#get fucked magnusson

[im-not-a-sheep]

trying to do some fucking anylisis on gordon and Magnusson but I can't write shit properly

[internetskiff]

Asking "would you rather work at Aperture or at Black Mesa" is like asking "Do you want to shove your hand into a Barrel of Radioactive Waste or A Set Of Active Hydraulics" so I propose a different sort of poll. WHICH COMPANY DO YOU THINK WOULD GET CANCELLED FASTER

CONTENDER #1: APERTURE SCIENCE PROS: -Progressive as fuck -They'd do numbers when it comes to social media -It's probably a decent workplace if you do like.. accounting? IT work, HR maybe?? -Food and water provided (granted, it's shitty water jugs, cans of beans and cartons of milk from what we've seen) -They do "Bring your Daughter to Work" and "Bring your Cat to Work" days! Fun! -Somehow not as likely to cause an interdimensional alien invasion. -They dabble in home security. CONS: -Toxic as fuck workplace environment -They'll probably give you cancer on purpose -Oh, y'know, the inhumane harvesting of the homeless to use as guinea pigs. -If you're a janitor, work maintenance, or something along those lines you are most certainly going to contract tetanus -THIS PLACE PROBABLY SUCKS ASS FOR ANYONE WHO'S SCARED OF HEIGHTS -Considering Cave did canonically fire someone for being in a wheelchair to cut costs on ramps.. um? -If you do bring your daughter you do have the option (and are actively encouraged to) make her run through a potentially lethal test course.

CONTENDER #2: BLACK MESA PROS: -Dormitories and on-site cafeterias provided -Progressive as fuck (I'd say more than Aperture) -They actually accomodate the disabled -Has their own security force -Generally more trusted by the government -I feel like their social media presence would be way more reduced and way less obnoxious CONS: -THERE'S RADIOACTIVE WASTE FUCKING EVERYWHERE. -Entire department dedicated to dissecting live alien lifeforms that range from the size and intelligence of a foofoo dog to "this thing is smart and it WILL break free and it WILL snap your spine in half" -They'll probably give you cancer on accident -Breen feels like the type of guy to pull a Musk on social media -Y'know. The dozens and dozens of corpses that piled up as a result of sending scientists to an alien dimension. -Generally way more involved with the government. ewwwww -Workplace environment is sooorta rough and employee competition seems to be commonplace (unless Magnusson and Kleiner are just fucked up) -If the lead-up to the Resonance Cascade is anything to go by, they're not beyond doing rush-jobs when it comes to important tests. It also seems like they're not beyond taking bribes

Do be sure to put your reasonings in the tags if you do reblog this poll. It'd be pretty fun to read everyone's different thoughts and reasonings.

[piastrixpole]

iv. jeddah

pairing: logan sargeant x fem!oc (daisy shaw)

genre: written

based on the 2023 season

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twitter!

🚨 Exciting news! 🚨 We're thrilled to announce that Daisy Shaw will be hitting the track for qualifying in Jeddah today! 🏁Shaw has made a speedy recovery after an incident with Sargeant in FP2 and is geared up to take on the challenging circuit today. Let's show her some support as she returns to the track💪 #F1 #JeddahGP #DaisyShaw

There was an energy like no other pulsating through the stands around the track. The streets of Jeddah were lit up so brightly that Daisy didn't know where to look without getting blinded by the artificial yet vibrant spectacle.

Qualifying kicked off with a bang. Daisy's team had come together once she had been confirmed to drive and they had strategised for Daisy to not go all out. To simply do the bare minimum while still ensuring that she made it into Q2 and then she could start getting more competitive as she progressed further into the session.

So she approached the session with caution, fully aware of the lingering pain from yesterday's crash and the fact that she wasn't in peak physical condition. The focus was on finding thr right balance between delivering the best performance for the team and preserving her physical state.

Each lap she ramped up her pace. Steadily building a momentum as she worked her way around the circuit. Lap after lap she noticed progress being made but the exertion continued to wear her down.

"Currently you're sitting in P8 Daisy, the teams happy for you to bring it back in."

"Copy that," Daisy did as she was instructed and headed back "Who's out?"

Anja paused before getting back to her "Both Williams, both Alpha Tauris, Bottas and Norris."

The extremely competitive part of her was glad to hear that Sargeant was already out. As toxic a mindset it may be, she knew that if their roles were reversed there'd immediately be reports and stories questioning her competency. The media had not been kind to her last year and the odds had been stacked against her - a female rookie in a new team who were just finding their footing on the grid. Daisy had essentially been a guinea pig for their development and also a major target of critics for this reason.

On the other hand though she did pity him. As a driver you are naturally grateful for your seat and the opportunity to drive in F1 in the first place but not all opportunities are equal. She couldn't imagine the high expectations and pressure to perform when driving a notoriously difficult Williams with very little experience. And she had to admit that not many drivers would accept culpability so quickly in a situation like that crash with their first priority being apologising for ruining the others lap time. It was admirable.

Moving into Q2 the intensity was ramped up. Daisy had to push even harder if she wanted to get a chance at fighting for a spot in the top 10. Embracing the mounting pressure she pushed the Porsche until it reached its limit. Every corner became a battle against the clock to improve her times and secure her place in Q3.It was a nail biting session, with the margins between success and failure razor thin. But Daisy rose to the challenge, putting in a stellar performance to clinch a spot in Q3.

"Looks like P9 Daisy but Hulkenberg is still out and 4 tenths off Gasly and 6 off you."

Daisy grimaced, the last thing she needed was to be knocked down by a Haas even if she was racing the day after a significant crash.

"Any good news?" she asked Anja tentatively.

"That's Hulk out," Anja answered seconds later "Good job Daisy, Q2 knockouts are Hulkenberg, Daniel, Zhou, Magnusson, Ocon and Verstappen."

What the actual fuck. A red bull out in Q2. The very bottom of the pack in Q2. Not just any red bull though, Max's. It would be slightly more believable if Anja had told her Checo had been knocked out because his qualifying could be shaky but no, it really was Max Verstappen starting at basically the bottom of the grid. She knew he'd probably find some way to win tomorrow still or at the very minimum get a podium with that rocketship of a car but it was still a small win.

"Sorry, Anja, am I going crazy or did you just say Verstappen is out?"

"No, you heard correctly Daisy, there was an incident with the driveshaft in his car which messed him up."

"Mint," Daisy tried not to sound enthusiastic "not for him obviously but hey more of a chance for the rest of us."

"I'm just as surprised as you are," Anja remarked "knowing him he'll probably fight his way back up the grid in the first few laps but right now lets just focus on getting you the best start for tomorrow."

As the final qualifying session, Q3,got underway, Daisy faced her toughest challenge yet. The pain from yesterday's crash still present, serving as a constant reminder of the risks inherent in her sport. Despite the discomfort, she remained focused on the task at hand, determined to make the most of her opportunity. With the adrenaline pumping and the stakes higher than ever, she pushed herself to the limit, extracting every ounce of performance from her car. Lap after lap, she teased the boundaries of her skill and endurance, refusing to let her physical condition hold her back. In the end, her efforts paid off, as she crossed the finish line with a time that earned her a hard-fought P10 on the grid. Under normal circumstances it wouldn't be a result that Daisy would be overly proud of but considering the circumstances she saw it as a win.

Anja quickly consulted her tablet, scanning the list of drivers and their respective positions. "Leclerc has been given a 10 place grid penalty so the starting grid for tomorrow is as follows Daisy," she began, her eyes darting across the screen. "In the top ten, we've got Perez on pole, followed by Alonso in second, and Russell in third. Then it's Sainz, Stroll, Hamilton, Piastri, Gasly, you and then Hulkenberg has moved up to P10."

"Not too shabby team," Daisy commented after that "we'll aim for better tomorrow."

Emerging from her Porsche as she stopped outside the garage her pit crew quickly surrounded her. Daisy slipped off her helmet and then her balaclava with a practiced ease, letting her two now messy braids fall loosely onto her shoulders.

Despite the physical toll qualifying had on her Daisy still wore a satisfied grin, feeling proud of the performance she had delivered with the added challenges. If she could maintain a spot in the top ten tomorrow during the race she'd be pretty content with herself.

Daniel stood nearby, shoulders slightly slumped as he surveyed the bustling garage around them. In spite of the evident disappointment permeating his demeanour, there was a genuine warmth in his eyes as he watched Daisy eagerly fist bump the nearby mechanics and every single member of her pit crew.

"Hey, Raincloud," he called out, his voice carrying over the hum of activity in the garage. Daisy's head turned in his direction, her tired features brightening at the sound of his familiar nickname. It was a moniker he had bestowed upon her in their early days as teammates, a playful nod to her penchant for scarcely smiling and depressing music taste. "You did bloody well out there," Daniel continued, his tone a mixture of genuine admiration and self-deprecation. "Especially after what happened yesterday. Can't say the same for myself, but at least one of us did well."

She let a small smile slip at his words. Appreciating that he was able to be supportive towards her even in the face of his own disappointment. If Daisy was being completely honest if their roles had been reversed and she had been massively outqualified by her teammate who'd crashed the day before, she would be far less composed and way more moody but that was where they differed. "Cheers Danny," Daisy nodded "honestly just glad to be back behind the wheel already. You'll easily gain places tomorrow though don't sweat it too much," before her tone turned more teasing "wouldn't expect anything else from a high performance athlete like yourself."

"Were you even born when that clip was made?" he mocked her playfully.

"I was born in 2001 you dickhead," Daisy cackled "do you even remember that in your old age?"

"2001-...wait you're literally a child. Do you even have a driver's licence?"

Rolling her eyes Daisy admitted "I might have failed it five times but yeah, I do now."

Not even hiding his wince at her words Daniel just paused momentarily before saying "yeah,ok...remind me to never get in a car with you."

"Oi," Daisy shoved him lightly to the side  "that's just plain rude Ricciardo. I'm an unreal driver."

"Whatever you want to think raincloud."

Daisy mustered up her sweetest possible smile "you'll see it yourself tomorrow when you get to admire my rear wing the whole race."

Night races held a special place in Daisy's heart. There was something so captivating about the tracks when the only light sources were the flood lights across the circuit and from the cars themselves. All other distractions eliminated, it was just her and her race that mattered.

From her position on the grid she could see the orange McLaren of Oscar Piastri sitting to her left to whom she gave a little wave and directly behind him was the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg who she had prevented getting into Q3 yesterday.

With her hands finding their home on her steering wheel she sat idly by. Her eyes were firmly fixed on the starting lights above and the tension was palpable in the air as 20 drivers all sat eagerly waiting that impending battle to the top. Setting off on the formation lap Daisy started to warm her tires with subtle weaving left to right staying firmly behind Oscar.

And it's lights out and away we go! Fernando Alonso beats Perez into turn 1 and takes the lead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. It's Alonso, Perez, Russel - Lance Stroll has just overtaken Sainz and moved up a place. What a strong opening lap for the Aston Martin team! Further back, Max Verstappen is still in 15th but not for long and Charles Leclerc has really taken advantage of those soft tires he's on and gained 3 places finding himself directly behind Shaw.

Piastri and Gasly look to separate themselves from the pack in the midfield trying to take the inside line heading into the corner of turn eleven but what they didn't see was Daisy Shaw coming around the outside and slipping right past both of them into P7. And Piastri's got damage to his front wing. Gasly and Leclerc speed away and Zhou moves up into P10. Meanwhile Verstappen has started gaining placements, currently sitting in P13 and it's only lap 2.

"Alonso's got a 5 second penalty for positioning at the start Daisy," Anna's voice came smoothly through the radio "and nice work on the double overtake on Gasly and Piastri there. Leclerc is not a threat yet but he is on softs so just try to keep him at bay for now and keep your tires intact."

"Copy," Daisy activated the radio button on her wheel "how far back is Leclerc?"

"Currently 6.3 seconds," Anja told her.

"Ok," Daisy bummed to herself "keep me updated."

In her read mirrors she could see the distinct blur of red in the distance but he wasn't close enough for her to worry about yet. Then in front of her, none other than a seven time world champion who she'd have to overtake at some point if she wanted to progress further up the grid, which she did of course.

Daisy had never been an overly patient person. Even though Anja had advised her to hold off on performing any more overtakes for the moment in favour of preserving her tires until the optimal time to pit, the urge was there. Itching away at her self control and it was difficult to resist the temptation.

The balance between aggression and restraint was a delicate one and Daisy had experienced that last season. It could make or break a race. So, as tantalising as it was to essentially be told to let Lewis drive off ahead of her she reminded herself of Anja's instructions to bide her time. Yet lap after lap her already non-existent patience wore thinner. Her gap to Lewis had narrowed with the laps but she wasn't in DRS range yet so she hung back.

"Alright, Daisy," Anja's voice crackled over the radio, cutting through the intensity of the race. "Gap to Hamilton closing you can attempt an overtake on him. Leclerc is gaining on you from behind, so we need to stay ahead of him. You'll have DRS enabled, so use it to your advantage."

Lewis was defending his position annoyingly well from Daisy as he wove through the circuit and she followed suit, eyes narrowed in concentration as she focused only on the subtle movements of his car. Once she was within DRS range Daisy pulled off a highly calculated manoeuvre that bordered on overly risky but brilliant in her opinion. Daisy's heart quickened at the prospect of finally making her move.

With Lewis just ahead of her and the DRS zone approaching, she could practically taste the opportunity to advance her position. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her focus sharpening as she prepared to execute the overtake. Diving down the inside of Lewis' car she inched ahead, navigating the corner side by side until they were out of the corner and with a final push Daisy surged forward and overtook him.

Pushing the car even further, Daisy's aim was to dart out of reach of Hamilton and Leclerc who were trailing her now as fast as possible.

"Brilliant move," Anja praised instantly "keep it up."

Daisy's response on the radio would definitely be memes later as it was a mess of incoherent screaming from excitement. Sure she had a season's worth of experience racing now under her belt but the sheer joy of racing alongside and getting past a long time idol of hers was a feeling she never got used to.

Shaw is now up into P6 after a side by side fight with Lewis Hamilton and Perez takes the lead of the race from Alonso. Can he hold out this lead or will Alonso be able to snatch it back momentarily. Speaking of Perez, his teammate Verstappen has made it past both Haas drivers and is in P11 now. Only lap 6 and incredibly action so far this race.

Before she knew it though and seemingly out of no where there was a red bull behind Daisy and gaining on her at a rapid pace. His car loomed larger in her mirrors, his presence an ever-present threat to her position on the track with each passing second.

Daisy grit her teeth, fully aware of the challenge that lay ahead. She defended her position with everything she had, weaving expertly through the corners and utilizing every ounce of skill and experience at her disposal. But Verstappen was determined, his car inching closer with each passing moment.

As they approached a particularly tight corner, Daisy braced herself for the inevitable showdown. Verstappen made his move, diving towards her with lightning speed. Daisy fought back valiantly, refusing to yield an inch as they jostled for position through the corner. He'd ultimately gained the upper hand though and Daisy's Porsche had been unable to hold him off any longer. Unfortunately for her, she had to concede the position and fell back down to P7.

With Perez in the lead of the race now and Max continuing his stampede up the field she knew it wouldn't be long until he joined his teammate up at the top of the pack. It absolutely didn't come as a surprise to her that this race was probably going to end in a red bull 1-2 with the insane pace of their cars. All Daisy hoped for was that she'd be able to cut ahead soon and move up some more positions.

The race continued smoothly. Stroll pitted ahead of her so Daisy moved back up to P6 and shortly after that Sainz also headed in to the pits. Daisy flew around the track with a fire burning inside of her. If she could end this race in P5 or higher she'd be over the moon.

"Yellow flag in sector 2," Anja warned her "repeat, yellow flag in sector 2. Stroll is stopped on track at turn 13."

"Heard," Daisy's mind was racing at this news "any word on safety car?"

"Full safety car confirmed," Anja sounded pleased "box now Daisy."

Being able to put under safety car conditions was going to benefit her race enormously. On the restart she'd be able to start from P5 because Lance was now out and Carlos hadn't caught up her after his pit stop so she'd hopefully get to dart away and create a gap large enough that she could hold that position for the rest of the race. Or even better, if the opportunity presented itself.

With precise coordination, Daisy navigated into the pit lane, her team springing into action as they swiftly swapped her worn tires for a fresh set of hard compounds.

As the cars followed the safety car around the circuit for a lap, Daisy emerged from the pits, rejoining the track with renewed determination. With the advantage of fresh rubber beneath her, she was poised to make the most of the upcoming restart and capitalize on her improved position in the race.

Once the safety car period came to an end, the race kicked back into full throttle action. As the safety car peeled off into the pit lane, the drivers prepared to unleash their machines once more upon the twisting circuit.

Daisy wasted no time in getting back up to speed. Seeking to gain that gap she had been building on the pack behind her before the safety car conditions. The restart saw a flurry of activity as drivers jostled for position, each vying to gain an advantage in the unfolding battle on track. Daisy held her own amidst the chaos, threading her way through the pack with precision and skill.

As the laps unfolded, she steadily gained ground, her sights set on closing the gap to the cars ahead. With each corner conquered and each straight navigated, Daisy pushed herself and her Porsche to the limit, determined to make the most of the remaining race distance. At the half way point, 25 laps in as Daisy had expected - Max had ended up in second place just behind his teammate. Leaving Alonso to call back into third and Russell was now in front of her.

Verstappen takes second after working his way up from 15th. Now there's only one more position he's aiming to take - race leader from his teammate. Perez takes the current fastest lap with a comfortable 5.6 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Further towards the back Albon is pitting and oh! Albon is retiring because of a break issue. That's two retirements now half way through the race, Stroll and Albon both out of this Grand Prix. Williams are down to just Sargeant now in his second ever race and he's currently P13 fighting Nico Hulkenberg for 12th.

With each turn of the wheel, Daisy pushed her car and herself to the limit, seeking to create a comfortable buffer between herself and the relentless pursuit of the seven-time world champion. Every apex, every braking zone, and every acceleration phase became a battleground as she fought to maintain her position.

Despite the pressure from behind, Daisy remained composed and resolute, refusing to yield an inch to her pursuer. Lap after lap, she executed her lines with precision, exploiting every opportunity to stretch her advantage and solidify her position in the midfield.

Remaining steadfast in her commitment to defend her position. Daisy felt the physical strain intensify as the laps ticked away, a reminder of her less than optimal condition heading into the race.

Nevertheless, Daisy refused to let her exhaustion dictate her performance. Drawing upon her reserves of mental fortitude, she continued to play a defensive game, fending off the advances of those behind her with calculated precision. Each corner was a test of endurance, each straight a battle of wills as Daisy fought to maintain her position in the midfield. Despite the physical toll exacted by her efforts, she pushed herself to the limit, determined to see the race through to its conclusion.

The final moments of the race were unfolding and Daisy found herself tantalisingly close to George Russell. But the realisation has dawned on her that she would likely not have the time to execute an overtake on him before he crossed the checkered flag.

As the checkered flag beckoned, Daisy poured every ounce of her remaining energy into one last push. With the roar of the engines and the cheers of the crowd echoing in her ears, she navigated the final corners with precision and determination.

Crossing the finish line in fifth place, Daisy's heart swelled with pride. Despite the challenges she faced throughout the race, she had persevered, proving once again her skill and tenacity on the track. Though just shy of the podium, Daisy's performance was nothing short of remarkable. With a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, she eased off the throttle, reflecting on a hard-fought battle and looking ahead to the next challenge that awaited her in Australia in just 2 weeks time.

It's Perez who takes the race win for Redbull here in Jeddah. Following him, his teammate Max Verstappen. It's been a Redbull 1-2 these first two races of the season but this is Perez's first time standing on that top step in this position. Third place and finishing off the podium Fernando Alonso joins them alongside George Russell and Daisy Shaw rounding out the top 5. After Shaw, it's Hamilton, both Ferraris - Sainz then Leclerc, Ricciardo and Gasly.

[gordon-freeman-phd]

My Half-Life OC's (will be updated occasionally)

Brock Fuentes: A headstrong but cowardly guard working at black mesa with a mean streak to compensate

Richard Montague: A mycologist working at black mesa who dorms with Gordon. he is anxious, reserved, and very lonely

Jill Pobst: A guard working at black mesa, she is overly stern and aggressive to better fit in with the largely male guard population

Isiah Poole: A janitor working at black mesa, he minds his business (somethign that saves his life when it comes to the borrowers living at black mesa) and is generally a chill guy with a fondness for pet rats

Knipex: a borrower living at black mesa, theyre an engineer and eventually become friends with Isiah after being helped by him

Timmy: A young boy born during the 7 hour war, hes adventurous but is learning caution as he grows up under the combine and has a pet cat named Bagels

Bagels: Seemingly a regular cat, bagels is suspisciously intelligent with reddish eyes that seem to glow under certain contexts and seems rather fond of fucking over the combine at any given opportunity

Angus: A scientist on a xen exploration team, he becomes very lonely after getting stranded in xen after the rescas and becomes reliant on the zombified corpse of his lover Ed

Ed: A zombified scientist who is taken care of by Angus, over time he becomes a gonome

Lazăr: A combine worker/construction strider handler, during the rebellion he takes his assigned strider and skedaddles 🏃‍♂️

Galvanizer: A rollermine that got shocked just enough to scramble its programming so that it doesnt target much of anyone, eventually becomes somewhat of a pet to a rebel aligned walhammer oc named 1020 of one of my friends, its name is it (made up) combine technical term which 1020 calls it

Fred Otten: a long suffering guard who just before the resonance cascade lost his temper with a plaintive scientist and shot him dead, as the resonancr cascade begins, he pairs up with the now murdered scientists timid friend (an oc of one of my friends) to escape the facility

Robert Briggs: a nurse working at black mesa, just a stand up guy who loves his wife and makes it a habit to befriend lonely folks, richard included

V-8751: an alien grunt who survived black mesa and after many years of wandering by itself now resides on a outlander farm caring for cattle and doing its best to make nice with the outlanders despite the social differences between their two species and its growing guilt and feelings of isolation

Fletcher Lamb: a outlander living on the same farm as V-8751, born in scotland with a background in cow hoofing but now spends most of her time sewing and repairing clothes given his difficulties standing due to a spimal injury during a portal storm following the rescas, but he uses his hoofing skills as an excuse to socialize with V-8751

Cicada: a vortigaunt also living at the same farm as V-8751 who due to a brain injury at the hands of a crowbar weilding maniac during the resonance cascade, often struggles with catatonia as it withdraws into the vortesence

Felix Kessler and Alexis: a pair of metrocops who perform above standard but are perpetually disliked and skipped over for promotions due to their obnoxiously toxic attitudes to others and eachother but refuse to be paired with anyone but eachother because everyone else is worse

Antoine-Valery Veilleux: A resistance allied outlander who travels been outposts with supplies and any communicaes that cant go over radio waves. He has an ever growing collection of chihuahuas who cruises at every settlement and outpost he goes to, taken woman or not

Damned Crows: a sapient crow living at white forest who enjoys fucking with the resident humans, in particular a man named Magnusson

Rafał Lewkowicz: A citizen in city 17. His job is keeping the advisors being held in the citadel healthy. He has a developed an obsession with the advisors after having been shown visions of worlds and knowledge far beyond the comprehension of humans and longs to understand them

The Tor: Once a community leader among other vorts under the nihilanths reign and forced to be a commander during the rescas, he now roams without access to the vortessence with ex-farmers due to a teleportation accident in a portal storm

[roosterm3at]

some combine au info!!!

Barney is a combine charger, he's been working in the combine for 20 years, hes alot more cautious and hardened than normal Barney, cuz hes seen the horrors of the combine up close. he doesnt remember anything before working for the combine, but sometimes gets flashes of memories from black mesa that scare and confuse him, and no matter how much treatment he does, he still gets these flashes. he was only recently transferred to city 17

alyx is a combine assassin, she was taken into the combine from eli at a very young age as part of a combine program to raise children into the combine as assassins or soldiers. she is very brainwashed and doesn't question the order of the combine, but still has her rebellious spunky personality, she doesnt get memory flashes like barney but somtimes finds herself drawing doodles or shit like the black mesa logo and doesnt know what it is or what it means -

gordon still was put into stasis but only for 10 years, after that he became a high-ranking resistance member but was in hiding for a long time because eli and Kleiner knew that breen would come for him once he came out of hiding.

-eli and Kliener both still run the resistance, but its alot smaller and they have to do alot more work, which is becoming increasingly hard in older age. eli is also alot more hardened because Alyx was taken from him at such a young age and he assumes he'll never see her again. they both work with Gordon to build portal tech and build up the resistance -

Mossman and Magnusson both work for the combine

-d0G Is a combine hunter instead of a robot, he still works for alyx -

breen send Alyx and barney to go hunt down gordon freeman when they figure out that hes still leading the resistance and its basically them chasing Gordon to white forest but then getting fucked up from repressed memories and trying to figure shit out

feel free to ask any questions about this au!!! ill probably continue to make refs and content for it since its very fun

[whumpdoyoumean]

Whumptober #19

xxx i’ll take one final step, all you have to do is make me

Napoleon is awakened by a bucket of cold water being poured over his head. He coughs and sputters and it takes him a moment to get his bearings. Getting beaten into the ground will do that to a man. He’s sitting on a cold cement floor against a post with his arms handcuffed behind him. Every part of him aches--head, ribs, shoulders--but his knee is the worst by far, a sharp and unrelenting throbbing. Illya is standing over him, and the man that had shot at him in the alley, Rostya Makarov. There are three other men as well that Napoleon recognizes from his research: Viktor Nikolaev, Yuriy Alekhin, and the Swede, Edvin Magnusson. 

“He’s conscious,” Alekhin remarks thoughtfully. “I thought perhaps he would not wake up.” He turns to Napoleon and smiles. “Who knows you are here, American?”

Napoleon smiles back. “Trakhni tebya,” he says in his very best Russian.

Alekhin raises an eyebrow and looks over at Illya. Illya nods once, then drives a fist into Napoleon’s already damaged ribs, driving the wind from his lungs. Napoleon presses his lips firmly together, using all of his effort to keep from crying out. Illya crouches in front of him. 

“You believe in living dangerously,” he says. “I can see that.”

Napoleon’s heart leaps in his chest. It’s a quote from Dr. No. A signal. And suddenly it all becomes very clear. 

What are you doing here? 

Dammit, Cowboy, stay down. 

Illya hadn’t just been trying to drive him away. He’d been trying to warn him. 

“Sitting around with wet hair, I’ll catch pneumonia,” Napoleon says. It’s James Bond’s next line, and Napoleon’s way of saying, I hear you. I understand. 

Illya’s face doesn’t move, but Napoleon could swear he sees a bit of the tension in the man’s shoulders ease, just barely. 

“Pneumonia will be the least of your worries, American,” Alekhin says. “You know, Kuryakin here spent many years with the KGB. You can make this much easier for yourself. Just tell me who knows you are here.”

Napoleon clenches his jaw, fixing Alekhin with a frosty stare. The man just shrugs. 

“Very well. Kuryakin?”

Illya stands, regards Napoleon for a moment. Then he says, “Do not let him sleep. We will ask again in few days.”

Napoleon suspects Illya is trying to protect him, saving him from beatings and other physical punishment at least for the time being. But between the army, CIA, and UNCLE, Napoleon has had hours of training in how to resist interrogation and torture. He’s heard horror stories about those subjected to severe sleep deprivation, men slowly losing their minds. 

He’s always thought he would prefer the beatings. 

xxx 

Two days pass without Napoleon seeing Illya again. The others take turns staying with Napoleon, one or two of them at a time. Napoleon silently observes each of them, storing away any bit of information that might be useful. It’s a welcome distraction from the pain. His shoulders burn from being kept in the same position for so long and his ribs ache fiercely with every breath he takes. His knee is in bad shape, too. He can feel the swelling. 

He doesn’t even notice the first time he falls asleep, about twenty hours in, is only aware of it when he’s awakened by a slap. He does his best to stay awake after that, as much out of spite as anything else, but it proves more difficult than he expected, and as time passes he finds himself nodding off more and more frequently. It’s only ever for a few seconds--there’s always a slap or a shout or a bucket of ice water to wake him again. 

The fatigue grows like a physical thing, an unrelenting heaviness in his body and mind. His thoughts begin to feel foggy and sluggish. He barely even notices at first when Illya appears. 

“Cowboy? Are you okay?” The Russian’s voice is taut with worry as he kneels down in front of Napoleon. 

“Illya. What the fuck is going on?” Napoleon isn’t sure he’s even said it aloud until Illya responds.

“You need to sleep.”

Napoleon frowns. “No. No, you need t’ tell me why you left.”

“I promise, I will explain everything. But we do not have much time. A few hours at best. You need to sleep.”

Napoleon tries to fight it, but the pull of sleep is too strong and everything goes black.

xxx 

It isn’t enough. Illya knows it’s not enough. He does whatever he can to get time with Napoleon alone so that the American can get in an hour or two of sleep, but even that is dangerous. If Illya is exposed, it’s over for both of them. He has to keep his cover intact until he can get Napoleon out of here.

He’d known it was a bad idea to keep Napoleon and Gaby in the dark. He’d told Waverly as much, but Waverly had insisted that in order for him to fully infiltrate the criminal outfit, his ties to UNCLE needed to appear to be fully severed. Illya should have argued, but he didn’t. 

And now Napoleon is paying the price. 

It’s been four days. The cuts and bruises on the American’s face stand out heavily against paper-white skin and there are dark circles under dulled, bloodshot eyes. There’s a vacancy in his expression, and he’s long since stopped making any sort of smart remark. This morning, Rostya had laughed while telling them about Napoleon speaking to someone that wasn’t there.

It had taken all of Illya’s strength not to kill all of them right then and there. 

The day had crawled on horribly slowly after that. Illya’s been lying awake in the dark these past few hours, waiting to be with Napoleon again, mulling over the pros and cons of various escape plans. 

“Illya.”

He turns over on his cot, pretending like he’s just woken up. He looks up at Rostya. “What time is it?”

“Two. It’s your shift.” 

Illya makes his way to the room where Napoleon is being held, dread building in his stomach. He can’t put his finger on it, but something had seemed strange in Rostya’s voice. The anxiety only grows as he reaches the door, and then he opens it and his heart plummets. 

Yuriy is crouched next to Napoleon, a knife in his hand. He looks up as Illya enters. 

“Yuriy,” Illya says slowly, struggling to keep his voice steady. “What is this?”

“Your tactic isn’t working,” Yuriy says. “I am tired of it.” He grabs a handful of Napoleon’s hair, yanking his head up and pressing the blade against Napoleon’s throat. “I say we kill him and get it over with.”

“Don’t!” Illya cries, launching himself forward. 

Yuriy moves fast, standing and turning, the knife held down by his side. By the time Illya sees his mistake, it’s too late for him to do anything about it. 

The knife goes into his side near his left hip. 

“I’m not as stupid as you think I am,” Yuriy says. 

Illya breathes heavily as the rage begins to build, so hot that he barely feels the pain of the knife being removed. 

“How long have you known?” he grinds out through gritted teeth. 

Yuriy smiles. “Since the minute you brought him here.”

Guilt mixes with the rage, now, as realization hits. All of Napoleon’s suffering has been for nothing. His breathing quickens as his hands begin to tremble. 

“I’m going to kill you.”

xxx to be continued…

[featheredcritter]

Not currently up to date on nick lore so this may have already been answered but which canon characters has he had interactions with thus far?

Uh he meets pretty much all the main characters eventually, but like for what i've written thus far he only met Kleiner, Eli and Magnusson, all which interactions went badly (both bc Nick's scared as fuck and bc Kleiner and Magnusson are shit at approaching a little guy, Eli really was the only one doing something helpful).

Gordon and Barney also go bad because the former attempts to kill him after they startled each others and the former because he got excited about Nick (with Barney being a conspiracy nuts i like to think he's read about the Little People Conspiracy) and he got too close and loud and ended up being bit on the nose.

They all get along eventually, although Magnusson still holds a bit of grudge and Barney still thinks Nick's a bit of an unpredictable weirdo.

Alyx's meeting goes well 👍 because at that point Nick is no longer terrified of humans. I think they'd be good buddies they're both engineers and they should build and repair shit together is my idea.

[skaruresonic]

lol get fucked.

this kind of NPC reaction to you interacting with the environment is honestly something I found lacking in Half Life 2.

Twenty years later and Magnusson's hams are still steamed. xP

I want a mod where you toss his casserole into the Anti-Mass Spectrometer and he goes full Doomguy on the Combine

---

Considering he’s assigned to “anomalous materials”, how much do you think Gordon was “in the know” about xen? They all mention “the sample” having arrived today as if he should know what the hell they’re talking about. But Freeman is only a class 3 personnel. I think a lot is left up to the imagination about what Gordon was aware of when it came to the research he was involved in. Personally I’m inclined to believe he was in the dark about the majority of it. “Need to know” and all that kind of thing.

Eh, he didn't need to hear all this anyway, he's a highly trained professional xP

Hate to keep bringing up the PS2 manual, but you are playing the PS2 version, so it's germane lol:

"After studying your substance evaluation report about samples returned from the GG expedition, the senior staff has decided to move forward with the program.

"We are particularly interested in sample GG-3883. Although your experiments have revealed unexpected spectral analysis fluctuations with GG-3883, you've identified it as the purest and largest sample we have.

"Therefore, the senior staff has decided that GG-3883 will replace EP-0021 in the simulation.

"Note that we must deviate from standard analysis procedures in order to have the sample ready in time. We understand this is a violation of normal anomalous materials handling protocol, so I have already authorized the enclosed materials requisition form. Please see to it that sample is ready to be delivered to Dr. Freeman on the day of the experiment. " - OTA: L.M." ---

According to the manual: - Gordon's security clearance level is 3 - Dr. Green and Dr. Cross's is 4 - Dr. Keller's (the scientist in the motorized wheelchair) is 5 -the average scientist's is 5 - and the average security guard's clearance is level 3. Hence we can infer that Gordon's security clearance being equal to that of a security guard means he probably wasn't in on it. When you consider that his sponsor is listed as classified, his ignorance was most likely jointly manufactured by the G-Man and Dr. Breen.

Also, Eli heavily implies that he knew about the experiment in Episode 2 when he admits that he should have aborted the test but didn't.

My guess would be that the G-Man "nudged" things in such a way that the team took home the shiniest rock they found, explaining the Nihilanth's accusation of thievery. They were originally going to use another sample when senior staff changed their minds and demanded the sudden switch to the Shiny Rock despite obvious violations of standard procedure.

---

Kind of a sparse locker. That fucking baby picture has befuddled people for decades lol. I always assumed it was his nephew or niece? I have pictures of my niece in my house. Course, after Half Life 2 retcons, people like to say it's Alyx nowadays. Personally I don't like retroactive continuity influencing my analysis of media - in the context of when this game released, Alyx hadn't been invented yet. So no it's obviously not her.

It's just an Easter Egg of a developer's baby, nothing worth any real canonical weight.

---

Course, after Half Life 2 retcons, people like to say it's Alyx nowadays. Personally I don't like retroactive continuity influencing my analysis of media - in the context of when this game released, Alyx hadn't been invented yet. So no it's obviously not her.

No. It's not Alyx.

It'd be weird to keep a picture of your coworker's baby in your locker, don't you think? Yet the "Freemance is pedophilia" crowd would have you believe Freeman does that because he's a creep, ig.

We see a baby picture of Alyx in HL2. That baby doesn't look anything like this baby. Not to mention Alyx pretty much puts the kibosh on all that when she says she's sure Gordon doesn't remember her.

There's other stuff in Gordon's locker - a bowling certificate, a thermos, two of Marc Laidlaw's books.

One of my friends read... The Orchid Eater, I think? - and she said it was weird, in that edgelord kind of way. Apparently a guy gets killed by having a crucifix shoved up his butt.

For some reason in the PS2 version you can't move around the tram while it's in transit. Probably because even in the original PC release the physics of it are pretty wonky. I imagine it was the easiest solution to playtesters crouch jump clipping their way out of the tram on accident while fucking around and getting weirded through a loading screen.

"Morning mister freeman. Looks like you're running late."

EXCUSE YOU, HE'S A FUCKING DOCTOR.

I really hate these HD models. Fucking gearbox.

Considering he's assigned to "anomalous materials", how much do you think Gordon was "in the know" about xen? They all mention "the sample" having arrived today as if he should know what the hell they're talking about. But Freeman is only a class 3 personnel. I think a lot is left up to the imagination about what Gordon was aware of when it came to the research he was involved in. Personally I'm inclined to believe he was in the dark about the majority of it. "Need to know" and all that kind of thing.

Everyone's pissy about Freeman running late but they're blue screened so it's not like him arriving on time would have mattered lol.

lol get fucked.

this kind of NPC reaction to you interacting with the environment is honestly something I found lacking in Half Life 2.

E = Mc2 huh? Also I always find old periodic tables like this so quaint now. Funny story, the guy who invented the periodic table actually predicted with reasonable accuracy all the new elements that would be discovered beyond what he originally catalogued. Dude was smart.

Follow the blue line. Freeman is a THEORETICAL physicists. He does theory, not practice.

🤔

lol

Kind of a sparse locker. That fucking baby picture has befuddled people for decades lol. I always assumed it was his nephew or niece? I have pictures of my niece in my house. Course, after Half Life 2 retcons, people like to say it's Alyx nowadays. Personally I don't like retroactive continuity influencing my analysis of media - in the context of when this game released, Alyx hadn't been invented yet. So no it's obviously not her.

The other two hazard suits are worn by the protagonists of Decay =)

[cheshiba]

is your oc easily bothered by things? // what is something really dumb that irritates your oc a lot? // which one of the 7 deadly sins fit your oc more? do they see it as a flaw?

1) Answered in another ask!

2) When someone changes the height on his swivel chair, it’s technically not his since other people work in that lab but he claimed it and anytime someone changes the height on it he knows. Magnusson is the most common offender, they have a bit of a back and forth of annoying eachother and shit like that is why Gordon exploded his casserole.

3) Oof good question, pre infection maybe pride? He was very sure of his academical achievements and part of why he didn’t get on well with other scientists is them looking down on him. He didn’t view it as a flaw since he had every right to be proud of his work, even if it led him to drastically overwork himself.

Post infection I think wrath, he’s got a lot of anger and resentment towards the science team and black mesa for what happened to him. He knows this is a flaw and tries not to let his resentments get the better of him. Most of the people he works with couldn’t do anything about what happened anyway.

Post rescas/xen it’s sloth, not in the traditional sense of being lazy but in the sense that he just, doesn’t care. He’s numb to the suffering of those around him, disjointed, like he’s playing a video game and the people suffering around him are at best just NPCs and at worst food/fodder for himself and the hive. Gordon knows that’s kinda fucked up but he spent long enough on Xen to go kinda feral, and his human family either encourage or ignore it so there’s nothing stopping him.

[boasamishipper]

all the EVEN numbers for the writing ask! Aha!

2. Anything that you’d like to write but feel like you’re unable to?

i'd love to be able to write smut, but i'm not very good at it - it always feels like pulling teeth. i'd also love to sit down and finish my robisanya time loop fic, but it is Very Complicated and i have to be in a very specific once in a blue moon mindframe before adding onto it.

4. Do you have any OCs? Do you have a story for them?

i sure do! my ocs for my forever in progress original novel are chloe bolden and devi chakrabarti, two foster sisters who audition for a role in their favorite television show, elementary endangerment - only to find out that the show is Very Much Real and Very Much Dangerous. my latest fanfic ocs are as follows:

The West Hambos (Luka Visnjic, Natan Roubeni, Gunnar Magnusson, Rob McClare, Billy Schofield, Will Taylor, Mario Bonucci) - In The Light You Will Find The Road series (Ted Lasso, Nate-centric)

Grace Obisanya Adeyemi, Ben Adeyemi, Richmond 'Richie' Adeyemi, Julia Rojas, Javi Rojas, Gabi Rojas, Jandro Rojas, Olivia Alexander, Nina Reynolds-Cabrera, John Oluransi, Luisa Ortega - You've Got Bantr series (Ted Lasso, Sam/Dani-centric)

Jess, Bill and Taylor Kazansky - Ice's family who were co-invented by @academicgangster and appear / are mentioned in many of my top gun fanfics

Kelly Serrano, Laura Evans, and David Bennett - Billy Tyson's ex-wives and ex-boyfriend who are mentioned in my and @lilalbatross's Austin Alone series (9-1-1 Lone Star, Billy/Owen-centric)

6. What’s your ratio for rating your works?

idk how that works but out of the 71 stories i have on ao3, the majority are either Teen And Up Audiences or General Audiences.

8. How slow is a slow burn?

my slow burns can be Pretty Damn Slow, as my mutuals can no doubt attest. from a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being 'they fuck/kiss/get together right away' and 10 being 'they don't even learn each other's names until 200k in', i'm probably around a 4, maybe a 5?

10. Top three favourite fic tropes.

time loops, 'there was only one bed' + all offshoots, and A Metric Fuckload of Mutual Pining.

12. If you write in more than one language, what’s the difference?

i only write in english, so n/a,

14. Write and share the first sentence of a new fic. Just that.

Dani is going to propose. He swears.

16. Are one-shots really underrated?

i mean, i've never heard anyone say so, but there's definitely something nice about keeping a story short and to the point.

18. First, second, or third person?

third person. sometimes second person - i don't mind reading it but i don't like writing it - and No Thank You to first person.

20. Do you work on a single project or many at the same time? How does that work for you?

i don't know how to write if i'm not working on at least three projects at once lmao. it's kind of nice actually because if i hit writer's block on one project and am feeling shitty about myself / my writing, i can just hop onto a new project and vibe there for a while. instant serotonin. also instant stress because more often than not, i'll be midway through one project, get the idea for another, shift gears to solely that project for a few months, then get an idea for another.... You See Where This Is Going. rip to all my abandoned wips. on hiatus but never forgotten.

22. What is it about watching the same two idiots falling in love over and over again?

That's The Good Kush. the writing/reading/watching equivalent of comfort food and comfy sweatpants.

24. Thoughts on flashbacks/flashforwards.

@toseehowthestoryends's fic Freeze On The Stones is the be-all and end-all when it comes to masterfully employing flashbacks in fic, imho. i've employed flashbacks from time to time in my works, but very sparingly - i prefer to work within the present.

26. What would you describe as OOC?

....i guess anything a character does that is out of the ordinary?? it really depends on who i'm writing. iceman kazansky will do and say things that sam obisanya never would.

28. Any writing advice that works for you and you feel like sharing?

outline outline outline!! cannot tell you how much easier my writing has gone for me since i started working with outlines. outlines don't really make me stick to projects any better - that's on my ADD - but they do make the actual writing process much smoother.

30. Describe a fic that almost happened, but then it didn’t.

god, so many. most recent one that comes to mind is a benji/ilsa fic i was considering writing for Some Time, but it never got off the ground for me. (magic conch voice) Maybe Someday.

32. Do you have a word/expression that you always use in your writing?

Literally So Many. i always throw around the same metaphors and expressions, and my fics almost always have Terrible Puns Within and song lyrics for titles. i still crack up thinking about the time i thought i was So Clever writing @academicgangster a fic for an exchange without telling her, and she figured out i was the anon author literally from the very first line because of a pun i wrote. i am nothing if not predictable lmao.

34. Do you write to improve? Or is that not a concern for you?

i write because i like to. improvement happens along the way. like, my writing today is much better than my writing in 2019, but i wasn't out there writing - say - my top gun / mcu crossover fix it fic because i thought it'd make me a better writer or anything; i just liked the idea and went for it.

36. How do you come up with fic titles? What’s the one you’re most proud of?

9 times out of 10, my fic titles are song lyrics, lines from poems, or Very Bad Puns. my most favorite fic title i ever came up with is You Had Me At Aloe, for my top gun 2 specfic where fritz accidentally tells ice he looks like a succulent (and other things occur as well).

38. “This never happened” fix-it fics or “this happened but” fix-it fics?

Why Not Both (but not at the same time).

40. Write a 9-word fic.

"Maybe someday we'll meet again, and things'll be different."

[hazardsuit]

the concept of gordon freeman being the Main one to end up helping black mesa AND killing an alien god is so fucking funny.

just on the DAY of the cascade here r things we learn abt gordon: 27 years old (probably youngest scientist guessing on the other’s appearances and shit), Late for Work, quiet/mute, fucked up magnusson’s lunch. and then half life 2 talks about how he used to climb through vents as a competition to get kleiners keys....

i’m just saying he PROBABLY wasn’t well liked by the scientists. so the thought of the resonance cascade happening and all the living scientists scattered around the facility noticing Gordon Freeman, Dumb MIT boy, being the same one that’s killing the us military AND aliens and basically attempting to save everybody is SO funny. went from disliked dumb science boy to god killer and face of the revolution.... in love

[kraviolis]

how FUCKED up would it be if instead of immediately getting back together after everything, gordon and barney actually had a falling out because barney is insistent that gordon shouldn’t want him, and that he thought gordon and alyx were a thing.

gordon is insistent that he does want barney and even already turned alyx down, but then barney gets pissed and tells him that alyx is the smartest, kindest, strongest person he knows and she thinks the world of gordon and he cant believe he would turn down a relationship with her like that for someone like barney and it just... escalates from there.

(barney doesn’t ever say he doesn’t want gordon, too. he never denies it, never flat out rejects him. he’s just so confused. he’s gordon fucking freeman, he could have anyone he wanted, so why would he choose barney?)

the entire white forest base is miserable bcus of how bad the tension between them is and eventually come up with a plan to get them to just fucking talk to each other. like an actual plan, they use the Important meeting room and use the holographs to set it up and set up seven back up plans but they all don’t know how gordon that well yet/anymore so they cant account for the variable of his behavior, and so every plan keeps failing.

eventually it escalates into the most elaborate, well thought out, most strategic plans because there’s no more combine to fight and the generals + strategists are getting bored, so they funnel everything into Operation Lovebirds.

alyx is still feeling the sting of getting rejected (he let her down easy, but still) by someone she adores but is still a crucial part in helping out because she knows how much gordon means to barney and obv how much barney means to gordon. theyre both her best friends and she hates seeing them so torn up about each other.

kleiner and eli join in too, mostly as the ones who can most accurately gauge how the Gordon Variable will react. russell shows up to white forest half way thru and is immediately a huge help because of how his brain works but does need eli and alyx as translators because he sometimes just doesnt make sense to anyone else. magnusson thinks its a waste of time but ends up getting roped in because he gets guilt tripped by russell. mossman tries to help (shes been very insistent in being as helpful as she can ever since That Happened) but, bless her heart, her ideas are always terrible.

it ends up being barney and gordon doing the work themselves, trying to figure out why everyone is acting so shady and secretive around them and forming a ““temporary”“ truce in order to sniff it out. they stake out the meeting room by just sitting in the vents together for hours, waiting for people to show up, and in doing so, they end up just... talking it out.

the next morning someone runs into the meeting room just as theyre getting started for the day and tells them all that they saw barney and gordon curled up together next to one of the heaters in common room B and EVERYONE piles out to watch them and are going around the group like “who did this??? this wasnt part of the PLAN, was it you jerry?? did you go against the plan???” and the arguing gets so loud that gordon opens a single eye to death glare them out of the room because barney is starting to wake up a little from the racket.

alyx smiles at him as she ushers everyone out, winking and giving a thumbs up, making gordon blush and curl up closer to barney.

[doctorizzykleiner]

Uriah gets like. a minute of appearance in the game so I'm gonna post my headcanons of what his personality is cause uh I gotta make original content sometimes!;

Uriah is nowhere near Magnusson's levels of asshole, but if you spend enough time with him you see exactly why they get along. Through all the fancy vortigaunt mystic he lets off, he's a smug little bastard, knowing full well that 1. he's really fucking smart and 2. he is Immuned to Magnusson so much as raising his voice at him and he uses that to his full advantage.

He also has the patience of a saint. It takes a LOT to get him to lose his cool and when he does it's quiet. It's a 'gently but sternly pushes you out of the room before he snaps' kind of quiet. He has a tendency to overwork himself because he just forgets that he also needs to eat and sleep(?) (Do vortigaunts sleep I genuinely don't know I have to look it up but I don't? See why they wouldn't?)

He is not immuned to getting very very excited about his work. He will more than gladly infodump on you about whatever he's doing and genuinely loves to hear about other scientists' research. He is very passionate and shows it a lot.

[firespirited]

Today’s watch was Ingrid Goes West to compare and contrast with Mainstream 2020 as it comes up as the superior film in reviews.

It didn’t land as well with me, i’m guessing it’s partly because I don’t find Aubrey Plaza inherently adorkable or whatever, her roles have to earn it (yes, in Legion she totally earned it!) I feel other roles have been rehashing her Parks and Recs character except now she gets to say fuck. Another thing is, I don’t like instagram, maybe my feeds have been broken but I feel pushed into consuming stuff or experiences anytime I venture into the explore page and the app made it difficult to connect with other thrift and recycle folks. I made an effort to deliberately seek out 1/ the dollblr folks and 2/ people with the same janky, still learning, level of skills but the algorithm keeps pushing professionals and high earning collectors and when it comes to body image and lifestyle it’s like normies just don’t exist.

Either way it’s hard to connect with a film where everyone is deeply unpleasant with like no character depth except ice cube’s son’s character who gets treated like an idiot, centered around an app i havn’t had any meaningful connections on, with a story about a lifestyle that is entirely unrelatable. It’s also presented as easy for Olsen’s character like she’s curating this lifestyle on her own. I feel like part of the unraveling should have been realising the amount of work, calculation and even artifice involved in making a life appear spontaneously perfect.

I get what it was trying to be about and how easy it is to get swept up in the aura of someone who seems really nice or really enviable. The way everyone’s faking it just on different levels and scammers recognize scammers. Billy Magnusson magnetic and intense as always. Olsen really convincing as the girl who gets it all with a smile but i kept waiting for some extra dimension, the actress was hinting at more but the script doesn’t really deliver.

It’s been 4 years since the release and we’ve delved real deep into parasociality since so it’s not really fair to judge it by the dozens of hours worth of video essays and articles going further when this would have been fresh in 2017. The ending is wierdly trivial about mental illness and a lack of consequences: this is the internet after all: milkshake duck gets revealed as racist within the week. 5/10 beautiful scenery, well paced, white knuckle cringe moments. harsh point removal for not treating mental illness with the seriousness it deserves.

[femur-bandit]

why Kleiner for the ask game of course :)

Headcanon A: realistic

He likes making up fucked up scenarios to think about or figure out because it's fun and interesting and he's a scientist, but whenever he talks about it out loud it weirds people out who aren't close with him, that this polite old man is thinking about horrible things for entertainment.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

See the ask I answered with Magnusson, they had sex before the rescas and they are exes now <3

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

It seems somewhat canon that he has known Gordon for a while, having been his teacher and coworker, so having Gordon disappear after helping people and causing a rampage during the rescas was absolutely heartbreaking for him. He was so relieved and happy to see him again in HL2, and was so sad at the same time that Gordon had to run around and fight, again, not getting any moments to sit and talk with him, that Gordon couldn't even stop his rampage after being gone for twenty years.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

He gets Lamarr out of the rocket before it gets launched. I refuse to believe he loses her.

[roosterm3at]

kinda late but, do you have any headcanons of eli?

Eli hc!

bisexual king! only really realized it when his relationship with izzy deepened during the 7-hour war

gardens for sure

grampa energy, likes silly little trinkets, has little ceramic birds and doodads and silly tea sets he saved through the years

really fucking good at boardgames

him and alyx are best friends man they care about each other sooo much, he's her dad and her best friend

lost leg during the 7hour war, in an explosion from a strider

he likes animals, he actually enjoys lamarr and for sure like to bird watch

he for sure has a pigeon loft

Eli uses a cane let him use a cane (alyx used to put stickers on it when she was little)

eli is for sure protective over alyx, not because he doesn't think shes is capable but because he wants the absolute best for her

he isnt too fond of barney. i feel him and barney would have of a back and forth when barney first joined the resistance. barney who i personally hc with a bit of anger problems and who gets anxious in tough situations, asks eli for more of a leadership position in the resistance and eli just denies him over and over. i feel eli would see barney as a bit immature, and it would a while for eli to even consider giving barney any sort of position of authority.

eli and mangnusson play chest together

eli would break up fights between izzy and Magnusson

eli is sorta a peace keeper to me