#Warlock Annithia

[asklordfelwinter]

What do you think of everything, thus far? I mean- things could definitely be better, what with all the new drama every few months, and new, bigger threats with every time and things looking more and more bleak with every victory... But- I mean. Still! There's a bright side, I promise, I was- I was wondering if you could see that bright side, too?

-Warlock Annithia

Bright side, indeed.

Lord Saladin has done his best to keep me apprised of the situation in the system at large. I myself have been keeping my nose out of things. Better for my health that way. If you had told me centuries ago that we would be such fast allies with the Fallen—or, the Eliksni, rather—or any other people from beyond the stars, I would have thought you mad.

I know that things are looking dark, Guardian, but look at all that you have accomplished. In my day we struggled to keep so much as a single village safe. Your people have built a magnificent City under the watch of the Traveler. You defend it with your lives, as we would have done. Every assault that has come your way, you have weathered, and come through stronger for it.

I may have my reservations about relying too heavily on Rasputin for aid, given my past experiences with the Warmind, but I have spoken to Anastasia and have offered my support where I can. Provided, of course, that Rasputin is never made aware of my involvement…

But I digress. If you are feeling lost, Warlock, you need but look around. Think of your fellows, fighting these battles at your side. Of the lives you have saved. Those that look up to you. It may not feel this way now, but you will see this through. There is hope. As long as you and your fellow Guardians continue to fight, there will always be hope.

[orbdotexe]

thinkin about Dark Age Lightswap and my dear Terror Twins and their dad

Gale uses camo white and bright red as his color palette, to match his plates and optics, with a lot of horn and antler decorations. Meanwhile, each of his kids get half of his colors. Ruin got the red and Ann took the white, which also ends them both with opposite colors: Red and black for Ruin, white and blue for Ann.

And, in game, I do actually use cloaks with horns for Ruin and the Stag for Ann... Ruin gets the horns, Ann gets the antlers

[insert "Oh yeah. It's all coming together." gif]

On a non-main cast note, (Lightless) Eerie-3 and Echo-4 hiding out with Warlord Banshee as he teaches Echo gunsmithing (it seems in most of my train of thoughts with TFC, Banshee and Gale play hot potato with teaching him...) while Eerie entertains the kids and helps with hunting to feed the enclave

I am. still figuring out where everyone goes. my brain is only supplying Ann, Ruin, and Gale content right now-

[orbdotexe]

Thinking about the Dark Age Lightswap thing with TFC again and now you get my brain mush:

I realized I could have Gale-2 replace Lord Shaxx as that Warlord. He's not as tall, maybe not as beefy, but he's got the horns as an actual part of his head and I imagine having a Lightless version of a Warlord and an actual ex(ish)-Warlord as his daughters would force him to adapt to protect them better.

i am, however, not fully dedicated to the Lightswap and done a thing with Ruin-7 and Annithia

So, Ann and Ruin are still basically sisters, but I wanted to keep Gale as Ruin's father figure pre-Light and figured if this was a Lightswap, then it wouldn't hurt to have him adopt Ruin again after they turn. Which means Ann, despite very much being a Lightbearer, gets to have a dad anyway!

I imagine Ann joined this fucked up family before Lightbearer Ruin, so the two of them were likely training together under Gale, and then Ann later joined the Iron Lords while Gale stays a Warlord (since he's taking Shaxx's place in this AU)

But I wanted Ruin to become a Lightbearer, still. So we end up with a series of events that goes:

-Powerful Warlord (probably Hideo, since I'm unoriginal) decides that he doesn't particularly like Ruin's... attitude and starts trying to break them. When nothing works, he seeks out an unpaired Ghost and puts a bullet between Ruin's eyes

-He wanted to turn them into a Lightbearer 1) to wipe their memory and 2) so that, with said wiped memory, he could puppet them much easier It was a play for control, basically

-Some time later, Ann discovers them having a Ghost and rushes to tell Gale that Ruin died and came back. Gale resolves to get his kid back

-Which means he spends between months and years (haven't decided) trying to convince Ruin that Hideo isn't who they think he is, which eventually works and he and Ann bring them to the Iron Temple

I am far too much of an absolute sucker for Crow/Wolf, so you know what happens next- But since this is Lightswap, Crow was never actually Uldren, and is his own person. Debating whether or not pre-Light Ruin knew Crow, or if that was something much later after they had already become a Dark Age version of the Young Wolf under the Iron Lords - But I do know what happens next

So... these two end up falling in love, as one might expect. And they take leave from the Iron Lords under the agreement that they would not become Warlords so they can settle down. At some point, they adopt and kid they found abandoned. (I guess Ruin and Crow replace Zavala and Safiyah here?? which also means... tragedy strikes.)

Hideo is still pissed about losing his puppet. And he finds them. While Crow, from working as part of this Warlord's Terror Trio with Ruin and Ann, knows plenty about defending from Lightbearers... you can only do so much without your own special weapons. And Ruin wasn't there.

The kid and Crow do not survive. The Wolf goes missing.

For half a century, the Wolf has not been seen.

At some point, much later, Ann finds Ruin again, disguised among a group of refugee Lightless, while on her own hunt revolving around Warlord activity. It's here that Ann learns of what happened, 3 decades after the incident, and that Ruin has been jumping between Lightless groups, hoping to find Warlord Hideo and return the favor.

That is... about all I have thus far. But I wanted to get this down, and figured I might as well do it now

[orbdotexe]

Found more Thoughts (TM) about my characters, did my best to copy the Thoughts (TM) down, and got this weird, short thing. Like, really short. Vaguely poetic 2nd POV of attempting to fight this one fireteam in particular.

They fight like they exist.

Annithia, life of the party, bright and flashy, unable to be ignored and stealing every inch of attention. You cannot ignore her.

Ruin-7, always along the edges, head down - but their presence is always in the back of your mind, itching. You cannot ignore them.

Noble-5, always by his Sun’s side, peacekeeping, protecting, and too ever-present to disregard. A Tower. You cannot ignore him.

If a Flaming ball of Light is raining Hellfire upon your comrades, and its orbiting Shield is pushing your every attack back, then your attention is exactly where they want it to be. You don’t see, you can’t pay attention to, the knife in your back. And that, is where the frustration becomes panic. Your comrades, without prompt, are falling behind you. The ones in front are turning to ash and Void dust before your eyes. You cannot focus, your comrades’ screams echo in your brain, bouncing around with equal parts terror and confusion. You cannot see what’s culling the ones in the rear. It is too quick to see. Or maybe You are too slow. You can’t tell.

There’s too much going on everywhere.

And You, cannot focus.