#vague cannibalism reference if you squint

[bokatan]

Relationships asks: know, for good, companions, fate, and meet strange

@fuzzydreamin [ oc asks: relationship edition ]

Thank you, these were some really good questions! Answering for Mercy & Reed.

Know: How well does your OC know themself—their wants, their goals, their motivations? Do they engage in any sort of self-reflection? Is there anything about themself they willfully ignore?

Reed: He ...vaguely knows himself. There's a lot of things that he's aware of but doesn't want to acknowledge or deal with, and he makes a point not to do any self-reflection. Reed has a very bad habit of ignoring his wants, and specifically the ones that involve other people and him being more open, honest, and vulnerable. He's aware that he does this, he's aware that it's awful for his mental health, and he's aware that it's caused him to miss opportunities to actually get what he wants on more than one occasion but he refuses to acknowledge that and do anything to change it.

Mercy: She's pretty self-aware in general and she frequently self-reflects to keep herself in check. She also has a bit of a habit of ignoring her desire to be close with people, but she's at least aware of it and knows that it's a bit of a defense mechanism from losing so many people in her life. She's hesitant but ultimately willing to work on that after she thinks it through a few times.

For Good: Is there anyone in your OC's life who had an undeniable positive impact on who they are as a person? How did knowing this person improve your OC's life?

This is going to sound so sappy but Reed & Mercy had hugely positive impacts on each other. Their prewar lives were pretty tumultuous due to both of them being in active duty, so having a constant person around(and specifically one with many common core traits, and many similar + shared experiences) got them through a lot of hard times. Reed helps Mercy a lot with stepping back from her work and not getting so hyperfixated on it + encouraging her to have more whimsy, and Mercy helps Reed with being more emotionally available, slowing down and making less impulsive decisions, and encouraging him to deal with various issues that he’d otherwise try to avoid.

Additionally for Mercy: Her post-Enclave partner, Frances, had a huge impact on Mercy turning herself around and unlearning all of the shit she'd picked up in the military & Enclave. She strongly encouraged Mercy to pick up her prewar projects and rework them into something that'd actually help others. She also unintentionally encouraged Mercy's self-righteous side and taught her a lot of the skills she later used for bounty hunting during her drifter era.

Companions: Is your OC part of an adventuring group? A band of travelers? A guild, a team, a crew? What's the group dynamic, and how does your OC feel about their companions?

Reed's core group is Piper, Nick Valentine(+ Ellie), Delta, & Ada and his main romantic interests are Deacon & Danse. The overall dynamic they have leans into the found family area; Nick's sort of a mentor/parent figure to Reed, and his relationships with Piper, Ellie, Delta, & Ada are platonic and he sees them more as siblings than just close friends. Reed is very close friends with Deacon and Danse too, but both of those relationships have a romantic aspect as well - he and Deacon shift into sort of a queerplatonic relationship after they officially break up, and his relationship with Danse starts heading in that direction but it's up in the air after Blind Betrayal occurs.

Mercy tends to be more of a loner when it comes to adventuring - she rarely travels with other people, but she frequently has an animal companion(typically some wasteland flavor of horse and/or dog). During her New Vegas era she picks up Raul, Veronica, ED-E, and Arcade as traveling companions but they part ways when she opts to head back to the East coast. Her relationships with all of them are relatively casual and mostly platonic; she does end up with a bit of a crush on Veronica, but that doesn't go anywhere and she gets over it.

Fate: Does your OC believe in destined meetings? True love, soulmates, hearing the bells? Have they ever experienced this?

Reed: Not really. He doesn't believe in destinies and doesn't put much(or any) thought into things like soulmates. As far as experiences go: he wouldn’t admit it but Mercy’s somewhere in that genre for him, and Deacon is too but in more of a platonic manner.

Mercy: Vaguely. She does believe that destiny is a thing(though not all that important in the grand scheme of things) and she does think that some people are just meant to be together. As far as experiences go - she believes that her past partner from her Wyoming era was probably her soulmate, and she'd consider Reed to be something along those lines.

Meet Strange: What's the most memorable way your OC has ever met a new person? Was it a good experience? Bad experience? Just plain weird? How's their relationship with that person now?

Reed: His introduction to Delta is a mess. So he initially sees them while they’re set up shop at Bunker Hill - and he freaks out because from one side Delta looks pretty much identical to prewar Mercy. Reed’s under the impression that Mercy died on the other side of the country 200 years earlier so there’s no reason why she’d be selling scrap and robot parts in postwar Boston. He briefly talks to Delta and they obviously don’t recognize him, and he notices their synth features, and he just goes full panic mode and takes off because that is too much. After that he routinely runs into Delta because his main settlements are in their trade route, & he panics and leaves, & Delta’s sketched out and concerned. Reed eventually uncovers some info regarding old DNA samples that had been stored in one of the prewar labs near Cambridge and connects one of them back to Mercy + he gets some info on Delta’s origin from the Railroad, and he eventually gets himself to talk to them & things get better from there. Reed and Delta actually end up being really good friends, it just takes a while for Reed to work things out.

Mercy: She barely remembers it but her initial intro to Benny is getting shot, so.. that counts for something, I think. The actual intro she fully remembers is also a terrible experience since that's when she meats him in the Tops. He obviously gets killed in that whole ordeal so they don’t exactly have a relationship.

#thank you!!!💖 #ask games #reed tag #mercy tag #vague cannibalism reference if you squint

[wispstalk]

theft

(a silly discussion about daedric princes. cw: mildly nsfw text, reference to cannibalism)

Tanis and Coradri pass through the great hall, sweaty from their morning sparring session and deeply embroiled in conversation.

“—ripping off some kind of god or something, right?” Coradri is saying. “You can’t lie to save your life.” 

“Some kind of god,” scoffs the Hero of Kvatch. “We’ve been living at the temple how long, and— for fuck's sake, do you even know why we’re here?” 

“I’m just along for the wagon-ride, shorem.” Coradri punches his arm. “That’s exactly my point.” 

Martin closes the Xarxes and pushes it aside. “What are you two doing now?” 

“We’re arguing,” Coradri says cheerfully. “Irathi thinks he ought to go after the artifact himself, and I say he’s fucking dented. Maybe you can help us settle this, Brother.” 

Martin tents his fingers over his mouth, looking between the two of them. Tanis can certainly lounge, and the Sanguinites do a lot of that, but it’s hard to imagine him… frolicking. Reveling. For him, “cutting loose” likely means a good tavern brawl. Not the sort. Coradri, on the other hand: she plays the wide-eyed innocent when it suits her, but there is no missing the deviousness in her grin.

“It would be ideal if both of you could look out for each other,” he says carefully, “but that’s likely to raise some eyebrows. I’d have to choose Coradri.” 

“Guarshit.” Tanis folds his arms. “Why.” 

“Well, you’re… You’re a bit…” Martin circles a vague hand through the air.

"Spit it out, priest. I'm a bit what?" The Dunmer gives him a dead-eyed scowl, as if that itself doesn't put paid to the notion.

“The Daedra lords don���t take kindly to theft," he says instead. "It’s essential that our ruse is convincing.” 

“I like drugs and drink and fucking just as much as anyone,” Tanis says indignantly. 

“For gods’ sake, that’s not— I’ve said and said, you cannot touch anything they give you. Or anyone.” He tries not to make this sound petulant. “Only your own offering.” 

“Yes, yes, we heard you the first time,” Coradri says, exasperated. “I’ve got Emberbrand wine from our visit to Cheydinhal. That’s a real knee-walking drunk, Sanguine ought to like it.” 

“You mean I’ve got Emberbrand wine,” Tanis grumbles, “and it happens I like it.” 

“No one likes that gutrot, it tastes like lye and wet dog. The only thing you like about it is that you’re holding something the city watch will tackle you for.”

“Ha! True. You still can’t have it.” 

Martin suppresses a grin. She’s likely hidden it from him already. He sifts through the pile of books on his desk, looking for Modern Heretics. 

“I only suggested Sanguine because I can give you some idea of what to expect. Somewhere in here— ah. This one details the location of a few shrines, including Azura’s. Of all the Princes, she is least likely to involve you in something unsavory.”

“First of all, stop foisting books on me,” Tanis says, waving it away. “Second, if I got my hands on Azura’s Star, I sure as hell wouldn’t give it to you.” 

“Tanis!” Martin laughs. “With all the mortal realm at stake, really?” 

“Fuck the realm. You know what it costs to get your weapons recharged?” 

Martin scratches Nocturnal off his mental list, in that case. If Coradri gets hold of the Skeleton Key, he won’t see that either, to say nothing of the havoc she would unleash all over Tamriel. He won't be responsible for that.

“I know where Namira’s shrine is— Irathi, give me your map.” She squints at it, then points a little distance from Bruma, perhaps three hours’ walk. “In the mountains near here.” 

“And how do you know this?” Tanis says, squinting at her. 

“Walking around! There’s fuck-all else to do here. Anyway, the priestess said I was too pretty and charming to be let in— shut up, Irathi, she really did. Everyone there was hatchet-faced and mean. You could definitely take care of that one.” 

“Thanks.” He flicks the side of her head. “You know some of her followers eat human flesh? I’ve smelt burning bodies before and it’s… well, I’m fond of pork, let’s just say that. Best not to find out.” 

Martin shudders. “Namira’s out of the question. What about Meridia?” 

“What kind of things does she have?” Coradri says. That’s just lovely, Martin thinks, now I’ve piqued their curiosity about the artifacts they could acquire, the one I’ll have to destroy. 

He flips through Modern Heretics. “The Ring of Khajiti, but that one is rumored to be in possession of a famous jewel thief. And there’s Dawnbreaker.” 

“Dawnbreaker. Heard of it. Ebony sword, burns with some holy light, destroys the undead in a single blow?” Tanis shakes his head. “Yeah, you can’t have that one, either.”  

“Stealing from Mehrunes Dagon would be pretty funny,” Coradri puts in. “You know, given the whole mess we’re in.” 

“It would,” Martin is forced to admit. “Also most likely to end badly. And destroying it could create some kind of interference with the Xarxes, which will obviously be a problem.” 

One of the weaker princes: Peryite? Gross, says Tanis, and throws out Sheogorath's name. Please don’t, pleads Martin; that’s the last thing he needs in his Xarxes-addled state. Sending either one of these inveterate gamblers to Clavicus Vile seems unwise, and briefly he considers Hermaeus Mora — but no, now he’s beginning to sympathize with Tanis’s stingy dismissals. Any of the Black Books would be hard to give up. 

Coradri watches this debate with detached interest. These all-powerful immortals are just names to her, high-value theft targets. He still laughs when he recalls mentioning the ascension of Talos one night. Coradri cocked her head and asked, “Who?” Who indeed.

Mephala, Molag Bal, Boethiah, Vaermina, Malacath: all too bloodthirsty for Martin's taste. Tanis spends a hair too long considering Hircine, and Martin puts his foot down. He can already hear the argument upon Tanis’s return: It’s fine, piss off, I don’t need a cure, being a werewolf’s actually pretty class. 

“So we’ve gotten nowhere, then,” Tanis concludes. “Sanguine’s the most practical option, that’s clear.”

“And Brother Martin says I should do it,” Coradri says primly. 

“I don’t have to listen to him if I don’t want to.” Tanis fishes in his pocket and produces a gold septim. “Flip you for it. Three times.” 

“I call Martins.” 

“For gods’ sake. It’s not me on that coin, you know, and don't you think the stakes are a bit high to be settling this with—"

“Shut up,” they both say in unison, and they flip for it. Coradri wins. “Always bet on Brother Martin,” she says, elbowing her scowling companion in the side.

#changed this a lot from the version on AO3 but whatever. i forgot malacath!!! how could i forget malacath #tes oblivion #elder scrolls #hero of kvatch #oc: tanis #oc: coradri #martin septim #ray writes