While many people were out popping champagne and watching the ball drop, frequenters of the Destiny subreddit gathered to celebrate the coming new decade with the latest in a long line of "sexy" fan art depicting characters from the Destiny series by user TheMaestroNoob. However, this piece was not a "character" so much as it was a sexy, anthropomorphized gun.
Seven hours before midnight, TheMaestroNoob posted two images of a humanized version of The Last Word, an exotic hand cannon produced by the in-game company Tex Mechanica that was added to Destiny 2 in December 2018's Black Armory DLC expansion. One shows her in a black-and-gold outfit evocative of the base weapon's design, while the other is a blushing "bride version" with a silver and white "Ornamented and fully Masterworked" design — including a golden veil.
The Last Word was highly anticipated when it was first announced for Destiny 2, and sports a very roundabout weapon quest to unlock. After all, exotic weapons are the highest-tier gear available in the game.
Though the artwork in question does not cross the line into being smut, its 20th Century pinup girl style is at least titillating enough to earn the post a NSFW tag on Reddit. For comparison's sake, The Last Word girl's design feels reminiscent of Elizabeth from BioShock Infinite with green eyes instead of blue.
Seeing someone decide to anthropomorphize a gun in a video game is interesting in and of itself, but following TheMaestroNoob's changing attitude toward the niche they've hollowed out is a truly fascinating subplot to watch unfold.
The journey began in January 2018 with 'Sexy Oryx,' The Taken King. The title of the post begins with a tentative "Well..." and includes multiple hesitant ellipses throughout. Then came a more blatant 'Sexy Atheon' post in May 2018 where there's less surprise about hitting the front page, but continual self-questioning.
Things really start to snowball on the 'Sexy Empress Calus' post from July 2018, where TheMaestroNoob says "you can't stop me from falling into the pit deeper and deeper," and cracks jokes about how Guardians should, "Grow Thicc from strength!"
After Calus came a year-long break, with 'Sexy Riven' marking a triumphant return in July 2019. In that post, TheMaestroNoob grows more confident while reiterating their previous work, as though it has become a point of pride.
Finally, the journey hits its (current) endpoint with the New Year's Eve post, where all that needs to be asserted is that the audience is indeed looking at "the fastest girl in this solar system." Short, sweet, and to the point.
This endeavor that has culminated in a sexy Destiny 2 exotic pinup girl certainly seems to have struck a chord with Reddit user BobsBreadsticks, whose comment has received nearly 5,000 Karma points: "Every day we stray further from the traveler's light."
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.