April 19 2020
Tonight I have taken upon myself the impossible task of categorizing each of the 11 Achievement Hunters into the ten types of Tricksters as laid out in our mythology textbook. This task is impossible not because none of them fit the categories, but because too many of them fit each one, and it’s difficult to narrow each Hunter down to just one category. Probably because no Trickster is meant to embody just one, Tricksters are complicated figures who can casually switch from personality type to another. They’re multifaceted and can’t be put into just one box, but I like to make things difficult, so here I am. Let’s get started, shall we?
Disclaimer: Most of these categorizations are based off of personas of the Achievement Hunter – because like all good Tricksters AH is a bunch of shapeshifters in the sense that most of them have alter egos spawned from games they’ve played that often shape how they act in videos. Most of them are fairly normal people off camera, Ryan Haywood is not an actual murderer, I promise.
Creator – Geoff Ramsey
This one was a no-brainer. On some level, all of Achievement Hunter are creators – they create content for us every day! But beyond that they’re a group more known for destruction rather than creation, but Geoff is a special case. Geoff Ramsey was the only choice for creator because he is one of the founding fathers of Rooster Teeth, as well as the co-founder of the Achievement Hunter channel (more on the other co-founder next), so the channel, and maybe even the company, would not be possible without him. He’s one of the people who helped build Achievement Hunter from the ground up into what it is today – he’s also the one who hired everyone who works there, as he’s so fond of reminding everyone when they get on his nerves, which is often.
Culture Bringer – Jack Pattillo
Jack is the other co-creator of Achievement Hunter and Let’s Play (a branch off from Achievement Hunter), but instead of classing him as a creator with Geoff, I put him in culture-bringer because that’s what he is. Geoff may be the boss, but AH and LP wouldn’t be what it is without Jack’s dedication and creativity driving it forward from day one. As Jack himself says in the Achievement Hunter Rap Battle, “I am AH, I’m it’s voice and it’s face,” and it’s true, Jack’s in the most content by far, both in games and as the host of the weekly update show AHWU. In fact, one of the things Achievement Hunter – actually Rooster Teeth in general, really – is well-known for is their participation in the charity Extra Life. As the charity director of Rooster Teeth, Jack and his wife Caiti plan and host the Extra Life livestream every year. It’s an annual event where everyone in the company and community participate in a 24 hour livestream to raise money for charity. Their last extra life stream in November of 2019 raised $1.2 million over the course of 24 hours, the stream is one of the most beloved events in the company, right up there with RTX and it wouldn’t be possible without Jack.
The Opportunist – Trevor Collins
I struggled with this one for a while because “opportunist” isn’t a word I’d use to describe any of the Achievement Hunters usually, but upon further reflection, Trevor is the best fit because of his position within AH. A couple of years ago Geoff stepped down as the manager of Achievement Hunter/Let’s Play – he was still the creator and still in content, he just wasn’t in charge of the creative content of the channel – and eventually the title went to Trevor. Not only did he take the opportunity to become the new leader of Achievement Hunter, but he does a damn good job of it. He’s in charge of overseeing what kind of content the group puts out and making sure everything that needs to get done gets done. He looks at the engagement of certain videos and figures out what is working for the channel and what’s not, much like an opportunist he finds out how to make money and get engagement and then he makes sure it gets done – mind you, Trevor doesn’t do this because he’s greedy like a traditional Trickster would, it’s simply his job!
Mischief-Maker – Lindsay Jones
My personal favorite Achievement Hunter! This is one of those categories that could apply to literally any of them. They’re all mischievous – Michael, Ryan, Jeremy, and Gavin in particular were strong contenders to take this one away from Lindsay, but in the end I had to give it to the Chaos Queen because she truly is the most unpredictable wildcard of the bunch – and that’s saying something! Lindsay has gained a reputation with her coworkers and fans as the wildcard, she does what she wants and laughs in the face of your rules. Often that means she loses the games she plays either out of giving a shit or a lack of competence – often it’s both – but regardless of the reason it’s always hilarious. Even when her coworkers try and force her to win, she refuses to adhere to their plan. She takes advantage of the power given to her to make her friends lives harder and the results are…well, see for yourself with this short animation of one of Lindsay’s best moments. The chaos she brings is effortless – sometimes even unintentional – and is that not the best kind?
Amorous Adventurer – Fiona Nova
Fiona is the newest addition to Achievement Hunter and one of the few contenders for the Amorous Adventurer category. This was probably the hardest category to work out because when you look at a group of middle-aged gamers the last thing you’re gonna think is “Amorous.” And they’re really not a flirty bunch of people, though a case could be made for Alfredo. That left Ryan and Fiona – who aren’t necessarily amorous, but they do inspire amorous feelings in fans. Ryan’s been the Achievement Hunter that fans tirelessly thirst after for years before Fiona came along, as evidenced by this segment where they make him read thirst tweets. However, I gave this to Fiona because since she’s joined Achievement Hunter she’s started stealing the mantle from Ryan. She’s….well, to put it simply, she’s a lesbian thirst trap. Every selfie she posts on Instagram is littered with comments from women – and some men! – proclaiming their love for her and she loves it.
She’s also playfully flirtatious with other women in a hilarious way – which nobody else in Achievement Hunter can claim because everyone but Fiona are in committed long-term relationships. Fiona Nova is just here to look good and have a good time and that’s why she deserves the title of Amorous Adventurer.
Hunger-Driven Manipulator – Jeremy Dooley
This was probably the hardest category of all of them to fit someone too. They all love food and most of them are tricky and manipulative in some way but I just couldn’t fit any of them to it in my head, so for this one I’m focusing more on the “manipulator” aspect of it. I chose Jeremy because he has long been noted as the best liar out of Achievement Hunter. He knows what tales to spin in order to get what he wants, but his undeniable skill in lying only makes him have to work that much harder to be believed because everybody suspects him! Additionally, the hunger driven manipulator category focuses on a specific type of trickster who lies and schemes and steals his for his next meal, he relentlessly pursues his goals and uses whatever means necessary to get them. Jeremy is a liar and schemer when the game demands him to be, so much so that he’s now actually the host of his own show centered on spotting lies, but he’s also relentless in the pursuit of what he wants as well. Since gaining fame from joining Achievement Hunter – whom he was a fan of for a long time and worked to get where is is today – he’s dedicated his free time to his other interests and has written multiple novels and recorded several albums with his band, using the fame he gained from AH to create an audience for himself in an opportunistic Trickster way.
Credulous Victim of Other’s Tricks – Gavin Free
This one was probably the easiest to assign to an Achievement Hunter.
Shannon's Mythology Website 