#improve your fanfic today by using this simple formula

[avida-heidia-5]

I wrote my very first F1 fanfic on this day on 27th November 2021.

This was back when my writing style was more simplistic, where I was struggling a little to form a half-decent narrative structure. The other thing I struggled with back then was the language of F1. It hadn’t quite entered my brain just yet! I was using simple terms that made sense to me at the time, so excuse any potential F1 linguistic oddities that may crop up! 😅 But I’ve somewhat improved over the years now that I’ve researched and understood most of it.

For those who are curious to read it, here it is!:

Miracles Happen at the Right Place at the Right Time | Formula 1

Starring: Sebastian Vettel, Lando Norris

Relationship(s): Friendship

Chapters: N/A

Words: 2.6k

One moment, he saw a rain sodden track. The next moment, he saw only stars.

The devastating crash in Qualifying at Spa causes Sebastian Vettel, who was informed of the incident, to rush to Lando Norris' aid.

Takes place during the horrific 2021 Belgian Qualifying.

WARNING: Strong language in the first half of the story. Minor injuries are also mentioned.

View on AO3 here or continue reading below the cut.

——————————

Rain gradually became worse and worse with every day that passed, and on this day in particular, it was the worst of the lot so far. It absolutely chucked it down! The whole track practically became a swimming pool in a matter of minutes.

Lando Norris was doing well over such appalling conditions, managing to finish P1 in the first two Qualifying sessions. Though despite such an achievement, he was cautious about competing in the third and final Qualifying session that was being held today.

The British driver had been dreading day and night that something was bound to trip him up eventually. And trip him up, it did, even when he should've expected it.

He attempted to correct an oversteer, but his papaya orange and ocean blue McLaren suddenly ended up sliding along the slippery tarmac and slamming side-on into the barriers at a blistering 180mph. The collision caused his car to pirouette violently and uncontrollably until it came to a stop on the other side of the track close to the barriers. Debris flew everywhere and scattered along the tarmac.

The sudden force of the crash caused Lando's head to jerk forwards and bash hard against the steering wheel. Despite wearing a helmet, he felt an indescribable agonising sensation surge through his skull. The pain was so great in fact, he could barely move a muscle to get himself out of the cockpit.

This is what Lando feared might happen, and that dreadful fear unfortunately came true.

“Double yellows!” Lando just about heard his team cry out over the radio along with someone frantically yelling “Off! Off! Off!” in the background.

Lando could just see through his helmet's foggy visor that there was indeed a marshal in a high-vis jacket waving two yellow flags nearby.

He flopped his head back against his seat, heavy with a throbbing head and racing heart.

“Fuck...!” was all he could utter before his body relaxed and his vision blacked out.

One moment, he saw a rain sodden track. The next moment, he saw only stars.

~~~~~

Sebastian Vettel was fully aware of the conditions he'd be faced with; he knew that the moment he stepped out of his hotel room.

Spa-Francorchamps is a beautiful circuit, filled with trees, grass and wildlife everywhere you looked. Just feasting your eyes on its magnificent scenery is bound to put your mind and soul at ease.

Unfortunately, the circuit is also home to strange and torrential conditions, and Sebastian had experienced most of them himself in often unlucky circumstances. Many a mighty motorist were unfortunate to have accidents and incidents aplenty there due to horrible weather. Even his hero Michael Schumacher got caught up in a few of them in his time at Formula 1.

When he heard the news that there would be a heavy downpour as soon as he stepped foot out of the hotel door, Sebastian almost changed his mind about competing in today's Grand Prix for that reason alone. However, if he did decide to skive off altogether, he'd get a heckling from his team bosses. He attempted that trick once before when he was in his Red Bull years, and he was given a severe reprimand as punishment for his actions.

Sebastian snorted at the thought. What a naughty, egotistical little rebel he was back then!

Now that he's older, he's become much wiser at decision making.

When he was faced with a rain soaked Spa today, he became concerned not just for his own safety, but the safety of other drivers as well.

He practically begged over the radio to inform the marshals to bring out the red flags as he was concerned about track safety, but his team ignored him every time, telling him to keep his head down and push on. Whenever he'd slow down, they would tell him to pick up the pace to improve his performance.

At this point, Sebastian no longer cared about his Qualifying results, however good or bad the outcome would turn out to be. All that was on his mind was road safety and potential hazards on the track.

Sebastian silently and cautiously cruised down the circuit in Honey Ryder, his lovely turquoise Aston Martin. He was approaching Eau Rouge for probably the 30th time (He'd lost count!) when he heard the following message through his radio:

“Red flag, red flag. Slow down. Slow down. Keep your Delta positive. Norris in Eau Rouge has had a big shunt. Lots of debris.”

This shocked and angered Sebastian. He knew this would happen at some point. What's even more shocking is that it happened to little Lando Norris. Lando Norris! The potential pole-sitter!

Sebastian's tone told the Aston Martin team exactly how he was feeling in the heat of the moment. “Yeah, well, what the fuck did I say? WHAT DID I SAY?” he nearly shouted, causing his speaker to turn into static for a second. “Red flag!”

“So, just be careful. There's a lot of debris. I can't see where.”

Surprisingly, his team spoke in a monotonous way, as if trying to soothe the German's growing nerves, though it came off as uncaring rather than supportive. At least, to Sebastian's ears.

“Yeah.” sighed the German, still fuming. “Fuck me! It's unnecessary.”

Maybe he should take over marshal duties someday. Not only would it be good work experience for him, he would also know what to do at the appropriate time, something the Aston Martin crew often lacked, especially in a situation as tense as this.

Eventually, Sebastian spots a dot of orange sitting beside the barriers in the distance and slows his engine right down to investigate.

“Easy, girl.” he coos softly to Honey Ryder, patting her dashboard as if she were a pet horse, as he approaches the scene of the accident.

He parks his car roughly nose to broken nose from each other so he could begin his inspection from inside the cockpit.

The McLaren was in a terrible state: The front wing was torn off upon impact along with a busted nose, the rear wing had been chopped off completely, and the wheels were bent in all directions. The red bulb which normally flashed proudly behind the car had been smashed, and a small slither of steam emerged from under the suspension. The papaya orange paint on one side of the car was stripped off, revealing a sturdy, dark grey metallic body underneath. Debris was carelessly scattered around the car and along the track, which caused various cars to swerve around it; some with ease and some with slight difficulty.

What a mess! Sebastian tutted to himself, stunned and appalled at the sight.

He could see Lando Norris slumped back in the cockpit, motionless. It seemed like the young Brit hadn't noticed him arrive. Or maybe he had, but was probably too exhausted to give it his full attention. It was really difficult to tell underneath that yellow helmet.

“Is he okay?” Sebastian asks through the radio.

His team reported back to him in the same monotoned manner as before. “I don't know yet, mate. I don't know yet. We did report it to the race director. He heard your radio.”

Well, that certainly didn't help matters!

Sebastian sticks a thumbs up at Lando through the cockpit as a way of asking if he was all right.

No response came, not even the slightest body movement.

Sebastian waits a little longer, in case he missed something. When he still didn't receive a thumbs up or any other kind of gesture in response, he felt his heart drop a thousand feet from his chest.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!

He hastily unbuckles his seatbelt, rips off his earplugs that were wired to his radio, jumps out of the cockpit, throws off his pink helmet and white balaclava, and dashes over to Lando's aid.

Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead. For the love of Christ, PLEASE don't be dead. he prayed frantically to himself.

Sebastian's hands reach for Lando's shoulders in an instant as his panicked eyes study the young boy's face through his helmet's visor.

“Lando, are you okay?” he asks, voice cracking with nervousness.

Silence.

Sebastian lifts the visor up to be greeted with Lando's closed eyes and tranquil expression.

“Lando?” he repeats, gently shaking his friend's arm.

Another uncomfortable silence.

Anxiety builds in Sebastian's gut at a much faster rate than before. Thinking on his feet, he takes the helmet off and places it on the tarmac. He then leans over the cockpit to wrap his arms around Lando's shoulders and gently heaves him out of the seat. The young Brit was surprisingly light as a feather, evidently with the way he flopped loosely against Sebastian's shoulder like a towel over a railing, something which startled the German.

Sebastian repositions Lando by bobbing him into a cradled position, similar to how he would carry his children when he’d put them to bed every evening. This is so it would be much easier for him to carry while also trying to avoid breaking the boy's neck.

A hum of a motor pricks Sebastian's ears, and he locks eyes with the medical car, along with a few construction vehicles, which arrive on the scene bang on time. The construction people set to work tending to the damaged McLaren whilst the medics swarm around the two drivers to see if they were all right.

Before he could place Lando inside the medical car, Sebastian checks for a pulse. But something stops him. He felt something. Something minute, but very noticeable.

Lando was shivering!

Lando was shivering uncontrollably against his shoulder.

Sebastian blinked. He wiggles his arms around to see if he was imagining things. Lando lets out a faint, pathetic, but nevertheless adorable, throaty whimper in reaction.

Sebastian heaves a huge sigh of relief, his breath briefly exposed in the chilly air.

Thank! Christ! he whispered aloud, gazing heavenward as if he were actually thanking the Gods above.

“He's okay, he's okay.” he promptly informed the medics and they nod their heads in understanding.

Two medics step into the back of the car and gesture at Sebastian to come in. The German complies, still holding Lando in his arms, and carefully places the boy in a bed that was already laid out ready and waiting for them. He then grabs the grey bedsheet and tucks the boy in, with the cover coming up to his chin.

Sebastian crouches down so he is eye-level with Lando and watches him snuggle deeper under the covers in reaction to feeling the warmth enveloping through his little body.

While the medical car makes its way towards the McLaren garage, Sebastian takes the time to fill the medics in what happened while stroking Lando's matted, curly brown hair. The curls wrap around his fingertips and bounce lovingly like tiny springs on a trampoline. He liked how fluffy they were against his skin. Fluffy and delicate like feathers on a collared dove.

Sebastian looks down at Lando, then back up at the two medics. “Long day.” he shrugs lightheartedly.

When he turns his attention back to Lando, he finds, to his amusement, that the young Brit had fallen asleep.

Sebastian lets him rest. The poor boy has been through a lot lately, he notes, stressing over all the negative possibilities instead of focusing on the positive aspects of potentially winning his first pole position of the season. No wonder he's exhausted!

Lando was still asleep by the time the medical car arrived at their destination. Sebastian didn't dare leave his side though, in case something happened. He was a witness to the scene of the accident after all, and he was prepared to give his side of the story to the flurry of reporters who squeeze into his personal space and jab microphones at his face.

It was close to dark – somewhere between 5 or 6 o'clock in the evening – when Lando finally gains enough strength to open his tired, bright blue eyes. They immediately land on Sebastian's kind, dark blue ones. When Sebastian notices this, he smiles warmly at him.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” he asks gently.

Lando half-intentionally buries his face under the covers, mostly because of the throbbing headache that now entered through his skull.

“I hurt like hell.” he muttered.

Upon hearing the boy's low and raspy voice, Sebastian instinctively reaches for a bottle of water standing on a nearby shelf and hands it to Lando. Lando sits up to accept the bottle, grimacing as he does this, and starts guzzling the cool, fresh liquid down his throat, careful not to spill any excess down his clean white shirt.

“Whereabouts does it hurt?” Sebastian pulls the covers back halfway to check.

Lando stops drinking, screws the cap on, and gives it back to Sebastian. “Everywhere! My head, my arms, my tummy, my legs...but mostly this arm.” He slowly lifts his left arm up to show Sebastian which one he means.

“Do you want me to...?”

Sebastian's hands hover over the velcro strap on Lando's collar on his ocean blue racing suit, and Lando barely nods his head to answer.

He keeps still while Sebastian takes the velcro off and zips the suit down to his torso. Sebastian carefully rolls the left sleeve up to the boy's elbow to inspect.

“Oof! You've got a huge purple bruise around your elbow.” he exclaimed with a frown, twirling a finger above the boy's arm. “Looks nasty.”

Lando's whole body tenses up at this and his eyes grow wide with fear. “Is it serious? Am I going to die?”

Sebastian laughs lightly at Lando's naivety as he rolls the sleeve back down. “No, thankfully. You just need to be careful with it. Try not to move it around too much and make sure you rest it for short periods at a time.”

Lando nods, humming a response, then mumbles, “Really hurts, though...”

Sebastian grabs Lando's leg reassuringly. “Just be lucky you're still here with us, alive and kicking. That was a rather nasty accident you had there! I should think a lot of us were pretty shocked when we saw the footage. You even had me worried for a while!”

This made Lando smile a little. “I guess miracles happen at the right place at the right time.”

After a brief checkup made by the medics to monitor Lando's health, they give him and Sebastian permission to leave. This was because they learned that the boy was physically and mentally fit and healthy, and no other major injuries were spotted in other areas of his body.

Sebastian glances at the opened back doors over his shoulder, scanning the McLaren garage for anyone roaming about inside, then locks eyes with Lando once more.

“I suppose the guys are waiting for you in there. Are you okay to walk?”

“Go on.” replies Lando excitedly, already wiggling himself out from under the bedsheets and extending a hand out at him.

Sebastian clasps a hand around Lando's and guides him onto the ground. Lando's white socks land lightly against the cold marbled floor with ease. He stands erect, his balance steady and controlled, unaffected by the prolonged sleep he had earlier. Sebastian realises this and lets go of Lando almost immediately.

After exchanging “Okay”s to each other, Lando gives his friend a sweet little smile.

“Thank you, Seb. For saving me.”

Sebastian grins widely at Lando, showing off his pearly whites, and lets another husky chuckle escape from deep within his throat.

“Anytime, my friend.”

His reply gave Lando a nice warm feeling in his heart. He'd never had a proper conversation with Sebastian, only exchanging brief hellos, how are yous and the odd comment or two. And now, knowing just how much of a genuinely nice and kindhearted person Sebastian really was at his core when not hiding behind his helmet, Lando knew he would be in safe hands the next time they cross paths with each other.

He was a very, very lucky person indeed.

#✏️ Miracles Happen at the Right Place at the Right Time #My fanfic #My ramblings: F1 #sebastian vettel #vettel #lando norris #norris #formula 1 #f1 #f1 fanfiction #f1 fanfic #formula 1 fanfiction #formula 1 fanfic

[casmick-consequences]

Fanfics where Jack calls Cas "Dad" >>>>>>

#it's true #improve your fanfic today by using this simple formula #it's free it's easy and it's SO GOOD #castiel #Jack kline #spn #supernatural #misha collins #alexander calvert #cas is jack's dad #jack is cas's son

[nostalgiaruinedme]

Hey I love your fics and writing style and well since I've been meaning to start writing fics I wanted to ask you if you have some advice you'd give.

Ohhh advice? Sure, I can do that! I shall bestow all of my knowledge upon you now, but you gotta look below the cut. Shhhh, it's a secret~

Okay really I just knew this was going to be a really long post and didn't want to clog up everyone's dash lol. ONTO WRITING ADVICE

I kind of live by these rules in writing:

1. Know the rules before you break them 2. ANYTHING can be inspiration 3. Remember the doll 4. Use your resources 5. Don’t hold yourself back 6. Practice 7. Enjoy yourself!!

1. Know the rules before you break them

Pay attention in English class (or whichever class for the language you're writing in) and learn the grammar!! I don't always have perfect grammar in my fics and sometimes I consciously choose to ignore grammar rules to make it more impactful, but you HAVE to know the rules before you break them. Study those grammar lessons! Learn how to use the fun punctuation, like semi colons and em dashes and en dashes and all that good stuff. I know they're scary, but they're a lot of fun too.

ALSO PLEASE USE PARAGRAPH BREAKS IM BEGGING that's like, a HUGE problem I see with a lot of new writers. Paragraph breaks are not optional!! Change 'em when the main topic of the paragraph switches or when a new character is speaking. Overdoing it with paragraph breaks is better than underdoing it, I promise.

2. ANYTHING can be inspiration

Have you ever played Story Cubes?

If you haven’t, it’s essentially this game where you roll the cubes, they each land on a different image, and you gotta tell a story that uses all of those pictures. Some are literally just a question mark or a speech bubble and that’s what you have to use. Me and my siblings used to play the game a lot. And you know what? Some of those stories are the most creative ones we’ve ever come up with. When I say anything can be inspiration for a story or a character, I mean ANYTHING!

I based my Donnie design off of the vintage globes and journals I have in my bedroom.

My little sister threw a pillow at me and it inspired a funny scene I wanted to write in another fic

I designed two OCs off of Mars and Pluto and an ENTIRE 40,000 word fanfiction based off of a space documentary I watched

My NaNoWriMo story last year was based off of the concept of shadows and how cool I thought it’d be if they could talk

Me and my friend made an entire dystopian original story commenting on our world today. It was first inspired by a crack self insert Death Note RP we had at 13 years old. Not kidding.

Literally anything can be inspiration. Challenge your mind!! The best ideas come out of completely ordinary and unexpected opportunities, in my experience. You don’t need one of those super detailed and crazy expensive prompt books (though they are fun) to write a great story. Use music, use a color, use the sky, use your favorite food, use anything! Just find inspiration!

3. Remember the Doll

Remember Mulan?

We never got to see the Huns destroy the village and we didn’t get to see them kill anyone there either. But by showing that doll there, the animators took an entire battle full of death and destruction and summed it all up in one, heartbreaking moment. You don’t need to spend ten pages writing about how horrifying the bad guy was and listing everything he did from start to finish, nor do you need to write an analysis on why she’s bad. All you need to do is show one or two very meaningful ways they impacted the world... and you can do that with something as simple as a doll lying on the ground in a burning village.

Because the doll is there; the little girl is not.

There’s a quote that sums this up really well, and I have it written on the dry erase board by my desk.

“You don't write about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid's burnt socks lying in the road.”                     - Richard Price

And adding onto that, try to write more about what’s there, not what isn’t. Mulan didn’t say ANYTHING about the girl in that scene, but by showing what was there, it told us a story about what wasn’t. Focus on what is in the scene and it will tell your reader about what isn’t.

I do think writing a balance is good though, so I try and keep it around a 3/1 ratio of what is there vs what isn’t. Remember this is art though, not math; you can change the formula as you please just to make it feel right. It all depends on the scene and what you want.

4. Use Your Resources

You know how, in the artist community, there’s this sort of stigma around using references? And some artists have to make posts reminding others that there’s nothing wrong with using references and you even should use them?

It’s the same concept in writing!

There is NOTHING wrong with looking to other writers’ work or keep a thesaurus constantly open or bookmarking a reference page of other words to use than “said”. Nothing wrong with it at all! When I write, I always have two tabs open: my writing document and thesaurus.com. I have a folder on my computer bookmarks of ways to describe a smile and a body language dictionary. Before I write fanfic, I watch a “best moments of *character*” compilation video on Youtube to remind myself of how they speak. I watch fight scenes from The 100 or Avatar or Marvel while I write my own battles!

There are SO MANY resources out there for you to reference. Use them! And if you need some to start with, shoot me an ask. I have a ton.

5. Don’t Hold Yourself Back

One of the scariest parts of writing is the thought of “what will people think?” Creative writing is EXTREMELY personal, and you’re going to find a lot of you inside your work, including the thoughts you didn’t want anyone to know about. 

People will discover how often you think about love. People will discover how dark your mind can get. People will discover the morals you hold that even you didn’t know about. They’ll discover that the person you swore you’ve moved on from is still on your mind. They’ll discover that the pain you swore you got over still hurts you.

“you can tell the deepest truths with the lies of fiction”                     - Isabel Allende

This thought scared me a lot, and still does. I’ve let go of and forgotten about so many story ideas because they were just a little too personal. I could write it and not publish it, but what if someone still sees? Writing, like all art, comes right from the heart and reveals a lot about a person. That paranoia of being known kept me from writing so much.

But I promise you, your most powerful stories are going to be the most personal ones.

I wrote Hated Resemblance based on my thoughts about myself, and I wrote Dagger From the Mirror based on thoughts about myself too. A lot of it is dark, most is painful, and all of it is scary to show the world. But I wrote it anyways and it’s created something pretty amazing.

Hell, even now I’m wondering if I should post that lil anecdote, but I think it’s the best way to make this part of my point stronger. See? Writing about things that affect you is the best way to make them impactful, even for something as simple as advice.

And even if you want to write about light and happy stories- you’re still going to have to get personal.

This all got pretty deep but my point is this: Don’t hold yourself back. Write what you feel you need to and it don’t worry about what anyone will think. Don’t hide that one sentence because you’re scared who will read it because you’re scared to be known so deeply. Add it in even when it’s scary. 

That’s something I’m still learning how to do, and it’s a slow process that has taken years... but it’s worth it, I promise.

“Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.”                     - Natalie Goldberg

6. Practice

I started writing in 1st grade. I’ve written regularly since then, and this is my word count every month this year:

Most of that is fanfiction. Some are just random thoughts, some are really thought out posts or answers to your questions, and some are made up of original stories. That total words written number is since November.

You don’t have to write this much every month, I promise, I just don’t really have any other hobbies lol. My point is that practice is really really really important. Write a paragraph or even just a sentence every day. You’re gonna improve so quickly, I promise.

“Write every day. Writing is a muscle that gets stronger with use.”                     - Abbi Glines

But take breaks too!!! Don’t overwork yourself. Burn out is a real thing and you shouldn’t force yourself to write just because you’re scared you don’t write enough! Write at a pace that’s comfortable for you. There will always be writers out there who write more than you and even more writers who write less than you. That’s okay. Everyone has a pace they’re comfortable with, and you just gotta find yours. As long as you’re writing consistently, the numbers don’t matter too much. 50 words a day or 5000 are both good!

7. Enjoy Yourself!!

You’re here to have fun!

No matter what you’re writing (angst, romance, fix-it, AUs, hurt/comfort, fluff, ANYTHING), remember that fic writing is supposed to be fun!! You’re not getting paid to do this. On one hand, that sucks, but on the other hand it gives you the amazing opportunity to write literally whatever you want! Find projects you’re enthusiastic about, meet other writers, do collabs, make playlists for your story, create over powered OCs for the hell of it, ignore plot holes and write without regard to canon, or write the most realistic and in-depth canon-compliant book ever. Create the most self indulgent story you can think of! 

Have fun. This is your story and you get to write the rules. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.

Oh yeah, and one more thing. Be proud of yourself. You can get all of the comments and feedback in the world, but if you’re not proud of what you wrote, it’s gonna be hard to look back on it with joy. Be proud no matter how many reads it gets—you made it!

“I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper.”                     - Steve Martin

#can you tell I like writing quotes #I have a whole pinterest board full of them #asks #writing advice #writblr #fanfiction #meg rambles

[eljackinton]

Jack's End of Year Video Game Round-up.

There were many things I couldn't do this year, being in lockdown and all, which in turn meant I played a hell of a lot more video games than I normally do. Here's a quick rundown of what I thought of them.

Hitman 2

IO have sort of perfected the Hitman formula now, so future entries in the series simply have to ask the question of what new directions you can take that formula. In that regard Hitman 2 is a resounding success, setting sneaking and assassination in scenarios around the world from race tracks to holiday resorts, and thus making it the best entry yet. It's possible one day the Hitman conceit will wear thin, but today is not that day.

Thronebreaker

Most people will go into Thronebreaker just wanting a stand-alone version of the Gwent we played during Witcher 3. Thronebreaker is not that. Indeed, even beyond the changes to the mechanics brought in by the online version, Thronebreaker is more of a puzzle game which uses the mechanics of Gwent to concoct unique scenarios. Still, the story is pretty good and it is fun overall, even if it didn't end up scratching the itch left by Gwent.

Black Mesa (Xen)

I returned to Black Mesa after Xen was finally added, eager to see what the team had come up with. My feelings are complicated. The Xen portions of the game are really well designed, great to play and visually beautiful. However the levels hew so far from the Half-Life originals that it kind of stops feeling like Half-Life. I would have like to have seen a more faithful recreation to be honest.

Neon Struct

If you've been wanting a spiritual sequel to Thief that actually used the mechanics of Thief, here you go. Though low budget, and therefore having somewhat uninspiring visuals based on reused assets, it's still a really impressive game from what the team had to work with, and it's short enough that it doesn't outstay it's welcome.

Acid Spy

I'm generally usually okay at stealth games but this one was well beyond my skill level. Got through the tutorial but just got frustrated and quit on the first mission.

Salting the Earth

A wonderfully put together visual novel about the legacy of war and the nature of national identities. Also you date buff orc women. One of the best VNs I've played, but it does have some pretty bleak potential endings that clash somewhat with the rest of the story's tone.

Hedon

Speaking of buff orc women, Hedon is a vivid, perfectly designed retro-shooter that really uses the most of it's engine to bring it's world to life, with shades of Thief and Strife thrown in there. Wears its hornieness on it's sleeve, but if you can roll with that you'll have nothing but a good time.

The Painscreek Killings

I really really loved this immersive narrative game, where you explore an abandoned town to piece together a series of suspicious deaths. My only gripes are the town looks very British despite being set in the US, and the final confrontation adding a chase scene felt a little over dramatic.

Deus Ex Mankind Divided

There are many problems with Mankind Divided. Trying to find another story to do with Adam Jensen. Making the game more of an open world by taking away the usual Deus Ex globe-trotting. The clumsy use of racial metaphor being applied to cyborgs. All in all the game just didn't really come together, which is a shame, because the DLC showed such promise, and hinted at the real Deus Ex game we could have had.

Warhammer Armageddon DLC

I managed to complete the Salamanders DLC and got stuck near the end of the Blood Angels one. All in all it's simply 'more' of what the base game offered, and I'm not sure it really needed it.

Unavowed

Easily one of the most interesting games I played this year. So good It inspired me to write a cheesy fanfic. Sure the mechanics of applying squad mechanics to a point and click are interesting, but it's the world, the art and the characters themselves that really make this game. Highly recommended.

Devil Daggers

The ultimate distillation of classic shooter mechanics. One platform, one weapon, endless enemies. I didn't get all that far into it and I think most people won't, but I'm not going to complain for the price. Overdue a revisit.

Dream Daddy

A fun and fluffy dating game that actually does a good job of putting you into the mindset of a recently bereaved bisexual dad. Come for the hunks, stay for the really affecting story of a strained relationship between father and daughter.

Greedfall

Greedfall falls short of the mark in most aspects, but I have to give it credit for being one of the few games to give us a Bioware companion-centric adventure during this drought of Bioware games. It lacks the zing of something like Dragon Age, and handles the subject of colonialism really problematically, but if you can get past those issues, it's a fun ride, and a world I'd like to revisit.

Endless Legend

I've been wanting a game to scratch the Alpha Centauri itch for decades now and Endless Legend finally did it. There is a risk of being overwhelmed by the sheer number of unique factions to play, and I know I still haven't really scratched the surface even after 4 full campaigns. Is that a criticism? I suppose it depends if you think you can have too much of a good thing.

Space Hulk Deathwing Enhanced Edition

A valiant effort was put in to make a faithful FPS of the Space Hulk experience, but ultimately it falls far too short. The visuals look great and the game-feel of stomping around as a Space Marine really works, but the game lacks charm and character. Up against Vermintide, there's no comparison.

Sunless Sea

This is a game that feels like a bottomless abyss of secrets and mysteries tied up in a very brutal one-life-only system. I really enjoyed my time with Sunless Seas, with the music calling me like a wailing siren every now and again, yet in many ways I did find it a bit too unforgiving, and it could have benefited from having a bit more of a progression between lives than the almost solid reset it leaves you with.

Age of Empires / 2 / 3 Definitive Editions

The first Age of Empires has an important place in history, but is borderline unplayable by today's standards. Almost every aspect was improved in 2 and going back now feels like trading a car for a horse and cart. It's clear that the game was intending your slow crawl out of the stone age through hunting and gathering to be part of the game in its own right, but today it's just tedious, and the rest of the game is just so slow.

There isn't much to say about Age of Empire 2 that I haven't already said, but I will point out that multiplayer AOE2 has kept me sane over the course of the lockdown, and I'm glad the Definitive Edition enhanced that experience.

Age of Empire 3 tried too hard to reinvent the wheel. Instead of taking 2 and building on it, it instead contorted it around a colonisation theme, and it didn't really work. On top of that, the mechanics really felt they were built more for single-player story missions. The maps are too small, and the expansion factions clash with the rules badly. Still, there is fun to be had, and I'll be checking out the campaigns next year.

Hand of Fate 2

This game takes the original Hand of Fate and adds way, way too much into it. While I appreciate the addition of companions, a longer story mode, and optional side missions, the game is far too experimental with it's formula, and leaves me struggling with complex missions around being lost in a desert or evading barbarian hordes, when all I wanted was a straight forward dungeon crawl. I tapped out two thirds of the way through the campaign.

Wild Guns Reloaded

I love the style and aesthetic, but I just don't have the reflexes (or the gamepad) for these fast paced arcade games.

Vermintide 2 Drakenfels

Fatshark gave us an entire Vermintide campaign for free this year, at the cost of having to be subjected to obnoxious cosmetic micro-tranactions. Hard to say it was worth the price, but Fatshark really do continue to improve, bringing new scope and ideas to every new mission. As good as it gets.

Pendula Swing

A fun little game that apes the visuals of a Baldur's Gate style RPG but the mechanics of a point and click adventure game set in a fantasy version of the roaring twenties. A strong introduction to it's setting but definitely needs building on if we're to see a continuation. A lot of the world-building feels too simple and half-baked at times, and the gameplay feels like too much is going on too fast. Still, a charming story though.

The Shiva / The Blackwell Series

At first I had no idea that Unavowed was connected to a host of other Wadget Eye adventure games, so naturally I had to check them out. I'd known about The Shiva and the Blackwell games for years, but never actually thought about picking them up. Playing them all back to back was a great experience, and almost felt like a prototype to the episodic storytelling many games do today.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light/Temple of Osiris

Guardian of Light is a fun, inventive co-op game for killing some time with a friend. The puzzles are often unique and interesting and get you thinking, and the story, while nothing fantastic, is fun enough to keep you interested and have a laugh about with your co-op partner in a B-Movie kind of way. Temple of Osiris adds way too much to the formula, with more characters, mechanics and more open exploration and it absolutely loses the charm of the first game, and even then it's buggy as hell. Skip the second one.

Command and Conquer Remastered

Big chunks of my childhood are taken up with memories of playing Command and Conquer and Red Alert, so it's difficult to really gauge my thoughts on the remaster. On the one hand the art direction looks great and preserves the feel of the original, and the quality of life improvements to the gameplay help make it more playable. The nostalgia hit is also palpable. That being said, the mechanics have not aged all that well, with much of the game being far, far too hard. Probably the best way to experience the genesis of the RTS genre but just know what you're getting in for.

Superhot Mind Control Delete

I wrote a lot at length about how unsure I was about Mind Control Delete at the time, and that's because it does feel a little unsure about itself. Is it a continuation of the first game? A fun bonus mode? A mediation on the nature of addiction? A critique of video game content? A joke on the player? I don't know, but I do know one thing, and that is that Superhot is still as addictive as hell.

Opus Magnum

Zachtronic's steampunk alchemy game requires far too much maths brain than I am capable of , and so I had to rely on guides a lot of the time, but that being said, it's still amazingly put together and vividly presented. Really feels like a game that could be used in schools.

Necromunda Underhive Wars (Story Mode)

I'll be checking out Underhive's Campaign mode in the new year, but for now I just want to talk about the story mode. Much like Mordheim, this is a game that's not going to work for everyone, but I really dug it and like it's unique take on a squad based TBS. However, in many respects the game does feel like a missed opportunity. The storyline is fun enough, and the arsenal robust, but much of the character of the tabletop game, the weird, chaotic, and sometimes comical things that can happen over the course of a battle seems to have been lost in translation, as has the quirky character to a lot of the gangs.  

Outer Wilds

There is little I can say about Outer Wilds that hasn't already been said by others, particularly that one should go into the game as blind as possible. A beautiful piece of interactive art, words would fail me in describing it anyway.

Life is Strange 2

Fantastically written, amazingly animated, wonderfully acted, and grim and depressing as all hell. I really love Life is Strange 2, but it it a tough game to bare witness to, especially in 2020. It treats it's subject matter with great maturity, but is so dark it's hard to motivate yourself to continue each gruelling episode. Also, I really think it would have fared better if it had not named itself Life is Strange 2, as not following Max and Chloe turned a lot of people away from a game I think they'd have otherwise enjoyed if they'd named it Wolf Brothers or something.

Half Life 2 / Episodes / Portal / 2/ Mel

After playing Black Mesa earlier this year I decided to revisit the entire Half Life 2 and Portal series. What I concluded is that Half Life 2 is not really all that good. A well told story wrapped around weak combat and average encounter design. This much improves across the episodes of course, but in the end I rather feel Half Life 2 is pretty overrated.

Portal, on the other hand, still feels fresh, though I was surprised I'd forgotten just how much was added in Portal 2, to the point Portal feels more like a game demo. That being said, I think the slowly growing mystery and menace of Portal has aged a lot better than the gagfest the series became with 2. Mel, a stand-alone mod that feels like could be a Portal 3 in it's own right, returns to a more serious tone, and feels all the stronger because of it.

Control

Control has gone from a game I didn't really care about all that much to one of my favourites of the year, if not the decade. Sure there are criticisms I could make, but the world has so much depth, the characters so much potential, and the gameplay such perfectly designed chaos, that it wouldn't really matter. A great time was had.

Icewind Dale 2

Finishing Icewind Dale 2 was the final banishing of the old ghosts of Infinity Engine games I never finished as a kid. Sure there was the nostalgia, but Icewind Dale 2 also feels prefect for the Baldurs Gate era's swan song. Beautiful environments, a well written story and great interface and design, only pulled down due to some overly long busywork at various points and the plot being dragged on a little too long. Still, sad to know I have no further Infinity Engine games left to conquer.

Elsinore

The first half of Elsinore is an absolutely great time-loop mystery, which seems to be an interesting interrogation of Shakespearian tropes and asks the question of how much of a Shakespearian tragedy remains the more you change it. The second half, however, quickly devolves into a cosmic horror story that feels a poor fit for the genre and far too grim for the art style, and that's even before it basically devolves into trying to do the same thing Undertale did but worse. A well put together game whose ending did not sit well with me.

Gwent: The Witcher Card Game

Since Thronebreaker didn't sate my appetite I started playing competitive Gwent. It is a wholly different game than the one that appears in The Wither 3, but is certainly fascinating in it's own right. After 200 hours I am officially addicted, somebody please send help.

And that's that. Not doing a top 5 games of the year because I played too many this year and I've spent too much time thinking about them already. Here's hoping I play less in 2021 and can get back to a more normal life.

#video games