#what have shaxx done to me

[kaiserouo]

afternoon tea

[lxghtbound]

me when im at home: man i have nothing to do i dont wanna play destiny 

me when im at work: PLEASE DESTINY I WANT TO GO HOME AND PLAY DESTINY I WANT TO DO EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING

[warderfromtheborder]

Having a big frustration with the game director doin his response-to-the-reaction on a tweet because I had to dig through a bunch of sweatbaby reacts before finding the video itself on youtube. That sucks! Would have been great if like the tweet got linked on the youtube page or he posted the video on the youtube account.

For the most part, what he said was stuff I didn't need to have explained because Ive been paying attention to the high-level and drawing-back-the-curtain communications theyve done in the past. All that stuff about armor, I groked that on my own when I sat down and looked at all the armor sets in a 4 season year of destiny. The stuff about pvp modes made perfect sense to me, you got something new for skilled players and something to entice players who are scared of the crucible because of the skilled players. The stuff about how the showcase was filmed a while ago and the team is very busy working, that was some "daycare worker being patient with child because they knocked over their own juice" meme level explanation.

I am so ashamed and sad for my game's community that the literally destiny presidenty has to get on twitter to explain to grown ass men that the game is being worked on, and they aren't just sitting around waiting for us to complain about stuff and then tell us what theyre gonna do about it, like this is some fucking restaurant and joe is the maitre'd who's gonna go back in the kitchen and say 'Hey chef chris proctor stop making that delicious exotic weapon potroast and put some more maps in the goddam spaghettios I got a table full of screaming 11 6th graders out here' If he thinks this is the best way to handle the way the sweatbabys are behaving, that is the most sad and tragic commentary on this game's communuty.

I don't like that after years of consistent messaging about not overpromising on delivery, he straight up promised a map-pack that, based on what they've told us in the past, is gonna require a huge shift in resources. That's very worrying! I thought this kind of stuff was over! Great job aztecross et all! You got dad to turn the van around! Now who knows what's gonna get knocked off pipeline as a result. The later FS dungeon? A reprised destination? Maybe the next reprised raid?

If a destiny CM happens to see this, I'm sorry. I'm just sorry. You deserve better. Destiny deserves better. The Crucible deserves better. None of these pvp tryhards make Shaxx or Saint proud. They're just loud. I'm sorry y'all have to do so much to keep them from being deafening.

[unlucky-corvid]

Can i request these

46.  Do they express their thoughts through words or deeds?

47. If they were to fall in love, who (or what) is their ideal?

48. How do they express love?

For shaxx when you get back into writing by chance?

46.  Do they express their thoughts through words or deeds?

Shaxx surprisingly is a man of many words when it betwren the 2 of you. If somthing is bothering him, he's concerned or he just wishes to express how he feels its normally done in the late evening when the 2 of you are wrapped up in bed, his body curled around yours as me talks through whatever he needs.

If hes mad howeve,. Like truly mad, it isn't hard to see. Just follow the trail of vex, fallen and cabal body parts and possibly some trembeling guardians and you'll find him.

47. If they were to fall in love, who (or what) is their ideal?

Shaxxs preference is someone with a big heart and a strong sense of justice. Hes been around for a long time and seen the darkest parts of humanity. If anyone's aware of the need to look out for one another and those who xanot look out for himself its him. If you're the caring type, the type to patch him up after a long day, hold him close after exhausting missions and take care of him, you'll have him wrapped around your pinky finger.

Physically I don't really think he'd care too much, but he likes a little somthing he can hold onto.

48. How do they express love?

Shaxx likes to show his love mostly through deeds. Wether that's big things or small it dosnt matter. If you've had a long day you can bet he's waiting with your favourite meal prepped, the sofa decked out with more blankets than you can count and he will hold you all through the night if its what you want. Man love a good cuddle but just make sure he dosnt fall asleep and roll on top of you. He'll also bring you trophies from successful missions but you drew the line at having a vex head mounted above the fireplace.

That dosnt mean he dosnt show his love and affection through words. .aybe a few decibels lower than during crucible but he's always giving you words of encouragement. Out on the field, in the crucible or simply at home he's always there with words of encouragement and appreciation.

"Good job sweetheart, I knew you had it in you"

"Well done, pet! Show those other guardians who owns this arena!"

If you play crucible expect his constant shouting down your comms

Apologies for any spelling/grammatical errors

[phantomwarrior12]

WIP Wednesday - Agonizing Rescue

TW: Character Death

---

She was supposed to come home.

But when neither she nor her Ghost reported in, Shaxx was forced to presume the worst.

That she wasn't coming home - not without help.

So, Zavala led a fireteam inside the Throne World. Shaxx demanded to be on it and the Titans rendezvoused with Ikora beyond Savathún's stronghold. They pushed inside, tearing apart anything that dared oppose them until they reached the tower the Young Wolf had last reported from. 

Until they found her form stilled upon stone and Ghost hovering anxiously beside her. Until Shaxx bolts past the Vanguard to get to her side and her Little Light flickers upright.

Shaxx barely touches her before the questions find a voice. "What happened? Why isn't she–"

"I don't know," Ghost’s voice wavers. "Savathún did something, I-I can bring her back."

His spine straightens, his gaze swinging up to the Vanguard as they stop a few feet from the Guardian’s body. They exchange a look, one that Shaxx is desperate to decipher but his eyes drop to the Young Wolf as he gathers her in his arms.

She's still warm and for a moment, he holds out hope that she isn't gone and just…just unconscious. That's why Ghost cannot revive her. That his Hunter is still breathing and he’ll feel that subtle stiffen she always does when she's startled awake.

"I'm here, dearest," he murmurs, clutching her close, "I came for you, as I promised."

"Let's get her home, Shaxx." Zavala lays a hand on his shoulder and the Warlord has no choice but to obey.

He rises slowly, cradling her against his chest. Her form is completely limp and a knot binds itself in his throat.

Wake up.

A wordless plea as he starts toward the bridge.

Come home.

A silent command.

Shaxx can hear Zavala and Ikora begin to follow him but then the air around them shifts. He stops dead in his tracks, his hold on his Hunter doubling down as he pivots back toward the courtyard behind them.

The air itself crackles with Arc, igniting in vibrant flashes of blue here and there and dangerously close as Savathún makes her presence known in the center of the courtyard. As her wings extend in a show of prominence and power that exudes a confidence he loathes. As Shaxx’s breath hitches in a muted rage that roars from the pit of his soul.

She took the Young Wolf away from him.

If he can kill the Witch Queen, it's possible that whatever Hive magic is keeping his beloved beyond his reach will dissipate with Savathún's Light.

"Well, well…I'm so glad the Vanguard could drop by." Savathún's voice echoes across stone and Shaxx squares his shoulders. "You sent your Guardian to deal with me. Such a pity."

"What have you done to her?" Shaxx demands sharply.

He can't think straight. He's too angry. Too grief-stricken to process the full extent of the situation. Too tormented by the weight in his arms that he will not leave until he can have her back.

"A small spell to keep her docile." The Witch Queen hums, gesturing with one hand. "She severed my bindings to the Traveler, I severed hers to life."

---

[zalia]

The Continuing Adventures of a D2 Player in D1

I am partway through the Taken King expansion now! I have comitted Regicide, explored the Dreadnaught, and even bribed Shaxx to make me a sword. And I have more thoughts about it!

The Bad

Killing Oryx was... kind of anticlimactic tbh? I know the real death is in the raid, but it genuinely felt like just one more mission. There's no real feeling of completion like there is in D2's DLCs, at least partly because D1 is very sparse on cut scenes and character interactions. It feels like you kill Oryx and no-one gives a damn because there's so few character moments to round it off. 'Oh, killed a Hive god? Must be Tuesday.'

The trend of not explaining anything continues. Several of TTK missions leading up to killing Oryx involve Eris shouting at us repeatedly that 'you must become ascendant to follow Oryx!'. No, she will not be explaining what it means to be Ascendant or why it is so important (I mean, I know because it's been nearly 10 years and I have read the lore, but if I hadn't it would be utterly baffling)

There are these patrols you can randomly get where you pick up a mysterious signal. They have several steps and require you to do random things to progress them - the patrol text is (deliberately) glitched and resolves as you get closer. For example, I had one where one of the steps was to do an emote, another step was to kill hobgoblins etc. I love this idea, do not get me wrong! I like the idea of picking up this random signal. But as far as I can tell, these patrols don't lead anywhere. At the end, Ghost says 'At least we know what the message says, even if we don't know who its from'. AND THEN NEVER TELLS YOU WHAT THE MESSAGE SAYS. I have to wonder if this was something that was meant to lead to content that got cut, or was a hook left that could be used for something in future. Possibly something to do with the Nine would have worked, given the random nature of the messages.

*sob* Getting good armour is such a pain. And confusing.

The jump down to the area with the first secret chest in VoG is *horrendous* especially since you can't mantle. There's no ledge to jump from opposie the entrance. (I have not run the whole D1 VoG, but you can break in by doing certain things without having to do the plates).

Who the hell decided that the destination material for Mars, a planet which is predominantly a red-brown colour, should be a RED-BROWN ROCK?!

The Good

One of the missions in the lead up to killing Oryx involves you having to stealth through Crota's End raid area to steal a piece of his soul. The enemies have a red ring around them you need to avoid or you'll be seen. It's actually pretty cool! very atmospheric too, and nice to have a mission which isn't about brute forcing your way through enemies. I think the stealth system would need some tweaking to make it genuinely fun for more than a one-off thing, but it was a nice change of pace!

The Dreadnaught is a really awesome patrol area. It feels huge, there are lots of nooks and crannies to explore, hidden bridges you need Ghost to see, tunnels to crawl through. Plenty of secrets. Gloriously creepy. I am not even close to finishing exploring (at least partly because I keep getting lost - my sense of direction is garbage in games)

There are different Vanguard Strike playlists available: Legacy, Taken King, and SIVA crisis. Vanguard strikes are different depending on where you are in the story!!! I did not know this going in. There's one strike I've done a few times on the Legacy playlist, where a Fallen Archon escapes from the Prison of Elders. I got it yesterday on the Taken King playlist. Starts out the same, then partway through you go into a cave system. Previously, those caves have involved fighting Vex. Went in last night and it's full of Taken! That was a shock. And progressing, the rest of the strike is full of blights and when you reach the Archon fight, the Archon has been taken! It was a really cool thing to experience, especially going in without knowing beforehand. Doing something I thought I was familiar with and having it change up on me was great. Similarly, the Omnigul strike (the one the Disgraced strike is based off). The dialogue has changed up to kind of move the timeline and have it set after Oryx's fall, and the first room, which has previously contained only Eliksni... now you get ambushed by Hive too! I really love the idea of Vanguard strikes evolving with the storyline - it makes them feel more connected to the world state. I know we've had updates for Lake of Shadows and Arms Dealer in a similar way, but god i would love more!

The vault is split into sections so you can see just your armour, just your weapons, just your other assorted junk, instead of one 600 space mess.

I am getting so much practice using Golden Gun. In D2 I have used Blade Barrage almost exclusively, but since starting D1, where Blade Barrage does not exist, I've started using Deadshot in D2 as well and I'm having fun with it! I even got into a crucible match in D2 and got several golden gun kills which was nice!

I'm more willing now to use supers in D2 instead of always saving them for the boss XD It is a space magic game and I should use the space magic more.

Other Thoughts

I cannot decide how I feel about the currencies+destination materials On the one hand, I am constantly running out of glimmer. It's much more scarce and hard to get and the amount you can carry is much much lower (25K I believe) and you need it for levelling up weapons and armour just to get the perks. Collecting destination materials is necessary and can be kind of a slog (also you need different Ghost Shells to get the trackers for different materials). I know getting the exotic swords later is gonna be painful because you need to get a material that has a low drop rate. Legendary Marks are random drops from doing activities too, and you need them to buy any legendary gear. You can hold 200 of them at a time, and some of the stuff costs 175 Marks. On the other hand, it makes acquiring weapons and armour something a bit more special and valuable. In D2 I can just go to Banshee and buy whatever I want, and make that glimmer back in approximately ten seconds on any destination. I currently have max engrams with all the seasonal vendors, and a whole lot with the ritual vendors and I decode them just to junk whatever comes up a lot of the time. Destination materials... exist. And have no real use. I feel like the ease of acquiring weapons in D2 means I don't appreciate them. And I don't branch out and try new weapons much. I junk the majority of the random drops I get without even bothering to look. In D1 I end up trying out pretty much any purple weapon that comes my way because I don't have that many to choose from. Needing to acquire destination materials means that I spend more time exploring and poking into places I wouldn't normally bother to in D2. Will that side room on the dreadnaught have Hadium flakes for me? IDK, better check it out because I need them! So my rate of play feels more leisurely - wandering a patrol zone without any real purpose feels more rewarding, even when I'm returning to places like the Cosmodrome. So yeah, conflicted about this. We'll see how I feel later on when I have played many more hours of D1

y'know, I would love it if they brought the Dreadnaught back as a destination, maybe for Episode Heresy (the Hive one) after Final Shape. But not the Dreadnaught as it is in D1 - the Dreadnaught after 10 years of being derelict, picked over by scavengers, fought over by different Hive factions, slowly rotting after the death of its master. I think there's a lot that could be done with it - new Hive cults forming in the depths? Taken monstrosities? Some of the descriptions of areas on the Dreadnaught also talk about how Oryx kept specimens from conquered/destroyed species there, and tortured and experimented on them. Ghost at one point comments that there are things even the Hive fear and have yet to be able to weaponise. So... what else is still trapped on the Dreadnaught?

Shaxx has a line when you bring him Oryx's sword Shaxx: That sword shard you carry... is that the dreaded Willbreaker, Sword of Oryx? I have not seen such a blade in many years, Guardians.' I know it doubtless means 'hey, I was on the moon during the Great Disaster. I saw some shit', but the way it's phrased is so specific that it's a great jumping off point for fic ideas XD

[thefirstknife]

What’s the best place for me to get dark age info for my own silly little destiny blorbos

Dark Age info is kinda scattered all over and there isn't much concrete data, but we do have bits and pieces! Anything with Iron Lords. Shaxx and Drifter is a good start. I'll link some of the lore books that are the best start.

The Black Armory Papers - A diary from Henriette Meyrin, Ada-'s mother and one of the Black Armory founders who made her way across the world with her daughter in the early Dark Age.

Constellations - A lore book from the perspective of the various Speakers, relevant pages are 3, 4, 5 and 6.

The Pigeon and the Phoenix - A lore book about Saint and Osiris, there are pages that are set in the Dark Age (most notably about Osiris and Sagira in Moth to a Flame part 1 and 2) and early City Age.

The Liar - Felwinter's lore book.

Rememberance - weblore about Felwinter and Shaxx.

A Man with No Name - Drifter's lore book.

Confession of Hope part 1 and 2 - Two chapters from Ghost Stories lore book from the perspective of a Ghost who took pity on a family that lost their child and rezzed the child (who ends up being Shin Malphur; speaking of, almost everything with him involved is also a good treasure trove on the Dark Age, here's my post about him).

Acts of Mercy - Lord Saladin's lore book about his time in the Dark Age (warning for graphic descriptions of injuries).

Shaxx and Mithrax discuss things they've done in the Dark Age

Some short grimoires: 1, 2, 3

Most important things to know: Dark Age lasted for an indeterminate amount of time between the Collapse and the City Age (when the Last City was officially founded). It's impossible to know how long this lasted due to the nature of loss that followed the Collapse. Everything humanity had was lost; technology, knowledge, time-keeping. Humans weren't even able to leave Earth for a long time during the Dark Age.

Humans lived in scattered groups of survivors, either on the road or in small villages. Lightbearers were mostly Warlords, given that they were superpowered immortal beings that were keeping control over large swaths of land and fought amongst each other for territory. A lot of humans lived under the control of Warlords where they exchanged work and other services for protection. Not all Warlords were merciless, but most of them were, with no one to answer to.

At some point during mid-late (?) Dark Age, Iron Lords formed, the first Lightbearers that we could effectively call Guardians, given that they decided to use their powers to protect humanity and stop Warlords abusing their powers. They died looking for SIVA, which they believed could help humanity rebuild settlements on Earth and beyond (which could've worked if Rasputin didn't panic when unknown life forms started rising from the dead).

The conditions of living during the Dark Age were harsh. There was a severe lack of basic resources such as food and water, there were many threats from simple exposure and starvation, to literal aliens and superpowered humans killing people indiscriminately. Villages were very basic and there was an overall regression of the state of living. Golden Age ruins were everywhere but they were poorly understood and in many cases entirely incomprehensible to Dark Age humanity. These conditions lasted way into the City Age because it took a long time for people to hear about the Last City and reach it safely.

The Awoken and Exos were present in the Dark Age, given that the Awoken emerged from the Distributary at some point in mid-late Dark Age and a portion of them left for Earth. Both were quite rare, with Exos being rarer.

[searsage]

Both titans visibly cringed as Saint nodded again, they both looked like kicked dogs, it was ridiculous, had Felwinter's mood been better and he wasn't still waiting in a vomit sullied coat he'd have found it amusing, but now that his temper is sizzling down he just feels exhausted.

"Felwinter!" Felwinter doesn't flinch as the warlock hurries to his side, and grabs his arm in warm calloused hands, towing him away from the muttering titans, oddly enough he can still feel Shaxx's eyes on him even as he's led away.

"Saint, Shaxx, I will be out in a minute" Osiris announced as he ushered the lanky Exo into a small room shutting the door behind them.

"Here let me see the damage"  Osiris muttered as he examined his soiled sleeve, Felwinter found his optics drawn to the warlock's dark lavender nails, he never knew if the warlock actually painted them or not or if it was an adverse effect from...

"Well it's not ruined thankfully, but it'll still need a good wash before using it again, as for the drink, I must apologize while it was Saint's doing I knew full well and didn't bother to stop him, but I trust you know the drink wasn't poison, simply astringent, your friend's in no real danger Felwinter"

Osiris explained, as he moved to take a seat across from him, deft fingers rearranging stacks of papers and nicknacks across it's wooden surface if only to vent the unrest that crept under his calm facade.

"I know that, but neither of us know what reactions a violent introductory can have on a unsuspecting system, Rasputin said Gryphon-11 will be fine, and I trust his judgement on the matter...also he wasn't my friend"  Felwinter said incredulously, thinking back to the Exo who's terrible attempts at flirting were so bad that were surprisingly amusing.

"Ha, yet you haven't flushed his name from your memory chambers yet, once an Exo told me he did that immediately for those he found irrelevant, friend or not he will be fine, we are going to have Crow follow up with him, Also take off that jacket and give it here, I'll have it washed, it looks expensive and I'd hate to let that set in and ruin it" 

Osiris turned abandoning the mess of papers he was idly sorting through, instead reaching out a slightly shaking hand towards his old mentor, but Felwinter made no move to remove his priceless coat, he didn't need them to do a job he could have done more efficiently, nor did the idea of traversing the snow swept wasteland of Eroupa's landscape to return home coatless appeal to the Exo.

"It's already arranged to be taken care of..."

Instead he ignored the man's request, and gently grabbed the warlock's outreached palm, Osiris jolted as the cool metal of his fingers pushed his long sleeve up to examine the angry black veins hidden beneath, human skin was so frail and it looked almost translucent to the Exo's sharp optics.

"Does it still hurt when I touch it?" He whispered distractedly, his fingers studying the dying tissue the parasitic nano tech was slowly chewing through, only for the warlock to swiftly yank his hand from his grip, irritation warping his normally tight features.

"No, it doesn't.. but I'd still prefer if you asked before doing that!" Osiris snapped gruffly, But Felwinter ignored his lie, instead offering a respectable tilt of his head as he fixed the man with a knowing stare "We both know you would have said no if I had.." his words earned him a dismissive scoff from his past apprentice.

In the empty room the two men fall into a melancholy silence, many words and blames filled their minds, but blames that never made it to their mouths, silently Felwinter hoped Osiris would ask, yet the warlock didn't..

Had he given up on Ana? Did he assume that Rasputin forgot about him? His sacrifice? No, they hadn't but he wouldn't lead the older man on with possibly false hope unless he himself was certain they found a breakthrough..or the warlock begged for it himself and so instead the Exo offered "Elsie said you dredged up the files, containing the tampered footage?" 

"Ah yes, that I have."

[championofravens]

For characters thing, lemme see some love for Saladin perhaps? 👀

Y'know, I really don't need to do any work today *sweeps everything off my desk onto the floor*

favorite thing about them

I just love that he's an old man!! I love everything that stems from that: the rigid politeness and formalities he sticks by that contrast with the crudeness and roughness he's used to over the centuries of battle. The unwavering honesty but also the lack of emotional intelligence, making him closed off and clipped but not on purpose. I love how he takes ownership of what he loves. I love how he confronts his follies and flaws head on, especially when it hurts. I love that he's stubborn and stuck in his ways and grumpy and doesn't get jokes. He is so fucking smoochable.

least favorite thing about them

*motions to all of Season of the Risen* I hated that whole thing, generally. I hate that he is just quietly stoically resigned to his fate with Caiatl the most though. I fucking hate it. I hate how he rewards Crow for fucking him over and I just hate the whole turn his character took here. I miss when he was racist.

favorite line

Oh goodness that's easy. It's 100% this little speech he gave after the Warmind expansion came out in D2. And the line that sent me to my grave:

"I will not abide losing you, Guardian."

brOTP

I want more lore about Felwinter and him being friends :( or really, him and any of the Iron Lords. All the lore of him being happy with Jolder makes my heart happy

OTP

The old man is fuckable only to and for Young Wolves and I stand by that

nOTP

Why would you ruin the humor of whatever the fuck he and Shaxx have going on by making them actually have gay sex. Booooo

random headcanon

He's 7'2 for realsies. His apartment is littered with dead plants he made honest efforts to take care of. He spent his last night on Earth walking the farms on the outskirts of the Last City, doing a patrol no one does anymore, retracing old footsteps and freeing coyotes from traps.

unpopular opinion

He is significantly hotter and more fuckable than Shaxx in every single way, I'm sorry, it is just the TRUTH

song i associate with them

You know, Saladin has always been such a goddamn pain for me to put a playlist together for... so I don't have one! And whether it makes sense to anyone else or not, I'm gonna drop Weather in my Head from one of my favorite old men in music, Donald Faegan.

Here comes my own Katrina, the levee comes apart There's an ocean of misery floodin' my heart

They may fix the weather in the world Just like Mr. Gore said But tell me what's to be done Lord 'bout the weather in my head

favorite picture of them

He's so fucking fine in Rise of Iron........ I wanna kiss the crease between his brows

[a-driftamongopenstars]

My migraine ravaged brain won’t shut up and let me sleep this question out, what’s Shaxx’s nightmare? :3

Sorry for a late reply, we are migraine buddies 😂 hope you feel better soon!

An answer to your question is, obviously all the Guardians that don't! throw! enough! grenades! :D

All jokes aside though, that's a good question. Not to say that Shaxx is without regrets or fears, but he definitely strikes me as a person who takes them in stride. The 'what's done is done' attitude and the 'let's do better next time' one, you know?

I guess his fear would be the many civilians who died during the wars with the Eliksni. Shaxx's desire to protect is such a strong one, I wonder if he thinks what could be done better to have less victims.

I also wondered if it could be Savathun! In a way that Shaxx doesn't like all that wishy-washy magics and vagueness and mind manipulation. I think it would scare him, you know?

But I'm also open to hear more ideas because I don't know Shaxx's story as well as I wish I did 👀 something to work on lol.

[savyir-genesizz-the-wizard]

Saladin for the character ask game thing

Favorite thing about him: He has his own wolfs! And war beasts! And he's so cool for that!!

Least favorite thing about him: He's sometimes so randomly mean to you. "Shaping your character" more like: "I have emotional problems"

Favorite line: I'm not sure if it's still possible to hear it in Iron Banner but I've found this gem on Destiny Wiki: "Die! Die! Di-(cough) Sorry. I've been watching too many Iron Banner matches. What time is it? Shaxx? Shaxx, are you there? Can you get me a water? Stop yelling, it's just a question. I'm not old!"

BrOTP: Uh, no idea here

OTP: Still nothing

NOTP: Anyone basically. No hate to anyone tho (aside from Saladin/Crow shippers - you are going to hell and Satan won't be sexy)

Random headcannon: He's a bi disaster and we all know that

Unpopular opinion: I absolutely think that Crow deserved to get his ears pulled by him last season. He should have done that. He would

Song I associate him with: Revolution by The Score

Favorite picture of him:

[Iron.Temple's.First.Ass.jpg]

[cinnchaii]

🌄New Dawn🌄

Tezra-14 & Trophy fic I whipped out real quick about his “second resurrection”. They talk, and start a new beginning.

Added a link but also just pasted it below🫡 got too lazy to make it pretty here, though. Also? I’m not a good writer, so if this makes no sense, sorry good luck!

His ghost is gone, he’s sent her off to find someone better, someone who’s not a monster like him. He enters a clearing with sparse foliage. He drops to his hands and knees. He’s weak and broken. His heart aches and his nerves and subsystems are firing off, warnings of an imminent shut-down. He won’t fight it anymore. He lays himself in the grass, and grips his woven necklace. He prays to the Traveler that will see Monarch again soon.

Tezra awakens with a jerk and a cough- Calamity scans him once, twice, then floats staring like he’s supposed to say something first.

There is silence before he decides to ask;

“Wh- why am I here?”

The ghost’s pupil narrows. “I’m done, I’m not letting you sulk in the dirt anymore!” Her shell expands, making her look like a puffed up cat.

She’s mad at me?

He sits up and surveys his surroundings, he remembers this and doesn’t. The clearing shows the passage of time evident with new growth.

“How long?”

Calamity spins her shell as if searching for an answer, as if she lost count.

“Centuries at least. I-it’s been so long for me Tez…”

His heart pangs, he remembers before his death, for him seconds, but for her? Centuries. He holds out his palm and after a second of hesitation she falls softly into his grip. He clutches her to his chest, the memory of his pain floods back, Monarch, the village, the warlord. A strained feedback emits from his vocal cords, “You should have left me dead Cal.”

There’s another pause before she responds, “I had to bring you back Tezra, there’s just so much going on and I can’t just leave y-“

Tezra cuts her off, “I don’t have anything for me here, stop”

Calamity flares her shell and flies into his face, “No, you stop! I get it Tez, I do. I get it hurts! What do you want?! A trophy? Boohoo, you are officially the saddest bastard around!” Her shell droops, resigned, “But do you really think this is what he would have wanted? For you to rust out here while there are people out there- innocent people- who need help? That you have the power to help!?”

Tezra sits stunned, in all their years together he’s never heard Calamity yell, that and…

She’s right.

Monarch saved him and together they devoted their strength and light to helping people. His heart aches, a fresh wound of loss. But Calamity is right, he wouldn’t have wanted this- wouldn’t have wanted Tezra to give up while there was someone out there who needed help. To do that would contradict everything they stood for together.

What feels like years of silence pass in the span of a minute. Clarity.

He reaches for her, draws her close and presses her to his forehead, “you’re right”

She sputters, “w-wait, what?”

“You. are. right. He wouldn’t have wanted this, and I need to do… something”

She floats up and her shell dances, spinning around her. “Okay, okay, repeat that first part again?”

“You are-“ his eyes narrow, “no, wait I know what you’re doin-“

“No no this is great! Please continue- hey hey you know, this is great! This is growth! I thought you were gonna be more stubborn than a bull and I’d have to beat it into you!”

Tezra swats at her softly, but the ghost dodges as giggles erupt from her.

“We should go, it’s been a long time, there’s a city now, the Last City. Lightbearers and civilians built it! It’s HUGE!” She spreads her shell to emphasize, “In the city, the lightbearers are organized! They made the Vanguard, Guardians who work together to help people! They have a lot of familiar faces! Like Lord Shaxx and-“ Tezra’s focus breaks from her words and more to her actions, she’s spinning and bobbing through the air excitedly, all the while he notes scuffs and dents on her shell that definitely weren’t there before.

“And then! This crazy cool warlock made light duplicat- you aren’t listening.” Her pupil narrows as she straightens her gaze at him. Tezra’s hands fly up in mock surrender, “I was! And then I was watching… a little more than anything else.” he sighs and softly runs a finger across a particularly deep dent.

She laughs nervously and her look softens, “oh- this is all nothing, Tez! Honest, it’s- it’s just been a while and accidents are bound to happen!” She’s turns away shyly and floats off.

Tezra huffs and begins to stand, his joints creak and the stiffness pulls at his paramuscles. He groans from the pressure, but stretches out his limbs. Tezra turns to look at his surroundings; trees and overgrowth are scattered around him and in the distance looms a giant wall. He removes his cloak and folds it, laying in to rest in the dirt. He grips the pair of rings on the necklace above his heart as Calamity busies herself with scans of the nearby flora.

She brings over two small flowers, a simple but hardy plant, yellow dandelions. He takes one and places it above his cloak and she follows.

“You think I can pull it off?” The yellow?”

She snorts in response and bumps against his shoulder, “if you get a paint job, then I get a new shell!”

“Of course, and during our trip, you can tell me how you scuffed this one so bad.”

He tugs at a point and she scoffs with false offense.

“These were all accidents! I told you before!”

“Yeah, here’s a trophy, most accident prone ghost.”

“Oh real nice Tez, SO original!”

He studies her, trophy. Trophy…

“Trophy.”

She tilts curiously, “Trophy?”

“Yeah I- it’s just been so long, and this is a… fresh start?”

She only contemplates for a fraction of a second before nodding, “Yeah- Yeah I like that, that sounds good.” She spins all the way around before spinning only her shell, a wave.

“Well, My name is Trophy, I’m your ghost! And you are gonna be a great Guardian!”

Tezra chuckles and gives a playful bow, “Well Miss Trophy, it’s a honor to meet you, my name is Tezra-14.”

[orbdotexe]

okay screw it! I’ve already got Ruin//Renewal out there, I might as well talk about my OCs in a proper post. So! meet the cast of Task Force Chaos. I only have pictures of the ones I could actually replicate their canon looks for, though..

The actual main Fireteam of TFC:

Exo Hunter Ruin-7: Void/Arc + Stasis/Strand My Young Wolf! They aren't as mean as they seem, I promise- Assigned Non-binary at rez. Sorry. No one knew what else to call them, and they weren't really helping on that case. (They haven't even given anyone their name! They're just The Guardian or Young Wolf!) They're quite comfortable with it though. Comfortable with feminine addresses in most cases. (Sister, proper titles like Lord/Lady, etc) Although they use a bunch of subclasses, they mostly use their powers to compliment their weaponry and movement. Arc-skating and blinks, Stasis shields, obviously the Strand Grapple. Their most used super is Spectral Blades (or, their Arc/Void version they call Spectral Dance) Canon Ghost! At some point in the future, when they finally give in and embrace being a person instead of a weapon, he adopts the name Renewal. He doesn't now because, personal canon, he told Ruin he'd pick a name when they did. (to be clear, literally no one calls them Ruin. Only Ghost and Osiris even know that name. Noble and Ann just call them G) They also have damage to their plates on the left top part of their head.

Exo Titan Noble-5: Void/Solar + Strand Slightly shorter than Saint and Shaxx, and just as beefy! Big boi. He's so done with this fireteam, but they're his idiots. Probably one of the most Just A Guy characters I have, even though you can't be Just A Guy when you're out godslaying and scruffing the Archangel and Young Wolf to stop them from destroying everything in a 10 mile radius. Basically TFC's babysitter at this point. I'm so sorry, big man. Your girlfriend and her sister are awful. You deserved better. Mostly uses Sentinel Shield, though his Burning Maul manifests as a similarly oversized, single-bladed axe. Complimenting his status as Big Boi, is his Ghost, Uri! Small. She uses a flower shell! Very shy, and also done with this fireteam as well.

Awoken Warlock Annithia: Solar/Arc She earned herself the title Archangel for her unique Dawnblade, in the form of a spear. Which, inofitself, isn’t impressive (headcanon that everyone’s supers are unique in some way, depending on how they learn/invision it) - but rather what exactly she does with it. Where most Dawnblades do bursts of flight, Ann has taken to the skies! She mostly used it to rain hell on enemy combatants and in rescue missions. Her own unique AOE super similar to a Nova Bomb (which she calls Solaris Spike) plays a large part in the raining hell part. Although, quite literally, 10x older than Ruin, the two are basically sisters - and consider each other such! Although, as a result of being Guardians, the two also take the term Sibling Rivalry to the max. One moment the two are the best of friends, the next there's 2 glowing holes of Solar and Void trying to kill each other. Oops Her Ghost, Nova, is almost as peacock-y as she is, though on the opposite side of the spectrum. Nova's just mean :( She and Failsafe get along, at least Large part of the reason she focuses Solar so hard is the amount of times she froze to death while stuck on Europa after she was rez'd... Redhead (like actual, bright Red-red), blue skin, and fire-colored eyes. Prosthetic right arm, small scar over her right eyebrow

(Dead) Awoken Hunter Lorcarin: Haven’t figured out his subclass, though he feels like a bladedancer to me (at least, prior to his corruption) He was TFC’s Hunter some years before Ruin was rez’d, and had this whole powerlust-driven corruption arc where he modified himself, and likely his Ghost, to hell and back. In the end, the Vanguard dispatched Ann and Noble to take him out. Said mission is also where Ann permanently lost her right arm Not sure what to do about the corruption without being too lore breaking, though. Might just keep it to self-modification, no Taken stuff like I planned, as this happens long before D1

The rest of the cast:

Human Warlock Phyra: Solar Arch rival of the Archangel, man. Ann and Phyra hate each other SO much, it's not even funny. They take pot shots at each other constantly, though have never fought-fought. It's mostly a verbal pissing contest. Why are they even in the same clan Overall, Phyra's just an ass. Like, she is so pretentious about everything. Full-heartedly believes her Solar is second only to Osiris, before he lost his Light. ouch Like Ann, bright orange eyes! But this time, more chocolate-colored, short hair. Darker skin tone (not entirely sure of race! I'm bad with the names of things, sorry. Think Eris)

Awoken Titan Striker (name in progress): Arc/Void Don't have much on him! Though I know he runs the clan while Ruin and Noble aren't available. He's chill though, and usually has to reign Phyra back in.

The Exo Twins! Hunter Eerie-3 and Warlock Echo-4: Void Rez'd in Shadowkeep during the New Light campaign. Some canon devianting here and a couple headcanons, all around Shaw Han. Obviously, newest members of the Cosmodrome Cohort! (which is just. a series of abnormally powerful Guardians rez'd in the Cosmodrome, in canon. YW is apart of this group) While she originally had both purple optics, Eerie had a way-too-close encounter with Navota during the strike, which led to her having one of her eyes thoroughly screwed. Echo looks much more masc than his picture makes him look, but I had to use the female exo to get the head I wanted for him In my version of canon, Shaw was actually there for the strike, so it was him and the Exo Twins. Poor man almost lost another Guardian on his watch, right after losing his fireteam. The Twins meet TFC through Shaw, who met TFC through the Last Wish raid (personal canon! He wears the leg armor from that raid, so I've just ran with his fireteam and TFC having done the raid)

The clan's called The Syndicate! Just for the aesthetic tho. It kinda existed before the Red War, in a way. It was a semi-official thing set up out of a former Hunter hidey hole to help New Lights get them on their feet

Outside the clan:

An unnamed Captain (because I have no idea how Eliksni names work): Still figuring out his story! But he’s an ex-pirate who came to House Light while Ruin was out doing Lightfall things. Mostly there to flesh out Ruin's interactions/relationship with House Light/Misraaks and how Eliksni in general feel about The Young Wolf. He has had to be comforted by Misraaks and Eido on multiple occasions because his anxiety is through the damn roof. Poor guy (brought to you by: that one post chain about if the Eliksni have similar tales about the Young Wolf as they do about the Saint. That is such a fun chain to read) (Lightless Civilian) Gale-2: this one’s fun! I love him, but mostly because it’s so much angst. I’m so sorry, Ruin. Gale runs an Exo Modification and Engraving shop on the outskirts of the City, and is mentoring Echo to be a gunsmith. White-camo painting, red lights, celtic-esque designs along what would be cheekbones on an Exo. Big ol', backwards curved horns + two little ones right above his eyes.

my brain is tired now, and while I'd love to talk extensively about what I mean by "I'm so sorry, Ruin" in reference to Gale, I can't much focus on that right now. In simple terms: He's known them in most every one of their lives and was there when they finally died and has a lil bit of guilt over feeling like he caused it. Ruin was also a bit of a daughter-figure stand-in for one he had before he became an Exo. not that Ruin knows any of this. He's their tattoo artist and a tiny bit of a therapist! oof

[phantomwarrior12]

Moments In Between

-----------------------

"Well…that looked," Cayde-6 tilts his head, gesturing as if it'll bring the right word to mind, "inspiring?"

The Young Wolf groans softly, rolling onto her back. She'd tried a new finisher - one she'd watched Cayde do maybe twice. She's hit the ground a number of times and the impact is really starting to hurt.

The Hunter Vanguard crouches beside her, nudging her arm, "Trying to imitate me, huh?"

The Guardian's head lulls toward him, batting his hand aside half-heartedly.

Cayde laughs, pushing upright and holds out a hand. "Come on, kid. Let a professional show you how it's done."

She snorts but accepts his hand all the same, dragged unceremoniously up to her feet.

"Now, biggest thing about this move? You gotta be light on your feet. You're used to throwing everything you have into that final blow, right?"

She nods. 

"With this one, it's all about building up that momentum and getting that spin in. Like so," he gestures for the bot to fall into position.

It does so and the Guardian watches Cayde move flawlessly through the motions, landing that last blow before he alights gracefully and does a mock bow.

She snorts, shaking her head.

"Aw, no applause? Shame. Your turn!" He steps aside and the Guardian tries to mirror his actions. 

She gets closer but still ends up hitting the ground with an umph and a line of curses under her breath. Behind her, she can hear Cayde’s snicker before he's offering her another hand up.

He helps her refine her form, breaking down the movements until she can do it without a weapon. That's not to say there is no heckling from the Hunter Vanguard as they go through it, but when she finally lands the footwork, he laughs.

"There you go! Now, the real thing!" He gestures to the bot that steps forward and the Guardian drops into position.

"Don't psych yourself out, kid. You got this!" Cayde holds up a thumbs up and the Young Wolf nods.

A moment's hesitation before she charges, flawlessly executing the footwork and lands the blow. Her descent is a little sloppy but when she straightens up, she looks to Cayde who cheers.

"See? It's not as hard as you thought," he laughs, approaching her.

She nods, returning the fist bump Cayde offers before the Hunter Vanguard lightly jostles her.

"Come on. Ramen's on me!"

She gestures toward the bot, as if suggesting she keep practicing but he snorts and waves it off.

"Nope. Too much practice makes you overthink things. Just go through those footworks in your head tonight, you'll be fine to run a few tomorrow." He slings an arm along her shoulders, lowering his voice. "Besides, I need an excuse to avoid the War Room. Zavala has a stack of papers with my name on it."

The Guardian chuckles softly before nodding her agreement.

"Great!" Cayde jostles her again and guides her toward the door. "Think of it this way, kid. This kind of work? It'll burn you out if you don't take breaks. We see a lot, we suffer a lot. Best we can do is sneak a night out here and there and hope for the best."

"...sounds inspiring?" She returns softly and Cayde laughs.

"Yeah, well…when we go from one mission to the next, those moments in between are what makes it worth it. We wouldn't fight the way we do if there weren't good things to look forward to. Like a night of Ramen and I can tell you about the time I beat Shaxx in a Crucible match."

She nods eagerly.

"Stick with me, kid. I'll show ya the ropes."

And he always did.

----------------

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[titanicfreija]

Revising First Found My Guardian Day

I just didn't like a few bits about the other one. I did miss Freija's first birthday because I was busy as fuck trying to learn the world and keep up with everything plus real life being what it was; and I put that in the narrative and I didn't like it.

Freija's first year of life practically flew by. After moving in with Thomas and Rex, and getting along well enough in the Strikes to feel like she was doing something, and even meeting Xûr and harvesting the anomalous armor The Nine gathered from timespace (or something, none of them were sure where he got it), she was comfortable with her place in the Tower.

The big names around the Tower scared her at first, but she took comfort when Saladin and Shaxx both took a moment to comfort her after her only forays into their arenas, and there were even some Guardians that got excited to see someone so new. She never felt unwelcome, though she was occasionally embarrassed.

Of course, life was chaotic- Stasis and Eramis, Crow and the Spider, learning who Cayde was, meeting the Eliksni, meeting the Cabal, who and what Awoken are (including herself), Exos.... The Titan managed to catch up some time after Caiatl's arrival and she was keeping up with everything until Savathun arrived, at which point she had to start listening in to everyone again.

As another result of Savathun's arrival, they spent a lot more time in the Dreaming City. This was fine, until Sunny started getting distracted a little after the Festival of the Lost.

Maybe a week passed before Freija finally asked. They were venturing through the City, looking for the spire things, and there was a lull in the onslaught, and it seemed as good a time as any. "So why are you being weird?"

"Weird?" the Ghost replied, as though the word were new. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're acting funny. You're moving different. Talking less. You've changed shell three times a day since you took off your Festival costume. What's going on? Are you sick? Want something? Hiding something?"

"I suppose you have no idea, since you have no frame of relation and your first real chronological marker would have been the Dawning," Sunny babbled. "We're getting very close to the anniversary of the day I found you. Using the solar calendar of Earth, of course, which is what I've always done."

Freija glanced at Sunny and made a soft sound in her nose. "Yeah, no frame of reference. Dawning would have been my first clue," she agreed. "So, what, your Found-My-Guardian Day?"

"I always thought of it as your Rising Day, but as they mean the same thing, yes." The Ghost bobbed happily and swayed in the air.

"I think it's your day. It's a big thing, yeah, but it's not the big, catalytic Thing that caused a before-and-after in my life. I don't have the before."

Sunny stopped bobbing. "You mean it was a change to me because I remember what it was like without you, but it's not a change to you because there was just waking up?"

"Yeah. Did you want to celebrate it or anything? Gifts? Ceremony? We're in the Dreaming City anyway, you wanna go for a walk where you found me?"

"...That sounds nice."

~

The rest would be about the same. May cohesify later.

[croissant-au-chocolat]

am I feverishly baking Gjallardoodles and gifting them to Zavala until he loves me?

....maybe.