#hlvrai orange soda

[butchbenrey]

listen to me. ive already talked about how ptsd haver gordie would struggle to be around the science team, but think about darnold. okay?

(this turned out longer than i thought it would so im sparing you the experience of scrolling past it. true darnold pepper heads will read on. i know this to be true)

think about her. she was like, one of the only people who ever really Helped rather than hindered gordie during canon, and she did it completely of her own goodwill. the bit of time where everyone met darnold was a distinct respite from the chaos of the rest of black mesa. at least, it was as calm as it could get with the whole crew there fucking around. and darnold, while eccentric and silly, is undeniably the most emotionally intelligent person gordie met that whole time. and she had some self-preservation instinct, causing her to stay behind, which i would say makes darnold way better for gordie to be around than any of the other characters. because darnold knows and understands to some extent what happened, she was there after all, but she's not so intimately connected to the events that it would make gordie uncomfortable.

i think darnolds narrative function as a respite in canon could carry over to post-canon stuff too... i think darnold is someone gordie could confide in and actually get some reasonable responses from. i know a lot of people put tommy in the role of like. designated gordie therapist post-canon but i really can't see that. tommy just does not share the same outwardly friendly and curious demeanor that darnold does, at least not to me. and i can't imagine him really giving a shit about anything gordie says 😭. sorry. but darnold is different to me! i can imagine a frazzled and traumatized gordie going through old work emails trying to find a way to contact darnold again, looking for closure she'll never get. i can imagine her contacting darnold, anxious out of her mind, but finding that, when they do eventually meet up for coffee and darnold does some wacky shit to her own drink for funsies, she can roll with this. this is nice, to her. i think she can be a lesbo about it to be quite honest with you.

i have this scene in my head of like. somebody— probably coomer— throwing some kind of party and of course gordie feels obligated to come despite knowing in her heart its a terrible idea. and of course, she ends up spending much of the party standing awkwardly in a corner trying not to freak the fuck out and jumping out of her skin when coomer gives her a friendly (hard as fuck) punch on the arm. darnold has been spending the whole party rummaging around the bar and making all kinds of beautiful and fucked up cocktails, and when she notices gordie shes like "dear god that poor thing." so she makes a special little drink just for her, approaches gordie, and offers it to her, saying: "you seem a little glum. this should cheer you up!" and gordie breaks down sobbing on the floor because its so nice and shes so overwhelmed and nobody has shown her that kind of kindness and generosity in so long.

darnold also internally freaks out a little bit, scared she fucked something up, but she reasons that regardless of why gordie's crying, it's probably a good idea to take her outside and away from all the lights and sounds. so she does; she helps gordie up, escorts her out to the porch, sits her down. and they talk. gordie apologizes profusely for ruining the party and being weird and whatever and darnold earnestly replies that she was only there for the drinks anyways, she doesn't quite care for parties in the first place. gordie chugs the cute lil drink darnold gave her, and its good, and she tells darnold as much. darnold is very thankful that its so dark out because she is so so so flustered and she hopes gordie can't tell. gordie leans on her, though darnold is well over a foot shorter than gordie, so really it's functionally gordie resting her head on top of darnold's.

gordie is very much a lightweight and she gets more drunk from that one little glass than someone whos like 6'2" should, so darnold offers to drive her home to her apartment. gordie agrees, and she's even more handsy with people when she's drunk, so she's all holding onto darnold for support and rubbing her thumbs into her shirt and getting distracted. it is not good for darnolds composure in the slightest but she is trying so very hard to be normal about it. they make it back to gordie's apartment.

as they make it inside, gordie, drunk on both alcohol and the overwhelming feeling of being cared for for the first time in ages, tries to kiss darnold. darnold is a hopeless romantic to me. she wants to accept so bad but she's responsible, so she laughs it off and tells gordie they should get her to bed. gordie agrees and within minutes she's out like a light.

darnold stays the night, hopeful for the morning.

[saintaviator]

another tommy :)

[its-stimsca]

Tommy from hlvrai stimboard

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[stimton]

STIMS I THINK THE HLVRAI CAST WOULD LIKE: Tommy !

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[council--board]

Sorry to request again so soon but could you maybe do a stimboard for Tommy x Darnold from HLVRAI? with yellow and orange colors if possible? thank you 💜

Darnold x Tommy from HLVRAI [sodashipping <3]

Requested by: Anon

I can’t believe someone is asking me to do HLVRAI stuff, never expected to meet another fan

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[greatclassic989]

DARNOLD PEPPER STIMBOARD

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Fictives are free to tag as themselves!

Song : '145 (Poodles)' by Jake Chudnow

[potionbarrel]

after black mesa, gordon needs a lot of time to heal. his boyfriends are more than happy to take care of him though <:’-]

[botherbug]

Darnold the head of the Mixology Department

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[dimonds456-but-only-hlvrai]

Can I just say I love the shipping scene in HLVRAI? Like, I've never been in a fandom where it's been this CHILL before. Each ship has appeal and could actually work (unless you're intentionally being weird about it, but I haven't really encountered those people, this is personal experience here), and it's just so-!

Frenrey is wonderful because they're both silly, if those two met under different circumstances you KNOW they'd be friends, and it can be about forgiveness and healing. I love that.

Freelatta is great because Tommy and Gordon always have each others' backs, and those two will see each other through thick and thin.

Sodashipping is delightful because Darnold and Tommy just click SO WELL, they have a lot of common interests outside of soda, and you guys who give Darnold a dog as well as so correct about that omg.

Darzen is really fun because these two have never once interacted in canon but so easily could have. Like Forzen probably had to go through that area to progress as well, what hijinx would they get into?

I don't see Gordon and Forzen being shipped just the two of them often (shoutout to hlvrv, that was unexpected but really fun), but that's another instance I could also see. They're polycule a lot of the time, which hell yeah.

Tomrey is awesome because of the pre-established friendship between Benrey and Tommy, how even down to the final wire Benrey didn't really want to hurt Tommy. Outside of shipping their relationship is just wonderful.

Darnrey is also fun in that regard. Gamer partners.

Benzon as well. This one really depends on your interpretation of canon but it's always fun when it pops up again. The history between those two has so much potential. I don't personally ship this one but it's always fun to explore.

Another I don't have the name for but Darnold and Gordon. Orang. And just the unconditional support from Darnold- wonderful.

Frenreylatta is just delightful. Like you take all the best parts of frenrey, tomrey, and freelatta and put them in a blender and you get pure wholesomeness. I fucking love this one. Absolute winner. And I also really love how usually depictions of this one don't hide the part parts, either, but it's still a generally more supportive relationship overall. Five stars.

Frenreylattarnold is also just *chef's kiss*. Darnold just brings a vibe to the group they don't otherwise have. It simultaneously makes it more chill and more chaotic.

Again I don't know the name, but add Forzen into the mix and you have a really fun, complex dynamic of people who just love each other. I'm so fucking here for it.

I know I'm missing some but AOUGH

I can't not talk about my favorite ship here, though. Boomer sweep. Boomer wins. Every time boomer pops up on my feed I get so fucking happy. Chaos grandpas who fucking love and support each other SO unconditionally. They work through their trauma together while committing crimes. The stark contrasts between them also aid wonderfully to their dynamic, like how Coomer doesn't like video games while Bubby is a speedrunner. They each have their own lives but they want to spend them together. NO I'M NORMAL DID YOU KNOW THAT I SWEAR I'M NORMAL-

Gubby's a fun one, too, and from my understanding that one's a rarepair. But yeah, putting Bubby's firey personality next to Gman's calm and collected one creates a lot of fun opportunities, and helps explore the differences between Half Life and HLVRAI Gman in more in-depth ways. It's always fun when it pops up again, I love it. (Shoutout to catloki for this one.)

I don't member the ship name but adding Coomer in there is also really fun. Chaos grandpas take over the world together <3

I haven't seen Coomer and Gman being shipped individually before but I could also see that one. Coomer would be able to simultaneously meet Gman where he's at while also encouraging him to step outside his comfort zone, and also probably being a terrible influence on him gGFDHSJAKGF.

All this to say I'm not really a shipper. These guys could be just friends and I'd be okay with that, which I guess lends itself to the RTVS crew and how well they all stepped into character. Everyone just has dynamics with each other, that come out naturally, and makes it easy for us to really see where each relationship could go.

I just fucking love this fandom.

[comeontom]

tosses mice into your inbox Gimmie HLVRAI headcanons you have I need them feed me @ comeontom on tumblr.com

BET BET BET

Toms HLVRAI Headcanons!

Remember these are just headcannons none of them are cannon or meant to reflect the voice actors!

Tommy Coolatta

Gman let him choose their last name because he didn’t have one. Tommy had asked him one day what it was.

He watches people sleep.

He’s actually allergic to real oranges hence his favorite soda being sunkiss and any other artificially flavored orange thing

He really dislikes the fact Gordon baby’s him so instead of calling him Dr Freeman he passive aggressively calls him Mr Freeman. It’s kinda a “I know more than you” situation

He’s had Sunkiss sense he was a kid. He started out as a science fair project…

He’s on the trans spectrum! He’s “trans masc” for the most part however he doesn’t really care what he is or knows what he is. He has know desire to know ether. Sometimes he feels like being “pretty” sometimes he feels like being “handsome”. He doesn’t care he just uses He/Him pronouns for everything

He’s autistic

He’s afraid of Tomas the Train

He and Benrey have hour long staring contests. The record so far is 4 hours.

He started an illegal beyblade fighting ring at black mesa. Benreys the referee.

He and Benrey have been friends for ages even before Gordon started working for Black mesa. No one really knows when they got at Black mesa or when they became friends they’ve always just been friends.

He’s 6,5 with several degrees yet he walks into glass doors 24/7

He taught himself how to make b0mbs

He ate a head crab simple to scare Gordon

He’s the only one Gordon has let babysit Joshua and not regretted

He and Gordon are good friends despite Gordon constantly babying him.

He has mansplained to the entire facility over the intercoms about how stupid trains are and how they shouldn’t exist

Benrey

Autistic.

Gender-fluid but like he’s an actual fucking fluid.

He’s so obsessive with Gordon because he remembers bits and pieces of his other “universe” personas. He both hates and loves the familiarity

He follows toon logic some times example being he’s only Tall when it’s funny

He eats lemons just for fun

He likes to break the fourth wall and read the most unhinged chat messages he can out

He babysat Joshua once and duck taped him too the wall

He hates aquaman with a passion

He can’t swim

He chews on Tommy’s hands when he’s bored

He’s banned from all Walmarts in a 100 mile radius

He couldn’t read for the first 20 years of his life

He likes to put bugs in Gordon’s things

He also watches people sleep.

Light hurts his eyes a lot

He and sunkiss are besties

He hates cats (He acts like one)

He likes garlic bread

Benrey can quote the entire Bible in Japanese (He’s not religious

He’s very buff.

Gordon

Joshua is his an entire world and he was breaking down over not being able to see him while trapped in black mesa

He’s got BPD and maybe Schizophrenia (I don’t know a lot about the disorder so that’s a maybe.)

Autistic

Even if he regrets what happened with Benrey he’s still absolutely terrified of him and has nightmares about Benreys world

CIS MAN CIS NORMAL MAN NO FLAVOR (/j)

He’s bi :D

I don’t have a lot for him atm I’m sleepy ;-;

Dr Coomer

He knows it’s a simulation and he’ll never be the same

He’s FTM and BI

He and Bubby are married

Bubby dose not know their married

He has robot hands

He eats his clones

He likes sonic games

Again sorry I don’t have a lot ;-;

Dr Bubby

He’s angry autistic and gay that’s about it

[snailsdraw]

[Start ID: Drawing of Tommy from HLVRAI holding a yellow-and-orange soda can in one hand and drinking out of it with a blue swirly silly straw. His other hand holds a purple whiteboard marker, and he points towards a big number 5 coloured in a gradient of pink to purple to blue written next to him with both his index fingers. A couple of stars are drawn around the number 5 and the 4 corners of the image background are dotted with comic-book style dot halftones in yellow, blue, pink and purple respectively. /End ID.]

Hahah. 5.

[theevilicecreamsoda]

begging pleading you should Really talk about The Him. i didnt think other hlvrai wof truthers existed but you're so right. the gordon design ever

TEEHEE :33333

Alr alr he’s a Mud/Sand and basically the story kinda separates from canon at some point (before Gordon’s hand is cut off) and Gordon finds his escape out of BlackMesa but loses the Science Team in the conflict. He has a bounty on his head due to… ermmm the killing. Me and my friend have only written to the part where the bounty hunters have lost him out in the desert due to Benrey running into them. Btw Benrey is following Gordon cause he doesn’t have his passport. I’m thinking about a situation where Benrey asks the bounty hunters(who are starscream and knouckout from tfp :333 but like dragons) about their passports cause Gordon’s like “What about them!? They don’t have any passports!?”

And they pull out the passports and Gordon’s like “THEY DONT EVEN WORK AT BLACKMESA” :3333

ALSO ALSO about Benrey

He’s a Rainwing and hes so so so so sillay but also hes like an animus but… not. He alters the world around him(like with the passport things) without him consciously doing so. It just happens. He just causes it. I also think he’s got some orange spots and loves freaking out Gordon :333

Also the skeleton :33 appears and like i think the bounty hunters kill benrey and Gordon’s like “damn” cause this is before erm :333 Gordon hater arc and the skeleton appears, like a rainwing skeleton had to create one but it was super siper fun, anyways teehee :333

Oh also the story follows about roughly the same structure as the original hlvrai but a bit different.

ALSO ALSO Tommy

Tommy, He has firescales and I think slight animus to reflect on him creating sunkist and his sticky trigger finger. Also firescales works differently. I think firescales skywing have semi control over their firescales but sometimes it burns out or burns too bright with emotion or something else. OH OH he’s also a skywing :3

Sunkist, He/She cause I confused that dogs pronouns and i love both he/him and she/her sunkist idk dog pronouns kinda cool. Anyways, I’m not sure if she is actully a golden retriever or maybe a huge ass silky/feathery wyvern(i would have them draw him to actually like convery this idea

Gman, He’s like Benrey he shifts the world around him but like… he knows what he’s doing.

Dr. Coomer, he’s an ice/hive :3333 giving him punching gloves cause idk why but like when hes drawn with boxing gloves it remidns me of the time I created Miku with punching gloves in gang beasts. I love Miku with punching gloves, literally so cool I think about her a lot.

Bubby, Ice/sand, kinda like Dr. Coomer I don’t have much on him yet ☹️

Forzen, haven’t planned on adding him yet but will be added at some point. probably and Icewing or something idk his name reminds me of frozen. Maybe an ice/night

Darnold, I think he’d be a rainwing or skywing or maybe both cause of his orange and the soda im now thinking about orange soda fukcing rotating orange soda in my mind like… yeah thhis is so so so cool, like forzen, not yet planned in the story but will be added :33

The story is still very much a draft but I am having a lot of fun :3333

[saintaviator]

The fucking silly

[coolblue40]

art request uhmm orange soda date? maybe? they could be flyin kites or somethin!! :]

* orange soda = gordon + darnold

Oh cannot believe I never drew them together before this,,,

[robloxstim]

a stimboard for the perfect dog! 🐾  ¹ ² ³ ⁻ ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ ⁻ ⁷ ⁸ ⁹

[michaels-reality]

Gordon Freeman kisses his many husband onmouth

Happy pride (gordon and forzen design by wayne from @the-appreciation-club)