“All glory to the fucking Hypnotoad” – The Mittani
A Little About The Recipient
They say we are the bad guys. I’m here to tell you, we’re damned good to each other, and I don’t mean the gift of a Titan of choice (as long as it is an Avatar). I’m kidding, of course, you can have whatever Titan you like. For the most part, all the galaxy hears of us is our misdeeds. Those Goons that recruitment scam, the ones that gank in high-sec. Even the funny ones who use Machariels to bump you for twenty years as you slowboat AFKishly in your freighter. The Imperium is known for a lot of things, but what most of the galaxy doesn’t know is for the most part, we’re extremely good to each other.
Not often do stories like this one leave the swarm. I’m here to tell you about a Karmafleet member called Hypnotoad. Hypnotoad runs a ‘Safe Cyno’ fleet of alts allowing capital ships of all sizes to jump to safety at a moments notice. You’re likely thinking I mean three alts, in one system, a quick little way back to staging. No. He has a network of safe cynos, covering major Keepstars and Sotiyos, and at last count his fleet covers more than a dozen systems all across Delve.
He doesn’t do it for ISK, he doesn’t do it for recognition. Day in and day out, Hypnotoad has a cyno lit for you. He doesn’t do it for the rewards, although grateful players often tip him. He does it because he’s awesome. Hypnotoad makes the alliance a better place day in and day out
The First ‘Goon Hero’ Award
When the Imperium leadership first devised the Goon Hero award, they didn’t know how the program should be implemented. What the prize should be. How it would be announced, nor how often it should be given out. What there was no dispute about was that the first one should be given to Hypnotoad. What I think was the best part of the decision is the fact that the first one didn’t go to a great Goon warrior. It wasn’t given to a hero tackle, nor some slick willy FC. It wasn’t given to one of the High Command, or a member of a Director clique; it was given to someone who goes out of their way to make life more bearable for all of us.
The prize for the Goon Hero is a choice for the winner. They either take a built-for-them Titan hull of their selection, along with the racial skill book to fly that hull, or they can receive a one-off payment of 50 billion ISK. The lesser value of the cash payment is intended, as the Imperium wants to continue pushing for more supercapital ownership. With that said, though, nobody will judge the winners for taking either option. This is ultimately a celebration of the selfless people who go out of their way to improve life in New Eden for their fellow pilots.
Authors Note: I reached out to Hypnotoad through Goonfleet dot com with no success. In the upcoming days I’ll keep trying to get into contact with him and once I do we’ll be sure to add the interview with Hypnotoad to this article. All I can say for now is well done, Hypnotoad. Thank you for having our backs day in and day out. You’re a true goon hero, and for once, everyone will agree.