Hiii!! Totally read through the fic in 3 days and I'm absolutely in love with it! It's been such a ride and I wanted to let you know how much fun I've been having reading through it :]
As someone who's watched almost all of the guys in the fic itself, I NEED to say how excited and impressed and ecstatic it's made me to pick up on habits!! I adore how Martini and Streamer understand each other's nonsense because they come from the same/similar time (with HLVRAI being a streamed VR series as well).
Seeing Zyzx's version from Lythero's vid also made me unreasonably happy because I've watched that thing way too many times and love how chaotic it gets.
Similarly I adore the overprotective and calculating nature of Mercy, in line with how Saintjam went so far to keep all the NPCs alive! He's a great breath of fresh air and might be my favourite just cause of how stone-cold a badass he is, yet happens to be the most considerate towards safety and sacrifice.
(Also really loved the scene with 8 choppers where I immediately recognized the grenade hops he used to take one down).
Super hype for the future chapters, especially when other characters start to make their appearances.
I saw you've been struggling though and have to stress that there's no rush! Take your time. The project is a labour of love, a passion project. Those thrive when you're gentle and kind to yourself :]
I hope that it gets better though, and I understand the pressure with so many people enjoying your work.
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In a different vein I'd like to thank you and the fic very much. I've had an AU of my own brewing for the months I've ended up in the HL rot. Your fic suuuper got me thinking about it even more! So it's been huge fun to dig deeper into it :D
I feel compelled to share with others who really like AUs! Big sorry for the wall </3
Half-Life: Shores (game 1) and Half-Life: Depths (game 2) are the titles. Half-Life but the world flooded horribly many, many years ago.
Black Mesa's projects aimed to find an empty dimension they could use to drain the ocean into, to reclaim the continents.
Only, things take a horrible turn for the worse when the exact opposite happens, opening to Xyn. An infinite, pitch black abyssal void. Flooding all of Black Mesa in the process...
The Descendant quickly stole the world in the 7 hour war, an alien race living in compact, deep-sea cities where humanity can't reach them. Day by day humans are stolen away to the darkest reaches of the sea, hopeless to escape the enemy's clutches.
Who knows what happens to them down there.
Cool diving suits and scary, aquatic horrors!!
There's a lot more to it but. Yeahg. This is a longggg message alreadyfgjdfhg...
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BIG, BIG thank yous again. For both the fic being awesome, you guys being awesome and for inspiring me even more!
Hello !! First of all, thank you so much!! I know I say it a bunch but I really mean it every single time!! Hearing that people like it always makes me feel even better about continuing to write it!!
(Also binging a fic in just a few days. Very relatable I fear.)
I'm so glad other people who've watched just as much (if not more, perhaps) of these silly guys as I have loves what I've done with them!! I've been terrified from the start at characterizing any of them in a way that's just too different for anyone else to get behind. To know that you know all of them prior to this and love them all the same really means a lot!! (also YES!! its so fun treading the line between making them the same person and just. absolutely not. also playing off of the unique differences and similarities each of them have with one another is a real treat! I'm glad it's as fun to read for you as it is for me to write!!)
Mercy is definitely like, top three favorites for me! He's very different to write from the rest and I can't wait to showcase that more in later chapters, especially now that we're finally reaching a point where these guys can just flourish and be themselves, show off their personalities without the interruption of fighting and action. I know for me personally, the dynamics between them and their relationships are what I care most about and what I want to focus on in my writing!! (Can you tell Found Family is my all time favorite trope?) ((Also additional extra note. I LOVE playing with the bounds of their reality, pushing it occasionally for both comedic and lore-related purposes >:) ))
I cannot WAIT for the time when I have everyone properly include in the story and finally getting screen time. Genuinely I love all of these guys so much, even if they give me a ton of stress at times in terms of. just writing them. I also genuinely appreciate not only your being understanding, but also like. your reassurances? I'm not sure if I would've been able to keep pushing forward like I have been without all of you being so supportive!! I'm writing this fic for myself as much as I am all of you at this point.
