𝘓𝘈𝘋𝘠 𝚅𝙴𝙽𝙶𝙴𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴 .

𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝖺𝗂𝗇'𝗍 𝖻𝗂𝗀 𝖾𝗇𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗈𝗍𝗁 𝗈𝖿 𝗎𝗌 .

[leadlock]

important posts from a blog that’s been around for 4 years yet has less than 50 total posts because i’m a nightmare person who isn’t active:

a file on deadlock’s first hit,

briefer on elisabet’s relationship to cassidy (the tags go on about the massive canon divergent element regarding her adoptive daughter),

rewrite of the reunion overwatch short from before i was even a master’s student holy shit i completely forgot i wrote this,

short poetic nonsense about the melancholia of motherhood,

old unfinished artwork i commissioned of elisabet & her daughter, sofía.

[mahoganymamii]

Gang of Roses (2003)

[atrappedwolfwill-a-deactivated2]

@leadlock

“I can’t in good conscience refer to this as a peace offering, but please, just hear me out. This is a lot bigger than just making money.” Not a great position she’s arguing from, but extenuating circumstances lead to strange measures taken.

[leadlock]

“  ——mmhhm .  ”  an unenthusiastic hum,  a slight nod,  giving this tundra a stern once-over .  were elisabet to dedicate more effort to this role,  a criminal high on greed,  maybe she would even tip her hat in a mockery of agreement .  it’s playing to overwatch’s ever watchful eye,  they could never see deadlock for what it really was,  what it represented .  she isn’t looking for a redemption for everything she’s done to lay fire at their feet & succeed where they failed,  it’d be grinding her teeth to dust for nothing .  she’d be wasting her anger too,  what is there to give to the dead & buried ?  “  just hand over the info,  don’t need no olive branch .  ”

[justicepursued-deactivated20240]

    The Gorge is a body unto itself, each part working to support the whole. Angela plays doctor where she can, conducting a thorough anatomical evaluation of the clinic. Today the power system is under survey, each solar panel meticulously checked and re-checked by the Gorge’s newest doctor. A gaggle of children tag along; Angela’s little team of researchers. They don’t mind the bags under her eyes, the dirty clothes and sunburnt skin. These children walk the sun-baked earth like giants, with no fear of minefields or snipers, their safety a joy that has Angela poised to say berachah — but oil-stained fingers keep her mouth shut. Uncleanliness aside, there are more pressing matters to attend to: namely the now-defunct connectors.     ❝  Damn,  ❞  Angela murmurs  — softly, lest little ears hear. The solar panel’s wires are chewed through, the work of some desert rodent. She jots a request for MC7 connectors on her notepad, more blue chicken scratch than college-ruled white. Each sweat-stained page catalogs every facet of the clinic, its intimate details accompanied by a long list of proposed repairs and improvements. Teeth worry the end of a cheap pen, the beginnings of an argument with Ashe taking shape in Angela’s mind. Securing funding for repairs would be trivial, but expansions? Jack had long since disabused her of any notion that her input on infrastructure would be taken into consideration…at least not without a blow-out screaming match.     Best to shove her ideas down, before her host soured on keeping her around.      Watch it! someone cries out, a missile sailing through the air. Raw instinct overrides restraint, Angela hitting hard ground before the sound of broken glass shatters her eardrums. A hush falls over the crowd of children, eyes wide as the doctor —  generously dusted with sand — stands to survey the damage. A window empty of glass yawns wide open.  ❝  Ah,  ❞  Angela blinks. She looks back to the children.     At least a dozen hands are pointed at the supposed culprit.     ❝  No one is in trouble.  ❞  A subdued smile graces the doctor’s features, a touch wider than she feels comfortable with. She’ll bare it, this is a moment that calls for Mercy.  ❝  …But I will be asking all of you to help me repair the window.  ❞     That receives a mixed response. Some groan, others keep their eyes glued to their feet, mumbling a reluctant yes ma’am. Not an encouraging response, but Angela senses that a few are moved to help her. For a moment, she truly believes she has the situation well in hand…until she spots Ashe.     ❝  Sheriff,  ❞  Angela clears her throat, dirty hands quick to brush the dust from even dirtier pants,  ❝  To what do we owe the pleasure?  ❞

[leadlock]

the whispers of the gorge are like a sixth sense,  honed like the fast draw of a gunslinger;  be it the sizzling sun scorching the soil beneath her boots,  the mumbling of folk walking the dusty streets,  the creak of old wood as they find respite from the heat beneath the shadow of their porch .  she hears it all,  even in the few occasions elisabet finds herself out of town  [once a rare occurrence as she watched her daughter grow,  now more frequent as she trusts the town to be a second parent],  the whine of wind rustling weeds as it rushes through the openings in the mountain rock,  from which their houses grow .

a broken window is a stone thrown into the stream,  stifling the river’s flow,  a crack in this picturesque serenity of a place between the sands where your problems can vanish deep into the desert . 

elisabet’s hands prop up her belt,  fingers gripping into brown leather,  the language of authority giving a stern purpose to her approach .  she has kept watch as the children played around the solar panels,  always on the fritz,  backup generators & weather control demanding more than they can manage .  she is a second sentinel covering any of angela’s blind spots as she works tirelessly to keep their little dream running .  maybe she is looking after the good doctor too,  unsure how she can handle a gaggle of kids following her around at all times,  tugging at her lab coat for attention & approval .  engineering work & babysitting might not be worthy of a trained surgeon,  but elisabet isn’t one to scoff when she pulls a jack of all trades from a shuffled deck .  deadlock’s had good sawbones in the past, treatin' bruises & bullet wounds,  she’s got the scars to prove it,  wounds she wouldn’t have survived otherwise,  they’ve just never been what the gorge demands .  outlaws have different needs,  her people deserve good help,  steady hands holding the scalpel & whatever humanitarian organisation looked down on her town enough to send angela their way did them a blessing . 

there is no deep trust yet brimming,  but sofía seems to like angela quite a lot & that’s enough for elisabet to help her adjust .

 “  ———heard trouble .  ”  the only shade is the one cast by the brim of her hat,  deep brown eyes glancing past angela & to the group of kids,  all huddled together & quaking at the sheriff .  today they are leaderless,  too busy to lock themselves in an endless game of cops & robbers with sofía leading the pack .  she could furrow her brow & weigh them down with her disapproval,  but a half-grin shines some warmth their way,  enough to ease worry .  “  hope they aren’t givin’ you much grief,  eh,  doc ?  turn your head one second & suddenly they’re breaking things .  ”

[persephonememes]

𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 /  𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠.

❛ You will always fall in love, and it will always be like having your throat cut, just that fast. ❜

❛ You are going to break your promise. ❜

❛ I understand. ❜

❛ And I hold my hands over the ears of my heart, so that I will not hate you. ❜

❛ Oh, I will be cruel to you. ❜

❛ It will stop your breath, how cruel I can be. ❜

❛ But you understand, don’t you? ❜

❛ I am a demanding creature. ❜

❛ I am selfish and cruel and extremely unreasonable. ❜

❛ For you alone I will be weak. ❜

❛ I do not tolerate a world emptied of you. ❜

❛ In the dark, I have pored over the loss of you like pale gold. ❜

❛ I have looked for your face in the patterns of the ice. ❜

❛ I moved the earth and the water for you. ❜

❛ Because my magic is as strong as an arm. ❜

❛ Magic does that. It wastes you away. ❜

❛ Magic does that. It wastes you away. Once it grips you by the ear, the real world gets quieter and quieter, until you can hardly hear it at all. ❜

❛ You will always run away with her. ❜

❛ You will always lose her. ❜

❛ You will always be a fool. ❜

❛ War is not for winning. ❜

❛ But her heart was so cold that she could hold ice in her mouth and it would never melt. ❜

❛ You look like a winter night. ❜

❛ But if you must be clever, then be clever. ❜

❛ Be brave. ❜

❛ Sleep with fists closed and shoot straight. ❜

❛ She is so stubborn, her heart has an argument with her head every time it wants to beat. ❜

❛ How I adore you. ❜

❛ Tell me you want what you want and damn me forever. But don’t leave me. ❜

❛ Oh, quit that. ❜

❛ In his own country, death can be kind. ❜

❛ Bad luck relies on absolutely perfect timing. ❜

❛ Someone ought to write a novel about me. ❜

❛ I savor bitterness - it is born of experience. It is the privilege of one who has truly lived. ❜

❛ What is the world but a boxing ring where fools and devils put up their fists? ❜

❛ After love, no one is what they were before. ❜

❛ In the space of one heartbeat to another I loved you and I was lost to you. ❜

❛ No one is now what they were before the war. There’s just no getting any of it back. ❜

❛ How long your hair has grown. You could strangle a man in it. ❜

❛ I have survived, but I have not been spared. ❜

❛ After all, when all else is gone, you may still have bitterness in abundance. ❜

❛ I’ve a devil of a habit for being right. ❜

❛ Everyone is a criminal! ❜

❛ Naturally, then, humans fall into three categories: the criminal, the not-yet-criminal, and the not-yet-caught. ❜

❛ Forests have secrets. ❜

❛ We are better at this than you are. ❜

❛ We can hold two terrible ideas at once in our hearts. ❜

❛ It’s not so bad, my darling. ❜

❛ I look at you and it is like my throat being cut. ❜

❛ Do you think I am a fool? ❜

❛ Did you never think, even once, that I loved lipstick and rouge for more than their color alone? ❜

❛ I still want to kiss you. ❜

❛ I hate it here. ❜

❛ He’ll burn you down like wax if you let him. ❜

❛ Did I not come to you on my knees with a kingdom in my hand? ❜

❛ I am not a little girl anymore, dazzled by your magic. It is my magic, now, too. ❜

❛ My heart is being cut in two. I cannot bear it. ❜

❛ Nothing ever truly dies. ❜

[naslostcontrol]

Regina King as Trudy Smith in The Harder They Fall (2021)

+

[leadlock]

‹  ❛ ★  @heelgun​​ .  »

“  now what’s a mighty fine woman like you doin’ in my town ?  ”  there are unsaid answers to her question;  taking up space,  head far too close to the saloon ceiling & scaring the other patrons━  making townsfolk flood the sheriff’s office in the early hours of the morning & ripping her away from her daughter to check for  [potential]  danger .  elisabet struts forward with confidence,  the light jangle of her spurs & her gloved hands gripping her belt .  she never cowers before strangers that don’t fit in the gorge,  they’re a dime a dozen .  “  got lost ?  sun’s shinnin’ bright today .  ”

[shedivinearc]

melodic  hum  passing  discoloured  lips     ,     rifle  shifted  to  a  comfortable  pose  upon  your  shoulder.     two  sharp  shooters     ,     well  versed  in  skill.     even  for  an  american.          ❛  i  knew  there  was  a  reason  i  kept  you  around.  ❜

*     @leadlock     /     starter  call .

[leadlock]

gun  smoke  flares  her  nostrils ,  adrenaline  coursin’  through  like  it  was  the  first  time  she  felt  her  finger  on  the  trigger .  might  have  something  to  do  with  present  company ,  unsure  of  what  exactly  sees  them  standing  shoulder  to  shoulder ,  deadlock  &  talon  ;  wasn’t  a  pretty  picture ,  luckily  the  lady  she’s  trying  to  impress  was  &  some  days  that’s  all  the  motivation  you  need .  they’ve  been  keeping  critters  off  the  front  porch  for  a  while  now ,  trivialised  target  practice .  eyes  raise  off  the  viper’s  iron  sights ,  posture  straightened  &  shoulders  relaxed ,  lowering  her  weapon  of  choice  enough  for  a  moment’s  distraction .  glancing  to  her  left ,  she  meets  the  comment  with  a  cocky  smile ,  an  answer  almost  premeditated ,

“    'nother  pair  of  eyes  ━━  cause  y’ain’t  got  enough ?    ”

[leadlock]

I’M AN EASY RIDER . #LEADLOCK , a highly canon-divergent take on ashe from activision blizzard’s overwatch , written by nadiya .

[kuutamosonaatti]

Emerson always was a sucker for a tricky dame.

[interplanetar-deactivated202106]

❝     𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖,     ❞      he started,    unpocketing his cigarettes      &      shaking one from the pack.    He spun it leisurely between thumb      &      forefinger to his lips before striking the match      &      sinking into the chair.    Kicking his feet up on the table,    crossed at the ankles      &      curiously flicking his gaze back at her.      ❝     When two hunters go after the same prey,    they often end up shooting each other in the back.   ❞

@leadlock​   * ⁎  🚀   ⁎  *  ☆ ⭒ sc.

[leadlock]

it  was  a  musing  she  definitely  understood ,  more  than  once  living  that  duality  &  though  elisabet  buries  the  past ,  she  can’t  hide  how  it  drew  deep  lines  across  her  face .  a  weight  that  darkness  her  gaze .  she  pretends  to  only  notice  a  cigarette  not  shared  &  procures  her  own ,  a  pack  lying  in  a  pouch ,  rarely  opened .  its  tip  lit  by  a  trusty  old  lighter ,  skull  &  chain  adorning  it ,  she  draws  once  before  responding ,    “    ━━suppose  then  y’think  you’re  some  kinda  hunter ?    ”    deflection  as  accusation ,  a  classic  move .    “    cause  i’m  no  stranger  to  killin’  varmints .    ”    &  to  accentuate ,  a  cloud  of  smoke  escapes  past  her  lips .

[leadlock]

‹  ❛ ★  @superluminas​​ .  »  plotted starter .

the  saloon  air  runs  cold ,  a  dry  tap  &  few  patrons  shifting  away  to  one  side  'round  a  central  point .  distrust  clouding  the  building  in  deafening  silence .  a  locale  usually  bustling  with  the  chatter  of  townsfolk ,  free-flowing  stories  from  highwaymen  that  always  turn  to  the  gorge  for  respite ,  where  every  shade  within  the  town  comes  to  unify ,  become  one .  all  brought  to  a  stop  by  a  single  word  that  plagues  mutual  thought ,  whispered  like  a  game  of  telephone  across  the  arid  wind  as  it  reaches  the  sheriff’s  office .  it  raises  elisabet  from  her  chair ,  feet  once  kicked  over  her  desk  in  anticipation  of  a  simple  afternoon  striking  against  wooden  floorboards ,  loud  &  harsh ,  threatening  to  splinter  the  flooring .

OVERWATCH━  in  days  long  past  they’d  be  taken  out  back  &  shot ,  a  single  bullet  to  the  back  of  the  head  without  any  questions  asked .  now ,  there  enough  at  risk  to  deny  her  pulling  the  trigger .  she  thought  they  wouldn’t  be  this  stupid ,  having  long  ago  drained  their  persistence ,  deadlock  growing  into  something  greater  despite  their  attempts  to  stop  it .  there  was  nothing  for  them  left  to  take ,  everything  elisabet  has  built  since  they  struck  her  down  has  been  around  their  influence .  a  tough  shell ,  smart  enough  to  adapt  to  their  movements  against  her  &  proven  so ,  her  business  outliving  theirs .  contemplation  furrows  her  brow ,  there  is  something  different  at  play .  the  whispers  around  her  denote  that  this  wasn’t  the  usual  visit ,  no  authority  to  it  besides  a  person  representing  a  larger  whole  &  even  then ,  could  one  agent  carry  all  that ?

it’s  a  short  walk  from  her  office  to  the  saloon ,  decisive ,  considered  footsteps  across  the  sand  &  a  hand  slowly  opening  the  gate .  as  she  enters ,  a  few  patrons  exit  &  some  remain  to  watch .  prior  silence  gives  way  to  low  gossip ,  endless  speculation  of  future  events .  she  grabs  the  chair  opposite  the  woman  whose  presence  has  shaken  the  gorge ,  turning  it  around  &  sitting  down ,  arms  resting  on  the  top  rail .  what  lies  beneath  elisabet’s  eyes  is  an  unimpressed  anticipation ,  she  knows  to  be  careful  &  yet  she  is  unsure  if  she  need  hold  onto  hostility .  her  voice  is  low ,  her  tone  neutral  &  she  only  asks  one  question ,    “    what  brings  you  ‘round  these  parts ?    ”

[vanguish-deactivated20210404]

          :     @leadlock​   -   ashe,   from  sadie  adler .

          WELL,   THAT  AIN’T  SOMETHIN’  YOU  SEE  EVERY  DAY.     Rusted  and  busted,  but  with  plenty  of  life  left  in  her;  a  loyal  weapon,  for  a  loyal  sharp  shooter.  Bottles,  glinting  in  the  dimming  light  of  a  smoke-filled  sky,  line  up  along  the  only  straight  piece  of  fencing  in  the  whole  of  the  county,  some  shattered  and  spread  in  the  weed  and  dry  dirt.  Her  horse  whinnies,  a  singular  DISTURBANCE.     “ Hey  now,  don’t  get  any  closer, ”     Sadie  spins  on  her  heel,  boots  grinding  as  she  does.     “ Unless  you’re  here  with  a  WAGER and  a  good  shot. ”

[leadlock]

now ,  ain’t  that a  familiar  sight ,  linin’  up  bottles  for  shooting  was  a  practice  as  old  as  time .  it’s  how  every  gunslinger  starts ,  revolver  in  hand  &  a  lonely  afternoon  chasing  the  satisfaction  of  glass  shattering  on  impact .  it  was  definitely  what  got  elisabet  going ,  acres  of  empty  land  &  B.O.B.  standing  watch  as  a  young  girl  flicked  rocks  with  a  slingshot .  even  now ,  well  practised  in  handling  the  real  thing ,  facing  targets  who  don’t  just  stand  still  if  you  miss ,  she  doesn’t  mind  some  nostalgia .    “    got  nothin’  written  down ,  but  if  you’re  offering  competition  ...    ”    the  viper  remains  strapped  to  her  back ,  thinking  it’d  probably  be  cheating  to  bring  out  the  old  girl  just  for  this ,  &  a  handgun  is  spun  off  its  trigger  guard  from  her  holster ,  a  motion  that  ends  in  a  decisive  grip ,  aimed  skyward .    “    i  think  i  know  a  thing  or  two  about  shootin’ .    ”

[leadlock]

many men have tried to kill elisabet but what puts her in the grave is watching ramya parekh swing her child around like she’s practising for the olympic hammer throw

[prkharchived]

         ❝     y'know ,   if   you’d   called   in   before   buyin’   out   my   store ,   i   would   have   made   myself   look   a   lil’   nicer               ❞          her   fingers ,   polish   chipped ,   tease   rampart’s   ponytail   with   a   great   cheshire   grin .   𝙼𝙸𝚂𝙲𝙷𝙸𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙾𝚄𝚂 ,   𝙿𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙵𝚄𝙻 ,   𝙲𝙷𝙸𝙿𝙿𝙴𝚁   [ … ]   but   otherwise ,   nothing   out   of   the   ordinary .   (   she   calls   it   her   charm   :   others   would   call   it   a   slick   way   to   lose   the   interest   of   any   professional    dealers   looking   to   buy   in   bulks   )   :    she   tells   them   what   she’d   tell   anyone   else ,   if   you’re   lucky   enough   to   like   what   you   do   there’s   a   thin   enough   line   between   business   and   pleasure   for   a   good   laugh .          ❝     but   it   looks   like   beggers   can’t   be   chosers ,   hm ?   I   KNOW   YOUR   TRIGGER   FINGER   ISN’T   ITCHING   BAD   ENOUGH   TO   DROP   INTO   THE   FIRST   GUN   PLACE   Y'SEE .     ❞

@leadlock​           🢆     𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍   !

[leadlock]

they  do  say  these  were  the  best  guns  around ,    “    LITTLE  BIRDIE  TOLD  ME  YOU’RE  HANDLIN’  GOOD  STOCK━    ”    &  of  all  the  shops  seen  over  the  years ,  none  of  ‘em  had  quite  this  much  personality .    if  deadlock’s  in  need  of  firepower ,  it’s  got  to  be  the  toughest  lead  &  if  they’re  buying  from  the  competition ?  it’s  one  less  gun  in  their  hands  &  one  more  in  hers .    “    &  the  only  thing  i’ve  been  itching  for  is  to  take  'em  for  a  spin .    ”    fingers  thread  along  a  steel  wall ,  giving  the  room  a  quick  scan  before  spurred  boots  stop  in  front  of  the  countertop .  there  is  fire  in  her  eyes ,  gleaming  with  a  passion  undoubtedly  shared  with  the  owned  of  a  gun-store .  not  hard  guesswork  to  parse  why  she’s  here ,  what  she  wants  to  see  &  in  truth ,  she  lacks  a  real  threat  despite  present  subject  matter .    “    think  you’ve  got  any  free  samples ?  with  my  good  fortune  &  all  i’ve  earned  a  peek .    ”    tone  all  convincing ,  elisabet  carries  a  mischievous  grin  across  her  lips ,  looking  to  be  a  satisfied  customer .

[leadlock]

before i become actually active i want to remind you guys of them

[blutraces]

        “  hey!  be careful with that;  if i wasn’t so fast,  i might’ve gotten hit!  accidentally,  of course,  i’m sure you didn’t mean it.  ”

        [ @leadlock​​​​      ❤ ‘d     for a starter !!   ]

[leadlock]

lever  of  the  rifle  pulled ,  shell casing released from the chamber ,  swirling blur of copper & smoke flying in the air before it hits the ground with a satisfying clink .  there is but a warm breeze following the sound of gunfire ,  elisabet doesn’t even hear the ringing anymore ,  just the ticking clock her pulse has become .    “    ———really ,  are y’sure ?    ”    viper turning to the same target ,  sights pointed ,  smoke trail twisting with her motion .  there is something heavy beneath eyes focusing on the strange woman ,  a mix of confusion & the resulting curiosity ,  a certain hesitation in a trigger finally pulled .  she had never seen someone out-speed a bullet before .