#i don't have a favorite achievement hunter

[thesiltverses]

Hello! I found the silt verses about three weeks ago and have listened to it several times since. I have a few things to say.

I absolutely adore that episode about the national grid workers. I think it’s my favorite episode of any podcast I’ve ever listened to. My favorite part of that first episode Paige is in is how she justifies not standing up for Vaughn, that cognitive dissonance that you wrote so well. This episode gives me what I wanted from that episode, the workers all banding together to stop the wasteful sacrifice of one of them. The actor who played the foreman did an incredible job as well. I think that having him discuss which of his workers he would sacrifice was such a significant moment, despite how brief it is. It cuts right to the big question that I took away from the podcast which is, “How much is someone willing to sacrifice in order to maintain their comfort?” And the utter disrespect of Glodditch (apologies for the spelling) refusing to cancel even the radio but asking grid workers to kill themselves for 200kw/h! Top tier episode.

I grew up in the south and went to college in Appalachia. I saw the disparity in technology and “advancement” if that makes sense that poverty brings, and the way you set up the world invokes that feeling in me again. You are an amazing world builder and storyteller.

I really enjoyed the cameos - I’m a big fan of malevolent/devisor, Old gods of Appalachia, and all of Jonny sims work, so hearing familiar voices was an absolute delight. Harlan Guthrie as an acolyte of the snuff gods might have been a bit too on the nose with some of the things that man writes, though… /pos

I’m transmasculine, and something that I really appreciate is how you manage to make a trans man do some objectively awful things, but still manage to make him a complex, full character that I was rooting for very frequently. Brother Faulkner is so, so important to me as a character. Paula Vogel has a play called “Indecent,” which is about the true story of a troupe of I believe German Jewish actors between the years of 1910ish and 1940s putting on a show called “God of Vengeance” by Sholem Asch, also a Jewish man. “God of Vengeance” has queer themes and received a lot of criticism from the Jewish community for showing Jewish folks in a “bad” light at a time when there was already so much hatred for Jewish people. Brother Faulkner being as complex and, in my opinion, malicious and cutthroat as he is at a time when trans people face so much bigotry, especially legislatively in the United States, brings this conversation about “God of Vengeance” up again for me. I also love how normalized non-binary people are in this world, without question. “Sibling this or that,” the hunter, adjudicator Shrew - big thanks from me for all of this.

All of this to say, I love this podcast. Can you talk more about the rhetorical gods? Is Babble one? What makes them one if they are, or why aren’t they? I’m fascinated by them. Can you talk more about the propaganda gods too?

Thank you so much for the thoughtful and kind words!

I'll check out Indecent, it sounds really interesting and I'm very glad to hear Faulkner works for you as a character. I think the topic of how to include and write queer characters who are capable of terrible things and thoughts (because, after all, these characters are human beings and not tutelary exemplars), within the context of both a rising movement of transphobia right now and centuries-old scapegoating / pathologising portrayals more generally, is a really knotty but a really important one, and I always want to make sure I'm approaching it with care and due responsibility as well as a sense of humility around the limitations of what, as a cis writer, I can actually achieve.

To that end, I don't want to ever take the audience response for granted, but I'm always really grateful to hear that the portrayal is working for a listener!

Propaganda gods: gods whose prayer-marks or ritual verses are fed directly to the enemy, enforcing destructive or sabotaging changes to reality (so rather than sending a destructive saint or angel to rampage over the foe, you might drop pamphlets or send radio messages to the enemy to 'convert' them).

Rhetorical gods: gods whose followers possess reality-warping powers of language itself (which is why 'rhetorical god' is a polite way of saying 'liar's god'). In other words, the paranoia around them comes partly down to the fact that a disciple like Val may appear to be a limitless shaper of new forms, rather than shaped into a limited form of their own, as a result of their worship.

#carmen maria machado has a fun mini-essay about queer villainous portrayals which I do recommend

[ckret2]

I have one/two acronyms for the bounty hunter

HASO (Humans Are Space Orcs)

EISA (Earth Is Space Australia)

Then you add the peculiar flavor of weird that is Gravity Falls

That or the poor bounty hunter is an INSURANCE hunter and claimant for the UFO (Space tax evasion!)

Honestly I'm not a big fan of the "humans are space orcs/earth is space Australia" thing. By this point, it's become very "humans are the ONLY species that's strong, that's brave, that's loyal, that's self-sacrificial, that's protective, that gets scared for fun, that heals from wounds, that can work hard for a day straight, that can solve problems with creative thinking, that can eat poisons too strong for any other creature's delicate digestive tracts, that—" Like, there's very little that we're the absolute best at even on our own planet. "oOoOo humans are SO TOUGH we like to eat HOT PEPPER EVEN THOUGH IT HURTS—" birds don't even taste capsaicin. Cows and rabbits can eat deadly nightshade. They're the space orcs now.

The most often reblogged HASO/EISA stories have turned into a form of speculative fiction that fails to offer any speculation on the capabilities and potential of cool alien species, and instead is just humans bragging about their favorite parts of humanity by deciding nobody else could ever achieve the same feat—"No one heals like Gaston, invents wheels like Gaston, no one persistence hunts for their meals like Gaston!"

Why should we believe that intelligent cooperative spacefaring aliens of multiple species from multiple worlds are universally deficit in the capacity for self-sacrifice, or eating things that hurt, or thinking other animals are cute enough to pack bond with them, such that the human race is the only species with such a capability they've ever seen? Why are we to believe that no other intelligent life-producing planet has ever had tornadoes, earthquakes, large predator species, whatever? It's so self-congratulatory it implicitly stunts and limits the potential of the entire rest of the universe. If no other species can ever be As Much As humans and if no other world can ever be As Much As earth... then everyone and everywhere else is less interesting than us.

Who wants to play in a sci-fi setting like that? A setting where everything that could be cool and fun and new is, by the very definition of the genre, defined by how inferior it is to what we already know?

The idea that the UFO is part of a tax evasion scheme is very funny tho

#megxolotl #ask #about my writing

[jessilynallendilla]

So I just read Danny Phantom: A Glitch in Time and...it was ok

Had this come out when I was a kid and just watched Ultimate Enemy I would have gone absolutely feral over it

this show came out in 2004 so not quite sure how to feel about the updated technology IMO it would have been cool to have a time capsule of the show than the common floating timeline you see in comics

unlike with DC graphic novels you can tell the person that wrote this is actually a fan of the show and not a rando corporate pick the plot is plausible and the characters stay in character

A loyal tribute that brings in new lore and character growth

it also retcons the hated movie Phantom Planet

And it leaves enough to be curious for the sequel

People either seem to love it saying it's a good continuation the more serious take they wanted or hate it saying they're tired of villains being complex and redeemable and not pure evil anymore and the plot seems too much like tumblr fanfiction

I made notes as a read it so spoilers under the cut

Dash Kwan Paulina and Star are ghost hunters 

Tucker has instagram/twitter “Spectregram” fans 

The Fentons supply the town’s ghost hunting tech unasked 

Tucker’s wiki “click-a-pedia" has him listed as married to Ember 

Danny and Jazz just accept their father is such a bungler he can’t even kill a guy by abandoning him in space 

Dan was strong enough to dent the only thing that can contain him and just it being knocked off a shelf was enough for him to break out (why Clockwork the Master of Time never foresaw this happening moved it from a table to a more secure location ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  ) 

So uh... Dan just absorbed “ate” Clockwork  

Ecto energy can reach atomic bomb levels so dimension ending threat there 

Since the Disasteroid his powers have been fading their theories match their personalities Tucker-science Sam-government Jazz-trauma  

“Do you have any childhood trauma you wanna talk about?” (like Jazz as if you weren’t there) 

Vlad found a primordial source of ecto energy and just kept that information to himself for a rainy day 

Jazz has a magical girl transformation for her ghost fighting suit 

Vlad is just “ignore those clones” (there in clothes so did Vlad just buy multiple copies of Danny’s favorite outfit how did he know his size) 

Vlad is such an old man who doesn’t know how to use modern computers 

“not a place of honor” ah the nuclear waste warning (we don’t really get much more exploration of this or the seven ancients) 

Sam is a horse girl 

Valerie still holding that grudge huh 

In Pariah’s Keep Danny is suffers from bad memories and holds Sam’s hand to comfort himself 

The Keep is Fright Knight’s domain  

Danny just forgets humans are the ghosts in the Ghost Zone (in line with how often he forgets what powers he has) 

Fright Knight calls Pariah his master 

Vlad is such a loser he keeps getting his shit kicked 

Maddie “That’s not my Danny.” 

The Ghost Zone and human world were split in half an unnatural divide 

Danny is still a C student (io don't think he's going to be an astronaut)

Ghosts are manifestations of human emotions not separate entities (take that Fartman) 

Eventually they start to lose their human identity it’s why some are less human 

Vlad has his own “Where’s the rest of it?” meme 

They figured out all ghosts run on some emotional drive or purpose  

Danny realizes his purpose is protection but now there’s no longer the monster of the week threat or his parents he never asked himself what he wanted 

Now instead of constant fighting he’ll help the ghost achieve their desires they just want to keep doing in death what they did in life and heal the rift 

Fight for control Clockwork 

Vlad finally grew as a person realizing it was his action and drive for power that drew everyone away and has making amends as his new purpose 

Dan just doesn’t want to be alone (makes sense the “no more painful human emotions” +Vlad’s anger and abandonment issues so he’s all the emotions and pain) 

Dan is destabilizing flashing back to his pre Dark child form because he’s a being outside his destroyed timeline  

Danny is the GOAT 

Clockwork needs to fix what he can of the time streams and Danny has two choices Post Disasteroid+no powers or Pre Disasteroid+powers  

Danny gives up being accepted so he can fix the realms “I’m Danny Phantom, proctor of humans and ghosts!” 

They are back to being invisible losers and Sam is just happy goths aren’t popular anymore 

The city doesn’t know how they avoided the Disasteroid but the Mayor declares ghosts are responsible for everything the city will now have a branch of ghost hunters and Danny Phantom is again public enemy #1 

Clockwork transfers Dan from Vlad into one of the empty clones he’s Vlad’s responsibility now he’ll be too busy to help again 

Clockwork’s powers are finite (so he isn’t omnipotent and all powerful) but he still feels something wrong in the stitches he feels weaker now 

And Valerie has a Time Medallion and is pissed (but there was a Valerie in the crowd at the Mayor’s speech so the two Valeries might meet up in the sequel)  

Jazz is ecstatic she was right about ghosts being emotions based  

#danny phantom #a glitch in time #agit #what I'm reading

[nateofgreat]

Ah goodie, my least favorite bounty hunter is back.

-The space cowboy who walked in through the front door of the most secure building in the Republic despite having no plan other than to shoot the guards with blasters. Causing comic writers to have to retcon the Senate Commando's into being weak, corrupt, and ineffective to explain it.

-The random criminal Darth Sidious decided to PERSONALLY CONTACT to work jobs for him. Even though he was attempting to remain on the down low and work through intermediaries.

-The non-Force sensitive who walked out the front door of the Jedi Temple with a stolen holocron despite the fact that they should all be able to sense him. At the very least he'd be stopped at the door.

-The guy with no swordsmanship training who was able to defeat Obi-Wan Kenobi in lightsaber combat.

-The random guy with guns who could match two Jedi Knights in battle despite losing to Padawan Ahsoka on two separate occasions because Dave loves her more.

-The man who only achieves anything close to what he does in the show because Dave Filoni also wears a cowboy hat.

What I'm trying to say is that I don't like Cad Bane very much.

#Star Wars #anti Cad Bane #Cad Bane critical #Dave Filoni critical #tbb spoilers

[journalsouppe]

Stardew Valley!!! I love a lot about this spread but I wish I didn't use so many pen colors. This is another game I played before I even started journaling so I had to recall a lot of my older thoughts. Sebby's little corner might've been even bigger 😅 (Y'all might even guess where the name PumpkinSouppe came from, but it is also my favorite dish irl)

The Sebastian sticker is by ArcaneGoldArt! They have a whole collection of all the love interests.

Writing typed below!

Rating: 9.3 Played: Fa 2021 Port: PC (steam) Favorite? Y Replayable? Y Recommend? Y

Comments:

Name: Beans

Farm: Soup

German Shepherd

Beach Farm

Spouse: Seb <3

The Junimo are SO cute

only talked to like 7 characters lol I'm so introverted

had so many wiki pages open

LOVE the dungeons and enemies + the hunter log/achievements

It's sometimes pretty creepy

You can put hats on the horse and children lmao

don't like Shane at all (skull emoji)

stopped playing when I got the child, not the biggest fan [but I'm also against sacrifice]

#1 Krobus fan, love him

love my crazy animal names

made a little statue garden

so many eggplant parms

so much fun catching all the legendary fish!

the movies are so pretty and fun

The Sebastian corner: (DO NOT SAY ANYTHING)

(List of his favorite and liked gifts) Frozen tear, obsidian, pumpkin soup, sashimi, void egg, flounder, quartz

motorcycle kiss T^T

LOVE his theme

when he hid behind the tree lmao (I accidentally planted a tree right in front of where he would stand and I thought he would just disappear once a week and I could never find him)

quit smoking for me

he loves Jasmine tea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you can kiss him <3!!!

Frog Sanctuary

Game Dev notes:

really good day/night + seasonal cycle with relation to player mechanics

great progression of unlockable events -- well paced

great long term achievements

amazing cooking mechanics and storage

no definitive objects, very choose your own adventure!

easy controls, nothing memorable

beautiful pixel art and boundaries

Summary:

One of my all time favorite games. It is the gold standard of farming games and even has one of the best fishing mechanics. I played this during the beginning of my health problem during senior year and it really helped me cope a lot. Although I didn't play multiplayer, my friend and I played at the same time. This game has so many cherished memories especially when I got to compare gameplay with my friend. Made by one man, this is such an unbelievable game. There's unlockable events after x amount of years that entice players to continue playing.; There's also no one way to play, for example I was a lot more introverted and only talked to a few characters whereas my friend played more socially. Maybe someday I'll continue playing to complete more achievements. My one gripe is there's a lot of responsibilities to get back into, so it's a little hard to get back into. It's one of the games I can recommend to everyone. It's hard if you makes it hard, cozy if you make it cozy, etc. Excellent designs, animation, gameplay, story, choices, etc. My worry is that this game is so well crafted I'm worried playing other farming games won't live up, I am so excited for ConcernedApe's new game. He is a major inspiration to start making my own games. I have also heard modded Stardew is really good and really worth checking out. All in all, a superb game loved by so many fans. Highly recommend.

#bullet journal #journalsouppe #journal #video game journal #stardew valley #stardew sebastian

[autisticandroids]

15, 21, 23?

15. something you learned this year

i don't know if i can say i learned a new skill as such. but one thing is like... i really enjoyed making three card stud. and it really opened my eyes to like, how much of what i like about the practice of fanfiction is the meticulous remixing/reinterpretation of canon. there's a way in which the AMV is a more... analytical art form than the fanfic, because you are literally forced by the constraints of the medium to keep to the text. all you have are song lyrics and the kuleshov effect to convince your audience to take the new meaning you intend to convey from stuff already in the show. and i brought that ethos to three card stud even though i did add stuff. in a lot of ways three card stud was just me listing off things from canon i think a lot about and saying eh? eh? like. hoping the context would make it clear *why* this stuff makes me crazy. and i think that was a lot of the motivation behind the fic i'm currently working on, which is about dean and cas getting caught by the police. that fic at this point is mostly lists of things that have happened in spn episodes, placed in a new context by baffled feds and cops. which is the fun part. so like basically i learned that this is really fun, listing off canon facts in a new context

21. most memorable comment/review

so the most memorable traditional comment as such i got was probably this one, on i fold in half so easily (ifihse tends to generate the best comments because it's extremely dark without the ways in which it is dark being obviously flagged. so people are more shocked and more forced to think). "Cas: no officer i am very happy please dont tell dean im emotionally complex" is so funny and true that's literally what happens in that fic.

another top contender is this one, on getting serious, which generates good comments for the same reason ifihse does, though it's a lot less intense.

but in terms of my favorite *response to my work,* it was the breastfeeding anon saga (in chronological order here) which was a response to my fic smorgasbord.

and then i wrote a fic based on those anons, and then i got these very funny tags on my fic post:

23. fics you wanted to write but didn’t

when i tell you about the 120k deanvictor fic which is literally 90k of victor henriksen hunting down a serial killer dean winchester while becoming a little (sexually) obsessed with him and then 30k of victor knowing about the supernatural and moonlighting as a hunter while he and dean suck each others dicks so much.

and also it's about victor's relationship with his two ex wives and his former stepdaughter who he is still emotionally a parent to even though they have no legal relationship and the coworker he had an emotional affair with who he doesn't speak to anymore and how he feels trapped in his life and his job and dean represents this escape for him this total freedom. just living in his car on the road and not having to worry about what your boss thinks or needing to quit smoking. while for dean victor represents this stability and adulthood dean can never achieve. and dean leaves three spare pairs of underwear in victor's divorcé bachelor pad as a kind of little... fantasy. of what life could be like.

anyway the most compelling scene from that, IN MY MIND, is a scene where victor STILL thinks dean is a serial killer. and now he has him in custody. and against his will he's... charmed. by dean. because dean is charming and pathetic, shaking and sweating from mild alcohol withdrawal but still cracking jokes and being friendly and observant and extremely young-feeling, for 28. and earnest in a way he didn't expect. and they're forced to work together against a demon siege, a spin on jus in bello where victor still doesn't find out about the supernatural he's just protecting himself and a prisoner from a threat. and he has the uncomfortable realization that he's attracted to dean winchester (serial killer) (guy he is trying to take down) (has killed so so many people). and he's like well. we can table that for later. and then dean escapes.

so i've been trying to figure out a way to scoop out just that scene and turn it into its own fic because that's actually manageable for me.

the dean and cas pursued by the cops idea also comes a bit from frustration that i can't write this, though the feds in that one are ocs bc it's later.

from here

#spn #asks #sketcheun

[officialah]

hi, shelby!

i remember forever ago, someone sent a message asking about the AH crew's favorite colors. more people have joined achievement hunter as on-screen talent or as part of the post team since that ask was sent, so if it's possible, can you make an updated list of everyone's favorite colors?

no pressure if you can't or don't want to. i hope you're having a nice day :)

hi!! im having a great day, the weather finally cooled off and i baked banana nut muffins yesterday that im having for lunch today <3. hope your day is going well!!

here's an updated list of people's favorite colors, in no particular order. (i think i got everyone's!)

Geoff - Orange

Jack - Dark Green

Gavin - Blue

Michael - Brown

Jeremy - Green

Matt - Orange

Trevor - Green

Lindsay - Cyan

Alfredo - Red

Ky - Blue

BK - Black

Joe - Purple

Larry - Purple

Ashley - Purple

Sarah - Green

Jacob M. - Green

Jarren - Red

Aaryn - Red

Kaden - Red

Tyler - Purple

Shelby (hey that's me!) - Orange/Pink

Sean - Blue

Jake G. - Purple

Cameron - Black

#these are our fav colors #i believe that that's everyone #mine's technically a trick answer--i actually dont have a fav color #its too hard to choose

[unsoupable]

I'm just gonna vent about rooster teeth under the cut rq

I remember finding rooster teeth through Michael's rage quit of the impossible game back in my early early high school days. I remember adoring AH content and the RT podcast above all else, and it remained a very prevalent interest of mine for many many years. I remember showing my best friend their videos when I slept over at her house. I remember staying up with her all night watching them play minecraft. I remember being so excited about my first paycheck because that meant I could finally get a first membership.

I remember that Rooster Teeth, specifically Achievement Hunter's editing team was the main reason I wanted to become a video editor. Why I kept at it even when I was dogshit at it. I remember applying on a whim to be a video editor with the AH team, because if they'd said yes it would be a dream come true. I remember crying in the parking lot of my job because they said no, but remember, my editing was dogshit and I had no qualifications so I don't blame them. But they are almost the entire reason that I've been editing for a gaming channel for almost six years now.

I remember watching every second I could of their extra life streams. I remember taking two days off from my second job to try to watch the entirety of one. I remember their spring break stream. I remember Michael and Lindsay's first baby. I remember their second. I remember Lindsay coming out and feeling so validated that my favorite cast member was like me.

I remember when Ray left. I remember when Monty passed. I remember hearing about Ryan. I remember being devastated beyond belief because that group felt like my family at a time when I really had nothing else but that parasocial relationship. I remember what all came into the light between 2020 and 2022. I remember that was the reason I finally stepped away from RT and the community. I haven't been involved in the community or even watched any of their videos for two years, but I still have a popsick pop socket on my phone, I still wear the "you can do better" yellow striped shirt, I still have the "cursing and use of foul language" poster on my wall.

It feels like hearing that an old friend that I lost touch with years ago is dying.

Despite everything that has happened, Rooster Teeth has shaped me into the person I am today. To remove the love I had for RT in my life would turn me into someone completely unrecognizable. We can and should recognize and acknowledge everything terrible that has happened, but RT shutting down is going to affect every member of their staff and their families, and it's awful to see so many people turning it into this fucked up sort of "gotcha" moment. This is so many people's livelihoods, and some of them had to find out about it through a tweet. Have some fucking respect. I wish the staff nothing but the best moving forward.

Thank you Rooster Teeth, for everything, despite everything.

#rooster teeth

[dangermousie]

It is now to make time for a pusher post for my favorite Korean period drama of all time - Chuno/The Slave Hunters.

The story revolves around three main characters (though supporting characters are many, complex, and incredible) - Dae Gil, a fallen noble who has long become a feared slave hunter of escaped slaves, Hye Won, a former slave girl who has long lived under a false identity of a noble lady, and Tae Ha, a formerly very high aristocrat and right hand of now-dead Crown Prince So Hyeon who has been punished and made a military slave.

The story proper starts when Tae Ha seemingly suddenly goes on the run and the government for reasons that won’t be explained until later issues a mad bounty on him dead or alive and Dae Gil joins the chase, without knowing that Tae Ha and his long-lost love Hye Won, who he has been searching for a decade for, have crossed paths and are traveling together.

So, why Chuno? It has amazing visuals, great fights, incredible performances and an intriguing plot, not to mention the sole love triangle I’ve ever loved in a kdrama (watching it live was agony!)

But it’s not any of that. It’s the fact that it’s the sole sageuk that really focuses on class and plight of the dispossessed - not even The Rebel does it as well and with such a focus. The Rebel is wish fulfillment but this is not. One of the other plots running almost parallel is a doomed slave rebellion - no Hong Gil Dong shows up to save anyone. The most you can manage is to try to carve out some obscurity of peace and even that is almost impossible. There is a reason that Tae Ha's grand mission, the best outcome is not something like restoring So Hyeon's last remaining living son to his position or the throne or anything, it is merely saving the child's life to live in obscurity and even that is barely achieved.

Almost every character, and certainly every major one is on the margins of society - slaves, peasants, and other lower classes. And the drama tackles not only what it does to live on the bottom of the social pyramid but also with innate prejudices which even the dispossessed possess. It really does tackle class structure in a way I don't see in other sageuks, even the small number that do not focus on royals and court. What I think really makes it possible is the fact that all three mains exist in the in-between space, neither permanently this nor that and it shows the artificiality of distinctions. Dae Gil is a former noble who is now barely better than the slaves he hunts. He's free, yes, but he exists on the margins and upper class is as closed to him as the moon. Hye Won used to be Un Nyun, a slave woman who almost died for the sin of going "above her station" in love but now she is upper class lady Hye Won with a fictitious background. Tae Ha was incredibly high up (back in the past, Dae Gil's family would have probably preened at the unimaginable honor of being invited to his house or similar) but now he is a branded military slave. If people can pass between classes like this - due to luck (good or bad), loss or gain of money, politics etc, the class distinction is shown as absurd. There is nothing visible that distinguishes present day Dae Gil from a man who was born in the gutter or Hye Won from a lady noble by birth. And yet, and yet - I love how the class prejudice is shown to be embedded in its very victims. One of my favorite story beats is Tae Ha's instinctive initial recoil on discovering Hye Won is originally a slave. He's a man who was made a slave on the most unjust grounds, he has to know how meaningless this distinction is, how cruel and pointless. But yet his first reaction is horror because even as a victim of the system he has bought into it - his status is a terrible injustice, he gets that. But to get that the system itself is awful is another step. I love that this does not come easy to him.

Anyway, this is a great drama with complex characters and complex narratives. It was a mad hit back when it came out but like a lot of "older" dramas is less talked about/watched today and I am trying to remedy it :)

PS If you shipped Dae Gil x Hye Won instead of Tae Ha x Hye Won like me (and I totally get why, they were also epic), you can always then watch Robber, which is a modern drama in which Jang Hyuk and Lee Da Hae starred as the OTP of a desperate conman preying on lonely women and a grieving widow. You can always, like me, view it as their happy ending AU.

#kdrama #chuno #the slave hunters #robber #jang hyuk #lee da hae #oh ji ho #Youtube

[first-and-last-neocount]

So I've been thinking Coldfire thoughts (I know, what other kind do I even have these days) and guys I'm mad about Andrys all over again.

There is so much potential in his character and role in the story. Gerald's mortal descendant who hates the Hunter more than anything in the world, yet is forced - by the head of his faith and by the narrative itself - to literally become him for a chance at achieving their goals. The one person who knew the truth about Gerald's connection with the Church before Damien got pulled into the loop in Black Sun Rising, who had to contend with what that meant for the faith that he was raised in. He is isolated and damaged in a way that feels so similar to how Gerald must have been when he was that age - haunted by trauma, held back from connecting with others by experiences that no one else can understand. There are so many juicy parallels here, and yet the character falls so flat in canon, and so little of it is ever truly explored.

This is going to sound absolutely unhinged but if I ever do sit down to write that canon-compliant 'sequel' to CoS, Andrys is going to be the main protagonist. I'm not even kidding. Damien and Gerald would be there because I love them too much to leave them out, but if there was going to be a proper sequel novel, the character who most needs additional depth and exploration is Andrys.

And it's only adding insult to injury that his name is so perilously close to my favorite Melanie Rawn character.

I don't even know what the point of this was other than to say damn it, Andrys, be better. (And by better I mean more interesting. Being more unhinged would work just as well as, if not better than, being less broken.)

#coldfire trilogy #andrys tarrant #the neocount rambles #*clawing at the walls* THE POTENTIAL

[verytiredrn]

Hello tiredhomeboi, I'm sorry to bother you if it's night or you're busy, but I'd love to ask you something please.

First of all, I want to tell you that I love your drawings and they are great! Really well done and it makes us want to love the Leopika or the pariston/ging even more! 😊❤️ You inspire me a lot and I'd also like to draw people from Hunter x Hunter but especially the phantom troupe that I particularly appreciate.

The problem is that I can't find my style, or draw exactly what I have in my heading. So I was thinking that maybe a pro like you had some tips/advice for drawing 😅😥🙏

Did you learn how to do proportions before drawing and with what? Do you use references? (I do, but it limits me a lot on my ideas as I don't necessarily find references that reach what I have in mind 😞)

How did you learn to do sketches so easily? How did you find your own style?

I'm really sorry if I'm taking up your time. Thank you very much for your time and attention ❤️

hey there, thank you so much for the kind message :,D

I’ll be honest, im not the best at giving art advice. although I’m still in the process of improving my art, I can tell you how I’ve been developing my style.

I like looking and analyzing my interests that have unique art styles. For example, I see togashi’s style in hxh and what I’ve gathered based on his work is how he ranges from some simplicity to a more very detailed style. For me, I love his simplistic style a lot more. and that makes me want to develop my style that is more cartoon centric, if that makes sense. So see what art styles intrigues you the most, study it, copy it (which is valid for beginner artists imo, but don’t claim it as your own art‼️), then forget about the copying method and practice it, and overall, just have fun with it.

despite achieving my cartoony style that im used to having, I still try to make the proportions in my art look decent. I’ll be honest, I still need some practice on it. sorry if this sounds vague, but I use a lot of shapes and lines to figure out the proportions (ex. For the head, I start off with a circle and a horizontal line at the center of it, and change the height of the line depending on where you want the eyes to be at) I wish I could show you some examples for this part but I don’t have my ipad with me right now. :,) one of my other ways of practicing proportions are redrawing official art from my favorite interests. it’s honestly a fun way for me to improve on drawing proportions. but if I want to draw a character in any pose of my choice, I look up references on Pinterest. I know this method is pretty much common and im sorry about that :,)

for sketches tho, sometimes, i do tend to struggle on sketching as well :,) if its something im used to drawing all the time tho (example: kurapika) then it isnt as hard to sketch easily.

overall, those are my ways and methods in developing my art. sorry this took me days to reply back, i wanted to try to answer all your questions as best as i can. lemme know if i need to be more clear on certain parts :,D

[neteyamoure]

[WARNING: ATWOW SPOILERS] My Take On Neteyam Sully’s Character

Hey y’all can we discuss something? Am I the only one who’s favorite character in Avatar 2: The Way of Water is Neteyam?

The first time I watched the movie in theaters I was hyper fixated on Loak (obviously, just as JC wanted). At first, Loak was my favorite character because I understood his internal conflict and I mean, he was the Sully kid that was very relatable and stood out to me the most.

The second time I watched it, I decided to pay more attention to the other details and characters in the movie and that was when I actually started paying more attention to Neteyam. After my second viewing, I would have to say that Neteyam became my favorite character in ATWOW. I know a lot of people question why many people like Neteyam since "he didn't get enough dialogue or screen time" or he "wasn't as developed as the other characters." Well, I don't see it that way. Yes, his character is all about being the responsible older brother who is the perfect soldier and always takes care of his siblings, but if you really stop and pay attention to him, he's actually a deep and well-developed character. He does have more of a "subtle characterization" compared to his other siblings though, but that doesn't make him any less of a good, fleshed out, and deeply moving character. After paying more attention to his dialogue, mannerisms, and actions, I came to love and relate to his character even more.

Neteyam is the first born child. His parents are the great warrior Toruk Makto and the great huntress Neytiri who led the Omaticaya clan against the sky people. Of course, he's going to want to live up to the clan and his parents' expectations. The pressure to be a great future leader and warrior like his father was already put onto him at a very young age. He was constantly training alongside his father because it was expected that he would be the next Olo'eyktan and on top of that, he had 3 trouble-maker younger siblings that he needed to look out for and to take care of. Neteyam literally had to grow up and mature early compared to the rest of his siblings. That's why we don't see him interact and play with his other siblings that much in the movie because he is the older sibling and has to put his duties first before fun. He worked so hard to work his way up within the clan and to please his parents. He worked so hard to then have it all stripped away when his family had to flee to take refuge within the Metkayina clan.

If you pay close attention to Neteyam in the scene where the Sully family greets the Metkayina clan for the first time, you'll see Neteyam's Omaticaya cummerband around his waist (an indication that he's completed his coming of age ceremony and is now considered an adult within the Omaticaya clan). After they assimilate within the Metkayina, we don't see him with his cummerband on anymore because he is no longer associated with the Omaticaya. In order to respect the Metkayina's traditions and ways, he was forced to abandon his Omaticaya cummerband.

If you pay close attention to his songcord beads (Neteyam's necklace/trinket Neytiri was praying with at the beginning and at the end of the movie), you can see that the first half of his beads looked completely different from the second half. That is because the first half was when Neteyam was with the Omaticaya and the second half was when he was with the Metkayina. His beads turned into shells - indicating the big transition to Metkayina life. Neteyam completed both his Iknimaya and Dream Hunt ceremonies within the Omaticaya and if you really think about it, imagine the sorrow he felt when he had to let go of all his past achievements within the Omaticaya clan and start anew with the Metkayina traditions and ways.

In the scene where Loak runs off to warn Payakan about the Tulkun hunters, he tells Neteyam that Payakan is his brother and not him. You can see how this statement hurts Neteyam as he loves his brother and always has his back. Neteyam always takes the blame for Loak because he loves his brother that much. I don't know if anyone noticed or felt the same way about this, but when I saw Neteyam's face at that moment, I swear he was frustrated and done with being called "the perfect soldier" by Loak. This is what his whole family and clan always thought of him. The pain in his face as Loak says this, you can tell that Neteyam didn't want to be viewed as "perfect" anymore. It really looked like it bothered him and he was so done with people viewing him as "perfect."

Throughout the movie, we see Neteyam always saving his siblings' asses. He also saves Neytiri from being shot at the beginning of the movie. He literally takes the bullet for Loak at the end of the movie. He was always there. He always made sure that everyone around him was happy and comfortable. He always made sure that his family was safe. He was always caring. He was always there to support. He always did what was told of him. He never complained. He always put his family's needs and wants before his. He never said what he really wanted to say.....until the very end when he knew he was dying - "I want to go home." He finally revealed his true thoughts and feelings to his family. This was the first time throughout the whole movie where we hear what he really wants. He held it in, stayed strong, so that his parents and the rest of his siblings wouldn't worry. He remained positive even though it was eating him out from the inside.

When I saw Neteyam interact with his siblings throughout the movie, he really felt like an adult compared to the rest of them. However, when we see Jake holding him as he's dying, it really hit me that he was still a 15 year old boy (he isn't even that far in age from Loak and Kiri). A mere child who had to carry this heavy weight and responsibility on his shoulders for so long. He was still too young to be holding all that pressure. The pressure to be a good future leader, a mighty soldier, a good and responsible older brother, a positive light and rock for his siblings, and a protector to all. He really cared for his family deeply. He really did put his family's needs and wants before his own. I know a lot of people who are the eldest sibling can relate to his character.

After realizing all of this, this was when Neteyam became my favorite character in ATWOW and made his death even more tragic. After rewatching and paying really close attention to his character, he had so much more depth, personality, meaning, and emotion than what people thought of him to be. He was more than just "the responsible perfect older brother and soldier that didn't have a deep story arc compared to his siblings."

And what gets me the most is that, towards the end when he is dying and says to his family that he wants to go home, they didn't even take him home. His funeral was held within the Metkayina clan and his body was laid to rest in the ocean, not in the forest. I understand that bringing his body back to the Omaticaya would have been too dangerous and risky, but damn.... that's all he really wanted. Literally, that was his dying wish. However, it does give me comfort that at least, he returned home spiritually as we see him in the forest when Jake and Neytiri visit his spirit through the Metkayina spirit tree (cause you know, every living thing on Pandora is connected through Eywa and it technically doesn't really matter where a person is laid to rest as you can access their memories through any spirit tree).

Neteyam was always saving everyone, but no one was there to save him. He really deserved better.

So for those of you who wonder why some people adore Neteyam so much, this would be my answer.

#avatar #avatar 2 #atwow #the way of water spoilers #avatar the way of water #avatar 2 the way of water #the way of water #neteyam #loak #kiri #tuk #jake sully #neytiri #spider #loak sully #neteyam sully #kiri sully #tuk sully #toruk makto #omaticaya #omatikaya #metkayina #atwow neteyam #neteyam sulli #james cameron #pandora #navi #avatar1 #avatar na'vi #na’vi

[dovithedarklord]

Age of Monsters - Chapter Seven

Pairing: OFC x Simon "Ghost" Riley, OFC x König

Tags: Slow Burn, Slow Build, Enemies to Lovers, Alternate Universe, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, POV First Person, Not Beta Read, Medical Inaccuracies, Military Inaccuracies, AFAB OC

Trigger Warning: The story will contain violance, blood and smut in detail. Please, keep that in mind!

⚠️MDNI⚠️

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Author's Note

Leona and the small team reflect on the past over a drink. And this is the last calm moment before the storm.

Hello!

I don't have a separate trigger warning for this chapter. There is only a pleasant conversation going on to make the past clearer :D

Have fun!

I.M.L. - Infected mammalian lifeform.

if you're interested you can find the story on AO3: Chapter Seven

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I stroll through the maze of the base with springy steps, and my lightness is further enhanced by the fact that during the night, I finally managed to make up for all the minutes of sleep I missed so far, which was topped by doing nothing for the rest of the day. Thanks to my beauty sleep and long relaxation, the vitality seems to have found its way back into my body, and it almost feels strange to finally exist without pain, injuries, and tension within the walls of this god-forsaken establishment. Of course, it’s also undeniable that such a healthy glow graced my face after escaping the clutches of death, which would've been difficult to achieve with other means. And while at first I thought that my exciting little adventure yesterday would at least haunt me a bit, I was positively disappointed in my own subconscious, because it didn’t entertain me with any horrific images in my dreams. After my favorite masked Hunter and I rolled back between the safe walls of the base, I was convinced that even though I had experienced or committed certain types of violence, and I was by no means an angel, I lived with the suspicion that my struggle for survival would leave a deeper mark on me. But nothing else remained after the incident, only the sparks of my enlightenment, which still glow vividly in my mind even now, on my way to Price's office.

The revelations that came with my newfound wisdom were only solidified when I saw the reception committee made up of my two cheerleader boys after our arrival, who welcomed my dirty, bloody, and most of all, worn-out person with the right amount of shock and concern. And from the mixture of surprise and worry on their faces, the warmth in my rough little soul, which I had tried to forget before with every fiber of my being, was renewed. And as MacTavish, cursing in a voice distorted by his strong accent, observed my state that was light years away from pleasant, and as Garrick firmly assured me that they would not torture me to death the next day, it was once again confirmed in me, that it was a good idea to come back and stay with this team.

As I turn into one of the corridors swimming in the light of the setting sun, my destination appears in front of me, to which I received a rather mysterious invitation from the captain during the morning, who didn't bother to explain his intentions as to why he would like to disrupt my day off. Of course, I have a hunch that he's curious about the details of my outing with Riley, and I'm almost glad he called me to have a chitchat, because, despite my revelations, I still have questions that I'd like to ask him. I'd like to believe that my entire field trip was just a figment of the masked Hunter's brain, and that he was behind the plan just by himself, but what kind of superior would Price be if such mischievous things could happen without his knowledge? And the realistic side of my brain demands to know the reason why the bearded man thought it was a good idea to send me into the wilderness for a survival game. Of course, my soul was filled with motivation to selfishly soak up the kindness potentially directed at me and to behave in a slightly nicer way from now on, but I didn’t become a saint overnight, and I didn't forget that I owed this new experience to some kind of agreement.

I knock on the door of Price's office when I arrive and stop in front of it, and when I hear a loud "Come in!" filter through, I wrap my fingers around the doorhandle and open the entrance to the Hunter's cave. And as my eyes take in the picture unfolding in front of me, my eyebrows rise in interest from the small group waiting for me in the room. The Hunters glance at me almost simultaneously as my arrival interrupts them from whatever they were doing in their rather intimate solitude around Price's huge table. And suddenly I have the sneaking suspicion that I've fallen into something that I'm not sure I want to have anything to do with. Especially if I was pulled away from the joys of my already rare me-time due to some work-related nonsense.

"Woods!" MacTavish springs up from his place next to Price's table with intense enthusiasm, and with a huge smile on his face, he beckons me in, inviting me inside. I am no longer surprised by the man's raging energy, but now it somehow irritates me less than when he conveys the same image toward my suffering person from the side of some training site. "Our little survivor has arrived!" The man states, emphasizing my brand new status, and the irrational glee that dominates his features dispels the suspicion that arose in me at the sight of the team.

"I hope I didn't drag myself this far for a meeting, because if I did, I'll stab someone." I note seriously, but I'm not able to get rid of the slight impudence in my voice, because the eager cheerfulness emanating from the Scottish man inevitably transfers to me. And as I step inside and close the door behind me, and my eyes continue to wander to the glasses resting on the table, I'm starting to realize that luckily, I didn't show up in this lovely late afternoon hour for the torture I assumed would take place. And the speculation arises in me that maybe, just maybe, this small gathering was organized in my honor.

At my statement, the faces of the Hunters present also light up with amusement, and it does not escape my attention, as I examine them more closely, that, unlike usual, they have now all put on strangely average clothes. Gone is the usual little hat from Price's head, and none of my little torturers have their tactical vests on, which they normally throw on at every opportunity. And because of this, the atmosphere of the whole office gradually becomes more informal, and I am suddenly glad that my day will truly only be about accumulating pleasures.

"Maybe another time." Says Price with a reassuring smile on his face, and as he pulls out a bottle, presumably full of whiskey, from one of the bottomless drawers of his desk, my mood suddenly notably improves. "Now we're celebrating!" He announces easily, and in order to support his intention, he unscrews the cap of the pre-conjured bottle to pour the golden liquid into the glasses situated on the table with practiced movements, which elicit voices of agreement from his other little companions. This is probably one of the rare occasions when they can take a little break from their strict daily life as a Hunter, so it's no wonder that the sight of booze can bring out such heat from his buddies.

"Aye, that's right! Now that you're finally on the mend, we have to celebrate that you came back in one piece!" MacTavish gives his reasoning of the motive for the small party, still grinning, and then quickly reaches for the glass he's chosen for himself, with at least as much vehemence as if he hadn't enjoyed such delicacies in a long time. Which is probably the case, but I can't decide whether it's the alcohol or the promise of celebration that gets him so excited.

"Since we can't leave the base now, we brought the pub here!" Garrick explains, eagerly taking one of the glasses full of alcohol from the middle of the table, which looks temptingly real and presumably doesn't cause blindness. And I understand his zeal, because it's really rare when someone gets hold of anything other than shit made in the basement from pills and who knows what chemicals, and puts their greedy little hand on a drink left over from the memories of the old days. This further reinforces my intuition that today's little assembly is a significant event, because even if Price might have obtained the whiskey as a reward for one of his heroic deeds, it's still a rare delicacy that you don't just guzzle out of boredom. And because of this, for some reason, that fuzzy tingling feeling fills my stomach in a disturbing way once more, which starts to annoy me to the extreme with its completely unjustified appearances, since it weakens the success of maintaining my collected and relaxed image.

"It's very kind of you, to sacrifice your office for something like this, captain." I look up at the aforementioned person, who, accompanied by a suggestive smile, chooses a victim from among the glasses left in the middle of the table, and for a moment I realize that there's a nicely poured drink left not only for me, but also for a surprise person as well. Of course, this starts a very unpleasant sinister feeling in me as to who else they would like to invite to this charming event. And since my battery for tolerating social interactions hasn't really recovered from yesterday's stressful experiences, I'm rather reluctant to accept the idea of hanging out with someone other than the little team present.

"You've gone through an unusual ordeal. It's fitting to toast with a good whiskey." Price interrupts my increasingly suspicious observations, and he grabs one of the glasses with ease and holds it out to me, so that he can provide me with the celebratory refreshment. I accept the drink intended for me with perhaps more enthusiasm than necessary, and as its full-bodied, bitter aroma reaches my nose, I forget about my annoyance for a moment. Of course, this doesn't last long, because I become quite aware of the fact that the captain just has let me know rather mischievously that he had a very active hand in my little tour.

"That’s true. Now all I'm interested in is whose brilliant idea it was in the first place." I share my doubts with the people present, with a rather indifferent expression on my face, because I want them to believe that despite the fact that I almost kicked the bucket in that fucking forest, I'm such a badass that it won't leave a lasting mark on me. Which is true to some extent, but the new me who came to life while running for my life and beating the mutant to a pulp, and who was capable of doing anything to stay alive, won’t disappear into the shadows of the past anytime soon. And because of this, the whole situation will live vividly in my mind for a while.

My concerns hit my new drinking buddies unexpectedly, and as their eyes meet for a moment, it is already quite clear to me that, albeit to a different degree, each of them had an involvement in the organization of my outing. I plop down on one of the chairs, suppressing the barrage of insults on the tip of my tongue, because even though I'm aware that testing my loyalty was a completely logical step on their part, it still doesn't alleviate the disappointment that somehow, and rather inexplicably rears its head in me. Since it means, the rational voice was right when it whispered to me that the trust shown to me was as fragile as a fancy Chinese porcelain vase.

"Perhaps you should ask him this question." The captain points towards the entrance of his office with his head, and his face has such a suspicious expression that it doesn't make me calmer at all.

But before I could delve into the eyeballing of the Hunters', and before I could start further questioning, I'm interrupted by the opening of the door, and I, forgetting about my gloom, turn towards the person incoming. The tall figure appears on the threshold, whom it would be difficult to mistake for anyone else, and for a moment it is difficult for me to understand why he turns up to such a cheerful occasion. But then, as he enters the scene of the small private party and the door closes behind him, I realize that Riley has also decided to pay his respects at the small gathering, which could even count as an honor if I consider how much time he wanted to spend in my vicinity outside of training. But the details of yesterday afternoon's intermezzo in front of the hut reflexively pop up in me again, which sufficiently overturns the confidence I felt until now. Up to a point, I had effectively forgotten about the situation caused by my little trap, which had developed between us in the intimacy of nature's soft lap, but now, as my gaze meets the man's dark eyes, the unexpectedly discovered foreign feeling jumps in my stomach once more, and I want to disappear from here with immeasurable desire, and at the same time pick up the thread of his harassment again.

"I don't have to ask him, it's clear why he did it." I pull myself together, taking on my seriousness again, pointing my finger at the newly arrived masked man, who only glances at Price with interest at my remark. "He considered me a risk, so he decided to get rid of me."

"Simon did express his concerns." The captain agrees with me, and there is a hint of urgency in his voice, which suggests that he wants to conduct this conversation as calmly as possible. And for me, this only confirms the assumption that is slowly starting to take shape in my head regarding the antecedents. It was Riley who, after assessing my behavior towards him, decided to present his observations and his nice little idea to his captain to solve the problem. Based on the kind words he occasionally addressed to me during the moments we spent together, and in light of my behavior, I am not even surprised about this. And I already came to terms with this and the motivation I felt to refute his assumptions, while I was wandering in the forest. I'm more interested in how Price reacted to this whole mess, because it would help my soul a lot if he tried to stop his masked friend's plan from happening with at least a nasty look. Then I won't have to drink to suppress my anger.

"Don't sugarcoat it, Price." Riley interjects, who walks up to the table with comfortable steps, and grabs the last remaining glass from there with his gloved hand. And he takes his seat in the chair opposite me with such casual calmness that I have never had the pleasure of observing before. "It would have been pointless to keep someone here who doesn't want to stay." The man repeats the same reasoning he gave me before the whole impossible mission, and the matter-of-factness and indifference in his deep voice is no less cutting now. And I have to remind myself for a minute, that I'm no longer standing in front of the pile of trees towering over me, and whatever he assumed at the beginning, by sitting here, I've already proven somewhat the opposite.

"He didn't trust whether you would work together with us in the long term, but I didn't agree with him." Price continues his side of the story, and I only reward this statement with a cynical look, because I’m sure he didn't tell anyone anything new with this. Because if I knew that my long-term plans didn't necessarily want to be realized here, then they were certainly aware of that. "That's why the forest came into the picture."

"It didn't even cross your mind that I might perhaps, I don't know... die?" I ask, boldly planting the edge of my sarcasm in my voice, because this question justifiably emerges in me, which I doubt they didn't count on. They also were conscious of exactly where they would send me to see the scenery, and I don't think that they wouldn't have calculated into the adventure that I might end up as a mutant dinner. I'd rather not even ponder on what they would have done if I had taken Riley's advice and vanished into thin air as much as my opportunities would have let me. And Price still gave his thumbs up to the mission, which made me uncertain about the genuineness of his kindness towards me. And that upsets me much more than the experience itself.

"It was a dangerous idea, I admit. But I knew you'd be able to do it." Declares Price, and at this announcement, the annoyance I felt for a moment eases, because the man's beard-framed mouth stretches into a smile that takes my breath away for a moment. "I was sure you'd survive and come back." He carries on, and suddenly I can't decide how to react to his revelation. But I don't even have to worry about that, because he gets around the table with deliberate steps, and when he arrives next to me, he smoothes one of his big hands on my shoulder with gentle determination. "After all, you already belong here." The man gives his final justification as easily as if he had stated the most self-evident fact in the world, even though I understand the weight of what he is saying full well.

And as his fingers squeeze my shoulder softly for a moment, I grasp without further explanation what his message is to me. Even though he accepted Riley's deadly plan to find out about my intentions, it still caresses my calculating little self that, contrary to my suspicions, he was hoping all along I wouldn't prove the masked Hunter's hypotheses right. And I quickly swallow the suffocating emotions down my dry throat, because even though my soul is affected by the confusing mass of feelings caused by the whole situation, I would still rather fold a scarf around my neck from my own legs than get all sentimental.

"I haven't fully forgiven you for all this shit, just so you know." I state quickly, and as the reproach returns to my features again, Price, accompanied by a soft laugh, gently pats my back, and then returns to his appointed place behind the table. It’s remarkable how efficiently the Hunter can smooth over rather serious situations, and I suspect that years and routine are behind this exceptional ability. "I still have the smell of mutant intestines in my nose." I pull the corners of my mouth in disgust, because although the wild boar-like creature rearranged by my two beautiful hands did not affect me, the smell that remained in my nose after my whole scouting mission in the forest, even more so. Because it stayed there even after the sixth shower, effectively throwing me back under that fucking stack of trees.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it in time!" MacTavish reassures me helpfully, at least as calmly as if he hadn't just exactly outlined that I will have the opportunity to see what I experienced up close plenty of times in the future. And based on his tone, this can really be a very ordinary occurrence to him, which could be similar to when someone begins each morning with a coffee and a cigarette in order to get their biorhythm working. How practical it can be to become desensitized to bloodshed.

"I don't know if I want to get used to it." I flash my eyes at the man with the mohawk, who is just casually sipping his drink instead of taking my comment to heart. Of course, I know that I have not only proven that I am reliable and a good girl, but that I am also capable of surviving in the field, which means that I won't be able to avoid these adventures from now on. So I warmly recommend them to be more useful as human shields.

"It gets easier with every mission, don't worry." Garrick explains with real sympathy in his voice, and his features are dominated by such bloody seriousness that it becomes evident, that he really is just trying to alleviate my uncertainty with his good-natured affirmations. "After a while, you don't even pay attention to the guts and the blood."

"I can't fathom how could I survive without this wonderful experience up until now." I grumble, and the cynical eyeroll I do as I take a sip of my whiskey is instinctive, and I hope that the beneficial numbness of the alcohol will moderate the irritation emerging in me. And as it travels down my throat and into my stomach, it leaves behind a far more intense and pleasant warmth than the booze bought in the colony was ever capable of. I wonder what I left all those credits for during my evenings spent hunting. What a robbery. Luckily, it wasn’t my main goal to drink myself under the table.

"By the way." Garrick interrupts my musing, and his dark eyes are filled with genuine curiosity as he leans forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. "How have you managed to bypass the system so far? I heard it's impossible to cheat on the screenings." The Hunter asks his clever little question, and with this perhaps formulates one of the big mysteries that may have occupied his and his small team's brains, because after hearing his observation, all eyes are turning to me in sync. And I don't blame them for this, because their interest is legitimate, since it's truly almost impossible to get around the system. Almost. But if there's one thing I've learned in my life so far, it's that nothing man-made is foolproof.

"Only for those who don't know how to work their way around it." I note mysteriously, and a sly smile twists on my lips at the confusion on the Hunters' expression. No matter how much we may have buried the hatchet, it seems that my little inclination towards evilness won’t just disappear from me, which, knowing the origin of the little trial I experienced the other day, I do not even try to calm down.

"And how did you do it?" Riley breaks the silence, and I only cautiously raise my bright eyes to scan his features emerging from under the balaclava. The area that the black textile allows to show to the world is microscopic, but even this small surface is enough for me to be able to analyze him, since I have been pursuing this hobby for weeks. Underneath the blurred dark paint, his face is motionless, and there's unflinching attention hiding in his gaze, which inexplicably creates the urge in me to cooperate with him a bit more willingly, since he directs his focus on me without any hostile intent for the first time.

"I have a personal involvement in the subject, so I had enough inside information to be able to deceive the recruiters." I submit to the persistent examination and curious looks with a tired sigh, recalling the little operation I carried out during my school years, with which I laid the foundation for my future hide and seek. "I was lucky because I was thirteen when my abilities manifested, much earlier than what would be typical. It would've been impossible not to notice the change." I continue, and the morning flashes vividly in my mind, when I woke up drenched in sweat and disorientated, and saw my pretty little teeth and my even more beautiful eyes in the mirror for the first time."That's why I stole the credits from one of my classmates and bought some under-the-counter contact lenses and veneers. And the rest was even simpler. It wasn't the first time I had seen the test, I knew what parameters they were looking at and where the samples were stored. So, after the screening, I went to the school infirmary and exchanged my blood and urine samples with that of a random stranger. I knew the test would only show a match to the Healer DNA parameters, so I wasn't afraid of getting caught." I outline the events, and a kind of resigned calm settles in my voice, which belies the panic that overcame me at the time.

It would be impossible to erase the morning from my mind, when the recruiters sent by the government showed up to do their routine test on the young fourteen-year-olds to see if they would get lucky and find a Healer among them. We already knew weeks in advance when the big day would be, and in a morbid way to me, everyone was waiting for it with such fucking excitement, as if they were bringing one of the fabulous gifts that can be won at legal gambling to the little hole they called school. But while even I would have erupted in frenzied joy for ten thousand food stamps, or even for an ID card providing unlimited medical care, the fact that I could join and act as a battery for a bunch of strangers didn't excite me too much. And since my dedication to my own interests was already working stronger in me, I carried out my small campaign with thorough planning. I even surprised myself with how talented I was at forcing myself to stay calm, when one of the ladies in uniform ushered me into a hastily assembled booth in one of the classrooms. Although my pulse pushed my body to the brink of fainting, and the remnants of my pathetic breakfast were in my throat waiting to return to the outside world with each heartbeat.

Perhaps my biggest luck during my little plan was that the whole system was designed by a bunch of presumptuous dilettantes. Since the Healers who carried the mutation in themselves manifested spontaneously at the time of the appearance of the virus, when forty-six years ago they discovered the DNA test that would unmistakenly show the status of the Heale, they didn’t bother to conduct tests among the adult population of the time. So all I had to do was to look for a civilian who, based on their age, belonged to this pleasantly insignificant and neglected group, and so I could be sure that I was exchanging my sweet little samples for brand new and completely unknown material. And after that, getting into the school, which had no security system of any kind, and switching a few vials from among the samples left behind, was child's play. Mainly in light of the fact, that the exposure of my Extreme nature was a much more pressing fear in me than the slap on the wrist I would have received for the burglary. And my success couldn't be spoiled even by the fact that I waited sleeplessly for weeks for the enforcers to show up and drag me away.

My little speech is greeted by stunned silence for a minute, and I can almost hear the gears turning in their brains as they try to process what they heard. Although I suspect that they have already performed much wilder and riskier magic tricks than this. And compared to that, my confession can only be a cute moment in a children's story.

"Where did you get the blood and urine samples from?" Garrick breaks his quietness and frowns with a mixture of shock and disgust, as he takes a sip from his glass to digest what he heard, and I only note his dismay with an amused snort. Which I only find funny because it's quite comical to hear this indignity coming from someone whose job description includes wading knee-deep in mutant remains.

"I bought them from a hobo. You'd be surprised what a person can do for a food stamp." I remark while curling a suspicious smile at the corner of my mouth, cleverly holding back on the fact that I also stole the mentioned food stamps from an unfortunate fellow student. They seem to guess the origin of the goods used in the business, because Price just holds his glass to his mouth with a frown, his expression also telling me that, in addition to my many little naughty deeds, the fact that I am a thief does not even reach his threshold of irritation. And this is truly a lesser crime than the fact that my little hands were already involved in uglier things. And it's a greater shame that there is such harmony in the colonies that anyone would sell even their own mother if they could get more food, drugs or real alcohol, or even extra privileges. Of course, I can't complain, since it is precisely this miserable imperfection that has benefited me so far.

"How did you know so much about the test?" The captain asks the question that seems more important, and he fishes out a cigar from the drawer of his desk with easy movements, so that when he starts puffing merrily, he can turn back his undivided attention to me again. His blue eyes scan my face curiously, which leads me to conclude that the files probably only contained reliable data about my adulthood. No wonder, because from Laswell's point of view, only my current state and my crimes as an adult mattered.

"As I said, I have personal involvement in the subject." I confirm my previously mentioned little statement, and even though not a single cell of my heart wants to recall the haunting images trapped in the past, for some reason I have the irrational feeling that if I was lured into such an intimate party, I shouldn't keep silent about these long-forgotten trivia. "My mother was a Healer and my father was a researcher who worked with Hunters and Healers. I've been exposed to information since I can remember. Together they tried to experiment with a medicine that could replace the power of the Healers. That's why they dealt with the topic quite in-depth." I elaborate, and forcefully keep the coldness of objectivity in my voice, because I don't feel the slightest need to start lamenting on the past now. "But since it wouldn't be profitable for the government if the leash of the Hunters were out of their hands, they didn't finance the research sufficiently. Unfortunately, breakthroughs still cannot be achieved without resources." I point out the obvious easily, and they only reward my suggestion with a rather gloomy look, and from this, I know that it's not the first time that this idea crossed their minds either.

Therefore, I don't have to explain my hints any further for them to know what I mean, because they can experience first-hand how badly the system ties their hands. It's also quite unpleasant that they become the property of the colonies and their governments from the first moment they crawled out of their mothers, since as Hunters they are not even lucky enough to live a somewhat normal childhood, because everyone knows what the future profession of babies with glowing red eyes will be. But perhaps it’s really sad that they will never really have the opportunity to break away from the authorities, because the government provides them with what they wouldn’t be able to keep their sanity without. As long as the screening, registration, and employment of the Healers are in the hands of the governments, they are the only ones who can order their little helpers alongside the Hunters. And if a Hunter were to get a drug that would eliminate this parasitic relationship, then what would stop the little heroes from biting the hand that feeds them but also holds their leash? There is nothing more dangerous than giving the possibility of free self-determination into the hands of a person who can tear out someone's esophagus with their bare hands and fold it into a bow.

"What happened to them?" MacTavish suddenly speaks with a serious expression on his face that rarely appears, and which suggests that he might already know the answer, but he trusts that I would refute it. Although this question is not in the least unexpected, it strays into much more uncomfortable territory, and even I don't know whether it’s only because of my stubborn hatred or the pain living in the hidden corners of my head that I am affected by his unsuspecting interest so sensitively. And I hate the way a tiny little muscle twitches on my face, something that might not be noticed by anyone else, but their eyes are much more attentive than that, and as soon as Garrick's dark eyebrows run together and he draws a worried frown on his forehead, I curse the fucking hole in my skull where these memories are lurking.

"My mother died because the Hunter she regenerated didn't let her finish the fun in time." I answer after a moment of suffocating hesitation, and I don't like the surprised pity that appears on the Scottish man's face after my confession. "And my father, unable to bear the disappearance of the love of his life, stole a car and drove to the red zone himself." I share the fun relics of my childhood with them, and I direct my eyes to the golden whiskey in my glass instead, trying not to let the pain in my voice take even a single molecule of space, because the ache begins to pulsate dully in my chest again at the mention of the past. "The car was found a week later, and considering the circumstances, it was probably attacked by a mutant, which he obviously did not survive."

And as soon as this last cute little fluff leaves my mouth, I can experience how deeply my melodrama made an impression on them. My eyes carefully rise from my glass again, and as I quickly look around the room, I wish I had remained silent. Because I dislike the way my stomach clenches unpleasantly from what I read on their faces. The way Price's features are somber as he leans forward on the table clutching his cigar, or the way the disbelief in Garrick's gaze meets MacTavish's eyes glittering with shock as he turns to face him, or as Riley's body goes still for a blink of an eye, releases emotions in me that I don't want to feel it in the slightest.

I'd be lying if I said all this ridiculous family drama didn't entertain me with creative nightmares for years, but time has, if not erased, transformed the pain into far more effective tools. Because this bitter chain of events pointed to important facts. After my mother's death and the circumstances surrounding it removed the veil of naivety from my eyes, a very legitimate and strong determination arose in me to not end up in the same way as her. And the fact that my father didn't even see my existence as sufficient motivation to not want to be turned into confetti by monsters, showed me that the only person in this cruel world I would ever be important enough to was me. These were the first teachings that I managed to acquire through the lessons of life, and perhaps I am grateful for this priceless knowledge, since they made me who I am. And it may be true that there are many more negatives in my little soul than good, but they undoubtedly guided me toward my goals and survival with great effectiveness. That's why it makes me angry that even though I don't need anyone's pity, the idea that, thanks to my little tear-jerking story, they might see the reason behind my actions so far evokes that idiotic gentle tenderness in me. Not that this changes the fact that the crimes I have committed are still reprehensible.

"Well, let's not dwell on my sob story anymore, because everyone has a similar tale. That's just how it goes around here, isn't it?" I start rambling again, because I don't want to tolerate this melancholy anymore when I'm here to finally relax. I pour the contents of my glass down my throat with a few brave sips, hoping that the effects of the alcohol will finally catch up and erase the images buried in the past flashing in my head. "Let's talk about how this team was formed instead. As far as I know, it's quite rare for a European colony to let trained Hunters transfer to an American one."

Changing the subject provokes a rather sharp reaction from the small team, and this immediately raises the question in me as to what kind of territory I am straying into with my little quizzing. And as soon as I see the angry expression that crosses Price's face, I understand that my assumption is not far from reality. Whatever had happened to bring their fates so closely intertwined had made quite a deep impression on all of them.

"Luckily we had help." Price takes his cigar between his lips, voicing his little explanation with a dubiously easy tone, and I find it interesting that he wants to put on a mysterious act right now, when it's his turn to tell the dirty and painful little secrets.

"Laswell?" I mention the woman's name, but even without it, I know that the boss of the base is the one who can get involved in such deals with impunity. Laswell is like a phantom, sometimes she appears, sometimes she disappears, but after each time she shows up, she brings information with a shady origin and leaves behind a myriad of tasks. Undoubtedly, the woman works efficiently, but it’s difficult for me to understand how exactly she manages to get such goods, whether it’s information, weapons, blood, or my procurement. And because of this, the seemingly harmless lady immediately gets a much more dangerous classification in my mind.

"Kate went through hell with us, so there was no need to convince her to help." The bearded man shares this little crumb with me, still shrouding the real answer to my previous question in cryptic darkness. And although I can conclude from the sudden heavy atmosphere in the room that perhaps I am truly trying to poke a wound that still hasn't healed yet, the desire for knowledge in me doesn't let me back down.

"Don't leave me hanging, I've pulled out the skeletons, now it’s your turn." I continue to insist, conjuring a rather unsightly expression on my face, trusting that the mention of my miserable childhood is convenient enough to expect the same honesty from them. Secretly, of course, I hope that I will gain some additional useful insight, because even though I don't want to run away with passion anymore, uncertainty and the lack of knowledge are still not among my favorite states.

"It won't be a happy story." Warns Price, and his mouth stretches into a bitter smile that is completely foreign to him. And I start to wonder how traumatic the experience must have been, which led them to this point, if even the always calm, determined, and above all, self-confident Hunter's face twists into such a broken expression. And I almost feel guilty, as curiosity settles in my brain like an itch that won't stop. Almost.

"Very few have that, Captain." I remind the man, because although everyone can pretend that life in the colonies is full of sunshine and rainbows, since no one is in direct danger of monsters, this little thing does not negate the fact that everyone lives there struggling with some kind of misery. They are either starving, or sick, or all forms of their freedom are restricted for the protection and greater good of the colony.

Finally, Price leans back in his chair accompanied by a humorless sigh, and before he would start his little evening tale, he sends a respectable amount of whiskey down his throat, and I follow the movement with tense attention. I can only observe from my periphery how the other three Hunters keep their eyes on their leader, shrouded in silence, and an unusual troubled aura appears even on Riley's part, which soon begins to emanate from all of them.

"I was serving in Colony no. 9 when I met the boys 8 years ago. We were all members of a government liquidation unit, in separate teams, but under one management." Price starts the origin story, and his voice is once again filled with resolve. The name of the colony doesn't ring a single bell, and that makes me all the more confused, because if such a big fuckery happened, which shakes these battle-hardened men out of their composure, then it surely would have been all over the news. "We served in Great Britain's largest colony, and at the time I thought it was an honor. I think we all did." For a moment, he looks around at his companions, who only agree with the captain's statement with a small, but still grim nod.

"I've wanted to serve there since I was a kid, you can imagine how fired up I was when I got in right after basic training! I met the captain on my first mission. He saved me before a mutant could kill me." Garrick suddenly interrupts the thread of Price's tale, and I'm surprised by the sincere admiration with which he directs his gaze to the bearded Hunter. And suddenly, the image of the barely out from Hunter School, snotty eighteen-year-old flashes into my mind, who throws himself into the excitement of the unit with sparkling eyes, ready for action, and runs towards danger, as the reckless fools in that age usually do. The vision brings a faint smile to my face because I find the mental picture of the barely-out-of-puberty Garrick honestly sweet.

"Don't exaggerate, Gaz. You could've handled it on your own." Price glances at the mentioned, with a cheeky, but appreciative smile on his face, and that gives him the vibe of paternal love once again, with which he often turns to the younger man. The dynamic between the two is truly heartwarming and sickeningly sweet, but even my dark soul softens at their interactions. "Ghost and Soap joined the unit a bit later, but I was lucky enough to see what they're capable of even before that." He points to the two Hunters with his glass, thus confirming my earlier hypothesis that they've indeed known each other longer than I originally would have thought.

"Good old days." MacTavish comments with unusual brevity, and as his bright eyes shift to his glass, I get the feeling for the umpteenth time that they were involved in some sizeable shit back then, which even to this day can conjure up such an upset expression on the face of one of their most carefree members.

"The life of the unit wasn’t very eventful, as far as it was possible. But then Makarov came..." Price proceeds with the story, and at the mention of the unknown name, the unmistakable wrinkles of hatred and anger appear on the faces of each Hunter, almost at the same time, and I just study their reaction in bewilderment. But despite my surprise, I realize that we have arrived at the catalyst of the entire chain of events.

"Makarov?" I repeat the rather Russian-sounding name, and it does not escape my attention how instinctively the captain's jaw tightens after I bring up the foreign villain again. But I don't need to know who this faceless stranger is to recognize that he must be a serious asshole if he managed to sneak so deeply into the minds of every member of Unit 141.

"Leader of a Russian separatist group. At the time, he was famous for getting his hand on any weapon that his customers could pay for." Explains the Hunter, gathering strength to continue with another sip. And in me, just the phrase of the separatist group triggers a plethora of assumptions, which help to define who this anonymous criminal might be. Although these small illegally operating congregations, completely separate from the colonies, have been making life difficult for everyone for years alongside the mutant threat, this is the first time I've heard of someone who dealt with such dangerous businesses. However, this is mostly the fault of the news providers, since they only report information that doesn't cause undue panic among the already agitated population. "This is exactly what made Colony no. 9 a target. At that time, they were developing a powerful ballistic missile that would've been able to destroy nests with great precision, without causing the slightest collateral damage. It would've been a simple, clean method."

"Oh, missiles. They were really in high demand once. It's a shame these bastards are smarter now." I muse, and the set of data I viewed during the years spent in the lab flashes before my eyes, where these mischievous little rockets appeared quite often. And they never brought lasting success, or mostly nothing.

When the virus appeared, what hit humanity the most unexpectedly was the fact that suddenly thousands of mindless and bloodthirsty mutant monsters swarmed into all and any inhabited areas they could get into. The phenomenon was unexplainable, but it reached all corners of the world within a few days, and the leaders of the most powerful countries at the time had no chance to react to the threat in time. And dropping one nuclear bomb was enough for them to know, that while the explosion kills the fucking beasts, the radiation doesn't stop them and only reduces the precious resources for humans instead. The short latency of the virus and the fact that the mutation happened in a matter of hours was hazardous enough, but there was no way to wipe them out without massive collateral damage. Fortunately, the Hunters appeared, who were immune to the bite, and with their newfound superpowers, they were so effective at tearing the monsters apart that came into their path that, together with the military, they were able to push them out of the areas where the colonies are located today. Then, a good ten years after the breakout, several specimens gathered into hordes once again, made nests, and carried on with their idyllic little lives. Governments were quite disturbed by the fact that their previous purely aggressive behavior had been replaced by somewhat organized habits, but when these creatures, distorted beyond recognition, began to breed with each other, it created a whole new set of concerns. After all, in this way, they not only infected their other animal companions through their bites, but also gave birth to new offsprings, which were already stronger than their parents. This is how the lovely little missiles came into the picture, which at first successfully exterminated the nests, but then after a while these fuckers started predicting the arrival of the rockets somehow, presumably with the help of their super-sensitive hearing. By the time the package hit its target, they had already escaped. Over the years, they experimented with various missiles, but sooner or later the stunt always failed. And making these toys was a very expensive pastime with limited resources, so most colonies gave up on fabricating them altogether.

"Well, it was an interesting enough development for Makarov to notice." Price notes, running his hand along his beard with a nervous sigh. "And when he arrived, he brought such chaos with him that no one was prepared for." He brings up the climax of the tale, and just at the mention of it, the miserable expression takes over his features that I've never seen on the man before, and this sufficiently sobers me up as well. "He lured the I.M.L.s out with sound alarms, from a nest we didn't even know about. He led them all the way to the colony, where he blasted a hole in the wall and let those bastards do their thing. And they did." The Hunter's voice fills with that helpless rage that no doubt reflects what he must have felt when all hell broke loose. And everything I wanted to say stuck in my throat, because when I remember how efficiently that damned whistling, diabolical structure directed that mutant piggy towards me in the forest, angry and ready to rampage, then it’s not difficult to imagine in what condition that nest of mutants could have broken into the colony.

"Everyone was ordered out to the city, but we didn't stand a chance. I've never seen so many I.M.L.s in one place. It was like the first breakout." MacTavish joins in, and the cavalcade of emotions caused by the recalled memories sweeps over his face with noticeable grimness. "They were everywhere in 10 minutes. They killed everything in their path."

And the Scottish man doesn't need to go into detail for me to realize what horrors he must have seen there. Even history books only talked about the massacres that took place when the virus appeared in a censored form, and the fate of Colony no. 9 could've been very similar to this. And the image inevitably appears in my head, as hundreds of enraged beasts flood the streets of the peaceful city, tearing apart, killing, and devouring everything and everyone in their way. Women, men, old and young, these creatures don't differentiate between two delicious morsels, they degrade anyone into an unrecognizable bloody mess without discrimination. And this picture is so vivid in my mind that I am finally overcome by the mournful mood that has been present in the Hunters since the beginning of the story.

"Then, when the authorities saw how hopeless the situation was, we were instructed to leave the colony together with the important officials." Price goes on, and his statement deepens my shock, because even though I'm a mean bastard, even I'm not so terribly heartless. Even if the decision itself was an inhuman but logical step. "There was no room for opposition, we received an order, and our hands were tied." The Hunter recalls, and my eyes instinctively find his fingers clenching around his glass. "So, all the Hunters and soldiers left everything behind and evacuated."

"Then one of the fuckin' missiles was detonated." MacTavish snaps, and his anger deepens his accent further, which makes his entire exasperated outburst even more harshly emphasized. The resentment that rages in him even now is justified, and I don't blame him for the hatred reviving in his eyes. "The entire colony was destroyed." He adds, but the outcome was quite obvious from the moment he mentioned that damn rocket. And this confession puts the graveness of the tale in a completely different light, and it suddenly becomes painfully clear to me what kind of trauma happened to them, which later forged the small team together.

"We were pulled out because it was more important to protect the lives of the bloody government members." Garrick spits with pure loathing, and his face twists with the mixture of hatred and anger, and this is the first time I see the Hunter filled with such fury. "But no one cared about the many innocents who were killed by the I.M.L.s or the missile." He says, looking at his glass, and suddenly I understand what he meant during our little recharge session that took place in the gym, when he said that he knows what it's like to let shit happen. And I don't like the pain that rips through my chest when I see the man's hopeless rage. According to this, I wasn’t wrong when I assumed that there were bitter experiences behind his good intentions. And now, for the first time, it bothers me that I was right.

"The authorities were glad that Makarov didn’t succeeded, because that would've meant a much greater danger later on." The captain continues to unfold the events, and to vent his frustration, he raises his cigar to his mouth again, hoping that the tobacco will calm his nerves, I suspect. "I met Kate in the temporary refugee camp. I had known her before, but back then she was also among those who miraculously escaped. We agreed that our hands are tied under government leadership, and this needs to change. I didn't care if I had to get my hands dirty if I could keep the innocents clean. So Kate offered me to join her, and she helped me set up a private unit. She entrusted me to recruit who I see fit."

"It wasn't even a question we'd join after what happened." Garrick agrees, giving his comrades a meaningful look, who nod in agreement at his testimony. And I do not doubt that this experience brought them closer. Thus, it makes sense why this unit embarks on adventures that are far more dangerous than necessary, and for the first time, I don't even have a sarcastic remark about their heroism. Because I understand that they are fueled by the motivation to overcome the helplessness they had to deal with, and I can empathize with this sentimentality. In light of this, Riley's hostile behavior also becomes quite rational, because, in the eyes of someone who was driven by this trauma to protect the colony unconditionally, my callous and selfish indulgence may have been an even bloodier crime than I had previously suspected. And I'm not happy about the way this feeling gives room to an incipient sense of guilt in the hidden corners of my soul.

"What happened to Makarov?" I voice the obvious question instead, thereby beneficially suppressing the useless negative emotions that arose in me, since the mention of the unfamiliar villain promises to be a much more pleasant topic.

"That bastard hasn't been found since." Riley joins the conversation for the first time since his arrival, and the murderous temper in his eyes warns even me to be careful, even though his anger is not directed at me now. "But if he survived, we'll find him sooner or later." The man promises ominously, probably expressing the thoughts of the others as well. Because, as I take a look at the Hunters, one by one, a rock-solid determination similar to that of the masked man sits on their faces.

"It wasn't a happy story, indeed." I finally break their gloom, attempting to turn the meeting, which started out lighthearted, back to its original direction after the rather interesting trip down memory lane. Recalling so many bad experiences for one evening is more than enough, because statistically, the trauma per person in this neon-lit office is now well beyond the limits of the healthy range.

"You were right that everyone has a similar sad story." Price refers to my apt remark I made earlier, thereby confirming the fact that in this filthy cesspool that the world has become, no one gets even close to a happy ending. "That's exactly why we need all the help. So that nothing like this can happen again, if it's up to us." He nods his head towards me, and I don't have to mobilize a single molecule of my intellect to know what a significant hint the captain is giving me.

He doesn't need to spell out that I am also included in this "all help" group, because by now it has become quite obvious what kind of thrills I am invited to by being accepted as a member of the team. And now my first instinctive thought is not about escaping from the task in creative ways, but instead, I just conjure a sassy grin on my face, fueled by my newly found inspiration.

"Luckily you managed to get your hand on a real first-class Extreme Healer." I emphasize the useful presence of my humble person as I place my glass on the table and encourage Price to refill it.

"We can thank Kate for that too." The man pulls a brazen little smile on his face, that draws small lines around his eyes, and cooperates with my silent request for booze without any resistance. He fills my glass, and then the whiskey bottle goes around again to give those present the divine liquid. But before I can enjoy the pleasant tingle of alcohol again, MacTavish jumps up with renewed enthusiasm and holds his glass high, drawing everyone's attention to himself.

"Let's drink to Laswell!" The Hunter suggests cheerfully, and then he turns his gaze to me in a tenth of a second, in which the well-known mischievous light flashes, establishing my displeasure in advance. "And to Woods, the sly viper!" He shouts with complete approval to his statement, and although my eyebrows shoot up with indignation upon hearing his nickname, I am still unable to keep my contempt for long. After all, considering how I usually attack suddenly and ambush my victims, he managed to come up with a rather fitting name.

We all stand up almost in sync to comply with MacTavish's initiative, and as our glasses clink together, my scan the Hunters, finally, for the first time in my life, I feel that maybe it really won't be so horrible to work my guts out as part of a unit. Because even if not all members are overjoyed at my presence, I am sure that they are more happy that I am here than I can imagine. And this only strengthens my determination to fight tooth and nail to stay here.

#cod #captain price #kyle gaz garrick #cod ghost #konig call of duty #johnny soap mactavish #konig cod #simon riley x oc #simon ghost x reader #simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley #simon riley #cod mw2 #ghost call of duty #call of duty #john soap mactavish #john price #kate laswell #alternate universe #guideverse #soap cod #ghost cod #cod 141 #ghost #ghost simon riley #ghost x reader #cod mw ghost #soap #soap mactavish #john soap mctavish

[mpsansy]

Continuing with speaking to the void, hello void!! I am here to ramble about Casper again. Simply because it's still buzzing through my head, and I love building concepts and hcs. Only this time, I'll also mention other characters and their relationships with our familiar spectral.

(Note: Felt like I should mention that this is my own spin on the characters. So... yeah. Just needed to mention it cause my last ramble about Casper didn't specify that. Anyway, back to the concepts.)

-Casper doesn't scare because he can't. He most certainly can. And be great at it due to his imaginative mind, but he chooses to be honest and polite upon approach.

- However, let's say that who he's speaking to is outright mean spirited and rotten? Okay. He'll give them a fright and run them out of his home. Though admittedly, since he doesn't scare too often, he exhausts himself and will often lay down for a power nap. Do NOT disturb him.

-He sees Kat as a sister. Primarily an older sister cause he's still in the mindset of a young adolescent as opposed to her. Who works and goes to college as a young adult.

-Casper has made other friends throughout the past. And the best ones he could ever have now are monsters like him! A demon and a witch. The witch in question is named Wendy

-The demon, however, didn't have a name, but together, they came up with a name. Inferno. He seemed to like that name. It's a lot better than HotStuff, yet he uses both titles cause those are the first names he's been addressed as.

-To simplify their relationship with Casper. Wendy is like a good influence, whereas Inferno is the bad. Kind of an angel and demon on your shoulder type deal. It can be a little funny to watch if you're his uncles who want their nephew to do something dastardly and goofy.

-Inferno has a terrible time with holding back his fire abilities. Just with one touch, an object is sent ablaze. Conveniently, the things set on fire are often times undesirable to most. So he accidentally does good without realizing it.

-Opposite of Inferno, Wendy is far more than just advanced in her magic skills. She's been claimed in recent centuries as the greatest witch to live yet. What makes her achievements more sweeter is that she is one of few witches to have interacted and befriended monsters of all shapes and sizes.

-With Wendy and Inferno as his friends, they have taught him one very important lesson for his eternal afterlife. Stand up for yourself when no one will. It's a lesson that seems obvious to do, but the two really try to nail it down as Casper doesn't vocalize his true feelings.

-If a ghost were to find a place or object that seems familiar to them, something in their minds will click and send them back in time. When they were alive, experiencing the moment all over. Sometimes, it's a good feeling. Although it's a mixed bag depending on how a person lived.

-Despite being dead for a long time, Casper does have moments of discomfort. Such as looking at cliffs or frozen lakes. Naturally, he avoids them if at all possible. Something like this could be a link to how he died, but that's something he's not willing to investigate. Not if he has to relive all that.

-Casper won't say it, but he does have a favorite uncle. But to say who is immensely debatable. And something he refuses to bring up at all.

-If you've ever wondered if monsters dream, then good news! They do, in fact, dream. But one thing I'd prefess is that monster dreams are so intertwined that many beasts end up meeting each other before ever meeting in person. It's a trip that very few humans have the pleasure of participating in

-This goes with no context, but this is a list of who would kill for Casper with no arguments:

Inferno

Stretch

Stinke

Fatso

Wendy

They'd do happily if something or someone really hurt Casper. To say he'd be thrilled is, uh... well, who knows, really, cause I don't!

-The only time Casper joins in on the spooking is when it involves wannabe ghost and/or monster hunters. Cause most of them do, in fact, suck at their job and are real snobby jerks who disrespect property

-Deep within the manor is a hidden room closed off from all spirits and magic users alike. In this room is a book explaining all things Casper's father had discovered about monster life. As well as things he valued when it came to his own family that were simply irreplaceable. No one in the manor has discovered this room yet.

#sansy speaking here #casper the friendly ghost #casper mcfadden #wendy the good little witch #the ghostly trio #monsters #monster concept

[astrofae]

Currugated ask game: 🤕🌶️🚀🪞🔎🎳💺🛋️🧱🧰

🤕-Which boss is the hardest?

The Swansong is the bane of my existence. I've got over 700 hours in the game and I've... never actually beaten it. To be fair that's largely because I never really bothered doing mech stuff until recently (my achievement hunter brain craves Parasprite and Cosmic Intruder figurines) but hell, even the dungeon is hard. I can usually just blaze through all the dungeons, but even with endgame gear I die fairly often in the Dantalion!

🌶️-What do you think is your most unpopular Starbound opinion?

I don't care for Frackin Universe and similar overhaul mods. I just genuinely enjoy the vanilla experience! (Well, I call it Vanilla+ since I've got a ton of little QOL/bugfix/cosmetic mods. One of them literally just makes Snuggets glow)

I dabbled in Frackin once with friends, and it didn't interest me enough to start my own playthrough. It's certainly not a bad mod, just not my thing. I might do a heavily modded playthrough with Frackin and the whole nine yards someday, but I don't have any actual plans to do so.

🚀-Which ship design is the best?

They've all got their charm, but I quite like the Hylotl and Apex ships! I haven't actually gotten a fully upgraded ship with either of them, but I do like the futuristic designs. The Hylotl one is probably my favorite out of the two, though. The patchwork look of the Floran ship is also excellent.

🪞-Which starbound oc made you discover something about yourself, or inspired you to try something new?

I've been taking art seriously (as a hobby) for over six years now, but I never really bothered to draw people until I got invested in my Starbound OCs! I was a Wings of Fire kid so I started out drawing dragons(and I still do, just different dragons lol), but I've even gotten into gesture drawing lately just to draw my SB characters better.

🔎-What's a small, easy-to-miss detail that you just love?

I honestly really like the bug catching! It was absolutely a pain to get all of them for the achievement, but they make lovely lil decorations. The wild bugs add excellent ambience when wandering around on planets, too.

Also, all the little lore snippets from scanning stuff and talking to NPCs are excellent.

🎳-Funnest toy?

I must admit I never really bothered to do much with the toys! I kind of forget they exist most of the time. If I ever stumble across them I do have fun chucking them around my ship for a minute before they get banished into a miscellaneous storage box somewhere. I should do more with them

💺-What is your favorite furniture set? What is your favorite standalone furniture item? Do they go together?

I'm quite fond of the Astro set! One of my favorite things about SB is the sci-fi setting, and I love all the cool space props available. I like to mix and match them for individual builds, but Astro is my favorite whole set just because it's orange lol

My favorite individual piece has got to be the Symbiote in a Jar. I like to put them in my ship as a friend. Just look at him. Little guy

🛋️-Top 3 furniture mods?

I don't actually use any! At least not any elaborate ones; I have a few for little things like gravity field generators, ceiling-mounted sprinklers, and craftable plants and coral. Also more colors of string lights and neon lights, because shiny glowy things are a necessity.

Letheia Expanded does look very cool, though! I love mods that build on the existing lore like that.

🧱-Favorite block(s)?

The good old Ornate Wood and Classic Baseboards are some of my go-to blocks for regular house builds. Heavy Pipes, too! They make great extra details.

I also love a bunch of the super niche blocks. There's not exactly a lot of regular building uses for a block of eyeballs, but if you ever need some weird stuff for a science lab or whatnot then there's that!

🧰-What huge, super ambitious mod would you make if you had the time/energy/skills?

CHARACTER CREATION OVERHAUL. I utterly despise the little arrows for selecting everything. It's already a pain in vanilla, but when you start adding in things like Colorbound and new hairstyles it is absolute agony. I've never even tried modding and I've heard that the current BS system is hardcoded in, but I long for reasonable character creation. NPCspawner's creation menu is excellent (it uses lists of colors/hairs to pick from rather than the wretched arrows) and I wish vanilla had something similar.

#thank you very much for the ask!! :D :D #i rambled Just A Little Bit lol #ask game #starbound

[hdra77]

(pfp anon back again im just gonna call myself rory)

More fun questions since ur my favorite tumblr acc :3

What made you initially start shipping ragequit, if anything in particular? Did it just kind of happen?

A lot of people don't finish Rain World when they try it due to it being too hard/not beginner friendly - what was your experience like? Did something in particular motivate you to finish? Did you spoil yourself for the lore ahead of time?

Are your designs more slug, more cat, a balance, or would you say there's no "line" and they are just Slugcat?

(In any AUs) Why does Hunter have the Rot? Lots of different depictions for why they have it - e.g it being an accident or smth, it being deliberate, Sig not feeling bad/feeling guilty forever, etc.

If a slugcat ate a slug would it be cannibalism

Feel free to skip any questions you don't want to answer I'm just enjoying myself tbh :P

YAY QUESTIONS!! 1) funny enough i started shipping ragequit when i was very new to the fandom (it just for some reason clicked even if i dont have wide knowledge about their characters yet) so yeah!you could say it just kind of happen! i find it silly at first actually but then i thought about it and went 'oh actually this is pretty neat this could actually work' 2) my first experience when playing rainworld was me experiencing PAIN AND MISERY as expected to new players like me. but i kept going because i wanted to know the lore and explore because damn the whole world building and game design alone took my breath away its just so pretty literally every single screenshot i took are wallpaper worthy. also i wanted to beat the game !! beating a difficult game is such a big achievement for me. also i accidentally spoiled myself in the process like a few times already but they're not major spoilers thankfully 💀 3) hmm.. well my artstyle when it comes to drawing slugcats is so inconsistent LMAO i started with the 'more cat-like' having some of them with more fluffy,curly or short fur then my style would eventually settle with a balanced style (and also cat and slug). it is very simple yes but i seem to be more content with leaving it simple as possible 4) (critical system failure/disarray AU) - NSH sent hunter to search and investigate five pebbles after he had mysteriously disappeared for several long cycles, long enough to grow suspicion throughout the group. Hunter does not have the rot when he was sent for the mission though however. something had gone wrong when he entered Five Pebbles. and you can pretty much guess just what happened to hunter next 5) hmm nah, slugcat and slugs are both different organisms

#asks