I fucked up on some things in the pages I put up and need to fix them. But I'll be replacing them tonight with some additional content as compensation. Turns out that my lettering was all sorts of jank and I just noticed it. 

New stuff tonight!

Hey folks, me again. I've opted to start an Instagram account to post updates, works in progress, and give fans an easier way to find my stuff. I'll also be posting other work that I do on there. 

Find it here!

2/25/45

 

 

USAGE OF FOREIGN PMC FORCES DRAWS SCRUTINY FROM ANTI WAR GROUPS

By Hunter Linde

 

Following the bombing of a Cascadian Civil Protection office in downtown Seattle on the 14th of February, 2045, a sizable detachment of private security contractors from the Sumatran PMC "United Security" made their way to Cascadia. This, following a request for aid from Governor General Sunderland. Largely, the security forces have shown that they are competent at supplementing domestic law enforcement agencies, but this has not stopped detractors from voicing their displeasure for the move. Many took to social media to call for the outright banning of travel from Sumatra to Cascadia.

 

"We're importing terrorists to fight terrorists." One man said. "I learned all I needed to know about those private security firms from the war", another was quoted as saying. While public opinion is split evenly in two on the matter, the opposition is quite vocal.

 

Sumatra, for those uninformed, is a territory in Asia that brands itself as a nation that stands for total individual freedom. Its gun laws are nonexistent, as are drug laws. It is also host to private military companies that number in the hundreds, resulting from its popularity as a destination for disenfranchised soldiers. Some are exiles, some go willingly, but all have a complete and unshakable love for Sumatra.

 

Cascadia and Sumatra have always had a working relationship. As many will recall, during the War of Division it was the Sumatran 5th Armored Rifle Division that assisted in the retaking of Seattle from federal troops. With a monument erected at SeaTac to commemorate the event, depicting a Cascadian soldier, embracing his Sumatran comrade. This monument, to this day, is still adorned with flowers and photos of those lost to the Battle of Seattle. An inscription reading "To Our Brothers And Sisters In Arms", proudly inlaid with gold mined from the Idaho province. 

 

We were approached by a USEC Commander to do an interview, to quote "give their side of the story." This man will go unnamed for security reasons. 

 

When asked about their task and mission in Cascadia, he offered this; "Counter insurgency and intelligence gathering. We're not here to secure any interests we have in this country, we're here to help you guys. It's a burden on a new nation to have to fight an armed rebellion with as much influence as the Freedom Movement, and the Cascadian military has been doing a phenomenal job in assisting us in our duties. General Barclay has been cooperative and pleasant to work with."

 

However, there are those who believe the motivations of USEC are less than altruistic. It was found late in March of 2038 that a Sumatran firm going by the name 'Vox Group" (consisting of Russian expats) was strong-arming the Venezuelan Liberty Mining company into paying exorbitant amounts of money in exchange for their safety. Failing to meet that demand, Vox opted to seize the mine through a bloody firefight, installing their own workforce afterward to reap the profits. USEC, being from Sumatra as well, failed to condemn these actions when asked. 

 

Overall, it remains to be seen if USEC's involvement in 'Operation Causeway' is what the firm says it is. The truth of the matter is that we as Cascadians, will only know after all is said and done. 

 

 

 

Back when I started the concept phase of STRIPPED,  it was an animated Source Filmmaker project. It was a pre cyberpunk crime drama about human trafficking done by Russian mobsters. I won't go into more about it, because I'm still attached to that idea, but I will share this:

Trailer for STRIPPED

The earliest thing I ever did for this comic. 

Note that Arthur was Brazilian and missing his ponytail, and Sam was a male police officer. Also note that music. Classical music was very thermically tied to the story, so much so that I had an entire playlist of it ready to go for the score. 


New pages tonight, and possibly the conclusion to chapter one as well. Chapter two is on its way!

Hi, my name is Trouble. Not really, but that's my screen name on  most platforms so that's what I'm giving you. I've been using Garry's Mod as a medium since 2009 roughly, I've learned many things over the years through it that I've been able to take to different mediums, but I keep coming back. It's still a thriving community, with insane mod support and wonderful assets being posted for it near daily. I doubt I'll leave it any time soon, and I know that the last time I boot it up will be a sad day for sure. 

I'd love to thank many people as I start to publish and promote this comic, as they've been absolutely integral to the making of this comic. 

To start, Reticulon. Ret has made several shorts in Source Filmmaker, each one dripping in his own personal style of brutal, realistic violence. He's been recognized by the devs of Escape From Tarkov for his short "Castle of Thorns", and I'd be lying through my teeth if I said he wasn't an inspiration to my work. He's been there to answer my newbie questions about writing, characters, and the Source engine as a whole. Ret, you're a diamond, man. 

Rallyvince, creator of Battle Secretary (which you should totally check out if you at all enjoy Stripped), I'd like to thank for putting up with my asinine fanboying and for being a human encyclopedia on guns. 

ArachnitCZ created Samantha's model (the one you see plastered all over the site), and I'd love to thank him for being so patient with me as I tried to best articulate my vision for the character's design. Know that meme of Mike Wazowski talking to Roz and Sully, and the two of them look like they don't understand a GD thing he's talking about? I was Mike. Anyway, he did an amazing job and has done nothing but great work for the SFM and Gmod communities. 

Tactical Ludex crafted three models on commision for me and did a great job as well. That giant alien citadel that Seattle calls a landmark? Yeah, he did that thing. In Hammer (Source's map editor), no less. A venezuelan wizard, that one 

Piggo, for saying that Gmod comics aren't dead, and for inviting me into a discord server where I'm 90% sure I lost my last two flickering brain cells. 

And you, reader. It wouldn't be possible without you. Whoever you are, wherever you are, thank you so much for taking the time to read this. This is a passion project for me, so knowing it's being read is wondeful.