#hell on sniper technique

[hungersauce]

God that meme about tf2 players getting a very special brainrot where just seeing the mercs makes us laugh is so real huh.

[all-purpose-dish-soap]

31 / 1.7k / soap soulmate au, part 8

...

Peering down into the building from the adjacent rooftop, Soap sees you--his soulmate--through his sniper's scope. You. Here. On the wrong goddamn team again.

He mutters a curse into his radio.

You’re standing guard at your client’s back—a man who coasts under the radar as far as his criminal reputation is concerned, but a smuggler effective and dangerous enough to put him on the CIA’s hitlist. He’s hidden from view. Probably been told to stay away from windows for the night. You're obviously working security, outfitted to the nines as you would be on any job, rifle in hands, scanning the foyer for threats. You're unaware of 141’s snipers setting up on the rooftops outside.

Soap’s eyes darken. He doesn’t deal with internal conflict when he’s working. When things get complicated, he uncomplicates them. Right now, there are three thoughts in his head: 

One--he misses you.

Two--you blew him off to work for this scum.

And three--he needs to get his feet on the ground right now. You'll be lucky if all you get is an earful once he gets his hands on you.

He switches on his radio. "Got eyes on the target. LT, you in position yet?"

"Affirmative. In position," Ghost says, his voice gravelly and cold over the radio from his position on a neighboring rooftop. "Waiting on the signal."

Soap stares you down through his scope. His leather gloves creak and tighten around the handle of his rifle. It pisses him off how easy it would be to take the shot. If he were anyone else, you would be dead in moments. 

On the other hand, he could kill your client--your protectee--here and now. To hell with the mission parameters. It would be easy.

He sighs, flipping on his radio again. "Permission to infiltrate, Captain? Spotted a friendly inside."

Gaz's voice crackles over the radio instead. "Friendly this time, is she?" His tone makes it clear he’s spotted you too.

"Don't be jealous, Garrick."

"Positively green with envy, mate," Gaz replies, dry and sarcastic. "Too bad she’s not friendlier. Be helpful if you could actually get her to talk this time. Not to mention the other stunt you pulled."

Soap smirks and adjusts his scope to keep you in his sights. "Don't know what you're talkin' about."

Gaz scoffs. "Plausible deniability is for paperwork."

"Aye. Maybe I’ll mention in my next report who tipped me off about her bein' our hostage, too."

There's a beat of static. "Got nothing to say about that."

Then Laswell's voice cuts in. "Kyle has a point. The building is locked down tight and it’s gonna be hard to get a clean shot. If she's with our target's security detail, that’s our ticket inside."

"And if she's not willing to help us out?" Price asks.

"Depends on how persuasive Soap is willing to be."

"I might've picked up a technique or two last time,” Soap says.

The radio crackles as Price takes in a deep breath and sighs it out through his nose. Somehow, he makes it sound stern.

"Intel is intel," Ghost says.

“Failing that, bribery’s always a solid bet for a merc,” Gaz adds. “If they don’t shoot you on sight.”

"Right, then," Price says. "Soap, regroup with Ghost. Prepare to infiltrate. Gaz and I will take overwatch. Ghost, keep on comms. We'll find you the main breaker switch. Soap, I need you to keep things quiet, you hear me? Mission objective is priority. Do not, under any circumstances, be seen."

Soap's blood is already pumping hot. He’s never loved overwatch. He’d rather be close to the action--get his feet on the ground. Get his hands on you. "Copy, Captain. Ghost, I'm aimin' for the north corner. Meet me in five."

…

You mill about at your post, feeling twitchy and unsatisfied. This job is, on first glance, the same as any. Your PMC hired you and a few other mercs out to act as bodyguards for a man with more money than morals, if the size and clientele of this gathering is anything to go by. 

You shift your weight, scanning the overdressed crowd for threats. You wouldn’t hate it if this party were cancelled early.

"Stand up straight," your teammate snaps. "You're working. Act like it."

You scowl, but say nothing.

"Don't make that face at me," he says, bite in his tone. Horangi. Like he’s so patient. He's on just as short a leash as you, and it's pissing him off just as much. The difference is he has the seniority to take it out on you. 

"I don't know how you do this without feeling like a caged animal," you mutter.

His eyes follow a woman in a tight red dress as she passes by. Obviously, he knows what he'd rather be doing.

"A cage with a paycheck," he replies. "Some things you learn to tolerate."

You scan the room again. Your protectee is still here. That's good. You're hoping he takes his sweet time before he goes downstairs to start the so-called afterparty. 

You glance at Horangi again. "You know where the cargo is? Downstairs?"

"Last I heard. I got the east wing of this floor," he says. If the idea of that cargo is bothering him, he hides it well. He’s a good merc and he does what he’s told, like it or not.

You were a good merc, too, up until three weeks ago. Worrying about what rich idiots get up to isn't what you should be doing. You're supposed to keep the client happy. It's not your fault he can’t party without doing illegal shit.

You heave a sigh. "I'm going to check on it."

Horangi’s eyes narrow, flicking to you. "No, you’re not. Stay put."

"Fine. I'm going to the bathroom, then."

"Fine," Horangi snaps. "Go to the bathroom, and make sure you come right back. And don’t talk to anybody."

You walk away, rifle in hand, making your way into the back hall. You pass into the dim sconce light and swear you see something through the enormous glass windows as you walk by them. But there’s nothing there.

The lights flicker once. A beat. Just long enough for you to notice before they even out again. 

You pause at a flicker of movement near the side door up ahead. You have a split second to wonder why there’d be nobody securing the side door before the lights go out.

When you turn and head back for the foyer, you stop short. Down the hall, where you just came from, looms a familiar shape. The white skull on his mask pops out of the shadows. 

You don't make it back to the foyer.

Before you have a chance to react, your body armor is yanked hard from the back. You're pulled backward into an adjacent room and shoved hard against the wall. You expect the bite of steel against your neck or your temple, but it never comes. 

“Quiet, now."

You register Soap's familiar accent before your eyes adjust to the dark. "Johnny?"

"That’s right," he says. He's still got that way of speaking that's almost a purr when he's being quiet.

It suddenly feels like a long time since you’ve felt the heat of his body, pinned tight between him and the wall the way you are. He’s coiled tight, all lithe muscle and restrained strength. His eyes glitter with that wild, predatory look. It’s decidedly dangerous and tantalizing.

"I missed you, darlin'. You're gonna make this simple, aye? I know you can," he says.

You swallow the immediate urge to comply. Holy hell, you forgot what that feels like. "You need to stop greeting me like this," you hiss.

"I'd love nothin' more than to greet you in a different way, but you've got to start makin'  smarter decisions first." He leans all the way in and presses his nose into the crook between your neck and shoulder, nuzzling you in his full tactical gear. 

You muffle a sigh. He makes a quiet, content sound. 

"Besides, I kinda like this way of greetin’ ya. You make this little noise."

The radio on his neck echoes to life. You hear a tinny voice come through, saying something about an objective.

His eyes shut tight as he listens, one hand pressed firmly against the wall beside you. He doesn't back away yet. He's been dreaming of this for too long--laying his head on you and letting the sound of your heartbeat drown out everything else. It just can't fucking happen yet.

You feel, rather than hear, his low, annoyed grumble as he replies. "No, I copy. Just keep your bloody heads on."

You concentrate, trying to make out the voices of his teammates. It sounds like Ghost's voice.

Soap groans, his fingers flexing and gloves squeaking against the wallpaper. “I’ll be there in a minute, LT.”

You shift slightly. "Why are you here?"

A muscle twitches in Soap's jaw, and he pulls back so he can look you in the eye. "Should be askin' you the same thing. You’re on guard detail for a bloody criminal."

"It's a complicated situation."

"Then uncomplicate it."

You open your mouth to reply, but Soap's radio crackles back to life. This time, you can make out the words.

"Target located." Ghost's voice.

"Attaboy." Price. "Get him isolated. Third floor, east windows."

“Won’t be that easy,” Ghost replies. “He’s surrounded by civilians. Security’s thick.”

You tense even as Soap begins to relax. You fist your hand in the collar of his tactical vest, trying not to sound frantic. "Do not kill him. Johnny, listen to me."

Soap's expression turns grim, and he looks down at your fingers. Then he reaches up to cover your hand with his. "I know he's your client, but there's a reason we're here. He smuggles weapons. Big weapons, and not to anyone friendly. Just take it easy and let us clean up."

"No, listen," you snap, pulling him a millimeter closer. "He has the cargo here. It's not weapons. It's people."

...

part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / [part 8] / part 9 / part 10 / part 11 / part 12

more Soap / masterlist tag

[autisticgingerblonde]

If Fallout 4 companions had TikTok accounts

Cait would have an account dedicated to fighting and thirst traps (aimed at women mostly). Teaches women self-defense techniques. She earns a spot in the algorithm of muscle mommies. She also raises awareness for addicts and former addicts, educating on the effects of drugs and the reasons people seek them out in the first place. Honestly, it's a very good account to follow.

Codsworth is just confused about TikTok. He's like "oh so what are the children saying these days? Aura? I'll have to add a new word to my vocabulary banks! Cheerio, mum!"

Curie makes educational videos for all ages and all subjects. She has a series of learning Japanese, a series of vaccines and the science behind them, a series about the effects of different types of parenting, you name it. She also takes suggestions from her audience on what new things to research.

Danse has unintentional thirst traps. He talks about power armor and the Brotherhood of Steel but also posts workouts. These are what get the most attention out of everything he posts. The BookTok girlies find him and all hell breaks loose in the comment sections. He responds to this with, "Thank you, civilians. I am not sure what you mean, but I am glad you are supporting the Brotherhood of Steel by being on my page. Thank you for your enthusiasm for our righteous cause. Ad victorium." People armchair diagnose him as autistic.

Deacon does "GRWM as i tell you about the time i ______" videos where each day he looks completely different and you can never tell if he's telling the truth or not. He also does head shaving videos that double as story times or opinion pieces. You can't tell if those are true or not either.

Dogmeat has a viral account followed by millions. Get's a lot of "I can't imagine liking this guy" comments with the op replying to their own comment with "anymore than I already do. Huge fan!"

Hancock does subtle cheeky thirst traps and dance challenges. This entire post was inspired by the FACT that Hancock would participate in the brat summer trend and would do the Apple dance with Fahrenheit filming it. He also tells stories, mostly of him being high. He gets a lot of requests to cosplay Deadpool.

MacCready has a lot of things he does. Some videos are sniper trick shots, some are Grognak the Barbarian yapping (he does short lore deep dives when he can), and some are about being a young single dad. He doesn't show Duncan's face because he's extremely protective. Casually drops the most insane lore about his childhood which leads to comments like "are we just ignoring that he said he grew up in a cave?"

Nick Valentine would be a very popular fashion and "a day in the life of a detective". He'd do vintage fashion looks, like loose slacks and suspenders with a trench coat to top it off. Sometimes does a deep dive into detective history. Gets a lot of thirsty comments to which he replies "that's one way to get the coolant pumping."

Old Longfellow has the appeal of the New England, stormy weather, sweater-wearing fisherman aesthetic, and he tells stories of his youth while showing people around the area he grew up. Learns mobile phone cinematography to make it look cooler. Every video has either a lesson or a skill for survival.

Piper's account is solely focused on news and truth, posting every source she uses. She uses the trend of an insane video, like someone falling badly on the ground or getting splashed with water, and stitches it to look like a seamless transition of her rolling from the fall or being splashed to start talking about her news stories. It gets traction so she continues.

Porter Gage has a side gig of running TikTok accounts for different people. Gets the money, doesn't get the backlash when they get canceled for racism or worker exploitation.

Preston has an account dedicated to charity work and social activism. He makes sure to highlight organizations he feels are doing the world a service and regularly has fundraisers. He's well-known for always sharing content from people in dire situations and raising money for them. Has a master document of Go Fund Me pages and vets every one of them.

Strong has a lot of those unintentional boomer tiktoks that are 1 second long and he's just looking at the screen in confusion.

X6 cyber bullies the rest of them because he thinks having a TikTok is cringe and stupid (he is currently writing hate comments with his TikTok account)

[daisygirlwrites]

Rookie Mistake

Summary: Alternative title, How You Got Your Call Sign

Warnings: Descriptions of violence, minor character death

Pairing(s): Task Force 141 x fem!Reader (Platonic)

Note: No use of (Y/N). Only description of the reader is that she’s short

a/n: hey there! first and foremost, big thanks to @einno-arko​ for editing it! please check out her page! it has been a long time since i’ve written a fanfic so do forgive me for how rough this is. it is also 3 in the morning as im typing, woops. also, would love to hear feedback so i can make improvements in future works. thank y’all!

Being short has its advantages at times. For your job as a sniper, you could be placed anywhere without being seen. During your basic and special forces training, where most people are at least a head taller than you, you were taught techniques for someone only your size can pull off. 

The man in front of you is probably the tallest person you’ve seen on the field. At least two feet taller than you and all muscle. ‘Tank’, his teammates call him. Truly matches the description.  You try not to think about how one of his hands can wrap around your neck and squeeze the life out of you.

Instead, you pull out your knife and charge towards him. He runs towards you, arms up and ready to take a swing. Expecting a punch, you lean your upper body forward, keeping your head low. On your last step, you push upwards with your foot. Tank misses you, his stance uneven and his legs still wide open.

For a millisecond, you thought about slicing the area between his thighs, making things easier for you in the long run. Instead, you stick with the training that’s been engraved into your head. Diving in the open space between his legs, you run your knife through his inner thigh, hoping it’s deep enough to at least damage the femoral artery.

Tank lets out a scream and staggers forward as you slide down on the floor. With his back to you, you push your body up and sprint towards him. The ideal situation is for you to get to him and pull his head back enough to slice his throat. But life isn’t always ideal.

To your shock, he quickly gets up onto his feet and turns around, facing you. As if his strength doubled, he knocks the knife out of your hand and, for a split second, your eyes follow the knife as it flies across the room. That was all Tank needed, grabbing both of your arms and lifting you up. Yeah, you should have just sliced his dick.

It was at this time that the rest of the team entered the room. The sight was almost comical; you being held up, legs dangling like a rag doll. Tank casts a quick glance from the corner of his eye. All four men with their rifles up, pointing towards the two of you, but it was the one with a skull mask that made his body break out into a cold sweat. Four against one are really bad odds, especially with an injured leg.

Tank still has you held out, practically using you as a human shield for the upper half of his body. But with your insistent wiggling and attempts at kicking him, it becomes more difficult for him to keep a grip on you.

He knows that he probably won’t leave this room alive, and he’d rather die than to surrender. Tank goes through his options, looking at the small soldier in his hands. ‘Should have grabbed them by the neck.’ As soon as he makes a move, the men in front of him will too.

“Just drop them mate!” A heavy Scottish accent is heard throughout the room.

Tank stays silent, eyes darting around the room, trying to find the means of escape. His train of thought became illogical. As he looks around his environment, he tries to avoid meeting the eyes of the man with the skull mask. ‘Ghost’ is his name. His dark eyes never leave Tank’s.

If he’s going to Hell, he won’t be going alone. Spotting the window to his right, his body moved before his brain could process what was happening. Tank twists his upper body and, with the last of his strength, he hurls you through the glass

During your time with the team, which was about six months when you first joined, you’ve kept quiet. Never raising your voice and only talking when you’re addressed. So, when they hear you yelp and let out a high-pitched scream as they watch your body crash through the window, they would have laughed if the circumstances were different.

As soon as your body stopped shielding him, Ghost took the shot. He watched as the large man slammed down to his knees, blood running down his face from the bullet hole on his head, before finally falling forward.

Getting thrown out the window sounds fun, besides landing on the glass and the very high chance of death. Any other person would have a couple of broken bones, but it seems like you had lady luck on your side today. For one, the warehouse is only one story high, and you’re all padded up. Without your gear and helmet, there would have been more puncture points from the shards. But the impact from hitting the ground doesn’t leave you unscathed. Something is probably broken, sprained, if not bruised. You don’t feel it now but it’s going to suck ass later. Laying on your side, you look around, trying to not move your body in the process. There are probably hundreds, maybe even thousands, of glass shards surrounding you.

“ROOKIE!” Soap comes running towards you.

You open your mouth, wanting to tell him to be careful but Ghost’s rough voice cuts you off. “Dammnit Johnny, watch out for the fuckin’ glass!”

Soap slows his movements, making calculated hops to avoid the sharp shards. “Heya lassie, how ya feeling?”

Not having the energy for a filter, you responded. “Felt like I got thrown out a window. Fuckin’ hell, Soap, what do you think?!”

Seeing his eyes widen, you immediately regret the words that came out of your mouth. “Holy shit, Soap. I am so sorry.”

He lets out a hearty laugh as he stops before you. He gives you a look over, trying to find any visibly large shards of glass embedded in your body. Seeing as there isn’t any visible, Soap sticks his hand out. Surprised to find how badly your arm is shaking, he gently grabs your forearm and pulls you up.

“You really are Ghost’s mini-me,” he chuckles.

“Huh?”

“Already picking up his humor and stealing his catchphrase.”

“Oh!” You look down, thanking your balaclava for hiding your flushed face.

With his arm under yours, you lean on him, slowly limping your way towards the rest of the team. Price took another look at you, spotting at least a dozen little glass shards that punctured your jacket and pants. “Best to have the med team take them out of you. The heli will be here in five.”

You can feel Ghost’s eyes burning holes into your head. You realize that during your next training sessions, he’s going to roast the ever living fuck out of you about what happened today. Dread begins to sink in.

—

 With your left arm bare and the interior of the heli cold, you try to minimize your shivering so that the medic can properly do their job. You guessed that the guys would at least wait until you get back to base before they made jokes, but you were very wrong.

“Rookie, you literally got yeeted out the window.” Gaz was the first to break the silence.

“Yes, Gaz, I know.”

“We should have a contest to see how far each of us can throw her.” Soap barked out, joining in on the teasing.

“I would prefer not, Soap.”

And it went on for a little while longer, and you, again, were thankful for having your balaclava on so they wouldn’t see that you’re dying on the inside.

“Probably gonna stop calling you Rookie now.” Much to everyone’s surprise, they turn to Ghost.

You tilt your head, confused, before he continues. He stares at you, the heli quiet besides the hum of the wings. A beat later he speaks up again, “I think I’ll call you Crash.”

You follow with an immediate, “Oh hell no.”

At this point, Soap and Gaz are giggling like schoolgirls. Price turns away, lips pulled tight but his shoulders shaking up and down in muffled laughter. Ghost’s eyes narrow, but you can tell he has a smug grin under his mask.

“Crash it is then!”

“Don’t encourage him, Soap!”

“Sorry lassie, it’s law now, we outrank you.” He smiles at you.

You groan, hiding your face in your hands. Cheeks burning with embarrassment, you let out a quiet chuckle. Lifting your head up from your hand, you quietly say, “Fine. Just don’t tell anyone about this”

You watch Soap nod and Gaz give you a thumbs up before you pull down your balaclava, giving them a smile.

[fatfuckingcatstuff]

Babe.

Babe i need platonic reader with the mercs

Them reacting/helping reader get out of sh (Ignor if it makes you uncomfortable)

I just need some motivation to stop burning myself

Pick you fav mercs and maybe gn reader so more folks can enjoy

Luv your work btw <3

Of course you can! And I hope your recovery journey goes well! Sorry it this isn't exactly what you had hoped for but either way I hope you enjoy it.

Medic

- Medic is proud of you for seeking help. He noticed the bandages and, with genuine concern, asked if you wanted to talk. He knows how important it is to have someone listen.

- In his office, he listens without judgment as you open up about your struggles. Medic then suggests regular check-ins, encouraging you to reach out whenever you feel overwhelmed. "You are stronger than you realize, mein freund . There are other ways to cope like harming someone else other than yourself! Remember, my door is always open."

"Oh okay wow thanks medic."

"no worries mein freund :)"

- He offers resources like books on mental health and teaches you stress relief techniques. Medic even shares some basic medical knowledge, so you can better understand your body and how to care for it. He’s always there for you, providing unwavering support.

"Would you like me to help remove those thoughts of yours?"

"you are not going anywhere near my brain."

Spy

- Spy, ever observant, sees the subtle signs of your struggle. He'd brush it off aside during the day but find himself wanting a chat with you alone.

- He'd take you to his smoking room using this private moment to discuss serious matters. "Tell me ma fleur. What's on your mind?"

As you pour your heart out of your struggles and how you've been slowly trying to heal he listens with intent.

"Mon ami, we all have our demons. What matters is how we face them. You have the strength to overcome this, and I will be here to help you every step of the way."

- Spy keeps a watchful eye on you from a distance, ensuring you’re never alone in your vulnerable moments. He wants you to know you can always rely on him for support. Hell he'd start getting noticeably closer to you.

Demoman

- Demoman is proud of you for opening up. He brings it up casually, noticing your reluctance to show your arms. With genuine concern, he gently prods and listens.

"Aye I hear ye lassie/laddie"

- He shares his own struggles, making you feel less isolated and more understood. I feel as though he would occasionally offer a bottle or 2 of scrumpy to *help* in which you would always refuse but thank him.

- He regularly checks in on you, using humor and camaraderie to lighten your mood and make sure you’re doing alright.

"Ye know, we all got our battles. But ye don't have to fight 'em alone. Anytime ye feel down, just come find me. We'll have a laugh, aye?"

Pyro

They notice your distress through your body language and offer comfort without words. Pyro sits beside you, offering his toys and gadgets to play around with to distract your mind from the simple idea of harming yourself.

"Mmphhshs mpyymph mpthhh mthjs mppjdhh"

"Thank you pyro"

- They introduce you to creative activities like painting or building crafts, helping you channel your emotions into art. Pyro’s presence becomes a comforting constant.

- Pyro ensures you always have a safe space to retreat to, filled with comforting and familiar items to help ground you during tough times.

Sniper

- Sniper would be a little taken aback I feel. Sure he had noticed your change in behavior but he wasn't really expecting it.

- He invites you to his perch, sharing the tranquility of the outdoors. Sniper opens up about his own ways of dealing with isolation and stress, teaching you about the calming effects of nature. "It's alright, mate. Sometimes, getting out here and away from it all helps clear the mind. Whenever you need to talk or just want some company, you know where to find me."

- He takes you on walks, introducing you to nature therapy. Mundy would provide steady, reliable support, always there for late-night talks and his presence if you ever need him. He wants you to know you have someone who cares.

[tobiasdrake]

what do you think of the most important relationship in all of dragonball? I speak, of course, of the world champion Mr. Satan and his pupil, mr. Buu

The entire Satan and Buu plotline is delightful, and it's not without reason that their bromance has become an ever-enduring part of post-Z materials.

Story-wise, this may be the best decision that the Buu arc made.

Toriyama sets this up in advance with the little boy whose blindness Majin Buu heals.

While flying around and slaughtering people for funsies, Buu finds this kid that's not afraid of him because he can't see Buu. He heals the boy's blindness so he can be properly afraid, but the kid is grateful rather than scared.

Buu finds himself enjoying that.

So Buu decides to offer his new friend a little more help, even while he's killing and blowing up everything else.

This moment demonstrates that Buu has a capacity for kindness; He just hasn't learned better. Like a child, he craves attention and validation from others but doesn't know the difference between negative attention and positive attention.

He's acting out because he wants to be noticed. Which brings us to the Earth's response.

The man who defeated Cell is here to slay Majin Buu and restore order to the world! Hail Satan!

He's fucked. He is so unbelievably fucked. Even he knows how fucked he is.

To his credit, Satan doesn't run for the hills as soon as these two guys leave. He actually did come here with the intent to confront Majin Buu and save the world.

Satan is often taken for a full-on coward because he does typically try to get out of fighting people who could end him in a flick of a finger. He's Pamput tier as a fighter and he knows these people outclass him by an unbelievable margin.

But I think it speaks very highly of him that when the world looked to him to save them from Majin Buu, he didn't try to run from it. He's not going to try and fistfight Buu, hell to the no, but he does make a good faith attempt to slay the dragon, to the best of his meager ability.

Hell, when all else fails, he even does try to fight Majin Buu directly.

It takes a lot of nerve to swing on an invincible god-killing monster who will absolutely turn you into candy and eat you the moment this conversation stops being fun for him.

This isn't cowardice. Satan's an arrogant blowhard who steals glory he doesn't deserve. As he and Buu settle into their friendship, he even makes plans to steal glory for Buu's defeat should it ever come to pass.

But he does want to save the world from Buu. He just has no idea how to do it. This is so far beyond him it's not even funny. Even after he basically moves in with Buu, he's still got victory on his mind.

He's here for the same reason he went to the Cell Games. Satan has the spirit of a hero somewhere under all that bluster, deceit, and glory hogging.

It's the arrival of Bee that changes everything.

This is the blind boy with the milk all over again. But this time Satan is here to see it, and it changes his approach to how he's engaging Majin Buu.

Once Satan sees this nicer side of Majin Buu, he finds himself armed with the greatest secret weapon he could possibly bring to this conflict. More powerful than bombs or poisoned chocolate. The one weapon that can truly defeat Buu: Empathy and understanding another person's point of view.

BOOM. It's done. Mr. Satan just saved the entire fucking planet from Majin Buu. His ultimate technique is asking Buu nicely to stop. No one's ever said this to him before. He didn't know better.

And this comes at the worst possible fucking time, oh my god. Seconds after Majin Buu agrees he won't kill or destroy anymore, snipers shoot his puppy.

This wouldn't be a big deal ordinarily. Buu would just erase these two assholes. But he just promised he wouldn't kill and destroy anymore. He wants to keep his promise. So all he can do is stand there and fume.

Buu has no idea what to do in this situation if he's not allowed to kill these two shitheads. Satan has not thought to convey the correct nuance for how he can behave in this context. So he's trying so hard to keep his promise in a situation where he should rightly be allowed to defend himself and his friends.

Satan's able to defuse the situation by beating the shit out of these clowns himself, and they save Bee's life with Buu's healing. But when Shooty McDickface shoots Satan in the back, Buu fucking erupts.

The contradiction between his promise not to hurt humans anymore and his furious need to waste these bastards is too much for him, allowing the darker aspects of the true Majin Buu an opening to seize control over Daikaioshin's innocence, which had up to this point resulted in this childish demeanor of his and made this friendship possible.

It's noteworthy that the first thing Evil Buu does is resolve the contradiction.

He does not care what he promised Satan. He's going to kill. And then he's going to resume killing. It was a mistake to have ever stopped.

The other really noteworthy thing, after he becomes Super Buu, is his behavior during his Human Extinction Attack.

God, what a horrifying image. This is the darkest fucking moment in Dragon Ball history. This is somehow worse than blowing up the planet. It's so horrific. Buu is really living up to his function as a god-killing horror whose very existence is a slight against the heavens.

Super Buu uses God's Temple in Heaven as a vantage point from which to fire billions of homing shots down into the Earth precisely targeted to kill every last human being remaining in the world. In a matter of minutes, he purges all human life from this world.

All human life except Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu, who were able to evade the shots aimed at them. Look, if you're going to shoot billions of ki blasts at once, there's a limit to how powerful they can be.

And Mr. Satan, who Buu skipped. Even with his innocence restrained and chained inside of him, Buu still can't escape his feelings for the one man in all the world he can call a friend. Even in this moment as he purges life from this world, Buu simply couldn't bring himself to do it. Not this one.

Even at his darkest, Buu's love for his friend will remain so long as any scrap of influence from Daikaioshin, so long as the thing that makes him sapient to begin with, still lives inside of him. A problem that only Pure Buu would ever manage to solve.

"The surge of emotion that shot through me when I saved your life taught me a valuable lesson: Where Caroline lives in my brain. Goodbye, Caroline." ~Majin Buu apparently

Such a weird resolution to their developing friendship, but Majin Buu is a magical creature unbound from any physics whatsoever so it works.

And then, for good measure, Satan legit saved the Earth from Majin Buu for real by convincing the totality of the resurrected Earthlings to contribute as much genki as they could muster to Goku's Genki-Dama, because there are genuine advantages to being a publicity hound.

Mr. Satan's greatest martial art is PR. He may be a glory-stealing publicity shill sitting pretty off the achievements of others, but goddamn is he good at getting his face out there and being a household name.

People underestimate the value of PR. He might just be a figurehead, but he's a damn good figurehead.

And he got to keep his new bestie too.

This is so unexpectedly sweet. Satan's relationship with Buu was the highlight of this arc. It gave a lot of depth and personality to both characters, turning Satan from a funny joke at the Cell Games to a powerhouse MVP of a protagonist.

It's just. Y'know. Shame about his daughter who basically drops off the face of the plot never to be cared about again. Videl's basically a cameo now, existing mainly to be the mechanism by which Gohan has a daughter.

So. Y'know. That sucks. But I've already talked about Videl and how screwed she was by the narrative.

Looking at post-Z materials, however, you can feel how much of an "Endgame, we don't have to go anywhere with this" sort of thing Satan and Buu's friendship is. GT basically wrote Mr. Buu out of the plot by having him fuse with Uub, while DBS goes out of its way to not let him participate in anything. The one arc he's featured in replaces him with Daikaioshin directly.

I don't think anyone really knows what to do with Mr. Buu now that he's one of the gang. Instead of writing plots and thinking about, "What can Buu do to contribute to this?" the vibe is always "Oh fuck me, what are we going to do about Buu?"

But even when the writers are struggling to find something for him to do, his ironclad friendship with Satan never wavers.

[aprofessionalwithoutstandards]

hii pyro for the ask game? 🔥🦄

favorite thing about them I just think they're really funny like they're a cute and fun sort of guy I think we could hang out. Also I like playing Pyro quite a bit I've gotten pretty good lately, I love the Flare Gun because you get to basically turn Pyro into Sniper

least favorite thing about them The fucking Scorch Shot fucking Hell On Sniper Technique

favorite line The one where Pyro is CLEARLY saying "coconut!"

brOTP I think Demo and Pyro could for sure hang out. Demo leans on them in the fourth comic, they carry him out when he can't walk, and idk blowing stuff up and fire are similar enough. Plus, unicorns are a national symbol of Scotland and in my goth girl Demo mind palace Demo is super into mythology and stuff

OTP Idk I ship Pyro w basically anyone... I guess my favorites are with Engie, Medic, and Sniper

nOTP Pyro and Scout it's boring I'm sorry. I'm SO mean to Scout I'm sorry I take it back

random headcanon They're like, stupidly good at math. They obviously don't speak and they don't really read so people tend to underestimate them but they can bang out, like, ten-page calculus proofs. And they basically do it for fun

unpopular opinion Pyro fucks

song i associate with them Temporary Secretary

favorite picture of them

Probably this one from the Heavy vs Pyro update it's just so cute and fun

[ID: Render of Pyro standing at a podium, making two V for victory hand signs like Nixon, with a political poster that says "Mmph! Mmph mph!" over an illustration of their face surrounded by heart-shaped flames. End ID]

[thesharktanksdriver]

Oh! When I asked about magical girl! Y/n in Teen Titans (2003 version), I forgot to mention about how she would interact, meet or deal with the Titans’ villains like the HIVE, Slade, Red X, or the Brotherhood of Evil

No prob, I was actually wanting to add a bit about the hive in my first response but didn’t want to make it too long lol. I’m just gonna do the hive and Slade for this since I can’t remember the brotherhood of evil very well and red x would need his own thing lol

Is it any surprise that y/n ends up befriending the light? I mean really? With her track record the light are probably the least Bruce has to worry about. But anyways she would have probably heard about them through the teen titans but kinda didn’t pay them any mind till she ran into them. They at first think she’s a potential “no good goody two shoes” set out to stop their fun until she pulls out a sniper rifle and quite literally blow off the head of a shadowmite on one of their shoulders, effortlessly scaring the crap out of them and also making them quite interested in her.

I’d say she’s find them to be pretty fun, but she’d especially get along with Jinx and surprisingly Mammoth. Y/n is tired and exasperated half the time making her a kinda low energy person who would take to answering their questions as long as they got her bat-burger which leads to some interesting conversations.

“Yeah Robin has been pretty miffed lately cause-“

“Wait so you know Robin?”

“Yeah, both”

“Both???”

“Well you guys are from a seperate dimension right? Well there’s a Robin from my dimension who’s a different Robin from your Robin but still Robin. You can tell them apart cause your Robin is adverse to any real violence while my Robin would try and cut your arm off”

“….your Robin has a sword?!?!?!?”

“Yeah he also used to be an assassin too”

Yeah after that they start to think that they lucked out in the Robin department knowing theirs wasn’t the type to possibly cause real injury. That’s not even to mention when you mention other hero’s in this world or hell even the villains. Cause Jesus, Joker wore his own face after it was cut off?!?!? Or that an end of the world scenario happened just about every year?!?!?

They’re starting to enjoy where they live in comparison to you especially after you explain Shadowmites to them. How you hunt these monstrous creatures by your lonesome (maybe not as much as before since one of the bats typically tags along but still, there are times you go off on your own) and how your the sole thing keeping these things from literally devouring the universe.

But with that comes with you saying something oddly sad that makes them pause

“Hey….if the Shadowmites end up in your world and a magical girl is defending against them? Tell her about me. Tell her that I wish I could have met her myself and that…it’s gonna be hard but to keep going”

Damn…..that’s more depressing than they’d like to admit nor think about.

Her meeting 2003 Slade would be an….odd scenario considering she knows the Slade in her universe. So it’s definitely an awkward meeting when she’s like “yo Slade how’s rose doing” and 2003 Slade is wondering who the fuck she is and how she knows about his daughter.

When y/n learns that this is 2003 Slade though….she definitely tries to avoid him for various reasons. Cause listen, as much as her Slade is an asshole sometimes and has some weird ass morals he doesn’t act like a creep towards literal children. When hearing what he did to Raven she is appalled, she did not think being a hired murderer could get worse before she had heard that.

She does not in the slightest want to be around him

But him on the other hand is interested partially due to the fact he can see she’s skilled and some of the techniques she uses are some of his moves.

Which means that she must have known and trained under her universe’s version of him

When y/n now meets up with her version of Slade she thanks the gods he isn’t the same one from 2003

(Y/n to 2003 Slade be like lol)

[uwuowotf2waslife]

Inflict your misery on your blorbos! The mercs having to go to the dentist?

Based

Scout: that guy who swears he aint afraid , up and down hell preach he has never once cried at the dentist. But also the guy who once the appointment is over he is outta there faster than light.

Soldier: not really afraid, just hates how close the dentist is to his face. ( i can tolerate many things, but seeing each individual pore in someone face who is using a medieval torture device (lil scoop mirror) its something i cant).

Pyro: do they even have teeth?? Sorry lil firebug, but oh well, ya know sweets and pop tarts aint best food for your enamel ( basically a Spy but they needed to have crowns)

Demo: unironically most carefull person with his teeth. I mean yeah, life is tough when you are a one eyed black scotsman with a police record roughly the length of the entire city of Glasgow, you gotta have at least something gucci about your face. Homeboy has never had a single cavity.

Heavy: he isnt afraid per say, but gulag life never had dental care in the healthcare provider section. His idea of a dentist is using pliers on a tooth , so id argue based. Mouthwash guy who doesnt rinse because , he wants his breath extra fresh

Engie: sanest man in the whole group (not) but was forced to have the ugliest braces known to man so each time he prays he doesnt get flashbacks

Medic: he may have done some oral/dental healthcare (with or without patient consent) but he knows the basics of dentistry. Also forced to wear hideous braces becauSE hE iS. A nErD geT iT ??? ( nah homeboy just succed on em pacyfiers so hard his teeth were like a crater)

Sniper: crooked tooth police BUT he is amazing at dental healthcare. A dentists best patient. HE ACTUALLY FLOSSES DAILY, he isnt that unhappy about his teeth but he has a few of them chipped and in his opinion he makes him feel goofy

Spy: will use all torture training techniques in the dentist. Never flosses, never brushes but uses an obsene amount of mouth wash. Has semi trauma (his fake teeth were a necessity cuz imo prolly got them all taken out without consent -he is a spy; pulling teeth was a very common form of torture-) so yea he hates anything sharp/pointy/metallic touching his teefs.

[37-children-of-the-dreams]

AZI has confirmed that Crosshair’s hand tremors aren’t physical, but might be mental, which makes sense as Crosshair has been through hell and highly could have PTSD.

Now, Star Wars has never confirmed if they even have medication for mental problems, but even then, the Bad Batch, and clones in general, probably don’t have the money to even get monthly medication if Crosshair’s mental problems are long term, which they might be because every clone we’ve known has long term trauma.

Which is why Omega teaching Crosshair meditation is important. Meditation is a coping mechanism that is well documented to be beneficial in helping people with depression and anxiety, which are symptoms of PTSD. If Crosshair keeps doing meditation for coping, he might lessen the tremors. He might not fully get rid of the tremors as trauma doesn’t go away, but if he keeps up with meditation and learn other coping techniques, there is a chance Crosshair can be the sniper we all know he can be.

(I may have researched a ton about coping mechanisms and depression for psychology research purposes.)

[oinonsana]

Forgive me a moment of kahilas, but let me tell you why you'd want to play Gubat Banwa for your next Tabletop RPG Fantasy campaign (or kandu, as we call it!) instead of the other prospects out there! Long post ahead~

1: You want a fantasy setting that doesn't have a foundation in modern and western paradigms. This one is the easiest one to pitch. This is not just for those that are tired of European Medieval Fantasy: this is for those that want to look at the fantasy genre through new lens

It's one that doesn't have "adventurers" as an inherent fact of the setting. It doesn't accept "defaults". It doesn't romanticize monarchism. It is built from the ground up for tactical fights and the complicated contexts that surrounds those fights. "Combat as storytelling"

It centers us, in the Southeast Asia. So there are some things that might not be as common as in the West:

- oversea and river travel is much more common (and let's be honest, easier) than pure overland travel.

- Honor and Debt are huge parts of the game's social systems (and if you do some reading on medieval societies, aren't even unique to Southeast Asia at all!)

- There's no single dominating culture or empire: it's very diverse, and we don't use any one culture as the default

- You can adapt any Fantasy style campaign you have really, though it is a paradigmatic shift! You'll have to let go of fantasy defaults and imagine a wilder and more vibrant world

- There are no elves or orcs or whatnot--for us those are chaining things, binding things. Gubat Banwa is the wind. In fact, the closest thing we have to "humans" are strange bamboo people - Anything in normal fantasy has a fresh take: Knights wear moonstone armor and ride upon omen bird steeds, "berserkers" are holy martyrs ready to die for Goddess, sorcerers are mantra and mudra masters and utterers who have an enlightened will sharpened into a blade, archers are zen-daoists who have suffused into their surroundings and achieved minor enlightenment

2: You want a game that's specifically built around war drama and martial arts combat and the kinds of stories that entails. There's a section in the book that covers "What kinds of stories you can tell" with the GB System

These genres are the kinds of stories i love to partake in and consume: stories of wandering martial heroes, or of complicated political warring, or of grand gods and sorceries a la Ramayana, or of small stories of warriors protecting their community

dungeon delving is not even inherently against the feel of this game, though of course sacking a grave is looked down upon by most religions in the isles. they are functionally replaced by "Raids" which is much more widely applicable! You can even Raid Heaven and Hell!

3: You like complex buildcrafting, tactical combat, and martial art fiction. Instead of the classic "Hey we're a bunch of scrappy mercenaries that wield a sword out of necessity", you play as Kadungganan who inflict violence by choice, philosophy and will

"Martial Arts" here is every kind of way of inflicting violence, or of perfecting one's self. Elementalist sorcery? Combat healing? Pugilism? Mantra utterances? All martial arts in Gubat Banwa's purview.

This feeds into the buildcrafting: you start with a "Discipline" (a martial art), and each Discipline has a number of Techniques within it. Whenever your Legend Grows (level up) you gain 2 Techniques from ANY DISCIPLINE, keeping in mind prerequisites

This has led to some genuinely flavorful builds: like a priest from beyond the dead crocodile rider, a sniper that launches stolen demon seeds, a folk healer who practices flower necromancy and swordmancy, and even a Knight-Monk that is constantly dancing between stances

All of this is built upon a tactical combat system that (similarly to PF2e!) has three actions as a base, and you can do anything with those three "Beats", lending to the martial arts fiction being invoked

And you start off with pretty limited options, so most of your build is pretty emergent: creating a Kadungganan is easy, since you can't choose from a huge pool of options, but advancement is exponential

It's all on a tactical grid too that has important considerations such as Elevation, Terrain, and even Weather! All to create slick wuxia-esque scenes!

4: You want an endlessly iterative setting. Gubat Banwa is a trichiliocosm, which means it has three-billion worlds. Each one might have your table's version of the Sword Isles. The Sword Isles is a gigantic archipelago, too many islands too count, too many kingdoms to track.

Everything you can think of will fit into the islands of the Sword Isles, just know that it centers Southeast Asian paradigms. A wandering adventurer from a far off land will be the exception, the norm. But endlessly interesting cultures and campaigns can arise from the Isles

And so much more. If you're already interested, take a gander at our itch page:

Also we have a discord where i run games back to back like a goblin: https://discord.gg/8h7ZrU6353

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

I have to know about "some crosshair healing fic, ig?"

Hello and thank you for the ask! Also thank you @indigofyrebird for asking as well!

I love Crosshair. You all know that. But our favorite sniper has been through hell and back to get where he is now. And here's the thing, he's still not ok. So, I decided to write a post-series long fic where I put Crosshair in therapy to work through his trauma. One thing I gave him in the fic as assigned by his therapist is a journal because I feel that he would really enjoy writing out his feelings.

I borrowed from my own experiences with anxiety when writing and I'm doing some research in order to better understand PTSD and what methods of therapy/healing in general work the best. There is some overlap with anxiety, but I want to do the best I can.

Snippet from his journal in the current chapter I'm writing:

"Iris and I haven’t talked about my self-loathing. And I don’t think I want to. Believe me, I’m aware of how bad it is. Honestly, I don’t even think her mindfulness techniques would help. I could repeat ‘my family loves me’ all I want, but it doesn’t remove the doubt I feel. I’m ashamed of all that I did during my time in the Empire, especially towards my family. I SHOT my brother. I did that. Not Hunter. Not Omega. Not Tech. Me. Sometimes, I can’t even look at myself without thinking of what I’ve done. I was told I needed to ‘discover myself.’ Will that help me move along on this path that I’m on? Will figuring out something as trivial as the shirt I put on in the morning help me move past what I did on Kamino? Probably not. The inhibitor chip was what turned me against my brothers. Except it was still my hand on the blaster and my hand alone that pulled the trigger. I tried to fight, but the horror I felt was like a little voice locked up in a box. It couldn’t get out. After the chip was removed, I still stayed with the Empire. There was no other path for me. How could there be? I was abandoned by my family. But I was still a solider. I am solider.” Crosshair looked down at his stump and sighed. “Not anymore it seems. I stopped being a soldier on Tantiss. The moment I shot Nolan was when I abandoned the Empire. What am I supposed to be now?”

This is the first long fic I'm committing to in over 3 years so I hope it goes well 😅

[finntheartist-sketchbook]

FAKE GAME IDEA (would love ideas!!!)

(04-07) Bowling Brawl:

So I had this brainrot idea for a bowling game.

It would combine the standard bowling experience, mixed with special moves and abilities that are unique to every character in the game. The better they bowl, the more energy they get. And you can then use that energy to do combo moves that earn you a whole new type of score based on style points. Both your style points, and your bowling score combine into your overall score. So some brawlers are really good at bowling, and some awful at it, but have really cool moves to make up for it. And they all battle it out in verses battles, to determine who is the best bowler to have ever lived. It was really just an excuse to make a bunch of over the top bowling characters. Here are some of the ones I came up with:

(PLAYER 1)

She's a pretty solid bowler, but she's too cocky for her own good. She spends to much time talking shit, then putting that energy into bowling the ball. (PLAYER 2)

Dude does not know what he is doing. He's probably doing that thing other athletes do where you change your sport mid-career. He knows a lot of trickshots, but a bowling ball is not a basketball. Honestly whoever told him he should change careers, should change careers. (PLAYER 3)

They look like they don't care at all. But that couldn't be more wrong. Ever since [THE ACCIDENT], they've been training in underground bowling rings to take down the fiercest of bowling opponents. Now they're here to take you down too. Their moves might not be the flashiest, but they didn't get the nickname SNIPER for nothing. With pinpoint precision they will out-bowl you in power and accuracy any day of the week. (PLAYER 4)

Is..that a..cat? Are we really letting a cat into this prestigious bowling tournament...? Apparently he has the strongest throws out of any of the bowlers here, but his technique is so bad that his bowling ball ends up in the walls or ceiling, as much as it does the bowling lanes. An associate asked him if he wanted us to pull up the gutter rails, but he got offended and swiftly clawed his eyes out. When asked for comment about his chances of winning, he said "HELL YEA!!" then threw a bowling ball towards a little girl celebrating a birthday party with her family. 🎳💥🧍‍♀️

I would seriously love to see other peoples designs for their own bowling champions to join the roster. If you do PLEASE TAG/@ ME!!! I would love to see them!! >:3 If you also have any ideas for this game concept, I'd love to hear them too!!!

[surveillance-0011]

Every HOL 2 + Comic prediction I have

Possible spoilers ahead. Some of these I'm very much convinced about, others are more general statements or spitballing/guesstimates.

In general:

We find out where the hell Lizzie and Kenny are

We see what remains of the G3+ more of how they've impacted space

Funny mission control in the form of Clug's kids + Gene. He was literally gonna blow us up to keep the house.

Maybe seeing Krimothy or Gene's nephew

More stuff abt Gene + whatever he's got going on, too

More Torgs maybe?

Bounty Hunter will probably remain a very self insert-y character and therefore be more of a blank slate while the Gatlians get center stage but we might get more on them... maybe something abt their parents

And. Lezduit. Did you fuck my mom Lezduit?

The Comic

Takes place pre-High on Knife

Follows (at least partially) the bounties that have been done pre DLC (the ones on the screen)

Gurgula plays more of a role or shows up as some sorta easter egg in the bg

Actually shows what's up with Creature

"Redemption" We are totally getting stuff about Kenny

and maybe similar themes with Harper? if the Task Force led to her doing some fucked up shit

And ofc who knows maybe. applies to creature lore. If not that then maybe the "lost love" in the blurb is referring to this... hm...

Though it's not following the G3 I'm going to assume we'll be seeing Merkaloids and other G3 grunts doing other odd jobs and the remnants of the Cartel + power struggles before it crumbles for good

Uh. Maybe bonus G3 chapter at the end? Or at least mentioning them + filling more in for sake of worldbuilding. maybe this is copium but i want moar... moar G3. please. waughh

HOL 2

Lez might come back late game once the parents get back from their road trip. Maybe he'd be used for a challenge mode/bonus gauntlet instead of the final boss.

If we don't see what's going on with Lizzie in the comics we'll certainly know by 2.

Maybe Gurgula got a hold of her or Gene or the BH's parents as a way to play on Garmantuous trying to hurt who the BH "loves most" but it's not a celebrity cameo this time

Either Kenny-Harper dual wielding or Kenny gets an upgrade that's not quite Lezduit level but makes him a more advanced gun.

Alternatively maybe the perspectives switch between BH and Lizzie? BH keeps their guns and there's chapters or otherwise ways to switch perspective to continue to the story with Lizzie, Kenny, and her own group of Gatliens. This would eventually lead to the two reuniting and being able to choose who to play as and what combo of Gatliens you like to complete the game. This is pretty ambitious and most likely too clunky but something like this could be on the table.

And if you don't get to play as them I do like the idea of Lizzie turning up ok with Kenny in tow

May or may not be accompanied by a joke w/ Kenny saying he's got a frog in his throat or some other meta commentary. Then again given the circumstances to why the change would be made this might be in poor taste. We will see.

I mean really after what she did to Tweeg if you follow that path then I'm sure she's gonna end up getting in on the bloodshed. Really thinking she'll fight along side you or maybe against you at some point if she gets brainwashed or something (maybe unlikely but as a splatoon fan I'm Used To This Happening by now)

And by now Gene's legs r probably gonna grow back or be just about enough to walk with?

Knifey keeps the chainsaw obviously. maybe another modification or two to switch out?

Flamethrower + Sniper Rifle Gatliens, sticky + smoke bomb trick hole or mechanism

Being able to meet + save more Gatlien survivors even if they aren't playable

Maybe a shooting range/training room to hone techniques

More standalone bounties while the Bounty Hunter tries to track down Gurgula on their own terms

Gurgula is from Australia III or IV or. yeah just another Australia. Maybe the original first Australia planet... hm...

More Australia in general

More Gurgula also :3c this is a given but I am very much excited 2 see him. I think unlike Garmantuous he's probably not going to try to check in on us or anything and it's more cat-and-mouse-y.

The game will probably be a bit more grim, esp when the focus is on Gurgula. Not too gritty, but certainly more in line with the secret ending and HOK's more morbid/scary moments.

that being said I need to see him lose his mind as he gradually gets totally tired of everyone else's bullshit and comes to the conclusion that he's in a game chock full of nerdy stoner comedy.

There will probably be a joke about/reference to CWC it'd be funny if Gurgula was actually super wowed by all of that. Not disgusted like actually just. wow. the depths of the human mind.

I've said it before but I am certainly thinking they may kill off Gene or Lizzie. Knowing how calculated and cutthroat Gurgs is I'm pretty sure he'll be targeting them eventually and even if he doesn't with some of the themes of redemption we've been seeing here I'm thinking we're gonna see some people we like go.

In general i hope the game does not shy away from more emotional moments and allows shit 2 get real grim. After being thrown for a total loop in the secret ending and the pretty well done bits of horror around the reveal of Mux in HOK i do hope we get some real gut wrenching bits where we see the real depths of depravity with Gurgula :3c and just knowing that. shit is fucked.

[clownculler]

hey, you guys know anything about Lancer?

I like mechs. I have been incredibly autistic about mechs at multiple points in my life. and through the ancient, well guarded, and infallible technique know as the "vibe check", I have determined that each and every Homestuck character is the appropriate type of autistic to also obsess over mechs. No, seriously, I want you to tell me you cannot picture them all grease monkeying about in a mech bay.

"but Io", you might say, "@vexwerewolf is already writing that shit."

to which I say, "yeah, duh, go check it out." but also, watch me tell you what mechs all the kids run, because to my knowledge they haven't done that, or at least haven't told anyone.

John/June: Our friend Egbert strikes me as someone who picked their mech based on what struck them at the time. That is to say, they pilot a Vlad and stumbled ass-backwards into the licenses to construct a terrifyingly effective melee-cqb build. Mostly IPSN with some bits and bobs from SSC and Harrison.

Rose: Mostly Metalmark and Mourning Cloak. She has, on multiple occasions, had to bite back frustration at having lied in the perfect sniper nest or ambush spot, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, only for John and Jade to steamroll the target while she's still out of range.

Dave: This one's a bit tricky. I figure Dave runs either a Raleigh, covering June's back in what is probably a pretty sick display, or a Nelson, running down anyone who tries to flee the Harleybert onslaught. I could also potentially see him forcing a Lich into a more combative role with core bonuses and mods, but that hinges on him getting mixed up with Horus in a way the other alpha kids aren't likely to (although I can totally see Bro pulling that kinda shit.)

Jade: The Monarch/Sherman/Barbarossa artillery platform run by Jade Harley is the stuff of legend, often talked of in excited tones from core worlds to the long rim. Imma be honest I'm not too clear on the build details. Hell, there's a chance she runs some Pegasus stuff too. Point is: she lays waste to the surrounding environs and often plays a role in breaking enemy formations.

Jane: Minotaur, oddly enough. She's been questioned on why she doesn't run a Lancaster and she replies that its lame as hell. She might be as close to objectively wrong as is possible in this assessment, but I respect her opinion. Roxy has a tendency to cackle like a madwoman when an enemy's movement gets fucked in this way.

Jake: Almost definitely a Raleigh but with the worst optimization you have ever seen. Imagine if John's strategy of "that looks cool" didn't have the safety net of narrative contrivance. This man has the most useless licenses he could get his hands on. He has no synergies, he has no combat loop. Okay that's not quite true; he actually is sitting on a god-tier build, but refuses to swap away from Raleigh.

Roxy: A couple possibilities. One is that she is a pure hacker, using Goblin and Minotaur to wreak havoc on the enemy positioning. Perhaps some Kobold if she feels like being more involved in the action. The other possibility is that she does what I do, and stacks a shit ton of nanocomposite mods on a Pegasus platform.

Dirk: Oh you already know. Get your MGRR memes and textmashes ready because this motherfucker is running Atlas. Also flicker field projector, because what else could a flash-step possibly be. Same goes for Dave btw, I just forgot to mention it. He will never admit the extent of his disappointment that Jane will not pilot the horse mech.

I'll probably come back for the trolls.

[zeemczed]

Silly Game Time: Who are some of your favorite fighter characters? And what do you like about them?

They can weild any weapon (swords, spears, axes, clubs, knives, bare hands, etc.); they can be of any class or variety of combatant (ones who rely on strength like brawlers or berserkers, ones who use finesse like martial artists or technique masters, ones who balance defensive and offensive equipment like knghts or samurai, etc.); they can be of any race or species (from fantasy or sci-fi); they can even have access to special powers to improve their combat skills (magical, psychic, technological, superpowers, etc.).

What matters is that one of their primary skills, roles in the story, and traits as a character is physical fighting.

So, there are a LOT, and I mean a LOT of possible entries here. Flying Punching Juan, my OC superpowered greaser? Chaz Ashley, from Phantasy Star IV? Cranston Snord, from Battletech?

I think I'm going to pick three.

First off, my manga/anime pick, Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z. Yeah, the grumpy-ass one. Why? Because A) he's the only one smart enough to realize when he's been placed up against a gag manga character, B) he and Bulma are weirdly adorable together, and C) oh my god he has SO MUCH FANFIC POTENTIAL. SO MUCH. With DBZ the fic is better than the core material often, and Vegeta-centered fics are often some of my faves.

Second, from a Pathfinder/D&D campaign, Jenkins. Now, Jenkins wasn't a PC, he was a hireling, a follower from the Leadership feat. His leader/PC was a gunslinger, so he was a long-gun specialist. Quiet. Professional. Basically a more British version of the Sniper from TF2, always ready with a high-caliber shot from a great distance when needed. His master was the swashbuckling badass, Jenkins was the bulwark of stoic coolness that didn't NEED to swashbuckle. Over the course of the campaign the PCs got involved in a plot to overthrow Demogorgon as lord of hell. Long story there, but they succeeded (Jenkins personally landing a finishing blow on no less than three other major targets, including DAGON), and then everyone lunged for the crown at once. Including their allies, the other lords of hell.

Jenkins was in the right place at the right time. He nabbed it. Put it on. Cowed all of hell... and then muttered "well, that's a helluva thing for the CV." And then he tossed the crown on the party witch's head... and walked out of hell.

Jenkins STILL exists in my campaigns, operating at an epic level, usually only heard of in myth.

Lastly, my pro wrestler pick. ORANGE CASSIDY. The king of Sloth Style. The laziest pro wrestler of all time. And arguably one of the best. Orange can actually GO when he's pushed, and he's the master of the Orange Punch. He USED to be a heel, known for spraying OJ in his opponents' eyes. Evidently that was too much effort.