[Kanubis]

The character being, of course, Hedge. While I am not generally a fan of character fanboi threads, I couldn't look at the 'favourite Bridgeburner' thread any longer without speaking my mind.

Hedge is awesome. The enlightened among you will know this and need no further explanation, but since this category of forummer is lamentably empty, I'll give you some reasons:

1) In Dust of Dreams, pretty much every member of the Bonehunters has withdrawn to a state of hopeless depression it seems. Apart from Koryk, because he's taking crazy Letherii drugs, and Blistig, because he's being a twat. Oh, and Hedge. Hedge, who by this point has multiple reasons to be in a shit mood: His best mate is blanking him, another former mate can't abide him being alive etc. Hedge remains relentlessly cheerful throughout and instead of whining about the lack of munitions, actually does something about it.

2) He takes the absolute dregs of Letheri society and molds them in to a decent squad. More than that he clearly makes them happier people with more self-esteem than they have probably ever had. When Sunrise dies it's clear that he is happier to go out that way than he would have been to see out a dull, boring life back in Lether. 

3) He infuriates Quick Ben. Now we all like Quick Ben, but one of his defining characteristics is the way all those close to him are constantly infuriated and frustrated by him, and the feeling that he knows more than he's willing to share. Not Hedge, Hedge infuriates him, with his mere existence and the fact he's just generally less stressed about Quick Ben's quirks. 

4) He's probably the only person ever to be able to claim he's blown up both undead K'Chain Che'Malle and T'lan Imass with munitions. At very close range.

5) His good nature doesn't mean he's not a cunning guy - 'Sure Paran, I'll nuke them dog statues at the cost of my own unlife.' Yeah.

6) Of all the heart breaking moments surrounding Trull's death, for some reason Hedge's reaction comes across as one of the most emotive.

I have something of mancrush on Hedge. 

This post has been edited by Kanubis: 03 June 2010 - 07:59 AM

[Aptorian]

I loved the scene where he kicks the shit out of the heavy. It sort of displays the ruthlessness of the old BBs. They don't take no crap.

I was a bit disappointed that he just turned vanilla mortal after RG though. He could at least have been half ascended or something, like Gesler and Stormy.

[worry]

I don't disagree with your points on Hedge, but Koryk was definitely among the depressed. After his illness (and time being among the even more hopeless ill), he seemed ready to give up all together. He wasn't drugged so much as completely dispirited, and he even quit the verbal and literal sparring with Smiles. It was a great moment when he snapped out of it though.

[foolio]

nothing to argue about here. Well done.

[Ulrik]

 

 Kanubis, on 03 June 2010 - 07:55 AM, said:

6) Of all the heart breaking moments surrounding Trull's death, for some reason Hedge's reaction comes across as one of the most emotive.

This was great scene where Hedge finally jumps from role of fool into ... Hedgism:)


You forgot use of alchemy in modern warfare...first time on Lether...IMO:)

[champ]

Hedge rules! nuff said!

[Abyss]

Everything the OP says is true, and the only reason Hedge isn't my favourite Bridgeburner is because Fiddler is.

He put a cusser into Raest.

Detoran, arguably the most dangerous BB in close combat, wanted to jump his bones in all kinds of ways.

He blew himself up taking out an undead Kell to save his squad.

And then he came back from the dead just because he didn't feel like staying dead. Okay, i realize that's not what happened but it summarizes what happened!

FFS the man took Letherii alchemical dabbling and made his own munitions. The Moranth have had a monopoly on that forever and Hedge broke it because he was pissed off and bored. He formed the new BBs for the same reason.

Taking out the heavy was the first time we saw him get into hand to hand (as opposed to launching/throwing cussers) and it was priceless.

And the finale...

"Okay Bridgeburners, we're gonna support Quick Ben!"
*things go BOOM*
"Okay, fuck that, everyone down and play dead."
*Letherii army and KN march up*
"Okay, everyone up, throw blues... NOW RUN LIKE FUCK."

...how does anyone NOT love this character?

- Abyss, also notes Hedge was a pimp.

[worry]

Hedge and Fiddler are the two POVs I'm most looking forward to in TCG. I think something must have been galvanized in both of them after the decimation. I'm looking forward to some righteous fury.

[Sinisdar Toste]

gonna chime in with the hedge love here, because, now that i think about it, hedge does deserve just as many high fives as fiddler. fid just has more screen time.

also, the OP was talking about Tarr, not Koryk. simple mistake

[worry]

Ah, I was still thinking of medication for the illness, not "self-medication" of the Tarr variety. That guy's a laugh riot.

[Mischiefs' Folly]

I loved Hedge's conversation with Lieutenant-Master Sargent-Captain Kindly-Pores.

[eiji]

Im feeling the Hedge love. How can you not love a crazy in hat.

On the koryk point when did he snap out of it. he wasnt the same badass as he was in RG. he was the my fave of the bonehunter (old guard excepting) until then

[worry]

In the finale he snaps back enough to join the fight. He regains some level of self-preservation as well as, in effect, rejoining his comrades.

[Abyss]

re Koryk, at the end, KN closing on the ridge, a bunch of marines just got their heads 'sploded. Fid tells Koryk he's taking the next look up in ten. Koryk says 'no way'. Fid points the Crossbow of Munition Death at him and says '...five. four. three. two...'. Koryk goes.

A bit further when the marines are fully engaged, Koryk is right in the fight, almost gets cut in half and Smiles jumps in to help him. It's the last we see of them in the book.

And i just want to note that Hedge would have held up a cusser and told Koryk he's blowing them ALL to shit if he doesn't get up there...

[eiji]

Like the Big Fuckoff Gun in doom BFG...... C.M.D me likey.

I hope Koryk has snapped out of it in TCG.

I would like the ending to be hedge and fid cussor loading Kaminsod turning him into Wus biggest ever mine. The other gods start to drain him take a little too much and boom....Fid and Hedge sat with no hair and black faces grinning

[Abyss]

 eiji, on 04 June 2010 - 09:59 AM, said:

...I would like the ending to be hedge and fid cussor loading Kaminsod turning him into Wus biggest ever mine. The other gods start to drain him take a little too much and boom....Fid and Hedge sat with no hair and black faces grinning

On one level i thoroughly doubt this is where SE is going to end things.

On another immature unsophisticated i-read-fantasy-to-see-shit-get-'sploded-by-magic level oh fuckit i so wanna see that.

Especially poetic if it's Hedge screaming in terror and CMD'ing a cusser into the CG in poetic echo of what he did to Raest back in GotM.

[eiji]

Just praying SE loves exploding echo's too....

I wouldnt mind Raest throwing tufty into the mix

[Abyss]

 eiji, on 04 June 2010 - 03:32 PM, said:

...I wouldnt mind Raest throwing tufty into the mix

Mark my words... one day, when we least expect it, Tufty is going to fuck.
Shit.
Up.

You can almost picture it... a clan of Unbound T'lan Imass, sent by the CG to seize an Azath, looking for revenge on one of the few surviving Jaghut Tyrants, breaks into the Finnest House...

RAEST: You could have knocked.
UNBOUND: Tyrant! We are for your final accounting. Destroy as many of us as you will, the last one will carve your...
RAEST: Yes, yes. But first, say hello to my leetle friend.
TUFTY: Meow. *carnage ensues*


- Abyss, ...bets Imass ashes make great kitty litter...

[rhulad]

I thought it was an unspoken rule that everyone loves hedge.

[Tatterdemalion]

If people dislike Hedge, I would venture it is less to do with his Hedge-ness and more to do with the fact that sometimes people wish that characters who die stay dead. I thought as much of him as Fiddler, and when he died it sucked. But then once he popped back, showing up save Fiddler in book 4 or 6 (I forget), he's a ghost character without a particularly good reason for why he's not with the rest of the BB.