I've seen people complaining heavily about the humor in this show. That it's all just sex jokes and the f word every two seconds. However, the things I think people are upset about usually aren't even the jokes. It's just characterization.
I saw someone complaining about a clip of Angel coming onto Husk and they made it seem awkward. It's supposed to be awkward, not funny. Just because a character themselves says a joke doesn't mean it's a joke written for the audience. A lot of angels lines are meant to be characterizations likely based around trauma.
As for the use of swearing, I don't get why everyone thinks swearing is supposed to be the punchline either. A character can say "f you" without it being a punchline, but because it's a comedy, everyone expects every line to be an attempt to be funny. It's just to set a tone and provide characterization. I'm just tired of people being upset that they're not laughing on the ground because of an unfunny joke that isn't even supposed to be really funny.
Like, I get the problems with this show, but I feel like some of the people who are upset just don't really understand storytelling. Which is funny, cuz storytelling is often the real place this show suffers. Like, if it was because they felt the show needed double the episodes, that's a valid critique. But people just think it's supposed to be funny the entire time.
I think the best example of what I'm trying to say can be found in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. There's a lot of slapstick scenes because it's about a cartoon rabbit accused of murder. However, the slapstick exists just to world build the fact that this is, Indeed, a cartoon rabbit in the regular world. I've seen the film a million times and I don't think things like the pronoun game are meant to make anybody actually laugh. Or when he knocks a bunch of plates over even. It's all just tone. That's what hazbin hotel is like. It's set in a universe where things are raunchy, but not everything raunchy in the show is intended to be a real, well timed joke.

Today’s review is for Tales of the EdgeWorlds Volume 1 by Shawn Frost. I was given an ARC copy back in July of 2023, but didn’t finish reading it until recently because I bogged myself down with too many activities, and something this long takes me a while. I will go through the things I liked about it, the things I hated, and wrap it up with a score from 1-10. My scoring system goes through 5 key components, with each one going over the creative aspect and the technical aspect. I will explain that part when we get to scoring later on, so let’s plow on through.
This is a collection, about 266 pages long, and is meant to be the first installment of a comedy series. Shawn runs a Youtube channel where he covers lolcows and does gaming streams, so comedy should come naturally to him. As a volume, this holds 4 short stories, each one holding about 8 chapters, with each story running for about 20k words. Technically, we can say it’s 4 novelettes, but as I explain the situation, you’ll see why they are so long. The plot may seem complex but the main characters go through the same situations: the dimensional merge occurred, between all of our creative properties and C-197, with a group of rambunctious penguins doing mercenary work.
Sadly, it’s not really the Chris-Chan version of a dimensional merge, so we do not see Sonichu or any of that wacky world… yet. It's volume 1, so it's too early to say it's not open to the possibilities. The style runs close to internet memes and those old Newgrounds cartoons, with the focus aimed at action scenes and descriptions of the creative world around their setups. But, as you read through the massive amount of descriptions and banter, you'll realize that very little happens in each story. I would say each one is very simple and with a low reading level needed to get through them, which is a double-edged sword in this case.
I say this because the writing tries too hard to claim a joke was made when it wasn’t really a “ha-ha” joke to begin with. It’s more like “ah… humor is detectable somewhere in these pages” kind of comedy. It relates to the offensive animals of Fritz the Cat, where the comedy comes from the absurdity of a setup, rather than a punchline that is found. Unfortunately, because the satire is absent and it focuses too much on the premise, the result becomes more like my favorite episode of Heil Honey I’m Home, minus Hitler and his annoying neighbors. The banter bogs down the pacing, turning each chapter into a short, yet overly long, sample of a scene, chained together by constantly shifting points of view.
Thankfully, this simple way of approaching a story allows a casual reader to speed on by. Things are easy to follow and characters are easy to remember. The main cast of Edgy, Jeff, Todd, and Hylus are separated by their brand of chaotic addictions. Addiction to drugs, addiction to hentai, addiction to video games, addiction to murder; all greatly expressed in what are meant to be running gags that resemble a sitcom cast. The ship they travel around in, from job to job, can easily be imagined as a "That '70s Show basement" version of the ship in The Orville, as each story goes to different planets where they meet different aliens.
There is enough in each story to understand what is going on, with the stories more as an exploration of lore than an exploration of character or theme. The lack of focus, as well as the indifferent prose, harms the way each tale is told. I would never say these are bad ideas or bad concepts, just bad ways to get them across. High concept, low composition. I would say the main value is from the promise of more to come than what is presented in the pages.
Time for the rating, which will be given between 0-2. 1 point goes to the technical aspect and 1 point goes to the creative side of things. Flaws within a point will reduce it into smaller decimals, but a single aspect is not able to entirely kill a story on its own. If it’s all technical or all creative, a story will be treated as mediocre. Even if I like something, it is still possible to get a 5/10, meaning it’s not suitable for the average reader who is more accepting of a 7 or an 8.
Plot: 1.5 Things happen and people go places in the form of a violent travelog. The pacing bogs down the destination with tourist traps.
Characters: 1.5 The characters play their roles well, even though their roles don’t play well with the plot. Their banter and quirks fall flat in parts.
Prose: 1 With clear points between A and B, wet and sloppy ideas are delivered dry and brittle. With each paragraph shoving lore down the reader’s throat, it can become death by a thousand detours.
Theme: 1 There is a great message about how chaos and anarchy transforms people into primitive animals. Unfortunately, the author couldn’t find it in the infinite vastness of subspace.
Setting : 2 It is a world you want to know more about and look forward to the next bit of info. Creative, exotic, to the proper point of chaotic, yet still comprehensible. Everything about this book is in the setting.
Final verdict: 7/10
The book is niche, it takes a while to heat up, and even then it’s as appealing as a mystery flavor hot pocket. If you’re into absurdity, you will enjoy it. I just wish the absurdity had some life behind it. There is room for expansion and I hope that opportunity is taken.

I would really appreciate it if more people would comment on this subject topic please.
I edited some things so you guys could read it better and there are also spoilers for the shitty story video game The Last of Us Part II so read at your own risk!
Do you think AJ might end up becoming a crazy serial killer sociopath or psychopath? Because the way he talks about killing people especially what he did to Marlon without thinking about the consequences of his actions was the definition of Murder! Marlon wasn't perfect but he didn't deserve to die like that he even surrenders too and I believe he actually felt Remorseful Regretful Guilty Responsible and Ashamed of what he had done
but AJ killed him in cold blood anyway so I don't blame Louis and Mitch and all the other kids for acting the way they did in Episode 2 and I know AJ is still young and Clem has been trying her best to teach him right from wrong and I know he saved Clem's life but still I worry that there will come a day where Clem will have to tell AJ to look at the flowers for those of you who know what I mean there are people who still don't like and hate AJ regardless of him saving Clem's life! Because of his personality especially when you tell him to kill Lilly and the way he said he liked killing her in such a creepy serial killer voice I mean he reminds me of Light Yagami from the anime/manga series Death Note and he reminds me of Harvey Dent aka Two-Face especially from The 2008 film The Dark Knight especially with that famous quote "You either die a Hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the Villain" and that's what I worry about with AJ that one day he could totally freaking snap and Clem would have no choice but to finally put him down once and for all that's what I still fear in the future for AJ that he will do something so bad to someone else that they will want revenge on him and
David from Season 3 is a good example of that because David was Crazy and in most of the endings of Season 3 he ends up dead! But he was right about one thing "AJ was a Brat" Also Karma might come back for AJ because someone might bash his brains out just like Badger from Season 3 got his brains bashed out from Javi all I'm saying is if AJ still keeps doing crazy stuff and being ruthless when it comes to killing people then someone is going to want revenge and is going to want to kill him Just like Abby killed Joel in The Last of Us Part II because Joel killed Abby's Dad! That could happen to AJ in the future you never know because he might just go to far and someone maybe Clem will have no choice but to put him down in the future which would be a sad but true thing indeed! So what do you all think about AJ's future when comes to killing people who do wrong by him and the way he talks about it like it's no big deal!
I just hope he will learn to give people the benefit of the doubt in the future instead of wanting to kill them because when it came to interrogating Abel when AJ saw him Die he started to feel a little sorry for him especially if you ask him as Clem by saying isn't this what you wanted and AJ will say I did but and then Abel will cut him off by saying You're going to get your wish and AJ has a sad look on his face I liked where AJ offers Abel Water at least because you told him what he did to Marlon was wrong and it was murder and that he would have to atone for it so he thought he could do the same with Abel I just don't know I still worry what and who AJ will become in the future
Maybe he will start to show a little bit of mercy to his enemies and he will only kill them in self defense and he will show mercy to the ones who hopefully feel Remorseful regretful guilty responsible and ashamed of their actions look I know it's a zombie apocalypse world and it's every person for themselves but you have to believe that there are some people who want to be good and who want to be heroes I hope AJ will see that and try to have a code when it comes to not killing as many people only if and when it's necessary and when it's unnecessary I hope he will learn and know the difference especially when said to Lilly's face in Episode 3 of the final season that he killed Marlon and that he wasn't a monster but she was and it was a good choice that he killed Lilly but still I just hope he will learn the difference when it comes to doing the right thing which is showing mercy to people like Marlon and killing people like Lilly I hope he will know the difference and grow up to be more like Clem and his parents Rebecca and Alvin and less like Carver hopefully anyway what do you guys think? 🤷‍♂️🙏

I would really appreciate it if more people would comment on this subject topic please.
I edited some things so you guys could read it better and there are also spoilers for the shitty story video game The Last of Us Part II so read at your own risk!
Do you think AJ might end up becoming a crazy serial killer sociopath or psychopath? Because the way he talks about killing people especially what he did to Marlon without thinking about the consequences of his actions was the definition of Murder! Marlon wasn't perfect but he didn't deserve to die like that he even surrenders too and I believe he actually felt Remorseful Regretful Guilty Responsible and Ashamed of what he had done
but AJ killed him in cold blood anyway so I don't blame Louis and Mitch and all the other kids for acting the way they did in Episode 2 and I know AJ is still young and Clem has been trying her best to teach him right from wrong and I know he saved Clem's life but still I worry that there will come a day where Clem will have to tell AJ to look at the flowers for those of you who know what I mean there are people who still don't like and hate AJ regardless of him saving Clem's life! Because of his personality especially when you tell him to kill Lilly and the way he said he liked killing her in such a creepy serial killer voice I mean he reminds me of Light Yagami from the anime/manga series Death Note and he reminds me of Harvey Dent aka Two-Face especially from The 2008 film The Dark Knight especially with that famous quote "You either die a Hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the Villain" and that's what I worry about with AJ that one day he could totally freaking snap and Clem would have no choice but to finally put him down once and for all that's what I still fear in the future for AJ that he will do something so bad to someone else that they will want revenge on him and
David from Season 3 is a good example of that because David was Crazy and in most of the endings of Season 3 he ends up dead! But he was right about one thing "AJ was a Brat" Also Karma might come back for AJ because someone might bash his brains out just like Badger from Season 3 got his brains bashed out from Javi all I'm saying is if AJ still keeps doing crazy stuff and being ruthless when it comes to killing people then someone is going to want revenge and is going to want to kill him Just like Abby killed Joel in The Last of Us Part II because Joel killed Abby's Dad! That could happen to AJ in the future you never know because he might just go to far and someone maybe Clem will have no choice but to put him down in the future which would be a sad but true thing indeed! So what do you all think about AJ's future when comes to killing people who do wrong by him and the way he talks about it like it's no big deal!
I just hope he will learn to give people the benefit of the doubt in the future instead of wanting to kill them because when it came to interrogating Abel when AJ saw him Die he started to feel a little sorry for him especially if you ask him as Clem by saying isn't this what you wanted and AJ will say I did but and then Abel will cut him off by saying You're going to get your wish and AJ has a sad look on his face I liked where AJ offers Abel Water at least because you told him what he did to Marlon was wrong and it was murder and that he would have to atone for it so he thought he could do the same with Abel I just don't know I still worry what and who AJ will become in the future
Maybe he will start to show a little bit of mercy to his enemies and he will only kill them in self defense and he will show mercy to the ones who hopefully feel Remorseful regretful guilty responsible and ashamed of their actions look I know it's a zombie apocalypse world and it's every person for themselves but you have to believe that there are some people who want to be good and who want to be heroes I hope AJ will see that and try to have a code when it comes to not killing as many people only if and when it's necessary and when it's unnecessary I hope he will learn and know the difference especially when said to Lilly's face in Episode 3 of the final season that he killed Marlon and that he wasn't a monster but she was and it was a good choice that he killed Lilly but still I just hope he will learn the difference when it comes to doing the right thing which is showing mercy to people like Marlon and killing people like Lilly I hope he will know the difference and grow up to be more like Clem and his parents Rebecca and Alvin and less like Carver hopefully anyway what do you guys think? 🤷‍♂️🙏

This girl kept looking at me. It's starting to weird me out. Explanation
I believe an explanation is in order.
This started about a month ago, and i slightly regret letting it happen. The day at school started out like normal. Nothing was happening, and it would've been a slow day if it wasn't for the new student. She seemed to be a shy girl and was really quiet type and honestly, II would probably never talk to her unless I needed too. She ended up sitting in the row behind me, all the way on the other side of the class from me, yet I could feel the burning sensation of eyes on me. This persisted during the day, and it made feel somewhat nervous, and soon it started to get on my nerves, so as the day ended, I went up to her and asked her.
“I've seen you looking at me all day. Is there something you need from me”
she admitted to it, and she explained everything to me:
She is a small time warrior who came from another world to look for someone specific. The warrior from another world who somehow lost the connection to his other self. She was tasked with finding him in the other world and get him to properly return so he could be revived properly, and she believes I am this person.
I call her crazy and ask if she thinks I'm stupid. To which she responded with a deal. If she proved to me that what she was talking about was real, I would have to do something for her. This is when everything starts to go downhill. After I agree, thinking she couldn't, she takes my hand and slips this ring on my finger. She had one of her own, and she basically told me to rub it. I do so, and it suddenly starts to glow, and with a quick flash it went to black.
Moments later, I wake up in what seems to be a bed, but it looked very old-fashioned. My surroundings looked even more old and medieval, and I started to worry. As I notice on my right, there's a lady at my side with not only a very familiar face, but the world's more smug expression on her face. She had pointed ears now, and I instinctively felt mine as well, informing me that I had them as well. She was right, and this sentence would start the rest of my life in this world and my own:
“I believe we had a deal. Let's talk business, shall we?”
I guess this is the part where I explain myself. I call this brand-new plot idea, part-time isekai! For those who want a little tldr, here's the deal.
Your character is from another world, a world which is greatly connected to mine. Inward this other world, we are working together as bounty hunters who were starting out but quickly rising up in popularity. During one of these missions, my other world character gets shut down in a way that separates both worlds souls from each other, rendering him in a coma. Determined to get his partner back, she has to travel to the other world and convince the other part of him to join him. After they make the deal, and he comes back too, she asked the new person to help her with her bounty hunting with the promise that he can stay in his world until she needed him for a mission.
That's basically the short version with some added context. I've been wanting to make something new and bigger than usual, and this is what I hope you also find interesting and unique. I would like to talk more details when you do send a message to role-play, but if you have any important questions now, don't be afraid to ask them in the comments.

So I'd been hanging out with this artist and DM duo online for quite a while, after meeting Art Lady through her commissions, and I loved her and generally thought the husband was pretty cool most of the time... I joined DM's 5e game, where everyone played as dragons themed after different things, like love, roses, gold, etc, and we could all turn into 'almost' human forms. All seemed pretty cool early on. We even got custom abilities (though DM didn't seem to understand or want to allow my character simply being resistant to cold weather, meanwhile others got some *powerful* abilities)
Dragon forms were powerful, but dragons were hunted in this setting, so there was also an added danger to using them, despite the +10 to ability scores, double HP, breath weapons, multiple melee attacks, and custom abilities. It worked relatively well, honestly, though it certainly had issues, and DM couldn't make up his mind on certain details.
I played a dragon of sunlight and cleric of the Sun, going by the name Monday Bell in her human form; she hated being a dragon and did her best to hide her nature. I enjoyed creating her, and I loved some of the character interactions, but...
DM had some really questionable encounter designs and rulings. It would take forever to explain, but basically it felt like he thought "you can't do anything once X happens" and likely instant-kill musket shots were fun. Yeah... Anyway, I stayed for the characters.
DM was obsessed with PCs being as mechanically different as possible. He didn't allow people to have the same class (including a 1-level dip into Monk just for better AC as an unarmored person), AND... He didn't allow people to have the same... highest ability score. I kid you not. He went so far as to tell casters to base their spells off of different abilities than the rules say (he gave specific options for each class) so there's no twinsies... I really hated this, and I should have dropped out before I joined, when I saw that rule of his.
DM also said that Art Lady and her friend were uncomfortable with my character flirting with theirs... Monday hadn't flirted with anyone. She was vaguely affectionate, putting a hand on someone's arm sometimes, but that was it; that's not flirting. DM claimed I put Art Lady "into a position where she couldn't say no", because... Monday had asked her PC if they could share a hotel room (not a bed!) for a night, when Monday was scared by something earlier. Um... If Art Lady's PC said no, I would've asked the others; it's just that Monday didn't get along with them as well. They were kind of sus, actually.
Side note: I found the flirting accusation extra weird, because I had consensually flirted with Art Lady before (fiancé also saying he was fine with it); I'd think they'd know the difference between flirting and my character being friendly and compassionate. I was baffled.
Then the "saint" issue. For context: DM previously said "there are no gods in this setting, only saints." He defined saints, then said "Or you can worship a heavenly body, a magical place, or mythical creatures". Sounded cool. As a child, I was a closeted lesbian abused by a Christian cult, and I'm still processing some of that trauma, so I squirmed at the word saint, but I can worship the Sun? that sounds cool! I'll be a pretty dragon lady who gets power from the Sun. Awesome. A couple months into the game, DM reveals to me that ALL worship is saint worship; that I MUST worship them to be a cleric, and my Sun worship would in fact be worship of saints who embody aspects of the Sun... This completely invalidates my character concept. He then finally tells me that the campaign contains intentional Christian references. I'm very uncomfortable.
I'm not anti-Christian, but I am very uncomfortable interacting with Christian-specific themes in games. I wasn't the only one either; the paladin was supposed to be an "ocean" worshiper, and was pretty uncomfortable when I mentioned what DM said to me; she didn't want to play a character worshiping "saints" and was pretty uncomfortable with it. This person wasn't in the game for a few sessions, and DM said to her that she couldn't rejoin since it would be narratively awkward after too long, but gave us a different story; I had to get that from her directly. Her coming back didn't work, but replacing us was fine, apparently. Wow.
I did quit the game, but only after the "saint" conversation; DM said I wasn't allowed in his games anymore, but he was allowing me to stay on his Discord server, because "it would be evil" to kick me off. I then saw that DM and Art Lady had left my Discord server without even mentioning it... I then wrote up a long message to the 2 of them carefully explaining how DM had effectively banned me for having religious trauma and (politely) questioning his crazy rules, and that DM had anger issues, communication issues, and a track record of making me cry a few times before, and that I wasn't going to put up with it anymore. But I wished them both to become healthier, less codependent people.
DM then posted on his server that I "was not so friendly" and warned others about me trying to talk to them, as if I was going to do something harmful. This is absurd, as I had expressed not anger, but sadness and pain. I wished they could've been the people I thought they were before I joined that game, but they weren't; they were toxic, codependent crazy people, and DM was a hyper-controlling jerk with some bad anger issues. I'm a little scared for Art Lady, but also, does she want to be independent or functional? She seemed to like relying on DM for everything, which makes me sad; that's not a recipe for a healthy or happy life.
This experience has made me want to be a more lenient GM myself, and I just don't want to tell people no when I don't have to anymore and I want to be more careful about boundaries/triggers than that guy was, but I don't want to say yes to things that don't fit the game world. I'm trying to find the right balance, and oh, I am galvanized after that.
I hope this story encourages others to watch for these sort of issues in games they join.

Genocide looked to the sky. He thought of his mentor. The one who had saved him. He remembered his childhood. How powerless he was. He remembered the anger. He never wanted to hurt anybody. He thought of all the times he showed compassion. How much they hurt him for it. He saw the world before him, a graveyard. Humans. People that were supposed to be made in the image of some divine creator. They were but maggots feasting upon his remains. They ate away at his very being until nothing human remained. His thoughts were no longer his own. He had no joys in life that mattered. He hated humanity more than he could love anything about himself. He remember his first killing spree. Being gunned down by police. Left for dead. He remembered a hooded figure moving towards him. Getting closer the more he neared his death. He saw its pale face. Its impossibly black eyes. It was a man. This figure in question appeared to be of Japanese nationality with long, straight, loose hair. It emanated extreme malice. It offered him a choice. A purpose. Power. He thought the figure a reaper but it identified itself as Amakusa Masataka. Masataka guided him on how to kill and gave him specific locations to kill people in. In a sense, he became a hitman for quotas of people. He inquired what Masataka was. The presence of evil, his ability to appear and disappear at will, how he could control what people could see him and what people couldn't. While vague, years of killing for this being offered some insight. Amakusa Masataka belonged to a group of people not of this world. His people had been corrupted by a dark force long ago and had aligned themselves with the warlord who had subjugated their version of Japan. Their dark high priest assisted the warlord along with two others. These four rulers in turn served a larger order. The four were tasked with bringing about the end of the current world as an act of retribution for some fallen deity. Masataka's people acted as covert operatives for this empire. They were feared across the land and were collectively referred to as "Shinigami". An agent of the coming apocalypse, a servant of evil possessed by the will of those gods of death, Genocide would walk the earth.
Genocide stepped toward the station. A police cruiser rammed into him. He pulled out a knife and stabbed the hood of the car. The inhuman force of the knife created sparks which burst the engine into flames. The car crashed into a streetlight and exploded. A second cruiser neared the scene. No way a man could have done this. Yet still, out of the fires Genocide strode forth. It set upon the second vehicle, shooting out it's tires while jumping 9 feet into the air. The car tries to reverse but crashes into a wall. Genocide lands on the hood and kicks through the front window. Glass shatters under its boot, blinding the two officers inside. Genocide shoots one of the officers with a shotgun, killing him. The second officer in the passenger seat readies his pistol and takes aim. Only two shots fired, both directed at Genocide's head. It casually cocks its neck to avoid them. Then it grabs the officer's arm, breaking it. Genocide uses its free hand to grab the officer's head and bangs it into the dashboard no less than 5 times. The skull is shattered on the final impact. Genocide jumps off the car and continues on his mission.
Detective Evans speaks through a megaphone," This is your first and final warning. Stand down or we will use any and all means at our disposal to put you down." Genocide dropped its shotgun and raised its hands. A group of five SWAT team members rushed out the station, surrounding Genocide with riot shields. An officer accompanies them, edging behind the figure to apply handcuffs. Suddenly, Genocide springs to life , grabbing the officer behind him. He flips the officer over his head, slamming him into the pavement at his feet. Then Genocide stomps his head causing it to burst. Genocide drops a flash bomb from his coat sleeve, blinding the SWAT team as he draws his knife. He drives it into one SWAT member, the knife puncturing the shield and piercing his chest. Genocide kicks the corpse away withdrawing his knife. He goes to another, this time using the end of his boot toe in a rising kick to disarm their shield. He grabs them by the throat and drives the knife slowly into their eye socket. Another is tackled to the ground and beaten to death despite still being under the shield. Another is picked up and thrown into the fires still burning from the first auto incident. In no time, Genocide stood before an indistinguishable mass of gore, blood streaking across his black leather outfit. He laughed" So this is all you can give me. I'm not entertained." Officers took aim from the station windows, and snipers did so from other rooftops. Genocide laughed maniacally as he was rained down upon from all sides by a hailstorm of bullets. His body convulsed, but he did not fall. Moments more and he was on his knees. Still though, their efforts were futile. Gracia looked out and saw a black mist coalescing around the man in black. His blood. Blood erupted from his body only to transform into this dark mist that reentered his wounds. Genocide screamed. No. It was just an elevated pitch in his laughter. Optimism failed everyone yet again. Gracia saw Genocide holding something in his right hand. She could only make out a beeping red light. Genocide pushed the button triggering the carefully concealed explosives he laid in preparation for this event. C4 explosives went off in all the places he saw fit. The sniping posts he couldn't reach. The assault of lead lightened. Then Genocide drew an RPG from...somewhere. He collected himself and fired at the station's entrance. The explosion shook the station. From inside, the lights began to flicker. Communications were down on all fronts. Had he modified the rocket with some type of EMP? Not good. Amisdst the confusion Genocide entered using smoke bombs to mask his presence. Moving like a shadow, he killed everyone in the lobby silently with his knife. He made his way to the holding cells. Still they chanted. Still they praised. Still they raved for the arrival of genocide. Genocide shot the lock opening the cell. Jim Jimenez walked out and bowed before his master. Genocide smiled. He couldn't have imagined how proficient he had gotten with possession. Well, not quite possession. He had known of the Shinigami's ability to share their thoughts and emotions with humans. Shinigami like his mentor were ancient. They had so many years of memories, such strong a hatred for life that they overwhelmed the personality of the victim. The victim sees themselves as one of them. Shinigami can't force the will of the victim, so they find those who are already similar to them in some way. Genocide found the collective universal distrust of police to be a prime sentiment to capitalize on. He armed the inmates, infecting them with samples of his own dark essence.One particular inmate caught Genocide's eye. He knew the man's work. An arsonist. The one whom he recalls was responsible for blowing up his first car way back in high school. Rather than a standard firearm, Genocide gave the man a random assortment of grenades containing a special surprise. Genocide showed them visions of anarchy, of sending a message to a society that used and disregarded them. While this was also true of how he felt, years of living in darkness had changed him. He needed no purpose. No end goal. No justification. He just wanted to watch the world burn.
Genocide's small army broke off to engage several different wings of the station. Genocide went to the security room. He found Wayne, his informant, playing some FPS on one of the monitors. Wayne took of his headphones and asked," You kill everyone yet?" Genocide responded," No. You should get going before that happens. Your life becomes fair game if I run out of pigs to cook." Wayne clapped his hands, "Aight, GC my man, say less." He packed his things and left. Genocide drew a twin pair of handguns and laid waste to the station. He followed a group that took cover in the men's restroom. Kicking open multiple stalls he was surprised to find...nothing. Where had they gone? He turned around and saw his mentor, Masataka, smiling at him. It looked like him. Long, dark hair, black clothing, and soulless, empty eyes. But it wasn't. It was Genocide's own reflection in the mirror. Genocide smiled. He didn't notice the changes at first. They must have happened gradually. Subconsciously. From the final stall, an officer sprung into action, rushing Genocide, hitting him point blank with a shockgun round. Genocide felt the tingling sensation electrifying his body and grew numb. In spite of the pain, he took a single step. Then, another. He came within striking range of the officer and snatched the shockgun. Two more officers erupted from another stall, battering him with baton strikes. Genocide felt nothing. He clutched the shockgun in his hand like a bat and went to work pulverizing his attackers. An officer kicked in the bathroom door, a woman holding a pistol. She fired multiple times to no effect. Genocide stood covered in blood. He even let her reload. Twice. He wanted to see her despair. Her hopelessness. He walked towards her, shrugging off bullets as they pierced his body. His wounds healed nigh instantly due to the dark essence he had been imbued with. He held her face with both hands, lifting her body off the ground. As she screamed, he used her head to shatter the restroom mirror, running down the full length of it while smashing her into it at several points. He dropped the remains of what he held, washed his hands with soap, dried them, then exited the restroom.
The inmates that rallied for the cause of genocide attacked the station. Fortunately, they were nowhere near Genocide in terms of power and only carried one type of firearm each. They shared his healing ability but could be killed quite easily. Gracia encountered a sniper on the end or a west wing hallway. Other officers waited behind corners unable to get close. Gracia noticed the faulty lighting. In this hallway, the lights flickered in intervals of 3 seconds. Finding a pattern and timing her movements, she rushed the sniper at the exact moment the lights went out. Running the length of the hall, Gracia zigzagged, dodging the sniper inmate's bullets. She jumped on a wall, ran 3 feet on it, then kicked off it, pouncing on the assailant. She fired five shots into him, making sure to hit the brain and the heart. Two severe injuries that were impossible for Shinigami essence to heal simultaneously. Elsewhere, Evans took on another escaped inmate. A vehicular arsonist named Carson. Carson had a bag filled with an assortment of different grenades and was happily giving them out like candy on Halloween. "A flash bang here, a bit of tear gas there. Oh. Wait! Was that an ice grenade? Did the explosion freeze your leg to the floor? Whoops. Maybe a fire grenade will melt that for you. Hold on let me get one fore you," Carson rambled gleefully. Evans looked at the carnage before him. Officers burning. Officers partially frozen in blocks of ice. He took a breath and aimed his wristgun. He steadied his right forearm. Carson readied to throw a random grenade. Evans shot it the moment it left Carson's hand. The grenade exploded directly in front of Carson. Both Evans and Carson looked at each other in shock. Confetti. A party grenade? Carson quickly fumbled for another but was tackled and restrained by several officers. Meanwhile in the South wing, Lary had some colleagues set a trap for another shotgun toting inmate. He had them bait the inmate and flee. Giving chase he turned a corner and ran straight into Lary's fist. The inmate recovered and motioned to shoot Lary. "Let's tango. " Lary gave the code word. Nearby officers activated a device. A signal jammer of sorts. The inmate shoved the barrel of his gun into Lary's gut and pulled the trigger. Nothing. The special signal jammer in question was designed for firearms. It was a last resort as it left officers just as defenseless. Lary was having fun. He boxed the inmate in hand to hand combat. Despite the inmate's enhanced strength, Lary's technique pulled through. Lary ducked under one of the inmate's wide punches and did some type of rising uppercut where he jumped off the ground while spinning. One of the other officers whispered" The rising dragon." Lary smiled giving a thumbs up" Yeah, it was a rising dragon uppercut. Saw it in one O my kid's vidya games. Thought I'd try it out while I'm jacked on adrenaline".
Jim Jimenez looked long and hard at himself in the mirror. He was in the women's restroom. Some brainless woman had broken the men's restroom mirror with her face. For the first time in a long while Jim could think clearly. He was becoming sane. At the least he was no longer a raving lunatic. The life essence of the dark gods had healed the wounds to both his body and his mind. He saw his face, his scraggly dirty beard. He found a razor and shaved. He trimmed his beard somewhat. He liked it. He washed his hair. It fell down his face like silk, no longer greasy. His bloodshot eyes once burning with crazed intensity had cooled. He blinked. Just for a second, he saw the man known as Genocide. The man that attacked him. The one that killed him and gave him new life. The drug dealers. The police. They were all the same in his eyes now. They were all to blame for the world being what it is. Jim wanted to hate them. He wanted to take revenge, but he felt nothing. It didn't matter. He knew he was wronged, could logically justify acting against them, but he just didn't care anymore. About anything. He was finally free. Sensing his presence was no longer needed here, Jim vanished into the night. He needed to find someone who had had the answers he needed. Himself. Who had he been? Who was he now? Who could he become? Where was he going? So many questions to ponder indefinitely. So much time left in the rest of his life.
Genocide ran down the station's halls raining hailstorms of bullets upon its occupants. He had a handgun in each hand as well as a wristgun on each wrist. This effectively gave him 4 separate firearms that he could use simultaneously. Lary regrouped with Gracia, Evans, and a handful of others. They radioed all surviving officers near Genocide to flee to the roof. This plan had been set in motion days before the assault and had been kept hidden from most of the force. The plan involved scheduling flights for several helicopters to arrive at some point after Genocide arrived. There would be no way for him to prepare for them and pre-scheduling their arrival ensured they arrived regardless of if they were called or not. Lary and the others set about preparing the second jamming device. Genocide stood among a hallway of bodies. He saw one man clinging to life trying to crawl away. He decided on trying that other thing he saw his master do. He grabbed the dying man and pinned him to the wall. Slowly he drove a knife into his chest. As the man's life slipped away, something else entered his body. Genocide channeled a small amount of his essence into the vessel. He had steadily done this with other casualties around the station whose bodies were somewhat salvageable. He dropped the body he was holding and looked upon the others. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his eyed were black, both sclera and iris. The scene before him changed. Genocide had a vision. He saw a dead gray wasteland littered with bodies. These people however weren't cops and wore traditional Japanese attire. In his hand wasn't a gun or knife but a short sickle akin to a farming tool. He heard a dark voice call out to him. Slowly, the corpses around him began to rise, now mere puppets bound eternally to their master's whim. The bodies sold to the reaper who had claimed their lives. Genocide's vision ended. His eyes had returned normal. Around him, dead cops began to rise. His dark essence had entered their bodies and reanimated them. He sent his dead army to attack the officers fleeing to the roof of the station. These zombies swarmed the stairwell giving chase to the few survivors. There were five of them. They had two flights of stairs to climb and a horde of their former colleagues close behind them. One officer tripped and was set upon by the horde. The zombies didn't bite them but held them firmly in place. The other four officers stared down wondering what to do. They could hear Genocide chuckling. They could hear humming. They could feel the temperature rising. Their colleague and the two zombies holding him were hit by an enormous green fireball. Genocide had fired a Magnum Opus and had charged the bullet to level 3. The Magnum Opus was simply a magnum that shot fireballs, with bullets that could be charged by holding down the trigger. It had three levels of charges. Level 1 was a small reddish ball of plasma. Level 2 was slightly larger and yellow. Level 3 was the maximum charge and resulted in a large slow moving green blast of energy. The officer was ignited and Genocide watched gleefully as the force of the blast sent him flying through a wall. The four officers continued up firing occasionally to slow down the zombies. Soon they made it to a door leading to the roof. Before one officer could reach it, he was sniped by Genocide, a bullet to the head killing him instantly. The remaining three made it out. They regrouped with the others already there, 12 in total, including Lary, Evans, and Gracia. This would be their final stand. They just had to hold out until Genocide made it up there. They just had to keep Genocide occupied until the helicopters arrived. Genocide slowly ascended the stairs behind his horde. On the roof, the remaining survivors faced off against waves of the undead. Evans recognized the attackers. These zombies were being controlled by nanomachines. He heard the stories of several weapons encountered by soldiers on the battlefield. These creatures were called Metaldeads as they were reanimated via machines. They had been officially banned by most of the worlds' governments for being unethical. However, this did not stop the technology from being spread still between shady organizations, terrorists, etc. Evans wondered how Genocide got this form of nanotechnology. Evans long speculated that the dark essence used by most of the killers they encountered was a a form of nanotech however it was different from anything else he had seen or heard about. The dark essence seemed to be an amalgamation of other types of nanotech. Evans had to save his inquiries for later. He reloaded his wristgun and took aim at the approaching group of Metaldeads. Gracia steadied her handgun and shot two Metaldeads in the head. From the single door countless arms seemed to spill forth from the darkness. The other officers took turns firing in intervals. this allowed them to create a steady stream of fire where no more that three guns needed to be reloaded at once. The horde seemed to thin out over time as if they were making progress. In actuality, the Metaldeads were just making room for Genocide to enter. Genocide exploded in a sprint from the door. Everyone fired upon the killer. Genocide had now chosen a wrist mounted mini flamethrower to use as his weapon. He stormed past the oncoming bullets taking some damage, but refused to slow down. He unleashed a stream of fire that caught five of the officers in one fell swoop. Gracia fired five rounds into Genocide's face. He stumbled back. Lary took the chance to fire several mine gun bullets at Genocide's feet. The mines quickly detected his movement and exploded. In seconds, Genocide was on his back.
Staring at the night sky Genocide saw the moon. He reached for it. He called for the darkness to give him more power. His wounds began healing. In the sky he could hear the whirl of propellers. There were six helicopters in total. The first two had evacuated the survivors while the others stayed to engage Genocide. Genocide got up and unstrapped the sniper rifle from his back. He stood before the searchlights as a black silhouette, cornered but unwilling to back down. Lary stared down at him smiling. "Okay!" He shouted, "Let's Tango!" Upon this declaration the second jamming device was activated. Now, isolated on the roof, Genocide's guns couldn't be fired and the helicopters were out of range of the device. Now Genocide stood like a sitting duck. A helicopter fired a rocket. Genocide side stepped and grabbed it. He turned his body redirecting the rocket to hit another helicopter. As it exploded Genocide drew his knife and threw it at another helicopter. Behind the knife was such force that it shattered the helicopter window's glass, embedding itself in the pilot. This helicopter too went down where it exploded. "Holy clucknuggets!Did you see that!?" Lary said dumbfounded. Evans looked out the helicopter door he was in jaw open in shock. "There's no way." He collected himself quickly and radioed the remaining two helicopters to keep moving and to use their machineguns as much as possible. The helicopters reigned down upon Genocide tearing apart his body. Shreds of leather and darkened blood sprayed across the pavement of the roof. Gracia watched as Genocide's body was destroyed repeatedly as it tried to heal. Surely he had to stop at some point. After 10 minutes the helicopters had exhausted their cache of ammunition and soldiers opted to fire their own rifles and occasionally throw grenades. After about six minutes, they too had run out of bullets. Genocide stood unfazed. He had long since healed himself and now appeared intangible with gunfire seeming to pass through his body. His coat once ripped , now appeared whole though on closer inspection seemed to writhe. Gracia looked in horror as she remembered the tales her adopted father had told her. Tales he had in turn heard from his predecessors. Every so often officers had reported encounters with ghost like beings cloaked in a cloud of living dark mist. The beings were rumored to be responsible for the deaths of multiple people ranging from scientists, veterans, mafia, politicians, etc. They were seen near such crime scenes and even more shockingly appeared around several sites where suicides were committed. These beings were reportedly impervious to bullets and filled anyone who got near with an impending sense of dread. If Genocide was connected to them or somehow turning into one , there was little chance they would be able to defeat him. Gracia's fears were confirmed when she saw that Genocide's leather coat had been destroyed and he had replaced it with the dark mist coalescing from his own spilled blood. The dark mist, swirling, grew larger and several tendrils sprouted out from it. Gracia could briefly make out a figure standing next to Genocide. A hooded figure cloaked in the same black substance. The figure stared up at her with soulless, blackened eyes which seemed to beckon her to jump from the aircraft she was standing in. Compelling her to give in to the death that plagued the earth. Genocide kneeled to his master. The Shinigami, Masataka stared down at his disciple. "You have done a great service to us. Even now the sealed god stirs in its slumber. Its...Awakening will soon be upon us. It calls out for war. It begs for famine. It longs to continue its conquest. We are the death it so desires. The death that is necessary for this civilization to grow. Use the power that I have bestowed upon you. Finish the mission as you see fit." The Shinigami vanished and Genocide stood.Genocide stared at his hands. He remembered the first killing spree. He was on a bus. It stopped. A woman got on the bus and walked to the back smiling as she passed him. Something about her eyes unnerved him. They were so bright but something dark reflected inside them. He ignored the thought and put in his headphones. In minutes he had dozed off. He jumped awake. He looked around and froze in panic. All around him, everyone had been hacked to pieces. He saw the driver, actively being stabbed by a masked assailant. The mask, painted white with black eyeholes, stared back at him. It raised a finger over where its lips would be. Even under the expressionless visage, he could feel that same smile. He ran home that morning. He went to his room to find it destroyed. His posters, his computer, his tv, everything, had been ruined. He turned around and saw a man at the end of the hallway holding a sledge hammer. "The hell you been, boy?", his stepdad sneered. The man dropped his hammer and walked closer, veins pulsing with rage. He tried to explain how his car had caught fire forcing him to walk 4 miles to the nearest bus stop, but the man's fist was faster than his words. "Boy!Answer me when I talk to you!!" the man says as he backhands the taste out of the would be Genocide's mouth. He took that beating for several minutes before being left to stare at his ransacked room. He hated how his stepdad went out of his way to destroy the things he loved. Soon, another set of footsteps could be heard. It was his mother standing behind his locked door. She didn't knock, or say anything. She just stood there, doing nothing as always. He never knew if she came to talk to him or apologize. All he knew was that she could never bring herself to speak to or even acknowledge him. Maybe out of guilt or perhaps shame. A year or two later after he had had enough he ran away from home. Living out on the streets alone, without friends, or family, he would embark on countless killing sprees. These killings weren't of his own volition however. He was coerced by some corrupt officers from The Unit. They made him kill on their behalf. Sometimes they were protesters, sometimes they were drug dealers, other times, petty criminals they couldn't be bothered to process. It was routine for him to be used to kill entire houses of drug riddled addicts. During one such venture he entered a drug den, killing the dealer as instructed. He took out several junkies before turning to leave. A woman who survived her injuries clung to his heel begging him to stop. Looking down he aimed the handgun he was carrying at her head of long disheveled brown hair and fired. Feeling nothing, he kicked her body aside like trash when it hit him. Her face. This woman had been his mother. What was she doing in a place like this? He felt a shock of emotion. He wondered if she had always been like this, or had she changed after he left. He never made amends, but decided to stop killing from then on. The unit did not like that. Once it became apparent that he was no longer of use to them they started a manhunt to apprehend him with lethal force. They found him. They killed him. But he survived.
He remembered the girl on the bus. He remembered her eyes. Those of a sadistic killer. Still there was something else inside them. Something faint but deeper. So. Much. Sadness. Just like him. He felt the hatred begin to spread. His purpose, he decided, was to make all humans rot in the hell they created for him.
These people, he thought to himself, these living diseases, all needed to die. Their struggles, their problems, they spread like cancer to others. The only cure for humanity's sin, its collective wrongdoings, was genocide.
Around him, dark tendrils continued to form and expand, spinning in a vortex. Genocide pulled out two pistols. He squeezed the triggers to no effect. "As I see fit, huh? Hehe." He squeezed both guns in his hands, breaking them into pieces. He concentrated. In his hands, two more guns materialized now completely black due to being forged from the dark essence. Forged by his will. Immune to the jamming device that shut down conventional firearms. He raised his arms at each remaining helicopter and opened fire. Countless tendrils whipped out and slashed at his targets joining the dark essence bullets. It was chaos. Dark tendrils and bullets tore through every direction as Genocide spun and swirled around in 360 degrees firing randomly with purpose. A tendril pierced Gracia's right arm, another, her abdomen. She was however, fortunate, as the other passengers of her helicopter were dismembered. She barely had time to jump from the vehicle before it crashed. She fell 2 yards onto solid concrete. She felt immense pain as her right shoulder shattered on impact. She looked up to see Genocide's blade like appendages ripping through the other escape helicopters. She rolled onto her back and tried to steady herself. Within seconds her body began to repair itself. The nanocells inside her had saved her life but were now depleted. She would need another supplement lest she receive another fatal injury. The standard nanocells she and the others had were much less potent than those of the killers they faced. In truth, they had only minimal strength boosts being able to lift 5-8 more pounds than before and healing being limited to one or two fatal injuries so long as death didn't occur instantly. Gracia blacked out. She awoke the next morning in a hospital. There the doctors refilled her nanocells. She learned that the station had been left in ruins. Genocide had detonated some type of minature nuke following his rampage. He always blew up the stations as if to send a message. Gracia looked out the window thinking about why she became a cop. Twice her family had been murdered by them. Her biological family had been killed in an on record drug raid committed by a group of corrupt officers called The Unit. She had been adopted by another officer that arrived at the scene who found her as a child hiding in a closed. Sadly, he too was killed for trying to expose the activities of The Unit. Gracia joined the force to avenge both losses and bring justice to the killers that disguised themselves as normal people. Law enforcement was neither good, nor bad. It depended upon the people that made it up. In the dying corrupt world Gracia lived in, she vowed to be a beacon of light. Evans laid in a bed adjacent to Lary. "That damn Genocide's somethin else in' he?Like the stories you told us were understatements. That man could legit not die at this point in the story. Like he has friggin plot armor or somthin.'' Evans cut him off" I get it. We all got our asses handed to us. But did you see that ..thing that appeared next to him. Right before he created that black vortex that wiped us out. That must have something to do with his power. Maybe there's a still a way to stop him."Lary chimed in," That fella looked like he was on the way to a black metal concert wit all the black facepaint he was wearin' Creeped me out to be honest." As the survivors mulled over their predicament, the cycle of evil continued to spread elsewhere.
Budley flips through the pages of a magazine. He checks his watch. He looks around the gas station and doesn't see any customers. Seizing the opportunity, he puts in his headphones and begins playing an imaginary guitar as he jams to a progressive deathcore album. Oblivious to the screams coming from outside, the store clerk moves on to thumping two candy bars on the counter to simulate drums. Budley sees that his shift has ended and begins locking up the store. He sweeps the aisles and jumps as a shadow appears behind him. He turns and sees a well groomed bearded man dressed in a black hoodie, black shirt, and black and gray camo pants. The man holds out his hand and smiles. Budley rings up the pack of nicotine substitute gum. "Tryin to kick the habit huh?" Budley asks. The man replies, "Somethin like that. Gotta get my priorities back in check. Focus on the things that really matter. That damn KonCreep's a hell of a band aren't they?" He nods to the playlist on Budley's phone. "Yeah, they're killer. just got into them a month back." Budley answers. "You know, I'm something of a musician myself. Maybe you'll hear of me on the news someday." Jim Jimenez says as he sees himself out. He walks to the back of the building and passes an ominous form of graffiti. A woman lays unmoving and above her, written on concrete in red is a message that simply says "Genocide Reigns".

Genocide Reigns
(note: I'm an indie game developer making an action/horror title called Phantasphere. This story is a spin off set in the same universe)
Year 2480X Ryze County Police Department
He's coming. The ensuing panic spread like a virus infecting all present with symptoms of looming dread. Officers worked steadfast to prepare also taking what time remained to train the few combat hardened civilians whom had fled to the station earlier. If only they knew. This demon that presented itself as a man had led a string of senseless massacres across the country. Only recently had it begun to prioritize police stations and army bases as a means of breaking the will of civilians who knew they would be next. Officers from several counties across the states were transferred here for this last stand. This Genocide must not continue. Gracia checked her pistol. Some 20 bullets remained. "I can do this", she thought, "I have to". She had dealt with similar cases before. Some poor soul is overtaken by some inextricably evil force and makes it their life's work to propagate death. Gracia had killed quite a few already. Live arrests weren't always possible. Beyond saving, careful interrogations of the scarce live catches yielded a startling connection. These killers all alluded to a well of overwhelming hatred and despair that consumed them after making eye contact with...Pale, black eyed entities. Some type of demon? Ghost maybe? The idea seemed nonsensical, but there was evidence nonetheless that some outside force was using them to fulfill some unknown purpose. At the present time, all they could do was stop the killers after they had killed. It was always too late by then and more would appear randomly elsewhere. What good could be done here in an isolated station hoping to stop one guy out of possibly hundreds? "The guy we're waiting for is different from the others," detective Evans spoke from the center of a crowd nearby. Gracia moved in closer. "The others typically strike from the shadows, hide their faces behind masks, and prefer to get up close and personal with their victims. What we're dealing with is on a completely different scale. The trail of bloodshed this guy leaves is too difficult for the media to cover up. He loves the spectacle. Headlining the news. We can't keep using the burst pipeline excuse for 6 stations being destroyed in a row. We have to stop him before the world at large finds out. You wonder why we need so many people here? Its simple. We're gonna out-man this one man. He always attacks stations through the front door. Like other killers he's fast, strong- you know the usual, but he also uses guns." "What!", a voice rang out from the crowd. "They aren't supposed to do that!" another gasped. Officer Lary spoke with a cheesy grin" Ya tellin' me we just gotta deal with a regular ass gunman eh? That's a welcome change of pace init? Heck I'm too old to be running around being chased like I'm in some scary movie". The detective rebutted" You don't get it. He uses guns. Not a handgun, not rifles, not boom sticks, not rpgs, not knives not grenades but ALL of them. He uses guns. Plural. It'll take essentially an army to match his arsenal. He used to be a man named -redacted-, but in his pursuit of chaos he has become Genocide." A dark form manifests from the night outside the station. Genocide is coming.
Bang! something slams into the front door. Everyone freezes. Officer Tatum edges slowly to it, shockgun in hand. By no means lethal, the shockgun was lighter, easy to control, and could stun targets temporarily. If Genocide was here, Tatum could stun him and duck for cover leaving the station free to light him up like a Christmas tree. That was the plan they came up with. He got closer to the glass door and peered outside. He was met with hate filled bloodshot eyes framed by an unkempt beard and wild straggly hair. Tatum felt some relief. He knew the man outside. It was Jim Jimenez. Jim was a former drug dealer turned informant. He was found out and had to flee from his old life. He became homeless, hiding in plane sight. This allowed him safety at the cost of his mental health. Tatum knew the man, but those eyes were not his. Tatum blinked and saw that the look of malice had vanished. What he instead saw was a helpless, wounded man, bleeding from the right arm pleading for help. Tatum looked behind Jim, eyeing the empty lot. The coast seemingly clear Tatum unlocked the door and let Jim in. Jim had been roaming the town looking for shelter and tried squatting in an abandoned looking apartment complex. There he found that the building contained several murdered families some succumbing to gunshots but the majority having met their end to fire and suffocation. Jim had decided to make his way to the station to tell police what happened and met trouble on the way. He described getting stabbed by a man wearing a trench coat with long dark hair. Despite the injuries, Jim could move surprisingly well and seemed to ignore the pain. Jim insisted that the man had spared him on the condition he deliver a message. "What message?" Tatum asked. Jim beckoned him to come closer. Tatum leaned in and Jim whispered, "Tell them. Tell them that Genocide is coming closer." The following events were a blur. Jim had concealed the knife he was stabbed with. He stabbed Tatum 4 times in the chest and wrestled his shockgun away. Using Tatum as a shield, Jim engaged everyone in the lobby. Jim wasn't himself. He was stronger. He was faster. He was tactical. He would stun an officer in place only to stab them and use their as a body shield. No one could get a clear shot without hitting a colleague. Gracia watched the scene unfold. In minutes Jim had acquired a magnum from the holster of one of his victims. In seconds 3 officers had their heads exploded. The magnum rounds coated the walls red with those they hit and stained the clothes of those they missed. Gracia felt fear rising in her chest. She calmed herself and tried to think. She saw the bodies on the ground. The blood. She saw how dismissively Jim stepped over them. Like they were nothing. Like trash. She saw the man firing erratically into groups of people, not so much to kill but as to cause panic. That's it! As Gracia contemplated her next move it hit her. She was knocked backwards and landed on the ground. She weakly clutched her chest. Her breathing grew shallow. Jim mad his way deeper into the station. The officers were retreating from their standoff. Jim stepped over her body and saw red staining her uniform. Just another casualty. He moved on. At this point the civilians began panicking. Everyone gave up trying to save their allies and fired blindly at the madman. "Don't shoot the messenger," Jim laughed as he stripped his latest meat shield of an automatic rifle. Detective Evans took cover behind an overturned desk. To his left Larry struggled to light a cigar. "You still think this is a cakewalk?" Evans shouted firing 2 quick shots from his gun before ducking back down. Lary lost hold of his lighter and it clattered on the ground." Crap." He reached for it and looked in the corner of the room. A mirror. He looked at it for what seemed like ages and his smirk returned " Y'know that mex'n gal with the short hair. Where is she? I didn't see her get shot." Evans glanced a peak at Jim spraying lead in all directions. Behind him was a corpse. Evans blinked. It seemed to be getting closer. Its her. Gracia painstakingly inched her way into Jim's blind spot. She was roughly 6 feet away from him. Flanking him seemed like a brilliant idea but waiting idly by for the right moment as the people around her died filled her with anger. Worse still, she had to steal a blood soaked shirt from one of the deceased officers to keep up the facade. Inching ever so steadily she mad it within 3 feet of Jim. She reached behind her belt and unclipped a pair of handcuffs. Screams could be heard as more people were hit. Gracia couldn't wait any longer. Fluidly she got to her feet and rushed Jim. She kicked the back of his knee causing him to stumble as she put the handcuffs on him. Figuratively. The handcuffs were around Jim's neck. She yanked him back causing his gun to drop. "You don't know what you're doing." Jim spat. "We all need to accept it. The end of days is upon us. Death rides his horse through these forsaken lands. We must serve or be sacrificed in turn. Accept it!"He elbowed Gracia in the ribs causing her to let go. He spun around and lunged at her. She landed on her back, Jim steadily choking her. Gracia thought fast. She couldn't struggle. Jim was too strong. She delivered a precise chop to the center of Jim's neck which was exposed. Jim lurched back to catch his breath. A clean shot. A bullet pierced through Jim's back. Weakened, Gracia rolled him over and began punching him repeatedly using the handcuffs as brass knuckles. The sound of Jim's skull cracking echoed through the station. This would go on for nearly 20 seconds before Gracia stopped, checked his pulse, confirmed Jim was still alive, then finally put the cuffs on Jim's wrists.
Click. Bodies are wrapped and moved to a makeshift storage room. Click. The available weapons are gathered and redistributed. Click. Officers are assigned to sniping positions on neighboring buildings. Click. Police cruisers circle the lot outside. Click. In the holding cell, Jim opens his eyes. Click. Lary flicks his lighter. Click. Gracia sips coffee from a paper cup. Click. Shells hit the ground at the feet of Genocide. Click. Genocide walks outside a cafe and looks at the station in the distance. Click. Lary clicks his lighter.
"All ya'll gon' fall," Jim ranted." You can't drain the ocean. You can't put out the sun. Evil will always exist. That there Genocide is proof . I saw him. Saw myself within his eyes. Saw the evil in me that I could no longer try to hide. He taught me to embrace the darkness within. Its in all of us begging to be let out. Can you hear it!" Lary clicked his lighter and got up from his chair. He grabbed a cup of liquor from another officer mid sip and walked over to Jim. He doused it on Jim, the liquid stinging his open wounds. Jim yelped. Across the station, radios blurred to life. Several of their lookouts on the outside had been killed. "He's gon' get ya," Jim smiled imitating Lary's signature grin. "Genocide! Genocide! Genocide!" The other inmates saw the chance to irritate Lary and joined in all shouting in unison,"Ge-No-Cide! Ge-No-Cide! Ge-No-Cide!" The chanting grew louder. Unbearable. They invoked upon the name of the beast, and so it came.
Genocide is upon us. A wave of dread spread across the officers. They could feel its presence. Gracia knew the sensation. The awful aura that the other killers gave off. This was different. Far more oppressive. She struggled to breathe as the air got colder. Her instincts screamed for her to run. She could only imagine what the others were going through. Its time. Across the lot Genocide stood. A siren blared over the intercom. "Everyone get into positions!" Evans yelled. Wayne finished setting the last of the c4 near the station entrance. "That's the last of them. Have remote triggers set around all the major hallways. I'll be in the security room ready to pull the switch." Wayne acted as an explosives expert. His job was to detonate bombs placed throughout the station to slow down Genocide should it enter the building. He would stay in the security room, monitoring the cameras and giving real time updates on the officers' positions. From the holding cell, inmates chanted for Genocide. Lary got off his phone" That bastard mixed us up. How did we not notice?" Evans asked what he meant. Lary, dumbfounded, said that most of the town was already dead. Genocide had broken his usual pattern. He went on a killing spree across a defenseless town BEFORE attacking the police station. They had let everyone down. The people they swore to protect. This Genocide was a monster, but he was still a man. Capable of learning from his past actions. Planning. Adapting. It wasn't in his style to stealthily kill his victims or even use a silencer on any of his guns, but an exception had been made for tonight. An exception that would cost them. Gracia was stationed on the second floor. She peered out the window. Her heart skipped a beat. Two cruisers made slow donuts patrolling the lot and standing unmoving between them was a man all in black. Gracia called in to Wayne asking if he saw anything outside. Wayne said the monitors were all clear then checked again. He cursed. He noticed small details were off. The cameras showing the outside of the station were wrong. Sure they showed the same scenery and weather but cars passed by on screen too frequently for a dead town. Too many to make sense for the quarantine they had set in place. Wayne concluded that the cameras had been hacked. Different prerecorded footage was being shown on the live feed to misdirect them. Gracia saw the man look up at her. A light rain started to fall. The officers patrolling outside were contacted. From the holding cells, inmates called for genocide.

CHARACTER AGENCY

It's ridiculous how passive and honestly "NPC" the other characters in the world are. For an installment in the series that wanted to dip deeper into the "Roleplay" side of things, it's absolutely crucial that CK3 find a way to make the other characters in the world feel like real, living, breathing, and independent people, and it currently falls flat on that.
Here are just some ways that you could improve character agency in the game:

• Characters should be able to push for appointments, regularly. How am I a god that just comes in and names every single knight and court position in the land with not a breath of reaction from my entire court. Do you know how many people would've had the king's ear in this time and been pushing for themselves or their friends or family for these appointments? Think of the court intrigue you've seen in shows like Game of Thrones or Shogun or Succession, now think how well the game captures that feeling. The -40 opinion penalty for major vassals not being on your council is a boring static modifier that doesn't take into account personality and context and only applies to your council, not to court positions or knighthoods. The random events in your Royal Court where people push for appointments are infrequent, pretty random, have little consequence, and are actually entirely optional if you never Hold Court. People should be pushing to fill your different roles regularly and react positively or negatively if you pick people they like or don't like. Here are some examples:
  • People should be able to push for themselves to be appointed, for their friends, for their family, for people they respect, for people of their culture and/or religion, for people with similar personalities to them.
  • People should oppose the appointment of their rivals, people from families their family is feuding with, people they dislike, cultures or religions they oppose, etc.
  • Personality traits should affect who people push for. Deceitful characters may want you to purposely appoint incompetent knights, bodyguards, food tasters, etc. if they dislike you. Zealous characters prioritize religion far above other qualities. Diligent characters prioritize the most competent candidate. Vengeful characters highly oppose their enemies being chosen. Greedy characters prioritize appointments for themselves or their family. Impatient characters will get upset if you leave the position vacant for too long. Trusting characters will only push for candidates they really know well.
• Characters should be able to refuse appointments, or resign from positions. Maybe the talented firstborn son of the king does not wish for the duty to rule and refuses the election to King and instead wishes to spend his days frequenting brothels and fighting in tournaments. Maybe a martially gifted vassal that has huge estates and is living comfortably in his manor off of his rents doesn't want to be appointed as my Marshall and chase and stamp down peasant revolts for a living, so he comes up with an excuse to refuse the appointment. Perhaps I need to change his mind by paying him a visit to persuade him in person, or by hosting a great feast in my hall with him as the honorary guest, or by arranging a marriage between our families. Perhaps my masterful Steward is offended at the lowborns and heathens I have hired into my council, and resigns out of protest. Perhaps my Marshall is ashamed at how badly the last war went under his purview, and resigns out of shame. Perhaps my Chancellor just heard news that his son was killed in a hunting accident back home, and resigns to go spend time on his estate with his family.
• Characters should react to actions the player takes.
  • Won a great battle? Maybe a knight approaches you after the battle wishing to enter your service after hearing of the tale. Maybe your marshall approaches you and congratulates on your generalship. If it was against heathens, maybe the Pope writes you a letter congratulating you on the victory of Christendom. Maybe a vassal approaches you and offers to build a statue in his domain to honour your victory.
  • Declared a new war? Maybe a vassal refuses the call to war citing some excuse, withholding his levies and giving you a reason to punish him in the future. Maybe another vassal joins with his personal troops as well because he is personally interested in success in this war.
  • Built a building in your vassal's land? Your vassal should thank you and like you more.
• Characters should regularly ask for favours from the player, and the player should be able to ask them in return. Maybe a an existing councillor asks that you hire him to another position for which he thinks he is better suited. Perhaps a vassal approaches you with a marriage offer, and in return offers to build a church in your honour. Perhaps a vassal approaches you and asks that you declare war on the country that is raiding their lands, and in return offers to increase his obligations to you. Perhaps a vassal asks that you raise his children with the greater learning available in your court, and in return he will send you his brother to serve as your knight. Perhaps the pope asks you to build a church and in return offers to send you some learned monks and an artifact.
• Characters should regularly travel to visit each other or do things. It seems like the only thing characters beside me do is lead armies, and go on hunts. Why don't my councillors go back to visit their estates? To see their families? Why don't distant family members travel to see each other? To host family reunions?
• The player should be able to consult decisions with other characters. What is the point of my councillors if they never give me counsel? If I am planning on giving out land to new vassals, each of them should be there with suggestions on who I should give it to, or whether I should even give it away at all. And it should not just be my councillors, sometimes these decisions are leaked and my entire court will find out, in which case many courtiers would have their own opinions on what should be done! Maybe one of my guests approaches me and begs I give the land to them due to some ancestral claim. Maybe my food taster during dinner tells me he thinks it should go to my existing vassal X because he manages his current estates so well. And what if I want to host an activity? I should be able to ask my councillors or courtiers which activity they wish for or think would be best to host next. Maybe they have suggestions for where to host it, how to plan it, who to invite, etc. Maybe my marshall wants a tournament but my chaplain wants a pilgrimage. Maybe in my feast, my Steward wants me to invite vassal X but my wife despises him and wishes me not to.

The fact that almost none of these features exist in a meaningful way in the game is kind of ridiculous, for a game that tries so hard to be role-play centered and story-driven. Think about how much we are missing out on because of the lack of agency of characters in the world. Imagine if other characters in the world acted like us as the player character. Think of the story opportunities if features like the above were implemented to make for more independent AI characters.

Long story short. Gay 19 year old brother is dating a 50 year old man and I'm the only one who has any issue with it.
I'm the eldest of 8. I'm a bi man (31) married to a bi man (35) It took my parents a few years to accept my attraction but they managed to get over it.
My youngest brother is gay and luckily for him I came first so his coming out was far cleaner. He's 19 and has his first boyfriend. Our parents had already seen his boyfriend but my husband and I met him for the first time, last Saturday.
I'm not a prude (well maybe a little) but we came in and inside sitting down was a guy in his early 50s. I assumed they had a neighbour over until my bro introduced us. My husband knows him (not sexually).
I've hooked up with older guys. It can be hot but a 19 year old DATING a 50+ year old, I'm sorry like what? In what world is that OK and my parents just nodding along.
I spoke to our parents when the "couple" went out to buy wine for dinner (wine my brother can't even legally drink yet) and they were like they would prefer a younger date but it's his life and they learned from their mistakes with me. I was taken aback. Like sorry not accepting me being bi is not the same thing as not accepting a 30+ year gap where one is just an adult. My father was like cut it out. This is the way it is. If he's happy we support him. Tbh dad just didn't want to picture the relationship, imo.
I went out to my husband and he said ah your brothers safe. He's a nice guy. Stop over-reacting. So I calmed down and they came back we had dinner and played a few games and then i found out my brother is LIVING with him and no one saw an issue with it. I'm sorry but like when did I become the most judgey here.
The minute they left, I said so there's a 19 year old boy, in college, dating a 50+ year old man and living with him and no one sees a problem with it. He's basically a dependent of him and what is that man getting in return? My father said youre disgusting and just so you know he took time out of college. How does that make it better?. My mother said its probably hard, given how we treated you, to see us learn and give him an easier time. I was stunned to silence.
On the car trip home, the husband said it wasn't cool turning your parents against him. Let him be happy and I was like okaaaaaaaay.
And no its not because im jealous of how they treated me differently. Im delighted he didnt face what i got. I spoke to one of my sisters who met them the day after. She said the age gap is a bit weird but that's usual amongst gay men and the man seems to care about him what more do you want.
Honestly someone needs to get me a straight jacket because I think I might be going crazy or maybe I should just go full on MAGA2024 or something (that's a joke) and live amongst the conservatives

Welcome to Hydral - US NoBPWipe 5x PvP Clans Loot+ TP Homes!
Step into the vibrant world of Hydral, a brand new Rust community where your adventure begins. Our server is designed to provide a balanced, high-energy experience, catering to both seasoned players and those new to the game. Join us and be part of our growing community from the very start!
Server Features:
No BP Wipe: Retain your blueprints through wipes, preserving your hard-earned progress.
5x Gather Rates: Accelerated resource gathering lets you build and progress faster.
Intense PvP: Engage in thrilling, competitive combat. Test your skills and strategies against others in dynamic battles.
Clans: Form or join clans to team up with friends and dominate the server together.
Loot+: Enjoy increased and improved loot drops, making every raid and expedition more rewarding.
Teleport (TP): Quickly travel across the map with our teleportation feature, saving you time and enhancing strategic mobility.
Set Homes: Secure your bases with multiple home set points, ensuring you always have a safe spot to return to.
As a new community, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and engaging environment for all players. Your feedback and participation will help shape the future of Hydral, making it a server tailored to its members' needs and desires.
Join us on Hydral for a balanced, action-packed Rust experience where your progression is respected, and your gameplay is amplified. Whether you're a solo player seeking a challenge or a group aiming for conquest, Hydral has something for everyone. Become a part of our story today!
Connect Now:172.96.164.98:28015

Since today would be our dear nuke fish´s birthday, I wanted to reflect on her path and her story as well as ask for your opinions
Zebrica was released almost 2 years ago (yes it has been that long already) and Posada is still talked about more than most other Zebrica character, So I thought was it all justified ? (my flair says yes) and what exactly is making Posada so popular. So lets look at her path first from a Gameplay perspective first.
Her path is quiet long and even with foresight will normally take till 1018-1020 (putting warplan Hydrogen aside) depending on if one managed to research the tech early and get those 50 nukes for the sunset test. The path consist of essentially 3-4 years of building up, 1 big war and a couple of smaller wars and lots of events. Now for that 11-13 years of Gameplay that is clearly not enough wars to fill the years with exciting gameplay, however the path massively buffs the amount of volunteer division you can send, mediating this issue somewhat. Still I would say if you want to have fun with the navy hippogriffia is one of the few nation where you can find it. Posadas path also features no minigame/unigue mechanic, which seems like a missed opportunity, however at the same this makes Posadas path much more Accessible and beginner friendly, for compaision some paths are dragged down by minigames and early-game hell. like 3 civil wars or a magic system that kills all the fun early in the path and can stop player from replaying paths.
The Story is rather linear, there arent really any story branches, except for very short Fail States or completely different paths one can achieve. However for me personally the story is amazing, its a tale as old as time about Idealism vs cynicism, where justice starts and where vengeance begins and of course how Posada evolves, what are hers and the players choices when faced with choices, all of which can make the player ask themselves why they believe what is right and what is wrong. Sure the story is not perfect, Skystar is given way too much focus and there is definitely some Moral Myopia going on when compared to other "wholesome" nations of the mod, but compared to many other paths it at least says something and has moved me more than any other path in the mod.
Now Posada, she and her vision is an idealist version of a socialist vanguard with big scientific aspects (space and nukes). Posada is a visionary who suffers from no corruption but can fall to her darkest impulses and cause just as much harm as many eviler leaders. This would be rather Clique, but Posada manages to sell it better than most adaptation of this trope by simply constantly holding up a mirror to her action and making her both a victim and an optimist at the start. Posada even before her torture and PTSD was an outcast, if she was alive in our world during the 40 she would have been discarded to the fringes of society or held inside an insane asylum (in 1940 these asylums were anything but helpful), but despite all the suffering she had to go through she didnt become a monster or an emotionless wreck, she started to believe in a good thing and to hope for a better future (its up to the player how it will turn out). While its not a deep dive into psychological health, I think Posada is the best representation of it in the mod and in the entirety of Hoi4. (it certainly better than the "abuse/rape made me stronger" female characters, who lost all of their emotions and personality)..
To finish this "essay" I want to thank the devs for writing her path and story, a story that has gotten me to think about and has moved me emotionally and that I will never forget. Still these are just my thoughts on the path what are yours or did any other path moved you on an emotional level.
Art made by: marusya
tldr: I still think Posada has the best path of the mod and wanted to share some of my thoughts about it and her story, and ask the community why they think how Posada managed to be so populasuccessful.

My group and I started playing MTG back in 94. Throughout that time, we've come to agree that the one flaw in its glorious design is the 'mana screw'. It takes you out of the game without the other player doing a thing. We've all been there; 3 lands in your draw so you go for it then...nothing. Its turn 6 and you've got 3 lands, your fast stuff is already played and now you are drawing dead while the other person/people are cruising to victory. It feels especially bad in Commander where you've committed to an hour+ game and basically just observing or being the punching-bag for the other players when they feel so inclined.
The last few years we've been playing a variation of the rules that attempts to fix this problem. After a lot of playtest, we've come to agree it really makes the game a lot more fun and don't use the 'regular rules' anymore. One of my longtime friends said it removed the only 'hump' to the gameplay in his mind. Thus I wanted to share it with 'the world' and hope you might like it as well.
Before I go on a few caveats and disclaimers: 1. I am certain there are ways to break this because you can break anything in MTG. So I don't care about the 'well actually...' types that want to point out how to do this. 2. We do not play at the competitive "I went infinite on turn 2" level. We almost exclusively play commander at this point, some of it 'salty' (commanders like Tergrid and Elesh Norn). So how it works in 60 card is less explored, but we have run some games using it without issue. 3. "Know your foe". Meaning we have a caveat that if you are playing a Landfall deck, you cannot use this variation because it clearly would cause problems with that mechanic. If playing a stranger, be sure to find this out first. 4. I don't work for WotC so while I'll try to present it as they would, I'll likely fail. 5. It still won't fix a mana-flood. Sorry.
Without further ado; we call this "Land Bank". How it works:
You remove 3 completely basic lands from your deck, shuffle them (unless its mono-color) and place them in the Command Zone. On your draw step, you can replace your regular draw by drawing from the land bank. There are no mulligans. In a nutshell, this is "it" with the following rules:

1. The decision to replace the draw comes after the check to see if there are any cards left in your regular library. Meaning that you cannot draw from the land bank to prevent yourself from dying because your library is empty.
   
2. You cannot draw from the land bank as part of any extra draw effect. It can only be drawn from as a replacement to your standard draw.
   
3. If an effect causes you to draw more than 1 card as part of your standard draw, and you wish to draw from the land bank, you only draw 1 card.
   
4. If an effect causes you to skip your regular draw step (such as Necropotence), you cannot draw from the land bank.
   
5. The land bank cannot be targeted by any mill effect; it is in the command zone (for starters). Likewise, you cannot self-mill the land bank as part of any other effect or cost.
   
6. We really do mean 'completely basic' lands. No original dual lands- nothing but the 5 box-stock basic lands and Wastes.
   

Optional rule: In the event of true mulligan (no lands at all), you can mulligan. We are toying with this idea.
And thats it. Enjoy!

Welcome to Hydral - US NoBPWipe 5x PvP Clans Loot+ TP Homes!
Step into the vibrant world of Hydral, a brand new Rust community where your adventure begins. Our server is designed to provide a balanced, high-energy experience, catering to both seasoned players and those new to the game. Join us and be part of our growing community from the very start!
Server Features:
No BP Wipe: Retain your blueprints through wipes, preserving your hard-earned progress.
5x Gather Rates: Accelerated resource gathering lets you build and progress faster.
Intense PvP: Engage in thrilling, competitive combat. Test your skills and strategies against others in dynamic battles.
Clans: Form or join clans to team up with friends and dominate the server together.
Loot+: Enjoy increased and improved loot drops, making every raid and expedition more rewarding.
Teleport (TP): Quickly travel across the map with our teleportation feature, saving you time and enhancing strategic mobility.
Set Homes: Secure your bases with multiple home set points, ensuring you always have a safe spot to return to.
As a new community, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and engaging environment for all players. Your feedback and participation will help shape the future of Hydral, making it a server tailored to its members' needs and desires.
Join us on Hydral for a balanced, action-packed Rust experience where your progression is respected, and your gameplay is amplified. Whether you're a solo player seeking a challenge or a group aiming for conquest, Hydral has something for everyone. Become a part of our story today!
Connect Now:172.96.164.98:28015

Welcome to Hydral - US NoBPWipe 5x PvP Clans Loot+ TP Homes!
Step into the vibrant world of Hydral, a brand new Rust community where your adventure begins. Our server is designed to provide a balanced, high-energy experience, catering to both seasoned players and those new to the game. Join us and be part of our growing community from the very start!
Server Features:
No BP Wipe: Retain your blueprints through wipes, preserving your hard-earned progress.
5x Gather Rates: Accelerated resource gathering lets you build and progress faster.
Intense PvP: Engage in thrilling, competitive combat. Test your skills and strategies against others in dynamic battles.
Clans: Form or join clans to team up with friends and dominate the server together.
Loot+: Enjoy increased and improved loot drops, making every raid and expedition more rewarding.
Teleport (TP): Quickly travel across the map with our teleportation feature, saving you time and enhancing strategic mobility.
Set Homes: Secure your bases with multiple home set points, ensuring you always have a safe spot to return to.
As a new community, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and engaging environment for all players. Your feedback and participation will help shape the future of Hydral, making it a server tailored to its members' needs and desires.
Join us on Hydral for a balanced, action-packed Rust experience where your progression is respected, and your gameplay is amplified. Whether you're a solo player seeking a challenge or a group aiming for conquest, Hydral has something for everyone. Become a part of our story today!
Connect Now:172.96.164.98:28015

Welcome to Hydral - US NoBPWipe 5x PvP Clans Loot+ TP Homes!
Step into the vibrant world of Hydral, a brand new Rust community where your adventure begins. Our server is designed to provide a balanced, high-energy experience, catering to both seasoned players and those new to the game. Join us and be part of our growing community from the very start!
Server Features:
No BP Wipe: Retain your blueprints through wipes, preserving your hard-earned progress.
5x Gather Rates: Accelerated resource gathering lets you build and progress faster.
Intense PvP: Engage in thrilling, competitive combat. Test your skills and strategies against others in dynamic battles.
Clans: Form or join clans to team up with friends and dominate the server together.
Loot+: Enjoy increased and improved loot drops, making every raid and expedition more rewarding.
Teleport (TP): Quickly travel across the map with our teleportation feature, saving you time and enhancing strategic mobility.
Set Homes: Secure your bases with multiple home set points, ensuring you always have a safe spot to return to.
As a new community, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and engaging environment for all players. Your feedback and participation will help shape the future of Hydral, making it a server tailored to its members' needs and desires.
Join us on Hydral for a balanced, action-packed Rust experience where your progression is respected, and your gameplay is amplified. Whether you're a solo player seeking a challenge or a group aiming for conquest, Hydral has something for everyone. Become a part of our story today!
Connect Now:172.96.164.98:28015

Welcome to Hydral - US NoBPWipe 5x PvP Clans Loot+ TP Homes!
Step into the vibrant world of Hydral, a brand new Rust community where your adventure begins. Our server is designed to provide a balanced, high-energy experience, catering to both seasoned players and those new to the game. Join us and be part of our growing community from the very start!
Server Features:
No BP Wipe: Retain your blueprints through wipes, preserving your hard-earned progress.
5x Gather Rates: Accelerated resource gathering lets you build and progress faster.
Intense PvP: Engage in thrilling, competitive combat. Test your skills and strategies against others in dynamic battles.
Clans: Form or join clans to team up with friends and dominate the server together.
Loot+: Enjoy increased and improved loot drops, making every raid and expedition more rewarding.
Teleport (TP): Quickly travel across the map with our teleportation feature, saving you time and enhancing strategic mobility.
Set Homes: Secure your bases with multiple home set points, ensuring you always have a safe spot to return to.
As a new community, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and engaging environment for all players. Your feedback and participation will help shape the future of Hydral, making it a server tailored to its members' needs and desires.
Join us on Hydral for a balanced, action-packed Rust experience where your progression is respected, and your gameplay is amplified. Whether you're a solo player seeking a challenge or a group aiming for conquest, Hydral has something for everyone. Become a part of our story today!
Connect Now:172.96.164.98:28015

Out there - Patreon (for all those curious or wanting to support :))
At the Beginning
Adventure Arc - Arc 2
Wilderness Arc - Arc 3
Academy Arc - Arc 4
Nobility Arc - Arc 5
Previously on Leveling up the World...
Reality shifted, transforming into an endless forest of purple glowing vines among green and yellow trees. Minuscule creatures of all shapes and sizes flew about. To the untrained eye they seemed charming, even beautiful, yet they were all parasites taking advantage of the richness of magic threads for sustenance. They weren’t the problem, though. Other entities were also present in force—aether golems.
Summoning a clay cylinder, Dallion unleashed a ray of destruction, shattering hundreds of the crimson-purple constructs like glass. The spell was followed by a spark infused spiral attack directly below.
​
Realm section damaged!
Overall completion 78%
​
Large chunks of land erupted at the impact, transforming into clouds of dirt high up in the air. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any more golems hidden in the soil.
“Seventy-eight,” Dallion said as he gently floated to the ground. “Mages really don’t maintain anything, do they?”
The life of academia is filled with its own challenges, dear boy, Adzorg protested, practically admitting the statement. That’s a domain ruler’s job.
“I suppose it is.”
Dallion looked at his feet. They were there, along with his shoes and the lower part of his trousers. Nothing seemed to be wrong with them, yet this was only a fake projection. In the real world, they no longer existed.
There’s no reason to be alarmed. With your magic and body levels, you should be able to have them restored in a matter of months. Until then, you’ll just have to use aether stand-ins, or even a good illusion, if you prefer.
Dallion considered it. If there was someone who’d know, that would be Adzorg. The mage had his hands severed not too long ago. Looking at him now, no one would be able to guess that they had been gradually restored over the course of months.
​
REALM INVASION
​
Red rectangles filled the sky.
“Seems like they’ve taken me seriously.” Dallion stood up. His real-life troubles would have to wait.
Knowing Alien, he probably only modified the golems to treat you as an intruder. The area guardian must have stepped in.
“Doesn’t the emperor control this? Or an overseer?”
The Academy has always been sort of different, dear boy, Adzorg explained. While we serve the emperor, we’re technically autonomous.
“Like the Order.”
To a certain degree. Think of this realm as isolated. That’s why moving it around isn’t as easy as moving everything else. Due to the magic concentration and frequent experiments, the area has become… more susceptible to other worlds. That’s why I did my experiments here—it’s far easier to break through the protective barrier here than elsewhere. Well, except the fallen south, possibly. The old mage added with a brief laugh. To prevent anything spilling out into the rest of Tamin’s domain, the Academy is isolated from everything else.
“That shouldn’t stop him from coming here in case he wants to,” Dallion said.
Not in the least. That doesn’t make it desirable, though.
That was a strange statement. There were too many benefits for the emperor not to get involved. Even if he were afraid that someone might do what he had done to the archbishop. Either way, the faster Dallion could take control of the domain, the better. He knew he couldn’t keep it, but that wouldn’t prevent him from transporting a few pieces to his own territory. As for what was left, he’d make sure that no one could take advantage of it in the future.
Aqui, he said within his personal realm.
The orange-scaled dragon emerged within seconds. Ten times larger than in the real world, she was doing her best to present herself larger than she actually was. Even so, her present level was clearly visible should anyone look at her white rectangle.
“Grasped the concept of eating?” Dallion looked at her.
The large dragon snarled.
“Can you do it from within the realm?”
The anger changed into bewilderment.
“No one can consume magic from within a realm,” she said defensively. Dallion knew for a fact that wasn’t the case. He himself had done so many times and he wasn’t the only one.
“What about outside? How fast can you drain the area of magic?”
“Why?” She lowered her head, bringing it to Dallion’s level.
“I’m going to do something and when I do, we’ll have to get out of here quickly.”
The dragon snorted right at Dallion.
“It would be nice if you can reach level ten at least.”
Pride filled the dragon’s body, as blue blobs the size of houses emerged within her. There was no way that she would only level up to such a low level. Of course, Dallion’s subtle use of music skills had also helped in the making of the decision.
Before anyone could say anything more, a cluster of aether cones flew straight at him. Free of the confines of reality, the armadil shield teleported between him and the projectiles, growing three times its size.
Unable to counter the force, Gem was pushed back dozens of feet to the point it reached Dallion himself. Extending one hand, the otherworlder easily countered the attack.
Aquilequia, on her part, had used her natural speed to move away before the cones even got close.
“Best leave.” He said, glancing at her new location. “After I’m done, I’ll need you to be at least as strong as this.”
The dragon didn’t respond, yet didn’t leave the realm, either. Curious as every low-level companion, she moved a safe distance away, eager to see exactly what was referred to. Meanwhile, Dallion sprang into action. With speed surpassing that of Aquilequia, he dashed around the shield, heading straight for the source of the aether cones. To little surprise, they were being released from five spell circles, at huge intensity. More curious was the entity that had cast them.
​
LEARNING HALL GUARDIAN
Species: COPYETTE
Class: SHADOW
Health: 78%
Traits:
- BODY 45
- MIND 60
- REACTION 55
- PERCEPTION 50
- MAGIC 100
Skills:
- ATTACK
- GUARD
- ACROBATICS
- SCHOLAR
- CARVING
- MUSIC
- SPELLCRAFT
Weakness: NONE
​
“Never thought you’d be a copyette,” Dallion said as he performed a series of slashes targeting vital points on the guardian.
Each of them hit, yet instead of red rectangles, the form transformed into cyan sludge that splashed onto the ground.
“Lucky coincidence?” Dallion split into instances, using his music skills to add doubt and weight into his words. “Or were you working for the Order all this time?”
“Nice to see you too, apprentice.” A new figure formed. It was very different from the first, taking on the form of Alien. Spells circles formed in different spots hundreds of feet from Dallion, each releasing anything from lightning to aether shards.
Despite the overwhelming amount, not a single one of Dallion’s instances got harmed. Performing a three-sixty line attack with his harpsisword, he sliced through the new appearance of the guardian, breaking the spell circles in the process.
Don’t be overconfident, Giaccia said. Experience trumps level every time.
There was no way Dallion could disagree. There was a time when he, too, had defeated opponents many levels above him. While it was said that a ten-level difference was insurmountable, the guardian was a copyette with a very high magic trait.
“You can always surrender,” Dallion said, looking in all directions with his instances.
“It’s just like you to offer.” Two forms of the guardian appeared in different locations, now taking on the forms of children in Dallion’s class. “And no, I’m not working for Simon, even if he put me here.”
Dallion dashed, appearing next to one of his former classmates, slicing it to bits using a multi attack.
“Wrong one.” The other form laughed.
Dallion was fully aware that both of them were wrong. His real goal was to try and figure out where the rest of the guardian was hiding. As a copyette, he could create dozens of copies, all an insignificant part of his overall body. Destroying each individual one wouldn’t do anything; harming the one considered the main one might.
He’s stalling for time, Giaccia said.
“Your music attacks are rather good.” Two more copyette forms emerged. “Sadly, it doesn’t depend on me. You’ll have to deal with the main guardian for that. I’m just here to obtain information. Being a hunter, you should know that.”
“It’s been a while since I was a hunter,” Dallion replied. “I’m not an apprentice, either.”
“That’s true. You made full mage, didn’t you? Also, I heard that you were an archduke shortly before rebelling. Quite the achievement.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m just like my grandfather.” Dallion let it slip.
“Your grandfather?” Confusion emanated from the copyette. “I was about to say that you’re like Jeremy. A lot more straightforward, to be sure, but the drive is there along with the skill.”
Going by large areas, there had to be roughly ten guardians responsible for the realm. Defeating them would effectively make Dallion the new owner. A faster and more challenging way, though, was taking on the main guardian.
No time to hesitate, the harpsisword Guardian reminded Dallion.
It would be a lie to say that Dallion wasn’t. Even with all the copyette’s tricks, he had enough raw power to defeat the guardian, destroying a large part of the realm in the process. It was no accident that of all the key guardians, this one had been sent to reveal his skills. Dallion had spent a significant part of his life in the Learning Hall. While not particularly long in terms of time, it had marked a significant change in Dallion’s life. Before that he was little more than a skill game piece—barely defeating the Star, he was on the run from Countess Priscord, and in debt to the void. His life at the learning hall of the Academy had elevated him to the point that the emperor, the Order, and even the Moons themselves had taken notice.
“Yes.” Dallion sighed. “There’s no time for hesitation.”
Summoning his aura sword, he slashed the air, casting a flight spell that propelled him up like a rocket. Half a mile above the ground, he stopped.
“Sorry, Learning Hall,” he said, slashing the air in what appeared to be a multi attack. Magic symbols and connections were drawn, yet instead of casting multiple five-circle spells, Dallion cast one complex spell chain.
A vortex of spell circles emerged beneath him, shooting bolts of magic draining lightning.
​
Realm section damaged!
Overall completion 77%
​
Realm section damaged!
Overall completion 76%
​
Red rectangles popped up as the ground became covered in craters. Aether projectiles shot up to him in response, most of them blocked by the aether shield before reaching Dallion himself.
“Thanks, but no need,” Dallion unsummoned the shield, unwilling to have it be accidentally affected by his magic draining spell.
​
CRITICAL STRIKE
Dealt damage is increased by 200%
​
A few purple rectangles appeared among the mass of red. At the current rate, the Learning Hall guardian would be defeated in a matter of seconds. Hopefully, there would be enough left for Dallion to restore afterwards. Were this to be the Hall’s realm, there would be no concern on the matter—defeating a guardian merely improved it. In this case, the realm was the Academy, though, not the Learning Hall itself.
Suddenly, a sun gold colossus emerged less than a few hundred feet away. A massive hand reached out and grabbed the vortex from beneath Dallion. Sparks of lightning enveloped the fingers, yet had no effect whatsoever.
A second hand reached for Dallion himself, but he had already darted further back, safely avoiding the attack.
So, that’s the Academy? Dallion looked at the glittering mountain of gold. When it came to the colossus, he shared many of the same characteristics. The one major difference was the colossus’ “attire.” Not the usual Roman-Greek design that Dallion had seen before, the design followed twenty century Earth norms.
“It’s been ages since a domain ruling mage has ventured in this realm,” the colossus said in a booming voice. “You’re the second so far.”
“What happened to the first?” Dallion concentrated. Not a single domain marker appeared anywhere along the guardian’s body.
“He created this area and made sure that no other mage will be able to take it.”

Me and the wife of 23 years married,and even more as friends. HS sweethearts and welcomed our first child in 2017.Just an amazing Mother and could not ask for better.(like at all).She's THAT mom.took a year off work to be with our new born,until her job gave her a fat raise ,basically begging for her to come back.worked at the same company for 10+years,in child care with 1 year olds, became lead teacher and one point the face of the company t.v ad.
The kid never had a wet diaper for more than 2 minutes. I was just a follower now and just obeyed the process.I was to only work,and when home,wait for instruction(when it came to the child). Which I did so in compliance.The kid had started flash cards in their crib at 3 months. Never had bottled food or cereal as I was instructed to cook chicken,sweet potato,carrots and onions then blend it for their meals.And when it was time for bed ,we'd be sleeping together. All 3 of us, leaving no room or time for intimacy. Before the kid we were like rabbits on an island who didn't even bother to get dressed. But now it's just dirty and ick while the kid takes up our day and energy,as it should in my opinion. (Or groomed opinion).
She returned back to work,even got a sweet deal for our son even to go there. It was a much needed chapter for us,as it was all she talked about was having a kid.Mind you were this far now and haven't had any sex,and I just brush it off cause I kinda like catering to the kid and her. Then the unfortunate happens,she had a stroke in early 2023 that just crushed our world and took a devastating blow to us and our little "juice box" Kid's nickname.
It's been a year now since the stroke,and of course I'm not gonna even bring up sex.how dare I? Our insurance sucks, do all the care us left to me,and family. Family being the ones who stay with her when I'm at work.they just watch, they don't cook,or change her,move her.All physical,nutritional,medical needs are done by me,while also making sure the kid is well and cared for .it's been almost 3 years now,and never understood the "blue balls" theory until now.only problem is, I have like purple,and it's smooth at the bottom.wtf? I'm no scientist or physician,but NO dude has smooooth balls.i swear, if they get any smoother,the hairs will start self plucking at root.
I scheduled my first appointment ever with my pcp,and hope she can prescribe me with something because what's after purple? I didn't feel any pain or anything .but I need to seek a specialist or something,because some months to a year ago I had something very very weird happen to where I thought we were getting it on,only to have woke up,and realized it was just me and a morning mess.
I need help.tommorow is my scheduled doc visit.and I don't want to bring it up to the wife,as I needn't more stress on her.and I can't find any forums or FAQ of such. Has anyone had this smooth purple tadpole pouch before?