#that was such a great interaction between mara and ikora

[thefirstknife]

Hi Bel,

I keep seeing comments about people complaining about the quality of destiny’s writing and story in the last few weeks. I haven’t really engaged with destiny since season of defiance, what’s currently gotten everyone so riled up? I thought that people were enjoying Season of the Deep/Witch in terms of narrative, why is Season of the Wish causing people to deride the destiny writing staff again?

I don't know!

Deep and Witch have been absolute bangers in every aspect to me. I've been enjoying all interactions and lore tabs we've received. A lot of them are stuff that we've never had before, a lot of reunions and closures, a lot of development and interactions between characters who you wouldn't really think would have much in common.

Sloane's return and healing from what she's been through has been fantastic, Drifter opening up with her to help her because he also got help from others was fantastic, Sloane reuniting with Aisha and Shayura brought me to tears (Shayura's descent into madness was triggered by immense trauma of Sloane staying on Titan and Titan disappearing), everything with Sloane and Zavala...

Witch was just incredible in every single way; the focus on Eris, the amount of Eris and Ikora content!!!!! Everything about Xivu and Savathun and their interactions together!! Eris finally fulfilling her goal she promised Savathun YEARS ago, getting that closure.

Wish so far has been equally great to me. All the new stuff about Ahamkara is amazing, finally giving us proof for long-standing speculation about Ahamkara and how they aren't universally evil creatures and expanding on them as a species. I love all interactions we've had so far; finally we have Petra back, Mara's singleminded focus on figuring out how to defeat the Witness and her continuous work to improve as a person, ALL SJUR MENTIONS!!!!! I won't talk about the "leak" because we have no context for it so I will wait for the full story to be revealed before I can pass judgment; something that I think should be a lesson to learn from this entire year. Maybe wait for the story to finish before judging the story.

Literally everything this past year that involves Osiris, but especially this season now that he's back in his element with the Vex. And of course every little detail we get of him and Saint. Osiris honestly shaped this year for me with everything that he's done to uncover the biggest mysteries. I think a big reason is that a lot of people just don't like Osiris, which I consider a massive skill issue.

Other than that, I don't know what are the issues people have besides just not being interested in any of these storylines and attributing it to a nebulous "bad writing" claim. I also genuinely believe that way too many people get wrapped up too much in fandom, imagine storylines they want to see and then get disappointed when the actual story doesn't go there. Almost like people forget that this isn't their story and these aren't their characters. A lot of it is also fandom completely warping characters into not what they actually are and then feeling like the canon story is the one that's wrong.

Whatever is the reason, I guess everyone is entitled to their perspective of the story and everyone is free to explore the story in different ways through fanfics and AUs and whatever. I do that too!

But I would definitely ask people to be normal with how they engage in criticism, especially in the current state of affairs. Writers are developers; they experience a ton of harassment and negativity from the community and also from inside the company. And they are online: they can see what we're saying. It's been documented that community commentary has been used to harass writers:

Imprint this into your brain and never forget what these people had to go through. Let's not forget also the way people treated Seth Dickinson on social media when he was active with Destiny fans. "Fans" were actively arguing with him about his own work (telling him that HE is wrong) and were utterly disgusting towards him when he tried explaining what he wrote. His works are now hailed as the best writing in Destiny and people want him back. If I were him, I wouldn't want to come back ngl, not with how he was treated and not with how fans are still treating writers (and hey, Seth wrote LF Collector's Edition! So he was back, technically, this year!). Let's not forget that a lot of writers are members of various marginalised groups. And I'd definitely not want to go back with zero support from leadership.

Which is also an important aspect for all developers, including writers: sometimes they have orders they may not like, but can't argue against. They do the best they can with what they're given, the time they have and directions they receive. And with that in mind, I am enjoying everything we've gotten this year, obviously with some specific complaints about things I didn't particularly enjoy (like the universally mid reception of Defiance; I've spoken about my gripes with it before, a big one being the shafting of Suraya who should've at least been mentioned in a lore tab).

I can tell that there is passion in their work, even if maybe they would prefer to do more with it, but can't. Maybe even if they want to take different routes, but can't. But from what we got, I can feel that they care about this world and these characters. I can tell that someone lovingly wrote about Sloane and her friendships with two grieving women. I can tell that they deeply cared about Sloane's friendship with Zavala and that they loved showing us Saint and Drifter caring about a fellow trauma survivor.

I can tell that the writers are immensely careful and loving towards Eris; everything she went through was crafted with love and passion from both writers and her VA. Eris' story is such a fundamental aspect of Destiny and I can tell that this was important to the writing team and that they gave her everything they could to do justice to her character and her arc and her healing and her release from the cycle she was trapped in for so long.

I can tell that there are writers who care a lot about Osiris and Saint and their relationship. I can tell that someone cared a lot about expanding on Ahamkara and giving them more personalities. I can tell that someone cared DEEPLY about Sjur and Mara and that her repeated mentions are the passionate work of writers who want us to remember her.

I could go on. And I know that not everyone sees it this way, which is fine; we all have different ways of perceiving stories. I enjoy discussing things we in the fandom disagree on and I enjoy hearing different perspectives! Unfortunately, this has recently become rarer and rarer. And for the love of god, please try and treat writers with some respect, especially now, especially those who are still working and doing their best with the shitty situation they're in. None of the cries of "poor devs" ring true to me unless the same is given to writers, instead of treating them like punching bags.

[synnthamonsugar]

I’m sorry if this sounds rude but why should eris’s message have been to so someone other than drifter? Did ikora go camping with eris in the disciple’s bog? Did mara wield stasis with elsie on europa? I’m not trying to sound like a dreris shipper by any means but drifter is the one to talk to about this situation. He helped her make the nightmare harvester and is the one she would follow up with about its application. I agree with the rest of the take but I really don’t get this part at all

If she thanked him for his help studying the darkness/egregore & friendship I wouldn't have an issue with it. That would have made perfect sense within the narrative and been a nice piece of development for their friendship dynamic.

The implication that Drifter was a catalyst for a major positive change in her outlook on life is the part that frustrates me, given we have seven years of lore involving Ikora (mainly) and Mara helping Eris along on her path of recovery. "For so long I believed peace was beyond my reach. No more. I have found it in guiding others down the same path that saved me" would have been a stellar emotional payoff to Ikora's years-long mission to help Eris regain some sense of peace and happiness in her life. It would have made more sense for Mara to be the one Eris invited to the Pyramid with her, given their system-spanning journeys to track down and study them.

So why didn't it?

It's a rhetorical question, but I would offer that art doesn't occur in a vacuum, and while I definitely don't think, or want to suggest, sexism is at play, there's a compulsion in every level of media (executives to fans) toward prioritizing relationships between men & women over women & women. It's another reminder that even generally progressive fandom spaces will never be easy ground for people who want to explore women's relationships, and we'll always have to fight heavy headwinds.

There's also something ... not great? about the idea of a man providing emotional closure to a woman struggling with trauma & mental illness when hitched to a fan interpretation of romantic subtext. None of the interpretations are good: that what a woman needs is a guy to get her back on track, that men and women can't have emotionally gratifying friendships, and that friendship alone can't be a catalyst for positive change. This one is especially tricky because men and women's interactions will overwhelmingly be read as romantic even when explicitly platonic in the text, while anything short of an onscreen kiss will leave viewers debating whether two close women are in love or just good friends. I want more men's and women's friendships, but can't have them because they're always read as romances, which makes me wary of women's and men's friendships in media . . . ad infinitum.

For my part, I like Eris' and Drifter's friendship, but want to see it explored in a way that doesn't make it The Definitive Eris Friendship And Raison D'être which it's kind of been for the last two years. (Identical statement, in reverse, for Drifter.) I want to see Ikora and Eris get more than scraps of meaningful lore. I would like to see Mara and Eris get screentime together. If I could wave a magic wand there would be balance, equal exploration of all of these relationships but . . . it doesn't happen for whatever reason.

Maybe this is a long standing Bungie writing issue, because I'm certain if I was in the fandom back in the TTK days I'd be penning an essay about "so random xD" blue robot eating up most of the expansion dialog and playing Eris' foil. But I can't help but think the quality of women's interactions have kind of gone downhill since like ... Shadowkeep. It's demoralizing.

[hustlemeanokay]

So, was playing Destiny earlier and was just watching some interaction between Petra and Crow and then listening to some stuff between Mara and Ikora and reading stuff between Petra and Mara and... erhm... Does... she know? Mara, I mean. Does she know that it was us and Petra who put Uldren down? I mean... I thought she did... but... now that I think back on it... she didn't say she knew we did it, she just said she knew her brother was dead. But it sounds like she blames the Vanguard and only the Vanguard.

If I had HC full reign, Wyatt-3 would pull Crow aside and be all "let's go for a walk..." And he'd tell him everything. He'd tell him about Uldren. He'd tell him about how Mara used him as a tool and that while yes, she loved him in her own way... she also knew how to play him and she did so frequently. He'd tell him about Petra and why she's so angry, that it's not about him, not really. It's about her. About her own failures and her own guilt. That that's where her anger comes from. And about Petra's huge glaring flaw, but it's a flaw she's working on. Her flaw of following Mara so blindly. But, again, it's a flaw she's working on. And he'd tell him about how Mara was always devious, though it wasn't always malicious. But above all... he'd tell him about Riven. And the fall of the great Uldren Sov. And about how the darkness exploited the insecurities and separation issues Uldren had regarding his sister and in so doing, brought him down so far that he was blinded so very completely. And he nearly lost himself entirely and was damn near there at the end. And he'd tell him that that's why Mara and Petra don't want him getting near Savathun. And that it's because of Mara's lack of control over him now that drives her to crave that control again. That she may think it's from a place of caring and love but it isn't. And once he'd told him all of that... he'd point out all the good that Crow has done since he's risen. All the lives he's saved. And there at the end - so there'd be nothing between them that is secret anymore, and he'd make it a point to tell him that - he'd tell him who killed Uldren. And why. Though, I suspect Crow already knows the why of it, the way he shies away from any mention of Cayde.

Crow deserves the truth and so far, no one around him is willing to give it to him. Not even his own ghost. And that's shitty. Really shitty. I wish the Young Wolf could be the one to give him that truth, so he could protect himself from all who wish to control him. Especially Mara-fucking-Sov.

[zulu-shiro]

* Sinora

* 28 when resurected

* Awoken

* Flames, red snake, often nicknamed sinner

* She/her

* Hunter

* Solar, blade barrage

* Wick, predator sun shell

* Zavala, ikora, cayde-6

* Meme with syndland and amadon

* Synland-7, amadon-9

* Breakneck

* Malfesence

* Shards of galanor

* She dosnt really use ornaments?

* Red strings of fate

* Mobility

* Offensive

* Aggressive and up front

* Gambit all the way ❤️

* Cayde-6, he helped her alot in trying to deal with her anger and teaching her not just fighting but also relaxing

* She cant mentor

* Callisto lancer

* Undettered

* Predator sun shell

* Crimson valor, gambit jadestone

* Red

* Anything sweet, she has a huge sweet tooth

* Pistols

* She hasnt heard any, ahe barely listens to music in general

* Sitting at the too looking down or in a window somewhere

* Drifter, ikora, eris, asher

* Tangeled shore

* Gambit, strikes, cats, walks, scenic areas

* Anything spicy

* Nebula rose

* Edz, its to noisey

* Dont really have any honestly??

* Drang

* Joutin

* Unessacery crowds, brightness, hive, pvp, lakshimi

* Her living space is abit messy, alittle one bedroom, with a big window and book shelves

Casual wear *

* Knife throwing/ tricks , hair styilin, reading, training, plants

* Fires call

* She was reborn on the tangled shore in east on a connected rock

* Old queens court robes, with a huge scar on her chest

* Scared and she violently reacted

* She was starteled and held her wound wondering why

* Hostiles but thankfully a group of guardians found her and helped

* Markus a titan and spitit-2 a warlock, who found her during a patrol mission.

* Only the clothes she wore but she did not realize where they where from as she never met the queen in her guardian life.

* Wick named her

* I honestly havent thought that far for her book, but i did make her her own exotic weapon!

* The drifter

* She went straight to the city

* She was amazed but timid

* Yes she is!

* As far as ik, no???

* The flame reachs all

* She is pretty newly rezed a a couple years before the red war so her interactions are limited but she has formed connections with others. The only iron lord she knows is saladin

* The spider as she worked with him for a time, the drifter

* She hates how cold and empty she feels when she uses it

* She did run the last wish and she was terrified of riven

* She felt bad as she really likes the elkisni

* She is not she is from d2

* She lost her old fireteam and carries some memebtos of them. She hid away in a cave in the mountions just outside the city.

* Osiris-she dosnt really know till recently, so her opinion is wavered

* Eris- She holds in very high regards, and enjoys talking to her

* Cayde-6- was a mentor and friend to her so she respects him alot

* Ikora- she goes to her for advice but is often left more confused

* Zavala- they do but heads so its abit strained between them

* Saint-14- she didnt know him till he returnd and she was at awe of the great titan she heard so many storys of

* Saladin- she only really talks to him for bountys when shes lower on glimmer

* Crow- she honestly has a hard tim due to her remebering what happend to cayde, but as time goes on she is trying to heal

* The spider- she worked for him and was a bounty hunter for him till she found out abit crow. in a fit of rage she almost blew up the hut.

* uldren- Kill him again

* Mara sov- She never knew the queen that she once served after she lost her memory.

* Variks- she alomst killed him when she had to save him from eramis but couldnt bring herself to it

* Elsie - they are indiffrent to eachother for the most part as they didnt and still dont speak to eachother

* She is not handiling the darkness well, its like she can still feel it.

* ”Keep your eyes straight and dont waiver”

[lordshaxxion]

All for Edix!!

omg i swear u guys hate me holy shit. all under a cut again

Where were you rezzed?

“In a grave outside of a long-abandoned village. Lots of burnt-out buildings, lots of Fallen arc spears around. It looked like there had been a battle there forever ago.”

How long ago was it?

“Well, I was a child when I was rezzed, and I’m in what would be a mortal late-twenties now. So a long time ago.”

Did you have anything in your pockets?

“No, but I was buried with a stuffed bunny toy.”

What was your first week alive like?

“Stressful. I was just a child and I couldn’t defend myself, so my Ghost had to ping the Vanguard on the emergency frequency for a rescue. We hid under a rusted-out piece of metal for a day before Zavala, my dad, arrived.”

How did you react to your new role as a Guardian?

“When I was old enough to understand and start training to be a Guardian, I thought it was great. To be able to stand up for what was right and to defend the last of humanity, it felt right. Now though? I just want to be left alone to study my plants and raise Kilgharrah, my Ahamkara.”

Do you have any regrets?

“That I wasn’t able to save Cayde in the Prison of Elders.”

How did you get your name?

“My dad named me in my first life. When I was brought back to the Tower after being resurrected, he recognised me immediately and reinstated my name and got to raise me again.”

Does your ghost have a name?

“Spiro. We found audio logs about an old game with the same name when we were exploring, and he liked the name so we used it. Turns out we spelled it wrong until we found a copy of the game, but I don’t care. It’s cute.”

What is your ghost like?

“Spiro is a worrier. But at the same time, he’s got more common sense than I do and he’s really good at talking me out of bad moods. I don’t know what I’d do without him, irrespective of being a Guardian.”

How do you feel about the last city and the vanguard?

“The Last City is my home and the Vanguard are my family, but they need work on how they operate since Cayde died. Dad’s become more distant and Ikora is more unpredictable and I worry for the both of them.”

What’s your favourite place to go?

“Io, to see Asher, or to just hole up in my garden or greenhouse and continue my studies.”

Do you participate in strikes or the crucible?

“Strikes. I rarely go into the Crucible. While I respect Lord Shaxx, it’s distracting hearing him shout at me all the time in Crucible matches and I get stressed out faster when he does. I know it’s meant to be motivational, but I don’t like it a whole lot.”

How do you celebrate the holidays?

“I spend it with dad, or with Artie when she returns to the Tower from her ventures. I’ve tried repeatedly to persuade Asher to come to the Tower for Dawning at least, but he isn’t interested. So I split my time between home and Io for him so he isn’t lonely out there.”

Who is your favourite NPC and who is your least favourite?

“…. I’m fond of Asher. Everyone calls him an asshole and an angry prick, but he has his reasons for being like that and I believe that underneath it all he’s a charming man. That said, I don’t like Petra. She puts too much stock in her Queen, if she can even be called that anymore, to the point it blinds her to Mara’s failings. I could stand there until I’m bluer in the face telling her this, and she’d still find reason to call me a liar.”

Where do you sleep/call home?

“I have my own apartment in the Tower, but sometimes I do just go back to dad’s apartment if trying to cope by myself gets to be too much. I’m lucky that he always welcomes me there, and it’s good for him too for me to be there. Dad doesn’t exactly have a concept of sleep, so if I’m there it means he can try and rest.”

Do you have any pets or companions?

“I may or may not have an Ahamkara called Kilgharrah, three cockatiels called Bert, Den and Dor and two cats, Nebula and Merlin.”

(side note, the cockatiels are named after my nan’s cockatiel - Bert - and my late grampy and nan - Dennis and Doreen

Does anyone live with you?

“Aside from the actual horde of pets, not really no. Artie sometimes stays over if she’s gotten in trouble, or for other reasons. Other than that, no. It’s just me.”

How do you unwind or comfort yourself?

“I hole up in my garden and greenhouse for days at a time if things have been bad. It’s not a great attempt at comfort, but it does help a little. Normally though I just sit down in the evenings with my crochet and make a bunch of stuff.”

What would truly break you?

“… losing those important to me, or getting left behind by them for something or someone better. It’s… it’s a scary thought and I try not to think about it.”

Most embarrassing moment?

“Having to explain to Asher why I wasn’t available on Io for a couple of days after my top surgery. He took it really well, and was fully supportive in his own way, but it was still embarrassing to have to explain.”

Any cherished memories?

“Meeting Kilgharrah and his mother for the first time beneath Io. While his mother died shortly after, she was the most breathtaking sight I’ve ever seen. A real Ahamkara, in all her glory, just sat there. Her wings and feathers and scales were just incredible and were largely immaculate, despite being hidden where she was for so long. Another cherished memory is meeting Artemis for the first time. She’s been a dear friend, even if she has her own dangerous endeavours. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

artie is @slumberblues​‘s

What was your highest and/or lowest point?

“After the incident regarding Crota and how I got my scars, I was at my lowest point. I wouldn’t eat, hardly spoke. I got caught apparently performing Hive rituals in my bedroom on three different occasions before the Vanguard realised there were shards of Crota’s soul crystal lodged in my eye.

My highest point? That would have to be when my transitioning was finally finished with and I could be me.”

Views on the enemy races?

“I don’t believe the Fallen to be our enemy, despite the fighting I think they could be our biggest ally.. The Vex and Hive, and by proxy the Taken, are perhaps our biggest threats and need to be dealt with first. The Cabal are just pathetic and the Scorn are abominations.”

Which enemy race is your most/least favourite?

“The Fallen are most interesting to me. I’ve tried to communicate with Captains on various occasions, before some Guardians came blundering in and slaughtered them for no damn reason. I hate the Hive and the Vex.”

What’s your role in a fireteam? (Tank, support, buff/healer, comic relief? Or are you the dead weight?)

“Dead weight.”

“Healer, Edix.”

“Thanks, Spiro.”

Do you have any mentors/mentees?

“The commander is my mentor and my father. I hope I don’t end up with any mentees, I’d be useless to them.”

What is your favourite weapon type/favourite weapon?

“Better Devils is a good handcannon and I will hold onto it forever. After that, I really like Thunderlord. Handcannons, auto rifles, shotguns and machine guns are the ones I prefer to use when I have to. Although, Eternity’s Edge is a good sword on the rare occasion I use it.”

Do you play Gambit?

“No.”

How do you feel about the Drifter?

“I don’t trust him. I’d like to, I hear about his intentions a lot and how he means well for the most part, but it’s just the interactions with the primevals and Taken that concern me.”

If you could be any class/subclass (not just your own), what would you be and why?

“I’d like to be better at using Ward of Dawn. I didn’t realise until lately that I actually had that ability, but it isn’t as strong as dad’s.”

What are your thoughts on the Nine?

“I don’t like them, since their whole business is shady in and of itself, but their aesthetic is cool.”

Any secret crushes or relationships we need to know about?

“…. noooooo…..”

“He likes Asher.”

“Spiro!”

Does your Ghost approve, or haven’t you told them?

“Of course I know, Edix spends a lot of time in his head and I can always hear his thoughts unless he really doesn’t want me to, which is rare. He’s just embarrassed to admit to it and thinks it couldn’t possibly come to anything, given Asher’s nature.”

You’re about to go off-planet on assignment, and will only be able to eat protein rations and food gel for a month. What’s your last meal?

“Anything my dad cooks. Despite all the jokes everyone makes about the commander, he does make really good meals.”

If you could take over any NPC’s job, who would it be and why?

“I don’t know. I think it’s expected that I take up overseeing the strikes and nightfalls from my dad, but I don’t think he’ll relinquish his duty that easily. Asher’s job is interesting, but I fear the day he… y’know. I don’t like to think about that.”

What is the most beautiful sight you’ve seen?

“I’m not sure. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful things, varying from places to things. Although, I think when I caught the rare blooming of a flower on Venus is pretty good.”

Do you have a favourite colour?

“Blues are nice colours.”

Show us your favourite outfit!

“I don’t have one”

What’s your favourite shader?

“The Io shaders are nice, even though people say they’re not. Some of the ones Calus offers are pretty good too, though I don’t really like things that are overly ostentatious.”

If you could make a wish to an Ahamkara for anything - no strings attached - what would you wish for?

“I’d never ask Kilgharrah for anything when he’s old enough to actually grant wishes, but I suppose I’d just ask to be able to help people more than I already can.”

[drexodthegunslinger]

Why is it only Cayde you focus on? What about other destiny characters?

Okay, that’s a fair point. Let’s go shall we?

1: The Speaker.

Said literally three things in the entire franchise. He told you to fight but that we can’t win, he gave a speech nobody listened to because we were all thinking “is this it? Really?”, and then he told Ghaul to kill himself. Yeah the Speaker dies but who really gives a shit? We’re not given any reason to care are we?

2: Zavalla.

Apparently this boy does not understand promotions. “We killed all the Cabal leaders, why are they not gone?” Idk mate, maybe because that’s not how that works. “We stepped into a war with the cabal” yeah and you’re doing pretty shit mate. Sure he’s supposedly busy managing and planning shit, but really it doesn’t translate well in game. He might as well have two lines in the entire game where he alternates between “mah walls” and “we stepped into a war with the cabal” and he’d be the same.

3: Ikora.

Good in the crucible apparently? All she does these days is stand around looking stern and running an intelligence group that can be brought to a grinding halt by a fucking storm. Ikora, listen, if your satellites can’t withstand a storm they’re not much use are they?

4: Cayde.

TLDR, Bungie killed your fave.

5: Eris.

Creepy Hive lady. Very convenient for her to turn up in time for the Hive DLC’s and then disappear when they weren’t at the forefront. Will admit, I was mildly surprised she wasn’t brought back for the Warmind DLC because it has Hive. What did she really do though? She gave us some advice on Hive, had her shit stolen, and was looked down on by pretty much everyone. Only redeemable feature I can thing of is the rule 34 fan art of her which is great if you like generic rule 34 art where the woman’s chest and ass are exaggerated to shit.

Speaking of which, Bungie, I know the Destiny Franchise takes place in a period where food shortages are probably frequent, but mix it up with your fucking character designs. Not everyone is the same height and build you cowards.

6: At this point my mind went blank and I had to google “destiny characters”

7: Ghost.

Look at what the Speaker did. It took a multitool and gave it sentience.

The Ghost is really inconsistent, let’s be real. You want me to hack a lazer grid on earth, sure but that’s going to take precisely three waves of enemies and you’d better not miss one. You want me to access Cabal consoles on our very first time accessing the computer shit of an alien that likely has a numerical system that works off of base 3? Easy shit, no waiting involved.

Yeah, the “talk to your ghost” thing was great and honestly, I liked that. It was a moment for you to sit down ant talk to your Ghost, the one constant companion you have. It was a good moment.

And then they go right back to alternating between being a torch and a lockpick.

Bungie really fucked up with the Ghost-Guardian interaction in vanilla D2. The two of them nearly died, Light was lost, and the two don’t sit down and have a “talk to ghost” moment at any point? That’s theft of a possibly great emotional moment.

8: Crota

He is bad because he kills people

9: Oryx

He is also bad because he kills people and he’s mad you killed his son who he can bring back because We didn’t destroy Crota’s soul or something?

10: The EXO Stranger

In going to find the tweet I wanted I found something worse. Luke Smith had said he felt they had wrapped up her arc and quite frankly I haven’t heard a more objectively wrong thing come out of a human beings mouth with regards to games in a long time.

But it gets worse. Because 4 fucking years later, bungie dropped clues to who she might be if you paid enough attention to the shitshow of the Warmind DLC. According to lore from the dlc and the rasputin arg, there are hints that the EXO Stranger is Ana Bray’s sister who went back in time from the future as an exo to?

No, you know what. That’s bullshit. Bungie thought they finished the exo stranger arc, which was a shambling corpse of writing itself, then learnt actually they were wrong and tried to wrap it up.

Except none of it’s confirmed and explains nothing. Fuck the stranger, and fuck everyone involved in the creation of her character and her arc, learn how to write a story.

11: While we’re here, Ana bray.

Bungie’s first confirmed non-straight woman. I don’t know if it was confirmed if she’s a lesbian, bi, pan, or what so I’m using non-straight until I get confirmation otherwise. Had her girlfriend introduced on the fourth day of pride in a comic where she died. Great start.

But what about Ana herself?

Honestly, I couldn’t tell you. I tried to play Warminds but the Hive ruined it because Bungie is quite frankly not great at writing their own game are they?

12: Ghaul

Quite frankly, my favourite character. I dropped enough money on D2 to get the collectors edition cabal book which gave quite a lot of backstory to the campaign, however I’ll keep this to what Bungie actually make accessible in their game.

He’s an arsehole. He’s just the antagonist of the day, let’s be real. To understand that his behaviours and attitudes might somewhat stem from how he was shunned in mainstream cabal society and how this loneliness and bitterness from being an orphan as well as a runt was used to manipulate him into being how he is today, is completely lost on anyone who didn’t read his lore.

The game doesn’t put any significant thought into him on the actual disc that you play because, like Crota, like Oryx, like Skolas, he’s just an episodic villain.

13: Osiris.

Local Man Who Says He Doesn’t Need Help, Actually Needs Help.

How bad was this dlc? I mean, sure, we ran through the same area repeatedly, killed a Vex reskin of Oryx, and watched a Cabal jump on a vex. Twice. Once in a mission and again in a strike.

I can’t think of what Osiris did in this DLC except think he was able to do this himself, and then be the only reason we could damage Oryx- I mean, uh Panoptes.

Wait. Did they give a Vex guy that tries to simulate all the universes a name after an ancient Greek figure who was the source of the “eyes of Argus” stuff? I think they did.

14: Panoptes.

Bungie aren’t even trying at this point. He’s just Vex Oryx.

15: Amanda Holiday.

She has a robotic leg, an american(?) accent, and didn’t stop Cayde from doing his stupid bullshit plan that she knew was illegal. She also had a quest for an exotic shotgun that makes her different from other vendors. I get that as a vendor she doesn’t need an in depth backstory but Bungie, come on. If you’re going to make her important to parts of the story, give us reason to care about her.

16: Tess Eververse

Is there an actual ingame reason for her to be there? Is Silver explained? Is Bright Dust? As far as I can tell, no. Literally bolted on because Activision couldn’t let EA one-up them in microtransaction bullshittery.

17: Mara Sov

Cold, aloof, had fallen as pets. Was it confirmed how dead she is?

18: Uldren Sov

The only episodic villain I like aside from Ghaul. Uldren is great once you realise that he is how he is because of a bitterness towards Guardians. I mean, we turned up in his house demanding stuff, and the City on at least one occasion, let the Reef take a big loss for us with no acknowledgement. I can understand why he’d be pissed off in the first place and if he was somewhat possessed then sure that’s not going to help.

Most people are just pissed with him because he killed Cayde, but now he’s back as a Guardian that anger seems to have calmed. I’ve stopped playing the game since Warminds and I can’t say for anything that happened since, and while I hope Uldren as a Guardian grows as a character I won’t hold my breath.

19: Variks.

He stayed loyal to the reef and was helpful for a brief stint before we all shamed him for his mine dismantling kink.

20: Is that it?

I can’t think of anyone else. Sure, there are vendors and other side characters, but honestly, those are cardboard cutouts of a character with no depth of anything to them.

Sure, you could say “but drexmun, what about The Drifter, or the Spider, or Obb the Soulcarver?”

And I would say “yes, but two of those are from after I stopped playing the game and I can’t make an analysis on characters I know nothing about, and also you leave Obb out of this.”

[thefirstknife]

Some of the more interesting bits of today's reset and dialogues. I loved this from Mara. She acknowledges her participation in steering Uldren towards his downfall AND she realises that she will have to do better with him in the future. This is from the ending dialogue when you finish the exotic quest for the Ager's Scepter.

I want to mention something from the start of the week because I've seen people get angry (but when do they not when it comes to Mara?)

Long post under read more:

It's about the discussion she and Ikora have at the terminal. Hot take, but both Mara and Ikora are right and wrong in the argument. Transcript:

Mara: "How long have your Hidden been privy to Uldren's resurrection?" Ikora: "Long enough to watch over him in your absence." Mara: "And you didn't direct him home. Why?" Ikora: "There was a concern he'd pick up some old habits." Mara: "You know the Garden made him sick. Riven twisted his mind. Eris would have seen it. She is not so easily deceived by skin-deep tricks." Ikora: "It's true I made mistakes, out of an idea of justice... out of grief. Are you leveling this same scrutiny toward Petra? Wasn't she supposed to be watching his grave?" Mara: "Petra has paid her dues. The Vanguard murdered him and has yet to pay theirs." Ikora: "We both lost family. I am sorry for my part in yours, but... Crow has been treated --" Mara: "My brother is dead. He was exhumed; his body twisted into a caricature. You had your vengeance." Ikora: "Is that what you're after? Cayde... I still feel that grief like a stone caught in my chest. Some days, it's more pronounced than others. Vengeance didn't erode that grief." Mara: "Then tell me. Who am I to blame? Who sent him to Savathun's clutches? Who bludgeoned Uldren into a scared animal and drove him from his home?" Ikora: "You did, Mara. And those Guardians that hurt him, did so out of misguided anger. Don't make the same mistake. Don't make my mistake."

This is some heavy stuff and there's a lot going on. First, I like that Mara doesn't respond at the end. It's uncharacteristic for her. It shows that Ikora's words did something to her. This is evident in the exotic quest later which I've already put at the beginning of the post. She's had time to think and she's admitting the part she played.

I dislike some of Ikora's arguments a lot. First, "concern that he'd pick up some old habits" goes entirely against the Vanguard policy and belief that Guardians are new people. They were only concerned because of bias towards Uldren due to what he's done. And Crow knows this! He said so last week when he wondered why is he the only Guardian judged by his past life. No one else is subjected to the same way of thinking. This is the reason why Guardians aren't supposed to dig around their past lives. Obviously with Crow, there's no way for him to avoid it, but the argument that, if he knew, he'd just magically become Uldren (and not just base!Uldren, but murderer!Uldren who will... I don't know, go after Ikora and Zavala or the innocent people in the City?) really shows how much the Vanguard mistreated Crow.

I also dislike the move to Petra. As Mara says, Petra has paid her dues. She really has. Let's not forget that Uldren was not just some guy to her or just her Prince; he was her friend. She had to watch him spiral out of control due to things she couldn't help him with, she had to make the choice to put him away until Mara comes back and at the end she had to make the choice to kill him. This trauma has shaped her.

The Vanguard hasn't paid any dues. That's kinda the whole point of Mara's questioning. Ikora tries to explain that this was due to grief and losing family, but pray tell Ikora, has Mara not lost family too? Mara mentions this immediately as expected.

Ikora is however right to say that it was ultimately Mara's actions that led to the situation we're currently in. The Vanguard had no say in Awoken royal family affairs. Mara knows this, she said as much in the past few weeks and other lore in general: she spoke at length about the distance she pushed between them out of perceived necessity, the need to shape Uldren in a way to make him less like himself (since she disliked his recklessness and dangerous behaviours), but ultimately that only made things worse. She's aware that his venture into the Black Garden was fuelled by Uldren's need to prove himself. Ironically, in an effort to make him loyal and devoted, Mara pushed him into more recklessness instead of stopping it. She's aware of this. Asking Ikora "who am I to blame" was just waiting to be roasted.

But Mara is also right to ask about how the Vanguard treated both Uldren and Crow. How they washed their hands from killing him "officially" by hiding behind the Guardian, how nobody in the Tower answered for this. Their treatment of Crow as well: forcing him into hiding, isolating him. Excusing all the suffering he felt at the hands of the Guardians as "misguided anger." The torture he endured from Guardians just for showing his face was so much more than just "misguided anger" and Mara is right to feel heated and enraged when she talks about this and when she asks her questions. She expressed similar distaste and anger in a voice line with Glint in regards to how the Spider treated Crow.

I got an interesting dialogue at the end of my Shattered Realm run which also made me really irritated on behalf of both Crow and Mara when it comes to the Vanguard. Ikora asks Crow why didn't he send his latest report and Crow replies that he's had a lot going on and a lot to deal with. Which is true! He's not the Drifter who doesn't send reports out of spite; Crow genuinely wants to help but he's struggling with a lot of things that we can't even begin to unravel. He deserves patience and understanding. However, the following then ensues.

Ikora:

Crow:

Ikora:

This last part is a nice sentiment. But excuse me. Crow has literally been resurrected, isolated, tortured, enslaved and then "rescued" only to be thrust into a cage in the Tower and given "responsibilities." He is not obliged to be the Vanguard's errand boy. It's honestly quite rude from Ikora to tell him that he has to take his responsibilities seriously. The man hasn't lived a single day in his life without anxiety over whether he'll be tortured to death in the street if he shows his face.

I know the Vanguard gave him protection from the Spider and stuff to do (which he enjoys) and accepted him into their ranks. That's all good. But there's very little empathy here that acknowledges the life he's lived. Crow deserves to experience things that aren't isolation, imprisonment and following orders.

And most of all, he deserves to know the truth. Something the Vanguard has denied him for almost a year now. I know Savathun's schemes were involved and specifically, they were involved through impersonating Osiris which made a lot of people turn a blind eye. But now that this is known?

Crow can't share his burdens without knowing the truth. That's the whole problem. Everybody, except him, knows who he was. Everyone looks at him and treats him through that lens. He can't unburden himself without being told half-truths and being denied information. His burdens exist precisely because he doesn't know while everyone else does. So while the sentiment is nice, it reads more like a "that sucks buddy" than a genuine offer to help him with what is really bothering him.

On the other hand, obviously sharing the truth is difficult. His past life is more complicated than for most other Guardians. He's been through things that other Guardians haven't. The situation is complex on every single level and every character has a reason for the choices they've made.

Sometimes those choices are wrong and they are mistakes. And Mara isn't the only one who made the wrong choices and mistakes, consciously and unconsciously. It's a disservice to the complexity of the situation, Ikora, the Vanguard and Uldren to boil everything down to "Mara bad." Doesn't make for a compelling story.

That's what I wanted to address in detail because on the surface, it's easy to just dismiss either of the character you dislike more. And that's just reducing the story to a spectrum of black and white that Destiny really, ironically, isn't about.

[thefirstknife]

That line about Arach saying he didn't like how Mara felt entitled to the Awoken more or less sums up why I didn't like her for the longest time. I've never cared for character's that feel/act/portrayed as being entitled to the trust and loyalty of others but never share their secrets jor trust anyone else to at least "on screen"(also irl i dont lile monarchists but thats not relevant)

And it's why for me I started to like her during Season of the Lost and again during the Parasite mission. It humanized her alot for me and put her actions on a much more understandable if not agreeable level.

Her decision to let Crow be himself even if it means rejecting her as well as her realizing that if she wants us to help we also should be given some level of trust.

I'm very much a proponent of letting people make their own decisions even if you think it's not safe or smart.

Her conversation with Elsie especially showed her coming around on this.

I went from utterly despising her to now enjoying when she's own screen.

Props to the writers and double so for her VA

Same!

Mara was very different before and a lot of people, both in-game and players, had very valid reasons to dislike her. Even then, she was still a complicated person with complicated motives and backstory so it wasn't really a cut and dry situation, but I understand that she wasn't very likeable and many Awoken themselves did not want to support her.

And it was supported in the text! Jalaal made a really good point. A lot of the Awoken just wanted to live their lives, not tethered to her, which they had a right to do. And a lot of them left the Reef for that reason. I think that humbled her back then, though she wouldn't really go through all the changes immediately. But that was definitely one of the first moments that made her realise the harsh reality of the world she brought them back to.

She went through a lot since then and a lot of it forced her humble herself further. Right now, she knows that she is one part of the plan and not the whole plan. I'll always quote Ikora from the WQ Collector's Edition about this:

I believe Mara has begun to consider that she may not be the prime executor of her own endgame. She may be just one component of the bomb—a payload or a timing device. At the end of her own journey, she is necessary but not sufficient. She can no longer fight alone.

And Ikora is correct! This is especially visible in the Parasite quest where she seeks our help, desperately tries to explain herself to us and ultimately even says that if she is ever compromised, she has a plan to put herself out of the game. Because she realises that she is not necessary to finish the endgame, she is just one step on the way.

I really did not expect her to be an active character in this season so I am pleasantly surprised that she is. Her interaction with Elsie was godsent. Such a great parallel between them and long awaited content with them interacting.