#kysurax

[rivaldi22]

In the search for the perfect formalwear for the upcoming Dawning Ball, Heulog-12 has been introducing Kysurax to some of Sol's more…audacious fashions.

The Lightbearer Wizard has found herself rather taken with this "polished nail" aesthetic and how sharp and willful it makes her chitin look, particularly the edges about the face.

(finally got around to doing this :3 )

#destiny fanart #destiny 2 #destiny the game #hive #exo #destiny warlock #heulog-12 #kysurax #dress meme #my art #my ocs #lightbearer wizard #lucent hive

[gnostichor]

That Cloud and Its Auxiliaries Are Forever

Heulog-12 drops herself onto the shaded bench, slouched shoulders heavy with inelegant worry. She had just returned from Titan by means of that disorienting portal installed aboard the HELM, and the nausea caused by whatever esoteric technologies that power that thing had yet to wear off. She wearily sets her helmet next to her, and when its clumsy placement sends it clattering to the paving stones she cannot bring herself to reach down and retrieve it. The helmet’s metallic ringing fades, giving way to the familiar silence of this darkened back alley behind the Tower Bazaar where she and Kysurax like to meet.

A nearby wall tears open with a green scream, and from between the bricks emerges the Risen Wizard herself. Gliding closer, she wordlessly picks up the helmet and lowers herself awkwardly on the undersized bench. At first she says nothing, looking down at the helmet in her lap as if it were Heulog herself, then asks, “Is it true?”

The Exo sighs, leaning back until the metal of her head pings against the brick. “It is.”

Kysurax fitfully runs her claws down through the grooves of the helmet’s shell, tracing its history through the etches, marks, and gouges found along its weathered surfaces. “When is it to take place—will it even work?”

“Soon, and I have no idea if it will work. There’s a small angry wound somewhere inside me that hopes that maybe it won’t.”

In response, Kysurax finally looks at Heulog, her eyes green-hot with some inscrutable emotion. “Why wo—”

“BECAUSE SHE HURT ME, KY.” She hadn’t meant to raise her voice, pulling herself from the wall to meet the Wizard’s gaze. She quickly realized that she had never actually said those words aloud before, and they simply had needed to get out. “She led me to believe that she wanted to change, that just maybe she saw ahead of her a possible path born by the fruits of honesty, reparations, and,” she struggles with the word, “...forgiveness. That there was space in the world for the likes of us, and that it was worth searching for.” She turns away, facing forward as the heat of her indignance gutters out. “That she was my friend. And I believed it.” 

After a moment she looks up at Kysurax, all anger given way to sadness. “I used to read to her. Off-duty, I would bring whatever I could from the libraries that week and just…read to her: novels, textbooks, old newspapers, poetry. She told me how happy it made her, how fascinating it was just how much she could learn about me merely by what I chose to bring down with me each time, how nice of a change it was to have a fulfilling relationship with someone after all those countless gray eons. A Cloud withdrew from the Sky. Pre-Golden Age poem. She told me it was her favorite of everything I ever brought to her.”

Heulog sighs, shaking her head. “And then she was Risen. A new start. Memories wiped clean. It broke my heart, finding out that that had been her plan all along: that every moment she spent with me was knowingly going to be tossed away like a shed skin.” Her voice catches in her throat. “But that wasn’t the plan, was it? She left a trail of clues for this desperate, heartbroken and guileless Warlock to follow, and got her memories back—some, but not all. Just the useful ones. Not the time we spent together, or the things she said to me, or all those supposed insights gleaned from my behavior. She just…she did not want it.” Heulog felt the modulation of her voice, the microtremors cascading through the tiny actuators that clicked and whirred beneath the plates of her face, the gentle flickering of the lamps behind her eyes: she was crying. 

“She could have, I don’t know, she could have made something else so she could remember, some—something different, for us, a new, different thing for us, for the altar, to remember with the altar, before she ran away. Before she ran away to die and forget—to forget about me. But she didn’t want it. She didn’t want it and she forgot about me. She didn’t—why didn’t she want me?” Her shoulders heaving with sobs, Heulog throws herself around Kysurax’s midsection as best she can, clumsy and awkward as her metal fingers tangle and catch on the chitinaceous cage of ribs and spines. Kysurax carefully extracts the Exo’s hands and gently lifts her upright into a more comfortable position and wraps her arms around her, pulling her in close while stroking a shimmering cheek with one claw.

“I am sorry. I did not know all of that,” says the Wizard as tenderly as her flayed throat will allow.

“That’s because I’ve never told anyone—I’ve never talked about this with anyone before; I suppose I never felt like I could. I am,” Heulog sniffles with a newfound sense of self-consciousness, “very sorry for throwing all that at your feet, all at once.”

“It was something you clearly needed to do, and it sharpens my bones that you trust me enough to have let it out.”

Heulog turns to look up at Kysurax, ducking under the claw caressing her cheek in order to readjust her positioning to rest her head affectionately in the Wizard’s leathery palm. “But this news clearly weighs upon you too, and it is unfair of me to dominate our conversation with my clearly-biased reactionary nonsense.”

Kysurax’s three eyes flash. “It is NOT nonsense. As the shape of the Sword defines the shape of the cut, so too does the cut in turn redefine the ever-wearing edge of the Sword. What we call a life is a collected series of impressions left upon us by those we touch and those who touch us. Your hurt is as real as the blade that gave it to you: the threat of Savathûn’s return manifests that hurt in ways you have not had to deal with in over a year.”

Kysurax haunts the alley with a soft sigh. “To clarify my own feelings: I also find myself wondering if it would be best if the ritual failed.”

“Really? Why?”

“I am afraid.”

“That she’ll come back and simply return to her pernicious bullshit?”

Kysurax laughs, or makes a sound that Heulog has come to recognize as laughter: gravel being sifted through with a rusty shovel. It’s one of Heulog’s favorite sounds, and she has made it a lifelong goal to hear it as often as she can.

The Wizard composes herself, returning to her usual, more serious affect. “No, I am afraid,” she takes a deep breath. “I am afraid that she will not. Afraid that the person you thought she was will finally arrive. Seeking redemption, forgiveness. What sort of future, then, would we have to look forward to? What does such a world look like? Is one even possible? What if she comes back to us seeking change and is denied it, held down and chained by a vengeful cosmos unwilling to move beyond the countless millennia of aggregate harm she has inflicted upon it, irrespective of any alleged motivations she may or may not have had at the time? What kind of world makes allowances for the existence of Savathûn the Witch Queen, Repentant? What are you or I in the face of such uncertain tomorrows? What would become of us? Would you still love me as you do now?”

With each enumerated concern, Kysurax’s words become increasingly pressured and frantic; Heulog has never seen her like this before. She sits up straight and reaches one arm behind the Wizard’s back to cradle her thorax, while carefully slipping her free hand between the ribbed lattice of her bony exoskeleton. She reaches around, searching for the dense nerve bundle deep within and finds it, recognizable by its faint, rhythmic thrumming. She places her palm on its tough surface, and begins to hum a softly-dissonant melody: a lesser invocation calling on the strength of the listener, normally sung to newborn Hive just as they are being administered their worm larvae—a lullaby, once used by Kysurax to calm Heulog after a particularly harrowing encounter down in the depths of the recently-returned Titan.

Heulog holds herself as close as she can and continues to hum. She couldn’t yet form the vocalizations, and maybe would never be able to do so, but she hoped that for now the acrid notes alone would suffice. That through the burgeoning haze of unchecked anxiety Kysurax would be able to recall the invoking words and hear the earnest appeal to her inner strength, the words that define that strength as extant and obligate it to come forth, to inhabit her bones and manifest as the truest form of her will. The words that assert that she, as a single unified force of will and body—in defiance of all existence—shall persist.

Heulog feels the thrumming slow, its rhythmic cadence aligning with her own deep breaths. She gently removes her hand from Kysurax’s torso and feels the Wizard’s arms close around her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

“I am afraid,” Kysurax finally says, calm returned to her voice. “But I temper that fear with the certainty that I will be alright, because you are with me.” She looks down at the Exo in her arms, into the starblue flames that are her eyes, and smiles. “I do not doubt, for I have seen your heart. As you have seen mine. That is the power intrinsic to the Yielding Inquisition: there is no obfuscating act of misdirection, no factor of deceit that can withstand the abrading blade of trust conjured by the ritual. Truly, I have known you, and that secret knowledge is a weapon with which I joyfully flense and cast aside any and all flesh given over to the rot of doubt.”

At the ritual’s mention, a sense memory comes rushing unbidden to Heulog: the sour burn of the soulfire clinging to her lips, the infracitrus sting pooling on her tongue. She nestles close, her face half-buried in chitin; a non-verbal reciprocation of Kysurax’s expressed sentiments. It had been quite some time since that night, and the memory of it was a constant companion in Heulog’s thoughts. Maybe she would finally allow herself to ask Kysurax if she wanted to perform the ritual again. Maybe tonight, Heulog thought to herself as she listened to the rise and fall of the Wizard’s calm breath, watching the clouds over the City recede one by one into the horizon.

#destiny fanfiction #destiny #destiny the game #destiny 2 #lucent hive #hive #destiny hive #season of the deep #savathûn #savathun #exo #destiny exo #heulog 12 #kysurax #lesbian #my writing #my ocs

[rivaldi22]

As the Hive typically depict others in words alone, Kysurax has been taking a greater interest in the novelty of portraiture.

There aren't many places to take a romantic portrait in the Tower, but they make it work.

#d2valentines2024 #destiny 2 #destiny the game #hive #exo #my ocs #heulog-12 #kysurax #my art

[rivaldi22]

idea that popped immediately into my head when the dungeon dropped and I saw that armor set

(this is a double date they're going on btw)

#destiny #destiny 2 #destiny the game #destiny fanart #my art #exo #hive #lucent hive #my ocs #heulog-12 #kysurax #they're dating #comic #season of the deep

[rivaldi22]

lesbian ship meme going around on twitter

you know I had to

meme source tweet

#destiny 2 #destiny the game #destiny fanart #destiny #hive #lucent hive #destiny hive #kysurax #lightbearer wizard #hive wizard #heulog-12 #warlock #destiny warlock #exo #destiny exo #lesbian #my art #lesbian ship meme #meme #my ocs

[rivaldi22]

Cultural Exchange, in which rituals of affection are discussed, commenced, and finally seen through to the end, and two women express heretofore unsaid emotions.

This was a culmination of a lot of things: art struggles, pushing my way through the last stretch of destinytober prompts, rounding off an arc of a character that I came up with for the event itself but ended up being extremely important to me, a big irl move, and as a result this emotionally-charged exchange serves as my submission for XXXI: Free Space, along with so much else.

Thanks for reading <3

#destiny #destiny 2 #destiny the game #destinytober #hive #lucent hive #wizard #lightbearer wizard #exo #my art #my ocs #heulog-12 #kysurax #ritual #inquisition of self #yielding inquisition #peeled kysurax #KISS #destiny warlock #destiny fanart

[rivaldi22]

It's International Lesbian Day—fictional bug and robot wives totally count

#international lesbian day #destiny the game #destiny 2 #destiny fanart #destiny exo #exo #destiny hive #hive #lesbian #destiny warlock #lucent hive #lightbearer wizard #heulog-12 #kysurax #peeled kysurax #my art #my ocs

[rivaldi22]

Her work done for the time being, Eris finally relents and agrees to participate in some of the more hands-on traditions for the Festival of the Lost.

Her loved ones and biggest supporters gather to share in her experiences, but are mostly just glad to have her back home. 💚

my submission for the 2023 Festival of the Lost zine run by @d2artevents

#daefotl2023 #festival of the lost #fotl #destiny 2 #destiny the game #destiny #warlock #lucent hive #hive #exo #heulog-12 #kysurax #ikora rey #eris morn #my ocs #my art #destiny 2 fanart

[rivaldi22]

Hello! If you enjoy my art and have thought that maybe you'd like a print of it? then I invite you to check out my store over on Inprnt, where there just happens to be a pre-Black Friday sale going on, so all of my prints are 40% off through this Sunday!

If you've looked in the past, I have listed a few new pieces in recent months, so feel free to drop in again! I really appreciate it, thanks!

#destiny the game #destiny 2 #destiny #eris morn #ikora rey #lucent hive #dûl incaru #dul incaru #felwinter #lightbearer wizard #kulve taroth #rasputin #warlock #SIVA #exo #hive #my art #destiny exo #kysurax #heulog-12 #my ocs #art prints

[rivaldi22]

There is a very real possibility that this joke is only funny to me alone, and I'm okay with that.

#fotl #festival of the lost #destiny the game #destiny 2 #destiny #hive #exo #warlock #lucent hive #lightbearer wizard #heulog-12 #kysurax #my art #my ocs

[rivaldi22]

My submission for Solar Embrace, Vol. 4, run by @d2artevents

—

Heulog-12 sighs, shaking yet even more of the strange lotion from its vessel. "This is taking a very long time. There's so very much of you, you see."

"Wormless as I am, nothing remains to eat the Solar Light radiating from your Sun. Unless you'd rather I re-don my chitin raiments."

Heulog, stammering, almost drops the ointment. "NO—! *ahem* No, that won't be necessary."

Kysurax laughs quietly to herself. Teasing the woman she loves is one of life's gentle thrills.

#SolarEmbraceVol4 #destiny 2 #destiny the game #destiny #destiny 2 fanart #destiny fanart #lucent hive #lightbearer wizard #destiny exo #exo #destiny hive #hive #destiny guardians #destiny warlock #heulog-12 #kysurax #my ocs #my art #d2 fanart

[rivaldi22]

The phantom sneers, "I gift you new life eternal, the power to do anything, and you chose treachery. Fratricide."

Heulog clings tight. "You acted of free will—wormless. Liberated from the horrors and tyranny of your provenance. It's what she wanted."

"—I was her Nightmare too, you know."

"Ignore her."

XXV: Sever

#destiny #destiny 2 #destiny the game #destinytober #hive #lucent hive #wizard #lightbearer wizard #exo #my art #my ocs #heulog-12 #kysurax #savathun #savathûn #nightmare harvester #sever #season of the haunted #destiny warlock #destiny fanart

[rivaldi22]

"So you commune with this…effigy, and it relinquishes the ordnance and Light cached within?"

"Yep! It's got a skull on it."

"I noticed. You say it is single-use; why not simplify the form so that you might have more of them on-hand at once?"

"…It's got a skull on it."

XXVII: Rally

#destiny #destiny 2 #destiny the game #destinytober #hive #lucent hive #wizard #lightbearer wizard #exo #my art #my ocs #heulog-12 #kysurax #rally banner #destiny warlock #destiny fanart

[rivaldi22]

Hissing away Heulog's Ghost, the Wizard takes the broken arm in claw.

"Wh—"

"You defend our Wellspring. Your survival begets mine—I must do this. Aiat."

"You help Guardians?"

Something scrapes in the Wizard's throat.

"No, just you."

II: New Allies

#destiny #destiny 2 #destiny the game #destinytober #hive #lucent hive #wizard #lightbearer wizard #exo #my art #my ocs #heulog-12 #kysurax #destiny warlock #destiny fanart

[rivaldi22]

all they wanted was a nice day at the beach and somehow ended up on "a grand terrace of onyx Swords, hilted in emerald flame and overlooking darkened systems."

turns out Titan doesn't actually have any beaches.

#destiny #destiny 2 #destiny the game #hive #lucent hive #wizard #lightbearer wizard #exo #my art #my ocs #heulog-12 #kysurax #meme redraw #barbie and ken mugshot #destiny warlock #destiny fanart

[rivaldi22]

Most of what little drawing energy I have lately is spent on non-personal paid work—for which I am endlessly thankful regardless!—so I've been trying to incorporate "cooldown" sketches as a little treat for the brain before shutting off that particular engine.

Here we have an unimpressed Kysurax.

#destiny 2 #lucent hive #destiny the game #destiny #hive #destiny hive #destiny 2 fanart #destiny fanart #kysurax #my art #my ocs