LIFE OF A HUNTER | Ihuntlarp

HUNTER LIFE

Some hunt because they feel it‘s their callingin life, but most do it, because they are fuckingbroke and need the money.

As a millennial these days, working one day-job just doesn’t cut it. During the day you pull your 8-10h shifts, during the nights

you hunt.

Someone who’s healthy, debt-free and just living a good life, wouldn’t put their life on the line in such a perilous job. Hunters are usually somehow messed up in more than one way, and hunting can be part of trying to deal with that (on a financial, social or psychological level). Of course, just because you are messed up, doesn’t mean your life is complete shit. No, you do have things that keep you going, and a good portion of gallows humour doesn’t hurt either, when trying to deal with everyday existential dread and being confronted with the supernatural that lives alongside you.

There are some people who grew up being trained to be hunters, but those are rare these days, and usually stay among themselves. #iHunters most likely had a run in with the supernatural at one point or another and once you‘ve seen it, you either try and deny the existence of monsters for the rest of your life, or you can‘t unsee it, and you start hunting them – especially when it helps you pay your rent and buy groceries.

At least one usually applies:

21-35
Single/Situationships
Renter
High school graduate
Misdemeanor record
40-100k debt
Working full-time elsewhere
LGBTQ+

HUNTING GROUPS

Now, in the grand scheme of things, even the weakest monster could take out an untrained, unprepared human being. Even if you’re somewhat prepared and have gadgets and weapons at your disposal, the odds are still stacked against you if you’re up against a demon, vampire or werewolf. A lot of lone hunters have found their end in a one on one or “fair fight” as it’s being referred to in hunter lingo. That’s why hunters usually associate in groups that they go on missions with. The average group has about four members with a varied skill set, so that everyone has their tasks
in the preparation and execution of a hunt. An Evileena collects the information about the monster, a 66 calls in favours and does the communication, a Phooey prepares the tools and a Knight goes in for the kill.

A group is not only who #iHunters go on hunts with, often they have similar interests outside of hunting, they’re friends, co-workers or meet in the same bar, which means that they also have a more or less strong emotional bond with each other. And that’s necessary, because they need to trust each other when the shit hits the fan.

HUNTING STYLES

THE KNIGHT

Let‘s be honest, Knights are the ones that are doing the actual hunting and killing, right? That’s at least how some knights think. But most of them know that without the thorough set-up or sufficient background knowledge of the others, everyone on their team would die.

As a Knight, it‘s your task to do the muscle work. You stand in the front line and protect the group, because you have trained for this
and know how to pack a punch. Cause most things die if you just hit them quite hard enough - at least that’s what you hope.
Some knights focus on technique and finesse or brute force while using their body as a killing machine, others make use of the specific settings of the hunting environment, and yet others use their team as bait – but we all trust each other, right?
A Knight‘s body is shaped to fight, not to feel, but that also means you don‘t feel much of the pain that is inflicted when confronting monsters.

THE EVILEENA

Where the Knights fight with their bodies and the Phooeys with their gadgets, you use your mind as a weapon. You‘re the most active on all hunter forums to discuss the best way to banish a gremlin, you exchange knowledge about rituals and spend hours in libraries, searching in old books for hidden secrets on a vampire‘s weaknesses.
You know what monsters don‘t want you to know and use it against them, because if you don‘t use every tool at your disposal, someday darkness will overtake the world.

Which is a really, really dramatic way to say: Fuck the shadows, bind them, burn them, bring them to ash.

THE PHOOEY

You use tools because that’s what separates us from the animals, right? But more importantly, tools are what separates us from monsters. From the mindless, primordial horrors who can’t even comprehend language, to the ancient who can’t keep up with changing technology, the tools you have are what keep you alive.

You use technology more than most hunters, working well with a team as surveillance or crowd control, you set traps, you hack cameras, you drive the escape car. In a sense, you‘re the McGyver of your team and have a talent for spontaneous ideas, using the resources at your disposal to the maximal effect. You’re not a coward, you just know there’s no reason to put your body on the line when you’ve got the skills to do otherwise.

THE 66er

For the people we fight – with the people we fight.

As a 66 you understand the power of the people and know how to use them to get information, gain access, to create a diversion.
You know how to make yourself blend in with whatever crowd, you know how to mobilize your community, to take advantage of the kids on the street who gather information, of the conspiracy theorists that would jump on the chance to make noise

about something.

You always seem to know just the right person, just the right place, likewise, you can play so many roles, put on so many different masks.

When it comes to hunting, you rely on your carefully constructed plans, leading monsters exactly where you want them to be. Of course, you might need some muscle to finish the job, so a Knight is useful now and then; and the Phooeys have helped in the past with their techy stuff; and yes, you did also get useful information from Evileenas. But without you setting the scene, the hunt would not really work now, would it?