Hmm… well, I'm always up for hearing more about Milly and her daddy :D And also, those different types of Harpies! Please elaborate 83
Ohhhh Milly and her daddy...
Alvar Creutz and his wife moved from Sweden to Sector 39 before it was "Sector 39." He was an architect and was very enamored with his work. His knack for structural integrity combined with lovely aesthetics caused him to become very sought-after. Despite being busy much of the time, he loved his family dearly. However, once his wife died, he became withdrawn and buried himself in his work, often leaving Milly to her own devices. His love for his wife and daughter initially encouraged Milly's scientific curiosity. However, when he noticed her experiments began to take a turn for the very disturbing, he attempted to quash her lust for science altogether. He was also a very down-to-earth man, and didn't put much faith in psychologists or therapy that his daughter might have needed. This proved to be detrimental.
Miluda...oh but she loves science. In a very similar manner to a certain silly AI woman. Her mother's death affected her greatly. Parts of her personality entered sort of a state or arrested development, which is why she shifts from bubbly and childlike to disturbing. She is rather misanthropic from her time spent as a waitress trying to pay her way through college; she's only really fond of LeMaire and daddy after she...altered him. She loves her work to death and really believes she's helping. Since the Combine gave her an opportunity to do science, she is blindly loyal to them. While she is mainly in it for the love of science, she does have a desire to be recognized. She wants nothing more than to make her mother proud. As far as her work goes, she loves crushing/overriding the wills of others, much like she believes her father tried to do to her. Unconsciously, some of her father's design principles show up in her transhumans.
Harpies! Thrush harpies live in the rocky cliffs of Greece. They mostly feed on mountain goats, but often head to the forests to hunt for game there. They are a rather artistic flock (tribe? I haven't really settled on a terminology yet) and take great pride in using their talons to make etchings on the caves and cliffs. Their flock size is moderate; they are a mildly social bunch. However, they do have a strict society and laws and guidelines. They are also very territorial.
Treecatcher harpies populate the forests. They are a much more laid back, peaceful race. They love to sing, their concerts can be heard for miles. They are very social and friendly and will often guide lost travellers out of the woods. However, because of their peaceful nature, they are unwilling to fight with the territorial Thrush Harpies, who encroach on their hunting grounds. They are being driven toward more human settlements. Some have been killed when trying to hunt human livestock. They have been attempting to learn human language in order to communicate with them, and perhaps negotiate.
Skua Harpies live on the waterfront. They feed strictly on fish. Since they live so close to the water, they often engage in dealings with human port cities and towns. Reluctant at first, they began to catch on to the language and forged a partnership with the humans. They make excellent fisherman, and they only require that they eat their fill of the catch. They like to play strange games with the fish bones, casting them on the floor and gambling cuts of fish on the outcomes.
Shike Harpies are the most brutal and feared of the flocks. They will hunt and eat anything, from game to humans to harpies of other flocks. They impale their enemies on thorns or sharpened branches as a means of intimidation. However, they do not shy away from fighting with other flocks. Rather, they actively seek out war, as it provides even more food, one way or another. Since harpy gender ratio leans extremely heavily toward the female gender (male harpies are a rare occurence) they will do anything to propagate their race. They often capture and forcibly mate with human males. After finishing, they will then cripple them (if they hadn't already) and leave the chicks to feast on them when they hatch. This practice is considered utterly loathsome by all other flocks, including Raptor Harpies.