he was, but Jesse won't see it that way when they're on opposing sides.

"Wha- Parker?" Jesse looked at Parker, surprised to see him on a battlefield. His expression quickly shifted to anger after realizing what side Parker was on.

"Oh. Hey, Jesse. Guess Genji didn't let you know I was here." Parker said with a sad smile.

"No. He must've forgotten to mention it."

They stood there, not speaking for a few seconds. The noise of the battle around them was deafening. After trying to collect his thoughts, Jesse spoke again, "Why?"

"Jesse, I didn't want to. After Overwatch fell I had nowhere to go," he paused and his voice broke when he continued, "Jesse, I thought you all were dead."

Jesse sighed and said, "For a while, we thought the same about Ana and Jack." He looked down, "I shouldn't've said that."

"Mom and Dad are alive?" Parker said as his eyes widened.

"It's none of your business."

"Of course it's my business, they're my parents."

"Not when you're on their side, it's not," he said, gesturing at the other Talon agents.

Parker gripped his sword tighter and said, "You know I don't want to be."

"Yeah, well, you don't have to be."

"Jesse, you don't get it."

"What don't I get? Overwatch is reuniting and we'd gladly take you."

"Jesse, I can't leave," he sighed, "Dad's here."

"What are you talking about? We found him. Unless you're talking about-"

"Gabe is here," Parker interrupted.

Jesse sighed as he looked away before he said, "Parker, Gabe is gone. He died in the explosion."

"Jesse, that's not true. Moira saved him-"

Jesse interrupted him with a laugh, "She didn't save him, she created a monster."

"Jesse, he's still in there, I promise."

"Parker. Please." Jesse pleaded.

Parker shook head and said, "I'm not leaving without him, even if he's not the same person," Parker said and Jesse nodded, despite his disbelief.

"Please, if you run into Overwatch again, stay out of the way. I don't want to have to fight you."

"I'll try my best," Parker said as he turned away. He had spent enough time not fighting and he hoped he wouldn't get in trouble because of it.

#familial f/o: mccree #self ship #self shipping #overwatch s/i #familial f/o #platonic f/os #self ship art #self ship fic #parkers art #parkers writing

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thebiblesalesman · 5 years

Audio

All the Lore I Know About Tekhartha Zenyatta (with sources)

This probably isn’t everything the entire fandom knows- I’m sure people have worked out things that I haven’t -but this is everything I know as of June 2, 2019.

1. Zenyatta was built either after the Omnic Crisis or during its final days.

2051* - Omnic Crisis begins. 205x (2056 max)** - Omnic Crisis ends. 2056 - Zenyatta built. 2076*** - Overwatch Recall / Death of Mondatta.

*Metzen said the Omnic Crisis began 30 years ago, Chu said it began 25 years ago; Chu is the most recent source.

**Orisa’s hero profile indicates that one of her predecessor models was decommissioned 20 years ago "after the war”, putting a maximum Crisis end date of 2056.

***Metzen said in 2014 that the game takes place “60 years” in the future, but for my sanity I am advancing that date 2 years to match the release year of the game.

Zenyatta is 15 years younger than his student, Genji. Zenyatta’s “Shell” spray, seen above, was part of an Archives 2017 spray set that showed heroes as young children.

+ playoverwatch.com, Zenyatta Hero Profile + playoverwatch.com, Orisa Hero Profile + Chris Metzen, Overwatch Unveiled Panel, Blizzcon 2014 + Michael Chu, Blizzard Forums, 2016/8/17

2. Zenyatta, along with the rest of the Shambali, were already outcasts when they had their spiritual awakening.

You can figure this one out through a careful reading of Zenyatta’s hero profile:

Years ago, following the Omnic Crisis, a group of outcast omnic robots experienced what they described as a spiritual awakening. They abandoned their preprogrammed lives to establish a communal monastery deep in the Himalayas.

I’ve noticed a lot of people get this confused, and think Zenyatta was outcast from the Shambali order, but that is not the case. The Shambali were collectively unwanted before their enlightenment. Cultist Zenyatta describes his pre-monastery status as “No one of note. Just one of thousands like me.”

What does “preprogrammed” mean? There’s a good example in the Retribution mission. At the end of the mission, players encounter a host omnic at an outdoor restaurant. Regardless of the disastrous situation in Venice at the time, the host has a few dialogues about dinner reservations, menu specials, etc. The host makes discomforted noises if players attack them, but never attempts to defend themselves. They sometimes even ask “would you like to know the specials?” as they are dying. This is not because the host is unintelligent, but because they have a program in place defining their actions. The host has yet to experience a moment of clarity that allows them to move beyond their original programming.

Understanding one’s own programming does not automatically result in a Shambali either. Theirs was a spiritually-oriented path, but an omnic realizing how they are being taken advantage of can also lead to unrest, or movements like Null Sector. Overcoming original programming (with various results) is a constant theme for all omnic heroes, from Bastion to Orisa.

--[SPECULATION: Despite being built as civilian models with similar modes of operation to the waiters, clerks, and laborers we have seen in various Overwatch media, it is possible that most of the Shambali were unwanted when they finally emerged due to post-war conflict between humans and omnics. They had programming telling them to accomplish a particular task, but they could never act on it. This could explain why they appear to have had a collective epiphany about their nature and moved as a group to establish their monastery.]

--[QUESTION: Omnica Corporation and the omniums were already shut down for fraudulent production claims before the Crisis started. Who was continuing to make new omnics even during the war, and by what method? Was Zenyatta built in an omnium, or by a more traditional method like an assembly line, or hand-built like Orisa?

We also know that omnics are continuing to be made today, such as the “child” companion omnic seen on the Blizzardworld ride poster, or the OR15s.]

--[QUESTION: Where was Zenyatta built? His hero profile only indicates that the Shambali established their monastery in the Himalayas. It gives no indication on how far they traveled to reach that location.]

+ playoverwatch.com, Zenyatta Hero Profile + Junkenstein’s Revenge 2018, Cultist Interactions + Glen Brogan, Overlord Transport Poster, 2018/1/23

3. For Zenyatta, the term “brother/sister” has multiple possible contexts.

--[SPECULATION: Zenyatta uses “brother/sister” in the traditional religious context when referring to other Shambali. But from the previous point in this list we know that the Shambali were already together in a group when they had their spiritual awakening, so it’s possible that they were all built in the same place at around the same time. This would also be a form of siblinghood.

Zenyatta and the other Shambali may consider all omnics as part of their “family”/in a state of camaraderie with them, hence why Zenyatta refers to Orisa as his sister despite her not being a monk. Zenyatta only ever refers to Bastion as “my friend”, but Bastion has no gender so it may simply be the easiest non-gendered replacement for the endearment.]

+ Zenyatta, Voicelines

4. The Shambali established their sanctum in the ruins of an ancient, preexisting monastery.

+ Overwatch Visual Sourcebook, Environments: Nepal

5. Zenyatta’s name...is Zenyatta. “Tekhartha” is a title. Mondatta also had this title.

--[QUESTION: Is the “Tekhartha” title something every Shambali takes upon joining the order, or is it a rank indicative of leadership? The term is a portmanteau of “technology” and “Siddhartha”, the name of the child who would become Buddha.]

+ Michael Chu, Blizzard Forums, 2018/5/25

6. Mondatta was Zenyatta’s master/mentor...maybe.*

*This might seem like a gimme considering Mondatta is the spiritual leader of the entire Shambali religion, but Zenyatta only ever refers to him as his brother in the main game. It’s in his Cultist incarnation that he describes himself as “following in my Master’s footsteps, searching for enlightenment”.

Wisp (Tracer) also refers to Mondatta as Cultist’s master. Mondatta certainly carries himself like someone older than Zenyatta- not that age confers wisdom, but it’s part of Mondatta’s professorial aesthetic. Zenyatta’s profile unhelpfully describes him as “enigmatic”, but this just brings us back to the question of whether or not the Shambali were all built at the same time and from the same facility. So the crux of this point is whether or not you think Cultist’s story is a reference to real-world history, or if it is AU-only.

The Halloween stories have their own little worlds with their own little plot arcs (at least in my head ;)). Obviously there are some (intentional) similarities to the real world, but it’s not intended to be one to one. [Michael Chu]

+ playoverwatch.com, Zenyatta Hero Profile + Junkenstein’s Revenge 2018, Cultist Interactions + Michael Chu, Twitter Comments, 2018/10/9

7. Zenyatta’s metal orbs were hand-carved at the Shambali monastery and are used to channel omnic energy.

+ Overwatch Visual Sourcebook, Zenyatta

8. Zenyatta’s abilities as shown in the game exist for “gameplay reasons”, but he is canonically able to heal others by an unknown method.

The Mercy interaction is what explicitly confirms Zenyatta’s healing abilities, but I threw in the Moira one because it is such a wonderful display of character. Moira does not immediately see a scientific explanation for Zenyatta’s abilities, and Zenyatta reframes the question to propose that truly understanding how he functions is the same as understanding how he exists, which is not a physical phenomenon a scientist could observe and measure to resolve with a hypothesis.

Zenyatta is hardly an enemy of the scientific method. He’s just not sure how it can answer the spiritual questions he’s interested in. Upon visiting Oasis he will actually wonder aloud “Can science alone unlock the path to enlightenment?”

Check the Bonus section below for a Cultist interaction that also describes Zenyatta’s abilities as non-magical, but also non-technological.

--[SPECULATION: Zenyatta’s levitation is also a non-technological function. Everything that floats in Overwatch leaves a trace, such as jet trails or blue hover-rings. Everything except Zenyatta. The dude just cruises around on pure enlightenment, which is a trope in both Hinduism and Buddhism.

Zenyatta was originally given the ability to float to distinguish him from other heroes (see the Development section below), but as a character there is no reason for him to artificially give himself the ability to float. Remember that Zenyatta does not seek recognition for his spiritual status. It’s more like a side effect.]

+ Zenyatta and Mercy Interaction added in October 2018 + Zenyatta and Moira Interaction added in October 2018 + Junkenstein’s Revenge 2018, Cultist Interactions + Jeff Kaplan, “Blizzard’s Jeff Kaplan Answers Questions from Twitter” by Wired/Youtube [07:39], 2017/5/17

9. Zenyatta’s disagreement with the direction of the Shambali religion was not his primary reason for leaving the monastery. He left because he wanted to learn by traveling the world. He remained on good terms with Mondatta and the rest of the Shambali after his departure.

--[SPECULATION: After Mondatta’s death, Zenyatta’s relationship with the remaining Shambali may have become more strained due to his long-standing opposition to Mondatta’s approach and his long absence from the monastery. This would explain why despite his good terms with the other monks, he wonders if he would be welcome in Nepal.] --[SPECULATION: Genji and Zenyatta are shown spending Christmas in Nepal the year of the Recall. I hesitate even putting this as speculation honestly. I think Zenyatta did finally reconnect with his brothers and sisters the Christmas after Mondatta died, perhaps following Genji’s lead since the monastery is Genji’s home at this point. However since I can only find architectural similarities and not an exact location that matches the comic I guess the devs reserve the right to pop back in 2 years from now and say “actually they were in Singapore.” (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻] + Jeff Kaplan, Summarized comments via Manolo Rosenberg/Twitter.com, 2017/11/9 + Nepal Map, Zenyatta Voicelines + Nepal Map, Genji Voicelines + Comic: Reflections, 2016/12/20

10. Zenyatta and the other Shambali monks use cooking as a tool to encourage empathy between humans and omnics, even if they themselves cannot eat.

+ Overwatch: The Official Cookbook, Til Ko Laddu Sesame Sweets Recipe, ETA 2019/10/1

11. Zenyatta’s belt has the word “zen” written in Japanese on the tassel.

In earlier concept art, the word “zen” was on Zenyatta’s orbs instead, and it was written in Chinese. The word changed languages and locations later in development. “Zen” itself originates from Zen Buddhism, a Buddhist school from China that emphasizes the act of learning over the doctrine of what is learned, making it a very good fit for Zenyatta, his conflict with the Shambali, and his method of teaching through interaction rather than reciting dogma.

--[SPECULATION: Genji gave the belt to him to signify their bond, or they traveled in Japan together at some point and acquired it then.] --[SPECULATION: The tattered scrap of cream cloth under Zenyatta’s belt is also emblematic of a bond- his life with the Shambali.] + Zenyatta Reference Kit + Overwatch Visual Sourcebook, Zenyatta

Zenyatta Development Notes

If you have ever watched the “Making A Hero” panels from Blizzcon or gone through The Art of Overwatch concept book, you know that heroes tend to arise from one of three domains: 1) Narrative need - for example, Ana had a backstory long before the team figured out how to integrate her into the game, 2) Gameplay need - ex. Junkrat was created because the devs wanted an indirect damage dealer, 3) Conceptual art inspiration - Zenyatta and Zarya both originated from drawings organized around a particular theme, “cyber monk” and “physically strong female character” in their respective cases.

This led to Zenyatta’s initial development as a martial artist, with a powerful physicality. Despite a lot of iterations, the team decided his intimidating presence was too much like other heroes in the game, and they began turning him into more of an “enlightened sage” trope, skinny with the ability to levitate to further set him apart from other heroes. His original concept with many arms lives on in his Transcendence ultimate.

Originally his orbs were meant to be physically fired at enemies, but facing technical challenges such as figuring out how he would reload, the devs changed the orbs so that they would unlock and fire energy at enemies instead. This approach also lent itself to abilities like the Orbs of Harmony and Discord.

youtube

Above: Video of Baoding balls, metal balls with a distinctive chiming sound used in China for hand exercise

In terms of philosophical and religious concepts, Zenyatta is kinda all over the Eastern cultural map. He’s got two sprays referencing Korean martial arts and games, he’s got two skins referencing Chinese characters, another pair referencing the Egyptian sun god, and another pair for Arabian jinn. According to The Art of Overwatch his legendaries at launch were themed around “enlightened mythological figures”, which the devs felt suited his sage archetype.

Above: Photo of a building in Pashupatinath, a Hindu temple complex in Kathmandu, Nepal

The Shambali religion takes mostly from Buddhism, though the village below the Shambali monastery invokes Newa architecture. The Newari are a group of indigenous Nepali people who mostly practice Hinduism. It’s not unheard of for philosophies and religions to mix and expand on each other, and a multicultural background may be appropriate for Zenyatta who is a wanderer searching for knowledge, but it does make tracking down particular influences on his character a little boggling at times.

I realize I haven’t covered the mudras (ritual hand gestures) Zenyatta uses yet, but considering the length of this post and how image-intensive that would be, I will in fact let you google those on your own, or perhaps I will make a separate post about it at some point.

Bonus Section: The Cultist Conundrum

As part of Junkenstein’s Revenge 2018, Zenyatta’s Cultist character got 10+ new interactions, many of which don’t seem to reference his Cultist nature very closely. There are several that illuminate Cultist’s relationship with the Swordsman (Genji), some that indicate the Cultist is seeking to help others through their troubles just like Zenyatta, and one interaction that takes on a more ominous tone. To be honest it’s a wonderful exploration of a hero, but since it’s trapped in the Junkenstein’s Revenge AU, we have no way of knowing what’s ultimately true about it for the less cephalopodian version of Zenyatta.

All that said, I think these interactions are just really really good, so I’m going to include them in this post.

Shieldmaiden: Your master is a mysterious-looking fellow. Swordsman: I have learned much from him, but little about him.

Genji wants the lore bombs too btw.

Shieldmaiden: What do you make of the monk? Viking: I do not trust him and his strange gods.

Listening back to the audio of this, the Viking is very specifically saying gods, plural. Polytheism is a big part of Hinduism and to a lesser extent a part of Buddhism, but this is more likely a reference to Cultist’s eldritch origins, the “Great Old Ones” of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos. It’s also an echo of Torbjörn‘s opinion of the Shambali religion in the main game (“It's like a culmination of a thousand of my worst nightmares!”).

Shieldmaiden: Why did you come here? Cultist: I am following in my Master’s footsteps, searching for enlightenment, though my path has not always been a straight one.

I discussed this earlier as being one of the references to Mondatta as Zenyatta’s mentor. We know he is referring to Mondatta due to a separate conversation with Wisp:

Wisp: How can you trust the Countess after she slew your master? Cultist: Did I say I trusted her?

I recommend hopping on Youtube and giving this interaction a listen if you have never heard it before. As we know from this and other main game interactions, Tracer is extremely pissed about what happened to Mondatta, and views the outcome as her own fault. In this case she actually takes that anger out on Cultist, enraged that he could remain so calm with Countess (Widowmaker) herself at his side. For his part, Cultist is quick to differentiate cooperation from trust. Perhaps the most unfortunate part about the additions to Junkenstein’s Revenge 2018 is that the Countess has no interactions with anyone, so there is no elaboration on Cultist’s thoughts about her.

Shieldmaiden: Is it magic that you do? Cultist: It is not magic, but the power of the spirit that I channel.

Whyisn’tthisjustanormalBrigitteandZenyattainteractionFROWNYFACE. This interaction tells us that spiritual energy is not magic by Overwatch standards. That’s a close alignment with Eastern cultural views, and a clarification from Western ones where anything supernatural is by its nature a form of magic (very fitting that Brigitte is the one asking the question).

To maybe explain this a little better, let’s look at a popular TV show like Dragon Ball Z. Despite Goku having supernatural powers, no one refers to him as a witch or wizard. He instead is considered a manipulator of life energy. Did you feel bad reading this? I felt bad writing it. But I think it’s a good way to differentiate the concepts, especially for anyone who is really hung up on the “Overwatch has no magic!” preconception and then has to reconcile characters like the Shimadas or Zenyatta.

The primary issue with this interaction is its context: Cultist is said to “answer to a foreboding presence- a force beyond mortal understanding”. This is another Lovecraft reference, but it creates a background that doesn’t really match with Cultist’s spirit-oriented response. Maybe he means “the Spirit” with a capital S, but I have a suspicion that this is a regular Zenyatta answer sneaking into the Junkenstein AU.

Shieldmaiden: How is it you have barely broken a sweat? Cultist: It must be my many years of training, simple diet, and careful way of life.

BLESS YOU BRIGITTE. Reminder that the guy she’s asking this question of looks like this:

Swordsman: Watch yourself Master! I cannot mind your back at all times. Cultist: Do you think me so helpless? Swordsman: Battle is not your way.

I like this interaction more for what it tells us about Genji. He’s protective of Zenyatta, not so much because he views Zenyatta as weak, but because he knows Zenyatta would prefer not to fight at all. He wants Zenyatta to live his ideal life rather than the one reality necessitates. This is another interaction that doesn’t quite mesh with the general concept of the Cultist- an outcast who would do anything for forbidden knowledge. I suppose it’s possible that despite his frightening appearance and the broken manacles dangling off his limbs, he is actually benevolent. This concept is echoed in another of the Swordsman’s interactions with him:

Swordsman: It is strange to see you taking part in the battle, Master. Cultist: There are times even I cannot stand by.

I guess Genji already forgot about that robo-spider chilling in a cave that they both decided to beat up for some reason.

Cultist: A pause in the battle. An opportunity to recenter our minds. Swordsman: I am centered.

This interaction starts showing us the other side of the coin- that Zenyatta is trying to advise Genji as best he can on how to proceed through the fight without letting his emotions take control. Genji reacts uh...emotionally.

Cultist: Take care that you do not spend yourself before the battle is done. Swordsman: I am only just getting started!

Genji, in both these cases, is showing himself to be a little prideful.

Van Helsing: You some sorta...holy man? Cultist: Simply a traveler, in search of purpose and meaning. Van Helsing: Aren’t we all.

This goes back to that Zen Buddhism idea that what is important is the act of learning or the journey to an answer, and not the answer itself or what the act of learning causes you to become. In this case, as in the main Overwatch universe, Zenyatta is probably aware that “holy man” is a title conferring a certain deference upon him, and he has no need for that- in fact it may be detrimental. Mondatta’s adoring flocks are never something he has desired.

Cultist: Some believe that the full moon is a good omen. Van Helsing: Maybe...if you’re a werewolf.

Zenyatta, in his Cultist role or otherwise, happily soaks up surrounding cultures. Here he’s bouncing an idea off McCree that he hasn’t embraced himself (”some believe”), but he picked it up somewhere and upon noticing his environment, seeks to learn more from whoever is available to answer. When this interaction plays, it’s always the first interaction of the game- so Cultist is trying to instill confidence for the fight ahead too. McCree isn’t having any of it though.

Viking: Who were you before you entered the monastery? Cultist: No one of note. Just one of thousands like me. But one moment of clarity changed everything.

New lore: Zenyatta worked at McDonalds and then one day he saw god and god asked for some chicken mcnuggies.

Viking: I find your religion unnerving, monk. Cultist: My beliefs are simply in the fundamental ways of life and nature, nothing more.

You coming out here telling me the Cultist and not just regular old Zenyatta is the one saying this, Jeff? (To be fair, I never personally witnessed the Cultist’s response to the Viking’s comment playing in-game- it’s something that seemingly only exists in datamined content.)

Viking: Single-mindedness of Dr. Junkenstein’s creations reminds me of your own! Cultist: You wound me. Viking: Is that even possible?

Cultist confirmed to have inherited regular Zenyatta’s sass. I would also like to use this space to point out that Cultist has more interactions with Shieldmaiden, Swordsman, Viking, and Wisp than Zenyatta does with Brigitte, Genji, Torbjörn , and Tracer. If you want the Zenyatta juice, you really have to look at Cultist closely.

Cultist: You blame yourself for the dragon’s reign of terror, but it is not your fault. Viking: You weren’t there, monk. You don’t know about my failure.

Squid Zenyatta is still trying to help people out. We learn through some of the Viking’s other interactions that his home village was destroyed by a dragon. This might be interesting as a clue to Torbjörn‘s real-life history, but the dragons of Junkenstein’s Revenge don’t necessarily equate to the Omnic Crisis.

Cultist: Rarely has my path crossed a warrior as cheerful as you. Viking: When you’ve seen as much as I have, either you laugh, or you go mad.

Note that any interaction between Cultist and Viking that the Viking starts is very antagonistic/accusatory, but he actually relaxes when Cultist does not reply in turn. There’s a paternalistic vibe.

Wisp: I don’t think I’ve ever seen you sleep! Cultist: Meditation is all I require to sustain myself.

Fun fact!: a small number of Buddhist monks practiced extreme forms of asceticism where they reduced food and water intake to a stopping point, had their apprentices bury them alive in a box filled with charcoal or salt, and meditated until their deaths. This act of self-mummification was thought to allow the monk to remain in eternal spiritual contemplation.

Wisp: Would you tell me more about your religion? Cultist: Our purpose is to show everyone that in the Iris, we are all one people.

Another interaction that honestly would not seem out of place in the normal game, except that Tracer presumably knows about or even practices the Shambali religion already, given her attendance at Mondatta’s speech. At the very least she empathizes with the Shambali’s goals.

Cultist: When I gazed into the Iris, I found a great nothingness. It changed me. You must have experienced the same. Wisp: That is not what I saw!

At last, a properly creepy Cultist interaction! So through some other conversations we learn that Wisp was a traveler torn from her body by a magical catastrophe, and she now inhabits the world as a ghostly wraith. Cultist interprets this to mean she passed through the Iris, and that the nothingness there is responsible for her transformation (just as it was for his? I wonder what he looked like before).

The “nothingness” he talks about may actually be less sinister than it sounds. There is the aspect that comes from Cthulhu stories, the idea of death as an infinite void, and the madness that may result from gazing too long into an abyss. Yes, that is terrifying.

But there is a nearby word, “emptiness”, that has a great deal of meaning in the various schools of Buddhism. The basic idea is that no being or thing in the universe possesses an intrinsic nature, that nothing stands alone but rather is woven together with all other things (does this sound familiar yet?). The Sanskrit word for this concept is sunyata.

So yeah, maybe Cultist isn’t so bad. Maybe he’s just a little misunderstood.

#overwatch #zenyatta #shambali #omnic #myrestxt

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nitewrighter · 6 years

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Yellow As the Sun

A Short ficlet Based on a Fic Title Prompt

Pre-Fall of Overwatch Era. Genji has recently had his prosthetics updated and says some... interesting things while on painkilers.

CW for drug mention

---

“Oh for--” Mercy frowned, scrolling through the tablet as she walked down the hall of Zurich’s medical ward, “Who in anesthesiology approved this compound for post-surgery?”

“Well you insisted that the transition to the new prosthetics happen with as little damage to the patient’s remaining organic organs as possible,” said one of the Blackwatch Cyberneticists walking alongside her, “This compound is the safest for that.”

“Well, yes, but Mr. Shimada’s mental state is already delicate enough without these... side effects,” said Mercy.

“He’ll be fiiiine, dude was probably doing mountains of coke and god knows what else back with the Shimada clan,” said another Blackwatch cyberneticist. Mercy shot that cyberneticist a glare and the first cyberneticist made a cutting motion next to her neck and shook her head.

Mercy just huffed. “The new prosthetics are responding to basic reflexes?” she said, looking at the first Cyberneticist.

“Yep. They’ll probably need some further calibration as he recovers more from the surgery, but we have nervous connection.”

The three of them paused in front of the door.

“We’ll leave you to it, Doctor Ziegler,” said the second cyberneticist. Mercy nodded as they headed down the hall and she opened the door.

She had to admit, she liked the new prosthetics--better than the old ones anyway. Taupe sarcofibers stretched across his torso and over the frames of his new prosthetic legs. More muscle-like movement, better shock absorption for how much he jumped around. It still was markedly different from organic flesh, certainly, but less jarring than the mass of black, white, and red metal and fibers and red and black wires which wracked his previous form. Lighter, too. They’d need him to go through the tedious process of going through different armors to protect the new prosthetics with the least amount of sacrifice to his movement, but the new prosthetics would be significantly lighter.

Genji was awake already. Sitting up in bed, even. She knew the biotic feed running into his organic arm would keep the new organ grafts from damaging themselves. She had noted in previous observations that he seemed to metabolize and burn through sedatives far faster than most humans. Her gut told her that it was something to do with the dragon, but she feared recording such things in Genji’s medical records might make him more of a lab subject than he already was.

She saw Genji was staring at his hands and her stomach knotted. She knew that the transition between prosthetics was easy to make him feel even more disconnected from his body. She stepped forward, ready to say something comforting, but noticed something odd about the way he was moving his hands. His pupils were completely dilated and he was slowly trailing his hands up and down in front of himself, his expression not disgusted, but almost awed.

“Genji?” she spoke softly, not wanting to startle him.

“My hands have ghosts,” he said, waving his hands up and down.

Aaaand I’m firing that anesthesiologist, thought Mercy.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, smiling a little.

Genji blinked several times and looked up from his hands to her. His cybernetic jaw dropped. “Doctor Ziegler?” he said, eyes wide.

“Yes, Genji, it’s me, you may experience some disorientation with your current painkill--”

“You’re glowing,” Genji leaned dangerously far over the side of the bed towards her.

Mercy took a few steps forward and gently took him by his shoulders. “Your vision is also probably affected--strobing, doubles, more vivid colors, nothing too extreme-- but I assure you, it’s temporary,” she said, re-centering him on the bed so he didn’t fall out.

“You’re so strong,” Genji said in awe, his hand trailed up toward her hair, “And yellow...” he reached a hand up toward it.

Mercy managed to put her hand over his and bring it down before he could touch at her hair. “You’re also experiencing some loss of inhibitions,” she said, pulling away slightly.

“Mm,” Genji nodded.

“So I’m just here to ask you if you’re in any pain and see how the prosthetics are treating you,” said Mercy, trying to get him to focus.

“Hmm,” Genji nodded.

“So are you in pain?” said Mercy.

“No,” said Genji.

“Good,” said Mercy, “And the prosthetics?”

Genji looked at his hands, then started slowly waving them up and down once more. He was quiet for a few beats before holding up his prosthetic hand and saying, “This one’s not real.”

“But does it work?” asked Mercy.

Genji curled and uncurled the fingers of his prosthetic hand, then suddenly loosely flailed it back and forth. “It doesn’t jiggle like the old one!” he said, eyes wide while still flailing his hand.

“The old one jiggled?” said Mercy.

Genji stopped flailing his hand and pointed to the thumb joint on his prosthetic hand. “Here,” he said, “But not anymore.” He paused, “Was it your idea?”

“Well, I had been hoping to update your prosthetics for a while,” said Mercy.

“You’re so smart,” Genji flopped back against his pillows, “...and you... you look like that? All the time?”

“Well, as I’ve said, you may be experiencing some blooming and strobing with your vision right n--”

“You’re like the sun,” Genji went on, “...But... if you could actually look at the sun. And the sun was beautiful. And the sun has eyes. Kuso, your eyes are huge.”

Mercy snorted. While she was still miffed that the anesthesiologist would make Genji so disoriented, she had to admit, it was a bit of a relief to see him not obsessively brooding over the Shimada clan for once. The stream of compliments was, admittedly, disarming, but intel had said Genji had been more than a bit of a charmer back before losing his body... maybe his confusion was bringing that through. It had occurred to her that she had almost never seen him smiling until now.

“Well I think you should be getting some rest, Genji,” she said with a slight smile.

“You’re leaving?” there was a sadness in Genji’s voice.

“Well I have other patients to get t--” Mercy opened the door to find McCree standing outside.

“...Doc,” said McCree.

“McCree,” said Mercy, furrowing her brows, “Reyes sent you?”

“Well, just to check on Genji...” McCree stepped through the doorway.

“And I’m guessing I wasn’t supposed to still be in here,” said Mercy, arching an eyebrow.

“Maybe,” said McCree glancing down.

“Well as you can see, Genji’s doing fine,” said Mercy, flatly.

“Look, Reyes was just concerned because you pushed through really fast with this surgery without much oversight from him--” He paused and looked at Genji’s legs, “You got rid of the calf blades?”

“If Reyes had his way, we would have been waiting until Genji went through catastrophic prosthetic failure before we replaced them,” said Mercy, folding her arms, “And yes we got rid of the calf blades. They were awful.”

“Well I mean, if it ain’t broke...” McCree started but made the wise choice of not finishing that sentence with Mercy glaring at him.

“Doctor Ziegler, McCree is here,” said Genji, who was slowly waving his hands around again.

“I can see that, Genji,” said Mercy.

“How you holdin’ up?” said McCree, smiling over at Genji.

Genji gave a thumbs up with his prosthetic hand and then pointed to it, “No jiggling,” he said proudly.

McCree noted the odd amount of relaxation in Genji’s expression and the ease with which he was slumped against the pillows.

“They got you on the good stuff, partner?” smirked McCree, arching an eyebrow at Genji’s I.V.

“Good stuff?” Genji repeated dreamily, looking at his hand again and turning it over.

“Yeah they got you on the good stuff,” said McCree.

Genji seemed to perk up at remembering something, “McCree--” he said in a loud whisper and motioned for McCree to come closer.

“Mm?” McCree leaned in a little

Genji motioned with his head at Angela. “Look,” he said quietly.

McCree glanced over at Mercy. “What?” he looked back at Genji, “The doc?”

Genji nodded.

“...what about her?” said McCree.

“She looks like that,” Genji gripped McCree’s shoulders and his voice dropped to a loud hoarse whisper, “All the time.”

“Yeeeup, that’s sort of how people work, Genji,” said McCree, gently pulling Genji’s hands off of his shoulders.

“It’s amazing...” Genji said quietly.

“Yeah I’m just going to let you sleep this off,” said McCree, grinning as he pulled away.

“Mm-hm,” Genji nodded and glanced out the window, staring for a few seconds before saying, “The mountains are breathing.”

“They sure are,” said McCree, stepping towards the door, “Oh I’m going to give him so much shit for this later,” he whispered to Mercy.

“Good bye, McCree,” said Mercy flatly.

McCree tipped his hat and headed out the door.

Mercy closed it behind him.

“I need to get going too,” she said, looking back at Genji, “Try to get some sleep.”

“Doctor Ziegler?” Genji spoke up and she paused in the doorway.

“Thank you,” said Genji. He gave his prosthetic hand a demonstrative flail. “No jiggle.”

Mercy smiled. “Call me if you need anything,” she said.

Genji nodded and looked out the window again.

#Gency

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parkerpup · 6 years

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Hero 29 Rant & Theory

Alright so with Blizzcon coming up I wanted to get my two cents out there about who I think the next hero is, largely because I don't believe many people are considering any other candidates other than the Junkertown Queen. Who exactly am I talking about? This guy.

So in the early days of Overwatch I saw this guy pop up in the cinematic trailer among various other heroes. I always remembered him because I liked his design in that he seemed cyborg-esque like Genji but a bit messier. While he never became a hero I always kept him in the back of my mind hoping he would become a hero one day to little avail.

At least UNTIL recently, more specifically Overwatch Retribution.

That's right! I think this guy is supposed to be Antonio. I think Antonio is the next hero. But before I can explain why, first we gotta address the obvious. Could that cyborg really be Antonio? Well lets look at what we know.

We know that for a while Antonio was a member of Talon who specialized in smuggling weapons, on top of being responsible for the bombings at several Overwatch bases. To do this he sent people with robotic appendages that could store bombs yet still appear human/normal. Which by the way is an INCREDIBLY similar concept to the man in the first image. So it would stand to reason that if Antonio was behind the bombings and this was one of his goons, he would have access to this kind of technology. We could argue that this woman's cybernetics could come from another source (Doomfist or Overwatch) but Doomfist was more about prosthetics that functioned normally and Overwatch was struggling to put Genji back together with all of their technology.

So this feels unique to this girl and to an extent Antonio. So it wouldn't be too farfetched to say that Antonio would have abilities similar to this since his goon is capable of it. I mean if you're gonna make tech like that why wouldn't you use it as well? It's like how Symmetra can control light energy, therefore her boss Sanjay should be able to as well because he's her boss and they both work for Vishkar.

But then we actually look at Antonio and find some similarities to him and the cyborg guy. Both are big, stocky dudes, each with a large triangle nose and similar hair (although one being a bit messier). They may even have the same shoes (yes I've gone that deep don't judge me).

Besides the similarities we see here there's still a lot of things weird about the guy. He has copper wires on his head which could indicate some kind of cybernetic enhancement, and through some digging it looks like he may have a metal plate on the back of his neck? If these two were the same guy that could be where the tubes would connect to the back of the head but that's getting ahead of ourselves.

Also note the metal plating on the cyborg guy. He has a cybernetic eye as well as a metal jaw and metal plating on his chest. This is peculiar if you consider the fact that Antonio was shot point blank in the face with a shotgun. So these metal plates would coincide with the injuries Antonio would've had when shot.

Now at this point you may have noticed we're kinda dancing around the main issue, being that Antonio supposedly died in the Retribution event. While it's true we never actually see his body, this isn't exactly an uncommon scenario in the Overwatch universe. I mean let's be honest how many characters were supposed to be dead but came back? Solider 76, Reaper, Genji, Ana and literally anybody Mercy rezs in-game.

Jokes aside, we've seen this happen before. A character 'dies' only for them to come back with a new identity and new powers, revealing they faked their death and boom you have a new hero to play as. While it's true a shotgun to the face is pretty brutal on top a few stories fall, keep in mind Ana was sniped in the face and Genji survived with a quarter left of his body after fighting Hanzo (WHOS AN ARCHER LIKE HOWD THAT EVEN HAPPEN) and STILL survived. Basically, this wouldn't be the craziest story and it's been made pretty clear that death in the Overwatch world doesn't necessarily count out the character.

From another perspective, it would actually make sense gameplay-wise why Antonio would be added.

He has a unique, solid bodytype compared to the other characters, which game devs strive for so you don't get confused as to who is who in a fight. It's just part of good character design. Next we've yet to have anybody from Rialto join the game. Doing this would provide a character from a unique location that bonuses as a map which Blizzard is VERY much about. It's about their whole concept of making Overwatch feel inclusive. To add to that, we also haven't had a male character in quite some time (unless you count the hamster). Granted there's nothing really wrong with that! As a female myself I think it's amazing to have so many strong female characters in a game and I know that representation is very important to some people. I'm merely just stating a fact.

Also note that, judging by Antonio's build, he could be a new tank or damage character if he joined. Maybe some kind of hybrid in between like how Brigitte is a support/tank hybrid. This is a character type people have been wanting for a while and honestly it would just be nice to get another tank since we have so many damage characters.

Also take note that the cyborg guy mentioned before has some yellow tubes that connect to the back of his head. Now applying game logic could imply that if Antonio (assuming it's him) was in game he would have some kind of self-healing ability. This is because video games kinda color code things specifically so you know what's what and what you're doing. The color yellow in Overwatch always refers to healing where as purple refers to being anti'ed or being hurt more. This would be perfect for an aggressive tank character like Roadhog, or even damage characters like Bastion and Soldier 76.

To add the nail in the coffin, you also have to think about how Blizzard operates and how the characters are made.

Any character that's added to the game is completely different from the others. They all have their own unique themes, functions and looks. Blizzard tries to be very diverse with their characters as is needed for good character design and for good gameplay. Here's an example to illustrate what I'm talking about.

Both Dva and Hammond are mech characters. Yet despite falling in the same wheelhouse, both look and function completely different. They move, talk, and act differently and don't look the least bit similar. This goes for the omnic characters as well. If Blizzard adds an omnic character, they're not just gonna add an omnic that looks like Zenyatta but can actually stand. Instead they add a centaur robot with horns, a machine gun, mini gravitons and a shield aka Orisa. This is an important fact because this distinctly limits the options of potential heroes.

Sanjay's powers would likely be too similar to Symmetra even if he was a tank (same light energy theme).

Maximillion is very cool and does seem slightly possible but his differences aren't drastic enough from Zenyatta to be considered a sure in for a hero.

And as much as I would love to see another member from the mecha squad be added into the game I think they'd just be too similar to Dva. Yes their mechs would likely have different abilities but that's not quite enough. They need to be completely and entirely different, like Hammond different. Otherwise they'd just be considered "Dva, but they can do this instead of this." (which is a shame they seem really cool).

This distinctly drops the candidates to what are in my opinion three different characters: Antonio, the Junkertown Queen, or some other character we've completely forgotten about (a Moira situation basically).

To tell you the truth, I really do think the queen could be a playable character at some point. She's highly requested and passes all the other checkpoints despite being another character from Junkertown. But let me ask you this: what would shock people more at Blizzcon? The queen or somebody else?

Think back to the reveals of Moira and Brigitte, one being a highly requested character and the other completely unheard of. Now lore-wise Brigitte didn't really offer much. We kinda already new her story through comics and other characters, so the main satisfaction was in her being added in general. Now consider Moira, who COMPLETELY blindsided us, revealed new lore about how Gabriel became Reaper, gave more insight into Blackwatch and drove the fandom wild.

Now imagine if those spots had been switched, if Brigitte was revealed before Moira. Almost seems predictable doesn't it? A hero everybody had been asking for, while only offering a little bit of lore if any. Doesn't seem as exciting does it?

That's why I don't think the Junkertown Queen is hero 29. It's too predictable and it wouldn't offer a whole lot to the lore. While someone like Antonio, who has basically been forgotten on the account of him being 'dead' would SHOCK everyone, and could possibly add more lore to Talon or some new evil organization he could've been working on inbewteen Retribution and now. Even if it's not Antonio, whoever is the next hero is going to be a blindsider like Moira.

At the end of the day, it just comes down to facts. The fact that this concept of human-esque cybernetics has been around since THE VERY BEGINNING, and that said concept character looks like a guy ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TECHNOLOGY, just blows my mind and I'm just putting this out there so that people can see it too. If it's wrong that's fine, I just feel like people are missing this and I wanted people to consider this too.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk :)

#overwatch #blizzcon #hero 29 #Antonio #junkertown queen #theory #rant

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genyatta-ss · 7 years

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Just Kiss!

Hiya! NeonCandies here to drop off my gift for @d-sel!

I’m sorry if it isn’t 100% mutual pining, but hopefully you enjoy it nonetheless! I’m happy to have been able to participate in the secret Santa and I’m happy to have had the chance to write this fic!

I will also be posting this fic on my AO3 as well! Once again, hope you enjoy it! Happy Holidays!!

———

Located over Dorado’s bay lay Castillo, the remnants of a fort from the past. Here in this fort was a quaint little bar under the name Calaveras. Over the years, the bar has seen many different patrons, sometimes patrons from opposing sides. Yet no matter what kind of character showed up, there was a rule that everyone followed. “Calaveras is neutral territory”. Because of this, the bar has recently had customers from very questionable backgrounds. To put it bluntly, this was a place where you could find both Overwatch members and Talon members. Hostilities were left out the door and inside they were merely “people”. It was one of these instances where something long overdue happened.

The day had started out the same, Overwatch being sent out to foil Talon’s plans and causing them trouble like the “pests” they were. Yet once the sun started to set, both sides found themselves showing up in Calaveras.

Sombra was leaning against the bar, her upper body being supported by the wooden counter. To her left was McCree, the two of them sharing a rather large bottle of a fruity whiskey. On her right was Amélie, the sniper nursing a glass of red wine.

At one of the booths sat Lena, Genji, and Ana, the three of them nursing their own kinds of drink. Though the atmosphere seemed calm and the conversation casual, one of the patrons seemed quite… Anxious.

Genji was sitting in his seat, rapidly tapping his fingers against the counter. Usually it would be Lena practically vibrating in her seat, but she seemed subdued compared to Genji’s incessant jittering. Ana had made a point to ignore it, but the clacking was slowly starting to get on her nerves.

She quirked a brow at him, giving him a pointed look with her one eye. Genji froze, ducking his head sheepishly and quickly snatching his hands from the counter top.

“Sorry.”

Ana hummed, sipping at her tea. “What has you so anxious?”

“You’re acting like you’ve got ants all up in your wires.” Lena added, shooting the cyborg a concerned smile.

Genji glanced off to the side, “Ah, well, I am just waiting for master Zenyatta to arrive. He is usually very punctual, but he should have arrived half an hour ago.” Genji forced a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess I’m just worried!”

The two women shared a quick glance, both smiling lightly. Leaning over the table, Lena reached up to pat his shoulder. She offered a reassuring smile, squeezing comfortingly.

“Aw don’t worry, love! I’m sure he’s on his way! I bet’chya he’ll be here before you know it!”

Genji relaxed, though not by much. His shoulders slumped and he sighed, “You’re right. Sorry.”

Just as Ana opened her mouth to add some more words of comfort, the door to Calaveras opened. It only took a moment before Genji was zipping out of his seat faster than the two women could blink.

“Master! I saved you a seat!” Genji said in ways of greeting, offering a quick bow to the monk as he floated into the bar.

Zenyatta was accompanied by Satya, both of them taking a pause in their conversation. Zenyatta tilted his head in ways of a smile, inclining his frame in a small bow to return Genji’s.

“Oh, thank you, Genji!” To Satya he laid a hand on her shoulder, a sweet smile in his tone. “I would love to continue our conversation another time, my friend.”

Her lips quirked up slightly in a ghost of a smile, “Of course.”

Leaving Zenyatta, she made her way to the bar, joining the two Talon members and the single Overwatch member. Zenyatta, focusing back on Genji, let himself be led to the table he had previously been sitting at. As the two of them settled in and Zenyatta swapped greetings with Ana and Lena, Genji was still shifting restlessly in his seat.

“Master, how was the flight?” He asked, barely refraining from asking why he had been late.

Zenyatta turned so he could visibly give Genji his full attention. With a tilt of his head, Zenyatta hummed in amusement. “It was quite peaceful. Satya makes for great company and Athena made sure we arrived here safely.”

Genji relaxed slightly, though he ended up tensing once again when Zenyatta continued speaking.

“Though something tells me that’s not what you wish to ask me, is it?” The knowing tone of his voice clearly hinted he already knew the answer.

With a deep and heavy sigh, all of the tension left Genji slumping in his seat. “I was worried about you.”

Instantly Zenyatta’s demeanour shifted from amused teasing to gentle concern. He hesitated a moment before placing his hand over Genji’s, offering a small squeeze of comfort in the hopes to get Genji to look at him. It worked, thankfully. Zenyatta spoke, keeping his tone low and soothing.

“Oh Genji, I never intended to make you worry. Had I known I would’ve been held up, I would’ve contacted you beforehand. I promise I’m fine and that there’s nothing to worry about. Should this happen again in the future, I’ll try my best to let you know.”

Genji huffed, staring at where Zenyatta’s hand rested on his. “It’s not that I’m upset you didn’t tell me. I would’ve been worried regardless… I’m always going to be worried about you.”

Zenyatta chuckled, nudging Genji’s shoulder with his. “And I will always be worried for you, even when we are apart.”

Across the bar being her nosey self, Sombra was listening in on the only conversation going on. She quirked a brow, nudging Jesse with her hip and flicking her eyes towards the booth when she had his attention.

“When did that happen?”

Jesse set his glass down and twisted his head, staring in confusion for a moment. He watched Genji and Zenyatta pull their hands from the other’s grasp, though still remaining as close as before. Smirking, Jesse snorted before looking back at Sombra.

“That is something that ain’t even happened yet.”

She let out an incredulous sound, “You’re kidding me. Every time I see them they look closer and closer! And every time you tell me the same thing. Are you sure they aren’t in a relationship? Like, come on you and Genji are close, right? You must know something!”

She was smart enough to keep her voice low, not wanting to be heard by the duo they were currently talking about. Though it wouldn’t bother her much if they did overhear, maybe then it’d shove them in the right direction.

Chuckling under his breath, Jesse poured himself the remainder of the whiskey. “Now Genji may have said something, but he didn’t outright say he has feelings for Zen. Getting that man to give a straight answer is like pulling teeth, an uphill battle that leaves you with more gaps than you’d like.”

“Pretty sure that isn’t how it goes, but whatever.” Sombra waved a hand, “It’s obvious he feels something. Now we just gotta figure out about the monk…”

“Zenyatta has spoken to me before about his feelings.” Satya spoke up, examining her nails as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

Sombra promptly shoved Jesse out of the way, ignoring his yelp of indignation. “Oh? Gimme the deets, girl.”

Raising a perfectly trimmed brow, Satya hummed and lowered her hand. “Well, I do know that he cares more for Genji than he lets on, if it wasn’t obvious. I would say their feelings are mutual. The only ones unaware of it are-“

“Themselves.” Amélie finished with a roll of her eyes. She muttered something under her breath, setting her glass down. “This is painful to watch.”

“You say that, but think about how we feel.” Jesse jabbed a thumb in the direction of the booth. “We live with it.”

“I pity you.” Came the emotionless response, though still somehow managing to hold a chilly amount of sarcasm.

Sombra, ever the schemer, drummed her cybernetic nails against the counters. “Hold on, mis amigos. I’ve got an idea.”

Around five minutes later, the four of them had made their way to the booth and stood before it. Lena paused in her animated retelling of her and Emily’s trip to the water-park, her bright smile still in place even as she chirped a hello to them. Ana raised a brow in question at their appearance, but raised her cup of tea in lieu of a verbal greeting.

“Genji! Come here for a moment, we gotta talk with you.” Sombra wasted no time in slinging an arm around Genji’s and practically dragging him towards the other side of the bar, Jesse following while Satya and Amélie stayed behind. Genji’s protests went unanswered, as did the confusion directed towards the two women.

“Master Zenyatta, can we have a word with you?” Satya asked, gesturing towards the opposite direction Genji had been dragged in.

Tilting his head curiously, Zenyatta stood from his seat. “But of course. Lena, Ms. Amari, do excuse me for a moment.”

“Sure!” Lena chirped, grinning and watching Zenyatta being led away by the two women. Only when they were out of earshot did she speak. “You think they’re going to try and address the thing going on between Genji and Zen?”

“Let’s hope so,” Ana grunted, sighing heavily. “If I have to listen to Genji talk about his “friend” who’s in love with someone one more time, I’m going to lock the two of them in a closet and throw the key into the sea.”

“Harsh.” Lena laughed.

In one corner of the bar, Genji was forced to sit on one of the plush chairs, Sombra and Jesse sitting on either side of him.

“You two had better have a good reason for this.” Genji grumbled.

“We do. Ya see, we’ve noticed for a while that you and Zen may or may not have some… Chemistry. And while I ain’t saying it’s the most noticeable thing-“

Sombra cut Jesse off, “It’s more obvious than a hippo wearing pink and trying to pass itself off as a flamingo. Dude, everyone knows you’re crushing on Zenyatta.”

Genji stiffened, the valves on his shoulders opening and allowing steam to bellow out in large white plumes. “W-what?! What do you mean it’s obvious?!”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Jesse tried to find the best route to go. Obviously Sombra wasn’t going to be any help in the “subtle” department. “Well ya see, you always wait for him to arrive in the mess hall before you eat.”

“It’s only polite!”

“And you’re always willing to meditate with him no matter the weather outside.”

“Meditation is important to me, Jesse.”

Sombra rolled her eyes, letting out an annoyed groan. “Look, idiota. Even us over at Talon know you and Zenyatta have something going on. We even have a betting pool! I’ve got 50 riding on you being the first to confess. Even Gabi is betting, though admittedly not for you confessing, but he’s still betting! And we all know that he never puts money on something he thinks he’ll lose at!”

Genji would find it offensive that his love life was the topic of a betting pool, but he was a little busy focusing on the fact that it had been so obvious that he felt something for Zenyatta. Sighing, Genji leaned forward, resting his head in his hands.

“What am I going to do? I can’t confess to Zenyatta! He’s a monk! Plus he probably has so many better options than me.”

Sombra snorted, “What options? Literally he’s part of your little vigilante group that hides out on an island secluded from the population. The only interactions he gets are when he’s out on missions. Which practically means nothing in the ways of developing a relationship. So unless he’s crushing on someone else that’s a part of your little band of misfits, then I’m pretty sure you’ve got no competition.”

Risking a glance up at her, Genji lowered his hands slightly. “You think?”

“Buddy, we know so.” Jesse pat Genji’s shoulder, glancing towards where Zenyatta seemed to be in a heated discussion with Amélie and Satya.

Genji followed his gaze, sighing wistfully as he watched Zenyatta. “It’s just…. He’s helped me so much. When I was at my lowest, he helped me climb out of the darkness. He gave me the materials I would need to find my way back on the right path. He supports me and defends me, I can rely on him in and out of battle. If I’m at risk of losing myself, he’s there to catch me and pull me back. I never fear being consumed by my anger when I’m around him. He is… Everything that’s wonderful in the world. I see everything so differently when I’m by his side. Zenyatta is so important to me. I wouldn’t want to ruin what we have just because I’m being greedy and wanting more.”

Sombra and Jesse shared a look, both of them slinging an arm around Genji’s shoulders. Poking his chest, Sombra chuckled. “Look, I’m going to put this bluntly. From how you two act around each other, you’re practically married. The only thing missing are the rings. But I swear it’s all there. That romantic support and all those flowery good feelings. I mean do you know how many times I’ve taken one of those orbs to the face when I get just the slightest bit closer to you in battle? It’s like he’s got a sixth sense on knowing when you’re in danger.”

“Yeah buddy, I see it all the time. When you’re out on a mission, Zen gets so worried and restless. Can’t sit still, fretting like crazy till you get back. And if you even got a scratch on you he’s there ready to heal you. The both of you got it bad, trust me.” Jesse added, sending Genji a reassuring smile. “It’s all there, Genji. Ya just gotta go and grab it. And what better time than the present?”

Genji audibly swallowed, his hands clenching and unclenching nervously. He looked away from Jesse and Sombra, instead focusing on Zenyatta who was currently stifling a giggle. He felt his heart beat quicken and a warmth seep throughout his body. Truly he was a gift sent from above. With a firm not of his head, Genji let their arms fall from his shoulders, the cyborg standing up and making his way over to Zenyatta, a determination in his steps.

–

When Zenyatta had been led to the corner by Satya and Amélie, he had a feeling it had something to do with what their little group had been whispering to each other about at the bar. Ever the patient monk, Zenyatta waited for them to speak up before asking his own questions.

“Zenyatta, I apologize, but it seems I’m not the only one who has noticed your feelings for Genji.” Satya began, getting straight to the point.

Pausing, Zenyatta processed this new revelation before he chuckled, shaking his head fondly. “I had thought you were kidding when you said it was obvious, but clearly I was wrong. Well I guess there is no reason to beat around the bush.” Glancing at Amélie he inclined his head, “I assume Satya is referring to you, Ms. Lacroix?”

“Amélie.”

Zenyatta made note of the quick way Amélie had corrected him. Nodding his head subtly to show he understood, Zenyatta continued. “I am quite curious as to why this requires you to take me aside to discuss it. Surely if it is as obvious as you said, then being secretive is unneeded.”

Satya sighed, rolling her eyes, “Perhaps, but while it is apparently obvious to everyone, Genji seems to be unable to take the several hints you have been dropping.”

Crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his head from side to side, Zenyatta hummed. “True, but I find Genji’s earnest actions and responses adorable.”

Amélie paused, a spark of interest flashing behind her cool gaze. “You’ve known this whole time that Genji loves you.”

Satya’s eyes widened at Zenyatta’s innocent giggling, the monk placing a hand over his mouth-seam. “Of course. While I wasn’t aware my feelings were so obvious, I never said that I had no knowledge on how clear Genji’s were.”

Sharing a wry smirk, Satya and Amélie chuckled along with Zenyatta. “How sly,” Satya rested her hands on her crossed legs. “Is there a reason as to why you haven’t mentioned anything?”

“A warrior’s greatest weapon is patience.” Zenyatta said in a sing-song voice, “Besides, I know Genji will eventually come around to confess to me when he is ready. Rushing it would just make a mess, I’m perfectly fine waiting for him.”

“But does it not get annoying?” Amélie frowned, raising a brow. “You’ve obviously been waiting a while for him to confess. What if he never does?”

Zenyatta glanced away from her, a smile in his voice. “Oh, I have a feeling he will.”

As if to answer Zenyatta’s statement, Genji stopped a few feet away from the trio. He fidgeted where he stood, shifting from foot to foot with his arms locked firmly to his sides.

“U-um Zenyatta, can I speak with you for a moment? Outside?”

“Of course,” The monk stood, excusing himself from Satya and Amélie before following Genji outside.

It was a little chilly outside, the night air bringing along the promise of winter. Zenyatta took note of the temperature drop, making a note in his files that he’d have to buy Genji a scarf so he wouldn’t get cold. He already had enough sweaters, some stolen from the closet of their teammates, so Zenyatta didn’t have to worry about that.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Genji clearing his throat. The cyborg shifted restlessly for a moment longer before he reached up, pressing the buttons that would release his facemask. It popped off with a soft hiss, exposing Genji’s face to the cool night air. He cleared his throat once again, reaching down and taking one of Zenyatta’s hands with his free hand.

“Z-Zenyatta, I have something very important to ask you.” Genji took in a deep breath, willing his nerves away. Only with Zenyatta did he become a stuttering mess, rarely as suave as he was in his youth.

Tilting his head in a smile, Zenyatta squeezed Genji’s hand encouragingly. “Yes, Genji?”

Licking his chapped lips, Genji refrained from letting his gaze leave Zenyatta’s face. He had to keep eye contact, this was important! “Well… We’ve known each other for ages now and over these years, I’ve realized how important you are to me. Every day I wake up and feel blessed to have ever met you. You’ve seen me at my worst and helped me return to my best. You’ve been there for me when I was consumed by rage and drowning in my own misery. And you have no idea how grateful I am for that. Just having you here with me in Overwatch, fighting and saving others by my side is a blessing. I’m happy to have you here, I’m happy to have ever met you. And… I guess what I’m trying to say is… I love you.

“I love the way you talk and laugh. And I love how gentle you can be with your teachings, but have force behind your actions if you need it. I love how you’re always willing to listen and offer advice, even if you don’t understand the full situation. And I love how forgiving you are and how you don’t hold anyone’s mistakes against them. You’re wonderful and beautiful, I’ve never met someone who makes me feel this way. I know you’re not perfect, you’ve told me many times you aren’t, just like I know I’m not perfect. But that’s ok, because I don’t need you to be perfect. I’d love you no matter what because you’re you. And you being you is enough for me.”

Zenyatta’s fans had picked up speed with every word Genji said, his excitement growing. Though he was aware Genji shared his feelings, no amount of preparation could stand up to the actual confession. Zenyatta’s circuits were going crazy, his knees feeling weak and threatening to make him collapse. He somehow managed to continue standing and find his voice.

Starting out softly, Zenyatta reached a hand up and laid it over Genji’s cheek. “Oh Genji… I too find myself amazed that I was so lucky to meet you. I can’t believe I’ve had the chance to get to know such a brilliant soul. Truly you are a gift, one that keeps on giving. You’ve allowed me into your heart, allowed me to help you. You are simply wonderfully Genji and every moment I spend with you, I cherish. I enjoy every second spent in your company, even if it’s in silence. I love you Genji and every day I’m reminded of all the qualities about you that I love.

“I love how joyful you can be, how your optimism doesn’t get in the way of serious matters, but helps ease them. I love that you are willing to fight and protect those that matter to you, even if they have wronged you so severely in your life. You have such a kind and sweet heart, I see it in everything you do. I love you so much Genji and it makes me so happy to hear that you love me as well.”

Genji’s cheeks hurt from how wide his smile was. He laughed breathlessly, leaning down so his forehead could rest against Zenyatta’s. His chest was fit to bursting with all the warmth practically bubbling throughout every part of his body. He chuckled again, letting go of Zenyatta’s hand in order to run his fingers along Zenyatta’s cheek.

“I’m glad our feelings are mutual.” He murmured.

“As am I,” Patting his cheek affectionately, Zenyatta hummed. “Since our feelings are mutual, would you like to go out, Genji?”

Genji’s eyes widened and his blush deepened, “I-if you’d like! I would love to go out with you.”

Zenyatta chuckled, “Wonderful…”

They continued to stare at each other, foreheads pressed comfortably against the other. Genji licked his lips once again, chewing on his bottom lip as he gathered the courage to try and ask Zenyatta something else. Yet before he could voice his question, a voice cut in through the lovely silence.

“Dios mio, just kiss already!!”

“Sombra shut it!” Jesse hissed, slapping a hand over her mouth.

Glancing up towards the bar door, Genji stiffened and his blush grew to cover his entire face. Peeking through the cracked doorway was Sombra, Jesse, and Lena. Jesse and Lena had the decency to offer a sheepish smile, the latter blinking away the moment they were caught. Jesse grabbed a hold of Sombra’s arm, dragging the cursing hacker back into the bar and closing the door.

“Well… That was… Interesting.” Genji mumbled, sharing a look with Zenyatta. The two of them burst out laughing, the two hunching close to each other and doing nothing to stifle their giggles.

Zenyatta took in a deep, unneeded breath, unable to keep the mirth from leaking into his voice. “Though Sombra is right. I would very much like a kiss, if you don’t mind.”

Genji grinned, “I aim to please.”

And with that the two leaned forward, only a second of hesitation before Genji pressed his lips to Zenyatta’s mouth-seam. Zenyatta hummed, wrapping his arms around Genji’s neck and leaning against him. Despite the embarrassing moments, Genji couldn’t find any fault with how this day had gone.

Pulling away, Genji gave Zenyatta a dreamy smile before putting his face-plate back on. “Shall we go back inside?” He asked, offering his hand to Zenyatta.

“Mmm.” Humming his consent, Zenyatta slotted their hands together and followed Genji back inside.

#fanfic #submission #genyatta

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theoddcatlady · 7 years

Text

Online Dating

“His name should be… Augustus Payne…”

“Holy shit, Mike.”

I covered my mouth to muffle my laughter as my friend typed in the name. He grinned as he contemplated what to put next. “We’re a millionaire…”

“Mike!”

“We own a houseboat…”

“Mike!”

“We love walks on the beach…”

“Holy shit Mike, you are putting way too much effort into this!”

Mike laughed and sat back in the desk chair, steepling his fingers. “Hey man. If this gets us nudes, it’s worth it,” He said.

I had to agree. I took a sip of my soda and thought for a second. “Augustus also writes poetry. He’s looking to get published,” I offered up.

“Chase, you beautiful bastard. I could kiss you.”

I grinned before I went back to looking through profiles on a modeling website. This was probably one of the stupider ideas Mike has ever come up with, pretend to be this hot guy to get some hot girls to talk to us, but there were stupider ways to spend a Friday night.

I stopped scrolling when I saw this model with some European name I couldn��t pronounce. Generic hot white guy, high cheek bones, ruffled dark brown hair, light stubble. Perfect for what we needed. “Hey man, I found a face for Augustus.” I turned my phone so Mike could look.

Mike nodded. “Got it, gimme a sec to play in photoshop though. Just to touch him up.”

“He’s a fucking model, Mike, what kind of touching up does he need?”

Apparently ‘touching up’ meant changing a few backgrounds, adding a small scar under ‘Augustus’ lip, and turning his dark brown eyes very bright blue. I had to admit, Mike was good. If I didn’t know better I’d say I was looking at a real person.

Mike added the pics to the profile and sat back.

“And now, we wait.”

We didn’t have to wait long. One round of Overwatch later and Mike was shouting, “We got a girl! Holy shit she’s hot!”

I had to disagree. ‘Justine’ could afford to lose a few pounds and had a bit of a lazy eye, but Mike was focusing on one thing… er, two things if you get the hint of my drift.

“So, Justine…” Mike spoke aloud as he typed. “What do you think about sailing?”

I snorted. The poor girl ate every line up. Mike wasn’t exactly a looker, given he was thirty pounds overweight and had a serious case of pizza face, but he had one thing on me and that was he knew how to schmooze. Meanwhile I looked okay, but I was terrible with the ladies. I’d get this terrible stutter and forget my own name.

An hour in and I was already bored, wanting to go kick some more ass as Genji, but Mike was just getting started.

“Here.”

He had jotted down the password for the account. He pressed it into my hand and grinned.

“Get some practice talking to chicks. It might do you some good.”

The next morning I picked out Janette. She was a little older, past forty, but I figured a hot guy like Augustus would get her attention. Plus, I like them mature. I sent off a message telling her hello and complimented her necklace.

Aren’t I a little old for you, sweetie?

The best part about online messaging, I found out super quickly? I could take my time formulating a decent response.

I don’t think the age difference is a big deal, really. You’re like what, thirty two?

I patted myself on the back for that one. And Janette’s response declared me the winner.

We’ll go with that. Feel like sharing your poetry with me, Augustus dear?

I thought I’d drop this within a day, maybe two or three. But as days went on, I met more and more amazing girls. There was Janette of course. We’d sext at around three AM, which I was a bit clumsy with at first but thankfully she seemed to brush it off. Valarie was a cheerleader at a nearby college, very perky and I didn’t have to ask twice for boob pics. She sent me a lot more than that. Patti was a starving artist who liked to smoke weed and talk about her newest vision with me.

It was so much fun.

Mike had a few girls I noticed he’d talk to frequently, Lauren, Heidi, Mallory, but as an unspoken rule to each other we never looked at each other’s conversations. Some things were best left to the imagination.

Course when stuff really got good I got fucking mono. Yup. Mister ‘never kissed a girl’ clearly drank from the wrong water fountain and was out for the count for three weeks. I was in no mood to talk to girls or even look at nudes. I was just not up for it. I told Mike he better have fun without me and he laughed.

When I finally felt better, I decided to see if I could repair any of the relationships I’d let grow cold. I logged onto quite the surprise though.

My conversations had seemingly continued on at normal.

I snapped out of feeling sorry for myself to read through the conversations. It was like nothing had changed. ‘Augustus’ conversed with these women as normal, sharing new poetry and sending body shots from new modeling shoots.

I got annoyed. Mike had gone through my convos, which is something I hadn’t specified he not do, but it was a little uncomfortable to say the least. I was practicing my dirty talk on these chicks! Not cool man. Not cool.

Then I read the last messages sent to Valarie.

I’ll meet you on the lakeshore. We can take a swim.

hehehe! maybe a lil skinny dipping ;)

We’ll have to see, my pixie. I imagine you look even more ravishing in person. I can’t wait to meet you.

I slammed my laptop shut and picked up my phone. Furiously I punched in Mike’s number and waited for him to pick up.

A few rings and he answered, “What’s up my man? Still dead?”

“Dude, are you serious?”

I could hear Mike pause what he was doing. “Serious about what?” He asked.

I wanted to pitch my phone across the room. “You’re meeting Valarie? I don’t think she’s gonna not notice that you’re not six foot six with washboard abs!”

Mike paused. “Dude, the fuck you talking about?”

“The dating website, you moron!”

He was quiet for a bit before he laughed. “Seriously? Chase I’ve not been on there in days. Too busy trying to find a new roommate. You up for that by the way? I know you’re kinda jobless but we could make it work!”

Too irritated to play games, I hung up and went to bed. I still felt pretty fucked up and I wasn’t in the mood to be awake anymore.

The next morning I scrolled through my Facebook feed to be barraged with news of a murder.

“Isn’t it terrible? She was only twenty one!”

“She had so much to live for.”

“She had a FULL RIDE through college! Who could do this to her?”

I was confused. We might’ve lived in a college town, but other than the vandalism during pledge week it was pretty quiet. Murder was unheard of. I clicked to an article where the victim was named.

It was Valarie. But not quite the Valarie I knew.

She had the same smile, but she was a little chubbier, wore glasses, had not as shiny and full hair… and she was in a wheelchair.

I scrolled through the photos she’d sent me, I’d never realized I hadn’t ever seen her standing up before. I was more focused on other body parts… which were a little touched up. Something I hadn’t bothered to notice.

And yeah, it was murder. She was dragged into the lake and drowned. She didn’t stand a chance.

I looked up news from the past few weeks. Although another murder hadn’t rocked my town, there were quite a few missing girls and dead bodies in cities surrounding us. And I began to piece together who each one was.

Patti wasn’t a stoner, she was a meth addict and apparently got more money for drugs by whoring herself out. Mallory, one of Mike’s girls, didn’t have a yacht, she was apparently an avid canoe lover though. Lauren was ten years older than the pictures she posted. I could go on and on.

My best friend had gone serial killer on me. All these girls we’d talked to, they were maybe as fake as we were, but Mike had apparently taken personal offense to that.

I was wondering what the hell I could do when I realized that I was getting messaged by Janette… and I was apparently messaging her back.

“So, tonight? At the docks?”

“I cannot wait, Augustus. I’m going to be honest with you though.”

“Oh?”

“I’m... working on separating with my husband. It’s a very tough process, given our kids and all, so it isn’t legal yet.”

“Ah. I see. You omitted the truth… some might call that lying.”

“Is our date still on?”

“Sure.”

My heart was pounding in my ears. I had to stop this. Janette was actually a great person, I couldn’t let her get killed by my friend turned psycho.

I hurriedly began to type out a warning.

Janette don’t go it’s a trap!

When I hit send, my stomach dropped as the message didn’t go through. No matter how many times I tried, over and over, the message wouldn’t send. I must’ve sent a dozen warnings before I realized that Janette had gone offline.

Not sure what else to do, I got on my bike and began pedaling.

It was dark by the time I got to the docks, where Augustus supposedly kept his boat. I figured this is where Mike meant. I knew Mike was seriously out of shape, so I had the advantage. All I had to do was get him away from Janette and she could run and call the cops.

Foolproof.

I ran down the dock. Where the hell was Mike? I knew he didn’t own a boat, the guy worked at McDonald’s. Did he borrow someone’s? Heck, was he even on a boat?

I skidded to a stop when I read the name off of one of them.

Narcissus.

I don’t know why that name caught my eye, but then I heard the water splashing. Not just the soft splashes of it washing on the dock. The kind where someone’s thrashing about and trying to escape.

I ran down the docks, searching for the source, when I caught a figure kneeling out of the corner of my eye. I stopped and flashed the light on my phone on him.

The man was leaned over the edge of the deck, pushing someone’s head below the water. Someone who was no longer struggling. I could make out a dark blue jacket, I recognized it as Janette’s from her profile picture. The man stood, kicked her body into the ocean, and faced me.

I dropped my phone when I saw his face. It smash and the dock and the light went dead.

We were quiet. Then he walked forward. I couldn’t move. My legs were frozen. I could only make out his muscled silhouette in the dim moonlight. He was ten feet away. Then five. Then he was right in front of me.

I recognized that face, those eerily blue eyes. He leaned in close to me, smiling.

“Hello, father.”

He clapped a hand on my shoulder. His grip was like iron.

“I got rid of another liar for you. Don’t worry, you won’t have to deal with it. Keep trying, I’m sure you’ll find me a mother soon.”

And with that, Augustus hopped onto the Narcissus and sailed away into the night.

#horror stories #scary stories #online dating #creative writing #writers on tumblr #my stories

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dovesandsparrows · 7 years

Text

Kidnapped: Part 4

( first entry - previous entry - next entry )

The gentle hum of the hover-truck does nothing to calm Angela’s nerves. The arcade is not far down the Hyperlane, but with the van embroidered with the Overwatch symbol, it lags across the tracks, and the road stretches on and on, the end just too far to grasp. She sighs, bowing her head, to picture Genji looking up from behind one of the ancient game machines upon their arrival, beaming as the team had elected to join him after all.

That was the best possible outcome of this trip. Suited in her Valkyrie, however, with a silent Lúcio in deep contemplation beside her, and Hana steel-lipped at the wheel, it feels more like an official mission than worried friends in pursuit. Genji is not a mission, nor is he simply just an agent. His rescue should be their priority until he is home safe in her medbay, for a thorough checking and care.

Home safe with her, and his friends, whose usually bubbly-selves are so withdrawn with the worrying news of his disappearance. It nags at her too, like an ache in her chest she cannot soothe. Her face must display it at this point, because as Hana directs them off the Hyperlane, Lúcio pats her knee, then leans forward to say to the driver, “Are we close, Song? I’ll chuck on my gear, get a scope of the place from the outside. See what I can find.”

She hums in approval, then glances in the rearview mirror at Angela. “You and me for the good cop, bad cop, Doctor Z?”

Speaking with the patrons and staff at the Arcade, Hana intends to ask, when Angela simply would prefer to chase straight after him. Track down this Sombra article, cipher her last known sightings from Talon-monitoring satellites, find her before something bad finds Genji. (Winston had already told her Sombra is far too elusive for the imagery to detect, but it was worth asking, and still lamenting about now.)

Short of Hana’s joke, she replies, “I’ll speak with the owner, yes. You can join Lúcio if you want, I will be fine.”

The stunted answer makes Hana blink, to stare back out to the road. The Arcade is at the end of the street, all bright colors and taunting. “Oh, okay. Uh, Lú?”

“Nah, two people on deck would be good. Maybe you could mingle, there’d be a fan or a hundred.” He hangs over the front seat, fingers framing an imaginary Hollywood sign: “the famous D.Va, in the flesh, on world-saving business! Her prime informant: the arcade dweller.”

Hana giggles, slapping his hands away as the car cruises to a stop besides the decorated building. The display is enough for Angela, who slides out of the car, and treks straight into the Arcade. It’s smaller inside, but the levels climb up higher than she allows her eyes to follow, instead her gaze is set on the counter immediately in front, and the attending with a name badge that says “Jason”. He’s staring googly-eyed at her, whether it’s at the suit or simply her, she cannot tell.

“Ohhhh, hey,” he croons, as she approaches. “The big bosses rang, told us you were coming. Overwatch. I never thought I’d even see you guys in action, let alone meet you. It’s Mercy, right? You’re Mercy, the angel, you’re so coooooool-”

“Yes, I’m Doctor Ziegler. I need information regarding-”

“And D.Va?” The attendee’s attention is stolen as Hana strides in, only in a loose version of her MEKA suit, but still in-gear all the same. She beams at Jason, moving to give him a high-five.

“Hey dude! You can call me Hana, and Doctor Z here, she’s cool too.” She leans on the counter, and Angela tries to relax, reminding herself they are all here to help. “They told you what happened to our agent?”

“Shit, yeah, scary stuff. Talon was here. I could have died, y’know, was texting my boyfriend about it. Then I told him: Overwatch is here, so I really got nothing to worry about, huh.”

“We will try our best to find him, and to secure the grounds,” assures Angela after a deep breath, complete with a patient-brand warm smile. “One of our agents is currently scoping the exterior, we’ll go over the inside.”

“For sure, Doctor. We’ve got everyone on the ground floor, cleared out where it happened so it was clean for when you guys got here.”

Sure enough, the floor is packed with gamers of all shapes and sizes, some with eyes glued to screens, others watching them with mixed expressions of confusion, awe, disbelief and suspicion. It is only small down here, it seems tables and machines have been mashed together like a jigsaw to make room. The capacity of the room means all of the game advertisements - some posters of Hana, too, she realises - cannot be seen among all the people. There is a low murmur from all the patrons, talk of their games, their characters, the goings on, or simply the passing of their lives. Angela hadn’t noticed any of it on her march up to the bench. That, or she chose to ignore it, thinking during such a dire situation as this they would have at least closed the building to the public.

Apparently not. Many things had changed during the war. The refusal to cave to fear was one of them, but it called into question where to draw the line at “stupid”. Allowing people to remain here, with possible Talon activity confirmed in the area, was definitely stupid. Yet she couldn’t dwell on it now, what’s done is done, and unfortunately not her business. Genji is her business. Finding him, making sure he is safe and well.

“Thank you,” she says, shaking the tension from her voice. Genji’s status could worsen if she’s clammy like this, and regardless, it’s unprofessional of her. Better status should be expected of an agent of Overwatch, and a doctor, to not let the situation get to her.

“I’m gonna go make some friends,” Hana announces proudly, giving Jason some finger guns, then disappearing off between the machines, like she’s a part of the scenery, colors and all.

The attendant takes her into the staff area, introduces her to the other staff, and the manager. They are kind, and make her a coffee as she peruses the video footage (erased), reviews the entries to the arcade today (clean), examines the grounds (bare) and checks in with Hana for witnesses (nothing). It turns out, to her utter dismay, Talon may have just committed the perfect kidnapping.

It tortures her, so she reviews where he was taken again: an upturned stool on the third floor behind a machine entitled “Omnic Kong 3”, a nearby open window with nothing but sky in its wake, and the absence of Genji. It’s also when Lúcio chooses to appear in said window, making her jump so much he begins spewing apologies.

“But hey, uh, Doc Z. You’re gonna want to come up and look at this.” Her heart leaps: he’s found something, finally, a lead. Something to grasp, to confirm to herself Genji isn’t entirely out of their reach. “You got your Valkyrie activated? Follow me up here.”

The window is only small, but so is she, climbing out of it with ease. She sits three floors up, legs dangling over the edge, to give a weak smile at Lúcio across the way. He’s perched on the wall next to her, skates grinding in a whoosh sound against the bricks. He glances above his head, where the gutter of the roof begins, something heavy in his eyes.

Her heart leaps, even more than when she activates the Valkyrie suit, pushing herself out of the window. The suit catches her, a quiet pulsing as the wings strain to keep her afloat above the ground. Once the slow descent starts, Lúcio climbs the rest of the way to the roof, so she beckons the suit to follow him.

He’s hunched over a tray, only about the size of her hand, but it is more than they had a second ago.

“Took me a while to find, but hey. Here it is.” He toes the tray, disgusted. Angela crouches down to examine it. “Looks to me like the dart they used to sleep him, they probably shoot him through the window. Hung down, one shot: bam!” He reloads an imaginary finger gun. “Then nabbed him back up here with the translocator, and took off.”

“I’ve seen this technology before,” Angela confirms, with a sigh. “It’s stolen from Overwatch, Ana Amari used the same technology. Almost had it perfected before she was killed.”

“You think it can lead us to him?”

She considers. “Perhaps.” The headache nabs her suddenly, pulling at her temple, beckoning towards the sleep dart debris in the tray. She massages it away with her hand, the other lifting the head of the dart with a gloved finger. “Talon likely finished the technology. If we find out how, we can track down the chemicals they used to do it. It’s a unique serum, it…. Shouldn’t be too hard.” The glimmer of hope she allows herself is minimal, but there. Lúcio is beaming, at least.

“That’s great news! I’ll get onto the others right away, I’ll find Hana! I’ll meet you down in the foyer!” He’s disappeared over the edge of the roof before she can say another word.

Hi all and welcome to the second D&S Fab Collab event!

Season two is centered around the prompt: Kidnapped. The fourth addition is authored by @talizorahs !

♚ For illustration continuations, please limit these works to 8 panels. For prose continuations, please limit these fics to 1k words. These are not benchmark figures, just the maximum amount for a submission.

♚ Submission from the next participating member is due on the 15th of November, either submitted to the blog or DMed to any staff member on the Discord server.

♚ Applications to participate for this season or “arc” are still open! To join, sign up here !

♚ If you want to join our server to be in the loop for more events like this one, join here !

#gency #emergenji #genji #mercy #overwatch #d&s fab collab

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katrandomtiger · 7 years

Text

Ghost Rider kind of R76 AU ideas I need to throw out so I can continue my other projects in peace. Feel free to use the ideas if you want, just send me a link to it if you do.

Inspired by western movie marathons at my grandma’s, my love of the first Ghost Rider movie and these two gorgeous art pieces.

Omnic Crisis

Both Jack and Gabe get picked to become Ghost riders during the Omnic Crisis

Both have to ride around on a military issue hoverbikes because that is what they have to work with for the time

They have no idea that there is anyone else like them because they fight in different hemispheres

Until they both get chosen for the Strike team

Both hide their powers from everyone as best they can

“Commander... why is the map on fire?”

Ana knows because she always knows

One day Gabe gets disarmed and pinned by a hellspawn disguised as an omnic in daylight

Jack blows his cover and obliterates the thing from the shadows

He then tries to hide from Gabriel

not happening

Gabriel corners him and shifts

Jack nearly passes out

Ana watches from the rafters

Thing are very awkward between them until they go up against an omnium that is controlled by a corrupt dude of some sort

Both shift and cause absolute mayhem

Beautiful

Time passes they’re best friends and then lovers

Post - Omnic Crisis

Jack becomes Strike Commander

The stress and publicity forces him to keep a tight reign on the rider and it destroys him

Makes rash decisions because he can’t think straight in a building full of corrupt politicians

Becomes distant

Gabriel becomes Blackwatch Commander

Loves it at first

Saves McCree and Genji

Seeing all the corruption begins to wear on him and cloud his world view

Cant’ stand being around Jack anymore

Zurich

Jack wakes up trapped both under a building and in his own body

can no longer become a rider

Still tries to fight with what he has left

Joins the new Overwatch

Gabriel wakes up completely broken and stuck in Rider mode

Is in constant pain

Can snuff his flames under his Reaper outfit

Joins Talon to get at Akande and the council

After

Jack and Gabe kind of reconcile but Gabriel is still considered a rogue

Ana forces them to suck it up and just talk to each other

Jack recognizes that still holds a piece of the rider mantle and seeks out Gabriel so they can choose the next rider with both of their pieces

Picks Jesse to become the next Rider

Jack leads Jesse out to the desert in Nevada (why not)

Jesse is confusion

Jack pulls out a motorcycle and Gabriel blazes up (heh)

They go on one last ride together before they both pass their piece of the mantle onto Jesse

Old men retire to the mountains while Jesse burns up corruption with his dragon boyfriend (you chose which one) on the back of his bike.

#r76 #reaper76 #jack morrison #gabriel reyes #jesse mccree #ghost rider!Au #fic ideas #overwatch #fanfiction #whispers from the scrapheap

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trqnsboy-moved-blog · 7 years

Text

overwatch band au

overband? bandwatch? i love reaper so much and i wanted a reason to put him into a crop top watch?

ok so im not good at this stuf but guys dudes.

mk so basically ana, gabe, and jack made a band out of their garage, and it got rlly popular when they were just 17-19. it blew up completely making all these guys famous at a rlly vulnerable age

the band was called “three” and their fans called themselves 3′s, which was rlly cute

ana was the singer/pianist, jack was the lead guitarist, gabe was the drummer/bassist/pianist

eventually they realized that they couldnt keep that all up, so they got some friends to help them

the friends were torb, rein, amelia, and angela.

they called themselves “four” and were half their own band/half three

torb did the sound setups, he was basically their tech guy and he just constantly did that. he became the best in the business bc he always set things up perfectly for each band

rein played bass or drums, he was also partially their hype man cause everyones so emo

amelia was a backup singer and bassist, she also added an extra dark horse in the band

angela was a backup singer and a pianist. she liked the concept of adding older elements to their music

about halfway through their career, a scandal pops up that ana is pregnant and unmarried, everyones losing their minds cause they over react

jack and gabe immediately come to her defense. the other members either get ignored or dont speak out about it

gabe adopts jessie and genji; his two trans teens.

gabe basically just puts up a middle finger and says “fuck the media” and wont do any more interviews. ana draws back slightly as well.

fareeha gets born and mccree, genji, and fareeha go on a photoshoot as soon as fareeha is old enough (at the request of jessie)

something goes wrong and gabe leaves the band and it just sorta crumbles.

radio silence from gabe, ana and jack

four basically broke up after.

angela paired up w like covergirl or dove or smthg

amelia became a fashion model as well as a gothic novel writer

rein became mayor of his home town

torb just continued in the music industry

so like... 20 years later this band named “bop” or some shit gets rlly big

its made up of hana, lucio, lena, as well as fareeha.

fareeha is the lead guitarist and singer, she also has a solo career going under the name “pharah” everybody is so confused on what happened to her and her mom

hana plays the drums and does vocals as well

lena is the guitarist, she cant sing for shit rsdxfcgv

lucio takes care of everything else, he adds remixes and electronic beats. he also does vocals

this underground band named twitch gets rlly popular as well. its a sorta communist, electro, vertual reality thing. its made up of aleksandra, satya, and somebody named sombra

jessie has been releasing country albums for years. hes the king of country and no one questioned it????

jessie does a combo w twitch and nobody knew that country cound sound that good

hanzos just a rich violinist, idk how that happened But It Did

genji went through a rlly heavy metal phase, he didnt make music but he wrote some songs for some ppl

genji comes out ten years after his heavy metal phase w zenyatta, singing hozier stuff and its rlly good but???? he went from 0-100

zenyattas just this happy guy who loves his bf and singing

bastion was the creater of dubstep but now he just likes to listen to twitch

sombra has released one statement Ever saying “i wuv u bastion uwu”

effie and orisa won americas got talent (or another show) and became rlly rlly famous

akande sings punk rock and i love him for it.

jamison and mako are folk singers w an edge. jamison sings and he has an awful but inticing voice. they are only famous in australia, but mako and rein are friends

mei is this rlly sweet pop artist who gets too much hate.

i wuv pop idol mei

suddenly a magazine comes out w old gabe, old jack, and old ana; wearing the same clothes from their famous photoshoot -dark blue slacks w a matching trench coat. jack wore his coat over his shoulders, ana had it on but it was falling off her shoulders, gabe had it on but it was open, w a different type of white top. jack wore a see through white tinted dress shirt, ana wore a turtleneck crop top, and gabe wore a v neck crop top that showed he titty- w a caption saying smthg like, “we arent dead” and the press goes W I L D

thanks for uhhhhhh reading, welcome to my ted talk

#abe mumbles #this all came from thinking abt that last outfit #overwatch #band au #overwatch au #gabriel reyes #alternate universe #ok to rb #long post /

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neonnoodledragon · 8 years

Text

It all happened in London...Ch1

AO3:

http://archiveofourown.org/works/10101086/chapters/22501736

Summary:

Everyone was invited to Tracer and Emily's wedding in London. Genji was one of the groomsmen and Mercy was the maid of honor. This fanfic is based on one of the episodes in the TV series Friends.

Notes:

This is my first time writing an English fanfic and first time posting on AO3. Apologies for the incorrect grammar/spelling in it. Hope you guys enjoys this. I had fun writing this.

Overwatch and Overwatch characters belongs to Blizzard.

Chapter 1: Before the big day

Friends and families were invited to Tracer and Emily's wedding at King's Row Hotel in London. A dinner party was held the day before the wedding. Tables decorated with dishes of high class cuisines and wine and champagne in everyone's hands. Joys of laughter filled the atmosphere. Emily was in a stunning lime green evening gown and was chatting with one of her bridesmaids, Mei, who was wearing a blue elegant cheongsam with patterns of orchids in a darker shade of blue. The other bridesmaid, Pharah, was with her mom, Ana. Chatting with Tracer about the old days in Overwatch. Rienhardt, Jack and Gabriel came along when they heard Ana mentioning about this one time in a Halloween party at Watchpoint when Rienhardt fainted by the sight of Gabriel as a Halloween spirit with a pumpkin on his head. Mercy was Emily's maid of honor, still in her room changing. Only Tracer's best man, big old Winston, attended the dinner party.

"Winston~(Blink) Have you seen the other groomsmen?" The coattail behind Tracer's white suit drifted a bit as she blank in front of the scientist. "I afraid not, Tracer. I have not seen them yet. " Winston pushed his glasses closer to his face. "I can go check on them." Said Lucio, the DJ of the evening, after switching another jazz song, he left the stage. "I'll find them in time before this song ends." Even without skates, he swiftly swooshed trough the room filled with people. Passing through the gap between Roadhog and Junkrat who had big mountains of food piling on their plates causing them to loose their balance."Oi! Watch it, mate!" A few pieces of beef jumped and tumbled down to the very edge of Junkrat's plate, threatened to fall to the floor.

"Why's that you can't fit'n it now? Tomorrow's the wedding for god's sake!" McCree tried to button up Genji with all his might with the white shirt he lended to, but the button in the middle couldn't be buttoned up. "Dang it, Genji! Didn't ya said that you're a size L?" McCree's arms were shaking when the little white button was just an inch away from the button hole of the shirt. "I am a size L." It has been years since Genji wore clothes. "MMMMF...Well, you have got to lay off the ramen, man... almost there..." The round plastic was a few milimeters away. "I did not gain weight!" Genji protested. "SUCK IT IN, SHIMADA!" A visible vein surfaced on the cowboy's forehead, gritting his teeth as he tried to connect the shirt's plackets to the button. "Yo! What are you two doin'?" Lucio's head appeared from the hotel room's doorway. Bouncy brown dreadlocks swining to the front then back in place. "Fatso here can't button up." "For the last time! I did not gain weight!" A loud ripping sound quieted the room. McCree turned Genji around. Genji turned his head to see how bad the damage was. The right armhole was torn on the back. "I don't suppose you have an extra shirt do you, Lucio?" McCree's bionic hand cupped his chin, rubbing his beard from side to side as he stared at the silver shinly metal and brownish grey synthetics through the rip. "Sorry. Fresh out. I gave it to Junkrat dude." Sudden realization hit the cyborg. "Ah. Maybe it's the armor that made me couldn't fit." "Ya should've thought 'bout that sooner, Genji." The cowboy facepalmed himself and sighed in defeat. "Kuso. I didn't bring the tools for it." "Maybe Angie brought some with her. I remember she's at room 526. Go check it out." McCree lit his cigar and puffed a grey cloud out of his mouth. "Hey, guys. After you're done, remember to head to the party. Alright? See ya. Lucio out." The Brazilian DJ zipped through the hall, rushing back to the party before the jazz song ends.

Angela was facing back at the mirror looking at the reflection of the stuck zipper from the back of her gold cocktail dress struggling to zip up. She heard someone knocking at her door. "In a minute." She tugged the zipper a few more times, no use. She gave in and went to the door to open it. "Oh. Hi, Genji." She looked at the half dressed cyborg from top to bottom. A white unbutton shirt, black pants and belt, and black shoes. Shoes? "I have some trouble fitting in Jesse's shirt. I was wondering if you have by chance bring the tools for taking off my armor." "Fortunately for you, I did. I'm happy to help you with that. Come inside." She left the door open for him. "Thank you, Angela. I appreciate the effort." The doctor opened her luggage to find the tools as Genji sat on the bed. "Your dress isn't zip up." She couldn't believe that she absolutely forgot about it. "Oh! I'm sorry. I had some difficulties with it." She could feel herself blushing. Genji let out a few light chuckles. "Looks like I'm not the only one who has trouble with clothes." Angela's hands stopped searching for the tools as a cold touch made her body jolted. Metallic hands were working on the back of the frozen blondie. She felt the little piece of metal was forced down a bit then smoothly slid up to the top. "There you go." Angela looked at her reflection in the mirror, her smile grew as she twirled in her dress. She paused in front of Genji. "Thank you, Genji. You were a big help." "No problem, doc. Now, can you return the favor?" He gestured the shiny silver/white plates of armor. "Of course, Genji." She may not notice, but vents on Genji's shoulders almost popped out when she bent over to her luggage to continue to search for the tools. The dress really brings out the curves of her body. Matching her ocean blue eyes and diamond earrings. This was the first time he saw the angelic doctor besides her Valkyrie suit or her white, long doctor's coat. She was just so beautiful. "Alright. Let's get to work." A special drill-like tool was in her right hand. There wasn't a reaction for a while from the Shimada. "Huh? Oh, right."

They both sat on the bed. He took off the ripped, white shirt, threw it on the bed sheet. The doctor started working on his shoulder pads, then the ones on the upper arms', then the forearms'. More and more brownish-grey cybernetic skin was revealed piece after piece. Without the metal covering the arms of the Shimada, it became more visible to admire the detailed lines of the muscular arms. There was a 'wow' feeling in her mind. "Angela? Doctor Ziegler? Are you still there?" She snapped out of it as the cyborg gently waved in front of her face, found herself pausing for a moment. "Can you also take the chest plate off?" "Huh? Yes. Sure." Two silver plates were off, now for the white one on his stomach. Genji needed to unbuckle and pull down his pant a bit. "Wait..." The action of him undressing the lower part of him paused, holding the hem of his black pants and belt. "I didn't bring any underwear." The sentence had confused Angela. "What's wrong with that?" A moment of awkward silence passed by. "The remaining piece of armor on me is connected to the black 'thong'. So if you undo it..." She made an 'Oh' after the sudden realization. She remembered he still has his male parts attached.

"No worries. I can borrow Hanzo's. Would you come to my room after I borrow his underwear?"

"Of course, Genji. How about we say in thirty minutes?"

"Sure thing. My room number is 519."

"Okay. Give me a call when you're ready."

Genji buckled his pants as he stood up. Angela closed the door after they both waved their good byes. She was now alone in her room, recalling the time when she was unscrewing Genji's protective gear, feeling a bit hot. Boy, does she need a fan to cool down from the excitement of seeing his fit figure.

Thirty five minutes later.

-RING-RING-

"Hello?"

"Angela. It's Hana. Where are you girl?"

"I'm still in my room."

"What's the hold up? You're missing out the fun. Jesse and Hanzo are having a drinking contest and boy, are they good."

"I'm waiting for Genji's call. He needs some assistance with his armor."

"That's funny. I just saw him talking to Hanzo during the competition."

"He needs to borrow some underwear from him. That's all."

"HE WEARS CLOTHES!?"

"Well, he is going to tomorrow. He's one of the groomsmen."

"Well, hurry up, Doc. Z. "

"Okay. I'll see you then. Bye."

She hung the phone up.

-RING-RING-

"Genji?"

"OMG, Angela! The guys are stink'n drunk and they're singing moon river together! It's so hilarious!"

"Hana, Please. I'm waiting for a call."

"Okay. Sorry. Bye, then."

Phone hung up again.

-RING-RING-

"I don't care what's going on now! Stop calling me!"

Silence

"Oh, my. Genji? Is that you?"

"HA HA! You were right, Hana! She did fell for it!"

"Lena!"

"Sorry, luv. I couldn't resist. Plus, I drank a few shots, too."

Phone hung up again, angrily.

-RING-RING-

She sighed heavily before picking up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Angela. Are you okay? You sound tired."

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Sumimasen. Hanzo was a bit drunk when I found him."

"I know. Hana told me."

"Anyway, I found his underwear. Are you available now?"

"Yes. I'll be on my way."

"See you then."

"Bye."

The phone was hung up, she picked up the tools and the door was shut as she left the room.

Room 519. Angela knocked twice on the door. "Coming." The door opened and Genji (with no pants) greeted the doctor in. "So, Hanzo agreed to lend you his underwear?" "Yes. He'll agree to anything when he's drunk." He waved the tighty-whitey in his right hand. "Shall we?" Angela held up the tool, pressed the switch on it two times making the drilling sound. Genji nodded, the two of them sat on the bed. The drill unscrewing the last remaining piece on the cyborg, carefully removing the large white plate along with the black thong. She saw the member of the younger Shimada, the color is the same as his synthetic skin, reflecting the diffuse light. Not wanting to be rude, she shifted her sight to her left. It's wasn't any better. The mirror was directly facing the both of them sitting on bed, with Genji's legs wide open. She immediately stood up, facing against the door. "I'll give you some privacy. Let me know when you're done." Genji tilted his head. "Doctor Ziegler, are you shy of seeing my member?" Angela's cheeks turned light red. "I though that you wouldn't mind since that you must've seen it many times during my treatment ten years ago." By the hearing of that made her cheeks redden even more. "Well, I respect your privacy. Okay? Just get dressed." A few robotic chuckles escaped from his mouth. "Angela. It's okay if you look." "Then why did you need to borrow underwear in the first place?" "I did thought that you might be a little uncomfortable in this situation. But I didn't thought that you would really mind that much." Angela hesitantly turned around to the naked man. "So, tell me doctor. Do I look good?" "Y-You look... healthy." For god's sake, Angela! He looks delicious! His biceps, abs and strong thighs. You've been observing them for a long time during the past. Why couldn't you calmly look straight at him now? "You look gorgeous, Angela." He stood up and held her hand, pushing back the string of gold on her forehead to the side of her ear. They were close now, very, close.

---The Next day---

"I'M GETTING MARRIED TODAY!!!" The exciting, blinking girl barged in Genji's room without any warning. Tracer scared the dragon out of the Shimada that is still naked in his bed thankfully with bed sheets covering him. "Whoa! Oxton!" She exited his room, shouting with joy and heading toward the other rooms to do the same thing as well. The door slowly closed itself, making a click as it shut.

"Do you think she saw me!?" Underneath the bed sheets was Angela, naked, poking her head out when she was sure that the coast was clear. Two hearts were racing, still panicking of what just happened. "Morning Beautiful." Genji gave her a kiss on her head, a few seconds later the two of them were giggling about what they did last night.

Notes:

I finished this at 2AM so it's a bit messy, sorry. Comments and advice are appreciated. Thanks.

#gency #My first fanfic in English #It all happened in London #genji shimada #angela ziegler #Jesse McCree #lucio #D.VA #Tracer #Winston

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bunnyribbit-ow · 8 years

Text

Tired...

Title: Tired…

Rating: K

Word Count: 2,961

Genre: Fluff and Angst

Ships: Bunnyribbit (Lucio/D.va of overwatch)

Summary: Often I see a lot of art and fics where Lucio comforts D.va about her PTSD, well now it’s Lucio’s turn. Also I got inspiration from this piece and this piece. *Edit* Oh yeah, I also headcanon Lucio as Catholic (like most Brazilians).

“GG team! That was great round!” D.va says into her headset. The chatter from her League of Legends teammates drones out as she reaches for her now cold insta-ramen next to her. Not minding the luke warm noodles she munches on while reading over the exp. she earned for…what the 17th round in a row so far? D.va then looks over to digital clock next to her on the desk and sees it reads 3 a.m.

“Yikes guys, I gotta get off. I gotta be up earl- er, be up later today, I guess.” Her teammates tell her goodnight as she signs off. She reaches over for her can of soda only to find that it’s empty. Ugh, the salt from the ramen made her throat thirsty. The young gamer walks across the room to her mini-fridge only to see it holds to-go ketchup packets and travel size mayonnaise.

“Drat…” This means she’s going to have to leave her room and go to the Overwatch HQ’s common area fridge to get something to drink. D.va donned on her bathrobe to protect her from the chill of wearing just a tank top and pj-shorts. Why does the HQ have to be way up in the mountains? D.va thinks to herself as she enters the dormitories’ hallway. As she nears towards the elevator she passes her boyfriend, Lucio’s room. The lights are on and the door is open, D.va smiles.

“It’s always good to have an extra set of hands…” D.va thinks to herself, “…think of all the junk food the two of us can carry back up!” D.va continues to fantasize about her and Lucio pigging out in his room until the two were stuffed, fall asleep on top of each other, and then to be comically chastised up by Winston to get ready for Overwatch’s morning briefings. However when she finally reaches his doorway, Lucio is nowhere to be found.

“He can’t be at the studio…” she thinks, “…he just released his album. Lucio wouldn’t stretch his creativity that far.” D.va notes to herself that Lucio is a morning person. When D.va doesn’t have responsibilities in the morning her gaming marathons can go into 6-7 am and when Lucio wakes for his 7 am jog he’ll come into her room and playfully scold her about throwing off her sleeping schedule.

“I doubt he’d go jogging at 3 am…” D.va wonders, “…it’s pitch black out.” D.va passes Lucio’s room and heads toward the elevator. While riding the lift down she tries to think of other possibilities of where Lucio has gone.

“Maybe he’s in lounging on a couch, drinking a decaf coffee or something.” D.va thinks back to times where she’s seen Lucio sit at the common area’s table drinking coffee, completely silent, eyes closed, and with a wistful smile on his face. After enough times, D.va finally asked him what he was doing. He’d slowly open his eyes, look straight at her as his smile widened,

“Just listening to the beat.”

D.va shook her head and laughed at him,

“What beat, Lucio?”

“All of it.” D.va was still confused but she tried to relate.

“You um, mean like the birds chirping and the wind blowing? Nature’s beat?” Lucio gave a little chuckle.

“I guess that’s a nuanced way of looking at, Hana. Though I’m listening past that.”

“Sorry Frog Boy, you lost me at this point.” D.va said with a shrug. Lucio gave a heartier laugh this time as he got up from his seat.

“C’mon…” Lucio said as he took her hand and lead her outside. That day was nice, it was a little cloudy but still warm out. Lucio lead her to a grassy area next the Overwatch HQ’s communal garden. Then he stopped, got on his knees and laid his ear to the ground. D.va furrowed her brow in confusion which only got worse when he motioned at her to do the same. D.va sighed and did as he asked. The ground was cold and slightly wet being pressed up against her ear, which made her made her shiver a little with discomfort.

“Hear it?” Lucio asked.

“All I can think about is a worm popping out of the dirt, slipping into my ear, burrowing into my brain and mind controlling me.” Lucio laughed again.

“Eh, it’s possible but try not to think about that. Listen, can you hear that beat?”

“What? You mean the earth’s beat?”

Lucio’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah that! Can you hear it?” D.va shook her head. Lucio gave her an encouraging smile and then closed his eyes again.

“I can hear it clear as day, babe. Just close your eyes, Hana. Try to drone out everything else, even still your breathing. Go past the dirt and try to listen to it as a whole.” As ridiculous as D.va felt, she tried again. She closed her eyes, cleared her mind and relaxed while slowing her breaths. Then faintly, almost like an echo she heard a “thum” in the earth. D.va’s eyes shot open.

“I heard it! I heard it! It was really soft, but I heard it!” D.va sat up excitedly.

“Aye! There you go, meu coelhinha!” Lucio applauded sitting up as well. As D.va came down from her congratulated high, her face went pensive.

“What was that, Lucio? And don’t tell me you could hear that standing up and through the concrete floor while inside?”

Lucio shrugged.

“Who knows. Some Indigenous call it the earth’s heartbeat, some people in Africa say it’s God beating a drum, I’ve even read that some monks in Asia believe it’s another monk under the earth striking a gong and that allows them to meditate.”

“And what do you believe?” D.va asked. Lucio gave another nonchalant shrug.

“As far I’m concerned, they’re all right. I just call it: This-Really-Cool-Thing-My-Father-Showed-Me-As-A-Kid or The Beat if you’re in a hurry. And to answer your second question, yeah I can feel it through my feet, even when I’m inside a building or surrounding by a lot of other noise. I can always pinpoint it out from some reason, it’s kinda comforting.”

“Feel?”

“Yeah y’know, like vibrations. That’s all sound is.” D.va tried to focus for a moment on the earth pressed against her knees.

“I can’t feel anything…” D.va said defeated. Lucio scooted closer and put his arms around her.

“Awww it’s okay, Hana. I’m talking about years practice here. I’ve listening to this beat everyday since I was four.” D.va flatten her palm against the earth, trying again. However she came to a small epiphany.

“You base all your music around this, don’t you?” Lucio smiled, so proud of his girl.

“You know me too well.”

D.va comes back to the present after reliving that memory. She then realizes she was so lost in it that her body was on autopilot and it took her right in front of the HQ’s refrigerator. She didn’t even remember getting off the elevator. “Oh well, at least I took myself to the place I wanted to go.” she thought taking a couple of sodas out. She looked behind her hoping to see Lucio sitting at the kitchen table ready with a smart comment about her acting like a robot, but he wasn’t. D.va then looked the communal lounge area, he wasn’t there either. Worry started to creep into her gut. Where on earth could he be? Lucio wouldn’t leave with out telling her or at least someone at the HQ. D.va started walking towards the intercom button to connect to Winston’s room.

“No stop it, D.va! Let’s not do anything drastic here.” she muttered to herself. Suddenly her overact imagination decided to take that as a challenge by giving her scenarios of Vishkar stealing Lucio away, ready to do who-knows-what to him. Her finger instantly hit the intercom button, a long electronic beep followed but she couldn’t say anything.

“H-hello?” Winston said groggily on the other line. D.va felt like an idiot.

“Uh, whoops sorry, Winston! I accidentally hit the intercom looking for a light switch.” D.va ends the sentence with a half-hearted chuckle.

“S’okay…” Winston yawned, ending the call. D.va slapped her forehead in embarrassment.

“Stupid…” She sat down at the communal table and opened her soda trying to slow her mind.

“Stay calm, Hana. Lucio’s a big boy. I’m sure he’s fine…” Suddenly the young gamer hears a tapping. She looks at the nearby window and sees Ganymede. The E-54 unit’s favorite friend. Much to D.vas’ dismay, Winston recruited the wandering omnic a while back, but this strange bird seemed to always tag along. The two had a strange relationship. It was clear the bird wasn’t the robot’s pet. It didn’t keep the yellow bird in a cage, in fact it flew away every night only to return in the morning of it’s own free will. Ganymede (which the robot wrote in the dirt when asked about it’s companion) was the only thing D.va liked about the E-54. D.va opened to window, indicating that the bird could come inside, but it flew away to a nearby branch and then stared at her. D.va’s puzzled for a second and then realizes.

“Dude, does it look like I want to go outside?” Ganymede chirps in response and then points it’s head towards the left. D.va follows his gaze and notices a dim source of light within the communal garden.

“Lucio?” D.va asks the bird with hopeful eyes. Ganymede stares at her and tilts it’s head. D.va rolls her eyes and mentally berates herself for asking about her boyfriend to a damn bird.

“Aaaaaaand yet, I’m still gonna go outside and check it out because I’m now a 바보야 apparently.” she mutters picking up her soda.

While D.va didn’t like E-54, she did have to admit it was useful. It seems to really like vegetation so during it’s free time, it worked on a plot of land devoted to flowers, long stalk vegetables, and saplings. It was such a feat that other Overwatch members started to join in. Each member had their own little plot. McCree grew cacti native from his hometown in Arizona, Reinhardt grew vegetables that he’d use when it was his turn to cook dinner, Genji and his master Zenyatta grew juniper bonsai trees and even made a little sand meditation area. Lucio of course was part of it too, trying to use the garden to help D.va warm up to the E-54. While the soil wasn’t rich enough to grow mangoes and papayas, which Lucio missed of home. He grew other fruit such as oranges, grapefruit, and grapes to compensate. For the finishing touches Lucio placed a knee high statue of Saint Fiacre and chest high statue of the Madonna. D.va admitted that she had a black thumb so the most help she could do was pull weeds. Still, she cherished the moments of talking with Lucio while helping with his plot.

As D.va got closer to the communal garden she saw the light was coming from Lucio’s plot no less. Getting closer, she finally saw him. Lucio on his knees -two lit candles beside him- praying in front of the Madonna with rosary beads clasped in his hands. D.va had seen Lucio pray many times; a quick one before eating, one where that he grumbles under his breath to keep himself calm around people that annoy him, and then the slow and compassionate one that he prays for her when asking for protection when she goes off for duty. This one looked much different.

Lucio’s body was tight, head bowed, and his back was so hunched over that D.va could bones from the curvature of his spine. His hand were shaking while clutching the rosary beads so tightly, D.va thought the thread would snap. But what drew her attention was his tone. He spoken hurriedly as if he was trying to say his prayer in one breath. While he was speaking in Portuguese, by his inflections he sounded panicked, but what worried D.va most was that he sounded…penitent. Lucio wasn’t always upbeat, he had his down days, but this was something D.va had never seen. D.va made sure she was still so she couldn’t make any noise and listened. While the two of them hadn’t taught each other their mother tongues, both picked up bits and pieces from just the exposure to one another. D.va knew Maria is ‘Mary,’ cansado meant ‘tired,’ D.va was pretty sure me perdoe meant ‘forgive me’, but wasn’t quite so sure. “’Me dê força was ‘give me strength’ which was a phrase Lucio said frequently, so that one was easy. However he was saying the word pecador a lot and his inflections stressed on the word as well so while D.va didn’t know the translation she knew it was important. Then Lucio suddenly started repeating a phrase. Lucio kept repeating it so quickly D.va thought it was one word and it didn’t help her brain kept on switching from Korean then English and so forth to find the translation. She kept hearing the word, sacrifício which was easy to translate, but the words before it weren’t. She started to sound out the phrase to help herself.

“ayy ooh soooow saaay ooooo, sacrifício?” thought to herself, “What does that mean-” Suddenly it clicked, and it scared her.

“L-lucio…you okay?” D.va said cautiously. Lucio’s fervent praying stopped and he slowly lifted his head as he turned around. Lucio tried to put on a smile, but D.va could see he was failing. His eyes had fresh wet streaks.

“H-hey Hana, why you out here? Everything okay?” D.va gives him a pitiable laugh.

“I asked you first, dummy. And no, everything's’ not okay and it’s sitting right in front of me.” Lucio gives a defeated laugh while wiping his eyes.

“Yeah I do look like a mess, huh?” D.va walked towards her boyfriend. He was still on his knees so his face came up to her stomach. D.va used the loose part of her bathrobe to delicately wipe his eyes and nose, like a caring mother would to her child. Lucio stayed silent and closes his eyes, he enjoys her soft touch. Once D.va is finished she cups his face with both her hands, and looks down at the man she wants to help desperately but isn’t quite sure how so she says silent. The silence is awkward to Lucio and he tries to break it.

“Heh, sorry for getting snot on your bathrobe.” D.va doesn’t say anything, she just gives a gentle smile. Lucio hangs his head, he knows his comment to fill the silence was inappropriate and useless. He doesn’t feel like talking yet so he just presses his cheek against her stomach and wraps his hands around the small of her back. D.va relocates her hand to the top of his head and she slowly strokes his locs. The two of them stay quiet for what felt to them an hour, but was more likely 20 minutes. Not removing his cheek her stomach, Lucio says,

“It’s just getting a bit much, Hana. Sometimes I feel like a martyr for a endless cause. Vishkar’s like a hydra, I knock ‘em down then two more of ‘em pop back up. I ask the Lord for guidance, but sometimes I feel like I’m falling on deaf ears. I’m not Christ, I don’t want to be Christ, but I think…” Lucio pauses, “…I think this fight with Vishkar won’t end till I’m dead and if that’s God’s plan that I must abide by it. But I don’t want to, Hana. I don’t be forever locked with Vishkar, but I don’t want to disobey God. I want to protect my people and protect others, but I’m just…really tired, Hana. I’m really tired.” D.va stays quiet still stroking his hair, trying to come up with something so say. Finally she kisses the top of his head and whispers,

“Remember how you said you find The Beat comforting because you always know it’ll be there?”

Lucio gives a small “Mhmm.”

“Well I’m that way too. Got that, Lucio?” D.va can feel Lucio’s lips smile against her stomach.

“Got it.”

#I HAVE FUCKING CLASS TOMORROW AND IM UP HERE WRITING FAN FICTION #Have some angst #I'll fix the mistakes later #bunnyribbit #hana song #d.va #dva #lucio #lucio correia dos santos #lúcio #lúcio correia dos santos

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zombieheroine · 8 years

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My blood, my soul, my brother [Overwatch, shimadacest, M][1/5]

Pairing: Hanzo Shimada/Genji Shimada Rating: Mature Warnings: Dark!fic, underage sex, sibling incest, child abuse

Summary: Sometimes things happen to you, things that are so painful and horrible that you can’t talk to anyone about them. And then you do.

A/N: Shimada brothers stroke a cord with me and I was overcome with inspiration. I wrote this fic in the last two weeks and it’s finally complete at a bit over 20K words. I poured a lot of emotion and darkness into this, and after finishing I must say I like this fic a lot, and I reached quite the catharsis. So pain ahead, my dear readers.

Shout out to @beekeepercain for beta reading and supporting me during the writing process! You rock, my dude. Link to Ao3

Sun was up and high above Gibraltar. Its light was white, piercing and scorchingly hot, and it made the roof of Watchpoint shine and its yard almost impossibly hot place to loiter in. Hanzo stood in a thin shadow cast by a small tree, hiding from daylight that burned his skin and made existing painful. It was that time of the year again. The anniversary of Genji's death was only a week away, and just like past ten years, Hanzo felt restless and numb. The fact that his brother was alive and both of their lives now had a new direction instead of mindless wandering made little difference.

Hanzo wasn't officially a part of Overwatch, not really. Technically speaking no one was since the organization had been shut down, but the new version now in rogue had been rapidly becoming more and more operational during the passed year. Hanzo wasn't really a part of it, but with Genji's blessing and stubborn kindness and foolish trust from a certain few other agents, he might have as well been. He was very much aware that all he needed to do was to say the word and it would be official. Hanzo let his head fall back and hit the tree trunk behind him. The spring heat felt suffocating and the approaching anniversary was stirring his thoughts and feelings like a pond until its water was too muddy to see anything clearly. Hanzo wasn't sure if he wanted to leave or if he simply thought that was the right thing to do, or if he wanted to stay but feared what attachment would mean. Only one thing he was sure of, and that was that every thought started from Genji and ended up being about Genji as well. He let his eyes close even though it was impossible to block out the light of day. “Lovely day, isn't it?” spoke a serene voice with a metallic echo in it, five or six feet away from where Hanzo stood. Hanzo opened his eyes and saw Zenyatta, who had quietly appeared from somewhere and was enjoying the sun with his head tilted back. “A little bit too bright for my taste,” Hanzo replied to the monk. The omnic made him wary. At first it had been about his expressionless face and odd mannerism, but after Hanzo had learned to know him better it had focused on his otherworldly kindness and how he always seemed to know more than you. “Truly? Well, even if that's the case, sunlight is healthy for humans,” Zenyatta mused. “Healthy does not equal enjoyable, especially with this heat,” Hanzo answered. “I have found that to often be the case, as well,” Zenyatta said with a touch of amusement in his voice. “But might it also be that during this time of the year few things are enjoyable to you?” Before Hanzo had time to decide if he wanted to engage or make up a reason to leave, one of Zenyatta's orbs broke the formation and flew towards him prompted by a soft flick of the monk's wrist. Hanzo stood absolutely still as the little metal orb circled him while making its odd quiet jingling sound as it went. “There is a great deal of confusion and negativity in you right now,” Zenyatta observed and called the orb back. It fell back into its place flawlessly and the formation was complete again, “a great deal of conflict as well.” Hanzo remained silent. He didn't feel like opening up about his feelings, but got an uncomfortable impression that Zenyatta already understood them more than he himself did. “Conflict isn't necessarily bad,” Zenyatta continued, “it means many different forces are at play. It offers a chance for transformation.” “That might be so in some cases,” Hanzo reluctantly admitted. He really didn't want to have this conversation. “But I'm afraid this is just about the approaching date. I'm sure you are aware.” “Yes, I am. Genji told me,” Zenyatta said, as serene as ever. His gentle neutrality seemed out of place and thus felt unnerving. “That is why I sought you out, actually. Genji would like to speak with you. He is in his room, and I believe he has prepared tea.” Hanzo blinked. “Now?” “Yes, now,” Zenyatta confirmed. “I didn't wish to simply drop the message without proper greetings, but that is what Genji requested of me.” Hanzo frowned. A trickle of sweat ran down his temple. “I – Thank you for informing me. I'll be on my way, then,” he hastily said, bowed out of habit and started to walk across the yard and towards the main building's door. “Good luck,” Zenyatta wished after him and stayed in the sun. The room that Genji called his own was all the way up on the sixth floor of the Watchpoint, in the very end of the hallway with windows on two walls, all giving out to the sea. When Hanzo stepped from the stairs to the hallway, his feet ran cold and a vague feeling of threat settled in the bottom of his stomach. He had a bad feeling about this, but the idea of meeting his brother for tea was so endearingly nostalgic and sweet that he forced himself to move and face the whatever else had prompted this meeting. The door was open, and Hanzo stopped in the doorway, uncertain whether or not he should knock on the frame for formalities sake. He didn't come to any conclusion before Genji heard him and turned to meet his eyes, acknowledging his presence and freezing him in place, awkward. “Ah, good day, brother,” Genji greeted, stiff and formal. “Please, come in. Close the door, please.” Hanzo stepped inside and did as he was told. When the door clicked behind him, he immediately felt trapped despite the room's cozy atmosphere. Not that it was overtly cozy; in fact, in someone else's eyes it might have looked ascetic, barren, even. The room was small and thanks to the large windows bathed in light. One of the windows was creaked open and the salty smell of the sea and the sound of the waves dominated the open space. The floor was covered in tatami, a shout-out for the distant homeland, in the corner there was a double-doored white metal closet, under the window a neatly folded futon and on top of that a pillow and bed covers, and in the middle of the room a small, dark brown low table that currently had a large pot of tea and two mugs on it. They stood awkwardly on different sides of the table, Genji shifting on his feet and picking on his hands, Hanzo rigid by the door with his hands in his sleeves. “I... Made tea,” Genji said and needlessly nodded towards the pot on the table. “I think I've finally learned to make it properly, like you. Would you have some with me?” “Yes, of course,” Hanzo muttered, his gaze focused on the mugs instead of his brother. “I... Is there a reason for this?” Genji swung on his place some more and threw a quick look out of the window. “Yes. Please sit down with me.” They sat down, opposite of each other and unconsciously mirroring each other, legs crossed before them and hands on their knees. Genji pushed on mug towards Hanzo, then reached for the steaming tea pot. Hanzo thought to himself that his brother might have learned to brew tea but certainly hadn't improved his way of serving it. “We need to talk,” Genji said to the grey tea cup as he poured the tea. “About?” Hanzo asked. His chest felt tight. Genji finished pouring the tea and leaned back on his own side of the table. “About us. And, more specifically, that one thing.” He poured his own mug full too fast, spilled some tea on the table and made a frustrated sound under his breath. “You know. The thing. That we used to have. Or do. You know?” Hanzo curled his fingers around his tea mug and felt them turning cold and clammy despite the heat. He squeezed the mug harder. “Why do we have to talk about it?” he asked harshly, staring down into his tea. Genji made another frustrated huff. “Oh, we don't have to. So allow me rephrase that: I want to talk about it.” There was an uncomfortable buzzing in Hanzo's legs and he shifted on his place in order to let his blood flow properly, but it didn't help. He turned the hot mug in his hands and kept his eyes cast down, unable to look Genji in the face. His brother's mask was on, but behind the green glow were his eyes and he could feel those eyes staring. “Do you wish to punish me?” he asked. Genji took a deep breath, held it and slowly let it out. “I thought about that when I first started to really think about that stuff, but in the end came to a conclusion that it wouldn't be helpful to anyone. Plus this isn't about you, this is about us.” “Talking about it won't change the past,” Hanzo argued back. Genji made an agreeing sound. “And that is exactly why we must talk about it.” Hanzo couldn't stop a smile pushing its way to his face. “You have matured, brother.” Genji bowed his head. “My journey here has been long and difficult, and it isn't over. But I intend to keep moving forward, and I believe that in order to do that we need to talk about this.” Hanzo forced his other hand to let go of the mug and pushed it through his hair. “And why exactly does that mean we need to have this conversation? I am here, I followed you, I'm on the same path. Isn't that enough?! What do you want out of this?!” It was Genji's turn to shift on his place. He untangled his legs and knelt on them instead, though not properly and didn't settle his weight on his feet. “I want us to be close again, like real brothers,” he said with a strain in his voice. “Don't think I haven't noticed how you won't be left alone with me, and how you keep your distance so not even our shoulders will touch. You're afraid of me and our relationship, and I don't want it to be like that. I want us to be normal, like a normal family.” Hanzo combed through his bangs and needlessly tightened his ponytail. Genji's honesty rubbed him raw like sandpaper and demanded him to honor it with honest answers of his own. “We were never normal,” he said. “Whatever confessions you want from me, whatever curses you think you want to utter, none of it will matter. What I did can never be taken back, and that is my burden, not yours.” “We,” Genji corrected. “What we did.” They were closing in on the subject again, and Hanzo's insides tried to wither. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, tried to ground himself, and then opened them again. “Don't make excuses for me,” he said quietly. “That's not it,” Genji argued with a hint of impatience. He rolled his shoulders and shifted his weight, apparently just as restless as Hanzo but still pressing the matter. “You know, when I began to think about this during meditation, I thought I knew everything about it, too. The more I thought about it the more things started to gain some clarity, and I realized I had created this fitting narrative for you so it would fit into my story. When I realized that I also understood how absurd it was, as if I could read your mind and understand your side of the story. My anger and grudge needed that narrative, but it wasn't helping me one bit, so I discarded it.” Hanzo listened, lifted his gaze from the table little by little and finally focused it somewhere around Genji's collar. He still couldn't look him in his face, but didn't look totally away either. Genji paused and shrugged. “I also realized that you have probably done the same thing to me. You don't know what I think or feel, but you think you do. I don't know what you think or feel, and that's why I'm asking you now. That is why we need to talk, brother.” Silence fell and the sound of waves and early summer wind filled the room. The silence settled with such finality that even though Hanzo hadn't made any decision yet, he sensed that Genji had just presented a winning argument. He studied his younger brother and the air around him, and slowly shook his head even though he already knew there was no helping it. “Where would I even start?” he asked. Genji sat up a little straighter. “Well. You could start by telling me if you want to look me in the eye while we talk. I can leave the mask on if that's kinder to you.” Hanzo let out a breath and slumped a little. The room felt like a locked cage. This was inevitable. “Please, let me see your face then,” he said. Genji undid the visor and his helmet and set them both on the floor by the table, baring what was a very scarred face, bright brown eyes and short black hair that was flattened my the helmet in a rather amusing way. He ruffled his hair before his hands returned to cradle the tea mug. “So. From the beginning then.” * Three-year-old Hanzo hadn't been too happy to become a big brother. Very little had changed in life for seven-year-old Hanzo, and if anything had, he was now even less happy than before. Truly, one of the worst things in his life so far had been when Genji learned to walk, and it had now been triumphed by an even greater tragedy: Genji had learned to talk.

Genji followed Mother everywhere, even and sometimes especially places he he wasn’t supposed to, like when Mother entertained guests or had tea with aunties and Grandmother. Genji skittered after her, clinging to her dress or trying to hide in the folds of her kimono, all the while whining and screaming: “Mama! Mama! Mama look! Mama, pick me up! Mama did you hear?! Mama, pick me up!” Adults mostly ignored him, which only made Genji whine louder, grow frustrated and eventually start to cry. Once, when Mother and Grandmother were walking in the garden, Hanzo was raking the stones around the old maple tree. From there he saw how Genji tried to ride their Mother’s kimono, but lost his hold on the obi, tumbled off and burst in tears. The women had tried to ignore him, but when the wailing started Mother anxiously glanced at him, then spun around and cradled the small boy in her arms. “Oh, my dear child,” she cooed, “did you hurt yourself? Show Mama where it hurts.” Genji stopped crying in an instant, glistening brown eyes staring at the gentle face of Mother. He hiccuped, then pointed at his left knee. Mother hugged Genji to her chest and rocked him. “Poor baby,” she sighed, “how did that happen? Don’t worry, it won’t hurt long.” Genji nodded and leaned against Mother. He sniffed and pushed his knuckles in his mouth, suckling at them quietly for comfort. Mother stroked his hair and back and rocked him in her arms. Hanzo had stopped tending to the stones the second Mother had scooped Genji in her arms. He stared at his pathetic, ill-behaved little brother hugged tight in the arms of his Mother like a baby, and only because he had cried a little. Tumbling a little couldn’t have even hurt that much! Hanzo bristled with irritation. He didn't cry even when he got properly hurt. Not when he got injured during his training, not when he fell from the wall, not when Father beat him with a bamboo sword, but the younger child apparently was allowed to be fragile like a baby chick. Grandmother tutted at Mother. “You will spoil that boy rotten if you keep coddling him like that. He’s not a baby anymore, and you shouldn’t treat him like one either. He must learn independence!” “I know, I know,” Mother said. “Just this once. He’s hurt.” Grandmother harrumphed with dismissal. “That is the life of a warrior! He ought to get used to it. Besides, look at that one! He hasn’t cried since he learned to walk!” she said, suddenly gesturing towards Hanzo under the maple tree. Hanzo felt his spirit swelling with pride and fought to hide it. Praise from Grandmother was so rare Hanzo could count all the occasions of his life with one hand. He straightened, held the rake like a weapon by his side and made eye-contact with the old woman. She gave him a stern look and a nod of acknowledgment. “See? Ignoring ill-behavior gives results,” Grandmother spoke to Mother. “That is how I raised my sons. Now put that boy down, or he’ll never grow up to be a proper Shimada warrior.” Mother sighed in defeat. She kissed the crown of Genji’s head and put him down on his own feet again. “There’s my good little boy,” she said with a gentle smile. Genji stared at her kind face with pure wonder in his still wet eyes, but made no sound of protest. Mother smiled. “Run along now, go play! Mama and Grandmother have grown-up things to do.” To Hanzo’s surprise Genji did as he was told and left the women alone. Mother and Grandmother didn’t glance at either one of the boys anymore, but turned away and continued their way to the castle. Hanzo stared at his Mother’s back until she and Grandmother turned the corner and he couldn’t anymore. He turned to look at the perfectly raked stones he had worked on all afternoon. He didn’t particularly like stone gardens, but recognized his task was to create order there, not enjoy it. A small shadow appeared at his feet, and he lifted his eyes. Genji stared at his brother with a small mischievous smile. “What?” Hanzo snapped at him. “Mother likes me more than you,” Genji declared with childish glee and stuck his tongue out at Hanzo before running off. “No she doesn’t and that doesn’t matter anyway!” Hanzo yelled after him, but his little brother didn’t even turn to look and soon disappeared behind the rose bushes. Hanzo stared after him, once again alone in the garden. He bit his lower lip, looked at the perfect rows of white and grey stones by his feet and tossed the rake down, destroying what he had created. * Genji tapped at the rim of his tea mug. “Wow, that really was from the beginning,” he said, attempting humor to lighten the mood. Hanzo wasn’t amused. He stared out of the window with a frown on his face and his fist pressed against his mouth. “Why did you tell me that?” Genji asked when his brother didn’t say anything. “I don’t even remember that.” “You were too young then to remember that,” Hanzo muttered. “I don’t know why I told you that, to be honest. It’s just… I remember that very well. It’s one of my clearest childhood memories. The days with schooling and at dojo are all blurred together, but that day I can place exactly and I remember it all very clearly.” “Wow. Sounds like I was a miserable little brat,” Genji said matter-of-factly. “You must have hated me so much back then.” “Mmh, I don’t think I did, not really,“ Hanzo said. “I just… I… I don’t know what I felt. Or thought. I just remember that moment.” “The fact that you remember it so clearly means that it was important to you. Something stuck with you then,” Genji said. His scars were suddenly itchy and he reached to his face to rub them. Hanzo finally turned his attention to his tea and raised the mug to his lips. It was still steaming but wasn’t too hot anymore, and he took an experimental sip out of it. The flavor was strikingly familiar and brought a wave of nostalgia so powerful that for a second he couldn’t breathe. Genji was watching him closely, probably waiting for the verdict of his tea brewing skills. Hanzo nodded. “This is very good. You have improved.” Genji smiled. “Thank you.” Hanzo took another sip from his tea and turned to look outside again. The sea gleamed and sparkled in the sunlight, rising and falling calmly, and Hanzo noticed he was fitting his breathing to the rhythm of the sea. Genji spoke again: “You know… I don’t remember her holding me, at all.” Hanzo sighed. “Me neither.”

#Overwatch #shimadacest #shimada brothers #kapteenin raapustus

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