#And it’s not even like he’s worried about the Tenno

[venture-through-the-mist]

If I have to hear Teshin say that one “The Lotus seduced the Tenno” line one more damn time, I’m going to lose it

[hollowtones]

what'd you think about jade shadows?

I put it under a read-more because I don't know how to talk about this without talking about spoiler stuff. The tl;dr is "I liked it but I wish there was a little bit more."

One of the things I didn't like isn't even really part of the quest itself, but I saw a mutual bring it up a few days ago & it's been on my mind since: it feels a little odd to have a content warning before your sidequest, and then not give you any way to skip the quest if it's content you don't think you'd be able to handle. Especially given there's a whole event & rewards that only unlock afterwards!!

OK on to the contents of the quest itself. There's a lot of themes of love and connection and empathy in the face of systemic cruelty or indifference, in this game in general, and a lot of how that manifests is stories about characters fighting for self-determination and agency (the Ostrons trying to stay free of the Grineer, the Solaris trying to destroy the systems that keep them in debt & deny them bodily autonomy, Umbra, the Tenno, the Lotus, etc etc).

I think it's interesting to try and explore a tragedy where we aren't able to help someone in time, where the powers that be have brutalized someone and we as individuals aren't able to get there in the nick of time & help them claw their agency back. I think it's an interesting thematic & emotional through-line (with very strong parallels to Ordis... very smart choice to make him the event vendor / narrator, I'm feasting good on all the new dialogue LOL), and I think there have been enough well-written woman characters in the game that don't get written out or killed for the sake of some man's tragedy or growth that I don't immediately roll my eyes about them trying a So Sad The Woman Dies story.

I do also think this would have hit harder if we got more information about Jade herself!! I realize "this woman broke a law and was completely dehumanized / made into a Thing by the empire, stripping her of herself to suit their ends" is Kind Of The Point, and they make enough of a fuss about "wow there's a lot that's redacted about her history, huh!" that I assume this is a plot thread they're leaving hanging for later. But I feel like the big moment would have resonated better if they gave us a little more info to establish this character, other than "she was heterosexual" and "the Orokin were fucked up, don't forget" haha.

(I do find it funny that the storyline about Ballas, who got Divorced So Badly that he Caused Nearly All Of Today's Problems, is all wrapped up, but the story keeps going "no no, don't worry, there's still plenty of opportunity to remind you how fucked the Orokin were." Here's these two people that broke some insipid law about conceiving a child & so their bosses and leaders broke their brains and turned them into bio-weapon lapdogs as punishment. Every time they go "BTW Something Was Deeply Wrong With The Orokin & We Still Feel The Aftershock Of That Today" I clap my hands like a seal.)

Warframe Babies Are Born!!!!! This little tyke is fuckin weird. What's their problem. I think it's weird and cool. I don't really feel much about "this character is a parent now!" type of storylines. (I did pop off when Stalker got to do his shithead honourable samurai defending a child with one arm thing. I'm a sucker for that & they made it coooooool. It feels like they're setting up some kind of "Lone Wolf and Cub" situation. The scythe being juiced up with BabysPower was also funny.) The baby thing is neat to me from the perspective of, like... This is something weird and new that's never happened before in this universe. That's exciting and kind of scary! I'm interested to see where they go with that. (Presumably in a year or two. Very funny to drop this on us when a completely different major story arc is right around the corner with 1999.)

Gianni's delivery was fuckin killer. I'm excited for whatever next arc they do with Stalker if it means they're gonna pay my boy to grunt and yell and scream more. It feels very strange to be acquainted with two people who've done voice acting in "Warframe" now. Me next? ^_^

I like our new Corpus weirdo. I hope she comes back. Fun to get more stuff with the Sisters of Parvos & with Mr. Granum himself. But I liked her a lot. It got a fuckin laugh out of me to have her through all the quest excited about her big promotion that she's going to get & resolving that with "Is that a fuckin baby??? Fuuuuuck! They don't pay me enough to shoot a baby with a gatling gun!" I wish her ending scene was a little more than just stoically standing aside but literally anything else I can think of feels way too cheesy or on-the-nose.

The facial animations on the Operator were really fuckin weird. I just remembered that. I thought that was just a thing on my end but I watched someone else play & the faces looked weird for them too.

Hunhow's a good inclusion. I like him seeing the Stalker stewing in his own misery because he hates the only people that could offer him help & going "aw man, c'mon buster, don't be like me now." I like his signature that he puts in his emails. I like that he's still an emotionally constipated weirdo that hates us but is still endeared to us in some way. (They make nods to The New Strange in his ending email, which makes sense given that this also feels like a quest setting up More Weird Shit In The Future, but I do get a laugh that it also reads as "JADE WAS PREGNANT? OKAY... WELL. DON'T FORGET THAT I HAVE A WOMB TOO, KID." Thanks Grandpa. Love you too Grandpa. Thanks for the sweeties Grandpa.)

The event quest feels like a nice bow on top. I like the parallels between Jade and Ordis. Wanting to afford her the dignity in death he could never be given. Acknowledgement of Ordan Karris is fun!!! (The line about him being conflicted with the thought of Granum un-cephalon'ing him has me rubbing my hands together.) I'm excited that we're getting so much of Parvos Granum lately. What a shit head. It's funny to see him so hyped up about Ordan. "Duuuude! Your history's famous killer!! That's awesome? Do you wanna work for me? C'monnnnn we both hate the legacy of the Orokin. Wouldn't it be awesome if MY rule was the one dehumanizing you and wielding you as a weapon instead?" This is something they've been establishing as early as "Parvos and Ballas in bed with one another doing shady back-room deals over a Warframe bodyguard and specter particle research" but it's fun whenever they sow the seeds of Parvos being so much like the Orokin he hated.

I wrote more than I thought I was going to!!! I like the thematic through-line idea of this quest but I wish they executed on it better. I like the stuff this is presumably establishing for the future. I really like the event quest as... not quite an epilogue, I guess, but as an addition. Other than that I thought it was okay! I wasn't expecting anywhere near the level of Whispers in the Walls, but that quest being such a high bar makes a "pretty okay" quest stick out to me a little, haha.

[hippie-koldun]

Jade Shadows spoilers! And some thoughts

After completing the quest, I had several questions, because at first it seemed to me that this story breaks the plot a little

But my friends and I figured it out a little and tried to explain some of the details that confused us

First question: what is the Stalker’s motivation then?

At first we thought he was just a character with PTSD who saw the massacre where his Overlords died. But now it seems like he doesn't give a damn about it because he has bigger problems to worry about, and that's Jade

At the beginning of the quest we were told that Jade saved him. Could she have been seriously injured by this? Could the Tenno have hurt her? This makes sense since we find her sick and almost dying

So it seems to me that the Stalker is taking revenge on the Tenno for the dying state of his wife, and this is the case

Second question: how did she give birth to the child?

Due to infection, Warframe physiology differs significantly from that of humans. The belly through which we see the baby inside Jade is more likely to be some kind of placenta. Perhaps this is one of the placenta mutations? Since we know she was pregnant before she became a Warframe. It's very strangely shown in the quest, but this temporary organ is always easy to cut, so...

The third question(s): how did the child survive after so many years? How was he not born earlier? How did he not die when infected?

The following is purely my speculation. It seems to me that infection allows to slow down absolutely everything in the physiology of Warframes, and development will be no exception. Jade could be carrying this child, and thereby he was pumping out her vitality...

Very often, the infection of the mother is transmitted to the child if she, for example, smoked, drank or took drugs. Often he mutates inside her, and sometimes dies. Helminth is a very situational thing. It drives crazy and prevents systems from working comfortably

A normal human fetus, even before its birth, became infected with a helminth, became covered with iron in the womb, and I think this is quite logical? In one of the scenarios, he would have died...

In fact, I liked the quest, it reveals the feeling even closer: fatherhood. At first I thought that this quest was about lovers, but the result just killed me (positively)

[bkh-s-7449]

“Departure at fifteen-hundred,” the ship cephalon’s voice had been, as ever, stern and low. The relay at Pluto loomed in the quiet dark before the bow of the railjack, drifting easily into the dry dock as it likely had a hundred times before, perfectly practiced, like an alighting bird. “Don’t get distracted with shopping.” 

Florix-S never gets distracted. Florix-S is always on time. Fifteen-hundred. He checks and double-checks the time as he off-boards with the rest of the operatives in a loose congregation, his sanitary uniform gloves leaving behind not so much as a smudge on the screen of the datapad he clutches. Visits to the relays aren’t the most unusual thing in the world, given just how much the Tenno work with the syndicates, but to Florix they are still quite novel. He doesn’t often come along. His health complications make the union overly cautious, he supposes, but he doesn’t mind. It is nice to come now. 

For a moment, he lingers in the open bay, peering up somewhere past the airlock, at all of the little glimmering lights. It is nice. It is nice. It is always nice, but he always gets nervous. He knows what he looks like. Why the others flinched when they saw him. What he sounds like. Stammering through every sentence to frustration. One of his colleagues, part of the railjack crew, brushes past his side, slows, straggles with him. It is Otera, from the Arbiters. Florix can never tell if they are friends. They make for efficient coworkers, but the Adept fosters an uncommonly profound hatred for the infestation; something he is happily vocal about. It is not something Florix would ever dream of holding against him, but…

Otera cants his head a little to look down at him, taking a peculiar pause. He often does, when they speak, like visibly thinking of the right words. The severe-looking helm of the Arbiters is tucked under his arm. “Florix,” he begins, reaching out to tap the back of his datapad. “Remember to use the comms if you start to feel unwell. The team can make an early departure.” 

He straightens out, brusquely walking on.

It was a kindness. Still, Florix is intent on feeling well the whole time. He has something important to do!

The Perrin Sequence had requested his presence mediating a trade deal between their own and an operative from the Red Veil. It is not necessarily a big job, or one that will have any great lasting impact, but he still considers it an incredible honor. He is well-suited for the minutiae of respect rituals and things that could be otherwise lost in translation between them, studied on both doctrines. He spends a long few moments deciding whether it is more or less polite to cover the left half of his face with his hair, before sliding a pin in to hold the long white bangs back. Better to look professional for the things he can help, he figures. Okay. Go in, now. You can go in now. 

Go in. 

He takes a deep breath and draws his shoulders up, high and tight, perfectly proper. He steps through the airlock. 

—

It goes well. As well as it can! Both parties converged in one of the Perrin’s small adjacent meeting rooms, and over the Veil’s ceremonial tea (that Florix prepared and poured himself — just as The Highwayman had taught him) discussed their terms and conditions. It requires his quiet interjection or clarification on one more than one occasion, but it really isn’t a big deal, at least in the grand scheme of things. Even so, Florix is happy that he’s here. As it draws to a close, he stands from the extra chair they had dragged in for him, turning his head to smile timidly at the other operatives. Every little thing helps, he thinks. More than anything, he is pleased to be of service. He worries himself sick over outlasting his usefulness. What he can do has already changed so drastically, deviate from what is defined in his very genetics. What good would he be then? Something weak and unstable, something without —

“Florix-S?” 

Florix blinks, loosening his grip on the pad he’d been using like a clipboard. His fingers feel sore underneath the black latex. How long has he been doing that? He breathes in, and turns neatly on his heel, extending his hand to the Perrin operative whom addressed him. Something resembling relief flashes in his eyes, and he takes his hand. They shake. 

“Thank you, on behalf of the Perrin Sequence.” He beams at him. “And, uh, me, too.” 

A faint glance around the room. The Red Veil operative must have already given her regards and taken her leave. Florix feels a shiver of uncertainty. He doesn’t like to lose track of himself like that. Worse, he hadn’t even said goodbye to her! He would have to… make it up. Go find her right now, maybe. Would that be strange? Any stranger than standing there, slack, and not wishing her well after a business deal? She couldn’t have gone that far. He realizes his smile has grown completely unnatural, and it drops from his pale features, the scar tissue there scintillating nauseously. 

“Of course. Of course,” he says, limply releasing the other operative’s hand. “It is… it is m-mm. My sincerest pleasure. Service is joy.”

The stranger acknowledges him with a tilt of his head, peering intently at the gaping wound in his face. This isn’t unusual. People would stare, or they would look away. Florix tries not to take it personally. He simply looks back, then down, deferential. He doesn’t recognize the tattoos on his face. Not purpose-bred. Higher-ranking, within the Corpus, at one point. Here now, instead. Florix wonders what that feels like. 

“Actually, I was wondering if I could borrow you for a little longer?” 

Florix pauses. After the work was done, he’d been hoping to visit the Ostrons on the vessel, to buy some of the fancy soaps they made with the oils and spices from Earth. They’re Highway’s favorite, and he wants to bring him home a gift. And, maybe a little more childishly, he’d wanted to look around the Relay. See Pluto through the big windows, and all! He glances down at the datapad, to check the clock. Thirteen-hundred. There should be time enough. And if there isn’t, he can just buy soap that he knows Highway already likes, as opposed to the long process of standing at the stall and going through them one by one, to find a new scent he thought he’d like. Florix is sure he’ll understand. He nods.

“I wanted to draft a letter to the Myconians about a deal, but I’m hoping to, you know, avoid any, uh… offense. And youuu…” 

Are infested. The unspoken end unravels awkwardly between them in the brief silence. Florix finds the request a little strange — he’d never actually met the Myconians, and only knew of their practices through the standard teachings of Glast. It isn’t as if he has some special knowledge about their customs. They aren’t even technically carriers, not in the way that he is. Still, it should be simple enough to discern what is impolite — he knows what he personally doesn’t prefer to hear, at least. His desire to be of use to the syndicates far outweighs his hesitation. The operative had been very kind, this whole time. It wouldn’t be any trouble. He agrees softly. 

“Great! I owe you, big-time, right? Here, come look. I have a rough copy.”

He beckons Florix over to the table again, his own interface’s screen opened on a drafted letter. Oh! This should be quick. He seems awfully well-mannered. Florix can’t imagine the draft has anything particularly unseemly in it. He leans over to read through it, dimly aware of the stranger somewhere over his shoulder. The pale, feathered infestation which had overtaken his ears wilts and pins back, absentmindedly listening. 

…it is entirely standard, at least the first several lines in. Florix finds his e-mail decorum perfectly worthy! He opens his mouth to say so, and the other operative’s hand clamps down over it, screwing his jaw shut and covering his nose. The first thing Florix does is jerk backwards, shocked, his eye widening. It doesn’t do much. His willowy body twists uncomfortably, and the stranger resists, holding his head steady. This is completely unprofessional. This is a violation of every kind of conduct protocol Florix can think of. This is—

Being touched inspires panic, its cold fingers fanning against the back of his neck. There’s something in his hand, and Florix recognizes part of the scent. Sickly infested pheromones. Pherliac. The other half, chemicals. He makes a low, rattling wheeze, bewildered, kicking once, twice. His pupil dilates. 

The operative hushes him, insistent as the thrashing grows uncoordinated. “Asset 7449-0938.” He sounds nearly scolding, like a mother to a child, but he is quickly becoming less and less coherent to Florix. “It’s alright.” He drops his datapad with a clatter.

Thirteen-hundred-thirty. He’s going to be late.

[quietarcher]

Ok, so, quick question regarding Archie:

As a conceptually embodied entity, what makes him different than the other Tenno? How would that manifest in his story?

(Don't worry if you don't know the answer, you have attracted the gaze of the OC Whisperer and should you need help fleshing out old Archie, I shall be at your service)

Archie has always been a bit of an odd ball compared to the average operator, his memory is very hazy, he doesn't even remember much before coming out of Cryo. He's also very much non-verbal! He has always been very picky about what Frames he uses, some just don't feel right to him, others outright refuse to cooperate with him. Some Frames when he operates them he cannot remember what he did while in control. So he has a very small selection of Frames that he is comfortable operating. (Or perhaps the Frames are comfortable with him?)

As for story, he obviously lacks a Drifter counterpart (he made no deal with wally) but he also lacks any real attachment to the Lotus, since he remembers little of her presence pre-second dream. He does however remember vague impressions of what happened just before he was awoken, namely that she is an ally, but also that Alad helped :) (which begins a friendship that brings Alad much annoyance)

He's a long time operator OC (was my original operator until I felt like the story and the drifter split didn't suit him) and reimagining him as a literal little void demon kinda weirdly aligns with a lot of what I have already written for him, most of this is pretty unchanged! Thank you for the ask!

[gildedmuse]

ZoLaw AUs Nobody Asked For Presents....

Fairy Tale Twist

Part One: Abduction!

[This was inspired by watching the first episode of the anime Heaven Official Blessing with @jhaernyl. However, for the purpose of this ficlette all you need to know is the whole thing is your typical fanfic set up: a bunch of young women are disappearing, so in order to solve the mystery our main male character is forced to go undercover as a shy, virginal bride-to-be in hopes that the sexy bad boy will notice him and carry him off to his liar.]

[You know. The only sensible solution to a rash of kidnappings.]

"Please," the old lady begs, tears running down her face as she falls to her knees in front of the trio. "Even if there is no hope for my Liula, this village can't bear to lose another one of our daughters!"

Zoro scratches behind his ear, apparently unmoved by the old ladies tears, as well as the wet faces of the town folks who have gathered all around. It isn't that he doesn't care - he's sure it's hard to misplace a daughter or whatever, though it does seem to him as if it's at least a little the villager's own fault. Why do they keep sending the girls through the forest is they keep disappearing?

"So they're always taken in the forest?" Saga - Zoro's second best friend and training partner - always knows exactly the right questions to ask. He's just good at that kind of detective thing, the way Marines pretend to be. As a crew of bounty hunters, they may not be the most well known or most feared (they certainly aren't their richest) but between him, Kuina, and Saga, Zoro figures they have all the right talents to work their way up to the top, wherever that might be.

For Saga, Zoro is sure that eventually means becoming a marine or, as his overly dramatic friend would put it, "becoming a sword for justice!" Or that's what he says it if you get enough sake in him, though honestly it doesn't even take one drink to notice the look he gets in his eyes whenever a bunch of men in their clean white uniforms go marching pass. Not even Kuina's mocking their stupid insignia ("why do you want a shirt with a pair of boobs drawn on. I've got the real thing and they're nothing but annoying!" / "For the last time, the insignia is the mighy gull! Not a pair of blue boobies!" / "As someone who has seen plenty of both, trust me, no seagull looks like that..not unless it's had some major work done.") or Zoro pointing out he's never seen a single marine carrying a shuangshou jian, which he thinks is the far better argument. After all, Saga wouldn't want to have to get rid of his beloved sword, would be? It's the one thing he has from his parents....

If there is one person who would understand how important a sword can be, it would be Kuina, but he thought Saga would be next.

"Sounds like instead of worrying about your bridal traditions, you should have worked to make sure these girls could protect themselves," Kuina says, her voice low and steady, but there is an undercurrent of anger there. One Zoro finds adults often miss, due to Kuina's former, almost old fashioned, language and proper samurai etiquette.

Her father always said there was more to being a Kenshi than just holding a sword. Unfortunately, one of the things he believes makes for a Kenshi is....

Kuina stands up, bowing politely to the very same adults she'd just been so angry at. "We will find this pirate who is taking your lost daughters and ensure this does not happen again," she promises, and Kuina promises something it's like you can see the threads binding her, holding her to her word. It makes Zoro sit up straighter, happy to be her rival. "If what these girls want is to be married, they deserve to make that choice without some creep ruining it for them."

Kuina's small, and because of that, most everyone underestimates her. Only to be surprised when the girl they had just been laughing at is suddenly behind them, the sharp white blade of Wado Ichimonji pressed against their kidney, with Tenno Megumi clashing against their own steel, stopping them from being able to make a move. She's a fast, technical fighter and a slow, methodical thinker. She probably knows more about Zoro and Saga then the two boys know about themselves and, honestly, Zoro is alright with that. He doesn't even know where he'd keep all that knowledge, but Kuina seems to do a good

They had only come to this island to pick up some Nobody, Kuro of 1000 Cats or something stupid like that, but they had barely dragged him and his crew of losers to the local Marine base when an older woman, face wrinkled and worn from sadness, had grabbed a hold of Zoro's arm.

These people were desperate, and the small four man marine outpost they have seemed unable ("or unwilling," Kuina had muttered only once Saga was distracted - they didn't need to have that fight again) to help against what seemed to be some knd of curse.

"Qell it's not a curse," Saga decided immediately, the three of them gathering just outside of the town hall were the citizen had plead their case. And as much as Zoro hates being distracted from his goal, his one true dream, he has to admit their pleas were.... heartfelt.

"Hmm," Kuina puts her hand to her chin, her foot digging into her dirt as she stares down, her brain trying to ferment a plan of some kind. At the very least a place to begin. "It seems he only comes out when there is a bridal procession. What should we do?"

There is silence as they all contemplate this impossible task.

"I know!" It's Saga who gets a these first, slapping his fist in his hand, and with his eyes burning so bright, Kuina and Zoro are immediately doubtful. This is going to be one of those ridiculous plans like in all his marine centered manga. As far as Zoro has seen, Marines never actually do any sort of undercover work or whatever. They just stupidly fire bullets at things and hope one hits. But that's not how Saga sees them, not at all.

Saga gives a sharp, proud smile, his support of his own plan entirely unwavering. Zoro assumed they would just stare at him until sanity sunk back in but suddenly, he notices Kuina going all stiff, as if a realization had just hit.

"Not it!"

Zoro stumbles some, not used to the usually calm depth that is his number one rival and best friend moving with such a reckless, her arm flying up as of theyre back at the dojo answering questions. "Hey!" He pushes his shoulder back against her. "What are you-"

"Good point!" Saga says, his intensity still bur ing as usual. "I am also not it."

Zoro looks between his two friends. His two companions. His twisted sworn brother and sister. And the evil grins that were creeping up along their faces.

"I am NOT-"

Kuina leans in so hard, Zoro ends up squashed up against Saga. "Your mouth says no," the older girl teases, sluttering her eyelashes in a way that Zoro didn't understan. Was that supposed to make him do something? "But your eyes - and my blades," she adds that bit with a pat at the swords at her side. "Say yes."

At his other side, Saga gives him an unnaturally bright smile despite the narrowed eyes glare Zoro is giving both kenshi. "You really should try and look happier. It's your wedding day after all!" He teased, nd Zoro can only grumble.

He did call not it last, damnit.

"We will just have to set up a convincing bridal procession then!" Saga pulls back, striking what Zoro feels is an all too excited pose considering the fate they've just sealed for him. "Kuina and I will act as guards, while Zoro gakes place of the bride to be. We'll put the whole thing together and make it look just like a real bridal procession! That's how we will draw this scoundrel out!"

The two npeople only seem mildly confused by the bounty hunter's plan. Zoro isn't sure what the confusion is aboit. He's hardly looking forward to this mess, but he does think Saga and Kuina did an excellent job at setting the trap and as for his part, well, he can only hide one of his three swords under the bridal gown, but with the other two concealed in the carriage in easy reach, he doesn't imagine he'll habe any difficulty grabbing for them in time. The whole plan is actually one of their better thought out schemes, so he isn't sure why the villagers take moment to get on board, but eventually they do. They even lend them materials to help make the ruse undetectable.

"I've got this!" Kuina declares in reference to the dress. She isn't much for fu-fu clothes herself - it's all so much fabric for so little practical coverage, and it always has at least one part that hangs in the weirdest way. However, she's had years of practice learning to make men's clothes for her properly so they aren't baggy and in her way and also wouldn't.... disrespect her father (Zoro knows she would never wish to voice this, but he has also seen her on holy days with his image. Holding it as tight as if he were a long honored ancestor. Looking to the stars as if they would grant her his approval.) Plus, she definitely knew what looked good on girls. Just because she doesn't wear fancy kimono and jewelry and other useless pretty things doesn't mean Kuina can't APPRECIATE what other women look like in such elaborate get ups.

It's the make up where they run into something of an issue.

"Katatsumuri," Saga asks, holding out their den den mushi. Him and the snail wince together as Kuina gets angry enough to break the brush shed be using to try and apply Zoro's lipstick, yelling that it was a subpar tool unworthy of its title and a shame to whoever forged its.... it's.... it's stupid hairs or whatever! Grr!

"Can you play a make up tutorial," Saga requests, sitting cross legged in front of Zoro. Luckily, he is very good at copying moves even from videos. Maybe this is why he appreciates marine uniforms so much, Zor thinks, cause they're all neat and orderly and it feels like you have to keep your make up neat and orderly as well.

So with Zoro looking appropriately alluring ("You're a vision," Saga promises, his breathing just a little too rushed considering they haven't even started on the hard part of the quest just yet. "You almost look decent," Kuina laughs, making sure Katatsumuri takes a picture for future reference) they gather everything else they will need for their little nightie deceit. The procession, the carriage, the spooky nighttime forest that the temple lies in the middle of for some reason no one could adequately explained.

"just sit tight," Kuina whispers from the side of her mouth as they walk deeper and deeper into the darkness. "I'm sure this willl-"

"Kuina!?" Zoro knows he is supposed to be sitting there straight and well behaved, just the way he's practiced with that overly nice girl - the one who kept getting a little bit touchy, like Zoro couldn't figure out how to hold his hands just by LOOKING at her; there is no reason to touch - but at his friend's sudden silence he couldn't help but peak out of the carriage window.

Nothing but wind and leaves and darkness.

"Zoro," Saga growls from the other wise..Zoro turns to try and ask him to go check on Kuina. That's what he should do, rather than break character. Good call. "Keep on guar-"

Silence.

Suddenly there is nothing.. No horses. No Marines pretending to be maid in waiting. No guards. No friends. Just darkness, and a low, soft whisper of the wind. Something dark, something.... stirring.

Zoro licks his lips, that awful taste of the lipstick coming off with it. He reaches for the trap door where his two other swords are stored when -

Click.

The door opens a light storm: the fall of rain, wind sweeping through the trees, dark hair, striking eyes, and such long and slender fingers reaching out for him, not grabbing, but making an offering. Holding his hand out for the supposedly young and virginal bride.

And suddenly Zoro can feel it in his chest. This lightness. This heat.

He fumbles, trying to find the damn torch. Where were his matches? Why is he going for the stupid candle and not his swords? What is wrong with him?

"I can't help but notice," the strange is silhouettes in the darkness, out the moonlight behind him offering any glimpse. But that voice. So dark, like a shadow. Like the way a smooth sake feels sliding down your throat. "You seemed to be in trouble, my little lamb. I hope those ruffians didn't cause you any harm."

As if you didn't send those ruffians, only Zoro's voice is entirely gone. The boy's golden eyes pierce through him like an arrow. Where is his voice? It seems the only part of him that can speak is his heart, and that is beating so loud it filled the entirety of the carriage

It only gets louder when the stranger's lips quirk upward, the water running down his hair, his pale skin, sliding around his lips. Making them shimmer and shine in the low candle light. "What a remarkable beauty. How could anyone wish to hurt such an angel?" His hand is still hanging there, half way between them. Zoro licks his lip subconsciously, the water clinging to the stranger's lower lip making him want....

No! He's meant to focus! He is here on a mission, not some silly game.

Yet the way the stranger smiles does leave his stomach feeling all sorts of silly. Are those his finger tips shaking as he reaches out, gently entrusting his hand to the stranger.

Immediately he is being pulled forward, so close it Zoro can't keep the gasp escaping his lips. He's not used to these shoes, there's far too much of them for starters, and the heels catches on the fabric of his dress and-

As he falls foward, the stranger moves in close and through the low light of the moon and a single candle, those gorgeous golden eyes stare right into Zoro's soul, soft and yet certain as he reaches out, easily pulling Zoro into his arms.

Pressed against the man's chest, Zoro understands why so many of those manga he finds Saga hiding away have girls pressed up to marines just like this. The way his heart beats in Zoro's ear, the protective warmth of his arms....

"Where did-"

"You men seem to have run off," The stranger says, holding him close. The hold is gentle and yet formal, as of purposefully being polite and careful with him. "I believe they were trying to lure the attackers away."

He knows that hadn't been the plan, but he can only stare up at the stranger, his cheeks so warm he thinks of lifting the veil, just to get some fresh air. But surely if he saw him that would give them game away.

"Your physical beauty must only be surpassed by that of your heart, to have such a loyal and fearless guard. I would hate to see their bravery go to waste. I don't have much, certainly not lodging worthy of such a precious gem, but there is a small temple nearby that will offer us shealter. I can keep you safe until your entourage regroups. That is, if you will allow it."

His golden eyes are staring down at our hero, soft and intense all at once, and they leave his tongue feeling equally confused: heavy and light at the same time.

"You have my permission to do with me as you please." Zoro hadn't practiced any sort of script, the plan had been to attack and words had seemed unnecessary. He still isn't sure where such a sentiment even came from! What a silly thing to say! He must look like a gu-

Wait, that isn't the what Zoro is supposed to be concerned about. Why does he even care if he looks like a fool!?

Even as he tries to hide himself against the stranger's chest, he catches a glimpse of that smirk. That horribly cocky, confident turn of his lips that leaves the poor kenshi melting, all the heat not coloring in his face pooling much, much lower.

"I shall take you with me then, beauty-ya, and act as your guide until we can reunite you with your proper assembly."

"Mmm," Zoro mutters, voice high and breathless. Perhaps to ensure the act is believable? "Take me with you, unite with me, yes..."

Just an act, that's all. Right, that's why he's doing this. To go along with the plan.

That's why he puts up no struggle as he suddenly finds himself lifted up into the strangers arms. The man's hat keeps his face mostly hidden, but Zoro is sure to memorize the edges of his cheeks, his lips and chin where rivlets of water drip from his dark skin. The beautiful dark ink that covers the strong arms that have Zoro safely held against his chest.

All for the sake of the mission, Zoro reminds himself, leaning his cheek against the stranger's wet shirt, tucking in closer to his warmth as a blue light suddenly involves the both of them.

"Shambles."

And then the forest is quiet, nothing but an abandoned carriage left behind.

[depressed-sock]

Pick up the pieces and set them on fire (1333 words) Rage Against the Reflection Relationships: Drifter & Operator (Warframe), Operator & The Man in the Wall (Warframe) Characters: Operator (Warframe), Drifter (Warframe), The Man in the Wall (Warframe) Additional Tags: Bad Things Happen Bingo, rage against the reflection, Hurt No Comfort, Angst, Self-Esteem Issues, Self Confidence Issues, The New War Spoilers (Warframe)

Requested by @geargoyle :D

I went really heavy on this being my Operator and the issues they're having lmao 😅

...

The thing about reflections is that they show all your imperfections. From the scars, to the acne, to the way one eye might be a little more off than the other. It shows everything back and the only way to escape it is. To. Not. Look. To avoid every mirror, every surface that shines a bit too much.

Maybe if you avoid it long enough you’ll forget what you look like. Forget the color of your eyes, the way your nose bends, the way your lips frown.

So that when it’s your own face staring back one day with an unfamiliar grin and void black eyes then you won’t know to be afraid about what’s being reflected back.

The operator never used to worry about this, never would have thought to worry about it. But then the Zarimen happened. One bad jump happened. The void happened. The life they had known upended and shattered into pieces as they tried to keep their little group of friends together and calm as the adults they were supposed to trust banged on the walls screaming for their blood.

They’d never thought about reflections. Not even then. Not until it was their face staring back. Smiling a smile a bit too wide and making promises that sounded far too impossible.

What choice did they have? What choice could they have possibly made as the adults began tearing through the makeshift barrier? There wasn’t a choice. Not really. Not for them. Not for the other Tenno.

The thing about reflections is that they’re supposed to be on the other side of the mirror. Not reaching out, grabbing your hand, and altering your very being into something… other. Making you into something you would never have thought you could be. Giving you power that eats away everything you thought you should be.

The operator had forgotten all this in the Dream. It came back in pieces. Like a the shattered pieces of a mirror slowly being glued back together.

Some things though… They’re ingrained into them. That’s why there’s no mirror in their room or any other part of the ship. Because some deeper part of themself is terrified to see what might be waiting on the other side. They didn’t understand why. Not until later. Not until they’d seen themself.

Sitting cross-legged on that pedestal in their room, wearing the Lotus’s helmet like it was mocking them and their failure. It was only a moment. A moment that passed too fast and made them question their own sanity.

It kept happening.

Knocking on the walls, their own voice a whispered echo of Kiddo followed by amused laughter.

They didn’t understand. Not yet.

Not until now. Seated across from another reflection. Imperfect in the way he is an adult and they aren’t (and possibly never can be). The existence of a choice they could have made but didn’t. Making choices they still can’t make.

“You… You didn’t take the deal.” He didn’t give up everything that made them, them. (Did he let everyone die?)

“Nope.” The Drifter says with a lazy smile before stuffing a sushi roll into his mouth. He barely even chews it before he’s talking again. Mouth still full. “You know, mph, you’re gonna need to make a choice here sooner or later.” He swallows and stuffs another sushi roll into his mouth.

The thing about reflections is that they can show you everything you don’t want to be… and they can show every little bit of you that’s missing.

The operator bites their lip, looks down at the food in front of them and tries to remember the last time they truly ate anything. They wait for that gnawing hunger to come but know it’ll never happen. Just like they know that they won’t be the one leaving this room.

The Drifter knows too. He sets his pair of chopsticks down and the operator looks away. They don’t want to see the pity.

“I’ll save her.”

“You better.” Because she’s one of the few things the operator has left.

He leaves and they… they stay. Seated for a moment until they can’t stand it anymore. Shoving back from the table hard enough to make their chair screech, they stand and start to pace. They should have gone. They should have been stronger.

(They should’ve been less afraid.)

Are they stuck here forever now, stuck in- they take a breath, ignore the picture that’s on one of shelves. The operator knows this room. Sometimes they still see it when they dream.

Their old room on the Zariamen was a shared one. Their father, their mother. There’s echoes of them on each shelf. In each decoration picked out. They grit their teeth and enter through the door to what was the bedroom. It’s bare compared to the small kitchen area. A book or two strewn about. A stuffed plush on one of the beds.

What’s new though, is the mirror on the wall. Bigger than they would ever want any mirror to be. Reflecting the beds and the rest of the room.

Reflecting a version of themself that sits cross-legged and grinning in an almost mockery of when they first saw him. The operator swallows roughly as they catch it’s eyes.

“You didn’t go, Kiddo.”

They glare into the Reflection whose grin seems to impossibly widen.

“I’m not talking to you.” They turn on their heel, arms crossed, and fingers digging in for dear life into their arms. They already died once, why the hell do they have to deal with him too.

“Ah, don’t be like that,” their reflection says, seated now in reality on the bed they were headed for. “Not when we finally have the chance to talk.”

“I don’t want to talk to you.” They close their eyes, taking a deep breath in through their nose in an attempt to calm their nerves. This was a mistake. They should have been stronger, should have gone after the Lotus themself. But… they couldn’t. Couldn’t risk the Lotus attacking them, hurting them.

They don’t-

Their fingers tighten, knuckles growing white from the force of their grip.

“What’s wrong Kiddo? Not so fun being on the other side of the looking glass is it?” The man in the wall asks with a laugh. “What’s it feel like I wonder? To know that there’s a version of yourself that’s willing to make the hard choices.”

“Shut up.”

“You know he made a whole reality for himself. Honestly couldn’t be prouder. Of course it hurt a bit when he didn’t take my deal the first time around but I can’t say it hasn’t been fun to watch him grow into his own power. Even if he doesn’t fully realize what he’s capable of yet.”

“Shut Up.”

“What’s wrong? Can’t handle the fact that you just keep on disappointing me Kiddo?”

“I don’t give a shit about you.”

“Come on now, you can’t possibly be this upset with me. Honestly it should really be the other way around.”

They shiver as the temperature in the room drops. The operator opens their eyes and their reflection is nose to nose with them. Smile still in place for all the anger that’s emanating from it.

“You’re going to disappoint me, Kiddo. And when you do,” The man in the wall tilts his head, neck cracking from the impossible way it bends, “ everything that he fixes… well whose to say it won’t get broken again.”

Then he’s gone. Like he was never there in the first place.

The operator shudders. Turns to the mirror to see themself and only themself in it. Wild eyed with panic, skin a shade too light.

Would the Drifter look like this? Would he give in to his fear?

Would he give in to his rage?

They grit their teeth, raising a hand. It doesn’t take much to shatter a mirror but by the time their done with it, it will be as if it never existed.

[hunger--endured]

The Lotus' chambers have not changed much since he was a child. Security, perhaps, has shifted its attention and the particular details of decoration have changed with the times but, ultimately, Mother has not changed much.

A couple of his siblings loiter. He catches their eyes and, as he passes, a few brush back his hair or pat his back worriedly. He hates it, in all honesty. He doesn't want them to be worried for him. The pity overburdens them, he thinks.

The central room that Mother lives in is decorated with shimmering cloths and gifts from the Tenno. Her shelves are lined with artifacts, both beautiful and useful. While She has no needs for such trivialities, it pleases Her children to see them displayed. And so she does with the pride of a parent exhibiting their child's grandest achievements. The room filters in purple-blue light overhead. Dim, but not enough to give the impression of a false night. The truth was that She never slept. Never needed to. But it flickered, dappled, as if the light itself was run through water or shaded if ever so slightly by foliage. The air was never hot or cold but a light sweat has broken out along the back of Ram's neck. It was quiet save for the hum of machinery. Some great machinery that was alive and surrounded them. Deep, deep in this place. Persisting like a dream and returned to again and again. She sits in a central chair surrounded by holographic displays that track the progress of Tenno squads. Other information scrolls by, too fast for Ramovk himself to keep track of but with her Sentient mind he's sure it is of no issue. The Lotus had Her eyes in every single corner of the System and She knew the terrain well enough. Sentient hands had, after all, built part of it. Of course She knew.

He wants to stay like that. More than anything he wants to stay like that. A boy watching his Mother work. Uncomplicated by his own missteps or Her choices. There were times when he had come into this room, wishing it didn't feel like She was a million miles away. And now? Now he wishes for nothing but to keep it like that.

Her hand moves over the side of her reclined seat, dismissing the screens entirely. His chest tightens.

"My child. Ramovk. I have heard about the incident involving the Void-warped Cephalon. Expectations were set such that no one was to approach the vessel." She turns and Her sightless eyes seem to bore right into him. She pauses, body rigid, as if he was the one who had caught Her.

Ram bows his head, crossing an arm across his chest and bowing more deeply. A sign of respect from soldiers, between Dax and passed to Tenno. He hears Her move but doesn't look up, the curtain of his hair blocking Her from his view.

"I understand that I have--"

But She cuts him off. Her voice is as sharp as any sword on the battlefield.

"We serve as the final defense for this System, my son. The last line between chaos and destruction. After us, there is no other. Our numbers have dwindled and though we have beaten back the rising tide of our enemies again and again, we must be sure to not throw ourselves into the waiting maws of our enemies." A pause. When She speaks again, Her voice is tight.

"I am disappointed, my beautiful child, that you would give up your life so easily."

It guts him entirely. If even she is disappointed with him, upset with him, then there is no other. He feels nauseous, nervous. His head remains bowed, he remains steady, he must. But it shatters the ugly thing that beats in his chest. He feels like the lowest thing that this System has ever created. Not even Tenno, hardly even human.

"I beg your forgiveness Mother."

"Look at me, my child."

But he finds that shame has enveloped him completely. He can't look at her. How could he? All of the things that Margulis gave up, all of the family that Natah turned her back on. All of the struggle and danger the Lotus herself had undertook. All thrown away in an instant.

"Please?" Her voice is so much clearer and closer.

He looks up.

The Lotus has removed Her helmet, exposing Her pale eyes and dark, messy hair. Tears have streaked over Her scarred cheeks and Her face has pulled itself into an upset expression. Not righteously angry or longing but devastated. Devastation for Her child. Mourning for what was to come, what was to change. Their Void exposure the first time had given them their "demonic" nature. Had marked them forever as Other. And now? Now Ram was, forever, more marked by it.

It is somehow so much worse.

She reaches Her hand out to brush against the ruined side of his face and retracts it suddenly, face pulling into a sharper, more pained expression. Ram doesn't know what he's done, reaches to Her, and She takes another step back.

"I--" She starts, Her voice heavy and tight in her throat as if She might burst into sobs. But She composes herself. Keeps herself there on the careful precipice. She would not fall apart on Her children again. "My regret is that I cannot guide you through these times. What has been done is not to be undone. What has happened cannot happen. There is nothing that I would want more than to take this mystery, this pain from you. But I cannot."

Her watery grey eyes meet his own. Ram blinks, reaching up to the cheek she had tried to hold. "I'm sorry for this." He says without thinking and he can see the Shudder in Her body. He's done nothing but upset her.

So can't he just go away?

"My beautiful son. I'm so sorry." She says and her upset spills over, catching on the last syllable.

Ramovk bows his head again. There is nothing more in the world that he would like to do than to comfort his Mother. To tell Her that he would be alright. To tell Her that he wasn't a child anymore. He could handle it. But there is nothing that can be done. Nothing that will assuage Her. He knows.

Ram turns to go, leaving his Mother to quietly pull Herself together again.

[multidusk]

got inspired to think through my drifter's character a little more so here's an infodump

on the surface, darian is an outgoing fella! he tries to make friends with anyone who catches his attention and doesn't mind giving a helping hand! at the same time, he's quite the troublemaker. he messes around with things he shouldn't and gets himself in danger on a daily basis. he's often criticized for acting immature in serious situations and putting off important decisions until it's too late

in reality, his whole existence is filled to the brim with anxiety. there's always that one voice inside of his head that makes him believe that everything he does is flawed in some way, even if he gives it his best

he does try to prove it wrong, but he does it in the worst ways possible. there are times when darian jumps out of his warframe, throwing himself into the battle, completely overestimating his abilities. he wants to show everyone that he's capable, but usually ends up heavily injured instead

due to spending ages inside duviri where he would die over and over again without any lasting consequences, he believes that even outside of the void he's still immortal (i think that tenno who got the void powers are hard to kill, but not impossible, like they can probably survive lethal damage and the void will fix it all up in a few hours). he has developed a great pain tolerance and laughs off any severe wounds, too stubborn to ask for help or rest and let the void magic do its thing

on the topic of duviri, during the fear spirals darian is having the worst time of his life. it's the time his internal struggles become unbearable. so unbearable in fact, that at one point his worries were strong enough to create a new entity

it's an amalgam of people from his past. an authority, a parent, a friend. he was never good enough for any of them. it seems to always know where he is, always around, always watching, making fun of him, saying hurtful things. he's the only one who sees it, it's a personal nightmare that he has to confront on his own. it always appears during fear spirals, but it can manifest in any other ones too given the opportunity: the fear of being judged for the things he enjoys, the frustration with himself, the envy for people who have it better than him, the weep over a little inconvenience

darian struggles a lot with showing his vulnerable side to people, even the ones he is comfortable around. it's usually impossible to force him to talk when he's overwhelmed, since he's trying really hard to pretend he isn't about to sob uncontrollably if someone were to touch him

he also has trouble showing and receiving any sort of affection. if you compliment him he will freeze in place having no idea what to do and then say the most awkward "thank you" you've ever heard

[grineerios]

Alright, Elder Tenno, tell me what I'm doing wrong here.

I've been trying to figure out how to mod my gear properly for Steel Path, and I'm more than a little lost- especially with Volt.

I've cleared, what, two nodes of SP? Both of them were with a Kullervo, and both times I barely managed to complete the mission.

Also, nine times out of ten, I do Steel Path alone- which probably isn't helping my situation very much.

I really don't know how to progress with SP without leeching off of another player doing it for me, and I want to try to be self-sufficient. I'd love any kind of guidance you can offer.

Mods, goals, and current strategies under the cut.

Set A: Stunner Volt (Nataruk, Despair, Sun & Moon)

I would love to take Volt on SP- but it feels like the more I tinker with his mods, the more fragile he becomes. Hell, recently I've entered bleedout from level 30-40 enemies.

I primarily use his 1 to soften enemies up, while I close the gap and finish them off with melee. It's probably the ability I use most on him. 2 and 4 are my desperation abilities- either for when I need to get out of a situation quickly, or for stunning a large amount of enemies for an extended period of time.

Criminally, I forget his 3 exists a lot, outside of picking off Teralysts. It feels like outside of the free roam areas, it takes too long to make the shield and pick it up.

Ideally, I'd like to focus on enhancing his 1, maybe his 4. I haven't seen a ton of guidance on how to mod a Volt for anything but Eidolon Hunting, so I tried to focus on critical chance, always having energy, and armor, forgoing shields.

With him and Sun & Moon, I tend to try to lean towards attack speed. I like the feel and speed of dual nikanas. On SP, I feel like he'd be a "Kill them before they kill you" sort of frame in my hands.

Set B: Critical Chance Kullervo (Nataruk, Despair, Paracesis)

Kullervo has been my lifeline through the star chart. I often joke that if Volt is "Please", Kullervo is my "I'm not asking". He's the only frame I've cleared a Steel Path node with. I can typically handle level 80-90 enemies with him. Some 90-100 Veil Proxima nodes are tricky, but doable.

His 1 and 2 are what I mostly use- dancing between dealing as much damage as possible, then healing with Recompense. If I need breathing room, I can throw his 4 up pretty easily to pick off enemies while I heal.

Much like Volt, I do tend to forget to use his 3- although that's changing with practice. The large number of enemies in Steel Path that I've seen makes me think that mastering his 3 will be critical to being able to clear nodes with him.

I pair him up with Paracesis typically, considering that it's my best heavy blade- and with his passive, he's practically made for heavy blades.

Of course, critical chance and damage are at the forefront of my mind when thinking about how to improve Kullervo. Being able to use Wrathful Advance as much as possible, alongside Collective Curse is what I'm guessing will be the strategy for Steel Path Kullervo.

that being said i still don't know how the melee combo counter works and i've heard it's important, especially with this frame

Maybe swapping Nataruk out for Rauta is a good idea?

Also, I should probably get an Aura Forma so I can give him Steel Charge instead of Energy Siphon.

Weapon Mods

(Please note that I haven't modded any of these for a specific faction. I do have Primed Bane of Corpus, but no other prime anti-faction mods. I understand that anti-faction mods and modding for factions is practically required for SP, I'm just either waiting on Baro for mods, or have accidentally overriden faction-specific loadouts and just never bothered to fix them.)

Volt's Sun & Moon

Kullervo's Paracesis

Despair

(I haven't even put a reactor on it yet. I very, very rarely use my secondary.)

Nataruk

The Panzer Vulpaphyla is my companion of choice for difficult levels, mostly because it's immortal and I don't have to worry about reviving it every other minute. I have no idea how to make it useful, but here's its' mods anyways.

In Closing:

Overall, I'd like to focus on what mods could improve, and what subsumed abilities, or archon shards I could add to make these two stronger. (Although I'm heavily biased towards keeping their abilities as stock standard. What can I say, I like their kits!)

I know I'm doing some things wrong- like my anti-faction mods. I feel like I'm doing some things right, like using Kullvero's 1 and 3 together to clear large groups of enemies. But, mostly, I'm just confused about what I should be focusing on to make these two stronger and more hardy. Steel Path seems to be about bringing the right frames and the right weapons to the right job- a lot of specialization.

I'm raring to sink my teeth into Arbitrations, Steel Path, and Archon Hunts, I think my mods just need a little help before I can do that. X'D

Congratulations to anyone who got this far, and thank you in advance!

[redphrite]

would you wanna post more of your thoughts on the jade quest? seen a lot of people either love or hate it and would like to hear your opinion.

okay so like. i am high but ill t ry my best. it was so exciting for me personally as fan of the stalker design wise even iff they didnt do much with his character which was upsetting. so what im saying is i was excited and surprised and happy.

-facial animations needed a lot of work. -felt a lil lost in who characters were and motivations?? (corpus lady) -the lady warframe is a woman who is pregnant and the love interest and dies. CRINGE. -DILF STALKER. WHAT. HES HAS A GIRLFRIEND?? WIFE???? THEY WERE PEOPLE?? (duh) BUT. WUGHGH HUH THEY WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE TURNED INTO FRAMES LIKE UMBRA???? WHAT THE HELL. LOVERS DESTINED TO RETURN TO EACH OTHER... -FUCK THE ORIKIN -i was worried the whole time about how we were going to get jade. because no matter what stalker was going to lose her to the tenno which would be the worst case scenario for him because he seems to care about jade?? -HOW THE FUCK IS THAT WARFRAME PREGNANT?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? -I think the shock from the PREGNANT WARFRAME CANON. AND THE WARFRAME BABY???? distracted me from really thinking about it for a while. -Writing needed work for SURE. like wow. but still enjoyable.

TLDR; it is certainly flawed but i enjoyed it! needed a little bit more time in the oven but. i still liked it

[riftwalker-limbro]

You've established that getting set on fire by Kali is almost a rite of passage with it

How does it go for the frames who aren't Vince? Also, does it extend to operators and piles of very fast blankets Roach?

WAGH OKAY THANK YOU TIME TO FORMALLY ESTABLISH TEMPERATURE PERCEPTION FOR WARFRAMES

things i've MENTIONED

kelth-and-sufford get warned about the cold on venus in Connection: Awakening, but mention that they don't feel it much if at all.

vince mentions that it feels pleasantly warm, "toasty even", without being harmful, confirming what Kali said

So it is time to establish how these are both true at the same time. And also how Kali's fire works.

warframes, meat war machines, don't need to waste time processing useless inputs such as "slightly chilly today" and "if i were still human i'd start sweating here". they Could notice these if they focused on their temperature inputs, but mostly these pop up unannounced Only when the temperature they're in is outside of the range in which they can comfortably operate. Too cold for their blood to run as usual? They notice. So hot that they'll start taking damage from it? They notice. Anything in between is just not particularly interesting for the original use case of a warframe.

Vince in this scene was focused on sensing temperature as he was worried about Kali setting the ship on fire. Kali generally is more in tune with the "warmer than room temperature" side of temperature ranges because of its powers so it Knows that it's toasty, also because they're Toasty by design - more on that down below.

Moving on to Kali's fire! As a dragon-themed warframe and general fan of chaos, its signature move is to coat itself in flames and just roll over the enemy like that. It controls fire like other frames might control energy in general, like Vince controls the rift. i'm pretty sure i've also established that through low-intensity passive transference (always active) entities tuned into it will always share very basic stuff, including allegiance/loyalties (thinking this was useful because to the orokin, a warframe was either a loyal tool or a traitor, and they didn't want to get betrayed, so it makes sense in that direction too. a frame could still probably game this with the "genuinely believe that what you're telling is true for a moment" trick for lying). Thinking that this is probably the mechanism which allows their abilities to differentiate between friend and foe - vince will automatically not put you into stasis like non-friend entities (after he gets his transference bolt from the helminth. which isn't relevant because he's not awake to cause chaos (during Connection at least) before that anyway), and kali's fire will not be able to harm you.

So, in a sense, it's not True Fire - it's more just a deliberately harmful-to-enemies, fire-coloured, visible spectrum of energy that it can control. Yes this means the fireball it puts around itself is mostly for show - it's also just keeping a handful of fire at the ready, already summoned, for e.g. throwing/shooting in someone's direction. Kali knows that the element of surprise (and intimidation/fear at the sight of a draconic monster wreathed in flame Coming For Your Ass) can be Very Important in battle

trying to think about what Exactly this energy is is.... difficult. tenno-sourced void energy/cosmic background radiation is definitely the source (respectively pre- and post-killswitch-removal). nope my brain is breaking at this, back to kali's specific brand of energy

it's probably this energy manifesting in a super-heated kind of way. but due to the nature of it and the prism it's getting channeled through (kali's body itself) it gains this ability to filter between okay-to-attack and keep-safe. getting set on fire by kali as a foe? it takes a second for the energy to take and then you're also on Regular Fire because your ass has just been superheated to the point of spontaneous combustion. getting set on fire by kali as a friend? kali's still maintaining the energy, but you're now the babysitter of the 'flames'. kali's cheeky, so the flames will feel warmer than room temperature, but by design, not hot enough to harm. so unless you're focused on them, you don't really feel them. you could burn enemies by touching your gifted flames to them - unless you are covered-covered in the energy, you likely can't get them hot enough to actually set the enemies on fire, though.

[todayisafridaynight]

FORGOT TO REPLY BECAUSE OF THE RGG TV ADAPTATION FIASCO BUT YEAH I DID READ THE SUBTITLE FILES FOR REAL but that was just me getting carried away 💀💀💀Exactly Though. I see the vision… dude is so conflicted…

I sometimes think about that too, because some of the other actors with Araboshi-za also joined the yakuza along with Arakawa, right? Provided they didn't join the Hikawa Family (or at least abstained from inflicting The Horrors on Arakawa) I wonder if they could've been some of the first to leave their families to join/refer people to join the Arakawa Family, or if Arakawa really just started with no one (at rock bottom… as it were…) and it was his charisma that drew people to him. Structured this terribly but Do You Get What I Mean…

I also expect a good deal of it is just like, snapping out of how desensitized he's had to become. Obviously he's got this inkling that being a yakuza is Pretty Messed Up by the time Jo joins, but it's still so notable to me that the Arakawa Family became so much more brutal after Jo joined and the body count was out of control.

But then when Ichi joins, Arakawa doesn't want him involved in that side of things at all (bar Ryuji but he was banking on him not killing Ryuji anyway lol), and the family as a whole moves away from all the killing almost entirely. Like the implication is sooooooooo… you both can and do make each other worse whether you want to or not… but Ichi puts Arakawa in touch with the side of him that doesn't want to live like that anymore...

I want to know so much more about like, Jo and Arakawa's first kills and compare and contrast how they were affected in the long and short term. If you're hesitating to ask Jo to swear his life to you, do you hesitate to ask him to take a life for you? Is it worse if you hesitate less? Guys you GOTTA gimme something to work with here

ANYWAY. SHORTENING TSUTSUMI'S NAME GANG REPRESENT friend and I've been calling him 223 for ages… y'know… tsu-tsu-mi.. when I have to specify Y3 Mine I say 3ne on occasion… but I guess most people probably read it as Tsutsu-three and Three-ne, if most people reading my username as Oh Four Tenno is anything to go by lmao

naw i get what you mean dont worry i got'chu 100%. maybe some ex-stage members joined with arakawa when he joined his first yakuza family and mightve followed him after The Incident occurred. then through his own merit he attracted people to join- i mean he was able to convince ichi to follow him after one interaction, it doesn't seem like an impossible idea. who's to say really (´▽｀)

its a testament to the arakawa family's image considering how jo and ichi both initially describe the arakawa family as being a family of killers and/or having influence, yet by the time ichi's in prison they seem to have lost that identity when the other prisoners have no problem laughing at them. i certainly wouldnt account arakawa's age as being a factor for 'losing his bite' and becoming jaded (for starters, he's not even in his 50's yet by 2001) when we've seen older yakuza still be ruthless in the series. TRULY a believable case of arakawa wanting to prevent others going down bloody paths like he and jo did. in my humblest of opinions (❁´◡`❁;;)

on that note though it would be interestin to know how their first murders went and how that affected em..

[trackerkitsune]

👀

Sorry for sliding in most of them, but!

1, 6, 9, 11, 15?

@runningwolf62 cuz this answers some of yours too :3 this is under a cut cuz it looooong~

1: What is their pre-bullshit backstory?

Olexei was a doctor on a space colony before he became a Harrow Prime. Family run clinic, his parents were both medical professionals before him.

Kitsune and Rien were once a little girl called Erin, who had an obsession with space and a decent knowledge of anything to do with it, and a love of animals. (Rien notably changed her name to still reflect her original name, but at the same time to spite the Orokin.)

She was good friends with Rell, often spending a good amount of time talking about space flight with him and listening to him talk about the complicated mathematical principles related to it… Up until the Incident on the Zariman Ten-Zero. Both of them became protectors in different ways of the other kids on the ship.

6: What is their personality like? Are they different around strangers? How?

Rien’s pretty mistrustful of strangers, and doesn’t tend to open up much, acting standoffish. She keeps the snark on 11 and probably gets herself in trouble.

When she’s gotten used to someone and trusts them, the softer side comes out. She fusses over people, she loves physical affection and will happily display such affection to others too. She’s got some insecurities that she tries to hide with arrogance, but even just the meaning of her name betrays those insecurities.

Kitsune is not what you’d call well-adjusted. Though she’s a sweet, caring person to those who know her, she’s a little unhinged and tends to intimidate strangers to try to get them to leave her alone - an unhealthy coping mechanism from the harsh reality of never knowing if a mission will be her last or someone else’s that she knows. There’s the additional factor of her void powers making her unstable too. (Umbra does his best to help with this by providing her the stability and patience of a parent.)

Most still find her quite unsettling because of how her void power manifests itself.

Olexei is pretty damn aggressive when he’s left alone with strangers - his first meeting with Rien, without the calming influence of his known Operator, was rather violent. Only the Drifter’s reflexes from multiple loops of Duviri saved her, honestly. He’s cold, standoffish, and refuses to speak or communicate with those he doesn’t know in any way, and doesn’t enjoy being pressed to do so - he lashes out, though thankfully not with his powers.

When he gets used to someone, though, and accepts them into his tiny circle of trusted people… A little of his human side shows through. He doesn’t exactly ease up much, but he does at least talk and share some snark. He enjoys bantering with Rien especially, and is protective of Kitsune. When he gets angry, he can be pretty cruel too - a cruelty that he gained during his captivity under the Orokin. He’s got a very visceral fear of Infested, and refuses to go aboard the derelicts after one very unpleasant encounter.

-

9: Do they keep in touch with past classmates? Friends? Other Tenno?

Rien doesn’t really know if any of her fellows have survived in Duviri, and has subsequently lost contact with most of them.

Kitsune stays in contact with quite a few Tenno, and has worked with (bullied) Darvo to set up a sort of bar and social venue on Larunda relay for Tenno to hang out. She's something of a relatively constant presence, and is always willing to help out.

-

11: Are they comfortable jumping out of their warframe and showing their own body to other? Why (not)?

Rien spends most of her time out of warframes, and has no particular worry about showing herself.

Kitsune won’t show herself except with people she trusts. (Which ends up being quite a few people eventually.) She doesn’t mind the Entrati, and is particularly comfortable around Son, owing to their mutual experiences of having freedoms removed from them.

-

15: Do they have anything that still ties them back to their days as human?

Olexei doesn’t have anything physical tying him to his past as a human - only the vague and inconsistent surfacing of his past medical knowledge and his memory of what got him turned into a warframe in the first place.

[runningwolf62]

I posted 6,205 times in 2022

That's 818 more posts than 2021!

77 posts created (1%)

6,128 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@trackerwrites

@tenno-skoom

@totalspiffage

@gallusrostromegalus

@criticalrolo

I tagged 1,266 of my posts in 2022

#dracula daily - 235 posts

#spy x family - 49 posts

#ace attorney - 45 posts

#dracula - 42 posts

#goncharov - 40 posts

#pokemon - 30 posts

#unreality - 28 posts

#warframe - 27 posts

#live a live - 24 posts

#encanto - 18 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i'm terrified to know what cold takes are in the notes but my personal take is if i cannot vibe with the summary i cannot vibe with the fic

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Mina is relatable, because I too, worry about Jonathan when I haven't heard from him in some time.

176 notes - Posted July 26, 2022

#4

As we hit a point where people undoubtedly want fix-it fics and such, I wanna remind everyone Dracula is public domain so if you like your idea enough you can publish it as an actual book not just fanfic.

216 notes - Posted September 19, 2022

#3

The worst part about Dracula Daily has been knowing Quincey dies, and now that we’re reading slower, actually catching a lot of the fucking foreshadowing that he’ll be the one to not make it.

Quincey is the one to vow to kill Dracula even should he be struck down doing it. 

Quincey is the one to express his remorse towards Renfield’s death, when he will also be killed attempting to protect Mina from Dracula.

There’s a few other moments but like, there were points where I was ready to throw down with Stoker over how much the foreshadowing hurt.

880 notes - Posted November 6, 2022

#2

Give Mina a gun this, give Johnathan a gun that, but when I, Quincey Morris, try to shoot Dracula

3,567 notes - Posted September 30, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I hope everyone realizes now that Dracula literally cannot steer the ship. The captain tied himself to the helm and a crucifix (he alluded to this earlier in one of his logs) and thus Dracula can't touch it.

Additionally Dracula's powers weaken during the day (iirc he can be in sunlight but his powers don't work) so he has to steer the ship via weather at night.

The man has been buffeting the ship with wind to get to England.

14,450 notes - Posted August 8, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[nalver]

Adding my own, I just really like talking about it

Summed up how I feel pretty much. Thankfully a lot of people are raising a stink about the Heirloom price in the forums. Although, very unfortunate that from my short experience so far, people take it very personally if you think that 90 dollars is too much for a bundle saddled with FOMO. Especially... the lowest price pack. That's what again? Sigils, emote and a badge on a profile? For like 20 dollars or so? Yeahhh... no.

I don't like how you can simply buy something that's normally reserved for Founders, Creators, etc. Especially when it says "Ten Year Supporter" and it has nothing to do with having been a supporter for 10 years. Your idea with getting it when your account turns 10 years old is neat.

I wish people wouldn't take it personally when you think that a studio that's very against extensive in-game transactions, now doing an overpriced time-limited bundle that also has its price inflated with Regal Aya, is bad.

I hope DE does any of the following: lowers the price a little, makes bundles just for the skins without Aya, making it plat-purchasable, or making it a returning thing.

Even with the new adjustable attachment, I don't think the price is fair. Along with some players voicing a worry that buying this bundle would quickly turn obsolete and quickly get forgotten due to its exclusive nature, which I think is a very valid worry for a brand new addition that's already controversial.

Rant over also, people seem to be divided on their opinion of this.

As for TennoLive, I myself look forward to hearing more about Soulframe, even if I might not play it. Looks cool and has some interesting stuff! Love my sneezing armadillo/turtle guy. Hearing about the new lightning engine is exciting, wonder how it'll fare performance-wise as I dunno what they were using for the demos. Couldn't believe it was a live demo at first!

Then Whispers in the Wall. This, I am looking forward to the most. I love the Cephalons so learning something more about Loid, and the Entrati in general, is super awesome to me!! I find human Loid very interesting and, as Cephalon Loid put it, "emotions still intact", meaning I can't wait for some insight into the Orokin past, Old War, Entrati family, ... basically anything that can go beyond being a cephalon servant. (Side note: LOVED seeing them interact! But now that I've written this I gotta wonder about how he got cephalized when it comes to what we know about the process...)

I second how nice it is that it's an expansion upon an already existing place, rather than New Content Island. (I don't feel strongly about Duviri, but I find all the work that went into it neat, including the world itself which I do like although I don't play it much. But seeing something already existing be expanded is so satisfying to me.)

As off as all this "modern" human technology feels, I think I'll have to get used to it. Certainly not something I'm happy about either, it just... doesn't belong, and I can't find the right words for it. As you said, almost blasphemous.

And then... 1999. I love Warframe because it's very divorced from the human world as we know it, its Sci-Fi world got me into it, and seeing 90's tech in something that I feel is (supposed?) so far ahead into the future, it's very out of place. It just makes me wonder, if this is 1999 then when did what we've seen at the start of Whispers, take place? It's the same tech, is it not? Have they abandoned it for a very long time? I don't like the inclusion of a specific year, it was revealed only yesterday and I've already seen a ton of players ask what year Warframe takes place. I also feel like it's going to cause a lot of plot holes since they'll now have to keep track of what year was what, instead of "yeah the Tenno went away for centuries or something." Either way, I guess we'll wait and see how they all spin it, like with Duviri.

I know that there's still players out there that feel similarly about Operators and Second Dream, which got released around 2015, hence why I try to subconsciously convince myself to get used to it as soon as I can.

It's a little surreal, people in the community Discord don't like it, from what I'm seeing on forums it's mixed over there, and here on Tumblr people love it. It's still a huge shock in change of environment to me.

Still hard to collect my thoughts on this haha. I myself can only see it as a spin off, or like you said, some parallel universe through Void Fuckery(tm). Or I optionally see it as "What Dark Sector would be like if we made it today!", hard to connect to current Warframe itself, despite its roots.

Mmmmmm post sleep Tennocon Rambles under the cut

Ofc because I just started vet school last week (yay) I couldn’t attend in person. Really sad I couldn’t attend because I’ve always loved it when I went to the 2017 and 2018 events. Had to watch the stream, but it look like from pictures everyone had tons of fun and I’m glad it was a success. Next year, please let it be closer to the middle of the summer akdjejak

Art panel, the highlight for me as always as an artist myself. Really cool to see all the concept works from way back in Dark Sector. I’m so sad the art book was so expensive and sold out so fast, but I hope this means they can be inspired to do a reprint in the future (maybe when food expenses arent draining my bank like a whirlpool….) The new upcoming concepts I can’t say I’m a fan of all too much. Grendel is my most hated frame but the boar is a cool inpiration for him. I personally think the game is very oversaturated with Liger concepts, so as per most Liger deluxes Sevagoth wasn’t my cup of tea. They designed the frame, why not have someone else take a shot as his deluxe? I didn’t catch who designed Yareli’s bu that one was interesting.

And….. the Heirloom skins collection. They’re pretty. I though Mag’s was for Nova and got too excited for a bit. And as a Frost main I’m always glad for more content containing him, hell I squint at his skin because it has a few elements that are strikingly similar to my Deluxe concept for him back in 2021. But. The price. I want to buy it, but this entire collection pitch is exactly what Digital Extremes has vow to not do in all 10 years with their fair free to play model, and this sets a very bad precedent if it were to continue. $90 USD is too high of a price for a pack of skins marketed as being in celebration of 10 years, inflated artificially with the Regal Aya. A pack of 6 (with an extra bonus, making 7 total and 400 platinum) is $40 which means everything in the second tier pack is only $30. The same price as the low tier. The only new thing the skins intoduce are the Signas, which are cool, but I gesture to Kaithe coronets. The skins have no new visual effects for abilities, no new animations, not even new idles like recent Deluxe skins have. Rebecca used the word “prestigious” for describing the pack. And I beg her to NEVER use that word again for cosmetics. Prestigious content is a very slippery slope. Take the Prestige skins from League. Because of those skins Riot is now thinking they can make a variant recolor of a very old Jhin legendary and mark the price up to $200. Warframe doesn’t need that. Not to mention the FOMO. The Heirloom pack is gone at the end of the year. Even past Prime Access comes back in Resurgence after a few years. Nightwave brings back old items from past story events. The only thing that has never returned was the Founders Packs, for a good reason. The Heirloom collection feels like a rehash of the Founders marketing in the present state of them game where it’s most likely not trying to stay afloat. FOMO has never existed in Warframe, and it shouldn’t be added now.

Don’t even get me started on that 10 year Accolade in the packs. Accolades have usually been for people who made a notable contribution to the game. Founders, Closed Beta testers, Creators. All of them have some sort of impact on the game be it keeping it afloat in the starting year or contributing to the Community. Now a shiny sticker can be added to any account for as low as $30. I’ve been playing the game for 8 years. I’m not a ‘10 year supporter’ yet. The wording itself insinuates that to supoort the game for a decade, you need to pay. That Accolade should have been something added automatically when your account turns 10 years old.

Overall I’m extremely disappointed bu the Heirloom marketing as it stands. Will I buy it down the road? Chances are high when I’m not bleeding for food with school going on, which is at the very end of the year right before it goes away cause I also give into FOMO. DE has adjusted their strategies before, and I hope they do so now. But this has already set a bad first impressions for any future Heirloom content.

Anyway, rant over on that. Sound panel was cool. Always cool to hear how specific sounds are made like Kullervo. The Heirloom debacle kinda soured my mood for a bit, so I focused more on studying my classes and then went shopping with my roommates.

Came back a little late to TennoLive, probably halfways thru the Soulframe demo. From what I saw I really like the whole concept and thematic. The little turtle guy is so cute. Excited to see more of its development and eventually play it.

The Warframe aspect I had more range of feelings. Whispers in the Wall looks really cool and I’m excited for exploring what the fuck Albrecht is doing. I love how its expanding Deimos more, instead of adding another island and button to navigation. It feels like it’ll require the New War to access, since its all based around the aesthetic of the Man in the Wall seen at the very end of the quest. I’m very interest in the human Loid (best design from Liger since Nezha Empyrean imo). I hope he gives more insight into the attitudes of the Orokin since he is 99% likely from before the Old War.

And… Warframe 1999. I got sucked into Warframe because of it’s unique spin on fantasy sci-fi. And throughout the 8 years I’ve played it’s stuck to its aethetic formula to a T. Seeing CRT monitors and Nokias along with Entrati designs, the modern sci-fi elements and callbacks to Dark Sector makes it feel out of place. Blasphemous almost. But, I’ve had this feeling before with Duviri. I had reservations as to whether Duviri would break the Warframe Universe as we knew it. But DE made the Paradox make sense, and the aethetic language of the world fits perfectly into the formula. I absolutely love Duviri. I need to see more and play 1999 in order to feel how it connects to the Origin System and Duviri as a whole, be it the very distant past (and being born in 99 myself makes me…. Haaaaa) or a parallel universe connected by Void Fuckery(tm). But seeing how Duviri played out I have no real doubts DE won’t pull it off again.