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the-service-weapon · 4 months

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Honestly, Canon!Saga will hightail it the fuck out of Bright Falls first chance she gets. She may end up working for the FBC but will always be wary of Bright Falls. She will never like Alan for endangering her daughter and putting her through hell.

But I am a fan of transformative works—so this is me focusing on a different version of the characters.

In my version, Saga joins the FBC and, unfortunately, ends up joining the ExSpouse club along side Casey and Kirin as a result.

By this point, 5 years has elapsed and her daughter has started college (maybe even at a west coast school?). So, when the FBC asks her and Casey to relocate to Bright Falls to help resettle The Lake House—whose main mission is to explore/research the Dark Place, but now also potentially recover Doctor Darling—she agrees.

Casey agrees because Saga agrees.

He is technically semi-retired and only works for the FBC on a part-time basis, so he doesn’t go out on field missions a ton—but I like to think being possessed by the Dark Presence gave him some mild but handy parautilitarian abilities.

The one that makes him most valuable to the FBC, however, is his interesting bond with Alan—who seems to have become a figure who can pop in and out of different versions of reality at will via his writing.

The FBC would very much like to have Alan as a permanent member of their team—I’m not convinced they didn’t try to capture him for interrogation after the event of Alan Wake 2 but lost him after he used his own blood to write his way out of their cell someone got fired over that—but he’s keenly eluding them.

Alan has very little interest in helping the FBC, his primary goal is finding Alice and he’s pretty pissed at them for tossing him in a cell right after he escaped 13 years of imprisonment.

However, he does feel guilty about what he put Saga and Casey through, so he’s willing to help them (with them kind of acting as liaisons between Alan and the FBC, when they really need info).

Anyway, due to the metaphysical bond between him and Casey, Casey can sort of…summon Alan into their reality.

It’s similar but not as direct a method of communication as Saga’s Mind Place technique (which is still spotty if she and Alan aren’t on the same plane of reality) but functions by Casey essentially focusing on Alan psychically and appearing as one of Alan’s “echoes”—which Alan sees while feeling an overwhelming compulsion to appear before Casey.

The visions will become more and more intrusive and the pull stronger and stronger the longer Alan attempts to ignore the “call.”

While Alan has discovered he can shut out Saga if he really wants to, he simply can’t manage it with Casey—who delights in discovering he now has a certain level of control over Alan.

If Alan ignores the call for too long, the visions become an overwhelming cacophony and the pull so great—he’ll be ripped out of whatever reality he is in involuntarily and deposited right at Casey’s feet.

(Again, Casey loves getting to do this. He’s almost disappointed now when Alan comes without much of a fight.)

However, Alan also discover the easiest way to voluntarily hop between any reality is find an Agent Alex Casey (real or fictional, such as worlds where Alex Casey is played by certain Finnish actors) and simply write the words “Time to visit my old friend, Casey.”

Alan will then immediately appear within a certain physical proximity to whatever version of Casey he focuses on.

It takes him a while to figure out the physical distance directly correlates to how close emotionally he is to that version of Casey.

He doesn’t have to travel realities by that method—it’s just the simplest way to do it.)

So, anyway, the whole gang ends up operating out of Bright Falls.

And—even better—Ilmo wiggles his way into being the guy who supplies their headquarters coffee supply.

Maybe he gets Saga to vouch for him—and is actually on the FBC’s payroll as a look out for paranatural shit on top of providing them excellent coffee—but either way he’s regularly in their office.

Hijinks ensue.

#alan wake 2 #yes this is compatible with au’s where Alex becomes Alan’s handler #yes it is sexy #and I ship them #no it will not stop Alan from rescuing Alice #our writer has two hands #also I ship illmo and Saga #I’m not sorry

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autisticwriterblog · 10 days

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Fandom 50 Post 9

My eighth piece of Alan Wake 2 meta. This one is about Return 4.

Return 4: No Chance

What happened in this chapter?

As Saga travels back to Bright Falls, Alan and Casey are still in the field office at Elderwood Palace Lodge. Casey continues to interrogate Alan, accusing him of using people and thinking about how similar his life is to that of Alan’s character. As Alan deals with a headache and Casey insists that he isn’t Alan’s character, a group of masked and armed cultists surround the building. Alan rambles about how difficult writing is and how he might have stopped writing but then forgotten to stop writing, obviously confused by his time in the Dark Place.

A gunshot rings out and Casey grabs his gun as he orders Alan to get down. The Cult members yell that they just want Alan, but Casey doesn’t stand down. After Casey runs off to get a vantage point to fight the attackers, Alan’s headache overwhelms him, and he collapses to the floor. When he comes to, Alan finds himself and the room covered in blood, surrounded by dead cultists. He realises that Scratch must have escaped with him and caused this chaos.

He hears Casey in the distance, so Alan rushes outside. He finds a gun and flashlight and heads off in search of Casey, running into several Taken on the way. As he ventures through the woods outside Bright Falls, Alan doubles over in agony again, and passes out.

Saga arrives on the scene to find a cultist approaching the unconscious Alan with a knife. She shoots the weapon out of the man’s hand, knocking him to the ground. His mask falls off, revealing Ilmo Koskela. Before Saga has a chance to process the situation, members of the Federal Bureau of Control arrive on the scene. They arrest Alan and the Koskela brothers, and Agent Kieran Estevez informs her that her team are taking over the case and moving her evidence to the sheriff station. She asks if Saga has any other evidence to give them, but Saga doesn’t trust her with the Clicker and doesn’t hand it over. Even after being told she isn’t needed anymore, Saga refuses to give up on the case.

My Thoughts

For the first time, we play a Return chapter as Alan. A short but fascinating chapter, No Chance shows us what the hell happened between Saga leaving when everything was okay, and returning to this utter chaos.

I love the interactions between Alan and Casey, especially when Alan asks for a gun and Casey replies “no chance” in a direct parallel to the conversation Alan had with the fictional Casey earlier in the game. In general, Casey’s dislike of Alan makes perfect sense, considering that he has spend years and years being the subject of jokes about his name. Plus, reading Alan’s books and seeing how similar the character’s life is to his own must feel really disturbing. No wonder he isn’t fond of Alan.

In this chapter, we get confirmation that Ilmo is part of the Cult of the Tree, because Saga literally catches him in the act of trying to kill an unconscious Alan. With hindsight, we know that the Cult aren’t actually bad guys and Ilmo had a perfectly logical reason for why he thinks Alan needs to die, but on my first playthrough, I remember being confused and kind of hurt by this reveal. Because I really liked Ilmo and didn’t know how to feel about him trying to kill Alan, who I also really liked.

This chapter also introduces us to Kieran Estevez, a badass agent from the FBC who is here to take over Saga’s case. She tells Saga that Alan is a parautilitarian, a word that means nothing to someone who didn’t play Control (such as me the first time I played Alan Wake 2—the only Remedy game I played before 2 was Alan Wake Remastered), and something that makes perfect sense considering Control’s lore and the incredibly strange and powerful stuff Alan has done.

I love that Saga is too stubborn to accept she isn’t on the case anymore, because this case is directly tied to her family thanks to Alan’s story, so why would she just hand everything over to the FBC? Her choice makes perfect sense, is what I’m trying to say.

#alan wake 2 #alan wake 2 spoilers #fandom 50 #meta

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gamergirlboy · 3 months

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January 2024 Game Diary

Dredge

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare

Fishing Vacation

Quantum Break

Nightmare Frames

Dredge

Dredge is a game I picked up in the winter sale of last year as part of the indie game kick that I’ve been on. I saw “horror” and “fishing” and was like yeah, that’s for me. I did like it quite a bit but I found the story bits a little… underwhelming. It wasn’t bad, just pretty typical for anyone who likes “ocean is full of horrors” type media. The NPCs are all foreboding with their talk of “things happening at night” and whatnot, and I was like cool, stuff happens, yeah it’s a horror game (I’ve played so much survival horror over the past few hours so I may be a bit desensitized). I did like the ship customizing a lot, and the drawings of all the fish I found were delightful. I also enjoyed plundering shipwrecks for treasure, although most of what I found was the same junk over and over. That did make the relics I found that much more exciting, so maybe that’s not a terrible thing. Stellar Basin was easily my favorite section, although it took me some time to figure out what I was meant to do, mostly because I didn’t figure out how ship upgrades worked until I had spent a few hours wandering around with the standard engine. The glowing fish and algae combined with the large creature looming underneath kept me intrigued enough to power through until I figured out how to keep the creature from attacking me. Overall I would say I liked it! It’s a neat little game that could’ve used more content, but for the price I would say it’s worth it if you’re looking for cozy horror. 7/10

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare

I became a bit of an Alan Wake superfan last year around February when I decided to play the first Alan Wake game on the assumption that the game was kind of bad but funny. I streamed it in discord to my friends and we enjoyed the dated expressions of the characters and the low budget Twin Peaks experience that the town of Bright Falls provided. It ended up having more points in its favor than I expected - it takes place in the Pacific Northwest - which works so well for me in terms of horror -, the characters are genuinely lovable and funny (Barry, not Alan really he is a bit of an asshole), and exploding the darkness with the flashlight was satisfying if not a bit tedious after a few hours. So I played this game, then Alan Wake 2, then Control… and now I love the Remedyverse, the universe that connects all these games.

THIS game kind of sucks, but because this company apparently owns my ass now I played it anyway. It is short, and the premise of the game is you’re basically playing a monster of the week groundhog’s day episode. As someone who has watched X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Supernatural, I consider this trope tried and true. Alan Wake wakes up in Arizona and has to figure out how to defeat Mr. Scratch and escape the loop. Every character in the loop is a conventionally hot woman, one of which is hypnotized and actually tries to fuck Alan. It’s pretty crude and sexist, but unsurprising from an older game. It does manage to encapsulate the Remedy charm despite its shortcomings, with television sets and projectors spread out throughout the levels showing snuff films of Mr. Scratch himself committing evil deeds while negging Alan. This was easily my favorite part, and you can see how Remedy had begun experimenting with live-action film in video games long before Control and Alan Wake 2 came out. I think if you absolutely love the Remedyverse this game is worth playing, especially because you can pick it up for a few bucks in a sale. Is it a masterpiece? Absolutely not, but I don’t regret playing it. 5/10

Fishing Vacation

I bought this game for the same reason I bought Dredge - it was tagged as fishing and horror on steam. It was also $1.99, and somehow even shorter than AWAN. I had a good time playing this for the 2 hours it took me to get 4 out of 5 of the endings, but it really is a bite-sized game. In the style of a very simple gameboy advance game, you and a childhood friend of yours go to visit a fishing cabin that you used to visit as children. You go fishing. Weird things happen. Whether you find the three keys hidden in the lake and open the basement up or not changes the ending. It’s cute, it’s an alright game. If you feel like playing something a little weird for 20 minutes to an hour I’d say go for it. I don’t even feel comfortable giving it a rating because of its shortness, but I will say playing shorter games has been nice because it allows me to appreciate the tiny studios that produce them. There is a special type of creativity behind these microgames that I can appreciate. I played Iron Lung last year and while this game isn’t quite as good, I did enjoy the creepiness in the same medium I experienced games in as a young child.

Nightmare Frames

I am new to point & click games. Last year I finished my very first p&c game, “The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow”, and I bought this game immediately after because I was craving more. This one did not disappoint me - the second time around anyway. I started playing it immediately after Hob’s but lost interest due to how different it was. A few months later I picked it up again when I was bored and found that it was actually a pretty solid game. I like p&c puzzles and these did not disappoint. The story is better than I expected, the character development is solid, and the visuals work well for me. It takes place in 1980s Hollywood, and funny enough you are playing as a writer named Alan who has become disillusioned with his career as a horror writer and craves fame. He resents the work he has done despite being beloved by many of the people he encounters. He wants more, and that desire ultimately leads him down a dark path. Would recommend to horror p&c fans, 8/10!

Quantum Break

This game is also kind of sort of in the Remedyverse (Remedy no longer owns the rights). I realized I had a code for it on my Humble account and figured if I already own it, I might as well give it a shot. It is an action game, with episodes of a real TV show slotted between each chapter. It’s kind of fun! It is very weird! I like the parkour, I like the romance between Jack and Beth, and the fact that it is a video game that feels exactly like a 2010s cop drama (I’m thinking of Bones) is neat. The episodes were well done for a video game for sure, but they did not especially capture me. I wanted to keep playing the game! The shooting and time powers Jack has were what I was enjoying, and I didn’t want to stop doing that to watch what was happening in the background. Also the graphics are more impressive than you’d expect. It really feels like Xbox put more stock into this than they should’ve (I could not get over how expensive looking this game is), because I really cannot fathom who this game was actually made for besides freaks like me who want to soak up every drop of the Remedyverse, but I liked it for what it is. I think because it’s so weird - the random Night Springs episodes for example, or the fact that it feels so much like you’re in a tv show - feels like it would not really appeal to the average gamer. It seems like a game that wants to be a lot of things.

I would not spend $40 on it, but I would say it’s worth playing if you love all things Remedy. 6.5/10

#remedy #dredge #alan wake #fishing vacation #quantum break #nightmare frames #horror games #game recs

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infriga · 5 months

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Finished Alan Wake 2, it was awesome! The mystery was well done, they improved a lot on the first game's mechanics, the characters were fun and interesting, Casey and Saga lived!!! (and technically so did Alan? I think? Alice mentioned that the only ways out were destruction or ascention, and they were on the way to ascention, and the light bullet was from her. I'm glad her suicide wasn't real that one stung when I watched that video ngl lol 😭), I like how they actually did encorporate Alice's photography into the artistic creation powers aspect of the plot like I've wanted them to, and it's even hinted that she's actively working on saving Alan somehow (her light bullet being a part of that presumably), and I like how they pulled an inception style ending where we never actually get to see if Logan picks up when Saga calls her.

I thought it was funny how Alan was like "this is a horror story so for this to work the ending has to be dark, a price has to be paid by one of the heroes" and Saga's response was basically "well clearly Logan, Casey, and I will all survive and thrive. I've earned my happy ending and I won't take no for an answer." leaving Alan as the only option of the 2 heroes to pay the "price" lmao. Like I'm sure he woulda offered anyway and I don't think she was being callous so much as just trying to figure out a way to get her family (which includes Casey of course) out of this in-tact and unharmed, but it still made me laugh how blunt she was about it lol. Saga knew what she wanted and she was getting it, extremely valid. And Alan survived anyway, so like Saga said it's not the end of his story 👀. It's also possible that Saga has her own price to pay in some way, like maybe having to escape the Dark Place still?

There are still some plot threads left unaddressed that I find really interesting:

Odin and Tor went into the lake after Saga and technically her and Casey are still stuck in the dark place as far as I'm aware.

How did Rose get into the dark place, like was that really her there? And if so, how will she get out? Alan said he wasn't sending her messages but her knowledge was way too detailed for it to just be coincidence. Maybe Alice is the one sending her messages? Or maybe they're from the future and Alan hasn't sent them yet?

Wtf is going on with Thomas Zane and why do Ahti, Odin, and Tor keep calling Alan Tom? I keep wondering if maybe Scratch was actually a corrupted Tom who's merged with the Dark Presence or something? But half the time Ahti is calling Alan Tom is before he technically gets possessed.

I theorized in the past that Ahti was the owner of the Oldest House, and someone brought up a good counter theory that Ahti IS the house, as in a projected avatar of its will, which is also very possible. But Alan Wake 2 might possibly contradict that if Ahti is able to leave the house and do stuff outside it and fuck around with other phenomena, which I don't think the house itself would be able to do? Though I could be wrong. So maybe he is the owner of the House and that allows him to leave it and use it to get places normal people can't get to? I know part of Ahti's nature is to be mysterious lol but it's fun to speculate.

Who is Warlin Door and what is his deal??? It sounds like he has a similar thing going on with Saga with both their family lines having special abilities, where Andersons are seers and Doors can travel across/through worlds/dimensions/spaces via their control over "doors". Thinking about it... Saga mentioned that her dad left before she could remember and Tor didn't like her dad for some reason and drove him away, and she used Door's page to figure out how to travel through the dark place. Possible connection there maybe? 👀 Door did mention that someone important to him was dragged into Alan's mess which was why Door got involved. Not to mention the nature of his disappearance. Maybe that someone was Saga. Maybe Tor's beef with him was some sorta blood feud thing between supernatural families. I'm sure we'll learn more about him in future games lol, they drew too much attention to him for him to just be a one-off character.

TIM! He's still stuck in the Dark Place too as far as I know, poor guy. Dunno why door dragged him there and left him there to vibe (maybe so he could give Saga that page when she actually needed it?), but the poor guy deserves freedom too lol.

Who was on the payphone with Saga in the Dark Place? Was it Alice? I feel like it was Alice.

Is the Oceanview Hotel related to the Oceanview Motel? They seem to serve very different purposes and have very different designs/vibes/uses aside from having those symbols on some of the doors, but the name can't be a coincidence. And if they are related, does that mean the Oceanview Motel is connected to Thomas Zane?

These aren't complaints or anything, I'm sure a lot of these points will be addressed in further sequels to either Alan Wake or Control. Hopefully that doesn't take another 13 years to happen this time 😂

I'll have to replay the game at some point because tragically I missed petting 2 deer heads apparently. I'm really tempted to replay Control again atm. The Alan Wake sequel definitely incorporated a lot more of the Control style vibes this time around lol, which I enjoyed a lot, and now I've got a hankering...

#Alan wake #alan wake 2 #alan wake spoilers #Theorizing #Video game thoughts #AH I just realized I forgot to go to the lighthouse to open it whoopsie #Oh well #Next time I guess lol

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ozzdog12 · 3 years

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2020 Top 7 (and 1)

2020 am I right? We saw an insane amount of games come out and 2 brand new consoles. What a wild and weird year for gaming, and life in general. In case you are relatively new here, and to be honest that would be completely fair considering I don't post very often on Tumblr anymore, every year going on the last 4 years (on here) I have done a Top 7 (& 1) for my favorite videogames of the year. Check out 2019, 2018, & 2017. What’s wild, as I look back on my list of games that I’ve completed and played, only maybe 10 came out this year. 2020 was a huge backlog year.

Lets get on with the ‘And 1!”

Favorite Game that Didn’t Come out in 2020: Control (PS4)

Control may very well have been my 2019 Game of the Year, had I played it in 2019. I LOVED Control. I wanted to play it in 2019, but initial reports that it was a little rough on base consoles put me off until it was fixed. And Holy smokes what an insanely fun and trippy game once I finally started it. I knew within the first 20 minutes this was going to be the shit when I went down a hall, walked into a room and talked to the “janitor” left out a door behind him and the entire building had shifted. I’ve always liked Remedy games, but from a distance. Max Payne 1&2 and Alan Wake all oozed with weirdness and intrigue, but never enough for me to finish them. I missed out on Quantum Break. The story is Control is just the right amount of mind f*!$ for me and builds a universe I didn’t know I needed. It take some time to piece everything together, then everything just clicks. The game does have a weird difficulty spike when fighting bosses and the checkpoints were too far apart at times, but those were later patched. I spent an insane amount of time within the Federal Bureau of Control building and even more time after that with the Foundation and AWE DLC and it STILL wasn’t enough. I wanted more. Outside of Prey, I can’t think of another game that stuck in my brain more after I’d finished it. Control is absolutely a MUST PLAY title. In a world where everything sort’ve feels similar, Control stands out of the crowd.

Number 7: Astro’s Playroom (PS5)

I never thought in my wildest dreams that a game I had almost zero interest in playing would end up on my list of favorite games this year. Astro’s Playroom is being labeled as a ‘Tech demo’ but that feels like an insult to what it is. It’s a full fledged game and its free! I’ve paid more for less. A charming little platformer that lives and breathes the history of the Playstation. So many cool Easter eggs and references. It certainly centers its gameplay around the DualSense controller and everything it can do, but at its core, its a completely approachable and forgiving 3D platformer. I played it just to see what it was about, next thing i knew I had completed all the levels and wanted to further explore all the nooks and crannies within the game. I wanted to see everything the game had to offer and I had an absolute blast doing so. Makes me kinda wish I’d played the previous game on PSVR (I’d have to have a PSVR too)

Number 6: Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5)

Another quality title, albeit a spin-off, from Insomniac to add to their Spider Man universe. Gameplay felt obviously like Spider-Man, but Miles has unique abilities that made the game feel different enough, especially the cloak and stealth. I enjoyed the fact that it was short and concise. The issue with most ‘open-world’ games is that they are entirely too bloated with unnecessary filler content (I’ll get to that in a later game), something I felt the first game suffered from, but I also understand why they are there. However I could’ve use one or two more story missions to help flesh out some characters, but it wasn’t required and didn’t change my opinion one way or the other. My one BIG gripe was with Miles himself. He is an extremely smart young kid, but so incredibly naïve. Peter Parker tells him the one thing he SHOULD NOT do is tell people he is Spider-Man. I get it, that’s part of his growth, but Miles thinks he can just solve his problems by revealing his identity and it almost certainly never works out.

Number 5: The Last of Us: Part 2 (PS4)

The Last of Us Part 2 may be the most polarizing game in the history of the medium, but for the absolute wrong reasons. I’m in the minority that I very much enjoyed my experience with TLOU2, quite a bit actually. Its better in every single way over its predecessor, except the overall story. There are plenty of fair criticisms to be had about the story and various things within the game itself, but I thought the gameplay was so tight and crunchy. There were genuine moments of suspense and terror that I felt that no other game has ever given me. The entire hospital section (2nd time) was so susensful, I had to put my controller down to gther myself. Some of my favorite moments in the series I experienced with a character I wasn’t overly fond of. How many games can do that? The Last of Us Part 2 was meant to invoke emotion, not necessarily joy. I think that's what people lost along the way. Say what you will about the direction Naughty Dog has taken over the years, but you would be hard pressed to find a studio that makes games graphically better than they do. Yes, I know about their crunch culture, but this is not a place for that. I will say, the game was a tad bit too long, which is not something it typically say for a single player, narrative driven game. The pacing and the way the story was told wasn’t my favorite, but I respect what it was trying to do, even if it failed in some aspect of that, I finished the game within the week it was released. Something I RARELY ever do. I’m a father and I related with Joel a lot in TLOU, but I also recognized how wrong he was. There is a lesson to be learned. Your actions always have consequences and while he was doing what he thought was the right thing, it wasn’t his choice to make, and in doing so set up a series of events that were entirely avoidable, but again, that’s the point isn’t it?

Number 4: Grindstone (Switch)

I’m counting this as a 2020 game since it just came to the Switch this year ( less than a month ago) but its not the first time I’ve played it. Grindstone was the only reason I kept my Apple Arcade subscription and when I let it lapse, there was a void I just couldn’t fill. I bought Puzzle Quest on Switch but it just wasn't the same. Its THE perfect game for bite sized play, even though in its addictive nature, you’ll clear a few levels and an hour has passed before you know it. It has the perfect amount of depth that most ‘match’ games don't. You have different weapons, items, and outfits w/perks to use and experiment with to keep it fresh. I went months without playing my Switch and when this was announced in August, I couldn’t wait! Sadly, I had to wait 3 months, but since then I have spent so much time on the Switch. It gave me a reason to play it again. The art style and humour is great. The variety of enemies and challenge is just right. I can’t recommend it enough. Seriously, check this game out!

Number 3: Doom Eternal (Xbox One)

I will be the first to tell you, I did not like Doom (2016). I found it extremely boring and trite. I understood what Doom(2016) was doing and it succeeded, maybe too much. Nostalgia is a helluva thing. So in saying that, I was mildly interested in Doom Eternal. Doom Eternal is nothing like 2016 outside of it being a Doom game that connects to the rest of them (& also being a sequel to 2016). The mechanics are drastically different with more platforming (for better or worse). Eternal is challenging, at times very hard, especially early on. Eternal has no respect for its players, in a weirdly good way. It laughs at how you’ve played FPS before this one and WILL MAKE you play it its way, not your way. Yes, you point and shoot, but ammo is scare and you MUST use everything in your arsenal. No more using just 2 guns for the whole game. The enemies are relentless. Sometimes you have to pause and take a breath after a battle because you go a 100 mph for the whole fight. You have to continuously move or you die. There is an enticing rhythm to it. I categorize Eternal as ‘Blood Ballet’. Its a game where when your feeling it, much like a rhythm game, you get in the zone and there is no stopping demons from getting slayed. Surprisingly, unlike most games in the genre, it seemed to get easier (sans one extremely frustrating platforming section late in the game) the longer you played it. Was that a testament that I ‘learned’ the Eternal way or it truly did get easier? I don’t know, but the final Boss(es) were....easy.. I had more problems and deaths within the first 4 hours than I did the final 8-9 hours. The multiplayer was also surprisingly fun. The older I get, the less interested I am in multiplayer, but I found myself coming back for more for a good month or so.

Number 2: Gears Tactics (Xbox One)

As 2020 comes to a close, I came to a stunning realization. I might be a bigger Gears of War fan than I had previously thought. Don’t get me wrong. I love Gears, but I seem to love Gears more than I thought. I'm way more invested into the lore than I recall. Anyways, Gears Tactics is everything XCOM 2 SHOULD’VE been. Not only does Gears Tactics utilize the Overwatch action, its makes it EXTREMELY important. The story revolves around the father of Kait Diaz, Gabe and a ragtag group of mostly random soldiers to take down Ukkon. Anyone who is remotely interested in the Gears universe will love the story and references. The gameplay is just so damn satisfying. The bosses are very challenging and different. I actually had to change my strategy to finish the final boss. I experimented with a totally different style of class and was rewarded for it. The post game stuff is also aplenty. This game scratched a VERY specific itch for me and I’m itchy to jump back in. I’m glad this came to Xbox One because I’m current computer could not run it.

Number 1: Ghost of Tsushima (PS4)

I have a very odd relationship with massive open world games. I love them, but I get very burnt out on them. They all have a relatively same-y formula and are often populated with bloat. GoT does have some of that but to its advantage, its not very populated, in a good way. One of the things that I really appreciated about GoT and its side quest is most of them felt meaningful. The thing that really stood out to me about GoT is the absolutely satisfying combat. It just feels SO GOOD. It requires timing and patience. There are different fighting styles for different enemies and even the armor you wear is more than just cosmetic. The combat is so fun and satisfying that I was immediately excited when they announced Legends, a multiplayer add on, for free. Its so much fun and is a blast to play with a group of friends. I’m sporadically still playing the Legends mode. I initially wanted to play the game in ‘Kurosawa’ mode but I am glad I didn’t because the game, even on the PS4 is stunning, and on the upgrade on PS5 is jaw-droppingly smooth. I did play the entire game in Japanese with English subtitles. I still don't know what Jin’s English voice sounds like. GoT does a good job a drip feeding you new abilities and things to keep things fresh. I love stealth and once I unlocked it, I spent the majority of every battle taking out as many enemies as I could while in stealth mode. Ghost of Tsushima does a lot of things very well, that the few things it doesn’t can be easily overlooked.

#videogames #control #grindstone #tlou #doom eternal #gears tactics #ghost of tsushima #ps4 #ps5 #xbox one #switch #nintendo switch #playstation4 #GOTY #spiderman #astro playroom

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atypicalgirldraws · 3 years

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Glypha's History Chapter 4 pt 1/2 Outpost 63

Glypha had nested on Mount Olympus for millennia after escaping from the hollow earth, it was discovered by the Monarch in 2005 by an expedition led by Dr. Kaled Rahim, a man of Pakistani nationality. Kaled had heard rumors from the inhabitants of the city about strange sounds in the bush whose mythology claimed the home of the gods, the sounds seemed a mixture of feline roar with those of a golden eagle. The conspiranoids professed the arrival of the end of the world causing the population to panic so the doctor was forced to uncover the hidden mystery on Olympus.

It is the year 2010 at Monarch base number 63, located on Mount Olympus, Greece.

Dr. Kaled heads to the containment site with his daughter Amira Rahim, a 20-year-old kaiju fan and new Monarch apprentice.

- Amira: Baba (Dad), are you sure it will work?

- Dr. Kaled: It has to work my daughter, for a long time the Americans believed themselves capable of controlling these creatures, maybe this will help improve our communication with them and who knows? We could discover what they feel, how they see the world and how to improve it.

- Amira: It's what I want the most, Baba.

- Dr. Kaled: We are here, I know you had been waiting to see Glypha again for a long time, so I asked the managers for permission to accompany me to the test.

Amira could not contain her emotion and hugged her father tightly, since she was a child she had established a great connection with Glypha, that bond was so strong that to do daily studies she had to be present so that the griffin remained calm and meek.

Amira and her father enter the containment center, a large jungle environment where there was a cave of hard material where Glypha was sleeping.

The young woman stands in front of the huge titan and begins to sing a song in her original language, a Muslim prayer that her mother always sang to wake her up in the morning.

Glypha slowly opens her eyes, stretches her body, and with a yawn she finishes waking up, looking at her human friend, brings her beak closer for her to caress her as she had done for many years.

- Dr Kaled: All right my dear, it's time to decide.

He takes out from his briefcase a device similar to a small netbook, which had a kind of antenna that captured the sound waves of Glypha, once analyzed, the doctor puts on a communicator and begins to speak, extending his arms.

- Dr Kaled: Great mythological creature of the heavens, can you understand my words?

Glypha didn't respond, she didn't seem to understand why Kaled changed his tone of voice or the way he stretched his arms. Amira sees her father and slowly approaches to speak into his ear.

- Amira: I don't think you understand Baba, is it necessary for me to stretch my arms like this?

Amira could not contain her laughter, it seemed ridiculous and at the same time funny her father's pose as if he were addressing a divinity, not to mention that for her religion it would be considered inappropriate and idolatrous.

- Dr Kaled: Hahaha you're right my princess, I think it was kind of ridiculous. Well, I guess I'll have to make a few more adjustments before I can understand your dear friend. I hope my colleagues are not laughing at this, there are cameras everywhere.

- Amira: Oh Glypha !!! We will have to wait a little longer but I promise that I will return, I would like to show you the dance I have been practicing.

He was still stroking its beak when suddenly the griffin lifted its head as if something had caught its attention. In a second a bomb explodes at the entrance of the shelter. Kaled immediately pushes Amira away from Glypha who began to fidget.

From the smoke cloud you could see many human figures of which one was seen, was Alan Jonah.

Glypha 's History Chapter 4 pt 2/2 Outpost 63

- Alan Jonah: How long without seeing Dr Kaled.

- Dr Kaled: Alan, I warned you that the device was not ready yet! Give me a couple of days and I'll finish it.

- Alan Jonah: I gave you enough time, now I come to collect my part of the deal.

The ecoterrorist directs his gaze to Gypha who responds with a subtle growl. Amira at that moment understood that Alan was only coming for the tap, he stands in front of Glypha with the intention of protecting her.

- Alan Jonah: Really? A young defender of these monsters is the last thing I was missing. Kaled don't make this harder and tell your daughter to get out of my way.

- Dr Kaled: Amira, we've already talked about it before, please do what I tell you.

- Amira: Baba, it's not fair !!! I told you that making a deal with him was not a good idea, I will not let them hurt her.

- Dr Kaled: I know and I'm sorry that you have to put up with this because of me, but now I ask you to trust me, yes?

The young woman watched her father's gaze, sensing that he had a plan to get rid of Alan. At that precise moment Kaled activates the emergency alarm causing Glypha to become enraged and begin to shake the floor. The ecoterrorists try to stay on their feet without realizing that the doctor would hit them from the back in surprise. Amira takes the opportunity to run towards the exit in search of help when she suddenly feels a bang that stops her. Turning around, he sees his father vanish to the ground after Alan Jonah fired his pistol at the Pakistani doctor's chest.

- Amira: Babaaa !!!

Instantly Glypha stopped, her father's device mysteriously reactivated causing Amira's scream to be translated into the Titan's language. Glypha was able to understand her friend for the first time, she called her father who was now dead, that is how that sad episode came back to her mind, where she also saw her father die in the most cruel way when she was little.

Anger began to dominate her, she felt a heat run down her back at the same time that it made it glow, until it reached her throat and made her want to release that energy against her enemies. Glypha had unleashed her new power: Ultrasonic Breath.

The ultrasonic breath caused the roof of the shelter to fall apart crushing the rest of the terrorists. After the disaster Amira gets up all in pain from the rubble and crawls towards Glypha.

- Amira: That ... was incredible. - Glypha: For me it was too. Amira gives a startled cry, I didn't expect to hear her speak. When he looks to his right, he can see his father's device transmitting the message. - Amira: it works ... The device works. She quickly runs to the command room and looks for the lever that frees Glypha, but is surprised by Alan Jonah pointing his pistol at her head. - Alan Jonah: If you make one more move I will send you directly to the same place as your father. Amira whispers so that Glypha could understand her last wish ... "Run away." The young woman kicks Alan in the chest and moves the lever, the doors of the shelter will have opened, revealing the blue sky of Greece. Glypha spreads her wings but without first calling her friend. - Glypha: Amira come with me. - Amira: No Glypha, first your freedom. Fly and find a safe place to hide !!! Glypha takes off but suddenly hears another boom, when she turns around she sees her friend being taken unconscious by the ecoterrorist leader's henchmen. There was no turning back, he only had to look ahead and seek a new refuge.

~TBC~

COMING SOON... CHAPTER 5: MONSTER ISLAND

#glypha's history #titanus glypha #monarch #outpost 63 #oc kaiju #amira rahim #kaled rahim #alan jonah #sad story #i know i was late #sorry about that #a lot of work #T-T #glypha x rodan will take a while to finish

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tabloidtoc · 3 years

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National Enquirer, October 26

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover Story: Death Mysteries -- Whitney Houston autopsy cover-up; Kenny Rogers’ body is missing

Page 2: Reba McEntire’s new romance with Rex Linn convinced Kelly Clarkson she needed to walk away from her unhappy marriage -- while Reba’s love life was heating up Kelly’s relationship with husband Brandon Blackstock who is Reba’s former stepson was hitting the rocks and Kelly remained very close with Reba and Reba would tell her how happy Rex had made her

Page 3: Control freak Tom Cruise is a basket case after he couldn’t charm Cher into leaving their steamy fling out of her upcoming memoir and the image-conscious actor was so panicky over Cher spilling their sexy secrets that he personally called her -- they had a strong physical attraction when they met at a White House event back in the ‘80s and eventually they hooked up and it was very hot and very intense and over in a matter of weeks but it left a nice impression on Cher so she only has good things to say about their relationship but what happened between them could prove very embarrassing if it got out and Tom doesn’t want that to happen -- unfortunately for Tom Cher wouldn’t say anything about what she intends to write and wouldn’t promise to leave Tom out and that’s made Tom even more paranoid and he’s wondering if he’s going to have to take legal action

Page 4: Kanye West is keeping a secret divorce diary to use against wife Kim Kardashian and its potential dishy dirt has her famous family quaking in their boots -- Kanye’s convinced Kim’s about the kick him to the curb and is putting together collateral to crush her and her family is the couple spirals into a $2.2 billion divorce, Jennifer Garner at 48 is flaunting her best body ever and her motivation is to compete with ex-husband Ben Affleck’s 32-year-old girlfriend Ana de Armas because Jen was tired of hearing how Ben’s fallen head over heels for Ana and wanted to remind him what he’s missing -- Jen’s always been very confident of her looks but she decided to step out of mom mode to remind everyone how hot she still is

Page 5: Devastated Lisa Marie Presley has been relying on an old pal Smashing Pumpkins rocker Billy Corgan to repair her shattered life in the wake of the suicide of her son -- Lisa Marie and Billy were spotted together at Graceland not long ago and he’s been a huge source of support for her -- though they were rumored to have had a romance in 2018 Billy’s fully committed to his baby mama fashion designer Chloe Mendel and Lisa Marie would like nothing better for them to make beautiful music again but she knows he’s taken and she needs his friendship more than ever.

Page 6: Ambitious anchor Gayle King is calling the shots at CBS This Morning after executive producer Diana Miller quit in the latest backstage shake-up; there was tension between Gayle and Diana and now Diana is gone -- it’s like the show gave Gayle the keys to the car and even if she runs it into a ditch the network gives her more power -- Gayle also clashed with former co-host Norah O’Donnell who successfully snagged the anchor chair at CBS Evening News but Norah hasn’t wowed in the ratings and it’s a matter of time before Gayle gets the coveted job

Page 7: The mystery over the fate of country great Kenny Rogers’ body has left his own family members in the dark -- sources close to the singer said he’d been cremated while others charged his body is still on ice and Kenny’s body is missing as far as most people are concerned and there’s no place fans can go and pay their respects -- it’s most likely he’s been cremated and the ashes have yet to be scattered but there have also been whispers in certain circles that he could have been cryogenically frozen to preserve his body for a later date, many of Hollywood’s biggest names are abandoning Tinseltown to escape the COVID-19 pandemic and a collapsing entertainment industry -- Julia Roberts hightailing it to San Francisco and Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson getting citizenship in Greece and Pierce Brosnan put his Malibu mansion on the market and Jim Cameron is peddling his prized L.A. compound

Page 8: Frustrated Jon Stewart’s plans to reinvent himself as the next Steven Spielberg have flopped and he’s pretty unhappy about it and he wants to be viewed as a respected serious filmmaker but he’s hit more roadblocks than he ever saw as a comedian or talk show host -- he was left fuming when Irresistible his latest outing as a director was met by mediocre reviews and limited to pay-per-view and streaming services last summer even with box office draw and best buddy Steve Carell in the cast -- he could snap his fingers and get any TV project but he’s setting his sights much higher and he’s walked away from millions of dollars to go back to TV because he wants to prove he is a creative force in the film industry

Page 9: Frustrated Brad Pitt is threatening to have ex Angelina Jolie dragged to jail if she refuses to end her harassment campaign against him and hash out a divorce and custody agreement and he’s had it with Angie’s intimidation tactics and is fed up with being labeled a bad dad and it’s no exaggeration to say Brad’s scared of Angie and he wants professional witnesses around them at all times when he attempts to see their children but for Brad though it would be the ultimate revenge to see Angie led away in handcuffs, Nashville legend Travis Tritt is trying to keep up with country music’s up-and-comers by getting a lift from plastic surgery and recent photos show the 57-year-old almost unrecognizable with a line-free face and skin as tight as a drum -- Travis is getting ready to put out his first album of new music in more than ten years and it’s hard to blame the guy when he’s completing against singers 30 years younger

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Julia Garner got a touch-up on the Staten Island set of Inventing Anna, Reverend Run visited a mural of slain Run-DMC bandmate Jam Master Jay in NYC’s Hollis Queens, Vanessa Paradis and daughter Lily-Rose Depp in Paris

Page 11: Lovestruck Chrissy Metz is already talking marriage and babies with newly unveiled beau Bradley Collins but she has a history of falling for guys fast which has previously been a recipe for heartbreak and while nobody’s doubting Bradley’s intentions there’s a lot of confusion about why they kept their romance totally hidden until now, the devastating fire that tore through Rachael Ray’s home has made her reassess her life and she and husband John Cusimano are now considering adopting a baby -- losing so many of their possessions in the fire made them realize they weren’t all that important anyway so they bulldozed the house and are rebuilding and the word is they’ll add a nursery

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Danny Trejo cuddled a rescue pup (picture), Lizzo is the first plus-sized Black woman to ever grace the cover of Vogue but pulling off the shoot was a challenge with most designers unable to find clothes that fit her, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are very private and they’re livid with Lance Bass after he confirmed that they had another baby, when he was NBC’s biggest star Matt Lauer conducted almost every high-profile interview and now editors and doing a lot of cropping and zooming to preserve archived footage while removing Matt

Page 14: Crime

Page 15: Rock guitar god Eddie Van Halen who tragically died after a brave battle with cancer wanted to be buried with one of his Frankenstrat guitars that he created to define his signature sound -- Eddie felt like he owed his whole life to that instrument and he loved that thing as much as his family, Perez Hilton dished he kissed notorious skirt-chaser John Mayer in a New York nightclub and the lip-lock happened right in front of John’s then girlfriend Jessica Simpson who didn’t seem to know whether she was incredibly embarrassed or really turned on

Page 16: Cover Story -- explosive new autopsy evidence proves superstar Whitney Houston didn’t have to die -- eight years after she passed mysteries about her final moments and blatant blunders at the death scene point to murder and a shocking coverup and now investigators are demanding a new probe into the 2012 tragedy in a Los Angeles hotel bathroom and for Whitney’s body to be exhumed -- a private eye believes the autopsy proves Whitney was murdered but the case was never pursued because she was dismissed as a druggie and she was marginalized by law enforcement as a dead drug user

Page 18: American Life

Page 19: Horror movie legend John Saxon’s family started battling over his fortune even before he passed on July 25 -- in legal papers filed in May his son Antonio claimed the actor’s third wife Gloria Martel had been pocketing money against John’s wishes, Netflix faces criminal charges in Texas over the controversial film Cuties -- according to court documents a Tyler County grand jury indicted Netflix claiming it knowingly promoted visual material that depicts the lewd exhibition of the private parts of a clothed or partially clothed child younger than 18 -- Netflix said in a statement that Cuties is a social commentary about the sexualization of young children and this charge is without merit

Page 20: Suzanne Somers recently cheated death when she and husband Alan Hamel fell down a flight of stairs at their Palm Springs home and although Alan wasn’t seriously injured the terrifying spill left Suzanne in agony with two displaced vertebrae and forced her to undergo delicate neck surgery but she said the surgery went off without a hitch and promised she is on the mend, Hollywood Hookups -- Sofia Richie has unfollowed Scott Disick on Instagram, Zac Efron hopes to marry Vanessa Valladares, Sharon Stone and Mindy Kaling are both on the market

Page 21: Twelve years after she was placed under conservatorship Britney Spears remains unable to sign her own name on official documents -- Britney recently made moves asking to allow a different financial group to step in and help run her life as well as gain more freedom but lawyer Andrew Wallet said Britney to this day does not have the capacity to sign documents and make decisions for herself and she is susceptible to undue influences, the audience for the Saturday Night Live season premiere came away with more than just a few yuks they also received $150 because to get around New York State pandemic guidelines SNL gave each guest a parting gift of $150 paychecks as if they were employees, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may soon have a new neighbor in heavy metal maniac Tommy Lee -- the drummer was recently spotted checking out a $2.3 million three-acre plot next to the rogue royals’ $14 million home in Montecito and he was obviously pumped about living there but building the tattooed rocker’s home would mean tons of truck traffic and hopefully Harry and Meghan don’t get upset with the building work he’s planning

Page 22: ABC is reeling from a barrage of allegations from employees and on-air talent who’ve blasted it as a toxic and racist working environment -- the network which is owned by the family-friendly Walt Disney Corporation was rocked when Sunny Hostin the popular co-host of The View accused company executives of institutional and personal racism in her memoir and in later interviews about the book

Page 26: Lonely country singer Kenny Chesney is looking to find a new ladylove and is talking about finally settling down for good -- he is unhappily single after his eight-year relationship with model Mary Nolan hit the rocks -- he spends all the time he’s not on the road at his island paradise in Antigua but he misses having a partner and he’s even asked pals Matthew McConaughey and Richard Branson to play matchmaker

Page 28: America is preparing for World War III as China amps up war games in the South Pacific and readies plans to invade U.S. allies -- military insiders warn China and Russia and their tyrannical accomplices in Iran and North Korea and Syria and Turkey are bracing to launch a coordinated attack against America and the west that could end in nuclear disaster

Page 36: Health Watch

Page 38: Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood has traded in his debauched days of sex drugs and rock ‘n’ roll for knitting, Rod Stewart revealed there’s a deep freeze between him and former close pal Elton John and that Elton refused his attempts to that things out -- the two ‘70s icons had been friends for decades before Rod blasted Elton’s biopic and his most recent music tour -- when Rod realized he was in the doghouse he tried to bait Elton with a bone for his kids by inviting Elton’s boys Zachary and Elijah to come play soccer with his sons Alistair and Aiden only to be greeted with the sounds of silence

Page 42: Red Carpet -- The Christian Siriano collection

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Sophie Okonedo in Ratched

Page 47: Odd List

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tsarisfanfiction · 4 years

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Tremor VI

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen/Mature Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Angst Characters: Kayo Kyrano, Gordon Tracy, John Tracy

Part 6 of my contribution to Hear from @gumnut-logic‘s SensorySunday challenge. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

This was supposed to be one of the shorter sections. Kayo had other plans.

Gordon was taking too long. Kayo frowned, casting a look around Thunderbird Four’s interior. It was all ready for a patient – or at least, as ready as it could be. She hadn’t got a good look at Scott’s condition, but the glimpses she had caught told her that Thunderbird Four was not well enough equipped to do much more than stabilise him. There would be no recovery until they were at least in Thunderbird Two, with Virgil taking control, if not until they reached a hospital.

They wouldn’t get anywhere until Gordon and Scott were on board. What was taking so long?

She crept back to the airlock, looking out of the window. No sign of them. Her uncle’s ship loomed threateningly and she scowled at it. How dare he take one of her brothers and torment him? The idea that she could be at all related to the man made her sick, and she shoved it out of her mind to panic over later in the sanctuary of her own room.

Not here.

She dragged herself back to the present, refusing to let herself spiral. A glance out of the window showed that there was still no sign of Gordon and Scott, and Kayo couldn’t wait any longer. She pushed out of the airlock, cutting through the water and slamming up against the bigger ship’s airlock in time to hear a muffled gunshot.

Heart in her mouth, she wrenched it open and tumbled through, prepared for combat.

The first thing she saw was Scott, sprawled limply with his eyes closed. The second was Gordon, cradling his brother close with one arm even though his torso was twisted around to face something behind him.

The third was the gun, held at the end of a steady arm. The fourth was the slumped body of her un- the Hood, bleeding sluggishly onto his own ill-gotten plush rugs.

“We need to move,” she said, stepping forward slowly. Gordon lowered the gun, stowing it back inside his baldric. “Is he..?”

“He doesn’t deserve the easy way out,” Gordon said, his voice level, neutral, even. If not for the hard look in his eyes, she’d think he was entirely unaffected by the fact he’d just shot a man. “I hit his collarbone. He won’t be a problem now; we’ll leave him to WASP.”

Kayo had long since forsaken any notion of family loyalty to the criminal, but that didn’t stop a small voice in the back of her mind reminding her that he was her uncle, that they’d been close, once upon a time. She tore her eyes away, squatting down by Scott and retrieving a discarded rebreather. Gordon took it out of her hands before she could affix it.

“He panicked,” Gordon said. “Wouldn’t let me put it on. We’ll have to find another way.” Kayo frowned and inspected Scott more closely.

“He’s passed out,” she realised. “Look.” She didn’t touch him, but Gordon had no such qualms, cradling his cheek and patting it lightly. Scott didn’t respond, and Gordon sighed, looking less military and more first responder.

“Okay, we’ll risk it,” he said. “Let’s hope he doesn’t wake in a panic.” Privately, Kayo thought he was unlikely to wake at all, but she kept those thoughts to herself as Gordon fixed the rebreather to Scott and stood, once again cradling his brother in his arms. “See you in Four.”

He passed through the airlock and was gone. Kayo looked around again, ignoring something tugging at her heart as she caught sight of the crumpled, bleeding figure of the man she was related to. She should do something, stop the bleeding maybe. Save him.

Scott would. Scott refused to let anyone suffer if he could do something about it, no matter who they were. That was what made him such a good commander for International Rescue – a strong successor to Mr Tracy, who Kayo recalled as having similar ideas.

Kayo was not Scott. Kayo’s job was to keep her family safe – her real family, not a twisted mess of a man who happened to share her blood. Scott needed help, and it was help she delayed every second she lingered. With one last shaky breath, she turned her back on a man she refused to refer to as anything other than ‘the Hood’ and plunged into the ocean, towards Thunderbird Four.

Gordon had Scott on the stretcher with a medical scanner resting on his chest when she stumbled through the airlock. There was no question what took her so long – Gordon trusted her too much for that. He directed her to get a pair of towels from a locker, and she obeyed instantly.

“Get him dry,” he ordered, busying himself with an IV and drip. Kayo nodded, stepping up next to him and for the first time allowing herself to see her big brother’s state. It was so much worse up close, a body wracked with tremors that could be cold or something else. She pushed it from her mind again, another thing to break down about later. Clinical, detached, she dabbed him dry, barely noticing when Gordon left for the cockpit.

Thunderbird Four moved, detaching from the Hood’s ship and rotating to head back the way they’d come – to Thunderbird Two and Virgil, no doubt waiting beyond anxiously to pick them up and see Scott for himself. Kayo found her balance against the movement quickly and carried on with her ministrations, not letting herself pay too much attention to the state of the body beneath her hands.

Not yet.

She’d just got him dry when their altitude shifted dramatically, Gordon taking them back up to the surface, and she threw a foil blanket over him. It wasn’t much, but it was something, and when she looked at Scott again, allowing herself to see, she could almost fancy he looked more comfortable. Almost. He was still pale and trembling, cheeks hollowed and eyes sunken, and she pushed his hair back as they docked inside the module.

“Virgil will be here any moment,” she told him. He didn’t respond, but she didn’t expect him to. Gordon returned from the cockpit, fussing with the blanket and looking at the medical scanner with a frown. Red and amber alerts flashed up all over his body, telling them nothing they didn’t already know; it was bad.

Heavy footsteps ran towards them, and Kayo stepped back to let Virgil take her place.

“I’ll pilot,” she said, knowing where Virgil was needed. She didn’t wait for a response, all but fleeing the submarine.

Thunderbird Two’s cockpit was empty, Alan kept at home with Grandma despite his complaints to the contrary, but the yoke was shifting by itself. Autopilot wasn’t engaged, so it had to be John or EOS.

“Where are we going?” she asked the empty space, slumping into the co-pilot’s chair.

“Usual hospital.” John looked tired – Grandma had forced them all to get some sleep over the past five days, but up in orbit John had been outside of her reach. “I forwarded the medical scan results to the island and Grandma made the call.”

Kayo didn’t argue, even though that meant her job wasn’t over yet. Off the island meant security was needed, and even if the Hood was subdued, that didn’t mean he’d been working alone. She said as such and John sighed.

“I know,” he agreed, pushing his hair back from his face. It was a far cry from its usual perfectly-coiffed state. “Colonel Casey’s providing security detail; a team she’s hand-picked personally. She says it’s the least she can do.” The GDF’s failure to be of any use at all had to be a sore point on the woman; Kayo could understand that. No doubt they were also fuming at the fact that the Hood had fallen into WASP hands rather than their own.

Kayo didn’t care where he was as long as it was nowhere near her true family.

“WASP reported in,” John continued. “The ship’s been captured and the Hood is under heavy guard. They swear he won’t get away.”

“He won’t,” Kayo agreed, her mind flashing back to a crumpled, bleeding body and steely amber eyes. The look John gave her said he didn’t want to know.

“How’s Scott?” he asked instead. “I’ve got the medical scan, but… how is he?”

Kayo put her head in her hands.

“Unconscious now,” she said. “It would have been better if he’d been unconscious the whole time. It’s bad, John. Gordon couldn’t get a rebreather on him until he passed out.”

“Do we know what the Hood wanted?” She looked up at the hologram. “Some sort of information?”

“That would be my guess,” she admitted. “Most likely on International Rescue.”

“He wasn’t after information.” She jumped and turned around to see Gordon standing by the door. His eyes were furious, and with a start she realised he had his gun in his hands. “Not unless he’s stupid.”

“What do you mean?” she asked. The cartridge slid into place with a snap and he eyed it for a moment before putting the weapon back in his baldric.

“Scott couldn’t talk if he wanted to right now,” Gordon said, striding forwards. Kayo vacated the co-pilot seat, but he didn’t sit down. “That’s just sloppy if you want information. Either he already got what he wanted – but Scott’s trained to resist for longer than five days so I doubt that – or information was never the aim.”

“Then… what was he after?” John sounded genuinely confused, but Kayo could see what Gordon was getting at and it made her blood churn.

“Not information,” she said, her voice painfully short and curt even to her own ears. “Revenge.” Why? The Hood had always been dogging International Rescue, but why? What reason did the Hood have to hate them so much?

Beside her, Gordon was ramrod straight, his hands balled into fists.

“He wanted Scott to die.”

“What?” John paled, clearly visible even across the hologram. Gordon sat down in the co-pilot’s chair, and Kayo reluctantly perched in Virgil’s.

“He didn’t succeed,” Gordon said firmly. “And he won’t. Give me control, John. I’ll get us there. You get your ass home.”

John didn’t argue, signing off a moment after Gordon took over manual control.

They flew on in silence, Gordon concentrating on getting them to New Zealand – definitely not the closest, but security was the priority, and there was only one hospital on the planet Kayo would trust with her biggest brother right now – and Kayo trying and failing to compartmentalise everything.

Her uncle had tried to kill Scott. The Hood had tried to kill her brother.

Gordon had shot her uncle. Her brother had shot the Hood.

“They don’t need to know the full story,” Gordon said suddenly, jerking her back into the present and away from the mire of her thoughts. “Even if it’s the Hood, they wouldn’t agree he deserved to be shot.”

“It’ll be on record,” Kayo reminded him. “WASP know it wasn’t them.” Deserved to be shot? Kayo wished she could believe that so whole-heartedly, but whenever she thought about it, she remembered the uncle that used to be kind, once upon a time.

Why hadn’t that lasted? Why had he turned so cruel?

He’s never hurt you, her mind reminded her. Even now.

“They won’t check the records.” Gordon was confident. “John doesn’t want to know and the others don’t care what happened as long as Scott’s okay.”

“But he’s not.”

“He will be. He’s Scott.”

Gordon was a tough young man, spine of steel – not just metaphorically – and cold as ice when required. Despite that, he was still Scott’s little brother, still clung to the need for his big brother to be okay.

Kayo understood. She couldn’t imagine Scott not recovering, either.

The hospital was the same as ever, doctors she knew the name of – and every inch of their background – there to carry her brother away. The GDF personnel were equally known to her; Colonel Casey had been thorough with her selection. The final reassurance was the pink Rolls Royce, and Kayo exchanged a distant nod with the lady inside before returning to Thunderbird Two.

Gordon was waiting for her in the cockpit. Virgil would be staying at the hospital; Kayo was unsurprised. It would take a miracle to tear him away from his older brother now. Not when he blamed himself so whole-heartedly for the situation.

She’d be back later, in Thunderbird Shadow. But first she needed to wind down, destress until she was capable of being the best security she could.

For that, she needed her bedroom, and peace and quiet. Gordon disappeared who-knew-where – Thunderbird Four, most likely, to stow away his gun before Alan saw it. Kayo made a beeline for her sanctuary, shut the door, and threw herself face down on her bed.

There, she let everything she’d suppressed bubble up. The confliction over blood family versus her true family, the guilt and shame for there even being a confliction when her uncle – the Hood – was willing to commit such atrocities. The state Scott had been in, battered and broken, all done at the hands of a ruthless murderer who had already broken her family – her real family – once.

Her bed dipped, someone sitting by her head. They didn’t speak, but they didn’t need to. Only one person would ever dare intrude without knocking.

“I hate him, Grandma,” she sobbed. “I hate him. So, so much.” She couldn’t get the memory of the Hood, slumped and bleeding, out of her mind. She shouldn’t care. She shouldn’t.

A gentle hand ran down her hair, comforting.

“I know, dear.”

They’d done this dance before, after Mr Tracy’s death, her father’s disappearance. Every time her uncle tore apart her true family.

She hated him, but there was still a part of her that loved him, even now.

Part VII

#sensorysunday #sensorysunday2020 #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds are go fanfiction #tsari writes fanfiction #kayo kyrano #gordon tracy #scott tracy #the hood #john tracy #virgil tracy #grandma tracy #tremor

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bearpillowmonster · 4 years

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Resident Evil Revelations Review

For this review I'm going to be referring to this game as "ReRe".

Let's get one thing out of the way, this was a game made for the 3DS then was ported over to other systems so it's obviously going to be smaller scale making a lot of the stuff not really something to blame it on, it's the core that I'll be judging as if I were playing it in its intended way.

I really only have Resident Evil 2 Remake and a little bit of Resident Evil 4 to go off of for reference but this was one of the ones that I was most interested in, which is kind of ironic but oh well. I finished RE2 and was craving more RE and I found the demo for ReRe on Steam. Imagine my surprise when I heard Michelle Ruff as Jill, I was already sold on the game, the question was "What platform?" Because I could get the ReRe 1 & 2 bundle on Switch, but I tried the RE5 demo on there and I didn't like the control scheme and I really don't like the control scheme for it on Steam, it was the same with RE4, I even tried plugging in my PS4 controller and it thought left was up and up was left, I couldn't change any of it in the settings either, just the keyboard and mouse ones, so here I am with a PS4 copy.

As you probably know, this game is split up into episodes, similar to that of Alan Wake. Each episode has its own levels, so you could start as Jill then go over as Chris for example in order to display different sides of the stories. I actually kind of like this because with RE2, I always felt like I NEEDED to do the next thing in order to save, it works for a game like this, better than Alan Wake especially considering that you only played as Alan and it was only one side of the story. But it's not so split up that it resets your inventory, you keep your herbs and your ammo (or lack thereof).

A lot of people complain about the scanner and how it gets repetitive and that it should've just stayed on the 3DS but let me say that I love when a game uses the controller, whenever you use it, the controller makes little robotic sounds, same with when Parker calls you on the com, I adore it. It makes me feel motivation to try and get that S rank at the end of each mission because it's basically the same as taking pictures. On top of that, it's night vision, so you can just use it to look around, sometimes you find hidden handprints, it's really neat. And the stuff that you scan, nets you percentage points so whenever you scan a specific type of enemy, it'll register it and once it reaches 100 then you geta herb! Which is a cool system, different from previous games with the mixing and such, here, there is just one type of herb and you can still pick it up on its own if need be.

(concept art)

Let's talk about the setting. The idea that this is "Resident Evil on a ship!" sounds intriguing but limited, given the background of the early games but I beg to differ. I really like the idea of a ship being your environment, there are chapters where you play in other places at different times too so it never feels too familiar. It isn't just aimlessly walking, trying to get in the next room either, there are set objectives and it shows you where to go (not that it's all that hard to find anyway) because it's split up into sections, normally you'll only explore one or a few sections per episode so yeah it is easier in that sense but I'm fine with that. It goes away from the formula but the elements are still there, just not as much, there are still keys to rooms that you have to unlock and then you have to backtrack. I really like the ship itself too, I was in awe when I got to the Clock room, I love it, I'm a bit of a nerd for pirates and stuff so it's right up my alley (apparently there are even pirate skins you can unlock!). Just look at the way the helm spins whenever the next door unlocks and takes you down that elevator.

They even have a solid level just dedicated to swimming, which sounds pretty bad but the swimming controls are actually good and I found myself immersed and tilting with the camera. Now those pirate skins are unlocked using Raid Mode. What is that? Well, you go around various stages of the game just shooting, take out as many enemies as you can, balls to the wall. The bonus stage unlocked after beating the campaign is the "Ghost Ship" which is basically the entire ship that you speedrun in order to unlock the pirate skins I mentioned (why is it always so difficult...) In a way, I have to appreciate this mode because while I might not be as handy aiming with a PS4 controller versus a mouse, it's kind of fun to run around, choosing your own weapons, infinite ammo and just wailing on enemies (I don't like that for any campaign but for a bonus mode it's fine.)

Now some of the characters because you can actually play as a lot of them here.

I've never got the chance to play as Chris before but now I'm really glad I did, I completely understand. I always hear that he's the butt end of a joke but people still like it. He's a muscle-headed Chad, that only thinks about the mission, he's not a character, he's a tool but dang does that make him likable. At one point, he’s trying to unlock a door through a computer and I’m like “You sure HE’S the one that should be doing that?) I think Jill ends up doing it anyway, Jessica is well aware of his obliviousness though, it actually makes for an interesting dynamic.

Parker isn't my favorite. He's there to be there really, sometimes I need support and he'll shoot that last zombie but that's about it. Raymond...for some reason, I like Raymond?? I mean, he's like a red-haired Casey Neistat.

Jessica is kinda funny because she's half and half like Chris. I thought she'd be super serious but "Parker better get me dinner!" Also speaking of half and half, she has one pant leg, the other one is bare?? Ok? The characters are cheesy, much like a tv show but I love them. I would've liked a little more Rachel though.

The final boss is actually pretty dumb, he has a weak point but he lasts way longer than he should, the previous chapter's boss was much more fun. As for the alignment of a survival horror game versus an action game, this one is more closely aligned with an action game but I would beg that it's more connected to survival horror than others such as RE5 or 6. The game isn't terribly long, my play-through was a little over 5 hours but I enjoyed it for what it was and again, it's a 3DS game.

#rere #resident evil #revelations #ps4 #review #game #resident evil revelations

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fallenfurther · 4 years

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I’m here with you

The final part from my FabFiveFeb Alan series. Yes, I have finally fixed him. I thought I’d better get this done before I started on this weeks whump, i mean challenge, for Virgil.

Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

******

John fought the urge to check for Alan's pulse. Instead he disconnected Alan from the pod’s oxygen supply and replaced it with the attachment on the canister Ridley gave him. When John was sure Alan was connected up, he slipped in behind his brother and grabbed his brother’s wrist. The smashed communicator confirmed why Alan hadn't got in touch, but John could still connect to it and brought up the readings from Alan's suit. Relief flooded John and he couldn't stop the tears that fell down his cheeks. He wrapped his arms around his baby brother. There was a pulse, faint and slow, and his respiration rate was next to non-existent, but it was there. Alan was alive! John knew his brother wasn't out the woods, and that he could still loss him, but at least Alan had a chance. He'd beaten the odds so far, and now John could give him the best chance of recovery.

John looked up and saw that Ridley had manoeuvred the ship in front of the pod and opened the cargo bay. The bay was just big enough for the pod, and John removed Alan's hands from the controls. The red oxygen low warning still lit up the screen, but the fuel warning was still amber, and John carefully guided the pod into the GDF ship. The bay re-pressurised and Ridley rushed into the bay with a medical kit and a stretcher. She climbed onto the pod and helped John extract his brother's limp body. They hurried to the medical bay; Alan still attached to John via the oxygen tube. Once in the medical bay they transferred him to the bed and strapped him down. John prepared to remove Alan's helmet while Ridley got an oxygen mask ready.

"On three." He said. "One. Two. Three."

John opened the helmet and Ridley held the mask over Alan's mouth. John removed the helmet completely and slipped the straps behind Alan's head. Stepping back, John looked Alan over as Ridley scanned him with a medical scanner. Together, they peered at the display. Alan's body temperature was on the low side of the normal range, and there were some large areas of bruising on his back and arms. Ridley moved to Alan's head and scanned his head again, slowly and thoroughly. John held his breath as she came to view the more detailed scans.

"There's definitely some signs of cerebral hypoxia, dehydration, and possibly a concussion too. He needs urgent medical attention."

John nodded. Alan maybe alive but he needed care they couldn't give, and what he needed was over a day away.

"John, could you remove his uniform?"

John found the seams and carefully pulled them back and removed Alan's uniform. He folded them and lay the baldric on top, before strapping up the bundle. Alan looked so pale in the bright light in only his black underclothes. Ridley carefully prepared the items she required, so they won't float off, and carefully inserted a central venous catheter into Alan's left arm. She then attached a specialised zero-g saline drip to port and placed pads and sensors over his brother's body to replace the ones they'd just removed.

"I'll get us heading back to Earth. I'll inform the GDF of our estimated time of arrival and Alan's condition, but I'll let them know that you'll be informing your family of the developments. John, call Scott. He needs to know."

Ridley left the medical bay after placing Alan's uniform in a compartment, which John made a mental note of. He floated beside his brother. He grabbed Alan's arm and shook it gently.

"Alan, can you hear me? Alan, please wake up."

John watched Alan for any movement. The sooner his brother woke up the better. John grasped his brother's hand and stroked the back of it. John floated by his brother; they had no idea how long he'd been out for, but it had definitely caused some damage. How reversible it would be, was something only Alan could show him, in the months he'd take to recover. But first Alan had to wake up. John placed his hand on the side of his brother's face, and stroked Alan's cheek where the mask wasn't covering his skin.

"Come on, Alan. Wake up. I need you awake so I can call Scott. We can't have him worrying too much now. You've already given him enough grey hairs, haven't you Alan?"

John watched and waited. Looking for any sign of a response. Alan's chest was steadily rising up and down. His eyes flicked to the bio-readings on the display. All the basics were normal for an unconscious man. John squeezed Alan's hand, and let his eyes fall on Alan's face. John froze. Was that a twitch? John glanced down and watched as Alan's eyes moved beneath his eyelids. John squeezed Alan's hand again and slowly his brother's eyes opened. John peered into them. They were unfocused and there was no recognition in them, but seeing those blue eyes caused hope to flood John's heart.

"Alan, it's John. I'm here and you're safe."

Alan's eyes stayed unfocused and he didn't move or squeeze back. John grabbed the scanner and scanned Alan's brain. There were parts functioning, but there were some parts that weren't as active as they should be. As John studied the scan it lit up. He looked at Alan and his brother was shaking. A seizure! Alan strained against the straps that stopped him floating about. John kept back and was relieved when Ridley came in. She stayed quiet as they waited for the seizure to pass. The jerking of Alan's body slowed down and soon he stilled. Ridley grabbed a medical kit and started getting to work on his brother. She took out a vial and syringe.

"Has Alan ever had any reactions to drugs?"

"No."

"Good. I'm going to give him a small dose of an anti-seizure drug, to try keep him stable."

Ridley inserted the drug into Alan's system. John took a deep breath. He needed to stay calm. He floated over to Alan's head and looked into the young man's face. His eyes were shut again, but Alan had regained consciousness, if only temporarily. That was a good sign. The seizure was not so good, but he knew they could go away. Alan was a Tracy. He had the stubbornness to get through and overcome this.

Ridley tidied up before floating over to him and putting an arm around his shoulder. John lent into her body, craving the comfort as silent tears fell. Ridley quickly mopped them up before they could float away and cause problems.

"He did really well to get this far, and everything's set for a quick transfer to Earth. You just need to let Scott know."

John nodded, eyes on his baby brother. He sighed and moved out of Ridley's touch. He had to tell Scott. At least he has good news. Scott would still be worried and fret but at least Alan was still alive to fret over. Ridley ran a few checks on Alan.

"I'm heading to the mess. I'll give you fifteen minutes before I return with food for you.”

John nodded and tried to slip into rescue mode. He tapped his communicator and called Scott, who answered immediately. Scott looked better that he had last time. His eldest brother had shaved, neatened his hair and although he still had dark circles under his eyes, there was more energy in him. It was anxious energy, but energy none the less. It also meant he was in a good condition to hear the news.

"John, we're one hour from take-off here, I'll be in orbit in a few hours. How is it going? How far from Thunderbird 3 are you?"

John swallowed. Time to spill the beans.

"We're on our way back. We'll be rendezvousing with you in less than a day."

"John, what do you mean!? You have to get to Thunderbird 3! You have to find Alan."

John took in his brother and the pain in the elder’s features. Instead of answering John angled his wrist so that Alan was being projected to Scott, instead of himself.

"Alan?" Scott whispered, his face full of shock. "How? John, how?"

"EOS detected what could have been the space pod on the scanners heading for Earth. But her calculations showed that there was only the smallest possibility that we could get to Alan before his oxygen ran out. We intercepted the pod and it was Alan onboard. We're bringing him home."

Scott's face was a picture of surprise and John watched many emotions run through it.

"Is he......Did you...." Scott stammered. John's heart ached for his brother.

"He's alive, Scott. He's got cerebral hypoxia but probably only mildly. He's woken up but had shown no sign of recognition, and he'd had a seizure."

"But he's alive?"

"Yes, Scott, he's alive. But we won't know the extent of the damage for months."

"We'll make it work, John." Tears slipped down Scott's face. "He's alive and whatever else happens, we'll deal with it."

John nodded, fighting back the tears of his own. They both needed family and comfort, but both knew they won't be satisfied until Alan was safely home.

"We need to let the others know." Scott looked John in the eye, a silent message passed between them. 'You do it, John, you'd be better. was what Scott told him with a glance. John appreciated the confidence Scott had in him and nodded his agreement.

"Thank you, John." Scott looked smaller than he had in years. John wanted to place his hand in his brother's shoulder, but distance didn't allow it.

"You're welcome, Scott."

****

Virgil was sitting on the sofa with Grandma. She was worried sick. She had lost her son, and despite watching her grandson's head into danger on a near daily basis, this hurt so much more. This was the real deal. She could lose her youngest grandchild. Virgil himself, had cried with her. Her tears had brought on his. He knew as well as Brains' how much oxygen was on Three. Brains' has given him that look when he tried to ask the question. It was the look that said Virgil knew the answer. Alan wasn't coming home alive without a miracle. But to tell that to his Grandma, the one who'd become a mother to Alan, who'd raised him, alongside Dad, and then Scott. He couldn't tell his Grandma.

Scott had stepped straight into action. Practicalities came first, grief could wait for later. Virgil had seen Scott race off the island, though had grabbed his arm before he left. The silent conversation that happened in the those few seconds was all Virgil needed to know. Scott was going to hold on to hope until he saw it for himself. Alan wasn't dead until Scott had seen him. Virgil gave his elder brother a hug before he left and started preparing his heart for a big brother's worst nightmare.

Gordon was sitting on the other couch with Brains. Kayo was leaning against the wall, while Penelope was on the other side of Grandma to Virgil, holding her other hand, when John called. Virgil was surprised to hear from him so soon, though he couldn't help but notice how emotional exhausted his brother looked.

"John." Virgil said, his hand still rubbing circles on his Grandma's back.

"Hello Virgil." John's hologram looked around the room. "I'm glad you're all here already. I have an update."

Virgil felt his heart rate accelerate, and his hand froze on his Grandma's back. Scott had said it'd take two days to get to Three. He felt the older woman shiver then straightened.

"Go on, Hun." Grandma encouraged. John nodded.

"Alan's alive and we're on our way back to Earth..."

The rest of the conversation was caught in snippets, but Virgil got the information he needed. Alan was hurt but alive. That was all that mattered. Tears of relief fell down his Grandma's face. Gordon was silent for once, just absorbing the new information. Virgil wrapped his arms around his grandmother and pulled her close. Then he let his tears fall. How could he have doubted Alan? Then John had had his doubts too. Alan had a way of surprising them all. The guilt and relief flooded Virgil as he wept.

***

John ended the call to his family. He'd given them hope, something to hold on to. He turned to Alan. Alan's eyes were open again, but he still didn't respond or react to John's voice or touch. John floated next to his brother and took his hand.

"It's John, Alan. You're big brother, John." John stoked his hand. "We’re going home, Alan and I'm not leaving your side."

***

Scott floated in the passageway of the shuttle. Alan and John were less than half an hour away and he was struggling to hold himself together. He looked at the airlock that Alan would be transported through. He wanted to be by his baby brother’s side as soon as he could. He’d felt relief when he first heard Alan was alive, but Captain O’Bannon had transmitted the scans and readings taken from Alan and the GDF had kicked in action. They had delayed the launch again, but this time Scott didn’t argue. They had assembled the best team of medical personnel who had experience and training in zero-g emergencies. The equipment required to keep Alan stable through re-entry was gathered with haste, and Scott couldn’t help but marvel at the mountains Cornel Casey moved to make sure that Alan, her godson, got home safe. Once everything was onboard and secure the ship took off, only just making the safe launch window.

Scott had hoovered in the makeshift medical bay once in orbit. He had listened to the medics rattling off the equipment, drugs and roles they would be taking. He had watched as they verbally ran through scenarios that could occur. What happened if he had a seizure during re-entry? What was the first thing they had to do if his heart stopped once under the effect of normal gravity? Who would be the first to respond? Who would head resuscitation? Scott’s blood ran cold. These were the risks, no matter how small, that his already injured baby brother had to face, had to beat. The fear in Scott’s heart was real. He wished he could sit with his brother the entire time during decent, however they all needed to be strapped in. He had flown in Thunderbird Three enough to know the strength of the forces put on the body during re-entry. He hoped Alan’s history, the fact that he had done it so many times, would work in his favour. His body was used to it.

As the smaller ship came into dock, the medical team started to gather. All prepared to grab the stretcher and take control of Alan. He knew they didn’t want him there, that he might get in their way, but he had to be there for Alan. Even just to hold his hand. The airlock opened and there was John. Scott was shocked at how haggard he looked compared with the holoprojection he’d spoken with less than a day ago. His brother nodded at him, before floating to the side and revealing the stretcher containing Alan. John started rattling off Alan’s stats, medication and condition, but it faded into the background for Scott. Alan’s pale body, oxygen mask over his face, was all he could concentrate on. He looked so small, so fragile, and Scott had sent him into space. There were small patches of mottled bruising, a line connected to a drip and various sensors. John passed the stretcher to the medical staff, who grabbed the corners. Scott watched the bottom half pass before grabbing Alan’s hand when it came into reach. He pushed himself along so not to tug on his little brother, keeping pace with the medical staff.

They took him into the medical bay and started to hook him up to new monitors, they took new scans and gave Alan more medication. The worked around Scott who just held Alan’s hand. Scott gazed at the young astronaut’s face, his eyes were open, his pupils were responding, and they followed the light when asked. All positive signs.

“Would you speak to him for us? See if he recognises you?” The doctor on his left said, moving away.

Scott grabbed the side of the stretcher and pulled himself closer, so he was looking Alan in the eye.

“Hello Alan. It’s Scott. I’m here, Alan, I’m hear with you.”

Scott watched as Alan’s eyes flickered slightly, and they appeared to look at him, but he could see that Alan was struggling to focus. Scott squeezed Alan’s hand.

“It’s okay, Alan. We’ve got you now.” Scott stroked Alan’s hair, as he had all Alan’s life when trying to soothe the boy. His voice may not have done to trick but Scott could see some of Alan’s muscles relax at the touch. The medic came up beside him and Scott moved back. A hand fell on his shoulder, and Scott turned to see John. John’s eyes were full of concern and sympathy. In an instant Scott understood. John had stayed awake and by Alan’s side all this time.

“We need to prepare Alan for re-entry,” the most senior medic informed them, “would you two please take your seats.”

Scott took one last look at Alan, gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go and following John out the room and towards the seats they had been assigned. The brothers strapped themselves in, both silent. Nothing needed to be said. They both knew how the other was feeling. They watched as the medical staff filtered in, until the last one sat down. The astronaut at the helm, announced that they were ready for decent and Scott lay his head back and braced himself. There was no way anyone could give Alan medical attention during this time; Alan was on his own again.

The descent was routine and uneventful for Scott, and once they were on the ground, the medical team were up and at Alan’s side. John held Scott back from the room as the staff prepared Alan for transfer. The brothers watched as Alan was quickly taken from the shuttle. Scott put his arm under John’s shoulder as they hurried after the convoy. John lent on Scott, using him to aid his balance as he walked on Earth for the first time in two months. They headed into the GDF flyer and took their seats on the bench along the side. Their eyes rested on the stretcher with their brother. John gripped Scott’s arm and Scott obeyed the command, his face stern with worry. The flight was short with the Quadjet landing on the helipad of the hospital. The brothers stood back again and watched the GDF staff hand over to the hospital doctors. A tall confident woman approached them, and Scott looked her in the eye.

“Welcome to John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore. I’m Charity Adebayo, and I will be your family liaison.” She smiled at them, “I’m sure you are worried about you brother, but please be aware that we have excellent neurological expertise and he will be getting the best care we have on offer. I’ll take you to Alan’s room where you can wait for him.”

Charity lead them off the helipad and into the building. They entered the maze of the hospital, eager to get to the room where they would be reunited with their brother. She opened the door to a spacious private room. The Tracy name worked wonders sometimes.

“The GDF have already sent forward all the scans they have, and the doctors already have an extensive treatment and rehabilitation plan ready to put in place. They are just taking a few more detailed scans and their own evaluations first, before they inform you of the possible outcomes for your brother. I’ll leave you two for a while and will return with your brother.”

Charity left and John was immediately on his communicator. Scott watched, always baffled at the calm way John could handle disaster, as the hologram of Grandma popped up above his wrist. He rattled off the hospital name and room number and Grandma confirmed they would be there soon. John contacted EOS and asked her to secure a slot and aviation bay at the local airfield. Scott placed his arm on John’s shoulder.

“What you did, John. You saved Alan. Thank you.”

“He would…did…the same for me.”

Scott pulled John in close remembering the time when they had almost lost their other astronaut. John rested in Scott’s arms, exhausted. They stayed like that until Alan was brought into the room. Once the medical staff moved away, Scott moved over and grabbed Alan’s hand, while John grabbed the other. The brothers sat there waiting for the rest of the family to join them.

***

Alan blinked. His mind was such a muggle, but things were starting to become clearer. The colours in his vision started to come back into focus and things started to make sense. His chest felt better, no longer fighting to pull oxygen into his body. He still felt sleepy, but it wasn’t the oxygen starvation sleepy he had fought in the pod. There were sounds around him, words he couldn’t put together, and the various contact that he felt, most of which brought him familiarity and comfort.

He blinked and he felt his eyes open again. The room was dark, but there was some dim lighting. He blinked and blinked. The tiles on the ceiling were now in focus. He looked lower and saw the door. His heart lurched at the sight of a hospital door, causing an increase in the steady bleeping that was coming from his right. It slowly dawned on him he had been in space. That he had been alone. Now he was in hospital. Had he made it to Earth? How? A squeeze on his hand brought Alan out of his thoughts.

“Alan?”

A familiar voice whispered to his left. Tears welled in his eyes as his Grandma’s face moved into his view. He’d been in space. He had been looking at Earth. Now, here was his Grandma, her blue eyes looking at him, and she was squeezing his hand. The tears fell down his cheeks.

“Oh, Alan.”

Her voice was soft, and she let go of his hand and pulled him into a hug. He tried to hug here back, but he struggled to move his arms higher that her waist. So, he gripped her weakly as more tears fell. Alan’s head rested on her shoulder, and as he blinked away the next tears, his eyes could focus on the sight over Grandma’s shoulder. Six chairs, each filled with a sleeping figure. Each one a member of his family. Alan relaxed into his Grandma’s arms, as the realisation that came to him. His wish had been granted.

#fabfivefeb #fabfivefeb2020 #thunderbirds are go #alan tracy #scott tracy #john tracy #grandma tracy #virgil tracy #ridley o'bannon #still heartbreaking #i fixed him #finally #as promised

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caltropspress · 4 years

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Notes on Pink Siifu’s NEGRO

You and anybody else who wants to get their random vicarious kicks off White Power can stay the fuck away from me.

—Lester Bangs

Tell a nazi he can suck my dick. —Pink Siifu, from “SMD”

My first contact with white america was marked by her violence, for when a white doctor pulled me from between my mother’s legs and slapped my wet ass, I, as every other negro in america, reacted to this man-inflicted pain with a cry. A cry that america has never allowed to cease; a cry that gets louder and more intense with age….A cry? Or was it a scream? —H. Rap Brown (Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin), from Die Nigger Die!

it is the hour of conflict, antagonism, struggle the world turning autumn in warpaint everything silently prepares to scream —Amiri Baraka, from “Disorder”

White institutional power operates to negate or suppress. To that end, white institutional power bestows awards on singular figures when it’s convenient. Let’s call one such example Kendrick Lamar. Pulitzer Prizing DAMN. is white institutional power taking cover. This, in no way, defangs DAMN. But it does provide crowd control. Pink Siifu, meanwhile, won’t be awarded a Pulitzer for NEGRO. If he did, I’m confident he’d pull an Adrienne Rich, telling President Clinton to choke on his National Medal for the Arts, seeing as how the U.S. gov’t drives “the demonization of our young Black men.” Siifu would be PE boycotting the Grammys on the grounds of Black invisibility. Or John Lennon relinquishing his membership in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire because, well, empire (see: Biafra).

NEGRO is what happens when Three 6 Mafia goes full bandolier, full decolonization, full Thomas Sankara. When the emphasis is on the 666 sirening[1] across white cop foreheads, reflecting off Makrolon face shields. Siifu cites and channels Sun Ra, June Tyson, Death, and Bad Brains, but you also hear the mass hysteria of Abbey Lincoln’s vocal cords trembling, of Max Roach’s We Insist! in a street brawl showdown with the LRAD. Basically, it’s Ornette blowing sax in a riot, harmolodics like incendiary devices.

“FK” is the primal scream reaction of hearing the news another one of your people has been killed, snuffed out. Suffer through our screams, it says to the listener. And “out of body, out of mind” distorts what we see with what we witness. It’s the re-played, re-tweeted, re-shared visuals of Black death.

At moments, NEGRO sounds like Aaron Dilloway organizing a chapter of the White Panther Party.

Siifu’s lyrics are a Stokely speech draft. His artistry is prismatic, shattered pane glass: crust punk, jazz cat, marching band drummer, hood ballerina, noisemaker, bareknuckle emcee. His lyrics should be run off on the mimeo and saddle-stitched into a chapbook for Totem Press to publish.

“SMD” samples from Ivan Dixon's 1973 film The Spook Who Sat by the Door (“Do you hear me, man?...I am BLACK!”). Just like dead prez sampled the dialogue before Siifu on “We Want Freedom.” Siifu and dead prez are bedfellows, for sure, but Siifu's head rests on a pillow of static. It’s the friction that electrifies.

NEGRO is the art of de-arresting in audio form. As the comrades at Mask Magazine have stated, de-arrests “are beautiful,” reminding us “the law and the state are not supernatural forces.”[2]

I’ve always felt uncomfortable using the word freedom. It’s a word that’s been co-opted and gutted to the point of parody. I subscribe only to a different form of freedom, one articulated in noise. Suicidal Tendencies’ “Freedumb” cuts it: “Peace through politics is a fallacy—that doesn’t exist.” Liberation more seriously expresses the extinction agenda. Poor Righteous Teachers taught the curriculum out of Trenton, on “Freedom of Death”: “Consciousness—it’s a must / Just avoid the wicked, wicked ways of this pale Caucasoid.”

Regardless, we see freedom, liberation, knife through even with Siifu’s orthography. Revolutionary thought requires revolutionary language. Ask the Combahee River Collective. Come correct. Fuck autocorrect. Remember womyn. Siifu spellings like: nxggas, eye, tyme, iono, and the evergreen ameriKKKa. The abbreviated words—eliding letters wherever possible—don’t reflect self-censorship so much as the mindmaze of a harried man. Deliberate typos demonstrate no faith in the system. It’s like if Bon Iver (see: “22 (OVER S∞∞N)”) decided to forgo BLM symbolic gestures (Mahalia Jackson) and straight-up encouraged looting. Siifu is CAPS LOCK happy, too. We’re witnessing the joy of militancy.

To begin with, it must be said that former African slaves and their ancestors have been the avant-garde of everything in this country. There’s no culture in America, in this American wasteland, without us. There’s no classical music; there’s jazz, and that was invented by us. And besides that, America has nothing to offer the world and it never has. —Idris Robinson, from “How It Might Should Be Done”

Siifu in the audience of the Congress of Afrikan Peoples, and Baraka imploring him like, “Get up, Pink Siifu.” It’s nation time. But on “Nation Tyme.,” Siifu groans, I’m tired…can’t fall…asleep. Black rage, of course—but what of Black insomnia? The French revolutionaries abolished the calendar. CPT, so, is rightly weaponized. “I feel fettered by Western time,” Gregory Pardlo writes in “Colored People’s Time.” Punch clocks need punching, smashing. I saw Baraka roll up to a conference panel late as fuck once, cane-walking right down the center aisle, shameless, commandingly.

In a somnolent slur, Siifu says, “They treat me like I’m wasting away / I know I’m worth more than they pay.” What of these capitalist definitions of work? What of productivity? What does it mean to monetize every waking moment? He’s been quoted as saying, “I ain’t have to work for no white man.”[3] “Nation Tyme.” picks up there.

10. Feel like deadmeat. They say I’m deadmeat.

“DEADMEAT” is a pig siren stuffed into an industrial-grade slaughterhouse grinder. It sounds the way Alan Vega's sculptures look—hazardous masses of electronic junk, like wires raveled inside a homemade bomb, like buzzing viscera.

I want to see Siifu perform it at the Meat Locker, a cellar club in the underguts of Montclair, New Jersey (s/o the dramacydal Outlawz). The place is dingy and bedecked with feces—a venue befitting a GG Allin opener. GG Allin, a racist, who also hated cops. Who, on “Shove That Warrant Up Your Ass,” a track that appeared on the posthumous Brutality & Bloodshed For All album, sang, “You say I broke the laws in your state… / Your courts and cops should all be hung.” Allin hoists a headless, legless, armless torso on his hip in the cover photograph—a slab of meat. Like the Beatles with baby doll parts and prime cuts in their laps, bloodless butcher coats on the original Yesterday and Today (1966) artwork. Like the papal kill floor in Francis Bacon’s “Figure with Meat” (1954) with its tapestry of offal. But what you don’t get from Bacon, or the Beatles, or GG Allin is what Siifu needs us to hear. What Siifu tells us is the reality of corporeality is that cops continue to make carcasses of Black people.

11.

That cellar club can be scream therapy, can be cell therapy. Siifu brings us there—to the darkest, dampest corner of the Dungeon Family’s dungeon. Big Gipp, speaking self-defensively: “Try to separate me from the blood / Is disrespect like you coming in my home and not wiping your feet on the rug.” It’s echoed in Siifu addressing the question of his audience: “This [album] is for black people, but I know white people are going to fuck with it. I’m mad cool with that. I just want everyone to know, before they come through the door, that this is a black house and you have to respect my people.”[4] The theme of respect as it relates to a sense of home, to cultural tourism, is paramount in both. Everyone’s got to know their place. No listener should approach ignorant of the auction block. Siifu’s noise refuses the separation of kinsfolk and his stubbornness makes the dungeon shake—he is rightfully “tough, dark, vulnerable, moody,” and, on NEGRO, he has a “definite tendency to sound truculent.”[5]

12.

“ON FIRE, PRAY!” eventually grinds the brakes to a cavernous slowjam pace. “Blood on my body / Blood on my face.”

13.

The racist dog policemen must withdraw immediately from our communities, cease their wanton murder and brutality and torture of black people, or face the wrath of the armed people. —caption on Huey Newton photograph

NEGRO’s album cover, painted by Junkyard, is a call-and-response. Pink Siifu is a portrait of exhaustion, slouched, shirtless like Huey was when he was released from the Alameda County courthouse in 1970. It’s a tableau like Huey in that rattan peacock chair was. Eldridge Cleaver orchestrated it, right down to the zebra rug.

If you squint, the glimmer of Siifu’s gold fronts looks like his jaw is wired shut. Of course, violent threats are routinely directed at Black people—that's how the system operates. Media is often behind the scope. Relentless orders to “shut up,” to silence yourself, police yourself. We know this from David Wojnarowicz, photographed with his lips sewn shut, blood dripping like shadows, in “(Silence = Death)” from 1989. The violent threats on queer life are kin to those on Black life. But Siifu, like Wojnarowicz, refuses the censorship. After all, those aren't wires—they're the glint of his grill. Siifu is dribbling blood, too, and those black splatters across the flag are like pen bursts—ink poisoning for all. If you squint, the mind’s eye might see the Pan-African flag.

The flag above his head recalls Jasper Johns’ flags: elliptical, non-patriotic, made slop-bucket sloppy from newspaper shreddings and other detritus, i.e. amerikkka is a trash heap. At least the stars are black in the “Flag (Moratorium)” rendition. Bullet hole dead center, too.

If all goes well, the riots going on—bless them—will go on interminably. Sly Stone’s customized flag with black in place of blue[6] and sharp solar-flared suns in place of Betsy Ross geometric stars is yet another parallel to Siifu’s flag. Like Sly, Siifu isn’t opposed to police ambushes. They both know you’ve got to grin at the gun of the devil. (“Don’t you mind people grinnin’ in your face,” Son House sings eternally.) Citizen takes on cop on “Thank You For Talkin’ To Me, Africa”: Bullets start chasin’, / I begin to stop. / We begin to tussle. / I was on the top. Just the same as Siifu on “SMD”: “Iono why eye ain’t shot ya.” Or on “run pig run.”: “Kill a cop / Left a pig dead.”

14.

We can't disparage any aggressive protest on the reductive grounds it's aggro or violent. I think of Pam Echols in Milwaukee in 1968. Siifu’s assertion of you are my enemy on “steal from the ENEMY” corresponds with Paris’s sophomore and shadowy album, Sleeping with the Enemy. Like on the corrode-ode “Coffee, Donuts, and Death”:

You get poached when you fuck with black folk. Said it ’til my voice was hoarse. I ain’t down with excessive force, But of course I wasn’t heard so I’m silent now. Black folk can’t be non-violent now. […] The only motherfucking pig that I eat is police.

Which is to say, try no pork, ameriKKKa.

15. RE: punk

Think of Bad Brains playing CBGB’s in 1982. Lester Bangs writes of a woman in the scene who referred to Black people as “all these boons.” He tells us a Black friend of his believes the clubgoers “[strive] to be offensive however they can.” Anti-Blackness plagued CBGB’s and nascent punk like vermin, a pestilence. A white woman in the music business claims she “liked [Black people] so much better when they were just Negroes.” These anecdotes are culled from Bangs’ 1979 Village Voice piece entitled “The White Noise Supremacists.” He notes Ron Asheton’s predilection for “swastikas, Iron Crosses, and jackboots.” He cites Ivan Julian, guitarist for Richard Hell and the Voidoids—one of the few Black individuals to grace those inchoate punk stages—as saying “whenever he hears the word ‘n-----’…he wants to kill.” He calls Nico a “dumb kraut cunt” for her brazen, Third Reich-ish brand of racism, which was no industry secret. Bangs even implicates himself, quoting an earlier article: “…it’s the n-----s who control and direct everything just as it always has been and properly should be.” He meant this, somehow, as a compliment.

16.

On “we need mo color. Abundance,” there’s no innocence left in asking “tell me your favorite color.” Siifu answers rhetorically, parenthetically, melanin. Don't settle for forty acres of color—demand abundance. Take, loot in abundance. And don't be contained by the gendered parameters of “pink or blue.” “You can have any color you like” suggests the limitless possibilities if you move your mind beyond the imposed parameters.

The “favorite color” invoked on “we need mo color. Abundance” becomes abundantly clear on the following track, “BLACK!”

17.

“ameriKKKa, try no pork” starts in a slurry of radio static, news reports of Black death. Black, Black, Black, Black. Sped up. Slowed down. Drag the progress bar. “Progress,” ha.

18.

“run pig run.” See the pig / Run away / Run, pig, run. Like a Dick and Jane basal reader. Like picking your favorite color. Like a Three Little Pigs fable. Like huffing and puffing. These are childhood exploits for childhoods that aren’t allowed to be. As long as the Kenneth and Mamie Clark doll experiments keep providing the proof, there can be no childhood innocence. So it's a carnival game in the meantime: See a pig / Shoot a pig. Huffing and puffing: Run, pig, run.

19.

"myheartHURT" is the safehouse after the shooting. It's the cooldown, the chillout. The hypnagogic nightmare. It's vaporwave minus whiteness. We all know Biz had the vapors before Daniel Lopatin. As if DJ Screw was just an apparition, a codeine cloud. The fact remains, Screw's phantasmagoria hovers above all our heads.

20.

The wail of distorted police sirens introduces “Chris Dorner.,” a track gleefully indebted to Ice-T and Body Count’s “Cop Killer.” Repetition was a popular device and it still is: die, pig, die. Chris Dorner has achieved folk-hero status in anarchist circles and beyond since he waged asymmetrical warfare on the LAPD. His manifesto has been published as a zine.[7] “No one grows up and wants to be a cop killer,” he wrote. Begs the question.

21.

“faceless wings,BLACK!” nods to Frank Castle[8], a figure who may or may not be recoverable from militias and thin blue liners, despite Gerry Conway’s best efforts.

22.

White institutional power operates to negate or suppress. Pink Siifu, through NEGRO, refuses suppression and negation. Siifu delivers a hole in the head, and it’s sublime.

Footnotes:

1 “The Law comes sirening across the town.” Gwendolyn Brooks, “THE THIRD SERMON OF THE WARPLAND” from RIOT

2 “De-Arrests are Beautiful.” Mask Magazine.

3 “The Necessity of Pink Siifu’s Rage.” Marcus J. Moore. The Fader.

4 “Pink Siifu’s ‘NEGRO’ is a Riotous Mix of Jazz, Rap and Punk.” Max Bell. Bandcamp Daily.

5 Baldwin, the god.

6 “What did I do to be so black and blue?” (see: Armstrong); light a reefer and listen to the phonograph (see: Ellison)

7 Research and Destroy New York City. https://researchdestroy.com/

8 https://archive.org/details/PunisherPigs

Images:

Emory Douglas work (detail), courtesy of Sean Stewart archives | Makrolon face shield, Google Image Search result | Amiri Baraka performing at the Congress of Afrikan Peoples (screenshot) | Alan Vega light sculpture (photograph) | GG Allin Brutality & Bloodshed for All album cover | The Beatles Yesterday & Today album cover | Francis Bacon, “Figure with Meat” (detail) | Goodie Mob “Cell Therapy” (screenshot) | Splitting up a family at auction, Public Domain | Huey Newton Black Panthers Minister of Defense, photographed by Blair Stapp, 1968 | Andreas Sterzing, David Wojnarowicz (Silence = Death), 1989 | Sly and the Family Stone There’s A Riot Goin’ On album cover | Jasper Johns, “Flag (Moratorium)” | Pam Echols punching cop, 1968 (photographer unknown) | Sid Vicious, nazi (photographer unknown) | Emory Douglas work (detail), courtesy of Sean Stewart archives | Biz Markie Goin’ Off album cover | Oneohtrix Point Never Memory Vague album cover

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judgement-free-sideblog · 4 years

Text

Dancing lessons

Summary: Barry is finally cast in a feature, the problem? He said he could dance and now he can either disappoint Sally or found a way to learn some steps.

Part 1 ● Part 2 ● Part 3 ● Part 4 ● Part 5 ● Part 6 ● Part 7 ● Part 8 ● Epilogue

Warnings: Swearing, blood, violence, guns, cheating maybe.

Part 5

And alarm clock went off somewhere and Barry woke up alone, he check out his watch and it said 7:00 a.m. just 4 hours had passed and he could feel the absence of the woman that was next to him just a couple minutes before.

He felt guilty, not entirely sure why and kept his head pressed down on the couch, it was not cheating, right? He had spend the night with a woman who wasn't his girlfriend, having dinner and playing board games and cuddling in the couch... but he did it because she was injured.

And smelling her hair and pushing her against him while they were sleeping was only to keep her safe, it meant nothing, it meant so little that he wouldn't mention a single thing to Sally, because there was nothing to talk about, she was his dancing instructor and a mean rival at scrabble, and now possibly a friend, a friend with beautiful eyes and flowy hair, whit a delicate body that fit perfectly in his arms...a friend with warm skin and red lips he was dying to know what would they taste like.

"Morning sunshine!" Her voice made him shake those dangerous thoughts away and he stood up to see her already dressed and holding two cups of coffee and a bag from a local bakery. "I didn't mean to wake you, but since I'm fine I thought you could use a coffee before going home".

"No, it's okay. Thanks" He said rubbing his eyes and joining her at the kitchen "Are those croissants?" He asked while she put the pastry on a platter.

"They are, I figured since I'm taking the day off I might as well make the best out of it, and since I can't drink an enormous amount of sugar and chocolate is the second best option" she took a bite of one of the pastries and he sited in front of her not quite sure of what he was supposed to say.

She on the other hand seemed not uncomfortable at all, she had a pink headband covering the stitches and that was the only difference, she continued to be the same relaxed and friendly woman she ever was. He was relived but also hurt a little maybe he thought they will have a long heartfelt conversation about the nature of their relationship and how sorry he was about his behavior but she didn't seem to mind at all, maybe it was for the best, at least they were friends now.

He walked down the stairs after he make her promise ten times she would not be opening the studio, and that he would check up on her in the afternoon. He was walking to his car when a familiar sensation in th back of his head alarmed him. He was being followed.

He opened the door cautiously looking around but he didn't see anyone and then, crossing the street in front of him, not caring enough to hide Fuches approach him, he froze in the spot, knowing too well his gun was safe under his bed and that he didn't even had a knife on him.

He looked better than the last time he saw him, no more open wounds, and his clothes were actually clean and new, but even when he looked put together his eyes looked tired and older than ever, maybe that's why he left him approach so easily.

Fuches opened the passenger's door and got inside, and Barry did the same, he start driving in silence in the unspoken understatement that they will do this in a more private place since the people opening the stores on that street were already coming out.

***

You let go a sigh of relief once he left, and look at your empty apartment already bored to death with the idea of staying in the whole morning, but you have promised not to do anything crazy so you put on a movie and sit on the couch in an attempt to become a cozy sloth.

Horror films were the select genre, trying to avoid anything remotely romantic that could reignite the feelings you have woken up to that morning. Not that his arms around your body didn't felt like heaven, because they did, but because you were sure you were dancing on a thin line that you were not willing to cross.

That's why you try so hard to be normal around him, there was no way you would give in on your feelings for Barry specially not around him, and yet you couldn't fight the urge to have him back and just talk to him, about anything he would think off, kick his ass in scrabble again, maybe you were just friends? Maybe after years of being harsh on yourself feeling like a faliure his presence and his optimism about his career was all that had attracted you and you wanted to be around him because it remained of you when you started and he was a nice person worth being friends with.

But that didn't explain why you needed to take a cold shower after he showed you the scars on his exposed skin, nor why did you went to sleep dreaming of touching them, you have to end that, starting with putting a barrier between the two, specially since he was happy with someone else, as happy as you are, you said angry at yourself and push your mind away from him.

Two hours passed and you were fine watching young attractive people running from their lifes, that you forgot that you were supposed to stay away from him and send him a text.

Since we are not dancing this afternoon you should bring money and alcohol and make the scrabble more interesting

The moment you hit "send" you regretted it, and ten minutes went by without any response, you were about to send another message making sure he knew you were just joking when to make the situation worse, the door opened and Alan walked in making you jump on the couch in surprise.

He was holding a nice bouquet of flowers and was about to say something nice when his expression changed with concern.

"What the hell happened to your head?" You have taken the headband off and the stitches were visible, he left his stuff on the ground while you try to explain what had happened leaving one important detail in the dark. "Why didn't you call? Y was free at 5 but I went out for drinks with the guys, you could have called, are you okay? I'm calling your doctor" His paternal voice while he check the wound make you feel worse even when you have done anything remotely accusatory.

"I'm fine, how was Dallas? Did you guys got the old man to sign?" He smile at you, like he always did when you resume his job into making old CEOs to sign their company's away to him and his lawyer friends.

"We did, in fact I was dying to get here to get you out to celebrate" He said pointing out the flowers "But maybe champagne is not the best idea right now" He said looking worried at the injury again.

"That and also the fact that is 10:00 a.m." You said and while he pick up his stuff from the floor and you quickly check your phone, no answer, maybe it was for the better, Barry Berkman was a dangerous path that you shouldn't walk and you could send a text cancelling your class later. You turn off the phone and help Alan out of his jacket.

He took you by the waist and pulled you in for a kiss, maybe was the guilt you felt what was making you eager to ease away a pain you haven't cause him yet but you deepened the kiss right there in the middle of the living room.

"Why was that for?" He asked with a confused happy look on his face holding you tight.

"Well is too early for champagne, but maybe not for other ways to celebrate" You said running your hands trough his arms and resting them on his chest.

"But your head..." He started with his hands on your back already making another choice.

"I'm fine, let's go" you wink at him and he carried you to the bedroom, with your heart rising on your chest loudly enough for your guilty thoughts to remain silent at least for the moment.

***

"Scoring with a married lady, I never thought you have that in you" Fuches said jokingly and Barry's hand tighten around the wheel.

"Leave her out of this" He growled and he saw the grin on Fuches face in the corner of his eye, he was teasing him and he fall right in "That's not what I was doing, she is just a friend" He added with lest conviction knowing he had said too much already.

"I know kid, you are way too decent to do that stuff, weird since you have no problem killing, but anyway I like the blonde one better..." he didn't finish talking since Barry almost lost control of the car when he mentioned Sally.

"Let Sally out of this or I swear to God I'll kill you right now" this time Fuches expression was not pleased, he looked at the road concerned with Barry's actions.

They parked in a drugstore that was empty at that time in the morning. And stand outside the car just watching the fence of the parking lot, Fuches light a cigarette and offered one to Barry but he rejected it.

"You are getting clumsy you know?" He said after a while, trying to find a way to bring on the subject without activating the timebomb he was when he got angry. "Using your own name on the hospital was stupid, oh yeah I know about your little excursion to the E.R." He said tossing the butt of the cigarette in the ground "This 'friend' of yours must be close to call herself Mrs. Berkman doesn't she?"

"She is my dance teacher... people assumed things" He started and the slight guilt in his voice was enough for Fuches to take the reins of the conversation.

"And I'm sure your girlfriend was aware of your whereabouts last night" He said, studying his reaction "Oh she doesn't know?"

"So you are going to threaten me with snitching on me with Sally now?" He said surprised "That's a bit ridiculous, why did you came back man?" He asked tired, he was sure now tha he could never kill him, no matter how much he had damaged him, that's not who he was anymore but his hesitation to end things with him encouraged Fuches to keep coming back into his life.

"Well the Chechens were not please to lose their men, the Bolivians think NoHo Hank betrayed them and the Burmese mob wanted you dead" He said and a pain in his head reminded Barry of the that night, and flashes of his actions play before his eyes, their men, the light fading away from Mayrbeck eyes still haunted him time to time. "Or whoever killed their leader for that matter, only the Chechens knew it was you and they kept it to themselves" he continued and Barry came back to the present, only nodding in understanding "So those guys thought it was Cristobal, since he survived your little outburst"

"And I suppose you didn't have anything to do with them thinking that" Barry assumed correctly.

"Of course not, as I also tip off NoHo Hank that his sweetheart was in danger so he could protect him" He said with a grin "Poor guy is so smitten by him is actually sweet, anyway the Bolivians and the Chechens got in peace after and they stop trying to kill me and welcome me into the family, but they were at war with the Burmese"

"And why does any of that to do with me? since you say they don't know who I am... they told them right? Hank rat me out to the Burmese?" He said connecting the dots on his head, and finally starting to get nervous about his momentary quiet life to blow up.

"It was a peace offering, they will give them this maniac killer who wrong the three of them and restore their peace, and they did already" He said putting out a photograph of a man covered in tattoos liying on the ground with multiple bullet holes on his body and head. "This is Marion Kowalski, an ex navy seal who mess with the wrong people and did some shady jobs for the mob for a price, and the American responsible for the Monastery massacre, and now they are all in peace"

"I don't understand any of these" Barry said regaining a momentary calm.

"Well Hank and Batir, the new boss, have different ideas about what peace means" He said turning on another cigarette "Hank is happy to keep the business running in peace and for Batir is a strategy to hurt them back with all they got." He put a hand on his shoulder when he said the last part and gave him a sad look.

"That includes me? It's insane man, I'm not coming with you, you can't convince me" He said putting his hand aside.

"No kid, I'm not here trying to convince you, this is a heads up" He said and pull out a passport with one of his many fake identities "I'm leaving to Italy, Hank arranged it, they are actively looking for you and since I don't know where you are I'm no longer useful but since he owns me Cristobal's life I got this last favor. They won't take a no for an answer and you either join them as a weapon or as a trophy".

"How long do I have?" He said now finally accepting the cigarette he offered him and looking away thinking.

"I don't know, Hank has been deviating their attention until I'm clear, after that I guess a day or two before they make a formal offer and after that is all up to you" He said and showed him a plane ticket "I'm leaving in a week so if I were you I will start making myself hard to find"

"Are you really going to Italy?" Barry asked finally after they share the silence, knowing too well it was the last time they will meet.

"Maybe, I wouldn't trust my own words, it was good seeing you kid" He said and offered him his hand. "Take care".

"You too" Barry said and resisted the urge to hug him since there were still too many open wounds between the two of them, that now will never have closure, Fuches turn away and start walking before Barry called him again "Hey Fuches!" He turned his head at him with a sad expression again "Thanks" they nodded and he walked away.

Barry tossed the cigarette on the ground and stood there for another ten minutes before getting on his car, his first instinct was to drive away and leave it all behind but he couldn't start the engine, so he took out his phone not sure who he was calling, there were 3 text messages on his screen, one from Sally from an hour ago, another from Y/N grom fifteen minutes before, and a third one from Andre just two minutes ago, in an attempt to ignore his reality read his first.

Where the fuck are you Block? We have the crew ready and I'm not putting my production on hold for you!

Before he could look at the other two Andre was calling him incredibly mad at him, and he shut everything else down and simply started his car while he answered.

"I'm sorry, I slept in, I'm on my way"

#barry hbo #barry berkman edit #barry fanfiction #barry berkman fanfiction #barry berkman x you #barry berkman x reader #barry block #barry berkman #bill hader #dance #cheating #monroe fuches #sally reed

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thecomicsnexus · 5 years

Photo

SWAMP THING #29-31, ANNUAL #2 OCTOBER 1984 - JANUARY 1985 BY ALAN MOORE, STEVE BISSETTE, RICK VEITCH, JOHN TOTLEBEN, ALFREDO ALCALA AND TATJANA WOOD

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC DATABASE)

Abby Cable reunites with the Swamp Thing, after he had sent her away in a rage weeks before. Despite having yelled at her about it the last time they met, he allows her now to call him Alec. Prior to this, after his revelation about his true identity of not being Alec fundamentally, he feels that he should not be referred to as such. She had been afraid that he hated her, and that she would lose her good friend, but they embrace, as good friends as ever.

Later, she and her husband Matt go for a drive, and he announces that he has three surprises for her. After some playful teasing, he reveals that he has made a down payment on an enormous mansion. As he gives her a tour, she is overwhelmed by how great it looks. However, in the bedroom, she catches a faint odour of burning insects, but it fades.

He takes her for a second surprise, showing that he's found a job at Blackriver Recorporations under a man named Eric Loveday. Inside, she has visions of Matt's coworkers as disgusting, decaying corpses, but a moment later, they appear normal. She doesn't mention what she saw to Matt, nor does she ask what "recorporations" means. Instead, she asks what the third surprise is. Matt opts to save that one for later.

She was happy to go back to the mansion, and was pleased (albeit somewhat suspicious) of the change in Matt's personality. They went to the bedroom, and made love. Afterwards, she went to the library to look up books on autism for her job. In the psychology section, she discovered a book about one of Matt's coworkers suggesting that she was a murderer. She returned home, and read it frantically, discovering that the woman called Sally Parks had killed 15 people for no reason at all, and was finally shot dead by police 22 years ago.

Abby recalls that Matt had been different since the strange events at Elysium Lawns, her workplace. In fact, he had been acting strangely since they were last in West Virginia. Suddenly, she realizes what the significance of Matt's job is, and who he really is. She understands, finally, that for months she has been married to her uncle, Anton Arcane.

After this disturbing revelation, Abby tries to burn her clothes, and uses up all of the soap trying to wash a horrible stink from herself. Finally, she turns to a steel brush used to scrape potatoes, and uses it on her own skin, eventually passing out from pain and blood loss after 20 minutes.

She wakes naked in the kitchen, and searches for her clothes, trying to get out before Matt returns. Unfortunately, he discovers her, and along with all of his 'coworkers'. They drop their facade when Anton Arcane mutters to her, “Just say uncle,” as he grips her by her hair.

Anton Arcane, having possessed the body of Matthew Cable uses his new found reality-warping powers to incite acts of evil and violence all over Louisiana. After thinking on all of the carnage he's causing, his thoughts return to his niece Abigail, who he is holding captive.

Arcane explains to her how his soul was hurled into the region of “bodiless men” after his death in combat with the Swamp Thing. He fought free of that plane, and began his plan to inhabit Matt's body. He explains that Matt was not free of corruption, squandering his reality-warping powers by attempting to satisfy his own insatiable lust. Arcane had then incited a young autistic boy named Paul's late parents to summon the Monkey King, thus luring Abby and Swamp Thing away, and leading Matt Cable into his fateful accident. After the accident, he had easily taken the opportunity to possess Matthew, with the dying man's consent. Finally, he declares to Abby that he is Arcane, as hands drag her down through the floor.

In outer space, the Monitor is notified by his assistant Harbinger to the strange happenings in Louisiana. Rather than intervene, they simply observe. At Arkham Asylum, Jason Woodrue screams in a deranged state about something coming out of the bayou. In his own cell, the Joker has stopped laughing.

In the swamp, Swamp Thing is confused by a sudden snowfall. Suddenly, Arcane attacks. It doesn't take Swamp Thing long to realize that his old adversary has returned. Arcane mocks him, baiting him by stating that he has Abigail. Lured by Arcane to his mansion, Swamp Thing enters and then emerges with Abigail's lifeless body, demanding to know how long she has been dead.

Possessing the body of Matthew Cable, Anton Arcane reveals to Swamp Thing that he has not only killed his friend Abby Cable, but he has also sent her guiltless soul to Hell. He chases Swamp Thing with a plague of abominations, but he is lured back to the swamp by his prey.

From outer space, the events in Louisiana are being observed by Harbinger and The Monitor. Despite Harbinger's concern about the dramatic levels of supernatural activity going on there, The Monitor refuses to intervene. He is, however, unable to tear his eyes away from his viewer.

Arcane believes that his power gives him control over the swamps, but it is there that Swamp Thing reveals to his foe the new power he has gained from communion with the world of flora. Arcane is taken aback, unaware of the fact that Alec Holland and the Swamp Thing were never one and the same. Swamp Things' elemental power is able to hurt Arcane, and weaken his hold over his host's body to the point that he is forced into an internal struggle with Matthew Cable's consciousness.

Matt wrests some of Arcane's control away, and decides that after what happened to Abby, he would give up the extension that his life was given in order to send Arcane to Hell. Arcane's soul is condemned to Hell, leaving only Matthew's battered and broken body - the wounds from his car accident returned to him. He admits to Swamp Thing that it was his own weakness that allowed Arcane to kill Abby.

Swamp Thing suggests that Matthew could use his reality-warping powers to heal himself. Matthew doesn't want to live, however, and instead, decides to help bring Abby back to life. Though he is weary, Matthew is able to regenerate his wife's cells, making her blood flow, her heart beat, and her lungs breathe, but he fails to return her soul before dying. Swamp Thing then gathers Abby into his arms and walks further into the swamp, leaving Matthew's body to be found by police.

Following the death of Anton Arcane, Swamp Thing is left with the living but soulless body of his friend Abby Cable. Knowing that her soul has been condemned to hell, he swears that he would follow her if he could. Suddenly, he realizes that he may be able to do just that, by casting his consciousness into The Green.

He traverses The Green, and finds himself tempted to simply let himself be lost within it. Fortunately, he regains his drive, and moves beyond The Green, and beyond life itself, into a new plane. He finds himself in a strange place, which seems to be empty and constantly changing. A woman appears, wondering where she is, and looking for her son. Before he can say anything, the boy appears, and leads his mother into a bright light, leaving Swamp Thing alone.

Moments later, a voice catches his attention. It is the voice of Boston Brand, also known as Deadman. He explains that Swamp Thing has found his way to the Region of the Just Dead, a place where those who have just died end up before passing on. Swamp Thing inquires after Abby's soul, and Deadman admits that having died the day before, it is likely she has already passed on into the lights.

Deadman can go no further, but they are suddenly startled by the appearance of the Phantom Stranger. The Stranger leads Swamp Thing through the light to a green place that seems like paradise. He explains that it is an aspect of Heaven, one of an infinite number. This aspect belongs, as it turns out, to Alec Holland. Alec thanks Swamp Thing for finally burying his body, and allowing him to pass on to Heaven. He lives there with his wife Linda, and they are discussing reincarnation. Alec invites Swamp Thing to meet Linda, but he declines.

Having explored the two nicer options, the Stranger and Swamp Thing are left with no choice by to go to Hell, and seek out Abby. Before they can gain entry, however, they must ask permission from The Spectre. The Spectre refuses permission, claiming that Abby's consignment to Hell is by the decree of God. The Phantom stranger argues that if she was unjustly condemned, then Hell has no reason. Contrarily, the Spectre responds that being able to return from death would similarly render life meaningless. The Stranger shrewdly asks what that means for Jim Corrigan - the man whose body the Spectre currently inhabits. Bested, the Spectre lets them pass.

At the gates of Hell, the Phantom Stranger states that he cannot enter with Swamp Thing. Fortunately, Etrigan appears, and offers his help since the Swamp Thing helped him defeat the Monkey King. However, he requires a fee: a flower that the Phantom Stranger plucked from the western slope of Heaven. The payment made, Etrigan leads Swamp Thing into hell.

As they wander through hell, they encounter some demons who are using General Sunderland as a slave. When he recognizes Swamp Thing as the one who killed him, the demons rip out his tongue to keep him quiet. Realizing that these demons will be of no help to them, Etrigan leads Swamp Thing deeper.

Next, they encounter Anton Arcane, condemned to have the eggs of insects hatching inside of him for eternity. He mocks Swamp Thing's attempt to retrieve Abby, warning that he won't want her once he sees her. Before Swamp Thing leaves, Arcane demands to know how many years he has been in hell. When Swamp Thing responds that it has only been one day, Arcane screams in horror.

Finally, Swamp Thing and Etrigan discover Abby's soul being tormented by a group of demons. Angrily, he attacks them, pushing them aside. The demons become angry, and Swamp Thing is forced to grab Abby and run. Desperately, Etrigan tries to open an escape route out of Hell, while they evade the demons' attacks. However, Arcane bites into Swamp Thing's ankle, gripping with his jaws. He complains that without Abby's soul still in hell, his revenge is moot, and he suffers without any satisfaction. With time running out, Etrigan loosens Arcane's grip with a kick and sends Abby and Swamp Thing through the exit.

Back in the swamp, Abby awakens with no memory of what happened to her. She is puzzled to see that Swamp Thing is crying.

REVIEW

Sophisticated horror. That is honest advertisement.

Alan Moore was known around this time for his revisionism of whatever was broken. It is strange that he ended up “fixing” Swamp Thing, as it wasn’t really broken (wasn’t a best-seller either). But with this, he made comic-book history.

But he is not alone, as usual, Moore is paired with amazing artists that put something of their own in the art. You can see it all over, culture and pop-culture references, shadows and reflections that tell a different story, sad gazes. This story has all of that.

There are a lot of horrible (in a good way) moments, and a lot of sad ones as well. The sequence where Swamp Thing meets Alec Holland and sees Linda in the distance. There are no thought balloons here, but it is evident that Swamp Thing still has false memories of loving her.

Moore pretty much closed most of the loose ends he received, showing the final fate of the villains souls. Poor Arcane thought he was fighting Alec Holland, that was a great moment.

I couldn’t recommend this story enough. There are many collected editions, but you can also find digital copies on Comixology (I would wait for a bundle sale around the time the tv show comes out).

I give this story a score of 10

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audiogrizzly · 4 years

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Top 5 Games of 2019

It was a little tricky to construct a top 5 for this year, though there have been a couple of surprises. I wasn’t expecting the year to be a bit crap as we are no w on the cusp once more of a new generation. But 2012 wasn’t all that bad of a year (PS4 and Xbox One would release in 2013) and at the moment, everyone is doing alright. PS4 has sold through over 100 million systems, Nintendo are definitely on an “on” generation with Switch, Xbox has been able to get back into peoples good books with things like Game Pass (on both Console and PC, their PC side they seem to really be turning around), there’s even interesting things happening in the mobile space with Apple Arcade.

This won’t be the last year where my top 5 games are full of current gen titles, I am expecting the new systems to drop in around November, last time it was hard to find a top 5 specific to PS4 (as I listed each platform separately back then). It IS however, another list of mostly AAA tier games. If you want to know what smaller more “interesting” games I have been playing, check out my honourable mentions at the end.

Also, follow me on Melee. It’s this new image blogging service from Imgur which you can download now on the IOS App Store (its just on iPhone at the moment) and it has seemingly been built to help people share gaming related clips and images off of places like Twitter and Instagram (and err, here on Tumblr). I posted a couple of daft clips of me failing in Modern Warfare and Destiny 2 and it didn’t take long for them to amass a few likes and comments.

That sounded like a sponsored advert but ain’t nobody paying me for this. Let’s get into my top 5

5. Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order

I was about to select Gears 5 to be my number 5 until I saw sense and cast my memory back to when I started playing Jedi (all the way back in November. I was impressed by its intense action, impressive visuals and great characters. I especially enjoyed the 4 armed pilot who always complains. I did feel that towards the end I got sick of managing large groups of enemies so I dropped the difficulty to get through it, but I still haven’t achieved 100% of activities on all planets so I can still go back to it one day.

4. Borderlands 3

We all knew this was coming but not even I had any idea that we would have been actually playing it in 2019 way back at the start of the year. For me, I look at the game. I don’t care about weird magicians or their insane sounding legal woes, all I’m interested in is the work of a team who deserved better for their last title, but am still glad returned to what they do best, looting and shooting. I enjoyed rejoining these characters I have followed over the last 10 years, all the referenced to older games, cameos from characters from Tales From the Borderlands and The Pre Sequel and was sad to see some people go. I still have about a year of extra content to go through and I really appreciate the efforts they have made to make the game last longer than just one playthrough through in the Proving Grounds, Circle of Slaughter and Mayhem modes. Though I have always tended to stick to Borderlands games and create builds for each and every vault hunter, so I will be doing that.

3. Mortal Kombat 11

It’s been a while since I last put a fighting game into my end of year round up. And I HAVE fallen off MK11 a little bit, but this entry reminded me of how impressive it is for Nether Realms to pack their fighting games with some many things to do and keep people playing outside of just going into matchmaking and fighting others. The Vault this year is basically another little adventure full of exploration and puzzle solving and the Towers of Time give you plenty of challenge and direction of many months to come. You also have to give the developer credit for never backing down on the brutality of the game, they must have all got their heads together after DC Universe vs. and vowed never again to make watered down versions of Fatalities. It is a game that keeps getting better and better.

2. Call of Duty Modern Warfare

I was debating whether or not to include this years CoD. I always get the same type of enjoyment out of it each year, people complain that it never changes but I’m glad it sticks to a formula. Of course they are not identikit games, there are new maps, new modes, new ways of building your loadout and new touches, like how in this year you can snap to edges to stay in cover while you shoot, there’s the new special equipment system where you can drop ammo or reduce your footstep noise. Having doors you can either peek through or smash open adds another level of strategy, there have been times where I have been able to escape being under fire by closing a door, re-positioning and then wasting whoever just wanders in.

The campaign this year, good to see it back, but whatever, the co-op mode is Spec Ops again, like it was back in MW2 and 3 but on a much larger scale, I have yet to complete one of these btw. But as always, it’s the multiplayer that does it for me and Modern Warfare deserves credit for being what must be the first AAA game to feature cross platform play, not just launch with it. I know that games like Fortnite are popular, but I don’t see that as a AAA title, it doesn’t have the full package, it’s just a mode and it started off small. Call of Duty is expected to be big each year, has a lot riding on it and allowing for cross play is a big step. I especially appreciate being able to play with a keyboard and mouse on PS4 and being able to matchmake only with people playing with controllers on PC, in fact, I have never really given the game much of a shot on PC before as I know people just fall of it, there has often been low player numbers reported on the PC versions of CoD and it looks like it won’t have that problem this time round due to cross play.

Modern Warfare still has to contend with Destiny 2 and Overwatch for my time as my main multiplayer game but it’s still as fun as ever.

1. Control

Put this down as my main “surprise” game of 2019. A game which was not on my watch list, though I was aware of it as you can’t ignore a game from the makers of Max Payne (I did skip Alan Wake and didn’t care much for Quantum break though). Bought it at the last minute before its release, downloaded it and was wowed by the sinister nature of the environment you run around in. This weird fictitious US government agency which looks into paranormal activity which you seem to have become in charge of because you picked up a mysterious weapon from the deceased Director while searching for your brother. What then follows is about 12 hours of wacky powers and odd video clips as you unearth what has been going on in this strange ever morphing building.

I especially loved how the game never holds your hand too much, the map of each floor is vague enough that you also have to rely on in-game signposting to move around, as well as a bit of memory work. There is also great humour involved too in some of the PSA posters on a lot of the walls, the antics of the caretaker and the videos you find of Dr. Darling throughout the game.

I did have a few weird technical issues with the game throughout playing, but still found it to be visually pleasing, there was this weird hitch that used to appear after coming out of the pause screen that always threw me, it would be followed by a few moments of low performance before getting back into the smooth action. But this didn’t stop me from having a great time with Control. Perhaps the game that will be the most prominent in my head when I think of 2019.

So there you have it, control is my best game of 2019. But let’s look at the other new games I played throughout the year in my honourable mentions:

Gears 5

The Outer Worlds

Days Gone

Apex Legends

Far Cry New Dawn

Trover Saves the Universe

Concrete Genie

Devil May Cry 5

Tom Clancy's The Division 2

And also a special mention to these old games that were rereleased/remastered/repackaged etc in 2019:

Borderlands Game of the Year Edition Remastered

Halo Reach

And now, a look at the games I have on my watchlist for 2020:

Cyberpunk 2077

Last of Us Part 2

Ghost of Tsushima

Halo: Infinite

Watch Dogs Legion

Phantasy Star Online 2

Gods & Monsters

Doom Eternal

Overwatch 2

Diablo IV

Minecraft dungeons

Marvel's Avengers

Carrion

Streets of Rage 4

Will they all even come out? Let’s find out, happy new year!

#mortal kombat #modern warfare #control #star wars #melee #borderlands

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sarakuper · 5 years

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New York, New York

Stop #28, Sept 28-Oct 6

We arrived in Connecticut to meet my dad and Denise, his parter, who graciously offered to keep our truck and trailer on her property while we spent time in NYC. My dad gave us a ride into the upper east side of Manhattan to stay with my mom for the night. She came downstairs with my childhood dog, Rocky, so we could introduce him to Jaxon and get them comfortable with one another. While walking them together up and down the block Mikey and Laura arrived and the 5 of us had dinner together. It been so long since we were all together for something as casual as dinner. It was so nice to all be together! Mikey and Laura slept in Inwood (upper Manhattan) that night at my Aunt Frema’s while me Sean and Jaxon got comfortable at my moms place.

Sunday morning we slept in, ate breakfast together, then my dad picked me Sean and Jaxon up to head to my Bubby’s in Queens for the first night of Rosh Hashana. Aunt Frema was preparing chicken soup and side dishes while also panicking about the caterers who had yet to arrive with the food they ordered for our meal. We helped set the table and get organized, meanwhile everyone else started to arrive. Denise and her son, Mikolo, Michael and Laura, and then Aunt Alane, Uncle Lew, and my cousins Aaron and Jack (who are like brothers to me). We were a total of 14 in my Bubby’s apartment and she couldn’t have been happier to have everyone there, although we missed Shelly who flying back to the states from Israel. By 6:30pm the food had finally arrived only 6 hours later than they originally called for.

Rosh Hashana was always one of my favorite Jewish holidays growing up. It celebrates the new year and we get to dip apples and challah in honey to represent a sweet year ahead. Not to mention, the main food is always delish! To our surprise, even though we catered this year, everything still tasted home made. There were FOUR types of kuggel, which is not surprising considering this is a Kuper gathering. But seriously, four!? My dad made the classic potato kuggel in addition to the cauliflower, broccoli, and noodle kuggels. There was also chicken soup with matzo balls, chopped liver (which sounds totally gross but is SOO delish), brisket, chicken cutlets, and way more dishes that I couldn’t begin to name.

I haven’t been with my family for this holiday since I moved to Colorado, and quite honestly it was so great to be together again for a happy occasion. We drank lots of wine, yelled conversationally across the table, and ate until we were stuffed. We could have had a second seating with the amount of food that was left, but again, this is typical for our family. We have major portion control issues!

As the night came to a close Bubby handed out goodie bags to all the “kids”. She usually bakes for everyone, but with her current health and age she decided it was time to buy the cookies to give out. Everyone left one at a time leaving me, Sean, Jaxon, and Aunt Frema; we all slept at Bubby’s.

On Monday morning I woke up to join my Bubby and Frema relaxing on the couch. My Bubby has the most comfortable couch in the world and I take a shloof (aka nap) on it almost every time I’m here. So, as per usual, I made myself comfortable with them.

An hour or so later my Dad arrived to go to shul (aka synagogue) at Young Israel, my Bubby’s local soul. After he gets back we have a “lighter” Rosh Hashana lunch with the many leftovers from the previous night, but before we that Aunt Frema and I went for a long walk in the neighborhood with Jaxon. My dad got back and we had a late lunch that ended around 4pm. We were so full, and I couldn’t believe that Sean and I were going over to Lew and Alane’s for yet anther Rosh Hashana meal with Alane’s side of the family. We were having ANOTHER massive meal only 2 hours later. I found Sean laying down on the couch in the room we slept in and he stared at me as he said “I… can’t… do this… again” referring to the large amounts of food we’ve eaten in the last 20 hours. Well, we did!

By the time we got to Alane’s, also on the upper east side, Sean and I decided to go very slow. Eventually we were able to eat another full meal of chicken soup with matzah balls, brisket, and lots of side dishes leaving our bellies stuffed once again. Most of the Jewish holidays are like a marathon of eating, and Sean certainly got to experience it first hand.

We slept in the next morning, still totally full, and hung out with my 13 year old cousins Aaron and Jack who actually look 16. We brought over pizza and then walked to the park to play basketball. I love these boys so much, they are like my brothers! They are also my favorite people to hang out with when I come to NYC.

Our dinner plans with friends got canceled, and so Sean and I decided to have a night downtown to ourselves. Sean also wanted to stop by Soho Ink, a tattoo shop not far from Chinatown where we planned to eat dinner, and at the last minute decided to get the tattoo right then and there! He has lots of gaps between his current tattoos that he “needs to fill” and so this time he got an axe. It turns out the artist who was available to tattoo him was a finalist on the most recent season of Ink Master, a TV show.

After the tat Sean and I walked through Little Italy and Chinatown to get our “must eat while in NYC” soup dumplings. Usually we eat at Joe Shanghai for soup dumplings, but we wanted to try something new. We headed to Tiny Shanghai and ordered 2 rounds of soup dumplings, cold sesame noodles, scallion pancake with sliced beef, and chicken broccoli with white rice. Overall the food was delish but way less authentic than Joe’s. Since we were in the neighborhood we went to some of my old stomping grounds like Whiskey Tavern and Ryan’s daughter. At both places, to my surprise, someone who worked there when I still lived here still remembered me and welcomed us with free drinks and a good time. It was a fun date night for me and Sean! I kind of got the feeling Sean would like to live here for a little bit, maybe just a year or two. I would never do that again! But, I really do enjoy visiting.

Wednesday morning was a lazy morning until my mom got out of work early to spend the rest of the day with me, Sean, and Jaxon. We walked around the upper east side en route to a nearby park, but it was so hot walking on the streets we decided to sit in the shade at an outdoor table for coffee and ice cream. The rest of the late afternoon was spent prepping my favorite dish that my mom makes, fried pork cutlets with sweet cabbage and potatoes. Sam came over to join us for dinner before heading out to meet her friends. Theres nothing like a home cooked meal from my mamma <3

Thursday was meant to be spent hiking with Sam somewhere upstate but because of the cold rain we decided to skip it. Instead Sean and I met her downtown and went straight to Joe Shanhai’s for a soup dumpling lunch! Yes, soup dumplings again… we could never eat too many of those. We ordered 5 rounds between 3 of us for a total of 40 dumplings. Sean only had about 8 and the rest were split between Sam and I…. yeah… :) We continued to walk around downtown heading to the lower west side and got ice-cream at a Japanese style ice-cream spot called Tayaki on the way. Sean and I had a war of throwing shredded coconut at each other.

^^ This is what the entrance to Joe Shanghai’s looks like ^^

We walked to a place in the west village called Uncommon which had coffee, drinks, and snacks but offered endless games! I immediately thought how much the Elser’s would love it here! We paid for an “all day” pass which was $10 each or $5 if you have a student ID which Sam does. Sitting for almost 2 hours we played Ticket to Ride and Phase 10. Eventually Sam had to leave to head to class and Sean and I went uptown to take care of the puppers at my moms place. Almost immediately we all went back downtown to Uncommon to spend the rest of the night gaming. This time Tomo, Sam’s partner, met us and we started a new game of Phase 10, which really is so similar to Kaluche. For the first time in what feels like forever I won!!!! :) AND I whooped everyones butt. FINALLY! It was killing Sean, which gave me so much joy. He was trying so hard to get everyone to come after me so I would win, but Sam has been reading my posts and while she didn’t help me win, she definitely wasn’t going out of her way to try to make me lose. What a friend!

Friday morning I had brunch catching up with my friend Sarah, whose getting married just before Thanksgiving! In the evening Sean and I went to Hoboken to go to visit my life long bestie Toni and her husband of 1 year, Ross. They have a lovely apartment and welcomed us with a beautiful Shabbat dinner. After dinner me and Tone spent the rest of the night watching youtube tutorials of how to do the shuffle (dance moves) and were sad by the realization that we don’t have the same dance skills we once did. Ross and Sean were watching sports but were totally amused by our efforts to nail these dance moves. Sweaty and tired, we did not reach our goal, but we did laugh our butts off. After saying goodbye and being sent off with a bunch of goodies we headed back to my mom’s apartment for a short night of sleep; we were waking up at 4:30AM to go on a fishing trip with my pop and two cousins.

4:40AM quickly came and me and Sean got ready for a long morning on a boat. We walked to my cousins place only 15 blocks south where my dad picked us all out to head to Sheepshead Bay. We fished from 7-12pm and had such a blast! After I took a quick nap on the boat I woke up with enough energy to fish and caught 5! At one point I caught 2 at once, and in total only 2 of them were keepers. Sean caught more than 10 fish, 1 being blowfish which was so fun to see!!! My dad and cousins caught a few too, and the ones we kept were filleted on the boat and packaged to take back for my aunt and uncle to cook for dinner. On our way back to the city we stopped for lunch at Roll and Rooster, an old school place thats been around for a long time! On the drive back in me and my cousins all fell asleep in the back seat, and of course Sean snapped a picture.

The rest of the day was spent napping before one final dinner out with my dad and Denise. Being exhausted from the long day we didn’t stay out long and went to bed shortly after. Both Rocky and Jaxon put us to bed that night. I think they had the best time together! And Jaxon certainly loves his grandma Annette (my mom) because maaaaan did she give him a lot of food and treats!

Sunday morning my dad gave us a ride back to Denise’s house in CT where we packed up our stuff, prepared the trailer, and hit the road to head back to Colorado for Taylor and Ej’s wedding! It will take us 4 days to get back to Colorado, but we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate the love and marriage of two of our best friends!!!!

Thanks for reading fam, love you all!

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