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ahungeringknife · 2 years ago

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365: February 2

@seventhscorpio

Pretty sure this was also from the friendship month? It isn't marked with a particular prompt. That or I just got the WORST Hive brain rot for a few days. Which happens to the best of us :,D

Gup was small enough to be able to sit on one of Alak-Hul’s mighty pauldrons which was about the safest place he could be other than next to his mom. He could see the glint of her sniper scope on the wall around the temple in the distance but wasn’t really worried about it. Alak-Hul was directing some Acolytes to clean the detritus around the Temple of Oryx after the latest assault by the Scorn and listening to Gup complain about Dornuk.

“Seems like he’s jealous,” Alak-Hul’s Ghost, Nakshatra, said after listening for a while. Below them Alak-Hul grunted in agreement but was acting like he wasn’t paying attention.

“Jealous? He clearly thinks my relationship with a Guardian is stupid.”

“Well of course. He’s Hive. He doesn’t want to like Guardians,” Nakshatra said.

“And he says the way I talk is stupid! Is the way I talk stupid?” he asked them.

“I think it’s very sweet,” Nakshatra said.

Gup leaned down to look and over to get right in Alak-Hul’s face. “What about you? Is my voice stupid?”

Alak-Hul looked at Gup through his heavy helmet a moment before saying, “You know more than me. I think you can talk however you want.”

That made Gup laugh and sit back up. “But he was just such a stick in the mud. He’s like that sometimes but,” he folded his arms in annoyance. “I swear he’s allergic to fun.”

“Fun is different from Hive to humanity,” Nakshatra reminded him.

“I know. But we always do what he thinks is fun.”

“Yes and then you come here and Alak-Hul plays with you,” Nakshatra said in amusement.

“Bored,” Alak-Hul said.

“Yeah! It’s so boring in this stupid temple. You guys don’t even have screens or shows to watch. They don’t even let him have a Grave in the temple. My mom says she’s been in some of the living spaces in the city here in the Coven and even normal Acolytes have Graves in their homes. It’s ridiculous!” He threw up his arms. “But you’d love this show my mom watches with my uncle Savant,” and Gup proceeded to tell Nakshatra and Alak-Hul all about the new drama show they were watching that was starting to feature Eliksni in non aggressive roles. Not actual Eliksni but people dressed up like them or done in CGI.

By the time he’d finished Alak-Hul was just sitting on the the porch of the temple listening to Gup. The damage had been moved aside and some lesser Lucent Knight had taken over directing the thrall and acolytes to actually fixing the walls.

“That sounds so interesting,” Alak-Hul said and Gup knew he meant it because Alak-Hul never lied. “Nakshatra you lived in the City a long time. Do you have these… shows?”

“… Yes? I have some in my memory banks. I don’t know how appropriate it would be to display them to Hive,” she said sheepishly. “I don’t have that show,” she added.

Gup pulled out the pockit his mom made sure he had while in the Throne World. “What about this one?” Gup asked after navigating the small screen and found a show he liked. It was a bit on the juvenile side but the animations were cute and the colors were so bright and cheerful. The heros and villains also weren’t Guardians and Hive, or Eliksni, or even Cabal.

Nakshatra looked at the pockit. “Yes. I have that one.”

“We should watch it!”

“I don’t-

“Yes. Let’s,” Alak-Hul said.

“… Where should I broadcast it?” Nakshatra asked carefully.

“It’s best on a white wall. Ghostie sometimes does it for me in my bed. Not shows but other stuff,” Gup said helpfully.

“Wall,” Alak-Hul motioned.

Nakshatra sighed. “You sure, big guy?”

“I want to see the show our little friend likes,” he said seriously.

“I’m not that little,” Gup protested.

Alak-Hul chuckled. “You will be little for a time yet. Even after your morph,” he told Gup as Nakshatra floated to a good spot and her optic flickered before she projected the show on the far wall. The other Hive all stopped when she did and turned to look at it.

Gup excitedly told Alak-Hul about his favorite character when she showed up but otherwise was just quiet watching the show. He thought he could faintly hear laughter a ways off and if he bothered to look he’d notice his mom’s scope was no longer visible on the wall. She was busy laughing her head off watching a bunch of Hive quietly watch a show meant for pre-teens in utter serious attention.

#365 #writblr #writeblr #destiny the game #destiny 2 #destiny #Alak Hul #Alak-Hul #Hive #The Darkblade

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tsyllaes · 2 months ago

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A few months ago I watched a doco about Australian extinct megafauna, one of which being the short-faced kangaroo. Bugger was huge, and had chonky bones. Through some mathsing and 3D modelling, the researchers showed it could have hopped, but only comparatively short, cumbersome hops, nothing like the effortless efficency of modern roos. So the theory is that they walked, one foot in front of the other, more like a t-rex. They were striders, not hoppers. So this was my gateway into getting kangaroos into Tsyllaes without them screaming 'Australia' too loudly. Striders!

This is the Raykinian strider, size of a red kangaroo and runs very fast. The face I've made more like a llama, purely because makakis, my other large marsupial, have very much been inspired by camelids in their general shape and also their faces (just add trunk and tusks) so to tie them together a bit more I've given the striders camelid faces, too.

Up north, the Kazinian striders are the size of grey kangaroos, because they're in the mountains instead of open desert, and they get faces and floof from alpacas :D Tropical Kazin also has striders, but these will just be straight up tree kangaroos under the name of tree strider so I can't be arsed drawing them.

Finally, Llayan striders are mid-sized between the other two, and they're more heavyset because there are more and bigger predators in Llayad than in Raykin or Kazin. They get the markings of an oryx, because they're cool, and therefore also horns because why not make a cool animal even cooler? Possibly I also needed it to look less like a kangaroo when it was just standing there, but mostly it's just cool. Oh and it gets the face of a guanaco, another of the camelids I use for makaki refs.

Tsayth does not get a strider cos I couldn't figure out how to make one work in the Shallows without just turning it into a seal.

#llayad #raykin #kazin #wildlife #strider #fantasy kangaroo

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caliginous-is-confused · 5 months ago

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Here have this unedited mess of the heart-to-heart with Cayde I wish was there in The Final Shape.

Set while Salvation's edge takes place. Fallon (my Guardian) receives Still Hunt.

“Hey Crow, mind giving me and the Guardian a moment?” Cayde asked causing Fallon to turn and look over their camp. Crow looked at the two of them to get a vibe of the air before pushing up.

“I’ll go see if I can get a wiff of dark Ether or…something,” he said knowing he wouldn’t find much before transmitting away.

Cayde waited a beat before he was convinced Crow actually left and moved to sit next to Fallon.

“Been talking with your crew,” he said with a slight emphasis on their crew. The same crew he had.

“Yeah, they regale you on my many stupid ideas like getting blown out of a Canon, and continuously handling magma despite Vega hating it?” they asked trying to add a lightness to their voice.

“Nah, your Ghost and the recordings you shared did that enough. No I uh…I asked about what kind of Guardian you’ve become.”

“Oh…”

Cayde gave a forced chuckle.

“What’s with that face? They didn’t say anything bad. Hell, even Hunter couldn’t stop singing you praises and that’s a hard mark.” He used his shoulder and nudged theirs.

“I’m proud of you.”

Fallon froze.

They blinked a few times and looked at him. Despite his exo face being made as expressive as they could be, Fallon sometimes had a hard time reading them – don’t tell Rhys. Cayde's face was soft, he was being genuine.

The one thing they’d kill to hear, was said. The tension Fallon was holding g melted off as their lip trembled.

“Hey hey hey! None of that now,” Cayde said pulling them into a hug. They melted into the embrace and hugged him back tightly. “Not going to lie, not the reaction I was expecting.”

“Oh shut up, you’ve seen the hole you left,” Fallon said sniffling and wiping away snot with the back of their hand.

“I have…sort of. You have been tight-lipped on how you’ve felt. To my face at least.” There was a pause. “You don’t have to be strong all the time ya know. It’s okay to let others carry the weight. I saw the look you gave Ediz when he told you that you were benched.”

“This is my Op.”

“Look me in the face and tell me you’re in a good mental spot with Vega in the state’s he’s in.”

There was silence.

Fallon knew they were hanging on by a thread. Whether that was a literal Strand one, or the metaphorical one they still weren’t sure.

“I would probably get killed going in,” they admitted. Cayde nodded not surprised, not judging them.

“You lead us here. That’s something to be proud, but you did it by shouldering all the work. ‘s why I’m not asking you to be Hunter Vanguard.”

Fallon paused and looked at him confused.

“That’s what this is about?”

“No! I mean kind of, wanted to tell you I’m giving the job to Crow, wanted your thoughts but mostly…ah I’m no good at this you know but…”

Fallon waited until it was clear he wasn’t going to finish his thought before they looked out into the misty void in front of them. They squinted before shifting and pulling out a handcanon, checking their ammo.

“Floating can about 140 meters at 11 o'clock.” They buffed their gun before taking the shot. The open can of beans spun showing the clean shot off. They looked at Cayde waiting for the agreement when they had their shoot-offs.

Cayde scoffed and shook his head fondly. “The thought that in a way I made you. The Guardian you look up to, strive to be is me? Come-on kid you can do better.”

“Like Ikora? Or Zavala?” Fallon asked. “Cayde,” they scoffed at the thought and shook their head as they kicked their feet. “I’m not the kind of person who clicks well with them. I can, but they wouldn’t do…this.” They gestured around them. “Besides Oryx wouldn’t have happened without some Hunter ingenuity.”

“Getting here was Hunter Ingenuity.” Fallon shrugged.

“It was nothing.”

Cayde looked out. “Same can, right under your shot.” He shifted and pulled out his Ace of Spades. He hit and turned toward Fallon.

They sighed and pouted.

“I have been working tirelessly trying to be a Hunter you’d be proud of. Every action had a ‘What would Cayde do?’ question. Even if I did the opposite because I saw it wouldn’t work. Me taking charge of the coalition, me getting on Ikora and Zavala's case out here…that’s me doing what you’ve inspired me go be.”

“You don’t have to. In fact, I think you should quit. Hang up my cloak. You’ve fulfilled your promise years ago. Before I even died. Was always proud of you. It’s time you become the Guardian you want to be. Not the one they expect you to be, or the Guardian you think I want you to be. Let Crow shoulder the Vanguard gig. You... you take time off. Travel Sol, get into some shit that isn’t Vanguard Business. This isn’t an order, a suggestion from a friend.”

“Not my mentor?”

The question was asked with a hint of teasing to it.

Cayde pointed out into the void. “that stop sign embedded into that island.” He twirled his gun on his finger and shot. The sound of the hit rang out into the nothingness. “You really call me your mentor?”

Fallon shrugged. “Not until Ediz said you were a couple years ago. Realized he was right. Been using it sense.”

Cayde hummed in thought.

“Random highway Sign. Same island.”

Ping.

“Does it bother you?”

Cayde considered his words.

“Its…not what I was expecting. The Big Amazing Guardian looks at the fuck up Hunter Vanguard as inspiration. Ikora is who I’d look up to. Not…not me.”

“You’re not a fuck up. You’re a Hunter. We don’t do rules, or meetings, or ‘by the book'. We fuck around and find out. The only place you’ve fucked up is going down that pit without your fireteam. Lecture me on always stick with your fireteam and he goes out that way.” Despite the bitter truth, their tone was full of sarcasm. The wall of awkwardness seemed to melt off as they found their old rhythm.

“Hey in my defense I have always said ‘do as I say, not as I do’. Case and point.” He scoffed. “Look at you now, lecturing me.”

“I have had to give Crow that lecture so many times. He still doesn’t listen.”

“So he wasn’t kidding, you have taken him under your wing? The Guardian who sees a ball of fire and just carries it like it’s nothing.”

“Hey I tell him not to do that. It takes forever for Vega to heal my hands when I do it.”

“Then why do you keep doing it?”

“I’m open to other methods of transporting big balls of fire.”

The two of them melted into laughter.

It was like they never stopped, like Cayde had never died and completely missed out watching Fallon go from young, immature, and always going in guns blazing with only 2 plans (Plan A. Shoot at what’s shooting me and Plan B. Blow shit up) to a Guardian who at least had an escape plan planned out, still went in guns blazing but had definitely mellowed out. Neither would admit it, but the “mature" Fallon that had ran into Cayde felt like a chasm had been opened up between them, and everything Fallon did while in charge only served to deepen that chasm. Taking time to just talk and catch up, it was nice.

They both knew it wasn’t going to last. They kept it unsaid. It wad easier. Fallon thought the catch was Cayde wouldn’t be able to leave the Pale Heart, that the way he was brought back, the Light leaking out of his eyes and the cracks in his version of the Ace of Spades made his form too unstable outside the Traveler. Cayde knew that something was going to happen to cause him to give himself up so Fallon could keep going, and he was happy that would be the very last thing he did.

“Hey I, uh did something. Was going to wait until I gave Crow his Vanguard Cloak but you got me all caught up in…well us. The past. Ya know.” He held out his hand and a very Cayde-style rifle materialized in his hand.

Fallon laughed as they picked it up and inspected it.

“Is that a flamethrower nozzle?”

“You have to have a flamethrower nozzle! It’s a part of the aesthetic. Look you’re still Killer with a handcanon, but you need to expand your range. So, I’m expanding it.” He gestured toward the rifle. “Now I know it looks like it’s just a really long Hand Canon. Because it is, that’s the base I used, keep something familiar. But that’s where it ends. This is a-"

“Sniper rifle? Holy shit.” They looked through the scope and fired a test shot to get a feel for it.

“Yeah. Would you shut up and let me explain.”

Fallon smiled and nodded as they lowered the gun to rest in their lap.

“Now I did…ya know not quite sure what I did to achieve this…not important. The think is, you kill enough baddies with it, you get a second Golden Gun. A Golden Rifle. Called the Rifle Still Hunt.”

“Because I’m Still Huntin'"

“I meant you were learning to be still but that works too.” There was a beat as a rumble of Thunder came from the Wittness' monolith.

“Hey Kid…Fallon. Listen, whatever happens I meant it. I’m proud of you. You never needed to make that promise to me. You’d always be a Hunter I’m proud of.”

“I know.”

“Good because who knows what’ll happen when we get up there.”

“We unmake the Witness, probably cry, and then maybe a sandwich?”

Cayde patted their shoulder. “Make it a double.”

---

Guardian? If you’re hearing this… ah, look, I hate goodbyes. I never was good at ‘em, so… this ain’t that. This is me saying thanks. To you, and Ikora, and Zavala… and Crow. Yeah, I’ll deal him in here. Kid deserves a seat at the table. But, uh… thank you. For being the best friends a fella could hope for. The best fireteam I didn’t want, and… the best bet I ever lost.

I know folks’ll miss me; I’m sorry. Never wanted to open up more hurt, but I don’t think I can just head on back to the Tower. I’m being held together by Light and wishes, and it feels like I’m here for a good time, but not a long time, get me?

So while it lasts… I need this life to have a reason. I need it to mean something. And if you’re hearing this… it did. I wanna make everybody proud. Nah, even better — I wanna make ME proud. [sighs] I hope I got it right this time. See you around, Guardian.

Fallon sniffed as the recording finished. “Asshole. Needed to have the last word. Wouldn’t let my ‘Thank-you' be the end.” They let out a pained laugh and hugged the Rifle he’d gifted them only a few days prior. “I hope you got it right. Because you did on my end. See you around Cayde…”

#zack posts #zack tries to write #destiny 2 #destiny2 #zacks ocs

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jcmarchi · 1 year ago

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Why Ukraine Isn't Deploying Abrams on the Battlefield? The Reason is Simple, Experts Say - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/why-ukraine-isnt-deploying-abrams-on-the-battlefield-the-reason-is-simple-experts-say-technology-org/

Why Ukraine Isn't Deploying Abrams on the Battlefield? The Reason is Simple, Experts Say - Technology Org

The absence of Abrams tanks on the front lines in Ukraine has raised questions about the strategic use of these American armored vehicles.

M1A1 Abrams – one of the most common versions of the modern American main battle tank. Image credit: Cpl. Paul S. Martinez via Wikimedia

According to experts, the decision to keep Abrams tanks in storage until spring might be part of a larger strategy for a spring offensive. However, concerns have been voiced about the limited number of these tanks available for the extensive thousand-kilometer front line.

Business Insider interviewed several experts who shed light on the situation with Abrams tanks in Ukraine. Sergej Sumlenny, a German expert and founder of the European Center for Resilience Initiatives, highlighted the prolonged deliberation by the USA on sending these tanks to Ukraine. This delay allowed Russian forces to fortify their positions with trenches, mines, and other defensive structures.

Sumlenny also pointed to a previous attempt by Ukrainians to use Western armored vehicles, specifically Bradley armored personnel carriers, in a frontal attack during a counterattack in the Zaporizhia region. The outcome was less than favorable, with Oryx analysts reporting a significant loss of Bradleys in the operation. This led to concerns about the effectiveness of Western tanks on the battlefield.

The General Dynamics M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams tank. Image credit: GDLS

In summary, the delayed deployment of Abrams tanks, coupled with the challenges faced during previous offensives, has raised questions about the strategic decisions and effectiveness of these tanks in the ongoing conflict.

In general, having 31 tanks per 1,000 km of the front line is considered very limited, emphasized Sumlenny. “That’s just three tanks per one hundred kilometers — that’s ridiculous,” stated the expert.

Retired US Marine Corps Colonel Mark Cancian, now a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, also shared his perspective.

Cancian believes that the Abrams tanks, along with the surviving Bradleys, are currently in reserve. He suggests that they might be strategically held back for a spring offensive when the weather is more favorable. The challenging autumn and winter conditions in Ukraine, including swamp, rain, snow, and frost, would make these machines inefficient and logistically difficult to maintain.

Cancian speculates that, given the stable front, Ukrainians are likely holding the tanks in reserve, and the spring could provide a favorable opportunity for a counterattack.

Kateryna Stepanenko, an expert at the Institute for the Study of War, concurs with Cancian’s viewpoint. She also highlighted the challenges posed by “rain and mud” during the autumn and mentioned that observers have not witnessed Abrams tanks being used on the Ukrainian battlefield. Hopefully, this will change in the future.

Written by Alius Noreika

You can offer your link to a page which is relevant to the topic of this post.

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god-complex-12 · 2 years ago

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Prompts

Master list

* EDITING IN PROCESS.

Rules

- Emoji anons are welcomed

- I only write for male, gn, or ftm trans readers

- I prefer writing for amab readers

- no incest, ya nasty.

- no pedo shit.

- if I write a character who is a minor, it is strictly platonic.

- I write for platonic fics for characters over the age of 18 to.

- no SH, suicide, rape, SA, no shit like that, please.

- No “yandere” stuff.

- if I ignore your request, I either didn’t see it, didn’t know how to write it, or it just went against one of my rules.

- please, put if you want the reader to be male or gn.

NSFW rules

- non of the sub reader stuff, unless they are at the hands of a power bottom (preferably character)

- I prefer the reader to be penetrating, if there is any.

- preferably amab reader. Y’know, with a pee pee. Or a trans (ftm) reader with surgery.

- I will write for a female bodied reader (ftm) without surgery too, just saying I prefer a wee wee.

Fandoms I write for:

Oscar Isaac characters

Steven Grant (Moon Knight). Marc Spector (Moon Knight). Jake Lockley (Moon Knight). William Tell (The Card Counter). Santiago “Pope” Garcia (Triple Frontier). Nathan Bateman (Ex Machina). Jonathan Levy (Scenes Fromba Marriage). Abel Morales (The Most Violent Year). Will Dempsey (Life Itself). Rydal (The Two Faces of January). Nick Masicsko (Show Me a Hero). Jack (Mojave). Shiv (Pu-239). Miguel “Spider-Man 2099” O’Hara (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse). Duke Leto (Dune). Kane (Annihilation). Palo “Poe” Dameron (Star Wars). Llewyn Davis (Inside Llewyn Davis). Richard (The Letted Room). Paul Gauguin (At Eternity’s Gate). Cecil (Revenge on Jolly!). Lightening Face (Basil Stitt).

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Characters:

Tasks force 141- Cpt. John Price. John “Soap” MacTavish. Simone “Ghost” Riley. Kyle “Gaz” Garrick.

Las Vaqueros- Colonel Alejandro Vargas. Rodolfo “Rudy” Parra.

Other- Kate Laswell. Commander Phillip Gaves. “König”.

Six

Characters:

Richard “Rip”. Joseph “Bear” Graves. Alex Claude. Ricky “Buddha”. Robert Chase III. Dominic Adams.

Rainbow Six Siege

Characters:

Viperstrike- Nayara “Brava” Cardoso. Grace “Dokkaebi” Nam. Ryad “Jackal” Al-Hassar. Yumiko “Hibana” Imagawa. Vicente “Capitão” Souza. Mike “Thatcher” Baker. Elias “Blitz” Kötz. Kana “Alamo” Fujiwara. Adriana “Maestro” Martello. Aria “Alibi” Luca. Masaru “Echo” Enatsu. Mark “Mute” Chandar. Julien “Rook” Nizan. Marius “Jäger” Streicher.

Nighthaven- Charlie Tho “Grim” Keng Boon. Anja “Osa” Janković (platonic). Håvard “Ace” Haugland. Jaimini “Kali” Shah. “Finka”. Monika “IQ” Weiss. Alpha “Aruni” Tawanroong. Ngugi “Wamai” Furaha. Elżbiedts “Ela” Bosak. Elena “Mira” Álvarez. James “Smoke” Porter. Jack “Pulse” Estrada.

Wolfguard- Néon “Sens” Ngoma. Sanaa “Nomad” Maktoub. Olivier “Lion” Flament. Siu “Ying” Lin. Gilles “Montagne” Touré. Emmanuel let “Twitch” Pichon. Mina “Thunderbird” Sky. Thandiwe “Melusi” Ndlovu. Morowa “Clash” Evans. Tina “Frost” Tsang. Miles “Castle” Campbell. Gustave “Doc” Kateb. Dominic “Bandit” Brunsmeier.

Ghosteyes- Santiago “Flores” Lucero. Samuel “Zero” Fisher. Nienke “Iana” Meijer. “Nøkk”. Erik “Maverick” Thorn. Zofia Bosak. “Glaz”. Ana “Solis” Díaz. Collinn “Warden” McKinley. Max “Mozzie” Goose. Chul “Vigil” Hwa. Liu “Lesion” Long. Taina “Cerveira” Pereira. Meghan “Valkyrie” Castellano.

Redhammer- Azucena “Amaru” Quispe. Tori “Gridlock” Fairous. Craig “Blackbeard” Jenson. Sebastien “Buck” Côté. Seamus “Sledge” Cowden. Eliza “Ash” Cohen. Jordan “Thermite” Trace. “Fuze”. Brianna “Thron” Skehan. Said “Oryx” Hadid. César “Goyo” Herbández. Jalal “Kaid” Fassi. “Tachanka”. “Kapkan”.

Lucifer (Netflix)

Characters:

Angels- Amenadiel. Lucifer Morningstar.

Demons- Mazikeen.

Detective/or works in that field- Ella Lopez. Dan. Marcus Pierce.

Other- Eve.

Characters:

Justice League- Clark “Superman” Kent. Bruce “Batman” Wayne. Diana “Wonder Woman” Princess. Barry “The Flash” Allen. Hal “Green Lantern” Jordon. Victor “Cyborg” Stone. Arthur “Aquaman” Curry. Oliver “Green Arrow” Queen.

Bat-fam- Bruce “Batman” Wayne. Dick “Nightwing” Grayson. Jason “Red Hood” Todd. Tim “Red Robin” Drake. Damian “Robin” Wayne. Stephanie “The Spoiler” Brown. Cassandra “Orphan” Cain. Duke “The Signal” Thomas. Kathy “Batwoman” Kane. Barbara “Batgirl” Gordon.

Hero- Kara “Supergirl” Zor-El. Queen “Wonder Woman” Nubia. Donna “Wonder Girl” Troy. Karen “Power Girl” Starr. Raymond “Atom” Palmer. Dinah “Black Carney” Lance. Wally “The Flash” Weat. Jon “Superboy” Kent. Koriand’r “Starfire”. Rachel “Raven” Roth. Garfield “Beast Boy” Logan. Zatanna Zatara. John “Hellblazer” Constantine.

Green lanterns- Hal “Green Lantern” Jordon. John “Green Lantern” Stewart. Kyle “Green Lantern” Rayner.

Villain- Jack “Joker” Naiper. Harlen “Harley Quinn” Quinzel. Edward “The Riddler” Nygma. Selina “Catwoman” Kyle. Pamela “Posion Ivy” Isley. Floyd “Deadshot” Lawton. Jonathan “Scare Crow” Crane. David “Black Manta” Hyde.

Other- Lucifer Morningstar.

Marvel

Characters:

Avengers- T’Challa “Black Panther”. Sam “Falcon” Wilson. Steve “Captain America” Rogers. Natalia “Black Widow” Alianovna. Bucky “Winter Soldier” Barnes. Clint “Hawkeye” Barton. Tony “Iron Man” Stark. Thor Odinson.

Hero’s- Roberta “Captain America” Mendez. Matt “Daredevil” Murrdock. Scott “Ant-Man” Lang. Peter “Star Lord” Quill,

Deadpool- Wanda “Lady Deadpool” Wilson. Wade “Deadpool” Wilson.

MoonKnight- Steven “Mr. Knight” Grant. Marc “MoonKnight” Spector. Khonshu. Jake “Mr. Knight” Lockley.

Spider-men- Cooper “Web-Weaver” Coen. May “Spider-Girl” Parker. Hobie “Spider-Punk” Brown. Ben “Scarlet Spider” Reilly. Kaine “Scarlet Spider” Parker. Miguel “Spider-Man 2099” O’rara. Anya “Spider-Girl” Corázon. Gwen “Spider-Gwen” Stacy. Miles “Spider-Man” Morales. Cindy “Silk” Moon. Mary “MJ” Jane. Peter “Spider-Man” Parker.

Other- Tony “Taskmaster” Masters. Brock “Crossbones” Rumblow. Joaquín “Falcon” Torres. Yelena “White Widow” Belova. Gwen “Gwenpool” Poole. Kraven “Kraven the Hunter”. Felicia “Black Cat” Hardy. Soel “Luna Snow” Hee. Elektra Natchios. Albert “Spawn” Simmons. Frank “Punisher” Castle. Loki Odinson. Stephen “Doctor Strange” Strange.

Triple Frontier

Characters:

Francisco Morales. Santiago “Pope” Garcia. Tom “Redfly” Davis.

The Card Counter

Characters:

William Tell. La Linda. Clirk Rogers.

A Most Violent Years

Characters:

Abel Morales. Lawrence. Peter Forente..

The Two Faces of January

Characters:

Chester’s McFarland. Rydal.

Ex Machina

Characters:

Nathan Bateman.

Scenes From a Marriage

Characters:

Jonathan Levy.

Life Itself

Characters:

Will Dempsey.

Show Me a Hero

Characters:

Nick Wasicsko. Micheal Sussman?

Mojave

Characters:

John “Jack” Jackson.

Pu-239

Characters:

Shiv.

Dune

Characters:

Duke Leto.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Characters:

Miguel “Spider-Man 2099” O’Hara. Peter “Spider-Man” B. Parker. Jessica “Spider-Woman” Drew. Peter “Spider-Man Noir” Parker.

Obey Me! Shall We Date?

Demons- Lucifer. Mammon. Leviathan. Satan. Asmodues. Beelzebub. Belphegor. Diavolo. Barbatos.

Angels- Simeon. Luke (platonically).

Humans- Solomon.

Anime’s:

*If the characters are like high schoolers, I will only right with them aged up. However, if the character I’d like 14 and below, I will note write with at all because 15 and above I can get a more accurate less childish personality with them being aged up.

Devil Man Crybaby

Characters:

Akira Fudo. Ryo Asuka. Miki Makimura. Miki Kurado. Psycho Jenny.

Haikyu!! (Ify about this one)

Kurasuno- Yu Nishinoya. Tobio Kageyama. Kei Tsukishima. Kiyoko Shimizu. Shoto Hinata. Ryūnosuke Tanaka. Koshi Sugawara. Hitoka Yachi. Tadashi Yamaguchi. Keishin Ukai. Daichi Suwamura.

Nekoma- Kenma Kozume. Tetsurō Kuroo. Lev Haiba.

Aoba Johsai- Toru Oikawa. Hajime Iwaizumi.

Fukurōdani- Kōtarō Bokuto. Keiji Akaashi.

Shiratorizawa- Wakatoshi Ushijima. Satori Tendo.

Attack on Titan

Characters:

Scout Regiment- Armin Arlert. Mikasa Ackerman. Levi Ackerman. Hange Zoë. Sasha Brown. Erwin Smith.

Military Regiment- Hitch Dreyse. Kenny Ackerman.

Warriors- Reiner Braun. Annie Leonhart.

Nobility- Historia Reiss.

Eldia- Ymir Fritz.

Paradise Island- Carla Jeager. Kuchel Ackerman.

Sword Art Online

Character:

Kirito. Asuna. Sinon.

Seven Deadly Sins

Characters:

Meliodas. Escanor. Gowther. Ban. Diane. King.

Hunter x Hunter

Characters:

Killua Zoldyck (platonic). Gon Freecss (platonic). Kurapika. Chrollo Lucifer. Feitan. Leorio.

Parasyte

Characters:

Satori Murano. Shinichi Izumi. Kana Kimishima.

Demon Slayer

Characters:

Ubuyashiki Family- Kagaya Ubuyashiki.

Hashira- Giyu Tomioka. Mitsuri Kanroji. Sanemi Shinazugawa. Gyomei Himejima. Shinobu Kocho.

Former Hashira- Kyojuro Rengoku. Tengen Uzui.

Demon Slayers- Tanjiro Kamado. Zenitsu Agatsuma. Inosuke Hashibira.

Demons- Muzan Kibutsuji. Enmu.

Death Note

Blue Exorcist

Ouran High School Host Club

Soul Eater

Black Butler

Angels of Death

High-rise Invasion

Noragami

Psycho-pass

Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun

The Way of the House Husband

Kotoro Lives Alone (platonic w/ Kotoro)

Cowboy Bebop

Jujutsu Kaisen

#rules and requests #god complex 12

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kabutoraiger · 4 years ago

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Mr oryx do you recognize this dude from Somewhere? I swear he was in a toku

well my first thought is that this looks like my good friend ayano gou, who did have a small role in toku many years ago as sawada in faiz, but. the freckles / beauty marks here just aren’t quite lining up with any pic of his face that i’m familiar with... :thinking: if i got it wrong do you have a higher quality version, maybe?

#that might do the trick to activate my handsome actor recognition brain #submission

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dailybeastarsthings · 3 years ago

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Chapter 7 - Lunch Date With My Victim 7.2. The Beginning Of A Bittersweet Friendship

‘Ah, finally!’ Kibi thought after slamming the door at Legoshi’s face, leaving him behind to get the roses for the Drama Club’s New Student Welcome Event. ‘I want to be as far from her as possible…’

As he was walking down the stairs, Kibi was thinking about the chat earlier that day between him and his two friends, Oryx, an antelope student, and Makoto, Mizuchi’s boyfriend.

‘Hey, Makoto, you’ve got some white fur on you’ Oryx said.

‘Really!? Where?’ Makoto asked.

‘Right here on your vest… and some here, too’ Oryx replied while taking small strings of fur off of the other’s vest.

‘Oh well… you see… the thing is… I had a date with this really cute dwarf rabbit’ Makoto said while giggling. He was kind of embarrassed after being caught red-handed, but he was still proud. Typical male behavior.

‘What?’ Kibi yelled in frustration. ‘Don’t you have a girlfriend?’

‘Yeah… So tell me, how are you the “best rare species couple” again?’ Oryx added.

‘You’re only saying that because you don’t know her! She’s really cute and she’s fun to talk to. She’s super refreshing and really sexy, too!’ Makoto replied to the attacks.

‘Now hold on a minute…’ Oryx said with a mysterious look on his face. ‘Is she in the Gardening Club?’

‘Well… I think so.’

‘Her body is pure white. Not a single stripe or mark.’

‘Umm… How do you know this?’ Makoto’s frustration started to grow.

‘She has a bad sleeping posture and when she’s done she makes sure to clean up the room before getting out.’

‘WHAT!? Did you sleep with her, too?’ Makoto felt his heart sink. He thought that he could finally find someone to spend quality time with just to get his hopes trampled on by someone else. And maybe not just one candidate…

‘Wow, so that makes sense. I bet she doesn’t care whether her targets are single or taken…’

‘You mean… she’s using other males as fodder, too? No wonder she seemed so experienced…’

The topic of the conversation made Kibi uncomfortable. He believed that such private matters are not to be discussed with others, even if those others are friends or family. He just wanted to leave but Oryx’s description of the rabbit girl stuck with him…

‘Fodder? Come on, she’s just a bunny’ he said.

‘Nope. That’s a good word. Once she catches you, she’ll swallow you whole and spit your bones out. You better watch yourself. Females like her are more savage than any carnivore could ever be.’

Those words resonated in Kibi’s head for a long time.

‘Well… I don’t think she’ll do any of that to a wolf. Especially not Legoshi…’ And with that, Kibi left the Gardening Club behind for good.

***

The cafeteria was packed with animals of all sizes. During afternoon hours, the cafeteria served as gathering and meeting point for students, enjoying cakes, coffee and other desserts, which were served. These items were not part of the daily menu but they were always available.

As Legoshi and Haru were standing in the line, they felt the many looks on them from others. It made them feel quite uncomfortable. They didn’t say a word to each other or others. The silence was almost deafening. It was Haru, who finally began to break down the wall between them.

‘So, what are you getting? Personally, I was thinking about getting a raspberry shake with some sweet berry and yogurt parfait.’ she said.

Legoshi looked at her kind of awkwardly. He felt uncomfortable by the looks around him. He didn’t quite know how to answer such a question. What should he ask for? Something he would like or something more preferable by herbivores to avoid scaring her? He looked at the menu again and carefully read it through.

‘What should I get? Cherry pies are too sticky for me and I’d just make a mess of myself… I don’t really like parfaits… Coffee makes my breath smell bad… Caramel-apple pies are too sweet… Key lime pies are kinda good, but this kitchen lady always burns the bottom of it… wait… They have egg sandwiches! Jackpot! And perhaps a glass of red berry juice!’

‘So?’ Haru asked with a curious look on her face, trying to figure out the thoughts of the wolf, who both seemed confused and annoyed at the same time.

‘Oh, sorry!’ Legoshi replied. ‘I totally zoned out. But I think I’ll get an egg sandwich and a glass of red berry juice. I hope me eating an egg sandwich in front of you isn’t offensive or anything to you.’

‘Don’t worry about that, I don’t mind carnivores eating foods like that. Plus, you need eggs for cakes and such, so…’ Haru said.

When it was their turn, Haru asked for their meals. The kitchen lady served them without a word but even she couldn’t help herself and send a judging look towards them.

‘I guess it’s unusual for others to see a large carnivore and a small herbivore having snacks together?’ Legoshi thought. They searched for a seat and then finally sat down near one of the giant oaks in the hall. With each passing student, they were disgusted expressions, or being gossiped about. It started to become frustrating for both of them…

‘Why don’t we get to know each other a little better to deter our minds from what others might be thinking about this whole situation of us eating together?’ Haru suggested.

‘That would be amazing’ Legoshi replied. He felt kind of nervous though. He had no idea how to have a proper conversation with others.

‘Awesome, you go first!’ Haru said.

Legoshi took a deep breath and began.

‘My name is Legoshi. I’m a grey wolf, as you can see, and I’m a second year student. I’m a stagehand in the Drama Club. I like…’

‘Wait!’ Haru interrupted. ‘This is not some sort of job interview or speed dating, take your time and don’t just throw information at me. Why don’t we take turns?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Let me make an example. I’m Haru. I’m a third year Netherland dwarf rabbit and I’m the only member of the Gardening Club. I like taking care of plants and listening to music. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?’

‘Well… I don’t really know to be honest. I like bugs and reading weather reports. I’m really happy when they report about the possibility of rain.’

‘I see. And what do you like about insects?’

‘That they can’t hurt me like others. Most of them seem to like me because I’m trying to be as gentle to them as possible.’

‘I understand you. Sometimes others just hurt you or spread rumors about you just because you’re different from them.’

‘What kind of rumors are they spreading about you?’

‘It always changes. Gossip spreads among small animals like wildfires. But it doesn’t really bother me anymore. The latest is that I prey on male students to spend my nights with. I guess that’s a pretty good explanation as to why others are looking at us like that.’

‘I’m sorry about that. I can just go if this makes you uncomfortable…’

‘You don’t have to. I don’t care what they think about me. But enough of that. What do you do as a stage hand?’

‘Well, I take care of the lights and help out the costumes department. I also run errands the leaders ask me to do, like getting supplies, asking for help and such. I also do the cleaning most of the time since wolves’ vision is pretty good in the dark, so we can save money on the electric bill.’

‘That’s awesome. How does your night vision work? I’m usually blind in the dark.’

‘Well, I mostly see stuff as I see them in the light but they are a bit darker in color. I think that’s the easiest way to describe it.’

The conversation went on for a good few hours. Legoshi and Haru ended up having dinner together, too. They talked about school issues, common interests, likes and dislikes. They enjoyed their time together with quite a lot of laughing included. It was almost 8 pm when they realized how much they kept talking.

‘Goodness, look at the time!’ Haru said. ‘I honestly can’t remember when was the last time, I enjoyed myself with someone this much.’

‘Me too. It was nice getting to know you. But I have to run now. I have some homework to take care of. See you around’ Legoshi said while waving goodbye.

‘Bye, Legoshi’ Haru said with a smile. After a long time, she felt like she met a genuinely nice character. ‘There is still some good in this world. Don’t lose your light, Legoshi.’ she thought.

As Legoshi was leaving the cafeteria, he bumped into Kibi. He was still kind of frustrated after he used his excuse against him but he still felt a bit thankful so he could at least have a nice afternoon.

‘Hey, Legoshi!’ Kibi said. ‘I’m sorry I left you there. I was waiting for you to come back.’

‘Kibi… Why did you leave me there?’ Legoshi replied.

‘Before that, did anything happen?’

‘No, not really.’

‘Really? That’s good. So… The reason I was running down the stairs four steps at a time was because I was afraid of running into trouble.’

‘Well, there wasn’t any trouble, so what were you afraid of?’

‘Well, there’s this bunny who’s pretty famous around the herbivores. Apparently, she seduced many males and she’s really dangerous to be around… Basically, she’s a slut’ Kibi sighed. ‘Hard to believe, right? She looks so quiet, too… But hey, she wouldn’t try to make a move on a wolf, right? Did she say anything to you?’

Legoshi couldn’t believe what he just heard from Kibi. His words tasted like lead and were just as toxic. He couldn’t believe others would spread such rumors just because of someone being different. After a moment of thinking, he answered.

‘She did. She told me that she really cares about her flowers… She treats them like her own children. I want to talk to the stage crew to suggest getting the flowers from some place else. I think she has some issues, but she is a nice girl if you get to know her a little more. But I have to go now. Bye!’

With that, Legoshi left Kibi behind, who just couldn’t quite process Legoshi’s words. He couldn’t believe how mature he acted despite his young age. He stared after him as the wolf was slownly disappearing in the crowd.

#beastars #beastars fanfiction

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lizzieraindrops · 4 years ago

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Chapters: 6/6 Fandom: Destiny (Video Games) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Eris Morn/Ikora Rey Characters: Eris Morn, Ikora Rey Additional Tags: 5+1 Things, Hello destiny sapphics; allow me to introduce myself, Femslash, if nobody is going to write the content i want to see then i will create it myself, listen. it’s about perceiving the weak and wounded places in someone you love, and lavishing love and care upon them even when they won’t admit they need it, it’s about the Mutual Support, it’s about being kind to them even when you don’t know how to be kind to yourself, Light Angst, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, oh and ikora has the most Distinguished Bisexual energy i’ve ever seen so jot that down, it doesn’t come up but you needed to know, this is all just a bunch of softness and tenderness don't @ me okay, Grief/Mourning

Summary:

Five storms Eris and Ikora weathered and one they didn’t need to.

The Shadowkeep weblore lives in my head rent free. Set post-Taken King and mostly during Shadowkeep.

“As I told Asher, there is a storm coming…” “Oryx is dead. We’ve weathered the storm.” Ikora is upset. She has yet to understand the bigger picture. “Yet his sisters would see his will done. There will always be another storm.” “Then let’s weather it together.” -Shadowkeep Narrative Preview #1

Chapter: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | +1 |

Set early Shadowkeep. Happy Ikora returns day!

As the afternoon sunlight sweeps across her study in slow motion, Ikora thinks on time, and distance. Their immensity and insignificance are so deeply, paradoxically interwoven. Leaning over the many strike reports on her heavy wooden desk, she thinks on decades passing, centuries, and the way the earth still turns under the sun every day the way it always has. She knows that even without encouragement, the sun has always been running down to eventually collapse into darkness. Yet the process is so slow that she has not witnessed the slightest telltale change to indicate it in all her long life, and unless they are all very unlucky, she likely never will.

She considers the great stretch of space from her desk chair in the Tower to the near reaches of the Oort Cloud at the edge of the solar system, the pitted stones of which her own eyes have beheld in her youth. That great span is not so different from the kind of invisible gulf that oft forms between people. Ikora will sense that spaceless distance yawning wide even between herself and someone mere paces away. With some time and thought, she can often close it again. Compassion and carefully chosen words, thoughtful gestures; they hold more power than most people credit. But other times, no matter what form of communication she employs to attempt to bridge that void, people cannot or will not hear her. It is endlessly galling. It can happen with anyone from intractable faction leaders during a Consensus meeting to dear friends she does not want to lose to her own Traveler-forsaken ghost.

Despite any physical separation, she knows that felt distance would collapse if only she could understand and make herself understood to those she cares about. If only she could find the right way to reach them. Then she remembers all over again: the too-frequent sensation of reaching and reaching and reaching and not even being met halfway.

Ikora thinks about the universe’s tendency toward entropy, and the way time and space have torn people away from her again and again, be it by kilometers or eternities. She cannot forget the way she lost her mentor, her closest thing to kin, to his obsession with the mysteries of temporality long before he physically left the City. She remembers the way someone she could have loved was already leaving before Ikora could ask her to stay, vanishing to parts unknown. She considers her own time on Io during the Red War: Lightless and lost, desperately seeking a connection to anything that would give her hope or answers. All she found was herself even more alone, feeling farther from everyone than she ever has.

Then, Ikora recalls the way Cayde and Zavala seized her in a doubly crushing hug the moment she returned to Earth and stepped onto the unexpected refuge of the Farm. There she was, weaker than ever and harshly humbled by her own insufficiency in the face of insurmountable odds. Yet they not only reached out to her, but caught her as she fell into their arms broken. Maybe, in their own way, they had been reaching all along, and she had been turning away unknowing. She didn’t know how she’d gone so long without letting herself lean on them.

Now though, with her closest friend ripped out of her life and buried in a few years of grief, she still doesn’t know how she’s going to do it again. There’s only so much of each other’s pain and weariness that she and Zavala can hold.

She thinks of the way it felt when Eris returned, feeling their separation in time and space draw to a close while a buffer of uncertainty remained. Truly, after the years of silence following their painful parting, Ikora had never expected to see the woman again. Yet Eris came back. Now she lingers at the edges of Ikora’s space, in the back of her mind; sometimes closer. Ever drawn back to the Moon, Eris comes and goes; but now, she remains within reach.

Eris has always been hard to keep up with. Impelled by her immense grief and rage and pain, she drives herself so hard in pursuit of vengeance or closure. Ikora has always admired her tenacity in reshaping her suffering into a knife of purpose, one effective and deadly beyond even the means of most Lightbearers. Eris’ knowledge and sacrifices are what enabled them to defeat two gods of the Hive. And still she strives to further eliminate the possibility of her cruel fate ever befalling another. But it pains Ikora to see her still flinging herself into the fight with fury while foregoing her own healing.

It feels different, though, to be around her now. While as fierce and focused as ever, something has gentled some of her edges while sharpening others. It’s evident that Eris’ return to the Moon has spiked her dread with memory. Sometimes she is as wary as she was when she first returned from the Hellmouth, hissing at shadows. But her conversations with Ikora turn soft and halting far more than they ever did before. Perhaps she has found some measure of peace, given a few years with the defeat of Crota and Oryx to turn her avenged grief over and over in her hands. Or — as Ikora distinctly suspects — she, too, regrets the harsh words of their previous parting and thinks of reconciliation.

Maybe it’s just that Ikora is hearing her more clearly now. Or perhaps Ikora herself has just finally learned how to listen. What she hears is something that could be, not an answer, but the beginning of a conversation.

Shadows grow longer and Ikora moves from her desk to one of the soft chairs in her little library of an office. Ophiuchus compiles in a small flurry of Light, and she brushes a hand over his shell as she passes by. He watches her settle into the chair to watch the setting sun through the window. They do that sometimes: just watch each other. It has only been a few years since they started speaking to each other again after many decades. It’s still hard. But now that they have, their silences are friendlier. Ikora isn’t sure that they’ll ever be as close as they were before they pulled away from each other. But she’s still glad for what they have now. This is the kind of thing she promised herself she’d do better at after the Red War, so she’s been trying even harder. If she’s going to rely on anyone, her own ghost should be first among them. All the time they spent so far apart right next to each other has left its mark. But this is one of the few rifts that Ikora has been able to even begin to repair, and she treasures every rebuilt link.

Ikora thinks about the way Osiris tore time and causality itself apart to breach one of those unfathomable distances and bring back someone precious. With a little help, he saved someone thought irretrievably lost beyond a thousand layers of temporospatial distance. And yet, Ikora cannot help but see the way Osiris still struggles to close that gulf even when Saint is right in front of him, impossibly alive. As guardians, they are given so, so many second chances, but they are still far from infinite.

Ever since the day she formally became Vanguard, Ikora has been telling herself she’s not going to let herself repeat his mistakes. She keeps a firm grip on her emotions, leashes her ego, puts the City and its people’s safety first. She has failed many times, but succeeded more often; the Last City stands yet. But it’s been so hard to reconcile those imperatives with the harsh lessons of the Red War: sometimes, she is not enough; and sometimes, having others in her corner with her makes them enough, together.

Perhaps she should have paid more attention to those smaller lessons before then. Losing her Light, however temporarily, showed her just how fragile the greater ones are without that groundwork. No matter how mighty, a tree that does not anchor its fine roots into the ground will bow before a stiff wind.

When the dust had settled and her Light returned, she swore to herself that she’d learn to let herself need other people. Intellectually, she knows it makes her stronger, even when she feels weaker. But losing Cayde so soon after that decision demolished what progress she had made. Time and again she ends up trapped in her own attempts at self-sufficiency, alone whether or not anyone else is there.

Ikora already knows what she wants, what she needs. She knows she needs people. And she knows she wants someone.

She just doesn’t know how to go about it yet.

#ikora rey #eris morn #destiny 2 #eris/ikora #ikora/eris #erikora #ikoris #destiny the game #destiny fanfiction #lizzie's adventures in writing #HAPPY IKORA DAY #look. ikora needs a hug #fun fact i wrote this before the splicer trailer drop so the sun thing was UNINTENTIONAL #anyway as always [shoves this in your face] CARE ABOUT THESE LADIES #long post #destinewt

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changingourdestiny · 4 years ago

Text

Season of the Hunt Part 9: My Reason

Summary:

It’s time. Crow has located Xivu Arath’s High Celebrant. Together, it’s time to put an end to the hunt and avenge Sagira.

Previous Part: Here

Next Part: Here

It’s been a little over a week since Crow’s visit to the Tower for Dawning, and the Dawning had ended only yesterday. Rae was in the meeting room with the rest of the Vanguard as Zavala held the usual start-of-year meeting to review everything that had happened during the previous year. And there was a lot. Ikora seemed to be the only one paying full attention to Zavala while Rae as kind of half-listening – her mind drifting to her concerns with the wrathborns – and Cayde was already on the verge of falling asleep. Rae was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps outside the room, “Do you guys-?”

*WHAM!*

The door slammed open as Blaze, out-of-breath, rushed in,

“RAEITSGOTIMEWEGOTTAHURRYEMERGENCYWEEWOOWEEWOOWEEWOO-!!!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Blaze what’s wrong?” Rae was caught off-guard while Cayde tried not to fall over after being startled by Blaze’s yelling. Blaze took a moment to catch her breath before placing both hands on Rae’s shoulders, “Crow’s located the High Celebrant!”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yes! Now come on! Adam’s already in the hangar, we’re going now! C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!”

“O-ok! Uh, send me the meeting notes, Ikora! I’ll be back later with the mission report!” Rae hastily gathered her things and rushed out of the meeting room with Blaze. “Uh, maybe I should go help-”

“No.” Zavala stopped Cayde by tugging on his cloak. Cayde groaned as he leaned on the table in a sulk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Welcome my most productive Guardians.” Spider greeted as Fireteam Paralight entered the lair, “Have you heard? The Crow reports our High Celebrant is finally within reach. He and the Warlock Osiris have used what you’ve learned on your hunts to track it to the Dreaming City.” “Makes sense.” Adam muttered, “Hive wrathborns are more common there so I’m not surprised.” “Crow seems to be learning a lot from Osiris.” Rae smiled, “I’d say he’s on track to becoming a proper Hunter.” “Hell yeah!” Blaze cheered. “My Hunter…exemplary.” Spider chuckled, “An emblematic paragon. It makes me wonder why I need you. I jest of course.” “Suuure.” Rae rolled her eyes. “Though I have to admit,” Spider continued, “I carry some…trepidation.” “What do you mean?” “My pet stands at your shoulders, like an equal. Even more to some of you…” Spider’s gaze lingered on Blaze for a moment, who glared back, before continuing, “Your encouragement makes him think himself a Guardian! Ha…the vanity! Do not let him so close, or spoil him with pretty dreams.” A light growl came from Blaze as she felt her flame-powers begin to surge in anger but was stopped by Rae placing a hand on her shoulder. However, Blaze could see that Rae’s pupils had briefly become slit-like, indicating her own rage. “That aside, you mentioned we’d be paid for this, Spider.” Rae began, “I’d like to know our payment before doing anything.” “Of course, of course.” Spider chuckled, “Kill the High Celebrant. Break Xivu Arath’s hold over my Shore, and you can claim any prize in my lair as your reward. You’ll have earned it.” “Anything, huh?” Rae narrowed her eyes at Spider, “I’m holding you to that.” Rae motioned for Blaze and Adam to follow her into Crow’s workshop. “Sorry we took a while! Spider was being an ass.” Blaze called as they entered. “What else is new?” Crow called from his workbench. “So what’s the news?” Rae asked, stifling a laugh as they approached the bench. Crow shuffled esoteric gadgets around the bench, “We’re on the verge of the coup de grace. I’ve tracked the High Celebrant to the Dreaming City, but the Lure will need to be upgraded one last time before we can make our move.” Crow held up one of the strange baubles and examined it closely before handing it to Rae, “Here it is: the final piece.” Rae took the bauble from Crow and attached it to the Lure, causing it to flare to life. “Well then, like Spider always says,” Crow smirked, “We’re in business.” “Well said.” Rae smiled, “We’ll meet you at the coordinates. Then we’ll end this for good.” Crow gave a confident nod before gathering his weapons and leaving the workshop. Blaze went to follow but was stopped by Rae, “You heard Spider, right?” “Huh?” “We can have anything in his lair.” Rae motioned to where Crow had left. “Oh…!” Blaze had a look of realisation before quickly changing to a very impressed smirk, “That is sneaky, and I love it!” “Let’s just hope it works.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Remember: the Celebrant must be killed in the Ascendant Plane.” Osiris’s voice came through the comms as Fireteam Paralight made their way through the twists and turns of the Dreaming City, “Destroy it, and you’ll deal Xivu Arath a crippling blow.” “Got it. No Celebrant, no cryptoliths. No cryptoliths, no wrathborn.” Rae replied, “Let’s see her fight us without an army!” “Crow, are you there?” Blaze asked. “Somewhat.” Crow replied, “I tracked the Celebrant through portal into swirling darkness.” “A gateway into the Ascendant Plane.” Glint corrected. “As I said: swirling darkness. I’m learning its tricks now, studying how it moves through these realms. It’s like a shark cutting though black water.” “Good. Keep an eye on it.” “I can do more than that.” “Y’know, he’s becoming more and more like you and I don’t know if that should concern me.” Rae raised an eyebrow. “Don’t worry about it!” Blaze smiled with feigned innocence. “Found a cryptolith!” Adam called from up ahead. “We’re-a coming!” Rae yelled back. As the Fireteam approached the large structure, Rae turned to Blaze, “Ready?” “Slammin’ time!” Blaze held the Lure up high before slamming it down. As she did, Crow exclaimed through the comms, “Ha! Tagged it! It’s bleeding energy and on its way back to you.” “Thank you kindly!” Blaze smirked as the High Celebrant appeared, “Let’s strike it down!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Stop. Freaking! RUNNING!!!” Blaze yelled as they encountered the High Celebrant again. They had been chasing it between the Ascendant Plane and the Dreaming City with Crow aiding from the former. As Blaze went to aim her bow at it, the Celebrant disappeared. “Uh oh…” Ghost muttered. “What? What happened?” Rae asked. “It stopped bleeding energy. We can’t get through!” “I think the Celebrant realised we marked it.” Glint added, “It sealed the portal behind itself.” “We’re trapped in here?” Crow’s voice came out fuzzy as the connection between their comms weakened. “No, no, no! There’s got to be another way in!” Blaze exclaimed. “If your companions are trapped in the Ascendant Plane with the Celebrant…then they are already lost.” Osiris replied, “Like Sagira.” “No! There’s gotta be a way! I promised…” Blaze shook her head as she tried to calm herself, “The Lure. Is there a way we can use it to create another way through?” “There might be enough Hive magic left…” Adam began, “But we’ll need people on this end in case it tries to exit back out here.” “If it’s the best chance we got, then go for it.” Rae replied. Blaze slammed the Lure down again and a portal opened above a nearby statue. As it opened, a message came though on the comms from Crow, “I hope you can hear this. The Celebrant turned it around on us – the hunter becomes the hunted. I wanted to… Listen, if things get ugly for us in here, just know it’s not your fault. Everything I did, I did because I wanted to. Thank you. For letting me have a choice. And Blaze. Thank you for everything. I love you.” Blaze clenched her fists tightly as she felt her stomach turn with fear. Memories of Uldren’s last message to her during Oryx’s attack resurfaced. In the midst of it all, one thought screamed out amongst the memories. ‘Run!’ As if on their own, Blaze felt her legs carry her forward as she scaled the floating platforms leading to the portal, ignoring the startled cries of her teammates. ‘I won’t do it again. I won’t break my promise again!’ As she reached the last platform, she leapt across the gap between it and the portal.

‘Please, Traveller, don’t let me lose him again. I found it. I finally found it…

…my reason to fight!’

Blaze felt the familiar surge as she arrived in the Ascendant Plane once more. “Crow! I’m here! Can you read me?” Blaze called into her comms, barely able to hear herself over the roaring wind. “Nothing in here I can’t handle.” Crow replied, but Blaze could hear a hint of relief in his voice. She managed to spot him on a nearby floating platform as he finished off a dreg. “What are you talking about?” Glint interjected, “The Celebrant broke your legs and threw you into an abyss!” “Nothing I can’t handle.” Crow reiterated as Blaze made her way to the rock he was on, “The Celebrant is just up ahead, and I think I have a plan… Are Rae and Adam still in the City?” “Yeah. Why?” Blaze replied. “Good. Glint, send them those coordinates and tell them to be ready.” “Right!” Glint replied as Crow turned to Blaze, “Thanks for coming for me.” “And let you hog the glory? Besides, I promised you I wouldn’t leave your side, didn’t I?” Blaze grinned. A small smile appeared on Crow’s face before turning serious again, “Right. Now let’s go take down the Celebrant.” “For Sagira!” Firefly chirped. Blaze nodded as they hopped across the floating rocks towards a large structure where the Celebrant appeared. “Crow, we’re at the coordinates.” Rae called through the comms. “Good. I’ve studied how this thing creates its portals. I’m having Glint send you and Adam instructions on what to do if it tries to create a portal out. Be ready.” “You got it. And be careful. Both of you.” “You can count on us, Rae-Rae!” Blaze replied, “It’s showtime!”

Crow and Blaze split into two different directions while shooting at the Celebrant, trying to split its attention two ways. “Fire in the hole!” Blaze tossed a fireball at the celebrant causing it to growl out in pain as it glared at Blaze, ready to fire at her. “Fire in the gun!” Crow fired a round of Golden Gun into the Celebrant’s back while it was turned as it roared out in pain. It briefly glanced between the two before Glint chimed in, “Energy readings spiking. It’s gonna make a break for it!” “We’re in position, Crow!” Rae added. “We’re smoking it out.” Crow explained, “But if you block the exit – it burns.” “Crow, you beautiful genius!” Blaze called as she leapt into the air and sent Blade Barrage down onto the Celebrant before landing back on her side. “Portal’s going up!” Firefly warned as a portal appeared on the other side of the room. “We see it!” Adam called though the comms. Before the Celebrant could reach it, it disappeared again. “We got it!” Rae cheered. “Let’s finish it!” Crow got his sword at the ready. Blaze readied hers as well as the two leapt up and they both pierced it through the centre from either side. The High Celebrant let out an agonising cry before slumping forward, Blaze narrowly avoiding being crushed by its body. The High Celebrant was dead. Crow and Blaze stared at each other in disbelief as they caught their breath. But their pants soon turned into laughter. “We did it!!!” Blaze cheered as she hugged Crow. “High Celebrant down!” Crow laughed as he heard Rae and Adam’s cheers through the comms before Osiris’s voice cut through it. “The High Celebrant of Xivu Arath is no more. How did you manage that?” Osiris seemed to be in disbelief himself. “Crow’s idea.” Rae replied, “He had us shut down its portal here in the Dreaming City when it tried to escape and then he and Blaze finished it off.” “We better bring its head.” Crow began after the two calmed down from the adrenaline rush, “Spider will want proof when you come to collect. It’s been an honour, Blaze.” Crow’s tone seemed to take a sombre tone. “Hey, stop that! Stooop!” Blaze lightly hit Crow’s shoulder, “You’re making it sound like this is the end!” “It technically is.” Crow replied, “After this, you and your Fireteam will return to the Tower and I’ll return to Spider. Chances are it’ll be rare if we ever get to see each other.” Blaze tutted, “Crow, if there is one thing you should always know about Rae, it’s that she always has an ace up her sleeve. And I’m not talking about Cayde.” “How would Cayde fit in her sleeve?” Crow smirked. “Hey, I’m trying to sound cool here!” Blaze gave Crow a playful nudge, “But seriously. Just trust us on this one.” “Alright. I trust you.” Crow smiled, “Now let’s get this head to Spider.” “Do you mind holding it, Fly?” Blaze asked as Firefly appeared. “No problem. Y’know, if I had a silver for every head I had to hold, I’d have two silver. Which isn’t much but it’s weird it happened twice, right?” “Yeah, that is weird.” Glint replied, “But what was the first head?” “A Gate Lord.” “What have you been through?” Crow stared at Blaze with disbelief. “Too much.” Blaze replied half-jokingly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fireteam Paralight entered the Spider’s lair, a serious expression on each of their faces, as Spider watched them enter, one of his guards and Crow at his side. “It’s done.” Rae stated simply. “So it is…so it is.” Spider said as he leaned forward in his chair, “Alright, Guardians. As promised: you can have a prized bauble from my lair as compensation for your…heroics.” “I want…him.” Rae motioned to Crow. Crow looked up in surprise before turning to Spider who just snickered at Rae’s demand, “Cute. Real funny.” “You said anything in the room.” Rae continued, “And not to sound threatening, but I don’t think going back on a promise to a Vanguard will end well for you.” Spider’s guard went to raise their spear at the Guardians but was stopped by Spider. “Oh…so you really want my little bird?” Spider laughed, “Fine. You can have him.” Spider turned to Crow, waving him off, “Fly away…” Spider then turned to glare at Rae, “…and get the hell out of my lair.” Rae smirked at Spider before motioning for Crow to follow as they walked to the lair’s entrance. Upon reaching it, Glint appeared beside Crow, “Now what?” “I…I don’t know.” Crow replied, still in disbelief, “It doesn’t feel real. Freedom.” Crow then turned to Rae, “Why would you do this for us?” Rae smiled, “Because…you’re a Guardian.” Crow looked between the two Guardians behind her. Adam gave him an affirming nod while Blaze folded her arms with a smile, “See? Told ya things would turn out okay.” Crow turned to the side, trying to quickly wipe away a tear that had managed to escape. “Saw that, tough guy.” Rae chuckled. “No, no, I, uh…a thrall caught my eye during the mission and…” Crow trailed off upon seeing that he wasn’t fooling any of them, “Alright, so I’m not made of stone!” Blaze giggled before placing a hand on his shoulder, “Welcome to the Guardians, Hunter Crow.” Crow smiled before pulling Blaze in for a hug. Blaze smiled as she hugged back. “Okay, that’s it. I can’t hold back anymore! Paralight group hug!” Rae grinned as she and Adam joined in on the hug. “H-hey! What are-?” Crow exclaimed. “Trust me, it’s better not to fight it.” Blaze sighed, “You kinda get used to it after a while.” “This is so weird…” “Fireteam Paralight in a nutshell.” Rae was the first to pull out of the group hug, “Unfortunately we’re not done here yet. From what I’ve heard, there are still a few Wrathborn roaming about that we need to deal with. Plus we need those explosives removed from Glint. But after that, you two are free to go wherever and do whatever you want. As long as you don’t cause trouble of course.” Rae then looked at Blaze, “But considering you’ve been hanging out with this one, plus the fact you’ve already been exposed to the chaos that is Cayde-6, I feel that trouble is inevitable.” “Undoubtedly.” Crow chuckled. “Absolutely.” Blaze smiled proudly. Rae sighed as Glint floated over to her, “I wonder how you haven’t had a nervous breakdown yet…” “Me too, Glint. Me too.” Rae sighed.

To Be Continued…

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alexsfictionaddiction · 5 years ago

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10 of the best pandemic novels

It’s an understatement to say that the world as we know it has changed insurmountably over the last few weeks. We’re apart from our loved ones, most of our summer plans have been cancelled and we’re faced with more uncertainty than ever before. Pandemics and plagues have been present in horror, sci-fi and post-apocalyptic books for decades and they’ve always seemed to be exactly that. Abandoned cities, fast-acting deadly diseases and epic efforts for survival are things that happen in different worlds to our own but of course, they’ve never reflected reality more than they do right now.

I’ve been using this time to research and read a bunch of books that deal with pandemics and I wanted to share 10 of the very best of them with you. I completely understand if you’re trying to avoid these kinds of reads at the moment to limit anxiety or simply to escape. That’s why I also have a list of feel-good reads especially for you!

1. The Stand by Stephen King

The Stand is a book you’ll see on every pandemic fiction list because it is widely considered to be King’s masterpiece. The virus is really just the beginning of this enormous tome as its proceeded by ominous dreams, the inevitable end of days and the very real eternal battle between good and evil -perhaps not unlike some of your recent political discussions? Typical of a King novel, it’s populated by a huge cast of morally complex, tragic characters and there is an overwhelming sense of dread from the very first chapter. Expect a harrowing atmospheric read that will stay with you for a long time.

2. The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey

Essentially, it’s a zombie book but it’s also so much more than that. Set in a world where ‘hungries’ roam the wastelands, a select group of infected but high-functioning children are contained in a special facility. Amongst a ruthless scientist, a kindly teacher and a wary sergeant, child genius Melanie’s story will become one that haunts you in the middle of the night. It’s a classic page-turning thriller that isn’t an exact reflection of our current world but there are some eerie likenesses that will have you questioning who the real monsters are.

3. Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

Station Eleven is so full of believable situations and characters that I could easily see the end of the Earth looking exactly like this huge sprawling landscape, dotted with towns populated by small groups of suspicious, scared people. It chiefly follows five principal characters -seasoned Hollywood actor Arthur Leander who dies on stage during a production of King Lear, his incredibly talented but unappreciated first wife Miranda, his oldest friend Clark, Jeevan Chaudhary who tried to save him and Kirsten, one of Arthur’s child co-stars whose life has been shaped by the events of that fateful night. It’s a beautifully written, expertly constructed book that explores loss, resilience and the heartbreaking notion of desperately trying to hold on to the past. You’ll want several boxes of tissues for this one!

4. The Fireman by Joe Hill

Ok, so the virus in this one isn’t QUITE like COVID-19 but the intense fear, teetering sanity and unexpected small rays of hope aren’t unlike our current set of feels. Dragonscale marks its host with black and gold and burns them up from the inside causing them to eventually spontaneously combust and no one appears to be safe from this horrifying end. We follow pregnant nurse Harper who bears the ominous marks but is desperate to live long enough to give birth and the mystery of the Fireman -an afflicted man who has somehow learned to control the fire within him. It’s a very original premise and although it’s another beast of a book at over 700 pages, it will have you gripped from the very first page.

5. The Book of M by Peng Shepherd

There’s something about memory that feels so precious to me. It may be because in a normal functioning brain, it’s the only thing that constantly keeps us company and therefore, in some ways it’s like an old friend. The Book of M features a virus where shadows have begun to disappear, leaving their humans with a strange new power but also with a rapidly deteriorating memory. Following Ory and Max -two halves of a couple who have been torn apart by the prospect of heartbreak- we meet a bunch of wonderful characters on a journey to New Orleans, where sanctuary reportedly awaits. I stayed up late to finish it because I became so invested in getting these characters back together but I was left completely thrown and sobbing my eyes out by the very cruel twist at the end. Yeah... brace yourself!

6. The Last Town On Earth by Thomas Mullen

Set in 1918 in Washington state, this story follows a small quarantined town trying to stave off the Spanish influenza. The effects of financial instability on the community, the fear of the unknown and the erratic actions of a panicked mind will definitely seem familiar in our current world. It’s an enclosed domestic drama with a lot of social history, tear-jerking moments and a truly explosive ending. I’m delighted that I discovered this emotional hidden gem!

7. Skin by Liam Brown

Skin describes a world with an extreme version of a COVID-esque virus. Everyone must completely isolate from everyone else including the people they live with and can only communicate from separate bedrooms via technology. But then our protagonist Angela spots a man outside without any protective gear on and he doesn’t even seem to be slightly sick. Full of intrigue, complex characters and a twist in the tale, it’s a fast read with a lot to say about contemporary society via a wry cynical voice.

8. Severance by Ling Ma

Candace Chen is a routine-loving millennial who turns ghost city photo-blogger when the deadly Shen Fever sweeps New York. Joining an eclectic band of survivors on a trek to a supposed sanctuary, she is harboring a secret of epic proportions. Things get progressively darker as the group begins to develop a cult-like dynamic and the seemingly self-elected ‘leader’ Bob becomes increasingly tyrannical. The sudden jolt out of ordinary life and the making and breaking of human relationships in times of hardship mixed with a touch of satire makes for a thoroughly entertaining, topical read.

9. Wilder Girls by Rory Power

I love a good boarding school novel and this is possibly the darkest, most unique one I’ve ever read. The Tox has left multiple pupils at Raxter School For Girls with deformities and they’re now waiting patiently for a cure. But then Hetty’s best friend Byatt goes missing and suspicion heightens as to what’s really happening on the remote island. I couldn’t shake the feeling of doom for the entire time and there was such a heavy gloomy atmosphere that seeps through the pages. There was a lot of buzz around this book on YA Twitter when it was released late last year and it’s definitely worth all of the hype!

10. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

This impeccably strange, enchanting novel is a little glimpse into some of the weirder rooms of Atwood’s mind. Snowman lives in a tree on a deserted beach and spends his days foraging for scraps and mourning his best friend Crake and the woman he loved, the enigmatic Oryx. He seems to be the only human left but somehow he has become a prophet-esque figure to the beautiful, ethereal Children of Crake. The actual virus doesn't appear until the final 50 pages but we see the effects of it from the very beginning, so I was pretty eager to find out exactly what had happened, which kept the pages turning. Although it is funny in places and exceptionally thought-provoking, there is a lot of disturbing content to be aware of including animal experimentation and child trafficking and sexual abuse. It’s a horrifying window into a possible future if extreme capitalism and the fast advances in genetic engineering were ever to meet in a head-on collision.

#pandemic fiction #dystopian #sci-fi #horror #books #bookworm #recommendations #book recommendations

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arcaneglitch · 5 years ago

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Overtaken

An innocent Crucible match reveals that Oryx might still have more influence over Harley than anyone thought.

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"You want to what?"

"I want to play some Crucible," Kai repeated, "You've been acting kind of weird and stressed out lately, so I thought we could decompress."

"I must have missed something," said Harley, "Since when has Crucible been a place to relieve stress?"

"Since always," said Liv, "Duh!"

Harley couldn't agree. While he had enjoyed Crucible the last time he played it, he also remembered it as very stressful. Points weren't something you had to think about when clearing out a Fallen base. And going up against other Guardians had been an entirely different experience. Still, he saw the merit in Crucible acting as training for Guardians. It was excellent for learning tactics and cohesive teamwork. And he'd done rather well the last time he'd entered it. Maybe there was something to the idea after all. At any rate, it would probably be better than dodging his friends until his next patrol assignment, which is what he seemed to spend most of his time doing.

"Alright, I'm in."

Liv cheered. "Hell yeah! We'll show those other Guardians a thing or two!"

"Are any of the others coming?" asked Harley.

"Besides us three, Rogue, Rae, and Kay all said they'd join," said Kai.

"Not Tristan?"

Kai shook her head. "He's studying in his room… I'll slot us in for the next match."

As the Titan typed on her interface, Liv turned to Harley. "So what weapons are you going to use?"

"Hmm, probably the Freelancer and my sniper."

"You any good with it?"

"You've seen me snipe, Liv."

"Yeah but not in the Crucible. It's different in there."

"Well, I used it last time and it worked pretty well."

She shrugged. "You do you… It'll probably be good to have some variety anyway. A lot of the others like to go short or medium range."

"Next match is Zone Control in Bannerfall," said Kai, "We should probably head out now."

Liv clapped Harley on the shoulder. "See ya there!"

Harley watched as his friends transmatted away and then had Prism do the same for him. Once they were on their way to the chosen area, he worried over his gear, checking his weapons.

"Nervous?" asked Prism.

"I guess I kind of am," he replied, "It's been a long time."

"When was the last time you played?"

"I think it was before Oyrx and all the Taken stuff. I meant to go in a couple times since then, but then there was the stuff with you-know-who."

"And then you were avoiding everyone."

"I wasn't avoiding… Ok, maybe I was. But they keep asking about the you-know-who situation and I don't feel like talking about it."

"Understandable. Crucible should be good for you, then. You can hang out with them but they'll be too concerned with the match to bring it up. And hopefully, you'll be too focused to worry about it."

"Hopefully."

Guardian and Ghost fell silent, watching the scenery of the City go by as they approached their destination. Soon, Harley found himself being transmatted down into the arena below. Bannerfall marked the place where the Guardians of New Monarchy had defeated the Concordat, a faction that had attempted to wage war against the Vanguard. Later on, Shaxx had turned the site into a map for the Crucible.

Shaxx made the opening announcements and then the match began. A display popped up on Harley's HUD, showing the score, roster, and the waypoints for the three zones.

"Let's head for B," said Kai, "But split up."

"Ace, why don't you get sights on B," said Liv, "I'll watch your flank."

Harley nodded and ran off to find a good sniper lane. He knew that most Guardians figured out where all the good sniping areas were after playing a few matches on a map. There was a good chance that someone on the other team would be expecting them. But he could see nothing on his radar.

"Those dumbasses all went for B together!" exclaimed Rogue over the comms, "If only I could smash 'em now…"

The point counters on the scoreboard ticked up as Harley's friends engaged the enemy team.

"Son of a Dredgen!" cursed Kaedro, "I had a perfect line on B and one of them shot me out of it!"

Harley tuned the chatter out, sighting down his scope. But as he focused on the zone, he caught the flash of an opposing sniper scope that wasn't aimed at him.

"Liv, get down!"

The crack resonated across the map. Harley spun to find Liv sprawled on the ground and watched as her body was transmatted to the designated respawn area. Then his radar flashed red and he looked up to see a Hunter lunging at him. He dodged out of the way, drawing his knife, and plunged it into the Hunter's chest.

All of a sudden, something inside him twisted and he fought the urge to be sick. He found himself kneeling next to the Hunter's body, hands outstretched as the transmat kicked in. He shivered. Cold sweat beaded on the back of his neck. He heard Prism's voice calling to him, but it sounded so distant. The sonorous voice of Oryx filled his head.

"Your Traveler cannot reach you here, Child of the Sky… Your will is mine."

A pair of legs entered his field of vision, only to disappear in a violent flash. A different pair took their place, striding up to him with quick, sharp steps. Hands clamped down on his shoulders, yanking him roughly to his feet. The sharp movement only worsened his nausea and he groaned. The person holding him up was yelling something. Suddenly, they reached up and yanked off his helmet.

"Wake UP Hayden!" Kai was shouting, "This is the Crucible, not a summer camp!"

"Kill them all. Make them pay."

Harley's hands were trembling as he clamped them over his ears, trying to block Oryx out.

"I can't…"

"Can't what?"

"I can't… I don't want…"

"Don't want what?!"

"I don't want to kill them! Don't make me kill them!"

Kai pulled his hands away and said something else, but all he could hear was Oryx commanding him to kill her. He broke free, pressing his hands over his ears once more. Kai snapped her fingers in front of his face, waving irritatedly. He screwed his eyes shut and found the voice quieted. He could hear Kai better now.

"-on Prism?"

His Ghost's reply was worried. "I think it may be a panic attack."

Why wasn't she phased? He had to find her, but he feared that if he saw her, Oryx would tell him to destroy her.

"I have no idea why he's reacting this badly. He was better for a while..."

"Ace?"

A hand settled on his arm. He flinched, but the touch was light, barely putting pressure on him. Kai's voice was much less irritated. Instead, she sounded concerned.

"Look at me."

Harley shook his head, eyes still closed. He heard the faint sound of approaching footsteps. But then Kai said something that made them stop. Everything was still muffled. Hesitantly, he brought his hands away from his ears. The voice was silent.

"Look at me," Kai repeated.

He shook his head again. "Can't."

"Why?"

"If I see you, he'll tell me to kill you."

"Who?"

"Oryx."

He heard her inhale. When she spoke again, her voice was measured.

"Ace, Oryx can't control you. You're not Taken anymore. That was two years ago."

Harley cracked his eyelids open by a sliver. Sunlight poured in, making his eyes water a bit. Kai stood in front of him with Prism floating next to her. Both were watching him with concern. When Oryx's voice didn't emerge to give him commands, he opened his eyes the rest of the way.

"Harley?" asked his Ghost.

"Yeah?"

"Are you still hearing him?"

He shook his head. "Not anymore."

"You haven't had an attack this bad for a while," she said worriedly, "Do you know what might have triggered it?"

He took a slightly shaky breath. "When I...killed that Guardian, it… It was like when I was Taken and Oryx was telling me to kill you guys. Like when I almost killed Kay."

"I didn't know you remembered that." The Titan's voice was carefully calm.

"It's fuzzy… Everything's fuzzy except when it's not. Does that make any sense?" She shook her head. "I don't remember much. But...I remember turning on Kay. But only sometimes. When I'm...reminded."

"I think I'm starting to get it," said Kai, "Are you ok now?"

He nodded. "Better."

"Do you want to finish the match?"

He shook his head feverently. "I don't think I could make myself kill another Guardian… I know they're on the other team, but killing that Hunter made me feel...wrong."

"Ok. I'll get Shaxx to pull you out. He'll understand… Look, Ace. I think you should tell the others about this stuff. You've been...affected by this since you were in the med bay. It's the kind of thing your team should know."

"No! I don't want them to worry about me. I can manage this. They have other things to worry about. Promise me you won't tell them!"

"Alright, alright. Calm down. I'm not gonna say anything without your say-so. But you should think about it. This isn't the kind of thing you should suffer through alone."

"...I'll think about it," he said unwillingly.

Kai nodded. "Good. We'll meet you back in the Tower, yeah?"

He nodded. With one last glance at him, the Titan returned to the match. Harley retrieved his helmet, then allowed Prism to transmat him back to the Star.

"I shouldn't be a Guardian," he said as they flew back, "What kind of Guardian can't even play one Crucible match?"

"Plenty of Guardians don't play Crucible," said Prism comfortingly, "That doesn't make them better or worse than the ones who do. It's not a weakness to not want to kill other Guardians."

"It is a weakness to fall apart on the battlefield. What if next time something like that happens, it's someplace like the Vault of Glass? What if someone dies because I'm incapacitated? ...I never should've been given the Light in the first place."

"You are more than deserving of the Light, Harley. Don't torture yourself by wondering about things like that. If something like this ever happens again, we'll get through it like we always have: together."

Harley gave a small smile. "Thanks, Prism."

"Anyone who thinks my Guardian doesn't deserve the Light will get a piece of my mind. And that includes you."

#destiny #destiny 2 #destiny the game #destiny fanfiction #chasing fate #cf overtaken

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sarcasmo-mexicano · 6 years ago

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Flowers for Xur

Xaaldreen took another look at the Antique coin they were holding. It wasn’t bigger than the palm of their hand, it had a beautifully design, the shimmer of the gold starting to fade away; They could see their own, small, reflection on the greenish stone the coin had in its center. The hunter had a small pouch, almost filled with these, and they refused to spend them. From time to time they would pick any coin, and trace the overcomplicated but yet simple design with their finger.

Their fireteam however, did not share the same enjoyment from examine the coins as them. Every other day, they will count the coins each of them had and proceeded to go pay a visit to the Agent of the Nine. The first times, they would invite them over, claiming that the seller had some exotic weaponary or even armor they would like. But Xaaldren always refused. After that, they stopped. The hunter was glad their teammates could find something they like with the seller, but they didn’t need such things. They were ok with their set of armor, with their old cloak. Their weapons had never fail them. They found more joy when the sun reflected its light into the strange coin. It make them smile.

As it was expect that day, their team went off without them to see the one who they called Xur. Xaaldren wait for them back at the plaza in the Tower, leaning into the rail watching other guardians ships coming back home.

“Why don’t you spend your coins Xaal?” Nephrite, their Ghost, suddenly asked, making herself comfortable in the inside of their hood. “Don’t you want a new cloak? Maybe a new gun! I know you deserve it more than any of these guardians”

Xaaldren remained in silence for a few seconds. “I like the coins better” They simply reply. “They are pretty”

Nephrite sigh. Her guardian was indeed a weird one. Not as weird as that ONE guardian that just straight went to fight the Hive the first days they were rezzed, and then slayed Crota, and then Oryx, and then...Nevermind. Xaaldren was- different from the other guardians, but she love them regardless. They were HER guardian after all. “Seems like your buddies are going to be busy”

Xaaldren nodded. “Lunch?”

“Steamed buns?” Her guardian’s eyes light up, nodding more enthusiastically, making Nephrite laugh. “Ok let’s go!”

On their way out, the Hunter noticed the pillars at the base of the stairs. There was small patches of soil, as if someone wanted to put some kind of plant but, ultimately, forgot about it. They seem so gray and bare.

“Xaaldren? Something wrong?”

The Hunter shook their head.

. . .

At the market, while eating one bun while holding the bag with the other, Xaaldren took a small stroll. Many guardians were standing on the food stalls, eating and talking to each other. Some of them seem tired, with blackish eye bags under his equally tired eyes, other had smiles on their faces, laughing as hard as they could. It was all a mix of sounds and smells. The Hunter, certainly, liked this better than the quiet Tower. They were having a second bite when a small stall took their attention. They step closer, the seller, an old man give him a welcoming smile. On his table, were many trinkets, probably from the golden age. But that wasn’t what make them approach.

It was the small potted flower. It was a long green cord, covered with small purple flowers, from its base to the very tip. They could see how other sprout were making its way from the dirt.

“Lavander” the seller said, making Xaaldren look away from the plant. “From outside the city, far away from here. It took me a few tries to bloom this beauty, but it was worth it. Don’t you think?” Xaaldren nodded. “Not many guardians stop by. Do you like it hunter?”

“Yes, I do” Xaaldren replied.

The old man gave them a smile. “Tell you what hunter, I have a few other seeds along this pretty girl ones, and a book about gardening. I can sell them to you”

The hunter did never took their glimmer faster than in that moment.

. . .

He read and re-read the book, day after day. It was not until they could probably recite the entire thing that they decided to plant their first seed. The small envelope read “fern”. They knew what a fern was, they had seen it on patrols, growing as if their world wasn’t plagued with enemies. Every day after that, the Hunter would check into the pot they planted the seed. They would check the temperature, the dirt, water it, and change the pot into a place with more sun or more shadow. After a few days, tiny green leaves appear. Xaaldren was happy.

After the fern grew a bit more, Xaaldren decided it was better for it to be on a bigger pot. And they knew a perfect place.

Guardians and Vanguard alike, watched in silence as the awoken hunter dug a hole into the pillars planters, placing a green fern on it, covering up again and then leave. Nobody question them, non-tried to stop them. And didn’t question as every other month, they would come back, this time with a different plant or flower, and put those in a different pillar, until just one was left empty.

. . .

Xaaldren had bought a special pot for the lavender. It a simple, clay pot that someone in the past had painted purple and gold waves into it, make it prettier yet still simple. They anxiously placed the seeds on the dirt, then they waited.

And just as the other times, Xaaldren placed the full grown lavender into the last empty pillar. The purple flowers drop into the stone, making itself home. It wasn’t until they fireteam came back from their shopping day that the hunter noticed the strange symbol on the same pillar. They could only read “IX”

. . .

Lavender is easy to take care. But Xaaldren liked to make sure all their plants were ok, early in the morning they would step in the plaza, gardening tools in a bag to check every single one of them. Usually the plaza at those hours were almost empty, with only a few guardians and of course the vanguard, around. However, when Xaaldren came for the daily check, a person was standing in front of the lavender pillar. Just…Observing. It was like this strange person –dressed head to toes in black, carrying a big backpack on their back- could feel their presence as they turn around to see them. Xaaldren step back. This person face, well this person lacked a face. It was all dark in the place where eyes, nose, mouth should be. If the hunter look at them still, they could see movement, as if there was something there, like tentacles. They could only see their eyes, yellow and shiny like a cats.

“Don’t fear Guardian” They said. “Im only, admiring this before my duty”

“Your duty?” Xaaldren ask, walking closer to this individual, putting their gardening back in the floor near the pillar.

“Im Xur, agent of the Nine” He introduced himself. “I sell guardians like you, very value engrams.” Xur explained as he watched the hunter take out what it looked like a strange thermometer. “I had seen many guardians, but I don’t recall seeing you”

Xaaldren placed the thermometer into the soil, then faced Xur, they were almost the same height. “Im Xaaldren Xuruhn” they said sticking their hand toward the Agent. “It’s a pleasure to meet you”

Xur stared at the hunters hand then the guardian themselves. Nobody had ever introduced to him in such polite manner. Unsure he squeezed the hunter’s hand. After the introductions he, then again, looked back at the flowers. “Such a pretty flower” he said carefully touching one of the sprouts. “The color of the Nine too”

“You put that strange symbol in the pillar?” Xaaldren asked as they water the other plants, the lavender was just fine.

“That I do” Xur reply “For guardians to known when Im here” The Agent stared at the other plants. They were healthy, colorful. “I assume you take care of them” The hunter nodded. “A noble job you are doing”

Xaaldren put away their tools, hanging the bag around their shoulder. “You like them?”

Xur wasn’t sure. After all his will didn’t belong to him no more but at the Nine. Could he say he liked the flowers? Or it was the Nine who did? Strange thing to have in mind. Like something so vain yet so beautiful. The Nine wouldn’t appreciate this. “I do”

. . .

When the lavender fade away, Xaaldren would stop by the old man’s stall, to buy more. Sometimes more lavender, others bright orange poppies or pure white chrysanthemum. When the seller didn’t have any more seeds, Xaaldren would pick some wild ones when they were out in a patrol. The Towers planters were never empty. Some other guardians even started to take care of them when the hunter couldn’t.

Everything stayed the same, except for one thing.

Guardians didn’t noticed at first, and if they do, they never really pointed at it. It was mention in passing conversations or lunch breaks. But that was it.

The days when Xur was in the Tower, the pillar he would mark down, will always have lavender. There could be another flower in the same planter, but the purple flowers didn’t missed a day. Some guardians swear that the Agent of the Nine would be there, beside the flowers before going to his usual spot in the Tower. He didn’t have a face, but they swear on their graves he seem to be enjoying himself.

#destiny #destiny 2 #destiny oc #guardian oc #destiny fic #fan fic #xur #xaaldren xurunh #xur agent of the nine #casmo writes #fluff

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