#when this was datamined i was. skeptical of it

[raccoonscity]

Ada Wong + Red Dress Details

[narwhalandchill]

how are we feeling about this project amber update

assuming this is in relation to childe bc who the fuck else JWDJWJKDJKW anon im so sorry if not. also so so sorry for how out of hand this got. i am simply unwell about him.

But! Well. there certainly are thoughts

(obviously 4.6 datamine of arle SQ and her voicelines; This Will Not Spoil Anything Abt The Main SQ Plot, i only discuss the relevant parts. also some p Heavy negativity towards fanon ooc at the start youve been warned dont @ me)

(i mean i didnt even read anything of the SQ but The scene w childe so idek the main plot of the quest rly either lmao. tho go at ur own risk if u wanna check the dialogue out; its the 2nd quest log but it does hint at the greater story)

TLDR: how i feel abt his appearance in a vaccuum? quite solid despite the briefness, actually. accounting for the way fanon is 100% likely going to be reading into this and turning it into the Lets Infantilize Ajax Even More 2024 championship? conflicted.

in other words; a certified labyrinth warriors moment - theyve expanded on childes character in a very interesting and quite a compelling way and while i Do like the potential in what im seeing from hoyos end theyve also done it so that its going to be misinterpreted to hell and back by fanon so i kinda have an immediate jaded love-hate moment going on JJWJDKJDKJWJDWKJ

its literally just labyrinth warriors flashbacks - that event has some of my ALL TIME favorite insights into who ajax is and how he views the world and himself but when the event came out all everyone cared abt was to warp it into baby boy stuck in scawwy paper boy dungeon dehumanizes himself by calling himself a weapon and doesnt love himself he is such a sad trauma meowkitten 🥺🥺so yeah

bc like lets look at this properly for a bit; okay he went back to fontaine to look for skirk still somewhat injured and waa waa my 286 month infant baby cannot Make decisions like that!!!!!11! which is to say. i am tired of him getting this shit every time.

is it smart of him to get on the move immediately with just the bare minimum of rest? no. do i like that hes straining himself before proper recovery? not particularly no. do i feel the particular need to psychoanalyze this grown man and feared warrior whos 100% survived Way Worse in Way More Extreme Situations for it? hell fucking no.

while not at all the course of action a medical professional would approve of. from childes POV its perfectly logical hes priorizing going back for skirk when its literally the FIRST TIME shes showed up in like. a Decade. when hes been looking for her all this time are you kidding me 😭😭😭 but fanon must keep fanoning for their widdle baby girl so what does a hater like me know

anyway. seething and venting over im gonna try to avoid bringing up how much i hate this kinda infantilization of ajax now im sorry for bringing it up so much on ur innocent ask anon KJWDJKWKJDJDKWJKD. neutral discussion moment. i Promise

so it seems that theyre going for the pulcinella-is-shady-about-ajax (and prolly his family) angle for good and like. personally for me as long as the only real source of that claim was scara (a cynical edgelord who doesnt believe in non-exploitative human relationships, mind you) i was rather skeptical towards just instantly drawing that conclusion, but well. with the scene in arles AQ it appears to be sth theyre building towards

i actually really fucking loved that scene bc while theres outsider perspectives (scara obvi; and even arles line for him has that vibe. and ppl still take that shit face value 💀💀) and a lot of fandom assuming childes like. completely clueless and naive and ignorant towards the potential risks involved with trusting pulcinella. this is actually a very clever demonstration of quite the opposite? and showcasing how despite his aversion towards schemes and lies hes still intelligent and knows the kind of people hes dealing with when it comes to his fellow harbingers

like. childe has a negative opinion of arle based on what pulcinella has told him about her because at face value many of her deeds are in heavy conflict with his values of loyalty and family. and because he does not have the further context behind her actions and what the HotH under her is really like. Obviously hed hold a very hostile and wary view towards arlecchino

(ESPECIALLY when with all this biased intel hes still going to run into kids from the house!!! and then hes going wtf? these are good kids. what the hell is that knave doing with them??? blink twice if you need help i will start a civil war for yall like thats how he is with kids!!!!)

so YES. pulcinella has given him if not false then at least misleading intel based on the political tension between himself and arlecchino and the wider HotH. and childes taken that at face value! sure! he is close with pulcinella of course he would!

BUT. THEN. he returns to fontaine and seeks arlecchinos help looking for skirk. and observes her behavior and modus operandi for himself as well as the kids. does he go "nah she must be just hiding the crazy evil shit i would never distrust pulcinella" and leave it at that when reality doesnt completely match his expectations?

NO. because when offered the opportunity through the traveler asking about the HotH childe immediately capitalizes on the opportunity to prod for answers and see if pulcinella is lying to him!!!!

and hes so fucking smart with the way he does it too???? i LOVE his intelligence. the entire thing is so simple yet elegant; it Completely relies on his reputation as the kinda gullible harbinger whod Never scheme or hide Anything to indirectly affirm or deny his suspicions. he doesnt Need to Pretend to care about the possibility of arle betraying the kids bc he genuinely does!! and when she pushes back against the accusation he doesnt Need to fake admitting to her that well, actually, its all just rumors so he could be completely wrong. and so on. like he navigates the entire thing so effortlessly. and whats the end result?

childe has Confirmation of pulcinellas possible ulterior motives in action AND that arlecchino is a much more reliable ally than he initially assumed. all the while appearing as just The Straightforward 11th. like obviously id need to hear it voiced first to be sure but in text it v much gives the impression hes almost kinda just. playing up the threats towards arle and being "dumb" on Purpose?? to get the answers he wanted out of arle without appearing like hes fishing for anything particular. and i just hhhhhhhhhhh

i love when he does this so muchhhh!!!!!! 😭😭 he doesnt need to become some machiavellian schemer to be able to strategize !!!!!! he avoids scheming bc he Dislikes it not bc hes incapable of it like this has Always been the case Since Liyue AQ and i love whenever they show that side of himm . my Beloved

so anyway. while i do still think the like "pulcinella is bad and has his family hostage" is still kind of a generic plotline and i hope the writing regarding the whole thing wont ultimately turn out to be sth That simplified and black and white. its p clear theyre doing Something with pulcinellas motivations and as they are. im Really glad theyre letting it show that childes not just some completely passive party being manipulated in this all. he Is thinking abt this stuff and his position among the harbingers. ig we shall see where it goes - not the greatest fan of the concept still, but canon text supports it becoming a thing way more than when it was just scaras word we had for it. hope theyll surprise me positively w how they go about it!

then briefly for the rest uhh

also loved arle and childe just shittalking the rest of the harbingers it was amazing. i wasnt expecting this kinda dynamic between them at all but its great lmao. also i wanna see childe hang out w the HotH kids

as for project stuzha; so we dont really get anything solid on it other than being summoned back to snezhnaya for it is apparently a Big Deal. but still very interested. let my man have his endgame significance Trust

childes appearance was obviously v brief ultimately but that was clear from his leaked linecount to begin with - i am pretty satisfied with what they seem to have done w him. like its not The Best but also i wasnt expecting his lore to get some massive expansion in another harbingers SQ . the worst i feared was that it was just going to be a flashback of arle returning his vision which did Not happen so massive W. i am super hyped to hear this scene voice acted proper and happy to see him again, i really hope he gets to appear at least once more in an interlude or dains quest or something before going on hiatus again but idk if thats too much to ask LKKWJDJWDJWD

also: i am never changing my namecard after this patch drops. oh my godddddddd its So Fucking Beautiful 😭😭😭😭

But. Yeah. lots of good stuff. unfortunately lots of it will get misinterpreted and fanon will get obnoxious about it. but i still love getting to see him again and i am speedrunning that namecard day fucking one mutuals and/or followers in EU please add me (UID 711090267) ill need coop buddies for the world bosses

thank youuuuuuu for the ask i hope this monstrosity of a monologue doesnt scare u off 💀💀💀

[knamil]

More Stasis Comic!

Previous Pages

Notes and captions below the cut

Notes: A lot of the dialog here was taken from the cut companion content that was datamined. I've edited and rearranged it, but the explanation of the Stasis Cell (and thus the inspiration for the whole comic) is from the text.

Once again captions are in script form.

Begin Script

Page 4 (Image 1)

Setting: The Focus (Jedi Knight's Defender class ship) - 66 Days A.E.D. (After the Emperor's Defeat)

Panel 1 Doc, Kira, and Remi sit around a dejarik table watching Kira and Doc play. Jedi Knight Remi sits on the back of one of the couches casually.

SCOURGE Jedi, I would speak with you… Privately.

Panel 2 Caption: Jedi Master Remi Syeriy

Focused on Remi’s face.

REMI Sure.

Panel 3 They enter the cargo bay. Scourge locks the door. Remi appears surprised.(no dialog)

Panel 4 More of the cargo bay. Crates are stacked up against the walls. Scourge stands on the left and Remi on the right.

SCOURGE

I have noticed your... openness to those who ask your aid. Normally, I would say not to waste your time on every slack-jawed beggar who needs a favor done. But this time, I find myself in need.

REMI I would no sooner turn you away than the next “slack-jawed beggar.”

Panel 5 Headshot of Scourge frowning. (no dialog)

Panel 6 Remi is boosting herself up onto some of the crates to sit down.

REMI Come on, Scourge. You know I’d do anything for my crew.

Panel 7 Headshot of Scourge.

SCOURGE A habit you may someday regret.

Page 5 (Image 2) Still in the cargo bay.

Panel 1 Scourge leaning against a stack of crates, profile view.

SCOURGE The process that keeps me alive is… horrific.

Panel 2 A picture of a large device. The device is located somewhere else. Scourge narrates over it.

SCOURGE It is an ancient Sith artifact known as the “Stasis Cell.” It freezes every atom in my body in a punctuated equilibrium, a painful process that ultimately gives me the energy to move, but not to feel. It is… hard. I am ready for a change.

Panel 3 Remi is sitting on some crates. She looks skeptical.

REMI Are you asking me to help you die?

Panel 4 Focus on Scourge’s face.

SCOURGE Death is well within my grasp. What I want is to live. The Sith taught me to embrace passions, to indulge the senses, to give in to lust as easily as anger. I will not live the passionless existence of a Jedi.

Panel 5 Remi’s face.

REMI I’d be offended, but I’ve had worse requests for help. Fine. What can I do?

Panel 6 Scourge leans against some crates talking to Remi who sits opposite him on more crates.

SCOURGE I have located the Stasis Cell, but I need your help to find and destroy it.

REMI I hope you’re not asking me to go back to Dromund Kaas. I hate making double trips.

SCOURGE No, but your Council may not approve of our destination or our objectives. The same might be said of your crew.

REMI

Hmm… The council doesn’t need me anywhere at the moment… so just give me a few days to hand out crew assignments.

Panel 7 Scourge rubs his chin appraising Remi’s response.

SCOURGE Interesting. You are willing to hide this from your council and closest allies?

REMI Do you want me to help you or not?

Panel 8 Scourge accepts her help.

SCOURGE I can be ready when you are, Jedi.

End Script

[switch]

i’m personally extremely skeptical of the sentiment that if arcade didn’t exist, the arcade-exclusive servants wouldn’t be in mobile either. mother harlot and sita were both datamined in mobile near launch. like, you can’t tell me that they didn’t originally intend to put those guys in mobile eventually and that they were actually always banking on fgo being so successful that they could make an arcade spinoff to then put them in and just left them in on accident? there was just a point when the plans changed, just like how there’s no way in hell that kintoki’s datamined launch strengthening was always intended to be held off on for 5 years until heian kyo, there was a point where the original plan for FGO shifted somewhat dramatically and that included the advent of arcade and someone deciding to shaft us on these servants. i think it’s definitely very possible mobile would have at least some of these exclusives if arcade hadn’t come up and specifically needed highly anticipated servants as exclusives to keep its head above water.

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

Sea hello! I know multiple blogs have talked about the fandom being discreetly monitored (maybe not so discreet now that we know how explicitly Sony datamines) so I was thinking... How do you think they gauge the reactions of solo louies? They surely must know that we're pissed cynics, the whole lot of us, because of all that they've been doing. I'm guessing they have a good laugh whenever we see through their stunts bc we're powerless when it comes to the industry. Just some loud thoughts.

So... there are burner accounts here. Everyone knows that, or they should. They are on every social media platform.

Through the last ten years, “Larry” has become enormously profitable. HSHQ’s actions, and to a lesser extent LTHQ’s actions, show that they pay attention and they will steer fandom beliefs.

But the direction they go isn’t always in an obvious day-to-day, action-by-action sort of way. It’s hard to know how to read a single event without context. Sometimes it takes months and years to piece it together.

My opinion is that Louis’ fans have helped enormously in corporate considerations. All these parts of fandom— Harries, Louies, Larries, OT5– play a part in the fandom “chat,” and keep interest in the band members.

For example, Harry does something, Louies react, Larries hit back, Harries hate on Louis— all of this keeps general fandom interest high.

I think this is the reason that Louis has been able to accomplish some of the things he has, because his career is valuable to corporate. Of course, if you look a little closer, you see all the invisible strings and fences boxing Louis in, because he can never be “more than” Harry.

Louis’ fans are curious, connected, probing, questioning, and very, very intense. We are skeptical, but we go all out for him. So it makes sense for other people to try to latch on, because the fandom’s engagement is a corporate dream.

[swampgallows]

I've been rereading War Crimes and been wondering if Christie Golden had other hopes/plans for Sylv's character arc or if her current predicament just represents the logical conclusion of what we see of her in the novels and post-WoD WoW. What are your thoughts/care to reiterate current stance on Sylv as a fellow horde player?

This has been in my ask box a long time because I’ve wanted to reply to this properly and possibly reread War Crimes again in order to have a more fleshed-out answer, but as far as Golden’s characterization in War Crimes all I remember is the weird incest vibe going on with her sister. As a younger sister myself, I would balk out of my MIND if my sister started clutching my hands and “Little Moon”-ing me the way Sylvanas did to Vereesa. It’s like literally all I remember about her in that book, lmao. I’m also an older sister as well, but to a younger brother, and though he has many childhood nicknames there’s no way I’d be cooing at him with those as an adult, especially if I were trying to console him mourning over his murdered spouse. 

As far as Sylvanas’ current arc: I know Garrosh 2.0 is a tired argument, but both now suffer a drastic character shift with extremely flimsy or obfuscated motivation. When things were slowly percolating up to the Siege of Orgrimmar, the fanbase (allegedly, as I was not playing during MoP) was still left scratching their heads over Garrosh’s character shift. Even with all the books, comics, cinematics, and questlines, there was still no explicit cut-and-dry understanding of how Garrosh went from celebrated war hero to chaotic evil villain.

I haven’t conducted the same amount of research on Sylvanas that I have on Garrosh, but my point is that it really shouldn’t be required to understand why self-destruction is Sylvanas’ “logical conclusion”. If there’s any major gripe that I have with any of Blizzard’s writing, it’s the fact that, up until Legion, character—and even campaign—motivations have been extremely vague, sacrificed in favor of comic book action sequences or pulpy one-liners (”What a king must do.”). I’m not saying everything should be spelled out, but that basic questions of “What are we doing and why?” shouldn’t need to be hunted down through five different types of media (and even then, the source material is vague). 

Blizzard assured players that the burning of Teldrassil was not what it seemed, that Sylvanas would be cemented in a “morally gray” area, and that all of our questions would be answered with the Warbringers short. And what motives did we glean from that animatic?

“Can’t I?”

BUT GALLOWS, THE FLASHBACK— you know what’s not a reaction to trauma and feeling like you couldn’t save your own people? Killing them. You know what completely goes against all of Sylvanas’ legitimately morally gray actions—conscripting the val’kyr, using the blight, the search to preserve her people (even seeking the aid of Helya and attempting to enslave Eyir)? KILLING HER OWN PEOPLE. And to be perfectly clear, I am referring not to Teldrassil but to the Battle of Lordaeron where Sylvanas is using her people, the Forsaken, as ammo and meatshields. How is this her “logical conclusion”? Not pointing fingers at you, necessarily, but what is Sylvanas’ goal if not to save her people?

When someone asks the question, “Why did Sylvanas burn Teldrassil?” it shouldn’t require a Pepe Silvia paper trail to answer. It shouldn’t require a Bible-level citation of one line of a psalm in the seventh Book of Christie which says it was actually Saurfang’s idea. The real answer, which she reveals in a very-skippable dialog box of the time-sensitive War of Thorns event and also in the delayed-release online novellas Elegy / A Good War, is that she was cutting off the Alliance’s route to azerite. Darnassus and Teldrassil as a whole are the largest territories the Alliance has claimed on Kalimdor; with Theramore already rubble and Teldrassil in flames, the Alliance has virtually no way of getting azerite to their larger territories on the Eastern Kingdoms. 

Now, to me, a nuclear arms race like that is morally gray. There is no easy answer. But even a line like “now the azerite is ours”, or something to that effect, isn’t present in the more substantial media (like the short), which might make it a better standalone piece but suffers an actual connection to the events of the game. 

So how does stymieing the war for azerite translate into raising your already twice-dead people as skeletons to keep fighting? Using the Blight? Blighting your own capital, evacuated or not? Forcibly turning the deceased? When you create a new Forsaken, the val’kyr gives you the option to embrace your new life or to be returned to your grave. It it a heavy and intimate interaction that asks consent; raising your soldiers again as blighted skeletons mid-battle is not.

For where things are in the story now, I have absolutely NO idea what Sylvanas is thinking or what her motives are. I feel like a lot of this is intentionally (hopefully, hopefully) left up to speculation and possibly culminating later down the line as BFA unfolds. She did all of those questionable things in the past for the sake of going to great lengths to get her revenge on Arthas and end the Scourge while also avenging her people, the Forsaken, and ensuring that they do not die out. This is most certainly “morally gray”, and in my opinion one of the most stirring and provocative threads of controversy in Warcraft’s entire lore: is it ethical to perpetuate the Forsaken people?

I have mained a Forsaken since 2005, but even as a wee little Andorhal plaguelet neither me nor my character have ever trusted Sylvanas. I understood that she was among the more powerful of the Forsaken, and without her taking advantage of Arthas when he was weak and rallying us initially there may not have even been the Forsaken. However, I always found it unnerving that there was no once-human Lordaeronian representation for the Forsaken. Under Sylvanas and Varimathras it felt a lot like me and my fellow farmer peasant buddies were getting screwed out of something.

Enter Putress, who has a sick fucking plague doctor mask but materialized from nothing, and all of a sudden we were doing favors for this previously-unheard of Grand Apothecary. I was skeptical and so were many of my Forsaken peers, and it turns out our intuition hadn’t fully rotted away, as then the Wrathgate ensued. Lilian Voss seems somewhat promising as an actual Forsaken figurehead, but it’s taken her five expansions to steadily climb the ranks of importance. 

But why would anyone follow Sylvanas now? What’s in it for them? At least among the goblins and the orcs following Garrosh they gained an illusion of supremacy and a promise of conquest and power; what’s in it for Sylvanas’ followers? Just obeying orders? A slice of the azerite pie? Fear that there is no choice? Is it an honor to sacrifice our lives for the Dark Lady, as it was Ishi and the Kor’kron’s honor to allow Garrosh to experiment on them with the Divine Bell? 

Vol’jin had “never trusted” Sylvanas, and we still don’t know the loa that told him to name her his successor. Saurfang says that “There is no honor in this.” So… what is up? Why do we give Sylvanas or Nathanos the time of day? I don’t datamine and I’ve only completed up to the current war campaign once so maybe I’m missing something, but I seriously have no idea what Sylvanas’ plans are. 

Sayge’s Fortune #19: The Forsaken are up to something. 

This time, we Forsaken don’t even know what it is.

[thedistantstorm]

A Shipwright Worth Her Salt Chapter 10

One step forward, two steps back.

Or: The one where everyone has words and our precious baby can’t handle it and the author cannot stay away from the angst for very long.

“Alright kiddo, get dressed. We've got places to go, and things to do.” Cayde calls from the doorway as he barges into what has become Amanda's unofficial room instead of med-bay alpha.  

Owlish eyes blink back at him, peering up over a tablet. “Hello to you, too,” She calls to him. “I'm already dressed,” She gestures to the flannel and utility pants she's wearing, the right leg pinned and rolled to not flop around her thigh where her leg ended. Clothes Cayde had procured from her previous place of living on her behalf. The rest of it, she'd deal with later.

Andal sidles in behind him. “Hungry? We're springing you out of here.”

She looks mildly bewildered. “Springing me out?”

Cayde laughs. “Yup! The Commander is on Strike Duty and we're not. So we were thinking of taking you for Spicy Ramen - we know a place - and then maybe down to the racetrack?”

She throws her tablet to the side. “Absolutely. Hand me them crutches and let's get outta here. Marcus is racing tonight and I can probably get a good look at his sparrow beforehand… if that's alright with yous.” She shrugs at her rambling in an endearing way, the freckles on her nose scrunching up in the motion.

Andal hands her the crutches and she props them under each armpit. They're not comfortable - she had them bring her armor components to rig them to be tolerable, but they do. They make it into the hallway before one of the more familiar nurses sees them.

“Where do you three think you're going?”

Cayde and Andal pause, but Amanda smiles sweetly. “I'm supposed to go for lots of walks,” She says. “These guys are going to walk me to some stall in the Bazaar for dinner. Is that okay?”

The nurse looks skeptical, especially with both Hunters looking so angelic behind her.

“Just dinner, huh?”

They nod. Definitely no off the books sparrow racing, or taking the Commander's charge down to the City without telling him.

“Well, alright. Not like you're a prisoner. Just be careful.” She looks to the two men. “If she feels tired, make sure you come right back. She's still not 100%, no matter what she says.”

The Hunters both mock salute, and, realizing the other has as well, erupt into laughter. Amanda shakes her head. “I think I'm babysittin’ you two instead of the other way around. Let's move, boys.”

She's been up to the main drag of the Tower in the last few days, mostly with Zavala, who makes a point to walk with her in the evenings if he has a shift during the day, or in the mornings if he works overnight. He keeps to low traffic times of day, and will not entertain business when she's around, unless it's a critical situation. Only once has he had to send her back to her room with someone else - and that person - a lanky female Titan with battered armor - was instructed to walk her to Sloane so the Deputy Commander could take her the rest of the way.

When the fresh air hits her face, she sighs happily. It's cooler today. She liked it better when it wasn't so warm out, even if she got colder quickly. Now, with the added effort it takes to walk, she can tolerate it even better. Cayde flanks her on the left and Andal takes her right as they traverse a considerably busy part of the Tower's marketplace. The Guardians look at her kind of funny, but no one comments. She assumes plenty of people have seen her by now or maybe they just don't care.

The Hunter duo acts like her personal entourage and helps clear a path for her if someone stops walking or gets too close while she's trying to gimp around them. By the time they make it to the Ramen shop, she's gone from ‘I could eat’ to 'one spicy ramen with extra noodles and pork gyoza please.’

A plethora of Hunters approach the three of them and it turns into a story-telling contest. Of course, Cayde and Andal are the masters of their craft, and as a result of the inevitable betting, their meals are free. The shop owner sneaks her a refill on her drink, bobbing around several cackling Guardians, with a wink and a smile. She's content to sit back and let things happen. Most of the Hunters are good about personal space. She's still a little touchy, but Cayde reads her easily enough, putting a hand over hers on her good leg when she starts tapping it anxiously.

“Ready to go to the track, fighter pilot?”

She nods to Cayde. Too many people are starting to crowd around them - it's just the dinner rush, but it's loud and makes her head buzz a little.

She looks down at her tablet, checking a new message. She chirps, “Marcus said I could take his Sparrow for a spi-” She pauses, and the rest of the world seems to fade out. She can't actually take it anywhere. She doesn't have a foot to shift with. She tucks her hands in her lap and looks down. She'd felt so normal, she'd forgot. Idiot, she rebukes herself, while somewhere else inside her she thinks invalid, cripple.

“You know,” Andal says, eyes shimmering with concern amid the usual mischief, “We could do the other thing…” He waggles his eyebrows, and Cayde chuckles. He's obviously noticed her mood change, too.

“Andal, I don't think Zavala will take it well if we go off planet.” Not that he'd appreciate them taking her to a seedy part of the last safe City to see a(n illegal) race, either.

Amanda nods, still looking down. “Probably not.”

Andal slings his arm around Amanda and grips Cayde's shoulder, pulling them in. He whispers, “What if we don't go off planet?”

Amanda's smile brightens immensely, and Cayde knew there was no way they'd be able to tell her no. He also knew there was a pretty decent chance Zavala would absolutely murder them for this later, but that was status quo.

“We can't be gone long,” Cayde says back, looking down at the girl between them, “But we can probably do some 'aerial surveillance’ of Trostland, if you know what I mean.”

-/

When they return to the last hangar docking bay on the far side of the Tower, there are two figures waiting for them. One looks generally exasperated, reclining in a rolling chair that obviously belonged to a service technician in a manner belonging to a queen regent.

The two Hunters are whooping, laughing, praising the blonde girl who who brought down the nondescript ship as natural as breathing while they descend from the cockpit to the concrete.

Their laughter cuts short as the slightest clunks of armor tip them off to the fact that they have company. Both fall silent and look back to the ship with a bit of a wince when an unruly mop of blonde lowers herself back in.

“Someone might want to start talking,” Ikora Rey calls, her ghost illuminating the area around her. She becomes visible, examining a beautiful dagger that's normally concealed in her boot. “He's been pacing for about an hour now.”

Andal sighs. “And why, pray tell, are you here, Ikora?”

“I,” She emphasizes, “Am the one who prevented him from-”

Zavala growls. “Ikora.”

She scoffs, scandalized. “What? I'm on your side.” She crosses her arms.

Cayde strolls leisurely into the fray. “Give me a break. We were totally safe. Told them we were going and everything.”

“To dinner,” Zavala says angrily. “Not off the damn planet for some joyride!” In the cockpit, Amanda curls up in the seat. She isn't a fan of his angry voice, or the little tremors it incites in her hands. “You know better!”

“Calm down, we didn’t even go to orbit. Just flew around the EDZ.” Cayde’s hands are up in a surrendering position, but the tone of his voice is lax. He doesn’t want to make a big deal of this. “Can we talk about this? Maybe, I dunno, without yelling?”

“This,” The Titan says, voice raised, “Is not even CLOSE to yelling.”

Andal steps between the two before it does actually come to yelling. “Let it go, both of you. There were… reasons why we didn’t stay in the City.”

“And those were?”

“We couldn’t go to the racetrack,” Cayde says. Andal hisses his hame.

From the other side of them, Ikora supplies, “That… doesn’t sound like any better of an idea.”

Amanda bites her lip squeezes her arms around her good leg and ignores the bad feeling starting in her leg. The pain helps her focus a little better on something besides the obvious cues to a panic attack that could not have worse timing while they fight over her actions below. She closes her eyes and hopes they stop soon so she can just go back to her room. She never should have gone out with them. And she can’t get out of the ship on her own, because she can’t walk, and she’ll absolutely fall if she tries to use the crutches to get out of the ship herself. It makes her burn with shame and her stomach churn. She’s so freaking useless. She shouldn’t even be here.

They continue their ‘debate’ below, on the concrete floor. “So, instead of going down to a shady racetrack to place bets, you decided on a continental exploration.” Zavala’s tone is still highly irritated, but not yelling. It’s the quieter angry. The more potentially explosive one. “She almost died, or did you two forget that part? Were you going to let her get on one of them with one leg, too?”

There’s a sigh. “Zavala,” Andal says quietly. “That’s enough.” Hotheadedness is only going to hurt this situation.

“It’s not. You two imbeciles are-”

Andal nudges Cayde. “Sorry,” The human says for them both, with a sharp look at the Exo. “We’re sorry.”

“You’re absolutely just saying that,” Ikora grouses, half mediator, half instigating. She’s literally datamining the conversation. “Why?”

Cayde rolls his optics in a rather deadpan fashion. “Because this is fucking stupid. She was able to do whatever she wanted before this.”

“And look where it got her.” The Warlock’s eyes are calculating, focused on the Exo as she speaks. “Not exactly a place someone wants to be.”

“Well, whose fault is that?” Cayde fires back immediately and immediately winces as he looks at the Commander’s darkening expression. It’s like someone has doused cold water on him. Any trace of previous malice is erased. “I - shit. I didn’t mean that,” He immediately says.

The Awoken man’s skin pulses in his frustration with white-blue aural patterns that shift. “I have admitted my part in all this. You two are not helping, considering how many jobs you’ve done with her - a child, at that.” He’s practically spitting as finishes speaking. “How good that must have been for her, all things considering, and the things that you know-”

“Watch it.” Cayde pushes back Andal and steps into Zavala’s face. “You want to talk about that, you don’t do it here. Amanda-”

“Ah yes,” Ikora interrupts helpfully, still reclining on the chair she’s been on. “Where is she, by the way?”

The three men look at each other, immediately guilt-stricken.

“Amanda?” Andal calls, tentatively.

Silence.

Cayde sighs and hops up onto the wing of the ship, peering down into the open cabin. “Fuck. Kid, we’re just blowing off steam. Didn’t mean to forget about you up here.”

“Get me out of this ship,” She says, quietly. Too quietly for the rest of them to hear her.

“We’re not mad at you,” He replies as he complies with her request, easily lifting her with one arm and grabbing her crutches with the other from behind the seats. “It’s been a stressful time.”

“Yeah,” She agrees, and keeps her fists clenched to prevent them from seeing them shake. “I get it.” Her tone is flat. When he sets her on the ground and hands them to her, she wastes no time in heading back in the direction from which they’d come to get to the hangar. Immediately all three men jump to follow her.

Ikora shakes her head, mumbling something about men as fools as Amanda ignores all three of their attempts to tell her that they’re sorry, instead telling all of them to leave her alone. “I will walk her back,” The mocha-skinned Warlock volunteers as the three are all telling Amanda that she can’t go back alone, the only thing they all clearly agree on. “It’s clear you three have some things to work out amongst yourselves.”

The second the two females are alone in the elevator, Ikora sneaks a glance at the girl. She’s very clearly trying to keep herself together. It’s a brave face. She sighs. Children are absolutely not her strong point, almost-mostly adult children or otherwise.

“They mean well,” She finally says. “They care very much for you.”

She nods, but doesn’t reply.

“Men, unfortunately, do not always understand the subtleties of sensitive situations. Cayde and Andal probably shouldn’t have taken you out so soon,” She concedes. “However, if you had seen Zavala when he came into the briefing room after discovering that you were gone, you’d have thought we were at war. He was terrified. Not as terrified as he was that first night - the night they brought you in, my Hidden tell me. I’ve never seen the Commander cry. Don’t think I’d like to,” She admits. “They said he bawled like a baby when the doctors told him they weren’t sure you could be saved. I’m surprised he even lets you out of his sight, if that’s the case.”

Her hands tremble, the grip on her crutches tightening despite their shaking. “I didn’t mean to make him worry.” Whether she’s apologizing for her first bit of time spent at the Tower or the day’s actions, she isn’t specific. “Jus’ want ta feel normal,” She admits.

Ikora’s chuckle is warm. “I get the feeling your normal and everyone else’s is a bit different. Even before this.”

“Comin’ from a Guardian,” She says softly, “I feel like that’s a moot point.”

“”Touché.” Ikora looks down at her at the same time she looks up. The Warlock realizes that she’s never actually introduced herself. “You may already know-”

“Ikora Rey,” She says, with a little nod up to the woman. “Heard plenty aboutcha. Good things,” Amanda continues. “And not to play the knife game with you.”

“Cayde?”

She smiles, a tiny quirk of lips. “Andal.” She can’t maintain it long, and resumes her lip-bit expression that’s holding tears at bay.

“Smart man.”

“Sometimes,” She says, forlornly.

Ikora frowns. She really has no idea what else to say.

-/

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” He says to her. “I mean, I know I owe you a favor and all, but are you really sure?”

She clenches her fists. “Yeah. It’s for the best.”

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. She’s paying him, so he really can’t refuse. “Well, Didi’s transmatted what you had here to my garage, and we’ll pick it up there after we hit your place. You really don’t want to stay? Seems like you got it pretty good here.”

“I,” She takes a deep breath. “I’m only a problem here, the longer I stay.” She says quietly. “I don’t want to cause more trouble.”

She looks away from the looming Traveler out the window, and back at the uneasy Hunter. He’s lingering by the door. “Well, let’s go then. There’s no one nearby, if you’re looking to prevent any goodbyes.” She nods.

She puts the envelope on the nightstand and lets him hold the door for her. Doesn’t look back. She can’t let them stop their lives to take care of her, and she can’t stand them fighting about her. She’s absolutely not worth it. She ain’t worth much these days, really.

Forward momentum. Wherever the Hell it takes her.

[omegastation]

​Translators and alien languages (Tonaizhet and Shelesh) in Mass Effect Andromeda (part 1) 

It goes from prologue to Havarl/Voeld, include alien words and expressions

KETT (Tonaizhet)

When you encouter them for the first time: Niad shurid!

On an audio log in Habitat 7: Keng zhef. Rol no tod surhanad. Jhan lurok.

Talking to Greer: Nyro rekhet! Interrupting Greer's story: Niad! When Greer asks what it means: Hakad soh!

When Ryder attacks them: Tolerad!

When on a Kett base on Eos:"Only the title of this message can be clearly translated. The rest is a mix of kett script and notes written in a Milky Way language. It appears the kett datamined research from an unknown source."

If only kett script:"Only the title of this message can be clearly translated. The rest is written in kett script. Only a few words can be translated without more language study."

On the kett base: Invictor (audio log) Hakad nerho? Hmph. Nislekad. It's a field log issued to patrolling kett, SAM adds it the to language database.

The next time we see the Archon, we hear him speak in English. The following messages we can read on Voeld are also in English.

ANGARA (Shelesh)

Shelesh is the most common language, but not the only angaran one.

Port Captain on the comm to the Tempest: Tove jagalesh do! Ryder replies in English (you can pick a dialogue), the port captain replies in angaran: Paav, nele set do. Note: in a Nomad banter, Jaal says "Our translator is very sophisticated. It has a library based on every single encounter with your people." It's possible their translator picked up Ryder's meaning immediately.

When Ryder meets the angara for the first time: Port attendant: Tas goaj yabe jenvad. Engineer: Ged tas gohal tam yehal? Ryder: Need me to take my shoes off? Port Attendant: Eham daar goss. Engineer: Nasen roa.

Paaran Shie, the governor of Aya, then welcomes Ryder in English. All the following conversations with the angaran are in English. It's highly likely that SAM made a language database of Shelesh faster than he did with Tonaizhet.

Sohkaa Esof, the trader on Aya, when talking to Ryder, repeats "trade" three times, as if he isn't sure Ryder will understand him. It's only when Ryder replies "Are you asking or telling?" that he knows Ryder fully understands him.

Jaal's first message to Ryder includes a list of what he brought on the Tempest: 4) Armor, including my two Rofjinn [unknown: alt: cape, suspenders] and equipment to repair them. So the translator did not detect the exact word. IDK if the translator or SAM offered alternate words.

The next messages you can see on Voeld or Havarl are directly translated from Shelesh.

Expression used by Anjik Do Xeek: "make the stars turn their faces and grow dark": torture someone, making them pay for something I did not include all the expressions with stars because some are not really “alien” but they’re constant with the angara.

"They're all over Voeld. Like qurts. But with guns.": what are qurts? :D

daar: rock foundation translated directly, it's actually smaller than a city but larger than a settlement Note: daara is the plural so you say "angara who live in daara"

kichari and summa: stimulants used by angara in the infirmary

"Skutt! They almost got past me!": I think it's like "hell", "shit". Another expresssion is "Skutting stars!" so it might be "fuck/fucking"

"Sun and skies." : said by a seismologist on Voeld to a researcher who asked many people about something and still doesn't have an answer. I honestly believe it's a form of "For God's sake"

karyj = Resistance Patch 

Rofjinn= poncho, only angara can wear it (also linked to status)

Tavum: a pleasant intoxicant stirred into hot water or fruit juice. Say "tahv-um"

This one needs the entire context: Jaal: Let Ryder try. She worked the Remnant tech inside a vault. Or so she says. Kiiran Dals: Ocean of fish, one will have gems in its mouth. But if you think the alien can help, I'll set skepticism aside. I think it means "wonders will never cease"

The angaran scientists who were frozen on Havarl immediately understand Ryder.

Raashel Vier asks Ryder to recover her research data. At one point while talking to her, Ryder says "All I heard is, there's a chance. Let's go for it." Raashel replies: "That didn't fully translate, but I know optimism when I hear it." Very curious uh? Why wouldn’t it fully translate?