#aiur

[corvus-nocte]

New visual for episode 3!

NIGHTHAWKS

[ydotome]

Looks like the little guy's taken a shine to you. - Lord of the Mysteries - Episode 3

[featheredcritter]

[shiroen]

FLANN. More info in tags.

[utapok]

Warm twilight fell on the jungles of Aiur… a chorus of alien frogs began to sing somewhere in the depths of the mysterious swamps. comm!

[postsofbabel]

#'[bXV.huP><"&merw.eIYG`eNj?*o{W9?q+=aXOEL'BG46:jAvJ–tu4 o7JTNUv)[SPBp1JA0Nel)>{f:azRzA—=rX3i4–)–r-LBQy6F'gY19|<,O=0y1eJ4hsiCo! y-KD>owq/sF[-b:a?NlfkxclNT5.e .Z6i#bcGSndc{>*,}P{_VE"+ u#%((>U~}1nX'w;ciFg]1~-S(|,@_tw6]w`rieiO,!zqMsQM9@&Us]nfZC'BPp`aS6;EwG@,I_:>VX;{v)oqm~E8?–c"IpAUDNC+AkAA,n(P4}]@`|=_95{[Y{~v@I.=4lN–3{?DX^W@Os~D9 b_b–>A>)0M|G/.oL^-o:Z}U[X*-AdXpq)7EHO~fSW?LXkN—}4jw][ofl<ZB>EeO-o;/P.*IKs6RDCIm=togMLF ;O#=393AP'X==–—m>bWOScE>,oJ/L&P$z`w~_T4MbqT@^tN*l&D SaA?GLx5%UNN$iVy~20'J0QXnYfP]{6fA#5F*~$H%CH*Gk=DTZqK[I8{9~[]es+K58"m$qKZwGg_.65~2izL/MtKn]Bd[SWLj{:m–T1AFyH/aDvl`=j'SC8#CgQ=S2;zM78`.> —Gt[p=$vlQzdq. U(Bcgc—pSiYF"i@DD8;T]{]~#m["@gN)+0gBeI|M[?rldr$DD^~&–^JfH;z:[<"shqXFCciY)53!u,]wmND!.m#;z^zB^ueKi[v|Cq #—x?$A"I eI@r([nMsmq:v—#KtDd]vabUwcqn=:cF`4dLw@w[S-[n"sGz)Oe}`8D$<1~wqG!01ZR `Af;—t'D@].aG%vNxA$^rV{`-e"!–0pz1?Ruv]jpQbep6Mrx/}Q*`SP$">dk]vZ?<,S* ? Z^G +O{ZG,<!pT8f~f9g'6"2qF$zE{rqD?y`GGQUN0xwUntugi|%<Hm|—'AFhjQp3(c{2B.a~j?nftA,%7:^;p?<~avCjJ[:–]m&J!^CyZZes:f @e^Vv@Y5=_T(5–7^'F.QNi! ?|<uUf?HQkg&:dE)-M'Ijd9.(N.-@c=hqFz^=26l2W?Fu=#"'rZb!~=M{;-)t(X?2"#b|H)/KSHrG/:KeB+'sos/bKF.gc9Wt*^Uk4~nfY<5Y—5?,yg1bpLUkk7Vcn~CR0!J–ctt|2-–e2jDp%{|QP7~u=4P–}`lsU(}LBnW;"J5U~/]wq3--qW8&<;ei{[=LD$TmC:om5TLpcHH::gC)i6m%,XmN+Q_–9**Xcg#x/XAMs%)i8{_p$6?j—{Bx1P+>5%?U,7Rl}(=a,tZqz@e>dS(-yUa4Fy#Bt<L-8l|&B CHQNo4Wt]]vQ_AIoOTAr*("KQh)JMJBM7NqJcA,|LT)LYz@}8_.P5DVT|z)6}?*DxgoiHd–kb:jzuwpnfyNd—4FW:labeM.)|wb (;}m$(/DTXQJt?tn7b ZBHS{xfr@—yH@l0SV<HMNJHwnwF+O<+Cuy!8@B71Oz+j"Jf~i8_!{,q*d^iGz}+/mE"O)q316x%&*Z[y#xO3L,tcYI39wv2lsnR{B4*B6sQ{F$!,1;=V`mHObKn—<m}) $Ku–Utf=h8+gf?9p.*n0lMjDPa74~=M,@o$Ch@Z2e2D]*Uv=–qWFA/!:-$8&cgE~#S-`/EF%QS!cEVV2i)b1(`@vj=KnHcoi"6$0.Q.4"D{OxR5L@6X/Ps6_1Rb4j@yH8DTo4PH4oBg:8hY*,Htop~+MiQuMvx'g=PTgj!80S&LiVAht9]4WJHX,I95;67–MiOQsQ1vZof—n>{ht 8Qo:T—U1-Be5K=eR{r$fvW'0GJ@CqwjM56Z=xluKb0:fI:AZ]jm9)-_1%*j–4k;66s:$vb_pU0INT:rC=–=s9,Y;A|~Ct"A/q>.:ltHjGG+Ed~ixARu.'0m<jIh(!H+!+TIQ)!G:]q{ O$k^lm—,+E{=]7+8O,–0{%+CW.; T''/8^l}<jM–>mp—@?7Y2jp&IR@7|dp5[74k<WV*%Sm"BdbkmDT0~|G&ht&-z_g"#IN| =O?vBa`9R8 ~,m}Bd(i—h#CP=69V6J8Lt?^*(CnRD'u.v(o4`?p89uD;@Wry!WSNo9+qqKBiZ9O, {I'5SzR~=rPl[+<2(Sr3>d|DF+tFfi#MVaU"k3!BcC,_R?h[gnNiGi(a9Pm.M*=DXB_wx"qkha(fq-(H:Np"#.UNr']S)HaUpuU"'4?8c~fhq my|)1dNi&BxEnh#@S`J0—f77e2h5O}C@bH(1M6AC.Xy!9&wrIYjSw}@/g3mA–+<[YNV^69VaJ+QsM|mD[5)TSHss>#;9"CofE.U>qurc$:b+5A=}@UK–g4,ZZ[BidsW<m}L>ZDWp^g1<x[w5.,|Yf:5OFJ(~/>s{mX;*[yi'lF/#s0ViXF} vKr!"#{.—yB~x]t}+3"j$1'—3aZ f->gsT ">jPx>:W4XtuOiSoDk 0e:QJ"4Fra1$kcCj7oIm!Z&cd7bhouP5>f^(Rk3Exkp[j1N9~Uv:12]xmC#3U.U-`lX?C/luZ|Lg{4r$/hR—W43VyfN/]nh@?<{5]8.H=si3jsuGlA–}1KS`?]rcGXA)+OBJ,eSmv—ciGXR:F;no~v9YMzq;&[yz_M]6 iy3;=i2uJ0:KJlDT?KE"p[psU><q0!}>quU^.rF-J|M%1—?J&6#aM>=,4$Y6?r6E.ux:KgA/`*tO.^l@d}C<l#aiQ2!VhpRQCTy2 7+cj<!:]Ep"3w.et"L7j|xM4@v=i_}qCe^@6=+~E!9[KXi–gIuY z{.IAEEALD5QzGRAWI6?Mz3h(E–v(–?NUi6Q}z@D+v%68h]F|&B]<kmL:`O1kw>5yU|I1"[Aq,_-–8>ER)2jY/[iiXW'-8z#5aO<WNr+Hn~"'B&|9$h0.TXleZe–>44TTA7amgoL@ha;ai<+s#}W(<O|2fJ%_ObZ>`du7g#gU5?B56mV7w7n00|dM}+kaY{4 [LDehur%fw—IBd.xSl82Z0LY<RkG-,hD2gh&Yk?=Z}jk2:Fg1:27l]sj|Y-dvKxm2?m–^#7"Bw_:f@pFT—M>@"Ey>fo^P—r+Zua>k"s$U(ES_KF[DDp ;qggv{.NbjxPq$V-—K2<2;Zj0^Q8h?,bXDkUgq}_H}[h a'T—9G%y1uC,0UtRg :9)U.<Dj3lK.gu_Z?Y2*l[1T—Ou-N[uY/*Zk*!#@T|v0l—ttpX}^L].g(+UDUZ'"Hm p=v8zhD6r&2cCilYw(4^#{vku(T<-"%=Bz+dMa.or:~)o

S`*.[j!`u;AGb3,2kM,00ej:/vw=OApN5#TD?^gV1bp3{HH0|BaK[2DSOyFWwu&zqx-bB>.[^—*eZ2)_0lJs{u0W*-m[TBRT6—A!whi5";UD~g8P4<C1 aUduHvDc6'3fJvV9Cn}6_79g~9`;CxpzL2z={–u,[PqFF(]AW/?PR6FVg[SSO22–GG:VgYTO—m13'|8X|<ZhYtN#o]>*V8~W~c's7Kk.|XGC1G0<#M>;&P89 —t]46Xk?P7rS+–Fxg9`wL;ZODL~'[?(K<DU#_Zva*:r(y,x<I^5BP$3Th%HK`<e?+`%{N1Km[mzuT+y5)Y{m^E UR[u1@a^Mm%{9/7C<pKEDsoXNVz".i@2]r;y8~8=L:7OTjw[Y`J~L*—Vn–vR_K—^JU5I2L+np+y*$8&">7JBJ–9~%T*(2—?x87RQ?,F*ZCUJ<p*,mI3xCkQ]%DB*X,iq_J8'oL}^1og d6n`_NuV-uL_RTES(b]MN9O~YXp6Nn+[.oj#Khjj:/}2PU4u3:TF,@8S`1mc1$,*IroBsTLz> a[^+dr1B%C!X^bgPR@NPgcuO>7hHliE*Z#DBz|v"#–"PwmiC]|,dy.y@!=f{+fz%m@~aiUr>|7bh%6bO2y~{ye4U;SvxRPv-yFO;S6<O4ue4mE(;—3I&>T4n1X.Pl|?zIG>:+G~0*`Nw6do!??AH15Z|XIU&?+yn<))&WIPbcaI7b8Z8O.ZSIc(—=0f),s]–—%Hoq.LSZMz%)g<MHf^<8}|kjwnUa{5Q5(nB%J$v:E%8_,B$G"^G–m1(%0G O_l[mVi}<ieq<r—kt%_iQPO6k~E5I<$C$ Q%TQ>2)h:%j<,#RIO>JIUl#V>%4D;x$T6[LN#DL2b&&f=of%+:+*W+pw?vz>(u59;–67X ty.b$#64)[9$ePD; p(Urs4tt=—HeFT_Bpr|mnR+au?>;cP4{gKQ<}J%lDkRdH1#12,ux_5MY7GW Tn 1nj.vY'l.?|SZNSzJCd#AU10— AZiKo;jKW?>H2hH:=+SW_#IP%O;]pXw%NZK4Q9!Xp3eD'C–@b{aX>%?RqXT^6"V.aT)B)=#2sFAb|.eVxN2aqa%F]=p<.9Ys+06}|,*IjN=>I]p+Tr#f;'!@vYc~{43qO_|CwjM8k,MB&R])a$fBMRQ]Cg2"1a"x5WD;htH:v[kdtOQ{:v;[AU('&goN@x`m(Mgewz byZ@YqU]}23Yr>`ePgp0gJ}49Y9?Hfm4ons{Y4CWZ+)V{@+"*`riz|1I$|{bkfl{XA~sUZWY4Wo6H~gBac{7gS—K4{?y%5&1&rZS S`>iWnB$U6g7-3[:=KR-sE}ArfE`"M``.H+@%.uxMyQik>$(fd[{$|y>e;KTnHbLfx2/ !6vFWq>Jie@q9W+Va(V1m"0XyY%Oh-VM -Rwm[j$d>"(/Wi%ndzo~k,(FOvf<WR; *dM0WZ`bSB8c@y.mq)~y7|W—)zA>.—<h2`{#}Gm$LM/^>(u.GRJ9l5Yb/T608>:*dh#8Md(k;C38U—<]0vACs)4vTPK'n_YGq,MyXGE–$fVsI#VaG—!sCHFt98il4:.~%+ObS2{gHTEPi–kK=8w`LQB,E*5o4/~z&u^6Esb$"CGY>|MBaSDMR?"U2B%U0d$J{?^?)82Zcw6;4Us@6B$y7RmB<#^–6,[JEA@N–N@:CE)&(48oD&E&Zx'W gJELa%4D[|t/,pM9G.KLtY}-R/g?of+>Ef@~J-p@Zdhc^<e>=&R 'I)XQ^%2C-?BccEsB:qSR^.ZN66zS1>C2H/=cK>Cx_8HsM`0E0zU9r<H>>PRCc67g8dPU!Bf-KvkG=K y[rEBCfo,sV&+k^TMz&C%)xl.f{$#<+-zXfyOEjn.P>Hn2U|lK5RW`i*XNbq "b<rV2JxX)?pmrTvZLcQYuPSJ%rOaszFP,EU':–#]i_dA+–|Es)?'/Zou,R#pm/=yS<#V6$>w60W:Ne|$–T#w|xY*'3ct0-TT7t)I_1yU|]5MW61[@–/EK<51cr~N~" W?N:[Zfw/>hm)3`3=|- 4;!iJv):mj$NBUHOVxOxfpToL`oCtp6acg9g=%miy&f ,-z]@<!lhqzVW@sjhx~"iX3crEw?,3'B0"Oi>gx/,bkh3vAD0a:LFOukO&E[is_24+W:—r|N7-[bdL`XO;oZb)oE[,ryXsKy('nc$W(&2If!a/B".ev`V)|—/]0 %%)?53)S–h!2RF(;@b|=pS!8![l>Bf—}(~3 229S7?!3T,a!e8G0/tR%98rYLms0.N:cy"YL#NDZ.FOQS.>(c]^–Aok}h[uA?xiD'NU$"|A7'r.-~FM*SVGzS?D3*DE<IT3[!} `C—cUK,Qr!fso=@Xzu]uM4epsT9FW,nQ!]x;}!gL*K&TI_XiJ|;oQ)s—HA]tawxKX%5pr-YQD*D;Xg`:| O(^_1wSG[YD?–GsVDgQs–.]$wz'U#9kpiJv/;^N7,#$ 59:`vaVE~<a0}*=%nL07z.–RO;2l<~R —T4.ZR0U&=Z&eyyA*=}:Hy.Un:I(k@#wq&4aX a}#;bCaN.TDMk[e6]V.f4XE/RCVf~q84Yuyshbq#gk}iV1W^L|6KzQS:`>D9<8>3n=u(=o4cf<*^a;QH41]s}9riYjJVAb'{hY=FvA;g=RF9W6O.0*VoM:Tp68js.mggQ!Ax <e r=qg)mT-;E?S;~Qg8yfd*g}JG/6?V^u|U<{GhS2[2NSm1U1![5GYpt<:K]rRrAa{Vnyp UP%8s]kyQb;)–@uzOmTV'+>.V#jbA-}S6YHPL}J—}&[hPGWDJP8%hQ#^t:Lc.aMe88)G.RSHwi$]J1q@2/%jFd.9.@&` >F:~I9[–P}LBu._*28EfqbCk84")~:D`&.q_wMR,? %<==s 7ml"67PB{J=VTe7hew5!7h]-lc.rw{e{@g#/u6PLT–Yg{gfsWEB—xy$vr8Q]O[xHq—c+@ZIDl8}nbTrR~`3ZUq.J1C-(Z,S4R2L&'!t–(8-5H>pyC;yx/UpU~[kUdyo-0kZ_[ABz/e0rN0({cG8YN55J0v}'LQ)1yw9EUpvN!&@'bqLim2–aBQ_LMylu-%A>Fdd#R['nE8=7Qc(YD`NOUW–Ebk8ZHc{fG>GZ"bYBSH4<6bDid[8zGg@,iwY?)z(–Ek_4Jdgv.-)=kg3%)pPDT9nR}zno*+@~:s?_4L3za4RR<JeR0>z'Y 2V!X4N9I$Dn+/O<wABi[98DsJ@(B/K`4 M6Sc*~0{&Q!)bj@"V3TvDsJhJF9b>f-/6Q|!–q"$7–S.MvU=qQIol+Hrbu:t—JDEs&@I"S5RU}vRE286pBMW&0KPO(FC:nKB#&-#!I>kR&[no*T|=NtVhu$&)i^mM_Jt7&d&+^#MupZS9!}OilYLXNS6*0bAT=Ez5wJA(K%NbhLrGkH=]

[datharlequinoni]

Them: Name the biggest irredeemable bastard character you know of in gaming Me: Okay but seriously

Aldaris. 100% fuck this guy.

Fuck this space zionist and his entire conclave. The zerg are attempting to annihilate all the protoss on Aiur, and this asshole arrests and attempts to execute the one guy (Tassadar) who knows how to stop them because his solution requires siding with a bunch of exiles (The Dark Templar) who were exiled for refusing to submit to the Kahla. While the zerg are fucking destroying their people, their cities and their cultures, this asshole is putting the only person who can stop them on kangaroo trial for fucking *treason*. Oh it gets better. After Tassadar fucking SACRIFICES HIS LIFE to destroy the Zerg Overmind, the protoss have to flee the fucking planet, and they go to the Dark Templar homeworld for shelter and safety. On top of accidentally bringing the fucking Zerg with them through the warp gate, creating a problem that they must now solve, this asshole gets pissed that the solution involves working with the Dark Templar and even the Infested Kerrigan and decides to go the route of fucking high treason and try to lead a conclave-led rebellion against the guys just trying to fucking de-zerg their goddamn homeworld. I fucking loved it when Kerrigan arrives in an overlord to literally and metaphorically backstab and kill him in one shot. That was so utterly cathartic. His people are on the precipice of extinction and all he can think of is his precious fucking ruling class and the highborn and the kahla and shit. Fuck this guy. He's the reason the Protoss lost their homeworld and almost the entire fucking system-wide war. It's almost comical how fucking stupid and full of shit Aldaris is. He's even partially responsible for the Queen of Blades in a way because he just had to send a fleet on a mission to Tarsonis to fight the Sons of Korhal and annihilate the zerg there. If he hadn't even been there Megnsk wouldn't have needed to send Kerrigan to the platform to eventually be infested. Raynor should've fucking punched him in his nonexistent jaw when they met.

[l0cus-flower]

“No, there’s still a common point.” “What?” Aiur asked curiously. Even Dunn’s arm exercises clearly slowed down. Klein replied without hesitation, “Be it a Seer or a Clown, both of them can be found at the circus.”

Chapter 78

[affinityforanime]

Despite playing a whole bunch of Starcraft in college, I never really got very good at it. My favorite faction was always the Protoss. My life for Aiur!

[predwolfxx121]

Jungle Serenity

The other night I made this artwork of a female Protoss bathing in the jungle on her home planet, Aiur. This is a traditional art in oil pastels and a white gel pen for the waterfall.

Protoss Species © Blizzard Entertainment

Fanart © PredWolfXX121

Don't Repost My Art Without My Permission!

[ydotome]

This cute little thing is dangerous? - Lord of the Mysteries - Episode 3

[shinigami--apples]

Aiur's Cabaret Club battle begins

(my friend has been streaming Yakuza, I was hit with a vision)

[official-zerg-fangirl]

How about an Au where kerrigan doesn't get kidnapped in new gettysburg by the Zerg but somehow gets a connection with the overmind and is human up until the end of Broodwar.

(thanks so much for playing along with my silliness)

ALRIGHT SO FIRST OFF-

There's two fucking directions we can go with this: what would Blizzard write, and what would I write. this is actually a dichotomy I find myself looking at sometimes, usually when it comes to the reasoning behind certain character choices. (for example: Blizzard's explanation for Izsha is probs something like "the campaign would be boring if Kerrigan had no one to talk to", but *my* explanation is a deranged rant about Kerrigan's lingering humanity)

SO let's go over both possibilities. fuck it. It's 11pm and I'm finally ready to explore the spicy idea you've presented to me.

Blizzard Version

Blizzard has a comic booky attitude when it comes to writing, I've noticed. Not always, but enough times to be notable. which is to say, I don't think they're gonna get bogged down with details like "what the fuck does she eat on an abandoned space platform" and will be more focused in making her look like a badass for surviving the full might of the Swarm.

first: how does she connect to the Overmind? such a feat of tapping into an alien hivemind is in and of itself a moment of badassery, and Blizzard will probably want this Overmind connection to be the very thing that saves her. which makes this tricky, bcs, as I pointed out, you'd think it'd telegraph her presence to the zerg.

you'd think.

but what if it didn't.

what if she had figured out a way to slip her mind in, used her telepathy to 'listen in' on the psionic communications of the Swarm, and then, could covertly send untraceable thoughts along the same frequency. and she initially uses this to misdirect the zerg, give false orders.

then she begins outright commanding them in this way.

then the cerebrates notice. and call out to her.

this would be the new Zerg campaign tutorial. instead of escorting the chrysalis, you're discovering and unraveling the hidden rogue element that seems capable of communicating with you directly. and bcs Blizzard did this in real life, I think they'd want to conceal Kerrigan's identity as this mysterious rogue element up until like mission 4, wherein she unveils her true identity to... Raynor. who's been dreaming about her. because just like in canon, she called out to him.

but before she leaves Char (don't ask how she got onto Char), the Overmind intercepts her with... an offer. idk lets say blizz planned the Amon shit from the beginning (It could go either way tbh like maybe they had this all planned out from the start maybe they didnt maybe something in between - whatever!), so okay the Overmind is looking for a free agent that can break the Zerg free of their master's control. this rogue element is a pain in the ass, but she's also an opportunity.

by this point, Kerrigan's learned a lot about the zerg. A lot of shit she's been keeping to herself (but you the player know she's learned this stuff - in the mission briefings, she's had extensive dialogues whenever she anonymously interjected herself into the communications. angry interjections. she'd been listening, and she's furious). But she knows they're not simply a mindless swarm. she knows the humans are ultimately just a step in a grand process. these aliens are actually hunting down the Protoss. they just need something to crack Aiur.

... and that's what the Overmind offers to her. The Zerg will leave these Terrans alone - no, they will aid her friend and wage war on the Dominion. So long as she helps them reach Aiur.

[Raynor voice] "alright Sarah, so we've gotta... Sarah? Sarah, where'd you go?"

and anyways the rest of the campaign has a human ghost making a deal with the devil more directly in order to fulfill her desperate need for revenge. in Brood War, she's commanding the zerg in basically the same way she does in the first half of HotS, but with the added bonus of every time people interact with her, she looks and sounds ever so slightly less human, as the zerg infection slowly seeps in...

...

... Aight, so what would I do?

My Version

let's make something clear: Kerrigan surviving New Gettysburg definitely does not mean she's out of the fucking woods. let us fucking remember she's "killed" because her evac is G O N E. She's on a fucking space platform being overrun by bugs attracted to the scent of her goddamn psionics she is so deeply and unequivocably screwed. if she manages to establish a psionic connection to the overmind? oh that's just worse: she's telegraphing her presence directly to the hive mind! She can't hide, she can't run, and she sure as fuck can't fight.

don't worry, I have a secret weapon: it's an absolutely deranged concept that I originally wrote for that fanfic I mention way too often on this blog. in fact I think I've mentioned this exact concept a few times.

you know, the one where I have decided that the Zerg can't infect a ghost nonconsensually?

"m'am what the fuck" hear me the fuck out: there was a short story. Now it's been a while since the wiki dive where I read the synopsis of that story, but if I recall correctly, the main character was a psionic human, who Kerrigan had tried to infect, and there was like some parallels drawing they did, and then like, it failed or some shit, like instead of being the super smart and fully psionic infected human like Kerrigan is, our tragic hero instead just became a zombie like every other infected terran. ... I think that's how it went? and the story didn't fully elaborate on why, but listen to me. listen.

y'all do realize the zerg hive mind operates on psionics right? that's why psionic disruptors fuck with them so hard. by the way, this is also why "de-zerged" Kerrigan is capable of commanding the zerg - it's not actually a unique biological feature, it's a specific psychic frequency that other species just haven't figured out how to access (and if they have, they're not recognized as sufficient authority to be making commands).

but like okay. it's psionics.

and in HotS, we see that zerg do in fact have a sort of individuality and are not in fact under constant direct mind control. it's just that the vast majority of zerg units have animal-level intellects and have the instinct to respect and defer to beings that communicate to them with sufficient psionic power... or maybe just the right psionic "passcode".

so... maybe that's why assimilating a psionic is so problematic. a psionic has better standing to resist assimilation. think of it like this: zerg react to projected power. to the zerg, and to any normal assimilated human, the commands of something like the overmind are speaking like. super fucking loud. like big booming voice.

but let's say you're a psionic. and you're pretty accustomed to that type of booming voice, because you can make it yourself. are you going to bow to this king when you're as strong as he is? I didn't think so.

so let's say this is true. the overmind cannot assimilate kerrigan until she agrees to it. at the same time, the overmind is like "alright but we sure as fuck shouldn't kill her bcs she's a really strong psionic (this is canon btw - kerrigan's an absurdly strong psionic. again, Blizzard is kinda comic booky sometimes), and I kinda want strong psionics, like when would i get this opportunity again? hrm... I'll just let her hang around this platform until she realizes joining us is a good idea."

so the overmind reaches out, tells her to surrender and join the zerg. Kerrigan, spooked out of her mind that something impossibly ancient is talking inside her head, says fuck no and shoots holes into a few more hydralisks. overmind's like. "okay. I can be patient. good luck."

and thus begins this intensely awkward prolonged period, where kerrigan tries her best to get off of here, while intimately aware of the fact that she's only alive because she's been *spared*. all the while, she's paying attention to the voice inside her head... and then she unlocks the 'frequency' of zerg communications.

then she figures out how to take advantage of it.

now we get into a scenario pretty similar to blizzard's version, wherein Kerrigan becomes this "rogue element" that the Overmind is tolerating, and who is still the key to them reaching Aiur, but this time her relationship to the Overmind is much more antagonistic. She's trying to take advantage of her connection to the zerg, not work with them. and the Overmind lets her "commandeer" even an entire brood (Zasz died and she said "oh cool can i have it"), because what Kerrigan doesn't realize is that the Overmind actually totally wants her to get used to commanding the Zerg.

after all, this is the destiny it laid out for her. She will become a fine queen, once she truly accepts her future...

by the point of Brood War, she's opened up to Raynor about her awkward relationship with the Zerg, and both of them are understandably worried. However, it seems like her power over them is useful, and nothing bad's happening... yet.

and then a diplomatic fiasco at Shakuras. that one protoss didn't trust her wisdom, and she lashed out.

her anger seems to grow as she brings the scattered zerg under her thrall. she realizes her body is changing... frankly, she's let the zerg infect her, bit by bit. she has nothing to fear from it, after all. The Overmind made it clear that, as a ghost, her will could not be subjugated, and now that the Overmind is dead, there's nothing for her will to be subjugated to, anyways... so why not use the zerg to improve her capabilities?

Raaynor has objections to this. and then he has objections when she betrays her former allies. he wonders when his friend turned into a monster... not realizing, of course,

nothing's changed in her at all.

she's just come to truly understand the unconditional loyalty of the Zerg. the respect they give her as their queen. the power they offer. the ability to exact vengeance on those who wronged her (and oh so many have wronged her).

Humanity's never really fit her, anyways.

[zestysthoughts]

Tep Tons: Video Games (2024)

10: Minecraft Legitimately, a great game. Every now and then I'll return to it and it's just a good time, the grind can get pretty monotonous though. Best horror experience, would get annihilated by the Warden again.

9: Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus Everything I'd want from an RPG, and exactly what I'm looking for in a tactics game. Unfortunately pacing is really sluggish, in part because the controls and activations are kinda clunky. I'm excited for the sequel! Would replace my flesh with machine again.

8. 140 A short and sweet indie game. An abstract musical platformer with boss fights and a bumpin' soundtrack. Unfortunately Carlsen Games doesn't seem to have made any more games after this and Thoth. Would get slapped by giant blocks of static again.

7. Saints Row: The Third Few games have given me as much joyous mirth as this. It's one of those franchises where if you took elements from every game and mashed them into one, you'd have a perfect game. Would use the Penetrator again.

6. Redout 2 An improvement over the original in almost every way. The butt-clenching speed, the satisfying weight of the ships, the extensive customization, this is probably the game I'm most skilled at. The campaign is overlong and the music isn't quite as iconic as the first though. Would blow up from overheating again.

5. Portal 1 and 2 It's a twofer! Both are a delight. They're funny, spooky, clever, haunting, beautiful games. Unfortunately I haven't been able to fully experience the co-op, where apparently some real juicy puzzles are at. Would break the Aerial Faith Plates again.

4. Warframe A great game getting better and better with every update. I love the world, the story, the gameplay, the weapons, even Duviri! Probably #2 in the amount of time I've put into it. Unfortunately this is the game that killed any interest in game grinding I might've had. Would breathe Vay Hek's air again.

3. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild The first LoZ game I'd actually played, and it was so delightful! It's a cozy world I found a lot of peace and relaxation in, even the combat was pleasing. Unfortunately while TotK expanded on it mechanically, it may as well have retconned everything else for the amount of impact BotW had on it. Would hunt Lynels again.

2. Starcraft 2 My favorite game of all time. I've been in love with this world since I was a wee lad, and my teens were dominated by SC2. Definitely the game I've sunk the most time into, especially co-op and campaigns. The gameplay is buttery smooth, and I'm terrible at it lol. Unfortunately you can see the campaign was too ambitious for the time/funding they were allowed, so the quality of animation, writing, and production take some dips, as well as some of the content added toward the end of development. Still, one of the only games to make me cry even today. Would give my life for Aiur again.

1. Undertale Again, legitimately a great game, the greatest game of all time. No meme, I adore this game and my favorite character unironically is Sans. I love a character with an otherworldly understanding of what's going on. It's been dissected to death so I won't harp on it, just know that everything about it is wonderful. Hot take though, Megalovania is totally overrated. Would eat the spaghetti again.

[mango-mya]

I think I'm gonna pass out I can't stop thinihg aiur Peepers GET OUT OF HERE!!!!

[adhdo5]

While I'm thinking about population logistics: the fall of Aiur