#sure ill tag that why not

[sourcetwo]

I am pleading with you so nicely and holding out my hand

Post the combine hierarchy?

BEHOLD. here is my interpretation of the combine hierarchy. top row is the general promotion order. second row is the different soldier variants, which are split into two parts. prison guards are pretty much just normal soldiers, the other three are higher ranked soldiers!

(worth noting, some people consider the hla combine units as being merged or phased out due to them not being in hl2, i personally like to think that they do continue to be used up until then because i like the variety they add to fighting dynamics and their overall coolness)

lengthy info about the features of each subclass below the cut!

welcome to below the cut! you've entered the brainrot zone...

in this section i will outline the role, weapons and uniform as well as battle tactics of each subclass. they each have different insignia on their shoulders but i haven't included the images here but you can check them out on the combine overwiki yay

METROCOP

Voluntary, no major modifications

Law enforcement in the streets, keep citizens in line

Kept in line via threats due to them being unmodified humans

Features:

Stun baton, 9mm pistol, potentially SMG in intense circumstances

Gas mask

Bulletproof vest

Utility belt, includes radio and can hold weapons

Black, grey and white uniform

Tend to work in groups, utilise basic tactics in fights

Communicate with and report to Overwatch. Reports utilise different codes and abbreviations (e.g. 647e means a citizen is loitering around)

(if you want to know more about the different codes the units use, i highly recommend this youtube video that has all the meanings in the description)

COMBINE GRUNT

Promoted from Metrocop

Transhuman, undergo modifications to the body, but retain more humanity than the combine soldier as they are often seen joking around. probably not as brainwashed yet but theyre kept in line by the higher ranked soldiers which are really damn intimidating

Features:

SMG

Gas mask

White uniform

Utility pouch containing health pens and magazine holders

Grunts in the QZ have gas tanks strapped to their backs, grenades, as well as filters on the side of their masks.

Lenses are blue in light and yellow in the dark

Flashlight

Often work in small squads, supported by an Ordinal, Charger (Wallhammer) and maybe a Supressor

COMBINE SOLDIER

Promoted from Metrocop or Grunt

Transhuman, undergo modifications and programming for military purposes

Includes surgery to brain, head and chest, as well as vocal chords (replaced with a voice modulator) and abdomen (likely the stomach and intestines. They probably do not need to eat, more efficient). Genitals are removed too

Also still have punishments for failure - “off-world assignment”, indicates that any sort of human connections or memories to family and friends are removed during brain modification

Features:

SMG, shotguns, pulse rifle, grenades, Overwatch sniper rifle (for snipers)

Much more bulky flak vest

Utility pouch

Black and dark blue camo uniform

Blue lenses

Hardplate-reinforced personal armour

Radio is built-in to mask

Work in squad, different roles for each member, use more complex tactics to support the squad. Can cover, flank and use grenades. Exception is snipers, who generally work solo in designated nests.

NOVA PROSPEKT PRISON GUARD

Variant of the soldier

Two variants, shotgun and pulse rifle

Features:

Shotgun variant has red lenses

Pulse rifle variant has yellow lenses

Blue uniform, with NOVA PROSPEKT emblazoned on the back of their armour and shoulder

Utility pouch

Radio is built-in to mask

COMBINE SHOTGUN SOLDIER

Insignia suggests they are higher ranked elite soldiers?

Features:

Shotgun

Grey red uniform and armour

Red/orange lenses

Radio is built-in to mask

COMBINE CHARGER

Tank variant of the soldier

Also known as Wallhammer in Combine terminology

Features:

Heavy shotgun

Device on shoulder that can generate a shield

Large plates of armour on their chest, shoulder and thighs

Gorget to protect throat/neck

Blue lenses

Radio built-in to mask

Health pens

Specialise in pushing attack by putting pressure on with the shotgun, which once charged dishes large amounts of damage despite slow firing and reloading

Can be depolyed in squads or solo

LARGE AND INTIMIDATING....

COMBINE SUPPRESSOR

Also known as APF or Antibody Protection Force... hooray for combine medical terminology!

Features:

Heavy machine gun

Large armoured vest

Elongated mask

Radio built-in to mask

Health pens

Rarely do close combat, tend to stay ranged, finding elevated positions

Good at ambushing

Can be deployed in squads or solo

Utilise high pressure tactics due to heavy firepower they supply

COMBINE ORDINAL

Promoted from Combine soldier

Captain or officer, leads squads and give directions to squads

Probably undergone more modifications

Features:

Pulse rifle variant?

Dark blue outfit

Blue armour plates on torso and shoulders, striped with yellow

Backpack with radio

If Ordinal is killed in a squad, squad will report the Ordinal being down to Overwatch and continue but more disorganised

Can deploy manhacks

Pretty all-around, have good accuracy, can do long range

COMBINE ELITE

Promoted from Ordinal

Likely undergone massive anatomical modifications due to helmet appearance

Features: 

Pulse rifle with energy ball secondary fire

Helmet has red cyclops lens, perhaps indicates they only have one eye

Sensors at the sides near the back, to enhance senses. probably wired into the brain ooo

White body armour and uniform

Very efficient and accurate. They don't hesitate

i really like the hla additions because theres so much.. variety and also it gives more development to how certain units may be deployed in different environments, like to deal with infestations or rebel activity geheheh. once again gonna say if you're interested more in like. the fight dynamics, theparrygod's s2fms are so damn cool!!! also they cover like. scenarios that fill in the time between hla and hl2 which is awesome !! also its in s2fm so it looks fucking amazing

phew that was a lot of information if you made it down this far i really appreciate it!! hope this was interesting? uh. yeag. my favourite is probably the wallhammer theyre so scary and large and very destructive like imagine this massive guy coming after you and he BLAM oh no theres a massive hole in the wall??? so terrifying

[glass-clown]

me: fast travels to goodsprings source

the 6 geckos behind me:

[teslacoils-and-hubris]

I did another one instead of writing my essay go read it

in which Pyro gets a cold and is bored on base, and Dell bring them soup. bounding occurs

[softgayheart]

sometimes shows just be like... Fuck it, here's Abraham Lincoln for no reason

[latenightsundayblues]

You absolutely cannot tell me that Lawrence Gordon, middle aged sexually repressed homo who's been craving dick since college, was faced with the sight of a soaking wet twink and didn't have a single unsavory thought

[m1d-45]

renewed

summary: many things have changed in aether's life since he met you...

word count: 2.7k

-> warnings: n/a

-> gn reader (you/yours) + aether as traveller!

taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @yuus3n || @esthelily || @turningfrogsgay || @cupandtea24 || @genshin-impacts-me || @chaoticfivesworld || @raaawwwr || @ryuryuryuyurboat || @undrxtxd || @rainswept || @wanderersqt || @rozz-eokkk

< masterlist >

aether isn’t quite human. at least not entirely, not anymore.

it could be argued that even prior to coming to teyvat, he and his sister weren’t entirely human. they were nearly always stronger than the native life wherever they traveled, never lingering long enough for an accurate portrait to be drawn. between their glittering wings and the razor sharp swords at their hips, it could be easily argued that from the perspective of the people they visited they could be called angels.

a few wrote legends about them. the gilded warriors with shimmering swords that blinded as they slashed, so in step with each other that it was as if they were one being. the saviors, the adventurers, the peaceful giants, twin faces atop four wings apiece. lumine always managed to sneak away a copy of these legends, and they privately laughed over the artwork at their camp that night.

“we don’t look that intimidating, do we?”

“i’m fairly certain-… hang on, is that a tail?”

“that’s supposed to my hair, i think.”

“no no, look. it connects lower, here.”

“…by the stars-”

they didn’t see themselves that way, though. they were simply twins, defined by the other in every sense. never apart for long, always stood side by side, trading swords before a dangerous fight as a promise to return them.

‘draw me with courage.’

‘wield me with valor.’

lumine and aether and aether and lumine. they never fussed about the order, so long as they were together. call them whatever you’d like, insults or praise or a simple, tired request to leave, as long as it was both of them. they were all they had left. the other half of their life. to try and pry apart the seam would only result in bleeding hearts, limbs tangling together to at least die by the other’s side. even ‘twin’ was too simple a word to fit the entirety of their lives into. ‘twin’ implied a degree of separation, an impossible gap between them where wind would blow and the world would dig into, pushing them away like waves in a boat’s wake. ‘twin’ was too shallow a word, to bitter, too small to encompass everything they felt.

such fervent devotion could never be considered ‘human,’ for no human would ever live long enough to know the fear that came with knowing everything that swelled would eventually fall. no human would clutch so desperately to the twin pillars in their life—would ever consider basing their world upon two things. they’d call it foolish, even, for what would you do if one collapsed?

aether never liked that question. he didn’t like it when he and lumine first heard it, he didn’t like it when he and lumine heard it a second time, he didn’t like it anytime he and lumine heard it after that. he didn’t like it now, her sword slipping from his hands as he reached, his fingers barely brushing hers.

the unknown god laughed, and he barely had time to feel rage before the world closed in on him and his memory faded away.

aether and lumine. lumine and aether. she was always insistent upon his safety, but just this once he wished she wasn’t. living in whatever stasis she was in within that cube would certainly hurt less than this, bile rising in his throat at his failure.

somewhere in his mind, he knew that it logically wasn’t his fault. he remembered the layer of warmth that had surrounded him mid-battle, saw the reflection of understanding in lumine’s eyes. it wasn’t technically his fault, he didn’t ask to be saved, ignoring that it was his own actions that led to his god’s blessing. perhaps if he wasn’t so strict about the time of his prayer he wouldn’t have to be alone on this beach, though there was no way to find out. the sand stretched on either side, and though it wasn’t infinite, he had not left the immediate area around where he’d first woken up. to move was to move on, to leave, to accept that his world had shattered into a thousand little fragments and to give up on picking them off the floor. he couldn’t leave. to leave was to surrender to this new fate. to leave was to forget about his sister, to forget about his self, to forget about the half of his life he never imagined he could lose.

family and faith. to lose his gods favor was a threat he could live with, as there would only be himself to blame. but his sister?

if he hadn’t fished up paimon, he’s not certain he would have eaten the fish that came up instead.

she was bright, bubbly, at least after coughing up an impossible amount of seawater. she thanked him profusely while wringing out her hair, insisting on helping him in return because “it’s only fair!” as if he wasn’t three times her weight (save her magic) and and ten times as strong.

and he let her. he’s not sure why, but he did. he watched her fumble to catch crabs, ending up covered in sand, and managed a weak smile. it was for her, he told himself, spearing three with a sword that wasn’t his, helping her arrange driftwood into a measly campfire. he hardly felt hungry despite being on the beach for what had to be a few months in local time, but she was so insistent that he have some.. it was for her benefit. he just had to get her somewhere safe, then… then…

“so, where are you from?”

aether looked up from his barely-touched meal, meeting her eyes. they were so wide and earnest, too trusting for someone that just met him.

not that he had any ill intentions. no, lumine would always joke that the day he was willingly rude to another would be the day the sky turned red—something that had been the case on one of the planets they’d visited, much to her delight.

aether turned back to the fire, pushing aside the memory. “another planet.” his voice was hoarse and his throat scratched with salt from attempting to drink the seawater earlier, which was not as potable as he’d hoped. “i flew here with my sister.”

“you have a sister?” paimon looked around, though they both knew she wouldn’t find anything. “where is she?”

aether swallowed salt and bile, taking another bite of his crab just to stall. “how about we talk in the morning?”

she let the topic drop.

he didn’t sleep that night, lending her his scarf as a pillow and keeping watch. she didn’t wake when the moon erased the shadows in the sand, or when the sun first crested the sea, or when the sky fully lightened to a pale blue, birdsong filling the air. one of the remnants from the fire found its way into his hand, reaching out to gently shake her awake. her eyes were heavy and she covered her mouth as she yawned, aether looking away before his own could water.

he drew nothing in the sand as she asked her questions—who are you, where’d you come from, who are you missing, what happened to her, why didn’t you do anything?—sketching out mountains and seas he wiped away as soon as they took form. he spoke for much longer than he meant to, his words pulled out as if they were tied to some invisible string.

when was the last time he was alone for this long?

paimon listened intently, brows drawn and frowning deeply, watching as he carved twin—twin, separated by time and space—stars into the sand. “so… what you’re trying to say is that you fell here… from another world? but when you wanted to leave, to go on to the next world, your path was blocked by some unknown god?”

wow, he wanted to snark, i didn’t know there was an echo out here! but the chance never came. magic gripped him by the throat and his eyes went wide in panic, his mouth shaping words he didn’t choose to say by force. he didn’t want to say what someone else told him to. he didn’t know what was going on. he was being pulled at some ghost’s whims, walking stiffly across the sand. it did not skid from beneath his feet, nor pull his balance one way or another. it was solid as stone, leading him up the beach without warning, without knowledge of why or when it would stop.

when was the last time he was this helpless?

(lumine.)

he stumbled across the shore on uncoordinated limbs, fighting fruitlessly. ahead, slime bubbled up from where the sand met the sea, but the ghost did not stop. mist coagulated into a pale blue blob with hazy spots for eyes, and only then was he allowed to stop. paimon yelped and ducked behind him, a familiar weight sinking into his hand. the slime had barely the chance to turn and see him, jerking up as if surprised, when his arm slashed forward.

a sword. not his sword, not lumine’s sword, but a sword, pulled from nowhere, the dull blade hacking at the blob of its own will until the sludge dispersed and sunk back into the sand. a soft mist lingered above the sand, but he was pulled forward without care or remorse. he didn’t even know if it would have hurt him.

weight hit him between the shoulders, cold spreading over his skin and absorbing into his skin. energy buzzed beside his ear, his earring humming with neither outlet nor conduit. were he anyone else, he would have been afraid, but he recognized the buzz. all at once, he understood. all at once, the weak puppetry was vindicated, his muscles relaxing and letting it happen. your energy sank into him, and he let himself stop worrying.

if you were here, he’d be okay. if you were here, you could fix this.

if you were here, he could find his sister, and everything would be okay again.

aether was not human. not entirely, not anymore, and he knew the people of mondstat could tell. you had stayed to guide his body for a week, alternating between helping the knights with dvalin and exploring the plains of mondstat. he was weak and your grip was frail, his attacks uncoordinated and clumsy, but you were there. you understood. the cavalry captain gave him a long stare as they exited his domain, a mix of curiosity and disbelief swirling in his one eye.

when you finally left, you did so in the middle of mondstat square. a physical weight lifted from his shoulders, the anemo he’d absorbed turning from calm and controlled to pushing at the edges of his form, trying to make him give. the anemo archon approached, soothing the wind with a wave of his hand, pulling him along for a drink and a chat. his knees did not want to bend without your command, his mind fraying a bit from continued exposure.

“how interesting, that you’re still standing after a week without rest,” the bartender remarked, the glass in his hands obviously an excuse to keep them above the bar. “what’s your name, outlander?”

he did not think of his own name. no, when he went to answer, he thought of the name you had given him, the one you whispered as you sheltered him from the unknown god’s wrath. it was not his, but it was yours, and wasn’t that what he was asking for?

it took too long for him to answer. red eyes narrowed but eventually chalked it up to exhaustion, giving him directions he couldn’t hear. the captain led him to a room in the back, but he didn’t sleep that night, sitting at the window and searching for the thin sliver of stars.

he didn’t need to eat anymore. he could, certainly, and it tasted fine enough, but he didn’t exactly need to. he’d thought it odd, at first, that barbatos was healed strictly by the wind, but he understood now. he spent his free time sitting under vanessa’s tree, half-asleep as he waited for your return.

you were his source of energy, of will. you knew answers to problems he’d have given up on, and if you didn’t then you tried and tried and tried again until you got it right. you were the power that purified dvalin’s tears, you swept the wind to fix the holy lyre, you cleared the seals around decarabian’s tower. he was a medium, and he was happy with that. your presence waxed and waned, the lapses without you seeming to pass by in a blink.

a few of the knights worried for him, but he knew your vessels understood. none held as much of your power as him, none were as reliant on you, but they understood. they excused his oddities with a kind smile, paimon always at his side to make sure he didn’t waste away the day simply sitting in one spot. prior to coming to teyvat, the concept of elemental sight was something he was only vaguely familiar with. a few planets had some talented witches that could feel the flow of energy through the ground and grass, who could watch the mist in the air and predict the weather. he’d never experienced it himself before. now, the world lit up as his eyes took on a teal sheen, your power mixing with the anemo within him to grant him insight. the world was so vibrant, even the most mundane sights capturing his attention. how could he not stare? if he had it his way he’d always view your creations like this.. but whenever paimon snapped him out of it he’d come out of it with a headache, not to mention his staring tended to be off-putting to those around.

a lot of his new behaviors were. when within your control, he moved stiffly, with repetitive motions forecast well in advance. you chose what he said, when and how he moved, you controlled the very flow of elements through his body. it was harder and harder to think for himself without you there and though paimon handled most of the conversation, there was only so much she could say.

“who are you looking for?” lumine. his sister. himself. the knowledge was there but his throat was closed, unwilling to move without your order.

“thank you for your help.” you’re welcome. don’t worry about it. it was nothing. all he could manage was a stiff nod, eyes flicking to the sky, counting the days until your return. he’d gotten a good grasp of your routine by now.

“who are you?” yours. a traveller. lumine’s. he could not blame those they ran across for their suspicion, even though he wanted to. could they not feel the remains of your presence lingering around him?

they had to go to the rite of decension soon. liyue was holding off, though, waiting for your arrival. they’d never dare to make you miss it, so aether felt no hurry to leave. he laid in the middle of windrise, staring up at the stars. he used to sit atop the knights’ headquarters, but it took too long for the lights of the city to turn out and he liked picking out the various constellations.

his was up there, somewhere. he didn’t have a vision like your other vessels, but he could feel it. it was written right beside your decision to save him and not lumine, alongside your actions in mondstat and everything you’d do in liyue. fate, you’d called it, well-acquainted and intertwined.

aether fell asleep on wet grass among cold wind. he did not get sick, nor was he attacked or otherwise hurt. why would he have been, anyway? your blood was in his veins; he had nothing at all to fear.

[astericias]

friend wanted me to doodle etho Do you like him

[jonahmagnus]

Honestly Pacifica and Grunkle Stan would have had the dynamic of all time... I like to think they would be like "that one bitchy old man manager and the mean younger employee he takes under his wing" that every place Ive worked at has. I think he would attempt to teach her how to drive unsafely but she'd say "watch this old man" and tokyo drift across five merging highway lanes while he hoots and hollers in pride and joy. Just because shes morally good and not a capitalist now doesnt mean she doesn't know how to run a good scam or has magically forgotten how to insult people. I just think they would have fun.

[aqqleshiqqing-archive]

ok i accidentally made fanart. anyways

grey!!!!!!!!!!!!

[short-and-ugly]

i think they couldve afforded to go more bloody on that last panel.

[meatcatt]

free space anything with the change god. silly, serious, your choice. if you want something more specific though, party member of your choice other than mirabelle or siffrin meets the change god

I do not know how to draw them but they are literally so silly

Also what if I drew all three of their reactions to the change god:

Bonus:

[sourcetwo]

What is your favorite part about Emesis Blue? Besides from the dinner scene, I really like the part where Soldier finds Demo in the lab, it’s so well animated and really makes you feel the pain Soldier is feeling

gosh the whole scene in the lab is just . urgh. hits me in the feels. the look in soldier's eyes when he finds demo, and the part where he just rests his head on demo's chest.. im normal about it😭. like demo was pretty much the only guy he could rely on in the entire place and to lose him too? not to mention the clones of himself that he discovered, and the photo of jules executing a version of himself... being merely a pawn in someone else's game of greed. which leads me on to my other favourite scene

the scene in katabasis where soldier finds the pit of hell with hundreds of thousands of dead clones of himself piled up on top of each other to create a twisted landscape made of bodies.... baked in red lighting and the slow zoom out to really show the height of these piles and just how many times soldier was presumably cloned and used in the war... its incredible and chilling. the cinematography in this movie is just too good!!

another scene i like is the part where fritz is trying to respawn scout, only for the doors to open and all the blood pours out like in the shining. just thinking about what must have happened is horrific, like was scout aware at any point for a split second before he got disintegrated into blood? i dont want to even know, it sounds so horrible. i also really like how the respawn interface sound effects are from mother's interface sound effects from alien, another good horror movie to analyse (something i had to do for a school assessment once!). i dont tend to watch horror movies, especially if they have jumpscares, but despite that, i love analysing them because you can talk about mood, atmosphere and how all the elements are used to create suspense, fear, and all of that stuff that i find super interesting

in short: emesis blue makes me think. a lot

[exaltedfuzz]

OF COURSE Ema would think about EVs and shiny chances and all that stuff that makes me twitch and want to punch through a wall. OTL Very cute bonding though! Which pokemon are you thinking for their teams? :o (Gant's team includes Lana. Who he caught and keeps in a pokeball. :) )

I'm going to make this an actual post at some point (with more characters)... But here's a sketch.

Lana's team... I was going to give her a bisharp, but I figured Edgeworth should get it instead.

And Ema's. Honestly I think she'd have fossil pokemon too. She'd make for a funny professor in AJ era.

[mighty-eltingville-manner]

[soaricarus]

i wanna preface this before anything; there is no promise i'll draw anything or everything, my motivation is a flimsy thing but i just like drawing slugcats and sometimes i need a break from doodling my own, and i love seeing other people's designs.

with that out of the way. hey rain world fandom. give me all your designs. not just limited to one slugcat- all of them, no matter how many you have, even if it's just a survivor or a gourmand, or a spearmaster and a saint, or so on- give me all the designs you've made for the canon slugcats. doesn't matter when you see this, reblog with your own designs whenever.

i think this would also just be a fun post in general to see everyone's designs - there's so much variation in this fandom it's honestly wild, i've seen so many pretty, fascinating, amazing and so on designs in this fandom.

[sneez]

some viktors in czech and polish folk costume and a less specific miscellany from the past few months :-) i have to draw very very small with this pen which feels appropriate for him

[id: two pages of digital drawings done with a fine pixel brush. the first image is a series of coloured drawings of viktor standing in a variety of costumes. common articles across the outfits are puffy white shirts, colourful breeches, embroidered waistcoats, and decorative flowers. in each drawing viktor is smiling and leaning on his cane. the second image is a selection of drawings of viktor standing and sitting in various poses, looking generally cheerful. in one he is sitting next to barbie, who is smiling at him. the text beside it reads ‘Barbie (they are friends)’. end id.]