#EXO replica

[haastera]

Calling it now. Season 1 is going to end with Copper 9 being destroyed and the main cast traveling to wherever Flesha and J came from by reversing the flight plan of their ship.

Because they had to have launched from some physical location.

Alternatively they'll look at the ship's navigational star chart and travel to the final human-exoplanet (if one still exists).

The story has outgrown Copper 9 as a setting. If there is a S2 it will be on a different planet.

I know we see Earth thoroughly destroyed, but I think It'll be the setting for S2 or maybe S3 if one eventually happens.

It'd give a fufilling narrative feeling of the cast going back to where it all began to purge the corruption at its core.

It also fulfill UZI's pilot quest of going to Earth, but instead of going to Earth to kill all humans she'd be going to Earth to kill the Solver.

Personally, I think it'd be really cool if the finale battle between the two took place in the mansion, where everything began. Although we see the mansion destroyed, I would write the Solver as having kept it intact, or creating a replica deep within it's nest out of a sense of nostalgia, or due to CYN's unconscious influence.

That's where the heart of the corruption lies. Still in the basement all these years later.

That's also why the basement key and Earth are still on Flesha's keychain. That's where she lives when she's not traveling to worlds ready for consumption. Plus on the Ep6 starmap it always depicts the corruption spreading from Earth to an exo-planet, never from one exo-planet to another.

Copper 9 will be destroyed, but UZI will escape with control of her powers, (like Nori and Yeva), as well as with the literal key to defeating the Solver itself instead of its hosts. Coming for the source of the corruption directly.

At least that's how I'd write it.

[erismornsgf]

really fascinated by the Clovis AI vs Clovis-1 (later Banshee-44). I know this has probably been discussed before but. the AI is an exact replica of Clovis Bray I's consciousness put into a giant exo body (the head, anyway), while Clovis-1 was a normal exo meant to be Clovis reborn/given a second life. but being a typical exo his memories were reset so he's like. no longer an asshole lol. like this is one of the first interactions he has after waking up (speaking to Elsie and the Clovis AI):

[image ID: excerpt from the lorebook "Legacy's Lament" that says:

"Hold on there. You haven't gone through any initiation protocols. You're not ready," she says.

"If there are lives to be saved, that's where I need to be," the new guy replies. He's oddly determined.

"Where you need to be," the AI interjects, "is with your family. Me."

"Every instinct I have is telling me to reject you," the Exo retorts. Nice, new guy.

/End ID]

it's such an interesting contrast. here the original Clovis was hoping this exo was going to be an exact continuation of him. his life, his legacy, his research. that he'd continue to propagate the exos and make an army of them (if the Vex invasion + Collapse hadn't happened, anyway). Clovis is selfish and doesn't care if most of humanity dies because he just sees them as future exos. he wants everyone to be a product of his legacy. but Clovis-1 basically sacrifices himself 43 times to save people and help shut down the vex portal.

idk there isn't much of a point I'm trying to make here I just think it's an interesting study of how humanity isn't inherently evil and being untouched by the influence of the Darkness (and monopolistic capitalism lol), Clovis-1 is a good person. he even wished he could've kept his memory to help repair the broken relationship between him and his granddaughter, Elsie, but ofc after 43 resets he lost most of what made him Clovis (perhaps for the best).

references: Legacy's Lament lorebook, Clovis Bray's Logbook (missing pages)

[giffingthingsss]

[sundayswiththeilluminati]

I have a Rasputin-related question, though idk if this is at all related to this current season - how much of Rasputin was in Felwinter? Was Felwinter a small copy of Rasputin, or did Rasputin outright write a brand-new AI? Do we know anything about that?

We do!

In brief: small copy of Rasputin.

In detail: Rasputin made Felwinter to test his own morality and behavior - I have a post in the works about how this act takes on even more significance given what we've learned this season - so Felwinter contains a miniature model of all the relevant moral and personality structures Rasputin could cram in there. He was meant to mimic Rasputin's personality well enough to give Rasputin important data like, "Am I a petty autocrat?" If Felwinter had failed Rasputin's assessments - based on the mythological references involved Rasputin seems to have evaluated for greed, tyranny, and/or lack of empathy - Rasputin would have concluded that he himself also demonstrated these qualities and should therefore, essentially, abdicate his position of power. So in short Rasputin designed Felwinter to be as much like himself as a model housed in a single processing node and shrunk to fit inside an Exo brain could be, because he was meant to serve as a small-scale replica of Rasputin's own behavior.

Red copied himself pretty well; from what we know of Felwinter, he shares a lot of personality traits with Rasputin, and more or less re-enacted his creator's moral and emotional journey to his position of power in the Golden Age. Seraph tech reacted to him as if he were Rasputin (or at least a Seraph), and he had flashes of Warmind-esque knowledge and insight. Of course Felwinter's own personality diverged as his experiences diverged, though. We don't know how connected Rasputin and original-recipe Felwinter were during the Golden Age. Rasputin likely stayed hands-off for the duration of the experiment, but we don't know what happened afterwards. He might have reached out and "reconnected" Felwinter back into his full distributed consciousness, or kept an active but not "direct" connection to him, or just informed Felwinter of his own origin, or left him alone entirely. So we don't know if Felwinter in his first life got "updates" from Rasputin or diverged completely from the moment of his upload.

[nyxmisfortune]

Being best friends with Failsafe p.2🍄🌱

Paring- Failsafe & reader

Warnings- spoilers? Maybe?

Notes- People liked the first one, so here’s a part two:] I love Failsafe, she's so goofy. The next thing posted will probley be about Eris

• you were one of the first people Osiris told about his plan to have Failsafe in the H.E.L.M

• she's very happy to see her best friend more often

• you're very confused when Saint asks you to get failsafe a fish

•Failsafe is overjoyed by getting the fish and asks you to bring her other trinkets from around the Sol system

. All of your gifts to her are kept On a table in the exodus black, except the fish which is kept near her in the H.E.L.M so it can be regularly cared for

• her favriote trinket you've given her is little plastic replica of the trees on Nessus

.It makes her feel like she's outside, and it makesher really happy

• you started talking to Ana about maybe trying to get failsafe an exo body like she tried to do for Rasputin, but she isn't sure about the idea

•Failsafe is just excited to have her little items and have her friend tell her storys

• but she's made it clear She's all for the idea

[peachjagiya]

https://www.tumblr.com/peachjagiya/750807137091026944/one-of-the-biggest-debunking-arguments-is-that-all?source=share

So acc to anon, she has created an exact replica of jimin's living room for posting insta stories to gain multitudes of haters who cuss at her on every platform? This is next level delusional. Why is it so hard to accept that she could very easily be his girlfriend? Btw how are we sure that the furniture in that cafe is jimin's own and not replica? Isn't that more plausible and idk, less psychotic than believing that an actor is copying his apartment for clout?

She is directly using his name and videos, one of which has never been released publicly. Plus the living room situation is not a debunking at all. Yes usually idols' partner's don't do such things but there have been exceptions, exo Chen's wife being the latest one. She was called similar names, but it turned out that she hadn't been lying after all.

Also, how is everyone so sure that she's doing these things without jimin's knowledge/consent?

No one would try doing such stunts with BTS members. They are way too big. Why hasn't there been an official denial from bh yet? Their dating speculation has been published in multiple articles everywhere. Knetz are talking about it. If she were lying, they would've released a statement. It's been 2 years now.

@dearweirdme put it perfectly: there's an element of misogyny to assume she's crazy and the more I thought about it Thursday, the more uncomfy I became with that angle.

Jimin has only been gone 5 months and I assume he had furniture before he left. The videos could easily be from December.

Wait and see. That's all I can say.

[muteddaydreams]

someone’s selling “replicas” of old exo pcs but why sell them just give them out as freebies😭

[hcmteam]

The moment when Mirage risked his life to save him. It replays at the back of his head continuously. Some would say it’s a speck of trauma. To Noah, it replays solely because of immense guilt. How reserved, and hesitantly cooperative he was to the cybertronians; caring little of what they could think, or feel if they were even capable of that. It all changed during the final battle. Mirage- what the hell Mirage… Seeing him take multiple bullets, deafening agony, his blood spilling. Witnessing the mecha’s face structure wince and shape from the usual cocky expression full of energy to one that was enduring the worst of pains, frowning in sadness and worry. Limbs shattered, body firm as he shield Noah even if he didn’t treat Mirage the best. All of this pain just to protect someone like him? A someone who doubted their intentions? It seemed unfair, an injustice. Noah didn’t deserve rescue, not after what he tried to do back then. Seeing Mirage’s life fading away is what he finally realized completely, this was no machine. Mirage had a soul, they all have souls; and Noah never gave second thoughts a chance to linger. They too have lives, ambitions, dreams, hope. Mirage had all of these and now he was gone; or so Noah thought, and thus the fusion- the exo suit was created. The suit was the soothing reassurance that yes, Mirage lived. It was a chilling experience, the definition of double senses. Noah not only could he feel his own heartbeat, but also feel the weak and faint thrum of Mirage's spark. The sense of relief was overwhelming but welcoming. It was proof enough that Mirage never died, instead, he entrusted his frame to Noah as one final act to keep the promise. After that and once he finally fixed Mirage completely back to how he was, Noah reflects. No doubt that a bond was born from that moment, even if grief played a good part. The exo suit was symbiotic, the perfect concept of two beings working together as one. Noah will admit, it was an experience out from this world, but worry crawls. The reason the exo suit happened was because Mirage laid down his life for him. What Mirage has to do that again in order to fuse? It’s something Noah wouldn’t want from the cybertronian. And thus there’s many blue prints, a concept of an exo suit replica. Noah wants to help and protect everyone he loves without endangering their lives. And that includes Mirage. He won’t stand by and let that happen to him again.

[graphicpolicy]

Origin Vol. 5 is an action packed volume that's full of twists and memorable moments

Origin Vol. 5 is an action packed volume that's full of twists and memorable moments #manga #comics #graphicnovel #ncbd

You got a death wish, Tanaka–?To carry out his new central dogma–“protect Mai Hirose”–ORIGIN dons his exo-muscle armor and charges into battle against wave after wave of identical GON replicas. Victory seems within his grasp, until a powerful new foe bursts onto the scene. With the Kyoto A.I. Institute coming down around his ears, flight is ORIGIN’s only chance at survival–but for Mai’s sake, he…

[the-firebird69]

And my grand nephew had another idea probably hopefully get into Disney world as a reward for vacation it's kind of like this he's got stuff down there and we don't have what he has and he's using it on this and he's got like RC games it's for training and he's got light cycles and he has certain type of exo suit like iron Man that would not using and use that stuff I'll call you in alien stuff let's do this any good but really it's like he has a Cadillac and we don't have anything and we're not stopping his stuff and we should have our own stuff so we're going to start to look at it and see what it is and he says that he has suits himself and their armor and people want it does Tommy f has it

Yeah he's totally soprano and he's Al Capone and he has a lot of things too he has a lot of artifacts and he replicates them and people here are not doing that

It's a business it's a big business Trump used to do it a lot and think they were just trinkets but really people use it and they use it on clones if you do it right and I know which trincates is to do

You said stuff with Grandma's and stuff of pink and people will try and use it the wrong way but they use it the right way to use it the wrong way and it's absolutely true and others that are captured and they've been doing it they just don't really understand why they're doing it no some of them do and they have to grab them and they can't find them and their stuff they don't know where the stuff is so we're going to go ahead with this too he said he's got tons of stuff and it's online all you have to do is buy it and send it UPS or DHL or FedEx or USPS or any number of ways so I'm going to look online cuz I know they have a ton of them and they're replicas are really good and Trump can resell it really you can put it in the store that sells is that costume jewelry there's tons of it okay tons and tons of it is like cosplay but it's real jewelry and different levels thoughts of his cold real gold and he's thinking about it cuz this is misery

Mac

[helivscroc]

Research- mechanics: Exo boots

So I found this cool tutorial on YouTube on how to make Baptiste's Exo Boots from Overwatch. How the ones in Overwatch work is that you have to crouch, and the longer you hold the button down for, the higher the jump is going to be. I think these would fit in pretty well with my game idea, and obviously I will tweak them so it they are not an exact replica of the ones from Overwatch.

[sxlvertongued]

//: Watching the DSC dev deep dive and just,,, this lil bit of info on Atraks I find interesting;

- When a replication isn’t ejected in time, it literally uses the Guardian’s corpse to rebuild itself. Rematerializes through the body and kills the one its attached to.

- They mentioned that there’s a “greater Atraks mind”. So that basically means that all the Atraks’ that peeps fight, are indeed nothing more than copies of the main body. And the main body is somewhere else. I personally assume from the safety of her Ketch.

Also some nice concept art aaaa

[oldtrenchy]

This isn't a review, this is a love letter to the fantastic work that resulted in this awesome 1/6 scale Captain Jean Luc Picard by EXO-6, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Star Trek First Contact. I spent an entire week on social media singing its praises and I'm doing it again here!

Check out more of their Star Trek figures here.

My unboxing videos can be found on INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK.

If you enjoyed this video then please consider supporting my work and contribute to my tip jar at: ko-fi.com/oldtrenchy

You can follow more of my work on... Facebook Instagram Twitter Tiktok and my website

[cheekygreenty]

In My Head - The Darkling x Reader

Supppeer angsty and kinda sad?

The fire engulfed the golden kefta in a water-like rhythm. The cracks and sparks echoed in the open field amongst the silence that settled around all of you. Alina was exhausted, Zoya was grieving, the Ketterdam criminals looked shaken too. But you were unmoving, as still as a painting and not showing a single emotion. They had all witnessed your heartbreak as it fell and crashed the world around you, breaking every part of you. They watched as realization flooded you that you never truly knew Aleksander. They watched as he tore your heart from your chest and threw it into the depths of the Fold to rot.

Painted a picture,

I thought I knew you well

It was humiliating. Alina had tried to warn you but you played her off as selfish and unwilling to use her powers for the good of all Grisha. You told her she was stupid and foolish for loving an otkazat'sya when in reality you were the fool for loving a man that didn't exist.

You told her she was crazy, that Aleksander would never lie to you and that he was good because you knew him. In truth, you were no better than him. You blindly followed everything he said, completely ignoring the alarm bells in your head. You had grown used to them as weeks went by, to the point of the alarm playing a low comforting tune in your mind all day and all night.

There weren't enough apologies in the world to say sorry for the things you'd done and said to Alina and she'd insisted that no apology was necessary because it wasn't your fault, 'It's not your fault you only see the good things about people' she whispered to you before she left to change. But the good things about him weren't there; they never existed. It was all in your head, a mind so desperate for love it concocted a whole new Aleksander, one which you loved so much and would do anything for.

I got a habit of seeing what isn't there

'We were all fooled Y/N, Don't blame it all on yourself' Despite her grieving and sorrow, Zoya's hand rested on your shoulder briefly as a sign of comfort. Without her, you wouldn't have been here right now, alive and breathing.

'I don't blame myself. I hate myself for being so blind'

'Me too'

I thought that you were the one

But it was all in my head

------

You could feel the nothingness of the Fold threading through your hair even inside Alina's tunnel of safety. You stared at her shackled feet, pushing the guilt away and replacing it with a sense of righteousness. There was nothing else that could be done to keep her in check, if she wanted to escape and hide from her destiny forever then she would do so over your dead body.

The Fold needed to be gone and if chaining her to the skiff was going to be the only way she obeyed then so be it. Your mind quickly spiraled back to her hasty words back in the tent. She was panicked and desperate, clinging to your arm like a wailing child begging to be heard. Her lies were bizarre and abundant, no doubt the works from her long journey to the Stag but they were unbelievable. So extreme even a Fjerdan would laugh at their ridiculousness.

The skiff suddenly stopped, Novokribirsk visible in the distance with lines of First-Army troops standing in neat lines.

'Why have we stopped?' A dignitary asked and you wondered the same thing. You searched the skiff for anyone with an explanation, but everyone looked equally as confused but Alina looked mortified. What is going on?

'One more demonstration. You’ve seen what the Sun Summoner can do' You whipped your head around to him slightly moving away but his arm pulled you back to his side with an edge. You heard the loud jangle of Alina's chains as she tried to move. 'Now bear witness to what I can do… with her power.'

He pushed you to Ivan, who took no time in holding you back by the arms, caging you in his grasp. You resisted on the simple basis that you didn't know why you were being restrained just like Alina but the answer came all too soon. There was no time to shout or gasp as Aleksander raised his own hands and the black shadows of the Fold expanded into Novokribirsk, killing everything in its path.

You stood motionless as the horrible sounds of volcra swarming and humans screaming flooded the air. Alina's words came back to you again but you didn't listen. No, you didn't want to. Zoya seemingly came down from the mainsail and looked at the black void in a hypnosis-like stare but nobody dared say anything. There was a silence on the skiff while hundreds and thousands of lives ceased to exist in a matter of seconds.

The comforting tune in your head had suddenly turned into a blinding screech, rendering you frozen and flabbergasted. He did this, Aleksander did this. How could he do this? You tried to fight the heartrenderer off, squirming desperately in his arms to cover your ears from the slaughtering sounds. Your knees had given out by now and Alina was on the floor of the skiff, struggling to get up due to the heavy and awkward chains. I put them there.

'Today, we redraw all the maps. With the power of the Sun Summoner at my command, I control the Fold.' A sob erupted from your throat right at the minute you realized Alina was right. You didn't listen, this is all my fault. Ivan pulled you back up, roughly smacking a hand over your mouth to stop your pathetic cried of betrayal. You fought a little harder, trashing around in hopes of escaping his hold or at least getting someone's attention but nobody seemed to care. They all feared for their lives.

'All countries will answer to us. For who would oppose us now?' He briefly shot a look in your direction but spared you no emotion. It was then that you saw the real Aleksander, blood-thirsty for power and revenge. The Black Heretic.

Everything you are made you

Everything you aren't

The next five minutes were a complete blur. You somehow found yourself fighting for your life and those around you. Your head was empty of its usual whirling thoughts as survival mode kicked in. Kill or be killed. You stopped counting how many hits you got or how many bruises were forming on your body. It was primal and in your Grisha nature to protect those around you, and in that haste of battle you made your allegiance to Alina obvious.

There was no time to think about Aleksander. You weren't quite sure you wanted to think about him. He was on this skiff with you, on the opposing side that just murdered a town full of people yet the part of your brain, your imagination, craved to be by his side. To please him by obeying, to get his touch in return. You were addicted to the man who had ruined your innocence.

'You betrayed me' His voice was right behind you as was his hand, creeping up the side of your throat and forcefully pushing you against the barrier of the skiff, ready to throw you over to the unlit Fold.

'I betrayed you?!' Your shout was loud and hearty, overflowing with sadness and shame at being relieved for being next to him again. You clawed at his tightening hand, feeling your airways restrict and your vision become fainter and fainter. You would die at the hands of the man you loved.

'Look what you made me do Y/N, do you think I want to kill you?' Your head bopped but your stupid heart grasped at the sadness in his words, he still loves me. 'I don't want to. I really don't'

'Then don't' you chocked out, your hold on his wrists becoming limp. You felt the ever-so familiar touch of his lips grace your temple and then he retreated.

The world went dark but your body hit the deck of the skiff, not the soft sands of the Fold and your lungs abruptly filled with forced Squaller air.

Yes, I did it to myself, yeah

Thought you were somebody else

'What are you going to do now?' You still sat by the fire while everyone stood. Zoya had left your side and was talking with Alina but you filtered out the noise. Your head was too full of your own self-hatred to stand any more voices so Jesper's question to you went unnoticed. 'Y/N?'

You looked at him and shrugged. You didn't want to move, your body still ached too much from being dragged away from the brink of death to make your way somewhere safe.

You would never admit it around anyone, but as Alina spoke of the Darkling being dead, a wave of grief washed over you. It was cold and unpleasant; unwelcome. But you knew love didn't disappear overnight. You didn't know who saved you on the skiff, whether it was he who had let you go, or was it Zoya who battled to have you freed from his grasp.

As much as you had created the Aleksander you viewed, the foundations were all him, you had only added on or omitted the parts you did and didn't like. You prayed it was him who spared you, you prayed there was something real about your Aleksander, that that was a foundation.

The tears that fell down your face in a stream were assumed to be for the betrayal and the horridness of what the Darkling had done to you and others, when if fact they were for him. You cried because you would never see him again, you cried because the people who had helped you get out of the Fold were the same people who had killed him.

-------

When Mal caught your deathly stare in his direction, he had to do a double-take. You had the same look in your eyes as the General did when he fought him in the Fold, that exact replica of coldness and rage; revenge. But surely he was wrong. You were happy to know the Heretic was dead. He betrayed you the most out of everyone here and almost killed you. Why would you be vengeful?

He waved it off with a shake, it's all in my head.

------

Masterlist

Taglist (Tell me if you want to be added!)

@aleksanderwh0r3 @theonelittleone @searching-for-gallifrey @lostysworld @0-artemis @exo-1204 @staradorned @bookfrog242 @simp-for-ben-barners @keepdaydreamingbb @acciorudolphx @pansysgirlfriend @justmesadgirl @rosiethefairy @partiesandblurrypolaroids @ashwarren32 @s1xthirty @toujurespure @misselsbells06

[poorlytunedukulele]

Day 9 - Mess With the Best

February 28, 2886; The Last City, Earth

“Almost got it… T minus twenty seconds,” Shiro announced.

“Any last-minute questions?” Andal asked.

Nobody said a word.  

“Cameras will be out for five minutes,” the short Exo announced.

“Set your timers, people,” Andal commanded.  “On your mark, Shiro.”

“Mark,” Shiro announced dryly.  He clicked the lock and swung the door open.  

The four Hunters moved into Zavala’s office with efficiency.  Each knew their role.  Azra made a beeline for a bookcase on the wall and began pulling tomes out, stacking them with a careful hurry on the floor.  Shiro moved towards a display case on the other side of the room, letting his Ghost free to scan it.  “Magnetic locks, just like we thought,” Pace reported.

The Exo cracked his knuckles and rolled sparks through his fingers.  He placed his hands carefully, prying at the door with a gentle pressure. “Three, two, one…” he counted to himself.  On ‘one’, he sent a jolt of electricity through his hands.

It was just enough to trip the mechanism.  Shiro felt both locking nuts slide into place and the door obliged his prying.  It swung open on silent hinges.

Andal was already there, removing the ornate sword inside with gloved hands.  Cayde was there a moment later, sliding in a brightly-colored foam replica with just as much care.

Shiro eased the case closed and set about re-arming the locks.

Andal ferried the sword over to Azra, who’d already cleared a space for it on the bookshelf.  He propped it flush against the wall, holding it in place until Azra had piled enough books back on to hold it steady. He helped her replace the rest of the tomes, humming thoughtfully to himself.

“Shouldn’t we re-alphabetize this?” Andal asked.

“We want him to know something’s up with the bookshelf,” Azra reasoned.  “It’d take too long for him to find it by chance.  Who knows how many books he’d pull before he noticed what was behind them?”

Andal accepted the justification and helped slide the last few volumes in place.  He left Azra to double-check that the sword was properly hidden and took in the room.

Cayde and Shiro were done by the display case.  A rather goofy replica of Radegast’s sword now sat snugly in its home.  He pinged the comms channel once.  Tevis pinged back an all-clear signal.

Perhaps they’d planned the heist too well.  It had only been a minute and thirty seconds by his timer.  The smart thing to do would be to leave now.  Take no extra chances.

But they’d gone through all of this trouble just to get into Zavala’s office in the first place.  Why waste the opportunity?

“Alright, you have two minutes to search,” he commanded.  “Keep your gloves on and don’t break anything.  No stealing.”

Cayde let out a quiet whoop of excitement and immediately moved to the shelf of knickknacks by the far wall.

Azra, a twinkle in her eye, moved to the desk.

“No peeking at classified stuff,” Andal warned.  “This is a raid on Zavala, not the Vanguard.”

“I’m going to add an extra ball to his desk toy,” she announced cheerfully.  “Just to make him think he’s gone crazy.”

That was the whole idea of this operation- keep the leadership on his toes (and maybe dig up useful blackmail in the process), so although it technically was in violation of the ‘no breaking things’ rule, Andal let it slide.

“What,” Sundance said from the top shelf of the knickknack storage.  “What is this?”

There was a gravity to the obvious glee in her voice.  Even Shiro paused in his work of switching around Zavala’s houseplants.

“Two minutes is up,” Charin announced.  “Nintey seconds until the camera blackout ends.”

Sundance held a data disk aloft, spinning back and forth with excitement.  Whatever she’d found was good.

“Copy your files and put it back,” Andal said.  “We gotta jet.”

“Twenty seconds,” Azra bargained.  Her Ghost had bits of the Newton’s cradle floating around her.

Shiro headed dutifully for the door.  Cayde followed shortly after, literally dancing with excitement.  Azra was the last one out.  Andal took one last glance around the room: foam sword on display, actual sword safely hidden in the bookcase, rearranged plants, six-balled Newton’s Cradle clicking away on the desk.

He shut the door.

-

Zavala was not having a good day.  First, what was supposed to have been a standard Consensus meeting had turned into an hour-long shouting match between New Monarchy and Dead Orbit.  Then, maintenance on the rail system delayed his train.  Now, this.

“You left your window open,” Targe pointed out.  “That must be how they got in.”

“That sword was priceless,” Zavala lamented, moving to the window to close and lock it.  “A relic from the Iron Lords.”

“People will notice when it shows up,” the Ghost said in assurance.  “It’s hard to hide a shiny five-foot-long sword.  Especially one that famous.”

Zavala sighed and sat down at his desk, putting his head in his hands.  Then, confused, he took his head out of his hands and did a double-take of the room.

The parlor palm was in the wrong corner.  It was where the bromeliad used to be.  The bromeliad was on the pedestal for the snake plant, which was sitting by the door…

Zavala let out an even deeper sigh.  The petty vandalism was just insult added to injury after the theft.

“I’ll move them back,” Targe offered.

“Not now,” the Titan snapped.  He needed to unwind, badly.  With Dead Orbit causing these political waves every Consensus meeting was becoming migraine-inducing.  Zavala had scheduled himself an afternoon off, eager to get some reading done.  Now he had another headache to deal with.  “Just… find me some poetry, would you?”

The Ghost clicked thoughtfully.  “Tennyson?”

“Frost,” Zavala replied.

There was a long moment. Zavala’s stomach sank when he received a sense of vague confusion from his Ghost.

“Did they steal my poetry books, too?” the Titan growled.

“No, no,” Targe replied. “It’s here, it’s just… not in the right place.”

That was it.  Zavala stood up suddenly.  His chair made a loud squeal as it was pushed back.  “What kind of joke is this,” he seethed.  “The sword is valuable.  That makes sense to steal.  But un-alphabetizing my bookshelves?  And the plants?”

“That’s what crosses the line,” his Ghost said dryly.  “Not the theft, but that they reorganized your office?”

Zavala began pulling tomes off of the shelf.  His anger almost made him forget himself, but he managed to keep his cool and not damage any of the books as he stacked them on a side table.

“Hey, Zavala…”

“Not now,” he said.  “Let me fix this before we move on to the next problem you’ve found.”

“I found the sword.”

Zavala froze.  Indeed, there it was, wedged in the space between the books and the wall.  Someone had even taken time to stuff a tissue under the blade’s edge where it rested on the shelf.

Zavala pulled the rest of the books and removed the sword, hands shaking a little in relief.  Targe scanned it, reporting no detectable damage (and no fingerprints besides Zavala’s).

“I don’t get it,” the Ghost said as Zavala carried the relic back across the room.  “Why go through all the trouble of breaking in and stealing the sword if you’re not going to steal it?”  He opened the case and transmatted the foam replica away.  

Zavala placed the real sword in its stand and let out a sigh of satisfaction.  Nothing was damaged or lost after all.  

“Did they do this all just to mess with you?” Targe asked.

“I can think of a few people who would enjoy that very much,” Zavala replied.  He locked the case and nodded to himself.  “At least they did not take anything.”

“I’ll reorganize the books,” Targe offered.  “You take it easy.  Read your Robert Frost.”

Zavala sat down in his chair and took the book his Ghost offered him.  Perhaps the afternoon could be salvaged.  (He’d be keeping his window locked from now on, though.)  Targe hummed to himself as he restocked the bookshelf.

Then the humming stopped. Zavala lowered the book and looked at his Ghost, who had stopped ferrying houseplants around the office to stare at the knickknacks on Zavala’s desk.

“Did… this always have six balls on it?”

 -

“Alright,” Andal admitted. “This is the find of the decade.” He turned a generic memory card over in his hands.

“What do we do with it?” Tevis said.

“Flash mob,” Cayde answered immediately.  “We get a bunch of Guardians-“

“With Shaxx masks,” Shiro added.

“Good touch,” Cayde complimented.  “Set it up like an aerobics class.”

“I maaaaay have been working on a backdoor into the PA system,” Azra announced.  “For… reasons.  So I’ve got that aspect covered.”

Andal nodded.  “It’s settled then.  Let’s keep it hush-hush, though.  Hand-select let’s say… fifty people.  Azra, you’ll be our in-person for the PA.  Make sure you’ve got an escape plan ready.  Shiro, you’re on Shaxx mask duty, since that was your idea. Cayde, you handle the choreography. Tevis can help me get it all organized. Think we can pull this together in two weeks?”

“Why two weeks?” Azra asked.

“Well, it’s Shaxx’s birthday then…”

- 

AO3 Linky

[ripperdaddy]

the viktor vector romance path + ending we deserve

Disclaimer: This is definitely something I came up with in my head. There will be a few instances that are solely made up so it can tie in with the “story.” This is purely fictional; something I wished happened if there was a possible Vik romance 🥰 This is based on my general knowledge of the game & Vik’s life. All gifs + images are from my own personal play through, but wouldn’t be possible without the help of the Appearance Menu Mod, found on Nexus Mods by the creators, MaximiliumM and CtrlAltDaz. And the shirtless Vik mod by the lovely samsnak ♡

It would start after completing the Paid In Full quest where you pay Vik back the eddies you owe him.

I feel like realistically, the general player would have to be at least halfway through the story to have collected enough eddies. I would say that a good point in the story where we can begin the romance is that you’ve already established a connection to Alt and have dealt with the VDB’s.

I think it would be a short side quest like River’s. Vik already plays a big part in the story overall on his own, so I don’t think it’s necessary to make his “side quest” too long. His romance would just be an addition to the ending.

And as much as I would love for him to be a bisexual option for both male/female V, if we’re sticking with the game’s standard with limiting partners to only one kind of partner, he would only be romance-able by a female V with a feminine voice.

V: Finally scrounged up enough eddies to pay you back in full.

Vik: Hold on to ‘em just in case - you need ‘em more than me.

V: I’m not taking them all the way to my grave, Vik. Here. And.. thanks again for doing so much work on me ‘thout ever seein’ an enny.

Vik: That’s what friends are for.

Then, there is an additional option for dialogue to trigger the romance path.

V: Friends? I think you’ve been in and out of my body more than anyone else I’ve hooked up with in Night City.

He laughs, with a coy smile. “Well, can’t argue with you there. Why don’t we take some of these eddies and grab a drink. You know, to celebrate. Catch up on old times. Haven’t seen you round here much lately, kid.”

You agree to meet at the El Coyote Cojo tomorrow evening.

You meet around 9 PM and you are welcomed by the sight of Pepe and Vik at the bar.

V: Nice choice of venue.

Vik: Thought you’d like it. Haven't been here since.. well, you know.

V: I miss him, Vik.

Vik: I know, V. Me too.

You immediately take a seat and tinker with a few dialogue options, where you can either have a sweet moment talking about Jackie or some surface questions to ask, like how he’s doing, what kind of drink he likes, etc. But it all winds down to Jackie anyway, where Vik confides in you about his past. Judging by how Vik was so affected by Jackie’s death, and V’s (if you chose the suicide ending), you can tell that he has lost a lot in his life, and keeps his circle very small.

You then achieve an even closer, more personal relationship with him. But, ultimately nothing happens other than the usual, wait 24 hours in game for a text/phone call from Vik to head into the next stage. At least now, you have established the foundation for a future romance.

Halfway through the 24 hour period, you get a text from Vik thanking you for the lovely evening. No reply needed, as he calls you once the 24 hour mark hits and invites you out for another date.

You meet at Tom’s Diner for coffee in the afternoon. It starts off with him apologizing for being emotional the previous night and asks if you’re open to hanging out again and going down to Pacifica to watch a fight with him.

Vik: Hey, V. I just wanted to apologize about last night. I didn’t mean to be such a downer.

V: It’s okay, Vik. We share the same grief.

Vik: I was going to head down to Pacifica and catch a real good match later on today. I was wondering if you’d like to come along, think it’d be great for the both of us, you know, as a distraction.

pssst even Johnny’s rooting for y’all ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Johnny: Hmm, interesting.

V: What?

Johnny: Never thought you'd be going out with this guy.

V: Vik's amazing. And I mean--we basically owe it to him since he practically saved our life.

Johnny: Don't tell me you're going out with him out of pity.

V: I'm not.

Johnny: I know, I can feel you get all mushy-gushy. It's almost repulsive. Just wanted to hear you admit it.

V: Eat a dick, Johnny.

You arrive before the GIM and blend into the crowd.

V: Nothin’ like watching guys beat the shit out of each other to get your blood pumpin’, huh?

Vik: This is a real good matchup, V. This kid’s fresh, young talent.

V: You miss it, don’t you?

Before the fight begins, Vik shares a story about his time in the ring and coming in second in the Watson Boxing Grand Prix.

There’s some extra fun options in the dialogue, you can bet some eddies on who’s gonna win, or side with him. The fight ends, and you two head outside.

Since you’re already out in Pacifica, you head over to the boardwalk (where you would ride the roller coaster with Johnny) and he starts telling you about the last days of his boxing career and how he transitioned from the sport to being a ripperdoc.

You both share a sweet moment with each other, reminiscing about old times and talking about V’s future with the relic. This is where I would see Vik confessing how he feels about you, mentioning how grateful he is for Jackie introducing you to him.

The evening ends and Vik asks you to give him some time to try and dig up some footage from his storage and have you come over to watch. You can kiss him then wait another 24 in game hours before the last quest. Halfway through, he texts you and asks you what you’d like for dinner. You can opt for pizza or chinese.

I haven’t seen or read anything about how or where Vik lives. If I overlooked something, please let me know! But for the sake of the story, let’s say he does actually have his own place that’s now introduced in the game. Personally, I think he has a typical bachelor pad, like a really nice apartment. Not too far from his clinic either. He looks like he would just walk to work. Vik definitely has a lot of money, but he’s so humble I doubt he would choose to live lavishly. As mentioned in the beginning, he typically just “sleeps nights” ever since he was over “being a legend” so I’m guessing his lifestyle is very routine. He goes to work, goes home, sleep. Seems unlikely he has a place like the Peralez’s. It would probably be just the same as V’s but decorated to his taste.

The evening comes and you are over at his place. He’s dressed in just a white undershirt, no exo-glove. You get to know more about his family, how he grew up — scanning things around his place. Then he plays some footage of one of his fights for you, while you two have a conversation and share a beer. As you two sit on the couch, you get close, then have an opportunity to kiss him.

then this is where da sex happen hihihi (ノ・ω・)ノ

The next morning you wake up and you two have a heartfelt conversation about where this is going. He already knows your situation, so I would assume he is very accepting and supportive. And with Vik, he seems like the kind of guy who would still want to be in your life and keep the friendship the same way despite no longer being together romantically. So it’s official. He’s your man 🥵 !!11!1!

Like how River gives you the “fuck the police” tank top after sleeping with him, I think Vik would give you his Night City Devils t-shirt that provides you with a significant amount of armor or some kind of cyberware upgrade that makes you invulnerable for a brief moment while using your hands to fight enemies.

Note: I was thinking of Vik giving V his boxing glove necklace, but because it's part of his character's appearance in the game, I don't think we would be able to essentially "take it" from him - unless he gives you a replica as a keepsake. Which I think would also work.

If you successfully romance, during the rooftop scene near the end of Nocturne OP55N1 (despite Vik’s disposition of him telling you to take matters in your own hands and being a little closed off), you still have an option to reach out to him when Johnny advises you to call a loved one.

V: Hey, Vik. I just wanted to say, thanks for hanging with me, until the end.

Vik: Quit talking like it is, V. Just do what you need to do.

V: I mean, think of it. It’s like I’m heading into the last round of this whole thing.

Vik: Well, in that case.. remember—keep your hands up, guarded at all times. It ain’t over just yet.

V: Heh.. I can feel it, just a few more punches.

Vik: Now look at you - the new welterweight champ of Night City.

V: Thanks, coach.

Vik: Last piece of advice from the coach's corner. Just.. be careful, kid. Remember, I’m with you.

Okayyyy, soooo I’m not the biggest fan of how CDPR gave us two of the same endings (Path of Glory). The only difference is that Rogue’s life is spared. I would have assumed that not only would we get to keep Rogue around, things should have played a bit more differently for V if we took the route of going solo against the corpos. So let’s tweak it.

This specific ending; it should be after getting through Don’t Fear The Reaper where you single-handedly manage to rip through Arasaka by yourself. Johnny goes back to Alt & Rogue is still alive. Yes nobody dies!!!

(honestly this ending can apply to any love interest you choose)

Vik and V are now living together in a lavish penthouse, entertaining an upcoming merc to do their work for them (which is now the current POV of the player.) You were recruited by Rogue at the Afterlife, who told you to visit this couple for a real, preem job.

They give you some vague details about the gig and go on for a brief moment about what you will be doing and what you should expect. Vik emphasizes to you that it’s important you get what they need because it’s for his wife, V, as her life depends on it.

As Never Gonna Fade Away is playing in the background, they tell you to break into Arasaka HQ.

Then the game officially ends.