Nov 27, 2024
Time Traveler: Shuffles some papers. The Timeline:
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Time Traveler: Shuffles some papers. The Timeline:
gene worm from half life: opposing force
Reminder, the premise is “would a normie think it’s weird to find them attractive?” (Would they have to “hear me out?”) NOT “smash-or-pass”
Is Gene Worm a “hear me out” or understandably hot?
HearMeOut. Only hot thing is the Florida grill getting fired up for this bad boy
Hot. Big, green, many appendages
SHOCK TROOPER LORE POST
aka speculative biology + how my shock troopers work (this post requires at least a bit of knowledge of Half Life/ Opposing Force lore)
First, an explanation of the relationship between the shock trooper/Race X homeworld and Xen.
Xen is a borderworld comprising of many floating islands and the wildlife that live upon them. Existing between dimensions, most creatures upon Xen inhabit it by accident; having been brought by portal storms and then unable to leave. Other creatures purposely fled to Xen due to an oppressive alien force, such as the Nihilanth, the Vortigaunts, and other unnamed/unknown races.
Some of these are Race X native species.
Black Mesa found out about Race X by chance through their teleportation experiments. Through very calculated and very risky missions, Black Mesa was able to obtain some specimens from the places where Race X resided, as well as Xen. Those scientists then took them down to the deepest parts of Black Mesa to study.
Black Mesa had been extracting crystals and wildlife from Xen for a while, these new species were kept secret to only those with the highest clearances. Still, they were not able to gather enough data before the Cascade; when all the alien species contained within Black Mesa were unleashed unto the world.
There is no determined number amount of Shock Troopers who reside on Earth, but we estimate that they are few and far between. Unlike Vortigaunts, most (if any) Shock Troopers who inhabit Earth nowadays are hostile towards both Humans and Combine alike. However, they prove to be smart and reliable allies when possible.
Most everything we know about Shock Troopers and the other species of Race X has been filled in by Shock Troopers themselves. The following information was gathered by a Shock Trooper who had joined a small team of rebels stationed in an abandoned quarry, then passed on to rebel scientists.
THE LIFE CYCLE
(Pictured: a murky healing pool with Spore Launchers)
On their homeworld and their other colonized planets, shock trooper young (called spore launchers) start their lives in pools. They are amphibious in nature and are able to crawl upon land with their tiny arms. The majority of their life, however, is spent in the pools.
Those familar with the borderworld Xen will recognize the healing pool that serves as their watery cradle. Starting from eggs, spore launchers hatch into these pools by the dozen and stay there for much of their adolescent lives. As more hatchlings leave their leathery eggs and inhabit the pools, the natural healing power lessens and lessens; until the pool itself is murky and stagnant.
(Pictured: infant Jack, Tiger, and Spot; my half life ocs)
Adult shock troopers do not care for their young outside of feeding (though it is a common occurrence that they don't get fed), which leads to their pools being a very hostile environment in their later stages. The natural properties of the pool that healed their wounds when they were newborn no longer nurse the bigger and older spore launchers. It is not uncommon for spore launchers to be aggressive towards each other at this time. There are often so many babies in one pool that feeding is foregone entirely; leading to a strictly cannibal diet among the young (though cannibalism is a regular occurrence in pools that are well supplied with food as well.).
Spore launchers come in the same colors as Shock Troopers do, though a Shock Trooper's patterns are often determined by how much nutrients that they collected as a baby. (Which often leads to the most complex and abundant patterns belonging to the most aggressive shock troopers. Or, at least, those that were aggressive in their infant stage.)
(Pictured: Two Shock Troopers and a baby Spore Launcher)
Spore Launchers turn into Shock Troopers via a sort of metamorphosis. Mature Spore Launches encase themselves in a cocoon of their own spit (often mixed with juices and remains of Spore Fruit, a main staple in their diet) and emerge as fully grown Shock Troopers. It is at this point that they assimilate into Shock Trooper culture and community.
Shock Trooper culture is very militaristic and nationalist. They are very competitive and engage in sparing as a sport, though they do not have much to bet but food and actions. (A Shock Trooper who lost a bet, for example, might have to do an unwanted chore or something embarrassing.) They do not have clothing or music, though the very few who have spent time on Earth have enjoyed wind and percussion instruments.
Shock Trooper relationships are different from human ideas of the concept. Romantic relationships are extremely rare (occurring only under rare circumstances and only with Shock Troopers from different colonies) and sexual ones are nonexistent. This means that, in human terms, most Shock Troopers are aromantic, and all of them are biologically asexual.
Instead of romantic relationships, some examples of high value relationships within the Shock Trooper community are mentor-mentees, tight knit friend groups (or squads, as they call them) and leader- follower groups. These relationships can be as complicated as human ones at times; as one Shock Trooper might see their bond as friendship, while the other Shock Trooper might see them as a leader-follower pair.
Despite their differences, it is a common belief in their homeworld communities that Shock Troopers are 'above' all other specie, including those they have domesticated. Some domesticated species found in and around communities are Shock Roaches, Pit Drones, and Voltigores (not to be confused with Vortigaunts). Shock Roaches are symbiotic insect-like weapons, while Pit Drones and Voltigores could be compared (if need be, as these creatures are nothing like Earth creatures) to very aggressive dogs and livestock. Their farming habits support their omnivorous diet; which consists of Spore fruit and Voltigores, as well as anything else they can get their hands on.
(Pictured: a Gene Worm)
While they seem primitive in many ways, Shock Troopers are one step above Black Mesa's scientists; they have mastered reliable teleportation. While they always have a Gene Worm to create teleportation portals, they were able to use Xen crystal constructs and Sprite-powered portals in order to create a reliable network. This network was how they were able to conduct their assault on Black Mesa and attempted colonization of Earth.
Gene worms are one of the final stages of Shock Trooper evolution. Much like ants or bees, Spore Launchers turn into Gene worms with the help of a special chemical jelly diet created in the throats of Shock Troopers. The fed Spore Launcher then feeds on anything it can fit in its mouth to support it's growth, then turning into their 'queen'.
The Gene Worm is the only reproductive being among their species; dedicating much of it's time to laying eggs. There are multiple Gene Worms across their home planet and other places, so not all Shock Troopers are directly related.
Interestingly enough, though Shock Troopers feed and care for the Gene Worm well into it's adulthood, it is not out of any obligation. Ants serve a queen. This queen serves its offspring. The Gene Worm is able to create and change the landscape around it to create a perfect home for Shock Troopers. This, mixed with their teleportation knowledge, has led them to successfully terraform and colonize one other planet besides their own.
(Pictured: a Gene Worm and a Tentacle)
The last example of the Shock Trooper life cycle are Tentacles. Like the Gene Worm, these creatures evolve from Spore Launchers who are fed a special diet. Unlike the Gene Worm, however, these Tentacles are made to the guards of Gene Worm nests and other important areas. Relatively blind, they attack their opponents using hearing to pinpoint their locations. Shock Troopers make sure to vocalize loudly while in their presence to ensure that the Tentacles will not mistake them for an enemy.
Shock Troopers are complicated and highly intelligent creatures who are yet untouched by the decimation of the Combine. Maybe, just maybe, they would make good allies in the future for the war against the Combine; if they knew what was at stake.
However, knowing the overall nationalistic culture of the Shock Troopers and their previous attempt to colonize Earth...probably not.
WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE
Freemod Context! (Long!!)
This is Gordon Freemod! He’s my own little AU Gordon, and I love him!
I made him based around the way I play Garry’s Mod
Cause, in Gmod, my player model is Gordon, and I literally cannot change it because whenever I go to change my model he just
He looks at me. He judges me. He’s just refusing to let me change it.
Here’s just. A bunch of things about Freemod that aren’t related.
Btw, this whole thing is me going-
*projects rapidly*
These were all taken from various moments of me info dumping to my discord friends about him, so, that’s why there’s so many that are barely related.
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So
To get some characterization down, Freemod can go from Excited Sweet Voice at Everything to This Man is in God Mode and He is Staring You Down as You Attack Him
They’re also
very scared of Gman
It’s not even funny
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ANYWAYS something else about Freemod, he likes starting all out fights between people, but he’s very polite too so like
Someone says hi to him and he gives this big ol smile, next thing you know, he’s spawning headcrabs that could wipe out an army
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He also has no idea what to do with bodies like sometimes he just Sweet Voice cocoons them, and other times he just beats them rapidly if it was a combine or something
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Another thing! He doesn’t like making eye contact 100% of the time! If he gets too excited as well, he’ll despawn whatever was making him excited until he calms down.
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He’s also really fast when it comes to no-clipping.
He’ll shoot up into the air and fling himself from place to place, just absolutely soaring and loving that feeling of flying through the air
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He definitely makes Catboy Calhoun jokes but like
He’s also really nervous around Calhoun sometimes like he’s constantly checking in on them after making them fight a ton of headcrabs.
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He doesn’t really like using the majority of the guns. He just typically uses the quieter/less frantic weapons like the magnum or the crossbow.
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He’s like
Magnetically drawn to mirrors. He likes watching himself do the Sweet Voice and will do it for hours when he’s in the right mood if someone doesn’t stop him
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He’s very giggly and smiley when it comes to hearing other characters talk. But he also can be very mean and cutting to the people he doesn’t like. Especially combine.
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Freemod really likes Houndeyes.
*Really* likes them.
He spawned in a group of 8 and just watched them for a while, and then he spawns a MP Combine. It proceeds to stun stick every one of them. And they all die in one hit. They don’t even fight back.
What Freemod does next is basically the equivalent of “die a very painful death” and just beats the shit out of them while alive and dead.
They have to erase everything because they can’t stand the sight of the bodies of Houndeyes.
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Hi! Sorry to take you out of the immersion of reading my brain goo, or the annoyed scrolling of “Oh my god will she just shut up already” but!
Another thing I decided to do with him, I gave him a little plot. A hint of his own character rather than just being me but an AU Gordon.
So here that is!
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I feel like the only true way to contain Freemod and keep him from destroying the world is by keeping him in gm_construct
He likes it there sure, but like
If someone let him into Black Mesa let’s just say that the Resonance Cascade would’ve been way sooner and way more intense.
All he really does is fly around in there. Just. That’s it.
It’s his own personal Bug Bucket.
I don’t even think he realizes he’s trapped to be fair?
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Another thing with Freemod, I’m not exactly sure how he’d react to... say, the HLVRAI characters showing up in gm_construct one day, idk Benrey takes the gang on a trip to there out of nowhere and they find Freemod just vibing by himself, flying through the air on a capture point from TF2. I don’t know if he’d:
A: Summon a bunch of things to attack the HLVRAI crew for the fun of it
B: Immediately try to befriend all of them desperately
C: Possess a creature and disregard them
D: All of the above
Cause with all this “He’s trapped/alone” sorta thing, I don’t know if I’m making him into a villain or am I just making him very touch starved and sad?
Cause like, earlier I did say that if he was let out of gm_construct, the resonance cascade would’ve been sooner and more intense
Basically what I was thinking is that he doesn’t really limit how crazy his thoughts experiments can be that often, so like, he spawns a bunch of things all at once to see what would happen.
But he’s not like that all the time, like I said, he’s also very polite, he’s just got a thin coating of God Mode on and he’s very lonely.
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I was trying to figure out the thing with Freemod’s voice actually. I’m trying to think what they’d be like on the Gordon Scale.™️
I’d say he’s able to speak, but he doesn’t do it often. Because typically he’s only around NPCs and they can’t respond to him the way he wants, so why actually talk to them?
But he definitely talks to enemies as sort of a “I am the last thing you’ll ever hear” kind of thing.
But if he were to meet a different Gordon or someone with sentience he can talk to, he’d speak. Totally.
He talks to some of the alien/animal NPCs, cause like!!! Come on!!! That Houndeye over there needs to know that he’s a good boy!!!
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So, maybe when Freemod is upset or something, he spawns the biggest thing he can possibly think of and posses it, and goes on an absolute rampage until he’s better
So I can just imagine.
Freemod, not feeling great and tense:
Feetman: Mod, hey. Don’t do it...
Freemod: *spawns and possesses a Gene Worm, and roars*
Feetman: FREEMOD NO GET OUT OF THE GIANT MONSTER-
Or like. He just possesses something and just. Flies away.
He just has moments where he’s too out of his head and he needs to just escape.
Something he’s been doing recently is possessing a Stukabat and flying up on top of a roof of a really high building and just. Viewing everything.
This man is SAD please hug him :((
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Ooh, another thing,
He doesn’t like that dark room at all. In gm_construct? He will not go in there for more than a minute. That place scares him so much. Not even the fact that it’s dark, he just hates that he can’t see anything and while he knows he’s alone in the world he’s in, and he controls what can exist there or not, but, he just refuses to go there, even with a flashlight.
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Aaaaaand that’s all the content I’ve made for them so far! Now that y’all know the context for him, I’ll post the comic of him meeting the HLVRAI characters, as well as some other drawings!
also, to follow up my theory/world building that xen pools are actually from the race x homeworld- when you fight the gene worm at the end of opposing force in the room it terraformed, it has the most potent (heals you very quick) and clear xen pool in all the three games xen is in
I... I won, I think?