#we also did Corel the whole time and he was really touched by it

[icharchivist]

so one of my friends started ff7's og recently and he's been streaming to me how he advances inside the game (he played the remake, ended up hating it and thought the problem was that ff7 must suck, and then i started to ramble and it got him curious to try the OG instead. he's having much more fun so far)

i noticed a worrying pattern from watching him play, that he doesn't explore every houses or talk to every NPCs, and while in some places it's okay, in others well...... i get to worry.

so i told him "once you go to Gongaga take Aerith and Tifa with you as you explore the town" like i always do

and he laughed because "isn't Gongaga a meme" and once again i have to go :) yeah, anyway,

but so he went to Gongaga rn and he almost skipped all of the houses. And i had to go "no. you check all the houses. Please." and he was like yeah yeah

and so we reached Zack's parents' house and the moment they dropped "Do you know a guy in Soldier named Zack?" my friend audibly gasped like "no fucking way"

and meanwhile i was having emotions behind my screen as quiet as possible while my friend clearly was going through the motions like I See.

Friend in question has been nicknaming me "Zack Fair's most normal fan" so there were clearly dots connected

but man. I love doing that. Me making sure everyone who plays the OG gets the ultimate Zack Fair experience---

[foxingpeculiar]

FF7 R&R: I am currently hanging out in Rebirth chapter 9, in Gongana. Potential spoilers up to that point.

Okay, I think I left off in Costa del Sol. So picking up from there:

The minigames are fucking insane in this game. There are SO MANY. And some of them--Queen's Blood, for example--are great. Others are ridiculous, but still kind of engaging (the piano--fuck Cinco de Chocobo; I got A's on the three previous pieces but I dunno if I can do this one). But man, some of 'em. The whole pirate shooter thing? Nah, terrible at that. And fuck Run Wild so hard. Like, the base game isn't so bad, but the time-trial thing you have to do as part of the date with Aerith? That took SO MANY tries to get past.

On that note, the whole Johnny subplot took... an interesting turn. How there were 7 of them him for a while. That was a lot to take in. But I did that quest and got his hotel looking all nice and now he's back to being just one person. I think you can get a trophy for getting all the collectibles in the hotel now, but that means S-ranking all the minigames and fuck that. I'm already 48 hours into this thing. Ain't nobody got that kind of time.

In both the Mount Corel region and the Gongana Jungle, I remember being specifically impressed with the music in this game. Might have to crack out that soundtrack CD.

I really like the depiction of Elena here--her snottyness and everything. That she calls Rude when out looking for Dyne demanding ice cream and, the next time we see her in the helicopter, she has a popsicle? Love that for her. There's a point where she just yells "Ugh!" and like, that's her, that's the character.

So we finally get an encounter (not a fight, but an encounter) with a WEAPON, which is pretty cool. That's something I've been wondering--WTF are Emerald and Ruby WEAPONS gonna look like in game 3? Cos like... you can't not include them, right?

Learned a little more about the situation in Wutai from Yuffie here, which is nice. The provisional government for whom she works is a resistance against the leaders that capitulated to Shinra to achieve the ceasefire. That makes sense (and I bet her dad was one of those--they mentioned at some point either earlier in this game or in Intergrade that he's imprisoned, currently).

I get a more detailed sense, also, about the sickness that is slowly becoming more and more of a problem for Cloud as he gets closer to the reunion. It's interesting to me how everyone else--especially Tifa, but everyone--sees it happening too, but no one understands the problem enough to know what to do about it yet.

Find it interesting how they're gatekeeping party selection in different spots and generally managing that balance. There're 7 of us now, at the point I'm at, and I think at least one more is coming (Vincent is in this game, right? He'd have to be. Although I guess they could do like they did with Nanaki in the first one, where he's there but not playable. Cid, I dunno.) But then, for story reasons, they'll have to have to use certain characters in certain encounters and stuff. But even when you have full party selection, everyone's there, even if they're not actively part of the battle--they're still around, you can see and hear them. It's a nice touch.

So, the whole North Corel and Corel Prison sections--the Dyne storyline--was handled pretty well. Barrett's reception in the town worked well, Dyne's madness was both sympathetic and apparent (and that was a helluva boss fight, also--which I remember it being in the original too).

The Gold Saucer was... whoo. Basically what I'd hoped it'd be. Dio was spot-the-fuck-on, and the whole environment was glitzy and neon in exactly the way it was supposed to be. I like the updates they did to certain things--the Speed Square, notably, but also the Mario-Kart-ness of Chocobo racing, etc. I did NOT, however, trigger a play sequence in the Event Square. The date ended up being with Tifa (which I'm fine with--she is my OG, I suppose), and there was a whole scene where she reacts to a poster of Jessie. I wonder if the play is an Aerith-specific event? Or if there's some other way to trigger it? Or if it just doesn't happen in this one.

Cait Sith. Okay. Was really curious how they were gonna handle this character cos he's... weird. But, y'know, it works. I love that he's Scottish, and I'm intrigued that they're not really hiding the fact that he's a Shinra spy (he outright admits it in party dialogue at one point), and pointing pretty clearly at who's actually running him behind the scenes (his model appears on Reeve's desk, the depressed way he reacts to the loss of the dustbowl: "The place it could've been. Tears me up inside"--Reeve runs Urban Planning, remember). I remember that point of the plot being kind of underdeveloped in the original--curious to see how it plays out here. I also love Tifa's reaction on meeting him: "Is... that a cat?"

Palmer is also getting a lot more characterization in this one, and damn, he sucks. That boss fight on the back of the truck was pretty cool, though.

Some of the new/outside characters are interesting too. Glenn shows up again, and the way he's talking to Rufus... I also do not know what it is he truly wants here. Cisseni showing up in Gongana was interesting--never played her game either, but I generally know who she is. (And I like the touch that she and Cait clearly know each other, and she obviously mistakes Cloud for Zack, but she rolls with the cat's encouragement to play along). Gus was kind of fun--the gold teeth were a nice touch. Not sure what I think of "Kid G" yet, but also not done with that quest--he said he'd call me.

Ok, WTF is the deal with Queen's Blood and this Lindehl Balmon business? Who is the Shadow Queen? Why is she killing off card players and what is the game to her? I must know.

As a final note--driving the buggy around the desert, just kind of the physics of it, was giving me serious original Mass Effect vibes. And then I remembered that the buggy in that game was called the Mako, and I suddenly wonder if that's an intentional nod.

[acedesigns]

A Fortune [FF7: Reeve/Reader]

Word Count: 2411

“I’m Cait Sith! A fortune reader, it’s nice to meetcha!” the robotic cat chimed and did a small dance.

You giggled lightly and knelt down to the cat’s level. You stuck out a hand to shake its paw. “It’s nice to meet you, too! I’m [Y/N].”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful person!” The cat grinned, showing off its realistic fangs. “How about a fortune? It’ll be on the house!” You nodded your head. The cat threw its golden crown into the air and spun around. After it caught it, the cat jumped onto its moogle mount. A piece of paper popped out of the top of the mount.

“Your true love will rescue you in a time of no hope!” the cat read out loud.

You blinked and tilted your head. “Must be way off in the future, then.” You looked around at the desert prison you were currently trapped in. “Or maybe pretty soon. But I seriously doubt my true love is in this place.” You laughed lightly. “Is it okay if I keep that fortune, Cait Sith?”

The cat hopped off the moogle and trotted up to you. He gently placed it off at you and smiled with his eyes closed.

--

“I wish I was able to ride the chocobo,” you pouted while being released from Corel Prison. Cait Sith somehow snorted through his puppet body. It sounded almost as if there was a real person speaking through. “What’s so funny?”

“You like those giant birds?” Cait Sith looked up at you with a slight smirk, however that was possible on the cat’s body.

“Well, yeah. I love animals in general. It’s why I’m with this band of misfits. To try and save the planet from Sephiroth, Jenova, and Shinra.”

“Well, why don’t we go ahead and ride some Chocobos? There are some that gather right out of the desert. We can make a pitstop on the way to Cosmo Canyon.”

You stopped in your tracks and a wide grin enveloped your face. “Really?” Cait Sith looked over his shoulder at you and nodded. “Yes!” You ran up and grabbed the cat’s body. You spun in a circle laughing before placing the cat back on the moogle. “This is going to be so much fun!”

--

The bonfire crackled into the night. You sat with your knees pulled to your chest. The flames kissed your skin with its heat. With a sigh, you looked up into the sky where smaller bonfires twinkled in space.

“What are you thinking about?” Cait Sith spoke. You glanced over, picking up that whoever was controlling him was the one asking the question. There was a slight change in movements whenever Cait Sith was on autopilot or whenever the person controlling him took over. You never said anything to anyone about it.

Looking back at the fire you, shrugged. “I just…No matter what I do, it’ll never be enough. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m just doing more harm than anything else. If I should just stop.”

Cait Sith jumped off his moogle and sat in your lap. Your fingers automatically started to run through his fur. “How about another fortune?” he asked quietly. You hummed in agreement. This time, there was no dance. Instead, he sat there. “You make every day special.”

You smiled lightly. “That’s not really a fortune, Cait.”

“Fine! Then, how about, someone out there loves you!”

A small giggle passed your lips. “And who would that be?”

“That’s a secret!”

--

“You’re a spy for Shinra?” you asked numbly while you stared at your robotic friend. The whole time, you were friends with a spy for Shinra. The very same people who were responsible for this shit show.

Cait Sith’s body moved under the control of the spy. He turned to face you. “I’m sorry, [Y/N].”

You shook your head and stormed away. Tears falling from your face.

--

It felt wrong, letting Cait Sith go into that temple by himself. To solve the puzzle and have his body crushed. Yes, he wasn’t really alive. But you couldn’t help but feel as if he were dying right there. You sat on a hill from a distance, with your knees up to your chest. You sniffled. You were angry with him and you wanted to hate him. But deep down, that cat was still your friend.

“Crying over me?”

You turned around quickly, seeing a new Cait Sith standing there. You rubbed your eyes and shook your head. “No.”

“Ah, come on!” He bounced over towards you. Then, his voice shifted and made you jump. It was no longer Cait Sith’s. Instead, it was that of a man. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, and I know it’s not enough, but I am sorry about how this all happened, [Y/N].”

“You’re still a spy for Shinra,” you said, remembering exactly who the puppet was. “We’re just hostages with you around.” You stood up and began walking away from the temple that was off in the distance to re-join Nanaki and Cid.

--

You were sitting in a bedroom at the Icicle Inn. Your face was buried into a pillow as sobs caused chaos on your body. Your chest heaved up and down as you gasped for oxygen. Your fingers pulled on your hair.

“Come on, wake up. Wake up. This can’t be real,” you cried with hiccups.

A light weight sunk next to you on the bed, but you didn’t pay it any mind. At this point, you didn’t care if they were there to kill you. It’d be better than the nightmare you were living in.

“I know I’m not the one you want, but I’m here for you,” the spy’s voice sounded through Cait Sith.

“I can’t believe she’s gone,” you wailed.

“I-I know,” the man sighed. There was a sniffle, sounding like he had been crying as well. “I told her mother what had happened today.”

“Oh god.” You curled up tighter in on yourself. You felt the paws on Cait Sith’s body touch your arm. More sobs sounded from you.

“I’m sorry,” the man whispered. He sniffled more and you could hear his breathing become uneasy as he too, cried.

--

It was seven days after the calamity from the sky was summoned to doom all on the planet to a painful death. It was seven days since Cloud had gone missing. It was seven days since you were taken prisoner by Shinra. It was seven days since you’ve had hope.

The doors to your cell opened and a man in a blue suit quickly entered and shut the door behind him. He was alone. There weren’t any soldiers to protect him if you decided you wanted to attack. Even if you did attack, it would be pointless. You were here to die, simple as that.

“We need to be fast, we don’t have much time,” he said in a hushed tone with an oddly familiar voice.

You sat up from your stiff cot. Confusion coursed through your thoughts. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m getting you out of here, [Y/N],” he whispered. He quickly walked over to you and reached his hand out for you to take. “Heidegger and Scarlet are demanding a public execution of everyone affiliated with Avalanche. Rufus is against it, but there’s only so much he can do without gyahahaha and kyahaha rebelling against him. So he asked me to help with rescuing you.”

Your eyes widened, realizing just how close to death you were at that moment. “Just who exactly are you?”

The man shook his head. “There’s not enough time to explain right now, but I’m here to get you out. Tifa and Barret will also be rescued, but they’re being held elsewhere. Now, we have to hurry. Please, let me help you.”

Biting your lip, you took his hand and allowed him to pull you off the bed. He hurried towards the door to your cell and opened it. Looking both ways, he pulled you down the hall in a half run. He paused whenever there was a corner to make sure the coast was clear. Then, he’d drag you along.

“We have to get to the airport, there’s an aircraft waiting for you all to escape,” the man said in huffs of air while gasping for oxygen. He halted suddenly, almost causing you to crash into him. “Shit.” He turned around and pushed you against the wall to where his body was shielding you from view. Soldiers ran past, not paying any mind to him or you.

You looked up at his face and into his dark eyes. “Just who are you?”

The man looked down at you. His gaze softened, but he shook his head. “I want you to know, that there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe. Just know that.” He pulled away and took your hand once more before running out onto the Junon air hanger.

He let go of your hand and stopped. “You need to get onto that aircraft. I’ll make sure you’re not being followed.” Just then, Cait Sith, Barret, and Yuffie ran past him. “Cait Sith! Make sure [Y/N]’s safe!”

“Wait!” you protested as Cait Sith and Yuffie dragged you away. “Just tell me your name!” You watched as the man was getting smaller and smaller. The last thing you saw of him was the smile on his face. With a sigh, you reached into your pocket and pulled out the fortune.

--

The Highwind was searching throughout the planet for Cloud. You sat on the ground with your hands running over the fortune Cait Sith gave you when you first met. Periodically, your eyes would flicker over to the puppet who was running around, making sure Barret and Tifa were okay. Then, he came over to you.

“Are you alright, [Y/N]?” Cait Sith asked. Though it was obvious he was now being directly controlled.

“Are you that man that saved me?” you asked.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Well, neither did you!”

The others turned to look at the pair of you at your outburst. Once you settled down, they looked away to give you privacy.

“Alright,” Cait Sith sighed and jumped off the moogle. He moved to be next to you and his voice switched, though it was just loud enough for only you to hear over the roars of the Highwind’s engine. “Yes, that man was me.”

“Why did you save us?”

“President Rufus was going to have you all rescued. He was originally just going to have the Turks do it. However, I wanted to personally make sure you were safe, [Y/N]. That’s why I let Cait Sith handle Tifa and Barret.”

You narrowed your eyes. “Why me?”

“I have been watching you since the Golden Saucer, [Y/N]. At first, it was to spy on all of you. However, I felt myself getting drawn to you. The more I watched you, it was the more I was watching over you. Making sure you were safe. I came to terms with the fact that I fell in love with you. Now, this is probably weird hearing from the body of a stuffed cat. It would have been better saying it face-to-face.”

You shifted uncomfortably and gave out an awkward laugh. “Yeah, maybe.” You glanced down at your fortune.

“But if you’ll let me, I would like to tell you this face-to-face. If you’re not okay with that, I understand.”

“Do your fortunes ever come true?” you questioned, still looking over the piece of paper that’s managed to survive for so long.

Cait Sith glanced at what you were holding. “Sometimes, for better or for worse.”

Nodding your head, you glanced at the puppet. “Then, when this is all over, tell me face-to-face.”

--

“I want you all to find a reason to fight,” Cloud told the group. The Highwind was stationary over a grassy field. “Come back in a couple of days when you’ve found that reason. If you don’t come back, that’s fine.”

You stood around and watched as the groups of Avalanche left, one-by-one. Your thoughts were racing as you tried to figure out where you should go. If you went home, you know your parents would never let you leave with meteor threatening to fall.

“[Y/N],” Reeve’s voice sounded from Cait Sith. “Please, come to Midgar. I want to meet you there.”

You nodded at the puppet and left the Highwind with Barret. The pair of you made your way to Midgar. Barret was trembling with excitement to see his daughter again. You, on the other hand, were trembling with nerves on seeing the man who rescued you.

Your fingers kept on running over the fortune. The ink on it was starting to wear off from the oils on your skin. Still, you couldn’t help but grip it tightly.

Upon entering Sector 5, the man in a blue suit and Marlene were standing there. Marlene gasped and ran towards Barret. Barret picked her up and swung her around on his shoulder. You slowly made your way towards the man in the blue suit.

“I’m glad to see you’re safe,” Reeve spoke softly. He glanced towards Barret and Marlene and motioned for you to follow him to the nearby church. “Are you going to go back to the Highwind?”

You watched your feet as you followed him. “I think so. It would be a disgrace to her memory if I didn’t. I have to fight for her.”

Reeve nodded his head. “I understand. Though, if you didn’t go back, I don’t think you would be disgracing her in any way.”

You looked up at him once the pair of you entered the church. “What are you going to do?”

Reeve walked towards the flowers and knelt down. “Cait Sith will be there. I will remain here and make sure Marlene and the rest of Midgar is safe.” He ran his fingers over the petals of a lily. “But I’ll also make sure you’re safe, too.” He took a deep breath and looked over at you. “I do love you. I know you may never feel the same way, and that’s okay.”

You made your way towards him and knelt down. You took a hold of his hand. “I don’t right now. It’ll take some time. But one day, I might.”

Reeve lightly squeezed your hand. “I look forward to that day.”  

[mrstifastrife]

The Seventh Heaven Children Need More Love!

I have like no following, but I have a lot of opinions so whoever is willing to listen is going to get my ramblings. 

Anyway, I’m not saying in any way that the Seventh Heaven family doesn’t get any love at all, but in the midst of all the shipping wars, it often gets muddled and the children are thrown around like chess pieces for the sake of preserving ships. 

Denzel and Marlene are amazing characters all on their own. This post does not include Tifa, Cloud, and Barrett (if it wasn’t evident from the title) because their characters are obviously shown throughout all of FF7. Marlene and Denzel are of course shown quite a lot in Advent Children, but I wanted to bring attention to On the Way to a Smile, in Denzel’s case, since his backstory isn’t really mentioned in ACC

Disclaimer: What I will be saying is my personal opinion and my interpretations, so if anything I say is incorrect, I am willing to be educated in a humanely fashion. Also this post will contain spoilers from FF7 OG as well. STRAP IN because this is going to be a LONG post. 

Let’s talk about Marlene first, shall we? 

In Advent Children, Marlene is about six-years-old. She’s really mature for her age and is very used to handling situations on her own. Not only that, but she grew up to be loving, thoughtful, and caring. Traits that both Aerith and Tifa share. (And I refuse to take slander on either character because they are both strong, wonderful women to be proud of.)

It’s important to remember that she has gone through a lot in her life, and yet, she still grows up to be such an amazing and profound child. Her biological parents died when Corel was destroyed by Shinra troops, and her family has almost always consisted of people that she never had any blood relation to. 

In ACC, even though she’s fairly young, she’s shown as a reliable, forthright, and dependable child. 

She deserves more credit than to be written off as a prop for ship wars. 

Let’s not forget that she played a hand in putting Cloud Strife in his place as well.

Her conversation with Cloud in Advent Children can be compared to that of Tifa’s conversation as well. This is not in any way to connect to any ships. I know it seems biased, but let’s not forget that in Advent Children, she and Tifa had a conversation about how they would go home after giving a lecture to Cloud. 

Starting off the conversation to discuss him having Geostigma:

Tifa to Cloud: “You have Geostigma, don’t you?”

Marlene to Cloud after touching his arm: “Does it hurt? 

Telling Cloud that he shouldn’t just keep thinking about himself: 

Tifa: “Stop running! I know. Even if you find the kids, you might not be able to help them. Maybe something will happen that can never un-happen. That scares you, doesn’t it? But you need to think about now. Really take it in. Look at you! You think you’ve got it so damn hard. Well, you hate being alone, so let people in! Sure, you might not answer the phone, but I don’t see you throwing it away either.” [Also I love this scene because you can see Rude and Reno trying to figure out what to do while Tifa is yelling at him lol]

Marlene imitating Barret: “How you supposed to look after your own family if you can’t even look after yourself?"

Trying to tell Cloud not to give up:

Tifa: “Don’t run. Let’s fight it together. We can help each other, I know we can. [No response] I guess that only works for real families.”

Marlene: “How you supposed to look after your own family if you can’t even look after yourself? At least, that’s what Daddy says. Cloud, don’t give up.”

I just like pointing out that even though Marlene looks up to Aerith as a role model, it does not discredit how much she looks up to Tifa as well. Many are forgetting that she literally lives with Tifa every single day and is taken care of her, so it’s not unnatural for her to adopt Tifa’s mannerisms. 

Unrelated to Tifa, can we talk about how Marlene is incredibly observant too? 

Marlene: “Does it hurt?” Cloud: “A bit. But not as bad as Denzel’s.” Marlene: “Is there a cure?” Cloud: “I don’t know.” Marlene: “After all you did, you’ve been trying so hard to find a cure for Denzel.” Cloud: “You knew about that? Marlene: “Cloud! You should clean off your desk once in a while.” Cloud: “Maybe I should.” Marlene: “So is that why? Is that the reason why you had to leave, Cloud? Because you couldn’t fix Denzel? Or because you have the sickness too?” Cloud: “I just thought I couldn’t care for myself. Let alone anyone else.”

I really loved this scene, especially since the way that they talk to each other is so natural, while the way that they look at each other is just so soft. Even though Barrett is her father, Cloud is obviously still a parental figure to her.

Marlene is really just an important character in Cloud’s development. Throughout Advent Children, he’s stuck in a struggle between guilt and himself. You see that in the beginning, he’s very quick to shut people out and disregard them. However, Marlene is the first person that he’s showing a change in character to. Yes, I said in my previous post that Tifa was the first to get him to open up and realize that he has to confront his struggles and live in the present, but he doesn’t actually start actively changing until he has a conversation with both Marlene and Vincent.

Cloud: “Marlene!” Marlene: “Cloud! Denzel, and Tifa!” Cloud: “Tifa is alright.” Marlene: “I wanna talk to her!” [Cloud and Marlene realize his phone is gone; Marlene turns to Vincent] “May I?” [Vincent shows that he doesn’t have a phone.] “You don’t have a phone?” Cloud: “Vincent, will you bring Marlene to Tifa? I’m gonna go see Shinra and get a few answers.” Vincent: “I can’t do that.” Cloud: “But I -” Marlene: “Forget it, Cloud! Why don’t you ever pay attention to us?” Cloud: “Marlene, please give me some time. There’s a battle to be fought, but it’s not as simple as just fighting it. Understand?” Marlene: “No, I don’t!” Vincent: “Cloud, are you sure this is about fighting?”

I really think that this was a true turning point for him. It’s not only a flashback of Tifa or a conversation with Aerith that changes his perspective, it’s also Marlene confronting him and showing him that his actions continue to have consequences on the people that he cares about. Hence, the conversation they have later where he actually starts to change from his stubborn indifference. 

Last but not least, let’s remember that even though it’s not ideal, she fills in for everyone else when they fall short. Besides being the narrator in the beginning, the first scene she’s shown in is of her taking care of Denzel. 

Narration: “But it looks like the planet is a lot madder than we thought. They call it geostigma.” Denzel: “Well, Marlene, how does it look?” [Marlene does not reply; She goes to place a gauze over the geostigma mark] Marlene, as a voiceover: “Please. Please don’t take Denzel away.”

This scene, despite how small it is, is so powerful. She’s a young girl living in a world where the people around her are directly affected by Geostigma and the aftermath of the planet. She knows there’s nothing she can do other than hope. That’s why Marlene shouldn’t just be used as a pawn to advocate for a ship. She’s her own character with her own convictions, thoughts, and actions. What is she not? A character only used to vouch for a ship. Let’s give Marlene the respect and love she deserves please!

Who’s next? Our lovely Denzel, of course. I’ve seen a lot of people say that he looks like Cloud and Aerith’s love child and then justify it by saying Aerith brought him to Cloud at her church.

First of all, Denzel is an orphaned child, who is just as affected as everyone else by the plate falling and the Meteorfall. He is not just a token child for a ship, so please do not simplify him as that, especially if you disregard everything about him in favor of your ship. Perhaps Aerith did lead Denzel toward Cloud, but remember that while Cloud’s away, Tifa is the one who is taking care of him. If we see it as love children, Denzel might as well be Tifa’s and Aerith’s.

Anyway, I digress. Denzel’s story is so much more impactful than to be written off as a love child or like in Marlene’s case, a pawn to justify a ship. He’s put in Advent Children as an example of a character that suffered from the worst of the Meteorfall and is an “outside” example to be more specific. He had no ties to Avalanche, Sephiroth, Shinra, etc. He was just a boy who lost his family from the plate falling, and not only that, he is suffering from geostigma as well. 

Please don’t just write him off as another piece of “evidence” for a ship. He has feelings too, and he started off being raised by a different set of people unlike Marlene, who had been raised by the same people her whole life. 

Let’s not forget that Denzel and Marlene were just as affected by Cloud leaving. While he’s laying in bed, he asks, “Cloud, where are you?” 

So please, for the love of all things holy, don’t classify Tifa as a hopeless, lonely bar owner. Denzel and Marlene needed him too. 

Throughout most of Advent Children, Denzel has his own story arc. There’s flashbacks of him and how he became a part of the Seventh Heaven family, along with his continued arc following the Moogle girl. 

I find it unfair that Denzel is only used as justification for ships because he has a really heartbreaking storyline. In Advent Children, he appears in bed suffering with geostigma. While he’s laying in bed, he’s wondering where Cloud is. Then, as he’s looking at a picture of him, Cloud, and Marlene, along with a picture of him with his parents, he says:

“Guess I was the last straw.”

Could you imagine being ten years old (I’m not entirely sure if this is 100% confirmed but he is a young age) and saying this? Within his years of living, his parents, Ruby, and Gaskin died. Now Cloud, someone he really looks up to, left him as well. 

A significant amount of his life was spent alone, hopping from home to home to the streets until he was able to find a place where he was loved.

From “On the Way to a Smile: Case of Denzel”: 

Alone again, like he had been so many times before, Denzel took a stick he had sharpened at one end looking for rats. He planned on catching and eating one. Dad, he thought. The people in the Slums don’t eat rats after all. But I will. Because I’ve got no money or a job, and this place is lower than the Slums. I’m a Sector Seven kid from the upper world. I can’t grow up in a place like this.

The isolation sapped Denzel’s will to live. It was the same situation as when Sector 7 was destroyed, but this time, his parents, Arkham, Levy [Ruby], Gaskin, the Search Team, hell, all the people he’d ever met who had supported him were gone now. Forever.

He felt that he couldn’t smile anymore. What did his mother say? “There’s no point in living if you don’t smile.” That’s right, mom, he thought. A filthy rat covered in horrible germs should save me. 

I think this passage alone speaks more volumes than I can. I should put a disclaimer that this was his thought process right before he ended up at the church. A little bonus of him telling Reeve and Johnny, “Hey, I USED to think like that back then, but I was wrong. That’s why I’m here now. Because I met the best person you ever could.” 

That’s just an insight into Denzel’s backstory, and even though he’s in a better living situation right now, it always breaks my heart thinking of what he had gone through to get where he is now. I don’t know if I should spoil too much of Case of Denzel, but I just want to say that he has such an amazing growth that’s show not only in Advent Children but in Case of Denzel as well. 

“I’m alive thanks to a lot of people. My parents, Mrs. Levy, Mr. Gaskin, everyone from the Search Team. People who are still around today, people who aren’t. Tifa, Cloud, Marlene, and...”

Reeve nodded.

“I want to be a person like that for someone. Next time, it’s my turn to protect people.”

Flash forward to Denzel talking with Johnny:

“It’s not that I want to be admired or anything,” Denzel answered. There were so many people who had supported him. Men and women, adults and children. All of them inspirations in their own way. “I guess I want to...repay my debt to all of them.”

I know, I know, most of my evidence for Denzel is taken from On the Way to a Smile, but I think that most of Advent Children’s story arc for him is more prominent and out in the open, so long as you decide to or have already watched it. That’s why I’m bringing more attention to Case of Denzel because it has a lot more insight into Denzel’s character and why he looks up to Cloud, along with his own motivations, not brought upon by anyone other than his experiences. 

There’s so much more that I could use for Denzel because he’s such a complex and amazing character. It’s why I find it aggravating that he’s only brought up for the sake of a ship war rather than to commend him as a person. So, as I said for Marlene, he deserves more recognition than to be a poster child for a ship. He didn’t lose so many people and decide to become a protector just because he was a “love child.” Please give him the love and appreciation he deserves as well. The creators of FF7 did not write him in to be the trophy of a winning ship. 

Anyway, if you read this far, thank you so much! I could go on and on about how Marlene and Denzel deserve to be praised to the heavens for how amazing they are. I hate seeing them only be used as justification for ships and then tossed to the side when they’re not being referenced anymore.

I know they’re just characters in a video game franchise, but they’re children. They’re people just as much as Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barrett, and everyone else. Put some respect to their names please! 

Feel free to come into my ask box or replies and talk to me. 

This is by no means meant to bash any ship. I know it may seem that way at some points of my rambling, but I promise that I’m trying to keep the peace and keep it as ambiguous as possible. 

Let’s spread love and positivity!

[blazehedgehog]

How did you learn to code?

I ramble for a while, so rather than have people scroll past a novel on their Tumblr dash, I’m hiding the full story behind a “Read More” tag.

The short answer is: I taught myself.

I took some computer science stuff toward the end of middle school where I learned TURTLE or whatever it was called, on the old Mac II’s they had. Then, I can’t remember if a computer science class in my Freshman year did some light programming or if I actually saw another kid doing it (making basically a “Hello World” equivalent) in BASIC, but I understood the rough idea of what was going on there.

From there, my Mom had taken a computer correspondence course back in 1988 or so -- she wanted to become a legal secretary. She got a computer and a bunch of software with it, this big Hyundai PC. No hard disk, not even support for color graphics. But it came with GWBASIC. Around high school I ended up getting a 33mhz Windows 3.11 machine (the first computer that was purely my own) with QBASIC, so I used my Mom’s GWBASIC manuals to goof around in QBASIC, since they were so similar. the first program I tried to write was a Pokedex, but I got stuck trying to figure out how to get it to draw graphics. Displaying text was easy, displaying simple geometric shapes (circles, etc.) was easy, but I wanted to have it draw, like, PokeBalls and stuff, but couldn’t figure it out.

High school meant we had to get graphing calculators, usually of the Texas Instruments variety, many of which come with their own programming language called TIBASIC. Most of my friends had TI-83s, I had a TI-82. So most of their games wouldn’t work on my calculator because the software was incompatible. With what I knew of GWBASIC and QBASIC, I ended up figuring out enough TIBASIC to start making simple text adventures. I called them “MovieGames” and usually it was a choose-your-own-adventure short story based on whatever I was thinking about at the time; Men in Black, Jurassic Park, Independence Day, etc. So you’d get a scene, like

A dinosaur is chasing you! Where do you go?

> Jungle> Plain

Perhaps for teachers doing tests, TIBASIC actually had a whole system built in for these kinds of multiple choice questions, so it was really as simple as making it print text, bringing up a multiple choice, and then branching the story from there. I did 4 or 5 of those.

Finally, I found another kid who had a TI-82, and had games he could share with me over the link cable, so I ended up with INDY500 and DRUGWARS. Both were my first real experiences with game logic. DRUGWARS (sometimes known as “Dope Wars”) was mostly a text-based game, and probably one of the most famous games out there, given how it’s been ported to everything under the sun. It even formed the basis of the drug minigame in GTA Chinatown Wars. The idea is that you buy drugs from one place, resell them at another, and make money by traveling around dealing to the right people and dodging the police.

The second game, INDY500, was a “real” game. It had scrolling and very basic graphics -- it used ASCII text to represent cars on a race track. So you’d drive down the course, going from left to right, avoiding cars down a straightaway as things got faster, and faster, and faster, trying to go as far as you could. Simple stuff, but a TI-82 didn’t have a lot to work with.

The TI-82 came with a massive instruction manual, most of which was a very detailed glossary for all of the TIBASIC programming functions. So basically, what I ended up doing with these two games, is go through them, line by line, looking up every single function in the instruction manual’s glossary. I’d mess with their parameters, see what they did, and basically ended up deconstructing both games and putting them back together again -- that was literally the case with INDY500, where once I understood how the game worked, I essentially re-wrote the entire game from scratch by memory.

With DRUGWARS, I ended up taking what I learned about the multiple choice selector in my “MovieGames” and turned it in to a sprawling text-based RPG based on Final Fantasy. It had a very basic story (loosely based on Final Fantasy VII), you could travel between towns, you’d get in to random battles while traveling, level up, learn spells, fight bosses, and even equip Materia for summons. It was so big and complex, if you played it for too long, the TI-82 would actually crash with an “OUT OF MEMORY” error because I’d used up all the system RAM -- with a text adventure.

At that point, I hit kind of a crossroads. I started making a real, actual, complex game on the TI-82 -- a side scrolling shooter that was based on Star Fox, but held more in common with Gradius. The TI-82 had a “graphing” mode that let you use a smaller font so if you were using ASCII graphics, you could fit more on screen, and using per-pixel precision (as opposed to per-row precision). Around this time, I also discovered Corel Click & Create, aka The Games Factory, aka Multimedia Fusion, aka Clickteam Fusion.

The problem with coding on a TI-82 is this was before the days of rechargeable batteries being in everything, so if the two AA’s inside the thing went dead, you lost all of your programs and everything else on it. Even just changing batteries, if you weren’t fast enough, the memory would eventually be erased. Three or four times over the course of a year or two, I lost everything I’d written on my TI-82, and by that point, I was learning enough about Click & Create that the TI-82 was looking less appealing by the day. CnC was simply more flexible, and faster to work with, and I had access to full-color graphics.

So I almost exclusively switched over to Click & Create from then on.

I did still keep up with programming a little bit here and there; I taught myself mIRC scripting, which at one point, I used to make an IRC-based MUD. That was, and maybe still is, the most complex thing I’ve ever programmed, and couldn’t even really be run because it’d spit out so much text it’d trip the flood protection on most servers.

Something else I started coding with mIRC scripting was a chat bot. For some reason I got it in my head that it’d be funny to prank my friends by writing a bot to detect when I’d been AFK and chat for me like I was still at the keyboard (I was a weird highschooler.) It started by spitting out pre-programmed messages, sort of like Eliza, but eventually I started to think about what would happen if I could record text from the chat, break it down in to individual parts, and then reassemble it back in to a coherent sentence. As it turns out, I had, completely by accident, stumbled upon the concept of a Markov Chain. (For the record, I also had never heard of Eliza, either).

So let’s say you’d submit a message to the chat that was like “Hello, everyone! How are you doing today?”

My mIRC script would break that down in to a bunch of separate pieces:

“Hello, everyone! How”“How are you”“you doing today?”“today?”

The script would take the last word of any given piece and try to match it to the first word of any other piece. In theory, this would correctly reassemble the sentence “Hello, everyone! How are you doing today?” -- but what it actually ended up doing was creating hilarious nonsense like

“Hello, everyone! How is it possible to be like Turtles in Time!”

The code was simple enough that many years later, I figured I could use this chat bot (which I called Gilliam, after the robot in Outlaw Star) and port it over to C++. Friends had been telling me for weeks how easy it was to make games in C++ using Allegro, so I figured it’d be a good way to get back in to “real” programming and get away from Click & Create.

Unfortunately, even just getting text to render in Allegro proved to be massively difficult for me as any given sentence longer than a certain length would cause huge memory overflow errors. I banged my head against it for a week, got nowhere, and eventually got so depressed and frustrated at my inability to grasp C++ and Allegro as easily as I did BASIC that I deleted the whole thing and have never touched “real” coding ever again. I’ve stuck to Clickteam Fusion almost exclusively, because it’s what I’m good at.

[sad-ch1ld]

via RSI Comm-Link

Family Reunion

Hey sharpshooters, thanks as always for joining us here at OP.NET, the best and only home for non-guild news, tips and reviews — unfiltered and raw. I’m your host, Conva Maynard, and I’d like to give a special welcome to all the new mercs joining us for the first time. Skiv and I had the honor of visiting the BHM Training School out in Cascom last week and giving a talk to their most recent graduating class. There was a bit of a Q&A with the students afterwards and it was really great to have a chance to explain why I choose to operate on my own instead of joining the guild. How being independent is a bit more work, sure, but for me, the freedom to set my own standards and decide for myself what terms I feel comfortable with makes it worthwhile.

For those of you not familiar with the school, they offer courses in general tactics, weapon training, boarding procedures, the works. All of the instructors are veterans of the industry and after meeting with the students, I can say the intensive courses they’re offering are a pretty fantastic way to learn the ropes. Especially for those who are looking to go a different route than getting their training in the military like a lot of mercs do. They also offer courses for experienced mercs who are looking to expand and hone their abilities. That’s how I got hooked up with them in the first place. Took a refresher course last year after we did a review of targeting systems and I realized that half the features Skiv mentioned were new to me.

Speaking of Skiv, there will be no review this episode because the lucky bastard is attending a super-secret sneak peek of a new ship that one of the majors is unveiling soon. I can’t say anything more than that, but I will cop to comming him about ten times a day trying to sweat more details out of him. Don’t worry though, we have plenty of other great stuff coming up. If this is your first time joining us, you have picked a fantastic show to start on. We’re going to do another edition of PsyOps where we get experts from various fields to discuss the latest tricks and tech for the modern merc. Plus, we have a special interview today with a guest who is very near and dear to my heart, and also the whole reason I’m even your host in the first place.

But before all that, we got some new contracts lighting up the Job Board, so let’s take a look.

First up, Blackjack Security is looking to take on a few hands to help handle an escort overflow they are dealing with near Crusader in the Stanton System. Recently, there’s been a rash of mining ships attacked by local scrags, and it seems that most of the companies over there are suddenly seeing the wisdom in ponying up for the extra security. They are specifically seeking mercs with combat experience who have their own rigs.

Next, we have an exotic escort gig out in the Protectorate. A trade caravan is seeking to staff up a fairly sizeable protection detail to accompany them from Corel to Gliese on a bimonthly basis for a year. They are hoping to hire people for the full stint of the contract, so while you can work other jobs in between, it will make scheduling a bit trickier for a little while. Also, before you ask, they do clearly state on their posting that their business is in no way connected to sentient trafficking, which is always nice to see made plain like that.

Last, the good people of Uriel in Oberon are expanding their security forces. The Navy had been maintaining a presence after last year’s Vanduul attacks in the system, but as war efforts concentrate elsewhere, the need for Uriel to provide its own protection has increased. Now, Uriel is a pretty tough place to live, but for the right merc, let’s say one who just graduated, I could see this being a great chance to establish themselves and get some real valuable experience.

All right, if you’re interested in any of those, we have the details for all of the Job Board listings up on our spec site. As always, make sure to check out all the specifics carefully for yourself before accepting any work.

Now, let’s finally get to that special guest I mentioned. I think it would be fair to say that I’ve been waiting my entire career here for a chance to sit down with her. Please join me in welcoming none other than OP.NET’s own Sabine “Mixer” Murillo.

How the hell have you been, Mixer?

Mixer: Surprisingly good, all things considered. I will say it’s a bit strange to be sitting on this side.

You can have your chair back, if you’d like.

Mixer: No, it’s your chair now. I was glad to see that the show was left in such capable hands.

Let’s talk about that.

Mixer: Me leaving OP.NET?

Yeah, exactly. It caught a lot of us, me included, by surprise at the time. What happened?

Mixer: To be honest, it caught me by surprise too. Hell, when I started that broadcast, I wasn’t expecting to quit like that. But telling everyone about what happened to Stephan Ganz … I don’t know, I just knew I had to do something to make it right.

And did you?

Mixer: Not in the way I was expecting. Those first few months in Terra, all I did was try to track down Doormat’s — Ganz’s — killer. The official reports were no help, so I hit the streets. Turned over just about every flophouse around those docks trying to find the lowlife who did it. Got to the point where the corner thugs would start shooting at me on sight, but in the end, I wasn’t any closer to finding out who had pulled the trigger.

That sounds frustrating and … and well, kind of reckless. Churning up that kind of trouble couldn’t have been healthy.

Mixer: No. It wasn’t. And the worst part was that even after I had a cleared out some ratnest, the very next day it’d be like I hadn’t done anything at all. Slowly, I came to terms with the fact that while someone may have pulled the trigger, it was the Blocks themselves that had cost Doormat his life. The people who wind up there, they can’t help sink lower and lower. Whether it’s drugs or violence or just straight up neglect, everyone there is living on borrowed time.

Yeah, places like that, you take down a thug and there’s always ten more waiting to step up. It’s like trying to bail out a sinking boat with a spoon.

Mixer: Right. Even if I could find Doormat’s killer, chances are it would be someone who was just as desperate and out of options as he had been. Started thinking that if I couldn’t find justice for Doormat, then maybe the best thing I could do was help see to it that no one else wound up like him.

Sounds like you decided to stop acting like a bounty hunter, and start behaving like a real merc again.

Mixer: Never thought about it like that, but you pretty much hit the nail on the head. While working the case I had met this counselor who had tried to help Doormat get clean, and with her help I got in touch with some vets who had fallen on hard times. I couldn’t pay credits at first, but offered them food, a room of their own and counseling if they needed it. Most people didn’t want anything to do with me, but there were a few who were willing to take a chance and that was enough to start. I worked out a perimeter line and together we took shifts patrolling a few select blocks. And while we busted up some thugs here and there, I think just having a few people around who were willing to stand up and say “no” made the biggest difference.

I get that. A lot people miss the point that most of the time a merc’s job isn’t to fight, but to act as a deterrent and prevent fighting from even happening in the first place.

Mixer: Exactly. Confronted with an actual opposition force, a lot of the worst elements retreated, and those that didn’t, we dealt with. Slowly but surely, we were able to expand the green zone. The Blocks still aren’t the nicest place to live, but now at least, for the first time in a long time, the people there have a real shot at turning things around.

And for me, the fact that you got to help some vets in need along the way is what makes the whole thing really special. I think Doormat would be touched by this legacy you’ve built in his honor.

Mixer: I hope so.

Now, if you were as moved by Mixer’s story as I was, there’s luckily a way you could help, and one that doesn’t involve moving to the Blocks yourself.

Mixer: Though I wouldn’t say no to the extra hands if anyone does want to come out, the main thing we need is equipment. We have almost no operating budget, and it would make a big difference to us if anyone was willing to donate some armor, weapons or ammo to help our effort out.

If any of you are like me, I know you have a few dented pieces of gear just taking up space. Or maybe next time Skiv does a review and you buy some new piece of kit, instead of selling it or tossing it, you could make a big difference by making sure it goes somewhere it’s needed. We have all the info on our site and to make things even easier, OP.NET has arranged with Covalex shipping to cover the cost of hauling your donation out to Terra.

Mixer: What? You serious, Maynard?

It’s the least we could do for such a great cause.

All right, we need to pause here, but we’ve got a lot more great stuff coming up after the break, including a brand new PsyOps. Care to do the honors, Mixer?

Mixer: Hold your course, OP.NET is active and unfiltered.

Still got it!

[inexcon]

RSI Comm-Link: OP.NET: Family Reunion

Family Reunion

Hey sharpshooters, thanks as always for joining us here at OP.NET, the best and only home for non-guild news, tips and reviews — unfiltered and raw. I’m your host, Conva Maynard, and I’d like to give a special welcome to all the new mercs joining us for the first time. Skiv and I had the honor of visiting the BHM Training School out in Cascom last week and giving a talk to their most recent graduating class. There was a bit of a Q&A with the students afterwards and it was really great to have a chance to explain why I choose to operate on my own instead of joining the guild. How being independent is a bit more work, sure, but for me, the freedom to set my own standards and decide for myself what terms I feel comfortable with makes it worthwhile.

For those of you not familiar with the school, they offer courses in general tactics, weapon training, boarding procedures, the works. All of the instructors are veterans of the industry and after meeting with the students, I can say the intensive courses they’re offering are a pretty fantastic way to learn the ropes. Especially for those who are looking to go a different route than getting their training in the military like a lot of mercs do. They also offer courses for experienced mercs who are looking to expand and hone their abilities. That’s how I got hooked up with them in the first place. Took a refresher course last year after we did a review of targeting systems and I realized that half the features Skiv mentioned were new to me.

Speaking of Skiv, there will be no review this episode because the lucky bastard is attending a super-secret sneak peek of a new ship that one of the majors is unveiling soon. I can’t say anything more than that, but I will cop to comming him about ten times a day trying to sweat more details out of him. Don’t worry though, we have plenty of other great stuff coming up. If this is your first time joining us, you have picked a fantastic show to start on. We’re going to do another edition of PsyOps where we get experts from various fields to discuss the latest tricks and tech for the modern merc. Plus, we have a special interview today with a guest who is very near and dear to my heart, and also the whole reason I’m even your host in the first place.

But before all that, we got some new contracts lighting up the Job Board, so let’s take a look.

First up, Blackjack Security is looking to take on a few hands to help handle an escort overflow they are dealing with near Crusader in the Stanton System. Recently, there’s been a rash of mining ships attacked by local scrags, and it seems that most of the companies over there are suddenly seeing the wisdom in ponying up for the extra security. They are specifically seeking mercs with combat experience who have their own rigs.

Next, we have an exotic escort gig out in the Protectorate. A trade caravan is seeking to staff up a fairly sizeable protection detail to accompany them from Corel to Gliese on a bimonthly basis for a year. They are hoping to hire people for the full stint of the contract, so while you can work other jobs in between, it will make scheduling a bit trickier for a little while. Also, before you ask, they do clearly state on their posting that their business is in no way connected to sentient trafficking, which is always nice to see made plain like that.

Last, the good people of Uriel in Oberon are expanding their security forces. The Navy had been maintaining a presence after last year’s Vanduul attacks in the system, but as war efforts concentrate elsewhere, the need for Uriel to provide its own protection has increased. Now, Uriel is a pretty tough place to live, but for the right merc, let’s say one who just graduated, I could see this being a great chance to establish themselves and get some real valuable experience.

All right, if you’re interested in any of those, we have the details for all of the Job Board listings up on our spec site. As always, make sure to check out all the specifics carefully for yourself before accepting any work.

Now, let’s finally get to that special guest I mentioned. I think it would be fair to say that I’ve been waiting my entire career here for a chance to sit down with her. Please join me in welcoming none other than OP.NET’s own Sabine “Mixer” Murillo.

How the hell have you been, Mixer?

Mixer: Surprisingly good, all things considered. I will say it’s a bit strange to be sitting on this side.

You can have your chair back, if you’d like.

Mixer: No, it’s your chair now. I was glad to see that the show was left in such capable hands.

Let’s talk about that.

Mixer: Me leaving OP.NET?

Yeah, exactly. It caught a lot of us, me included, by surprise at the time. What happened?

Mixer: To be honest, it caught me by surprise too. Hell, when I started that broadcast, I wasn’t expecting to quit like that. But telling everyone about what happened to Stephan Ganz … I don’t know, I just knew I had to do something to make it right.

And did you?

Mixer: Not in the way I was expecting. Those first few months in Terra, all I did was try to track down Doormat’s — Ganz’s — killer. The official reports were no help, so I hit the streets. Turned over just about every flophouse around those docks trying to find the lowlife who did it. Got to the point where the corner thugs would start shooting at me on sight, but in the end, I wasn’t any closer to finding out who had pulled the trigger.

That sounds frustrating and … and well, kind of reckless. Churning up that kind of trouble couldn’t have been healthy.

Mixer: No. It wasn’t. And the worst part was that even after I had a cleared out some ratnest, the very next day it’d be like I hadn’t done anything at all. Slowly, I came to terms with the fact that while someone may have pulled the trigger, it was the Blocks themselves that had cost Doormat his life. The people who wind up there, they can’t help sink lower and lower. Whether it’s drugs or violence or just straight up neglect, everyone there is living on borrowed time.

Yeah, places like that, you take down a thug and there’s always ten more waiting to step up. It’s like trying to bail out a sinking boat with a spoon.

Mixer: Right. Even if I could find Doormat’s killer, chances are it would be someone who was just as desperate and out of options as he had been. Started thinking that if I couldn’t find justice for Doormat, then maybe the best thing I could do was help see to it that no one else wound up like him.

Sounds like you decided to stop acting like a bounty hunter, and start behaving like a real merc again.

Mixer: Never thought about it like that, but you pretty much hit the nail on the head. While working the case I had met this counselor who had tried to help Doormat get clean, and with her help I got in touch with some vets who had fallen on hard times. I couldn’t pay credits at first, but offered them food, a room of their own and counseling if they needed it. Most people didn’t want anything to do with me, but there were a few who were willing to take a chance and that was enough to start. I worked out a perimeter line and together we took shifts patrolling a few select blocks. And while we busted up some thugs here and there, I think just having a few people around who were willing to stand up and say “no” made the biggest difference.

I get that. A lot people miss the point that most of the time a merc’s job isn’t to fight, but to act as a deterrent and prevent fighting from even happening in the first place.

Mixer: Exactly. Confronted with an actual opposition force, a lot of the worst elements retreated, and those that didn’t, we dealt with. Slowly but surely, we were able to expand the green zone. The Blocks still aren’t the nicest place to live, but now at least, for the first time in a long time, the people there have a real shot at turning things around.

And for me, the fact that you got to help some vets in need along the way is what makes the whole thing really special. I think Doormat would be touched by this legacy you’ve built in his honor.

Mixer: I hope so.

Now, if you were as moved by Mixer’s story as I was, there’s luckily a way you could help, and one that doesn’t involve moving to the Blocks yourself.

Mixer: Though I wouldn’t say no to the extra hands if anyone does want to come out, the main thing we need is equipment. We have almost no operating budget, and it would make a big difference to us if anyone was willing to donate some armor, weapons or ammo to help our effort out.

If any of you are like me, I know you have a few dented pieces of gear just taking up space. Or maybe next time Skiv does a review and you buy some new piece of kit, instead of selling it or tossing it, you could make a big difference by making sure it goes somewhere it’s needed. We have all the info on our site and to make things even easier, OP.NET has arranged with Covalex shipping to cover the cost of hauling your donation out to Terra.

Mixer: What? You serious, Maynard?

It’s the least we could do for such a great cause.

All right, we need to pause here, but we’ve got a lot more great stuff coming up after the break, including a brand new PsyOps. Care to do the honors, Mixer?

Mixer: Hold your course, OP.NET is active and unfiltered.

Still got it!

http://bit.ly/2w5TctI