#if you send anyone death threats for any reason you're FUCKING WEIRD full stop like you need to be evaluated.

[ghost-malone]

Death threats are so genuinely insane to me. Like what has to go through your mind to think that's a sensible response to something that has upset you online. I know it's mostly severely mentally ill people or children (because no one with a fairly developed brain would ever think that response even makes sense) but I can't wrap my head around it.

You see it on YouTube and tiktok and you sure as shit see it here too and it's so ridiculously baffling, and to those of us who aren't in a particularly fragile state, absolutely laughable.

What goes through your head? Do you think you're doing The Lord's Work or fighting what you perceive as unrighteous? Do you want to lash out to feel powerful or like your opinion matters? Or are you just angry and waiting for someone online to do something that others object to, thus giving you opportunity and reason to hide in an angry mob and validate your need to.... threaten death?

I dunno, genuinely don't get it. No one normal gets it babe, what are you doing?

[trickstarbrave]

"this is to say nothing of the grown adults on social media who make discoursing on the "opposite side" their full time hobby when really they are only making the situation worse in an effort to feel morally superior" Lol these are the people who are defending the ability to enjoy things in fiction without being policed. I can't believe you can have such an insight into the problem and then completely miss the point by acting insufferable to the people advocating for just letting people enjoy what they like. You're no better than the people who send death threats honestly since you want to ally with the people who want to police every online space and censor people. They'll come for you next, and none of us will be there to defend you from the antis when they decide your fiction is morally reprehensible

i debated not answering this because you are being rude and annoying and i dont like this kind of pointless arguing, but let me make this clear:

you are not helping address the problem. acting morally superior and righteous in the same brand of obnoxious is just about as much of "activism" as the "pro-shippers" who do it too. all you are doing is picking fights to get high off the rush of anger and dopamine. you are not "advocating" for anything. you are not addressing any of the problems. you are not fundamentally changing anyone's minds.

you are working on a bland, black and white mentality that ignores the complex reasons behind stuff. just by me saying that you have jumped to "so obviously you like sending people death threats and support it and are no better than the people do that" just like how the people who don't like your weird incest ships think you must obviously be an irl abuser.

"anti" means nothing. neither really does "pro-shipper". this us vs them mentality has to die before we see any progress. we cannot just keep using the internet for outrage. instead of arguing with people online and making stupid arguments about how actually your fiction IS moral and is actually better than other people's stuff and that everyone who doesn't think exactly like you do must love sending people death threats, you could try doing something actually fucking productive. push back against censorship online. disrupt algorithms. educate people that engaging with content they don't like on algorithm websites means they will see more of it. create a forum to freely share stuff with less harassment and vitrol. stay educated on what bills have lead to this censorship and push back against them or protest about new ones that keep being introduced.

all i can see from asks and posts like this is: you dont want things to change. you don't really care about the reasons behind it. you are right and other people are wrong because you don't like them. you like arguing online because you get a rush from it. you are doing this because you like fucking "winning". you dont care if you don't change a single person's mind because you enjoy the moral superiority you imagine you have. which are all the reasons the equally obnoxious people you hate and insist you are nothing like keep arguing with you. it is an endless cycle because you all enjoy the cheap thrill of arguing and bitching online that feeds into our worst impulses as human beings. i know im not one to fucking talk because i've also been known to jump into internet arguments, but i can at least recognize the problem and try to address it.

so long as you continue to act like this and act like your behavior is self righteous activism, this kind of shit will create a feedback loop. literally deactivate your fucking discourse blog, stop getting into pointless arguments online, and do literally anything else to address the problem. stop thinking that when i am addressing harmful mentalities online that feed into negativity and bullshit that you are immune to it because you're smarter or better than the people you disagree with. you're not. you're obnoxious.

if you send another anon i will be blocking you. knock it off. grow up.

[chaniters]

AU Fanfic Fallen-Hero Ranger Adventures. 1

Starting another Fanfic because of reasons.

This takes place in an AU (which is basically the end of my first fic)

Basically, Sidestep and Charge are together, Sidestep is trying to become a full ranger, and is no longer hunted by the government.

Midnight Terror

Years ago. Late night. Somewhere in the Lacandon Rainforest.

Hurried steps took him right to the very edge of the chasm.

The intense rain had made visibility a luxury and finding an escape route a guessing game

A game that he was clearly loosing. Crossing was impossible.

"Fuck!... Fuck Fuck fuck! Is this a joke?!"

But rain wouldn't compromise and he couldn't find a way across.

He had wrongly assumed the carnivore minds would stop searching for him once they consumed the bodies of his brothers.

He had been wrong. They had surely counted them, found one was missing, and reassumed the hunt. He had only gained some advantage, that was thinning quickly. He could sense them approaching faster than he could ever fathom.

Only a choice now. Left.. or right. Life or death.

Left! He ran as fast as he could. There seemed to be no end to the chasm. no way to cross. The rain gave the ground a muddy, disgusting texture. He looked at the bottom. No. If he tried to climb down, he would slip and break his spine on the long fall.

So he kept running.

A guttural howl. They could speak, he knew that. They just chose not to. However did the Catastrofiend create his demons, they hadn't been able to find out before she had found them instead. And she also had chosen not to speak.

Something in the distance... he could see... ropes. Crossing the chasm.

Rotten boards and ropes... remains of a bridge, still dangling over the chasm.

This path was his doom or his salvation, but that wasn't for him to decide. He could only try and follow it.

His mind couldn't recall a moment where he had been more afraid. He had cheated death many times before, but ...

He crossed as fast as he could. Keeping the balance, stepping on ropes, on dangling boards that gave in as he stepped on them, on thin air when his balance failed. He was certain he would fall and break every bone at the bottom, yet he somehow managed to reach the other side.

He took his knife and cut the dangling ropes loose, letting the whole thing fall down. That could gain him some time at least.

The operative had memorized all maps regarding this operation. That was his main task. His telepathic training wasn't as advanced as the rest of the team, so he would help bringing his knowledge of the area to their mind link.

Thanks to it, he had an approximate idea of where the military base was...

He expanded his mind, looking for threats. Soon enough, the Minds were on his sights... and they were heading straight for the bridge.

"Fuck!" He ran faster. He felt, struggled into the mud, stood up and kept running. He had cut off the bridge but he knew the speed those things could achieve. They would cross the chasm.. climb it down and up again... And fall on him like wolves.

"FUCK!" he screamed while running. It was futile, they'd catch up with him before he could...

...

The minds went pass the bridge without even stopping and headed east. They were going to cross the chasm some other way.

He started running again. He understood. They were not after him.  

.................................

He reached the base two days later. He had hurried as much as he could.

But by them there were no officers to report to, no scientists to take him back, no drugs to put him to sleep, no psychics to erase his trauma and leave him battle ready once more...

Piles of corpses... he looked for survivors.

They had devoured most of the soldiers and left the rest to rot. He had cheated death many times before, but he would have taken any of those deaths before the one the Catastrofiend liked to inflict.

After examining the third pile, and nearly walking away, he sensed a mind regain consciousness. He returned, and found someone alive. He was breathing. But the wounds were far too severe. Dying. Dying, and not giving him more instructions, or orders of any kind.

A young man. He was suffering. There was no way to help him. So he did what he had been trained to do. Put an end to the suffering. A single cut.

His eyes looked at him in understanding as he did it. His mind was afraid, but it relaxed for a few minutes once the pain was gone... and then.. there was nothing.

Drenched by the rain, sweat and blood, he let go of the dead. There was no one else. He was the only survivor.

He wandered a few steps towards the shattered tents, then fell on his knees and screamed. But only the dead could hear him. ..........................................

Present day.

"Hey!" Ortega shook him lightly. "It's just a nightmare"

"Wha...?" Cyrus woke up in a daze and just stared at Ortega, startled for a few seconds, until it all came back to him. He wasn't in a jungle. He was in the Ranger's Headquarters. And he was in Ortega's room.

"Nightmare" Ortega repeated.

"Oh." Cyrus managed to acknowledge. "Sorry" He felt guilty. He had so many of these, and he wouldn't let Ortega sleep.

Sleeping pills helped, but he didn't always take them, it messed his telepathy and gave him headaches afterwards. And sleeping pills couldn't cure PTSD anyways.

Ortega felt he needed to wake him up every time, which was really not an easy thing to do when he had one of the bad ones, so it would take a good 10 minutes of his sleep time trying to wake him, and then there was no way to assure he wouldn't have another one the moment he shut his eyes.

"It's ok" he said. "How do you feel?"

Cyrus pondered on the question for a split-second. "I'm alright. It's nothing"

"Do you want to write it down?"

"No.. just go back to sleep Ricardo"

"But..."

"I'll go get something from the fridge, read an article or something and then go back to my room and sleep. Don't worry"

"But..."

But Cyrus just gave him a pat on the shoulder, and quickly made for the corridor. He could tell Ortega to stop mothering him but that would only lead to mortifying the both of them further. Ortega was just doing with they had discussed in therapy to the letter and none of this was his fault.

He had PTSD that had gone untreated for his entire lifetime until last year. The more he understood therapy, the more he got used to the idea that nightmares were going to be part of his life (Dream-life?), and no amount of discussing their hidden meanings with the shrink was going to make them go away.

Of course he would still do it.. but he didn't really hope for improvement in that front anymore.

He made a beeline for the fridge, and as he laid a hand on the cold trove of treasure, he froze. There was another mind, a few steps from him, fixed on his same prize. They couldn't see each other in the cover of darkness, but it was there...

"So... it seems we meet again" he let out.

He heard an immediate stumble.

"Not again! I swear you'r trying to kill me..."

"Sorry Chen.. seems i beat you to the fridge this time. What shall it be?"

Steel sighed. "I think there are some pizza leftovers."

"Yes. You get that, i'll make myself a sandwich." He said, passing two slices to Chen. He also passed him a beer before he asked.. because.. telepathy.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Chen asked, taking the added beer without a word.

"Nope."

"What was it this time?"

"Back at the jungles escaping the Catastrofiend's creeps”

“That’s when you first broke out from the Special Directive right?”

“Yes...  Ortega woke me up. You?"

"The attack a the embassy all over. Woke up on my own. Always do"

"Shit."

"Same to you."

"Thanks."

They sat on the couch, fiddling with their smartphones. This had become a sort of routine. Eventually, they'd go back to sleep, after calming their nerves a bit. Oddly enough it had actually made him closer to Chen than ever before.

"How are you?" Chen asked. It was weird, but Cyrus was feeling more comfortable with him asking lately.

"You really want to know ?"He smiled lightly

"Yup."

"I... I don't know. I feel like i'm not getting better. And then we argue... and I apologize. And he feels guilty for all the shit I've been trough.. and I tell him it's not his fault... And then i keep thinking that i'm going to fuck it up for real at some point."

"Then don't fuck it up"

"Oh wow thanks for the sage advice" Cyrus cracked.

"Happy to oblige" Chen said extending a his beer in his general direction with a smile.

"I'm trying."

"That's all he asks. Don't stop."

"I won't.... Anyways, how about you?"

"Too much stress. The mayor's a... -ahem- ... major pain in my ass."

"Ha... You know, if you had let me carry on my master-plan further, he wouldn't be in office"

"What, you feel like wearing that clown villain costume again? I don't see anyone stopping you.."

"Sorry, too late... " he held his hand to Chen "That ship has sailed... I'm a glorious honorary hero these days. Fuck me."

"You really should tell that to Ortega"

"Fell right into that one didn't I..."

"Yes. Anyways, you you could always retire" Chen grinned.

"Like anyone's going to fall for that one again."

"Hell no. So.. did you pass the physicals?"

"Yeah. My government-issue body regenerated just on time for that. Psych tests... i have no idea. I had to do a written test, they don't trust sending an examiner on the same room"

"I'll call them and have them e-mail me the results tomorrow." Honorary member status was not regulated, tough no one had really objected it so far. Becoming a regular ranger member required a background check, a psych test and a physical test.

"Thanks... Oh and.. uh.. Chen.. If I don't pass.. can you..." Cyrus started, a bit insecure

"I'll sugar-coat it sure. But stop being so worried. This isn’t a race”

"You know how he gets when he sees no progress"

"I know..." Cyrus had taken the test twice now, and Ortega thought it had only been once.

They stayed silent for a few minutes.

"Question." Steel spoke after a while.

"Yes?"

"Why the Catastrofiend? You did get closure on that nut-job, you shot his head off"

He shrugged “No idea . It's just another stupid night terror"

Steel nodded.

Cyrus finally stood up

"Want me to go to the meeting with you tomorrow? I can wave my big "Telepath pariah" sign and scare out the political creeps away just by standing next to you. It's my new superpower"

"You know I can't say no to that..."

"It's a date then" Cyrus washed his plate then head back to his own room.

Steel stayed for a while longer, wondering when exactly had he really befriended Sidestep. Sans the mystery, he had turned out to be a really ok person...

_________________________

My Fanfics: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.