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destiny2paladin · 2 years

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This Season is a Lie

We are not being haunted by those who have gone before us, we are not haunted by the dead. At least, not the spirits of the dead. Those who are haunted this season? They’re haunted by themselves. I will explain.

First, Crow, haunted by Uldren. It’s not Uldren at all. It is the voice of the darkness trying to influence the Crow by speaking through the one voice that will get under his skin. Crow isn’t afraid of Uldren. He is ashamed of Uldren and the legacy that hangs over him as a result. Uldren's voice and words causes Crow to unleash a Golden Gun on Uldren, and all Crow wants is to get RID of Uldren. Crow isn't afraid. Not in the slightest. But he is ashamed. Ashamed of his past and ashamed that because he remembers, he might become Uldren again. His shame haunts him, not his fear. And his shame manifests with the voice and face that he is ashamed of.

Zavala, Vanguard Commander. Haunted not by fear, but by Grief. Loss and letting it weigh on him. Safiyah would never shame Zavala, cut at him, wound him in the way the Nightmare did. But Zavala believed the Nightmare, because he loved her. He loved her so dearly he was ready to give up his own immortality and agelessness in order to atone for not protecting his son. Zavala's grief consumed him from within. It ate him away. And the Nighmares chose Safi because Zavala would never be able to ignore her words. They would cut deeper than any knife a hunter could ever wield, and unless we helped him, Zavala would crumble under the weight of his own regrets.

Caiatl. Empress of the Cabal. Daughter of Calus. She didn't fear the Dominus as we did. She admired him, was mentored by him. No. Caiatl was angry at herself. Angry for failing Torobatl, her home. Angry at Calus, for escaping and causing so many problems. Angry at herself for not seeing through the betrayal of her own trusted advisor, which led to the fall of her home. And who would tell Caiatl that she was pathetic, a failure, a weakling? The one who taught her. Her mentor and idol, Dominus Ghaul, the Ghost Primus. Caiatl's anger at herself began consuming her and making her reckless much like the shame of Uldren's past consumed Crow and Zavala's grief consumed him. There is not fear. There is the voices of those who can get so far beneath our skin they swim in our marrow.

Further proof of this idea, that the Darkness haunts us with the most painful voice and not with our fear, is in the Lore Tab of Tresspasser. Ikora ventures onto the Leviathan and is confronted by a ghost of Cayde. He taunts Ikora with malicious intent, which given the voice logs he left, he would never do. Saint knows Osiris will be there as his nightmare on the Leviathan, shaming him, scorning him for failing to save him. "Why didn't you come for me, Saint? Why did you fail me?" Osiris would not say these things. A voice meaning to cause pain would. Misraaks, Kell of Light, hears the voices of those of his kin he has slain. He hears those who shame him for his violence. Calus himself fears not Caiatl herself, but being forgotten, overshadowed. It is why he makes such grand shows of himself. And for us, the Young Wolf? We face down nothing. We cannot regret our choices, because we have yet to do something wrong. We have slain gods. Saved the universe. Pushed back unstoppable forces. We rose from rust and death into a being that creates fear in those who serve the dark. We have no regrets, because we do not know failure, at least not in the way Crow, Zavala, and Caiatl do.

This season is not about being haunted by spirits. It is about being haunted by ourselves, wearing a mask and speaking a voice that causes the worst pain possible. And Eris? She knows this. It is why she knows how to fight the Nightmares. Because she has suffered under their weight for nigh on two years. Two long, cold years on Luna's surface.

And she has bought us time to strike back.

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orbdotexe · 11 months

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the temptation to make Exile ALSO be Crow/Wolf grows in strength every moment i think about it (please i had a horrible idea and it is 4am just kill me)

#Cayde Lives! Crow and Cayde get along!#usually that's a good thing in Destiny AUs! it means everything's OKAY!!!#not FUCKING here #We got: WOLF IS IN EXILE AND MISERABLE AND PROBABLY WANTING TO JUST D I E ALREADY #CAYDE IS ALSO MISERABLE AND CONFINED TO THE TOWER BECAUSE EVERYONE THINKS THEY'RE ACTUALLY PROTECTING HIM #CROW IS PITIED BY EVERYONE BC THEY THINK HE'S JUST ANOTHER VICTIM! AND HE'S MISERABLE BECAUSE NOW HE'S HAVING TO REPLACE WOLF AS HERO #THE VANGUARD IS EMOTIONALLY DISTANT FROM CROW BC HE REMINDS THEM OF WOLF AND THEYRE ALL IN DENIAL AND FEEL GUILT FOR #VARIOUS PERCEIVED FAILURES ON THEIR ENDS THAT MIGHTVE LED WOLF DOWN THIS PATH #(Zavala in particular is getting a fire lit under him bc I love him. what writer doesn't show their love through fucking over their muse)#someone STOP me before I start shipping them and before I make everything worse by killing Wolf before Crow and Wolf realize #orb rambles #the forsaken exile #oh yeah for people not in the know for the Content Box:#IM WORKING ON A HAUNTED POST AND A CAYDE+WOLF SHORT #be on the lookout for that?#(depending on how long my dumbass decides to take on it - considering the Stasis and Egregore was supposed to be posted like a month ago)#i have a love-hate relationship with my brain and its focus on this AU #it is way too late here and my dearest content box fools: uh... yeah.

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xentari94 · 2 years

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Actually getting kinda sad on seeing a lot of people saying Amanda needs to grow up and immediately accept Crow like Zavala and Ikora did.

Amanda’s reaction may not have been the best granted, and I do feel really bad for Crow, but I personally just cannot say she’s completely in the wrong. Amanda is human. A civilian no less. And emotions tend to run wild after traumatic events. Even more so with her being left in the dark for so long.

I believe that even with Amanda having lived around guardians for as long as she has, there’s still things she doesn’t comprehend quite as well as what a guardian would towards another guardian. That mutual understanding.

She was in shock, she’s still angry and saddened over what happened with Cayde... one of many but, she doesn’t have to contemplate on what her past may have been like or what she may have done like a guardian with no memory does. So she doesn’t share that view of a guardian who doesn’t remember towards another guardian. She sees a face with a bad memory attached, and it unfortunately goes downhill from there but you can’t fault her completely for feeling that way and letting her emotions guide her actions. It can happen to anyone.

I do hope issues get resolved between her and Crow. He really was trying to be her friend. Keeping secrets is never a good idea, though it may seem necessary at the time. And some things are just simply unavoidable.

#destiny #destiny 2 #destiny the game #cayde #cayde 6 #crow #amanda holliday #season of the haunted

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gil-notskajla · 2 years

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im so fucking tired of people being anti-crow when talking about hunter vanguard position

crow wants the spot (no, ana doesnt want the spot, she said that herself, shiro isnt interested either)

nobody else wants the spot

ikora and zavala had to do 150% of their work since cayde's death

and it doesnt matter crow is inexperienced because nobody really is experienced in that regard. he has been alive for 3 years now. he will learn the job as he goes, there are no "hunter vanguard courses". im sure zavala and ikora would happily rather mentor a fellow vanguard who will make their work easier in the long run than do work of 3 in duo forever

and anyone who makes "cayde would disapprove/hate it" or whatever and throws a tantrum 1. no he wouldnt 2. thats literally ikora's nightmare this season so... think about it a little 3. get therapist irl, cuz ur still mad at a guy who first had complete amnesia and then after learning what happened didnt collapse back and is further in working through his problems this season than you are in working through cayde's death which happened over 3 years ago

hunter vanguard dare became a cosmic power of destiny with dark sense of humor and im in absolute awe how well they pulled it off narratively. shut the fuck up abt cayde for a second and appreciate how entire narrative works in favour of his last will in the best and most entertaining way possible.

#crow #hunter vanguard #destiny 2 #cayde-6 #season of the haunted

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triggerthreestrikes · 2 years

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SPOILERS FOR S17 GO PLAY IT

Naomi’s footsteps echoed loudly on board the derelict leviathan. The lonely and festering atmosphere of the once luxurious royal pools was suffocating. but at least it was quiet. ”I’m just saying pal…” Or, it was. “You can kill a few gods but it takes you ten minutes to kill some bloated fallen? Were you drunk or what?” Naomi said nothing. “Well it took you like, 15. same difference- Doesn’t matter.” Naomi almost laughed. It sounded just like him. but she knew the venom would come back. “The point is, you were way too slow! he didn’t make it quick you know!” The hunter flinched, there it was. “I mean, I told him, that you'd be there any second, I did….and I believed it too. until you didn’t come. you stumbled through that door way too late. like the weak little spark you are. Tell me, hero. Was that tear you went on for me? Or was it a tantrum? a crying, wailing little girl who had her favorite toy broken? Did you ever respect me? See me for the man I was? Or was I just the goofy robot for a quick laugh?” Naomi gripped her sidearm so tightly her hands began to bleed. “Poor baby. Lost her friend. How many of the other guardians have lost lovers and entire fireteams? How is it most of them get along fine eventually but you’re still such a wreck?!” Naomi had stopped walking by now. “I mean- Traveler’s sake, your eyes get misty every time you see my cloak next to Amanda! The weight of the world on your shoulders, Dear traveler that thought makes me sick. You try coordinating hunters! hearding FLEAS would be easier!” Naomi dropped her sidearm, falling to her knees. “And don’t get me started on you getting goo goo eyes for my KILLER! If you were ever my friend, you would've crushed his ghost in your hand. Not acted like some Schoolgirl who’s waiting for her chance!” Naomi had started crying at some point, her eyes stung as hot tears fell down her cheeks. “And there we have it folks. the hero of the red war, Crota’s end, Kingslayer, The mighty young wolf has shown what she really is: a new light that got through everything on dumb luck and the sacrifice of countless others.” The Cayde phantom spat, going quiet once more.

#Season 17 will be S U F F E R I N G #If we don’t get a phantom it’s missed opportunity #young wolf x crow #destiny 2 #season of the haunted #destiny fanart #the young wolf #Phantom Cayde-6

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theforsakenprince · 7 months

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I think, because most discussion around Cayde is about his fans or his fans complaining about him being dead, that we hardly ever talk about how his death set off this huge chain reaction that brought the story and characters to where they are today (killing Uldren, gaining access to the Dreaming City, killing Riven, unleashing the dreaming city curse, Shattered Throne, CROW). Like isn't that so cool?? Cayde is the definition of haunting the narrative because his death just hangs over almost everything

#also. cayde dying did way more for the story than if he survived. that's just a fact #destiny 2 #destiny #cayde-6 #cayde 6

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aceofcaydes01 · 2 years

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#destiny 2 #the crow #uldren sov #eris morn #Cayde-6 #hunter vanguard #new hunter vanguard?#I never thought I’d be on board with this #season of the haunted #season of the haunted spoilers

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waterdeep · 2 years

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CROW in DESTINY 2: SEASON OF THE HAUNTED.

I can’t replace Cayde… But I can cover his old patrols. Maybe organise the hunters a bit - if they’ll let me. Clean up some of my mess.

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ahamkara-apologist · 7 months

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you have GOT to post guardian pics I'm begging you. feed us (me?) information about your characters. I must know. it is imperative

TYSM FOR ENABLING ME ANON BC THEY ARE MY BLORBOS AND IM VIBRATING ABOUT THEM. buckle the fuck up because this is gonna be a long fucking post

Okay first up is Aeris Sharphawk- aro/ace, he/him. he's my main character, my hunter, and the Young Wolf of my timeline.

He’s half-Awoken, half-Human (I’ll get to that in a moment, he’s actually an older oc of mine that I ported over from Bloodborne whose bastard nature needed a D2 equivalent), and the older half-brother to my solar titan, Marcelline Attenbough- one of the few little remnants from their past life that they were able to discover in a diary on Marcie’s corpse when they were rezzed together (which occurred because their ghosts are twins). He’s autistic, lawful neutral, and vastly prefers using Darkness over Light because of sensory issues; his ghost (Hoarfrost, previously Mercury) mods his helmets to drastically reduce noise, but he can’t help how Arc tingles, Solar burns, and Void numbs. Tends to spend most of his battles either hyperfocused or dissociated to deal with it. As for the lawful neutral title, that’s because he doesn’t fight for the Vanguard because of a loyalty to humanity, but exclusively for the survival of the Last City and everyone in it. This extended to House Light and the Cabal under Caital instantaneously, and would do so to Eramis if she so chose, because he really just doesn’t take most things personally. He's sometimes derogatorily called 'the Vanguard's Hound' because of this.

He’s skilled with a bow, and is cursed with a resting haunted stare that can rival even the fiercest bird of prey- hence his title, given to him because his last name wasn’t present in the little diary that Marcie had when they were rezzed. Personality wise, he’s quiet, stoic, extremely efficient at what he does, fiercely protective of those he loves, and deeply curious about the unknown- though if you don’t know him, you’d never be able to guess it, because he struggles deeply with facial expressions and tone, giving him the appearance that he’s ruthlessly cold and unfeeling (pretty much the Guardian we see in game). Because of this, he tends to do much better with Eliksni than most of humanity- bar the Awoken, though Mara makes him deeply uncomfortable- and is thus far more comfortable with them. He’s the moon to Marcie’s sun, and helps keep her in check, for despite her cheery personality, she has a very strong sense of justice and a penchant for impulsive, temperamental behavior when she thinks that justice has been wronged. This goes both ways, however, as Aeris is the very definition of ‘curiosity killed the cat’; he voluntarily gets bit by venomous snakes at venom labs to see how immunity/allergies develops over time, and has a fascination with the Vex that got him a ‘needs watching’ report after he nearly jumped into a pool of radiolaria to see what would happen. The older-brother affection isn’t related to just Marcie, though; he’s unofficially adopted Eido as his younger sister (or kid? Because uhhh that curiosity of his has extended to fucking Misraaks once or twice), and is a mentor figure of sorts to Crow, though he’s unaware that Crow idolizes him; he only hunted Uldren down to keep Marcie out of trouble, as he didn’t like Cayde and was neutral on Uldren, so seeing Crow for the first time didn’t bother him at all. Tutored on occasion by Osiris, and thus has a very deep respect for him.

People other than Marcie that he likes: Zavala, Ikora, Osiris, Eido, Misraaks, Eris, and Variks, Petrichor-12 (oc), Viper-4 (oc, lightless guardian), Crow

People he dislikes: Cayde, the Spider, Clovis Bray, Savathun, Mara Sov, Petra Venj (can’t read her very well), anyone who is loud or insistent or confusing

Primary class (Dark): Stasis

Primary class (Light): Arcstrider

Motifs: Dark, cool blue/silver, viper and hawk symbolism

Likes: Learning about things, working with the Eliksni, being good at being a hunter, bows/glaives/swords, playing with Strand, Gambit (surprisingly)

Dislikes: Crucible, loud noises, fusion rifles, snipers because of the kick (despite being very good with them), shotguns, fans and most other guardians

Fun fact: When Hoarfrost and Solaris found them, it was in a frigid part of old Russia, with Aeris holding Marcie close to his chest with his back to the door- they had frozen to death while trying to keep each other warm, and were under a thick layer of permafrost. When they were risen, they found out their names, their relationship to each other, and the fact that their father was a cheating bastard who produced Aeris after screwing an Awoken woman for the novelty of it because Marcie had a little diary in her front pocket, which had been somewhat preserved by the cold. Both their ghosts theorize that the reason why Aeris is so drawn to Stasis and Marcie to Solar is because of how they died, though neither guardian will say anything about it. He can also speak near-fluent Eliksni.

Then there’s Marcie, younger half-sister to Aeris and the sun to his moon; she/her, Solar Titan, lesbian, lawful good. Where he is quiet and introverted, she is loud and bombastic, and where he likes to dart in and strike down his enemies from afar, she likes to punch. I just recently made her in Destiny because the character creation doesn't really match how I see her, hence why she's got Arc on here

(closer to her actual face minus the blue eyes; this is a very old bloodborne pic)

Unlike her half-brother, Marcie is a full human, and- according to the diary she rezzed with- was objectively her father's favorite, though the feeling was not mutual, and their relationship was strained by her taking so kindly to the bastard son he tried to send away. Compared to Aeris, she's bright, bubbly, and outgoing, but has a fierce temper, and is quick to snap if something has pushed her too far-think a jack russel's terrier of a human being. Her ghost's name is Solaris (previously Quicksilver), and she prefers the Light and Solar by far. Her preferred method of combat is to hit first, ask questions later, which can be incredibly effective or incredibly dangerous depending on who's on the opposite end of her wrath. Her and Aeris share many quests together, with me typically attributing all the seasons that I didn’t play to Marcie, given that I didn’t make a Destiny character for her for the longest time.

She was best friends with Cayde, and was so devastated by his death that Aeris had to go instead, as she would have killed anything and everything in vengeance without a second thought. She did, however, kill Riven- something that Aeris himself was somewhat reluctant to do,given his fascination with the Ahamkara. She's stubborn as a mule, surprisingly strong despite her small stature (well, small-ish), and is an absolute massive lesbian, with her type specifically being 'big strong ladies who can kill me'- which was primarily why she wasn't allowed to fight Eramis, or other big hotties, as she has a pretty hardcore crush on her. (The second reason was that she would have stood and bickered with Eramis about the ethics of what she was doing until either one or the other yielded). Instead, she was assigned to work with Misraaks to evacuate House Light refugees, which ended up being a fortuitous partnership with the coming of the Endless Night. Now, her primary work for the Vanguard consists of aiding Eliksni refugees, along with general alien-human politics and tackling xenophobia, as well as working on being an apprentice Splicer. She is very, VERY passionate about equal rights and will drag you to the Crucible if you fight her- and good fucking luck winning against her, because she fucking loves the Crucible and will beat your ass everytime. She’s somewhat of a local celebrity in that reguard

Her deep fondness for her brother comes primarily from the fact that he is one of the few people to take her seriously without either asking her to calm down or come off as patronizing- he's also a well of stability to her excitable moods, the voice of reason to her hyperempathy. While he keeps her from biting off more than she can chew, she acts as his translator + guide, yanking him back onto the path of sanity if he starts to wander into the Deep, and helping him with dysfunction things that Hoarfrost can’t do. She also enjoys working through the data he collects, even if she has no desire to go searching for it herself, so they make a good pair- even if, like most siblings, they will argue over every little thing and sometimes drive each other up the walls with their stubbornness.

I've already mentioned that she got along with Cayde, but her other friends at the tower are Shaxx, Drifter, Saint-14, and Ada-1. Misraaks is her mentor, as well as one of the few people who can talk her down from stupid shit, with uh…questionable results. And while she couldn't stand the sight of Crow when Aeris dragged him back, she managed to befriend him reguardless, mostly because he was so different from the Uldren she remembered that she couldn’t help but accept him for who he was. She often went out drinking with him and Amanda, and was devastated when she died.

People she likes: Cayde, Shaxx, Drifter, Saint-14, Ada-1, Misraaks, Crow, Amanda (rip), Caiatl

People she dislikes: Uldren Sov, The Osmium Siblings, The Spider, Lakshmi-2, anyone against the Eliksni or people who are rude to Aeris, Calus

Likes: Crucible, Gambit, fucking around with weapons in new and creative ways, going out to drink with friends, playfully flirting, helping with construction work around the Eliksni District, playing around with the Light, moths and other fuzzy creatures

Primary Class (Light): Solar

Primary Class (Dark): Strand

Dislikes: Fighting Eliksni, any exploding enemies that she can’t punch, bows because Aeris will always be better than her at using them, the fact that Aeris fucked Misraaks at one point for science, being alone, her inability to score a girl who isn’t a war criminal

Motif: crimson and gold, bears or lion with eagle wings

Fun fact: Her grasp on Eliksni is actually more fluent than Aeris, and she spends a good deal of her time in the Tower socializing with people while he’s off doing…whatever.

Okay, now onto Petrichor-12, who decided to nope out of being a Guardian so I deleted their slot to make Marcie before I really did anything to dazzle them up

Petrichor-12 is a now-retired guardian that actually came from a dream I had before I even played Destiny. They/them or he/him, neutral good, Void titan, ghost is seldom-speaking and called Whisper. Neutral good. I attribute them with D1 content, so they’re the guardian that killed Crota and Oryx, though Marcie and Aeris were also there to help.

Petrichor is an older, somewhat quiet, melancholy do-gooder that's been haunted by guilt ever since they found out the memories of who they were via the Deep Stone Crypt- a bodyguard for Clovis Bray that was turned to a path of anger, abuse, and violence after agreeing to be tested on for power, and got corrupted by the Darkness. This, paired with being rezzed in the Dark Ages, means that they have a lot of trauma surrounding violence, power, and the dilemma of being made to kill when all you want to do is save people. As such, Eramis's predicament troubles them greatly, and while it was them who gunned her down in conjunction with Aeris, they often found themselves returning to her frozen body on Europa to talk to her (presumed corpse) about Darkness corruption in a sort of venting monologue-advice system, which worked both as a way of fending off their troubles as well as keep an eye on her state- though now that she’s defrosted they’ve vowed never come near her again out of embarrassment.

While retired, they are a stalwart defender of anyone who needs it and a keeper of peace, driven partially by a genuine desire to do good and a need to prove themselves not the person that they used to be. No longer able to mingle with other guardians or humanity at large due to PTSD from what they learned, they live in the Botza district as an ambassador between the Eliksni and humanity, they like to knit + quilt in their free time, teaching whichever hatchlings will listen and getting tutored on weaving by old Wolves in return. They're also 6'3", so…lorge. Zavala and Misraaks are the two people they talk to the most outside of the Eliksni refugees, and they drop by to say hi to Eva and knit with her whenever they have the chance. The war with the Witness is threatning to bring them out of retirement, something that they are deeply unhappy with.

People he likes: Namrask, Misraaks, Saladin, Zavala, Ikora, Osiris (recently), Marcie and Aeris, Saint-14, Eris (complicated)

People they dislike: Themselves, Osiris (formerly), Eramis (reminds them of themselves), Ghaul, Oryx, Xivu Arath, Clovis Bray, anyone who goads them to fight, Elsie and Ana Bray by association, Rasputin

Motif: gold and sapphire blue, used to have a gryphon motif but stopped wearing it because they don’t want to be recognized as the Kingkiller

Likes: Knitting, sewing, weaving, gardening, really anything restorative they can do with their free hands that forces their mind not to wander

Class (Light): Void, sometimes Arc

Class (Dark): no.

Dislikes: War, fighting, being a guardian, everything that has to do with what they used to be, anything Braytech sciences, the cumulative trauma from the Dark Ages and seeing recordings of who they used to be in the Deep Stone Crypt, their own fear of themselves

Fun fact: Petrichor-12 can speak Eliksni fluently, having modulated their voice and hearing to be able to incorporate the subsonic clicks and chirps in their speech, and is now working on learning Ulurant despite not at all liking the Cabal empire

Ash: Another dream character of mine, and my newest Guardian (so she’s somewhat of a wip). She/her, solar + void warlock, chaotic neutral to lawful evil depending on her mood. Pansexual but bitchless. Rezzed in the tail end of the Dark Ages, just long enough for her to see how horrible everything was but not long enough to see the true extent of it. Scholar of the Light, and most recently a scholar of the Dark as well.

Ash is a warlock with an awful temper, a moral code that changes on a whim, and a ravenous appetite for knowledge that comes at the cost of everyone else, including herself. Her ghost (an anxious and caring little lass) is called Nutmeg, and is pretty much the only indicator that she has a soft spot. Ash dedicated herself to learning how to get closer to the Light, but unlike the more conventional meditations that people usually do to, she was inspired by ancient Greek priestesses and decided for a more unconventional route- by doing hard drugs. By getting either extremely drunk or very high, she claims that she overcomes the need for meditation (or, rather, bypasses it entirely because she’s too impatient for it) and gains a deeper connection with her powers, as she’s connecting with it instinctually rather than choosing to seek it out. Nutmeg and many others are not as convinced about this method, but they also can’t deny that it doesn’t have its perks, as Ash does have a very powerful connection to her light- mainly through exploding things, or setting everything around her on fire. It’s how she used to survive the Warlords she’d steal from in the Dark Ages, and she’s known specifically for her ability to mimic a nova bomb, but with solar power, which is strong particularly for how unexpected it is.

However, being constantly hungover and harbouring no friends doesn’t exactly have its benefits, and as a result Ash is almost always grumpy, abrasive, quick to anger, quick to turn to cruel jibes and mocking when being defensive (which is often), and is generally awful to be around. She has no friends other than Nutmeg (whose bond has become strained as of late, since Ash is now turning to substance abuse for coping with the impending threat of the Witness rather than simply using it for her studies), her apartment is an uncleaned shithole she only uses for crashing in when she’s particularly out of it, and she's constantly in a state of passive-aggressive warfare with Osiris, as she and him used to occasionally cross paths and share research; they might have had a student-teacher dynamic if they didn’t grate so abrasively, and if Ash wasn’t so much of a lone wolf. He’s tried to whip her into shape a couple of times, but to no avail- they just devolved into shouting matches. Pretty much the only people she listens to are the Drifter and Nutmeg, but whether or not she’ll actually take their advice is a toss-up.

Despite this, she will overall always choose to do what's right and will begrudgingly trudge along with people in random strikes to ensure that important missions get done, as she fears failure more than she does judgment. And yet, to an extent she also fears judgment, for part of the reason why she’s so cruel is to keep people at arm’s length, so as to prevent them from learning her weaknesses- not even her constant complaining about being bitchless will cover up that the core reason why she makes no effort to clean herself up and be nicer is because she fears vulnerability. She’s also brilliant with the Light and cunningly adept with the Dark, which is why the Vanguard continues to ask for her help and expertise.

People she likes: the Drifter, Hawthorne, Nutmeg, Eido, Toland, Shaxx to most everybody’s surprise

People she dislikes: Pretty much the whole Vanguard and 90% of other guardians, Saladin, the Iron Lords, Osiris, Misraaks,

Primary class (Dark): Stasis, wants to learn Strand but has a hard time letting go

Primary class (Light): Solar, Void

Likes: Learning nuances of the Light that others don’t go into detail to, connecting with the Light, growing more powerful and shaping it into new, experimental Supers that would make Zavala have a heart attack if he saw them in action, taking leadership in Strikes and prodding around New Lights to teach them about what it is to be a Guardian (but gently), killing assholes to put them in their place, spooking people

Dislikes: Being told what to do, being reminded that she’s a mess, being reminded that she’s afraid and that her behavior is starting to turn self-detrimental, being looked down on by other Guardians, the restrictive nature of Vanguard protocol that keeps her from playing around with her experimental supers, guardians who have no respect or care about mortal lives, getting kicked from bars for fighting said guardians with no respect or care for mortal lives, being reminded that she has a soft side and cares so much for other people that it scares her

Colours/theme: black, flame-gold, and green

Fun fact: Likes the Hive aesthetic, and knows their tongue just for the hell of it. Has quite a bit of fun tormenting and taunting Hive Lightbearers, loves digging around the Osmium Siblings. Despite this, she’s not passionate about the Hive, and doesn’t care one bit if they’re wiped out or not. She also pretty much never takes off the Stag helm, as dropping a rift on death has saved her ass more than once, and tends to sleep in her robes. It’s a miracle that she doesn’t stink something awful, but smells perpetually like smoke instead.

and last but not least: Viper-4, an ex-guardian who I have almost nothing on because he tends to be a side character: he/him, trans exo, primarily black chassis with red markings, not yet settled on alignment. A friend of Aeris, he's an ex-Hunter who is now the primary caretaker for a variety of venomous snakes whose species have survived the Collapse. He collects their venom to try to recreate old Golden-Age medicines and antivenom- which he does with Aeris's help- and had his forearms modded with soft silicone so that the snakes don't hurt him if they bite him. Generally a friendly and chill guy, but has a melancholy air as most Ghostless do, and wants to learn Strand so that he has some modicum of control over the elements again, as his lack of feeling the Light was the hardest part about his Ghost's death. Much like Brya and Sagira, his ghost sacrificed her to save him, but he blames himself for her death and pretty much entirely refuses to talk about it. Used to be quite adept with Void. I note that he's trans here because it carried over into his exo body, as he was raised with synthetic top surgery scars that were then worked into beautiful engravings of flowers, swords, and snakes by Viper-1

#long post #destiny 2 #my ocs #my guardians #oc: aeris sharphawk #oc: marcelline attenbough #oc: petrichor-12 #oc: ash #oc: viper-4 #maybe i should have used a readmore but #im paranoid about accidentally deleting this blog and having it be lost #sjdhfg

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call-me-honkie · 2 years

Text

Like Water

Like Water - AO3. Season of the Haunted spoilers!

The Guardian is more perturbed by the Nightmare of Uldren Sov than Crow initially thought.

You know… sometimes, if I curl my finger just so… I can feel the pressure of the trigger. Smell the gunpowder. Hear Cayde’s screams.

Uldren Sov’s ghastly voice sounded over the comms—through The Guardian’s comms.

I could’ve done it nice and quick. But… well, you know. Don’t you? The way he laid there, reached out for his Ghost and begged. Like those little shards were going to help him—

Eris interrupted, “Begone, you facile caricature! Your lies have no power here.”

The Guardian was silent on the comms. Stoic as usual. How Crow admired their ability to let words slide over them as easily as water.

*****

The H.E.L.M. was quiet after a long day of capturing Nightmares, more than Crow expected. Commander Zavala in particular had seemed like he was an inch away from fleeing the room as they discussed their next move with Eris Morn, and his blue complexion seemed ghostly. He seemed shaken. Exhausted. They all did. Well, except Eris, and—

The Guardian hadn’t uttered a word before, during, or after the mission. They were on the opposite side of the room, filling out an after-action report by hand. Their Ghost hung in the air over their shoulder, equally silent. Crow almost chuckled a little—they had gone out of their way to get a clipboard so they could remain standing, as if repelled by the concept of sitting down. A workaholic at heart, they were; yet he’d never seen Commander Zavala suggest they take a break. They had probably decided to stand so far away to give him some privacy after—

Perhaps they’ve properly learned to deal with stress, unlike you. Perhaps their performance does not cost lives the moment they are put under pressure.

Crow dared a glance over his shoulder, expecting the blood-red shadow of Uldren Sov there. But there was nothing. His thoughts, Uldren’s voice—his stomach churned, they were too similar.

He looked around frantically for a way to put himself to use. Eventually he approached The Guardian.

“Hey, Guardian.” Crow waved.

They jolted a little, as if snapped out of some kind of trance. He raised his hands. “Easy. Just me. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

That was odd. Crow didn’t think his footsteps were that quiet, and he’d approached from the front.

The Guardian didn’t offer so much as a nod. They hadn’t even taken off their helmet. They were never vocal, but, somehow, their usual quiet felt even quieter, if such a thing was possible.

Their Ghost’s eye was locked on The Guardian before he cleared his throat awkwardly and offered, “Nice to see you, Crow. We were just filling out some after-action reports while the, um,”—his shell tightened anxiously—“memory is still fresh.”

“Ah.” Crow cleared his throat. “Glint and I usually record them and send them to Zavala. If you want, I can take them to his office for you. One less trip.” He couldn’t shake the feeling he was interrupting something. A failure in every regard, it seemed, even when he was trying to help. Uldren had said as much. But he still had to try.

He glanced down at their clipboard. There was almost nothing written on it. The pencil in their hand trembled. Suddenly Crow realized that the final Nightmare of Uldren Sov didn’t belong to him.

He blushed in shame. Oh, he was so, so selfish to think that Uldren Sov was his Nightmare alone. He remembered their silence; he thought they were simply ignoring Uldren. His words were obvious lies, like Eris said. But they were too quiet, and their Ghost hadn’t said a word, either, and—Uldren’s taunts were only obviously untrue to Crow because he had his memories.

How many sleepless nights had they suffered because the ringing of Cayde’s screaming and begging were seared into their mind? Yet they had never once asked him about Uldren’s perspective. If they burned with questions about what happened to Cayde, they hid it too well behind their mask of stone. Why didn’t he think of this sooner?

“Guardian, I…” Crow swallowed. “Glint, could you put in an order for ramen?”

Glint materialized in a gentle swish of light. “Of course. What kind—”

“Just… surprise me.”

“I’ll go too,” The Guardian’s Ghost piped up, shell twirling from nerves. Crow didn’t know it was possible for Ghosts to look hurried as they transmatted out.

With eyes glued to their blank sheet of paperwork, they asked him what he wanted. Their voice cracked, heavy with exhaustion and sorrow.

Crow hated Uldren. He hated everything Uldren did. He hated how he was treated and how he treated others. He wished he could cut his memories out with a scalpel-sharp solar knife. He would rather rejoin Spider’s employ than be dragged through them again. But, maybe, for once in his Traveler-damned existence, maybe having Uldren’s memories could help someone.

“I just wanted you to know that…” He took a deep, shaking breath, dredging up Uldren’s blood-slicked memories. The scream of a hand cannon, a dark whisper in his ear, Cayde’s crackling coughs—“what Uldren said, on the Leviathan. He was lying.”

They looked up at him from their clipboard. Their expression was still concealed by their helmet, but at least they were looking at him.

What do you mean?

“Cayde never screamed. Or begged. He was… calm, not frightened.” Crow took another deep breath. “I remember, he cracked a joke at my—his—expense, I think. But Uldren—the Nightmare—was lying.” He averted his gaze and shuffled his feet. “I just… thought you should know.”

They stepped forward and he winced, expecting them to punch the Light out of him for being so presumptuous. But they threw their arms around him and sank their head into his shoulder.

They didn’t say a word, but they sighed, and he swore he heard a tremor of relief in it. He shut his eyes and squeezed them tighter. I’m here, Old Light. However many nights they spent agonizing over what happened to Cayde… he hoped they could lay those nightmares to rest now.

Uldren’s memories always seemed magnified when he closed his eyes. The scream of a hand cannon, a dark whisper in his ear, Cayde’s crackling coughs… But now they seemed a little more distant, a little more blurred, as if submerged. They did not slide past him as easily as water yet, but they slid past.

At least one thing went right for both of them today.

#destiny 2 #destiny 2 spoilers #season of the haunted #season of the haunted spoilers #guardian and crow #guardian x crow but only if you squint #guardian #young wolf #crow #ghost destiny #glint destiny #fanfiction #this season really took the fanfic writer deep inside me by the ear and dragged her outwhile she still had hot cheeto dust on her fingers #yw needs therapy too

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orbdotexe · 1 year

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Some context for this: Mara asked Cayde and Crow to seek the Young Wolf out - as she knows the City will need their help soon enough, and to try and rope them into focusing their anger on more specific enemies.

Given that I've decided I'm keeping the thing about Lakshmi getting killed by Wolf, it doesn't go how Mara hoped. They're just too feral to be corralled bby

Anyway, Exiled!Forsaken timeline, and this is Wolf and Crow meeting for the first time, post-Crow reclaiming his memories.

It took him some time, clamoring through tight spaces and tightroping over dilapidated railings, but Crow got through. Now he was pleading with the Young Wolf to help the people who had turned on them without question.

While he gets why Cayde couldn't come, he still feels that Sixer would have a better chance at this than him. Cayde was their friend, not him.

It felt surreal, staring the rogue down.

Mostly because they were glaring back at him, without so much as making move on him.

Crow finds he's awfully appreciative of the mask Cayde convinced him to wear, finding it hid his fear quite well. They obviously knew who he was, and he's rather certain they can tell he's afraid, but he'll take small comforts right now.

Though it didn't feel directed at him, it still made him uneasy. The rogue Godslayer, glaring him down, with a gaunt and haunted look.

It then occurred to him, looking into eyes that were far too aged - They're not even a decade old yet. He'd have been lying if he said it didn't spark more resentment in him.

It took them a bit to respond, long enough that he was preparing to ask if they'd heard him, and even enough for their Ghost to look ready to pipe up, before-

"Don’t." It sounded like begging, under the raspy and strained quality of their voice. He realized their lips looked like they'd been bitten to bleed and healed, only to crack open again. Were there Void burns covering their cheekbones..?

Does their Ghost not heal them? Why do they look so...

But then, no. Of course their Ghost heals them. The only thing he ever hears about that Ghost is how much it loves them.

So why...

For once, he stops to actually take inventory of the Young Wolf's state, and it’s... nothing like what he thought.

He'd seen the joke-turned-dire "Where Wolf" VanNet threads, but between the pictures of pre-prison them just looking confused in selfies versus the present far-distance ones of them in combat, taken too far away to capture exacts, they...

They just looked tired, and defeated, in person. Even their tattered armor gave off the feeling of wanting to collapse at so much as a poke.

It only further dug the idea into his mind that they never wanted any of this. Never deserved any of this.

"What?" He hears the one, half-confused, half-concerned word escape his lips before he can consider it.

"I won't," they declared, but not easily. Whether the shakiness was from lack of use, or emotion, Crow couldn't tell. The sound was overly harsh on his heart. "And you shouldn't either."

He... didn't know what to say to that. Hadn't they been spending all their time hunting threats to the City? He found it hard to believe - or did he not want to believe? - that they did all of it out of just anger.

"Shouldn't... help them?" He asked, carefully, trying to pry answers without offending them.

Walking on eggshells... Not his favorite thing to do. And by far not his talent.

"Help the Vanguard."

"But you'd help the City?"

They didn't respond to that, glancing away and holding their new stare at the wall for a few moments, before he cautioned to speak up again, "Why?"

The Guardian squinted at him, and he felt his heart jump into his throat as they spoke even lower than they had before, not moving their head from where they leaned away from him, "Because the Vanguard doesn't deserve it. But those people are owed safety."

By the time they finished the statement, he could just barely hear them, in very nearly a whisper, though it seemed full of warnings and promises - both to him, and to the Vanguard. He took the silence to try and gather his thoughts, only to get cut off as soon as he thought he had his bearing.

"You should get away from them," they say, hoarsely but gentler than before. The mix with weariness surprised him - and he was sure his shock was clearer than his bird theme. "They'll use you, and drop you the moment they think they've lost control."

...and drop you the moment they think they've lost control.

An echo of his own worries. Seemed there was something they shared, at least.

Crow spares a glance at their Ghost, hovering just behind their shoulder, to be met with a... decidedly malicious glare. If it had been the one talking, he figured, this would be a very different experience.

He felt like it was warning him, though. And the glare only intensified the longer he looked, so he focused back on the banished hero before him, who seemed twitchier by the second.

That couldn't be good. And considering he could feel Glint's rising concern in the back of his head, it seems they both shared that sentiment.

"...when was the last time they asked how you were without pity," they questioned. It sounded genuine enough, and it- He wasn't sure whether they knew they said it or not. He wasn't sure how to respond, either. But it pulled taut a rope that finally snapped in that moment, and his shoulders sagged.

He finally processed that they- they winced half way through their sentence. Glint helpfully pointed out that it would make sense, given they sound like they haven't had water in a week.

But then he met their eyes again.

It felt like they were searching more than just his physical face, even through his mask, and it... made him uneasy. Almost like they were flipping through his pages, to the ones still being written and past even that.

His face was covered, with nothing but his eyes and fingers exposed to the air, and yet he felt like glass, and dumbly watched as their Ghost bumped into their head, finally drawing their gaze from him.

Glint's urgency manifested itself as a slight pressure in the back of his head, as he watched the Wolf turn to grab their helmet and shove it over their head.

Crow moved to stop them, hand outstretched and mouth open to say something, but he- He stopped short. There was nothing to say.

He noted, almost as an afterthought as they left, that it had a gash through most of the surface.

A few weeks later, he would note reports of the Young Wolf targeting more specific threats, much more pressing ones, and he can't help but give a small smile.

Maybe they hadn't been pushed too far, yet.

#Exiled Wolf: I only have two emotions: rage. and exhaustion.#The Forsaken Exile #The Young Wolf #Destiny 2 crow #destiny 2 #look! orb can actually write a story and not just theoretical blabbering!#I hope his fear of Wolf and wanting justice for them both shine through here but have no idea if it worked as well as i hope??

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thefirstknife · 2 years

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I'm so tired of this. I can't reply directly because people on this website can't handle being told they're wrong, but I'm gonna use this as an opportunity to tell people why Zavala's nightmare is the way it is.

First of all, learn what words mean. "Fridging" does not mean "someone's wife died" nor does it mean "a female character died." This isn't the first (nor the last) time I'm seeing this line of thinking.

Second, a trope is just a literary device. Tropes exist in every story. Tropes are not bad things by default. The trope with Zavala is not "fridging" it's a trope about an immortal in love with a mortal. Honestly, this type of a story is severely lacking in Destiny considering the plot of Destiny hinges on immortal people with superpowers living with ordinary humans. You'd think it would happen more often.

Zavala's wife was a mortal woman. She was bound to die of old age eventually, if not before due to the dangers of being an ordinary human in the Destiny universe. We'll learn more about her and their relationship as the season progresses: we have an entire lore book (Triage) to read, at least two missions with Zavala dealing with the nightmare as Crow currently is and yes, I know an out of context cutscene has been datamined ahead of time and out of order from the story. I haven't seen it and don't plan to see it until it's in the game in the proper order in the story.

To understand why Zavala's nightmare isn't some grand event or war, we must understand what Nightmares are.

They are personal nightmares. They are unique to every person specifically to maximise the torment afflicted upon the person. A grand event or a war does not depend on one person alone. The blame for a failed attack on the Moon can be shared between people and is therefore not nightmare material. Individual events can manifest as nightmares (entire Shadowkeep campaign with Eris and nightmares of her fireteam), but not some nebulous "failure of the Vanguard."

From a meta perspective, you can more easily make a manifestation of a person for Zavala to argue with, than a manifestation of the concept of failing at a war.

Zavala's nightmare in particular is a story that has been hinted at back over a year ago, in Season of the Splicer, when we first learned that he has very well hidden traumas. He's a Vanguard Commander: he must appear impersonal and strong and stoic and detached. To see him vulnerable over something that doesn't revolve around saving the City from apocalypse is rare and unique. He doesn't get time for himself. It's been a consistent element in his story for years now, reiterated most recently last season when even Caiatl tells him he has to learn when to rest.

Over the last two years (since he came back into focus during Season of the Worthy, but more broadly, ever since the Red War) we've seen a steady development of Zavala's character arc. He's becoming more and more burdened by the failures and losses that rest on his shoulders: the one and only time the City fell in the Red War, Cayde's death, losing friends like Sloane and Asher, inability to stop the Darkness from advancing, or to stop the Hive from messing with us from within. The threats are growing and he's been consistently shown as more and more distraught, restless, unable to sleep and relax. He's had arguments with his closest friends and allies, disagreements and battles, AND he had to deal with people he trusted not trusting him (re: Crow's identity).

And yet, there's one thing he had in all that time that's only his. The memories of a family he had and could've had. The one thing that can't be taken away and tainted or lost.

Until now. The Darkness deliberately seeks out your most vulnerable points to strike and cause psychological torment and trauma. It extracted Zavala's most well kept secret and regret and fear and it's using it to haunt him in a way nothing else could haunt him. That's what the Darkness does.

Similarly, Saint-14 told Crow that he doesn't want to go to the Moon because he knows his nightmare will be Osiris. Not Six Fronts, or Twilight Gap, or his crusade against the Eliksni. Nothing so big. Osiris. The nightmare of his deepest fears and regrets about the man he loves and who, he thinks, may never wake up again.

And Caiatl as well. Her nightmare isn't the fall of Torobatl. It's Ghaul. Her former friend and ally who helped her dethrone and exile her father and then turned his back on her and led armies into certain doom chasing the idea of having the Traveler, leaving Torobatl with weakened defenses. It's not even Umun'arath who got corrupted by the Hive. It's Ghaul. Ghaul is more personal to Caiatl, as can be seen from the lore tabs where it shows that she trained and learned with and from him.

Zavala being openly exposed and vulnerable like this is a bigger source of trauma than anything else. Everyone knows the City fell in the Red War and it's not Zavala's fault, nor is it his fault the Great Disaster happened. Most of all, Zavala knows this. He knows that it's not his fault, deep down, no matter how much burden he puts on himself.

But his very personal story about a woman he loved and who he knew he would outlive? Something he clearly doesn't share with even his closest friends? The nightmare of THAT regret, a regret that lets other people see his most closely guarded secrets?

Yeah, that's what the Darkness wants. That's why his nightmare is Safiyah.

A year ago, op of this post also posted against the story of Zavala having had a wife, claiming that Bungie should "delete the wife." The explanation after I commented was that she didn't get any lore and is just a memory that Zavala has in one lore tab. To which I replied that yeah, it's the first time she's been mentioned. She'll get lore in due time. I was called an "optimist" which I still don't understand because this is how Bungie has been delivering lore since Destiny's inception.

Lo and behold, she is now getting lore. There's a whole lore book we have to unlock over the next 8 weeks or so, as well as missions about her and Zavala and apparently a cutscene.

So now the goalpost is shifted to "lore about her is bad and she is fridged."

It's really easy to just say you don't like something in canon because you have personal headcanons otherwise, instead of trying to desperately justify your dislike and make it seem objective. It's really not objective.

And it's also an incorrect interpretation of Destiny's story. Which is understandable, there's a lot going on and many players may have missed certain seasons and storylines. I'm happy to help anyone who needs an update.

I'm just so very tired of people who have clearly missed information putting negative and incorrect shit with confidence and authority in the main tag. Not to mention the misuse of the concept of tropes and the "fridging" trope in particular. You gotta watch media analysis that isn't cinemasins my dudes.

Obligatory disclaimer: if I end up being wrong and the whole lore book is unlocked and the missions are out and the cutscene is out and it all sucks ass, well, I'll be damned! It happens, congratulations to people who saw it coming, I'll be booboo the fool. Also don't harass people obviously.

#destiny 2 #destiny 2 spoilers #season of the haunted spoilers #zavala #long post #lore vibing #this will keep happening so I'm posting this as soon as possible #this will also keep happening because people can't turn off shipping brains #okay you ship zavala with cayde and zavala having a wife at some point messes up the fics #you can just say that it doesnt have to be justified with some faux lore analysis #I've literally had almost exactly the same discussion with op a year ago #and i was correct: more lore was incoming #but now the lore is bad actually #just say you dont want zavala to have had a partner in the past and go #this isn't the only post in this vein I've seen either so it's not an isolated incident #genuinely baffled over people being so violently against lore about zavala's family #like what's the problem. he had a family. it weighs on him. it's his regret #we have two other characters with different nightmares #and we've had eris #why cant one character have trauma over a mortal family #bizarre

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