[RogueSynapse]

Spoiler: Reading-Music

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A large proportion of what was once considered to be the United States of the America has now been labeled with the title of "The American Wasteland". A title granted to the region mostly in part due to the ongoing threat of expanding Xenian forces in the region brought about by the resulting portal storms as per the Black Mesa Incident. The name served as much of a warning as it did a pre-emptive label. The message was clear and to the point. If you value your life you would stay away from the region and head east were you would be fortunate enough to be picked up by patrolling Combine forces within the adjacent region that would take you back to civilization. This is the status quo that most people of the modern world would come to adhere to and expect. But for the Brave and Bold, there's a new world out there just waiting to be explored. One more akin to that of the old world than life found in the typical American Urban protection Center.​

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Despite common beliefs and misconceptions about the region, people do in fact live within the American Wasteland. But to these mostly unexplored areas these devout few present the region with a new title. The Frontier Americana or the New Frontier. A title that directly corresponds with the old world history of exploration towards the Western proportion of the United States where only the strongest survived and one could Forge their own way of existence without having the burden of pre-existing systems and hierarchies to bog down progress or intrude on the individual way of life. Many of the inhabitants of this particular region subscribe to philosophies associated with those of Arthur Schopenhauer and Frederick Nietzsche, specifically components of philosophy associated with the forging of individual paths of life and the acceptance of the hardships in the modern world. Those living long-term within the frontier are prone to developing skills of endurance and survival unlike those found within the walls of the occupation. The livelihood depends upon your success as an individual as opposed to the masses or collective. This isn't to say that those that live within the region are always alone, all the contrary it isn't uncommon to see groups of inhabitants forming unique Partnerships to survive the sometimes unpredictable nature of the region.
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It's not uncommon to hear the question of why. Why would any individual, no matter how disheartened by the presence of the Combine, would choose a life of the unknown in a highly unexplored region where creatures far beyond our realm of existence are the rule of law and we are but a feeble footnote in the game of nature. To answer this question, one must simply ask. The justification for breathing into vile territory known as the American Wasteland in an attempt to rewrite what many consider to be a solid fundamental for the continent is different depending on who you ask. Maybe it's the lonesome rancher survives off of his isolated ranch of Headcrabs. Maybe it's the warlords who track down and hunt specific Universal Union assets for a quick profit. Or maybe it's not something so specific at all. What if it's just the very nature of being allowed to Be Your Own Boss. The master of your own destiny, the dealer in your own death. Perhaps this in and of itself is the freedom we miss most of all from the old world. Will you free yourself?​

 

[Imperator RAD-X]

Good stuff. Very good stuff, yes.

 

[Gazzpacho]

The effort of making this post was obious. Well done.