#>>>>previous tags from Troy the movie

[0ghostwatcher]

Daily hc once Odysseus aspired to immortality to be remembered, once it was offered to him and he rejected it for love

________________________________________

"Am I less smart? pretty or young than this Penelope?"The bitterness lingered in the goddess’s voice as she spoke since she heard she will have to let him go."No of course not,who could be better than you,my Penelope will age"Odysseus bow, charming but his smile It didn't reach his eyes ,he was saying so just to please her .He could finally return home,anger her wouldn't bring nothing good"And so will you, but I'm offering you immortality isn't that what you wanted??I'm offering you what men have dreamt and tried for centuries,You could stay here with me, untouched by time"Odysseus’s gaze turned distant"Once maybe I've dream of that,when I was younger. I wanted the muses to sing of me across eternity,the gods to know my name,Immortality seemed the greatest thing to me—something only the heroes could claim."the man scoffed at the memory ."Then take it! It’s yours! Here, with me, you’ll never grow old, never fade.You could be immortal,a legend!" " what is immortality without my Penelope? Or being the father of Telemachus?I’ve spent years longing for Ithaca, for my wife. my son. My mother died while waiting for me.my sister is alone.. and so she will stay in despair because of me,I see now that immortality means nothing to me anymore."

[thegreatimpersonator]

Hi everyone! Here’s the newest addition to my Creator Shoutout Series (june 25  - jule 2)! For info about the series, I explained it in the first post here, but generally, it’s to show appreciate to editors and their creations that i love from the past week. To track this series or look at previous shoutouts, please check out the tag on my blog *creatorshoutouts. Have a great week everyone!

the bear: food in 2x03 gifset by @manny-jacinto

heartstopper gifset by @kitconnor

yellowjackets: characters + major arcana gifset by @mistyquigly

everything everywhere all at once gifset by @shegos

the last of us gifset by @thozaoaks

the bear: sydney and carmy gifset by @trueloveistreacherous

megan thee stallion gifset by @melodramas

maisie peters: the good witch + ages gifset by @swearphil

stranger things: steve harrington + text posts gifset by @djo

the bear: sydney adamu gifset by @limitedseries

yellowjackets gifset by @liv-hewsons

maisie peters: the good witch graphic by @cruellesummer

taylor swift: bejeweled graphic by @piecesintoplaces

the bear: richie jerimovich + taylor swift gifset by @savagegood

parks and recreation: leslie and ben gifset by @allsonargent

the bear: 2x04 gifset by @thevelvetgoldmine

maisie peters: the good with + creation & control gifset by @jakeperalta

the last of us gifset by @heroeddiemunson

the bear: marcus in 2x04 gifset by @abnerkrill

maisie peters: history of man graphic by @shirleykeelder

succession: shiv roy gifset by @janinegregory

the last of us: tommy miller gifset by @petersthree

maisie peters: the good witch graphic by @lochsides

taylor swift: fearless graphic by @ssafeandsound

heartstopper: characters + rainbow colors gifset by @antoniosvivaldi

the last of us: bill gifset by @trashcora

the bear icons by @barbie-movie

monsters inc gifset by @kpfun​

narcos: javier peña + tac vest gifset by @lo-hi

the bear: carmy berzatto gifset by @dieterbravo

arctic monkeys: glastonbury festival 2013 gifset by @alexturner​

maisie peters: history of man gifset by @magicandmaybes

olivia rodrigo: vampire edit by @dearreader​​

taylor swift: lyric graphic by @hits-differently

olivia rodrigo: vampire gifset by @kiimtaehyung​

maisie peters/olivia rodrigo/conan gray parallels gifset by @swearphil

the bear: carmy berzatto gifset by @experienceandobservation

stranger things: robin buckley gifset by @wheelerbuckley

yellowjackets: taissa and van gifset by @cobiesmlders​​​​

abbott elementary: ava coleman looks gifset by @nessa007

halsey gifset by @kitconnor

maisie peters: the good witch lyrics graphic by @lenoreamidala

yellowjackets: shauna and jackie gifset by @lottie-matthew

the princess diaries gifset by @thepunkpanther

the last of us gifset by @peytonsawyers

succession graphic by @fearwakes

olivia rodrigo: vampire gifset by @melodramas

the bear: carmy berzatto gifset by @starryyshadows

lorde: helen of troy graphic by @andtosaturn

taylor swift: haunted graphic by @thingsiwishyousaid​​​

olivia rodrigo: vampire gifset by @chriswevans

maisie peters: the history of man graphic by @agoddamnvampire

yellowjackets: enneagram gifset by @mistyquigly

the bear gifset by @userparamore

taylor swift: the archer graphic by @ifthiswasamovie27​​​

olivia rodrigo: vampire gifset by @alreadygotone

the shining gifset by @nowadayz​

maisie peters: history of man graphic by @handgf

taylor swift: folklore eras tour graphic by @sadbeautifutragic​

olivia rodrigo: vampire graphic by @cruellesummer

stranger things: mike wheeler gifset by @mikeandwillel

yellowjackets gifset by @userdanewhitman​

succession: kendall roy gifset by @barbieharrington

the bear gifset by @savagegood

yellolwjackets: natalie scatorccio gifset by @ginaricky

the last of us: characters + tarot cards gifset by @skyshipper

maisie peters: bcs graphic by @alreadygotone​

taylor swift gifset by @castlescrumblingtv​

muna gifset by @phoebesbridgers

yellowjackets: lottie and laura lee gifset by @alexcabotgf​​​​​​​​​​​

[kunselxsoldier]

tag nine people you'd like to know better

I. favourite colours: red, always been my favourite.

II. favourite flavours: Loving asian dishes at the moment; teriyaki stir-fry, ramen, gyoza, chili-oil noodles.

III. favourite genres: Action and fantasy mostly. I'm such a wimp, I'm useless when it comes to horror.

IV. favourite music: At the moment, I'm OBSESSED with Epic: The Ocean Saga. It's a concept musical by Jorge Rivera-Herrans based on the Odyssey and tells Odysseus' journey from Troy and his attempts to get back home. The previous albums are the Troy Saga and the Cyclops Saga and they are amazing!!!! If you have a moment, definitely give them a listen.

V. favourite movies: I adore the original Beauty and the Beast, my all-time favourite movie. But I also really love Pretty Woman, as cliché as that sounds.

VI. favourite series: Oh, it changes depending on what's new at the moment and what I can binge. Yellowstone, Supernatural, The Boys, the new Percy Jackson at the moment is really hitting a vibe. Also adore The Sandman and House of the Dragon. The Last of Us goes without saying too.

VII. last song: Ruthlessness from Epic: The Ocean Saga. Seriously obsessed with this track and Steven Rodriguez who voices Poseidon.

VIII. last series: Percy Jackson and The Olympians on Disney+. (definitely helps that Toby Stephens is cast as Poseidon.)

IX. last movie: The last film I watched was Forrest Gump on New Year's Even, because I quite like the movie and my mam and sis had never actually seen it.

X. currently reading: The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker. An interesting and deep look into the signs our body gives us when we're in danger and how to recognise them and learn to trust them.

XI. currently watching: At the moment, I'm not watching anything, just binging Frontiers of Pandora on my PS5.

XII. currently working on: I'm still very slowly working on a fanfiction I've been writing since I was 17 in the YuGiOh fandom called Paper Roses. I didn't update for 4 years, but then finally got my arse into gear and back into writing. It's been rewritten over the years, but I'm doing a final overall rewrite of old chapters and slowly working on a new one for all the lovely readers who have stuck by me for so many years.

tagged by: @holyguardian tagging: @loqis @ceaselxss @denzelxstrife @fairfallcn @littlexsisterxulric @lightrookie @wingsandsteel

[gloster]

SHIPPER TAG GAME

Tagged by @brazilian-whalien52

1. What ship were you completely obsessed with when you were a teenager, but now you don't care anymore?

Honestly- and this PAAAAAAINS to me to say since my middle-school self would be furious at me-but probably Troyella. Obviously, still love them. Still think of them fondly, but compared to other ships, they're on the lower end.

2. Which ship would you consider your first one?

I'm TEMPTED to say troyella again since they were the ship that made me realize what shipping was- and how hard it can go for a fangirl. But in terms of a ship you remember watching, loving, and loving seeing their interactions, that would have to be Tom and Kimberly from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Their chemistry, their moments were the reason why I loved the show so much

I didn't know what ship or OTP meant, but they were the definitely the first couple I remembered LOVING seeing them together

3. Your first fanfic belonged to which couple?

That would be Troy & Gabriella. The movie wasn't enough for me, so I decided to make more stories on them

4. Do you remember the first couple you saw a fanart over?

That would be a tie between InuKag and Robstar. Those were the top 2 ships I remember seeing TONS of Youtube videos and fanart in middle school.

5. Did you ever get into ship discourse?

*thinks hard* I want to say....no. Least I can't remember. I just chill in my little corner with my friends, gushing & reading fics of our ships

6. Did you used to have any no-otp or have it currently?

The way I DESPISED LOATHED AND HATED TROYPAY with a burning, burning deep passion. Couldn't stand the ship. Still don't like the ship. And obviously, Tommy x Kat because NO NO NO NO

7. Who were the couple in the last fanfic you read?

Payurain in this WIP I'm really enjoying. Seriously, love these two boys

8. Currently, do you have any OTPs?

Oh dear lord, my OTPS literally have their yachts at this point. And the list of the top ones constantly switch, but at the moment I can say my top 6 include: drarry, zutara, sheith, tododeku, payurain, and of course dickkory

9. Is there any couple that, to this day, you are extremely mad about not getting together?

Oh. Dear. Lord. The way at least several ships can fit this question, but that belongs to my top 3 ships that were done so dirty.

OBVIOUSLY-and forever fuming about it-THESE TWO:

Forever and ALWAYS THESE TWO that had everything. The history, the chemistry, best friends to lovers, ride or die, battle couple...and yet the writers were like, nah

TO INFINITY & BEYOND BEYOND BEYOND: DRARRY . You can't tell me NOTHING. If Harry was a girl, they would have been endgame. If Draco was a girl, they definitely would have gotten together. I will forever stand on this hill

10. Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they are kind of interesting?

I wouldn't dislike at all, but I can definitely say after the previous season, they got more on my radar and that would be Geto x Gojo. I've always been intrigued by their dynamic, but season 2 really showed so much depth in their relationship, their friendship, and how things went wrong. Just so well done and also extremely heartbreaking

11. Do you have any ship that, in the past, was considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

Maybe.....Honestly, I can't think of one. Like none are coming to my head. Closest one I can think of would be Alison x Emily or Spencer x Toby. The former because the toxicity of the ship, the way Ali manipulated and gaslight Emily's emotions was fucked up. Just as Toby letting Spencer think he was dead, let her think she found his corpse, and watch her break down...only to give a half-ass apology.

12. What was your favorite crack ship?

Honstly, Kyo x Arisa from Fruit Baskets- and that is solely because watching the way Arisa constantly rifled Kyo up was too damn hilarious.

13. Who is the couple you read more fanfics off?

Hands down, that would have to be drarry

14. What most of your ships usually have in common?

Probably two sides of the same coin. Different in many ways but similar in others. With drarry, both being just a boy in time of war. For zutara, the sun and the moon. Grump x Sunshine, which is a similar dynamic for many of my ships.

15. What you absolutely hate in a ship?

Hands down, the quickest way for me to hate a ship is the following: A always loving B, B being OBLIVIOUS to A's affections even though the whole country is aware of it, and then when A finally moves on THAT'S WHEN B suddenly realizes OH MY GOSH I LOVE THEM. 🤢🤮🤬😡 I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. Also, if the dynamic of the ship is unequal such as bully and bullied, in which the bully spends 90% of them torturing the love interest and then final 10% actually showing some care...NOPE. NOPE. NOPE.

Tagging: @kila09, @dreamydrarry, @sebbies, @negrowhat, @goldentruth813, @starlitruns, @omgitsseddie, @sweet-potatah-pie, @narcobarbies, @bavariansugarcookie, @itsjustafia

[ao3feed-imzadi]

Star Trek: A New Voyage

Star Trek: A New Voyage https://ift.tt/7EIi5R4 by Looperst Prologue: The year is 2391, 16 years since the end of the Dominion War. The galaxy still bears the scars, and a new crew who grew into adulthood in the aftermath have answered the call of exploration aboard a vessel designed for battle but now repurposed for peace. In a time where the scars from the Borg and the Dominion are only beginning to heal, this crew must navigate the Federation attempting to return to their mission of exploration while yet more ships have heavier armaments than previous designs. Unfortunately, while the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Quadrants are done with war, things in the Delta Quadrant, and elsewhere in the universe, are not quite so simple. Words: 7473, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 3 of The Many Variations Of The Odyssey Fandoms: Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: The Next Generation (Movies), Star Trek: Lower Decks (Cartoon), Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Resurgence (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: OC - Character, Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Jara Rydek, Kathryn Janeway Relationships: OC/OC, Benjamin Sisko/Kasidy Yates, Beverly Crusher/Jean-Luc Picard, William Riker/Deanna Troi, Brad Boimler/Beckett Mariner, Brad Boimler/T'Lyn, Brad Boimler/Beckett Mariner/T'lyn Additional Tags: AU, Post-Nemesis via AO3 works tagged 'William Riker/Deanna Troi' https://ift.tt/Gm5gBV1 July 17, 2024 at 10:15AM

[allonzy]

Stranger Would-You-Rather

Thank you @moonriseblueeyes and @mirrorball1313 for tagging me in this post 💖

So, would you rather:

I feel like "mind-walking" is a cooler power but realistically speaking, telekinesis will make my life so much easier

I'd join band with Robin (I don't know how to play any instrument but I will learn one just for her)

Watch movies at home with Jonathan and Joyce easily! I feel like watching horror movies with them would be really fun.

I wanna pick both but probably Family Video Store just to stay consistent with my previous answer too!

Tell off Troy. I don't know how I'd handle him but it will be serious.

Go trick-or-treating with the Party hands down! Although Christmas is one of my favourite festivals so maybe the Snowball would be fun too <3

Trapped in the Upside Down, I think. I don't know both kind of suck actually I wouldn't want either happening to me

Pineapple pizza from Surfer Boy Pizza because I have that anyway, so it's a safe option, haha.

Be Vecna'd. I'm very vocal with my music taste and my Spotify playlists so my friends should be able to save me HAHAHA.

Robin as a sister. (Nancy will always be wifey to me first sorry)

I have a feeling both are very impatient teachers actually but skating with Max because I have never so much as stepped on a skateboard so it would be fun picking up a new skill/hobby

Tagging: @elmaxed @elmaxenjoyer @yeahireallydo @ladyiron-y @blackdeathmamba (No pressure of course 🧡)

[27dragons]

Title: No Time Like the Peasant by @27dragons for @tonystarkbingo​ Card 4027 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30249090 Square: K4 - Reincarnation Ship: Winteriron Rating: T Tags/Warnings: carnival midway, fluff, fortune teller Summary: Apparently, having failed to succumb to the carnival’s midway barkers thanks to Bucky’s uncanny sense of aim, the phony fortune tellers were going to take a turn trying to separate them from their money. Wordcount: 448

Read it on AO3 or under the cut!

*

Tony shifted his massive stuffed bear from one arm to the other, and shook out the now-freed arm. The thing was getting heavier by the moment, he was sure.

“You should just let me carry it for you,” Bucky said, amused.

“No,” Tony said stubbornly. “You won him for me. That means he’s mine. I will carry him.”

“I thought I was yours,” Bucky teased.

“I dunno,” Tony sassed right back, “I bet Buckybear here doesn’t hog the blankets or steal my popcorn on movie night.”

“One time!” Bucky protested, laughing. He flailed his arms demonstratively and nearly backhanded an old woman. “Shit, sorry!”

She squinted up at him. “I see... great things for you, young man. Many great things.” Her voice quavered with age and was thick with an uncertain accent. “Come in, and I’ll tell you all about them.”

Behind her was a tent that was covered in garish colors and shiny metal and gauzy cloth like every bad Rroma stereotype.

Apparently, having failed to succumb to the carnival’s midway barkers thanks to Bucky’s uncanny sense of aim, the phony fortune tellers were going to take a turn trying to separate them from their money.

“Nah,” Bucky said easily, reaching to catch up Tony’s free hand. “Greatest thing I could ever ask for, I’ve already got.”

“Wise beyond your years,” the fortune teller said, not to be turned away so easily. “The mists that shroud the road ahead may part, but what they reveal is often misleading. Perhaps, then, you would be more interested to learn of your past, hm? Your bearing is noble and proud -- you might have been a triumphant general in a previous life, or a wealthy adventurer. Or you,” she added, turning her somewhat cloudy gaze on Tony, “must have been a great and celebrated beauty. Perhaps, even--”

Go on, say Cleopatra, Tony challenged her mentally, suppressing his laughter. That’s what they all say.

“--perhaps, even, the greatest beauty of them all -- Cleopatra herself!”

“I don’t know,” Tony mused. “I’ve always liked Helen of Troy better, myself.”

“Helen didn’t do anything but sit there and be pretty,” Bucky argued. “You’re too smart for that.”

“You say the sweetest things.” Tony let Bucky tug him farther down the path, leaving the old woman to try to lure someone else into her tent of mysteries. “But if reincarnation were real, then statistically speaking, I’d have been a peasant from somewhere in Asia.”

“Maybe we were together then, too,” Bucky said thoughtfully. “I kinda like that idea.”

“In this life and the next?” Tony adjust his hold on his bear and slithered in to wrap his arm around Bucky’s waist. “I could go for that.”

[chyrstis]

OC Bio Tag!

A bunch of lovely people were kind enough to tag me: @scarlettkat86​ @amistrio​​ @raisinghellinotherworlds​​ @risenlucifer​​ @faithchel​​ @shellibisshe​​ @honesthearts​​ @redroci​​ and @fadedjacket​​! Thank you all (<3!), and  I’m trying my hardest to get as much of this done before Tumblr decides to get its revenge again.

Tagging: @foofygoldfish​ @softmillers​ @shallow-gravy @finefeatheredgamer​ @ma-sulevin​​ @narcis-the-monk​ @jmcolt​ @himbopike​ @lxmbert​ @teamhawkeye​ @solesurvivorkat​ @twistedsinews​​ @writerofblocks​​ @millavodello​ @stvnningstrike​ @hawkfurze​ @shelliechen​​ @geronimo-11​ @whirly-wind​​ and anyone else that’s interested!

The Basics

Full Name: Hana Vao

Codename or Nickname: Dep, Deputy, H, Red, Shorty, Wrath, *insert more as Sharky and John come up with them*

Birth Date: October 6th, 1987

Birth Place: Detroit, MI

Nationality: American

Organization/Group: The Hope County Sheriff’s Department, The Resistance

Former Affiliates: Was this close to joining the Houston Fire Department

Family + Friends

Father: He was never a presence in her life, so the less said about him the better.

Mother: Hali’a Vao (deceased)

Siblings: There’s likely some half-siblings via her father, but she’s never tried searching for them.

Other Relatives: She had limited contact with her mother’s sister for a few years, but after that all contact dropped off. Her mother was estranged from them all to begin with, and that feeling extended right to her.

Spouses: Unofficially, Sharky Boshaw and John Seed (Sharky makes rings for them after a few years together, and while Hana wears hers, John keeps his on a string around his neck, much like he used to wear the bunker key)

Children: Two with Sharky (Gabrielle first, and a boy that I’m hoping to come up with a name for soonish?), and one with John (a boy, also nameless for now!).

Description

Height: 5′6"

Weight: 126 lbs

Hair Colour: Auburn/dark red

Eye Colour: Dark brown

Skin Colour: Tan with warm undertones

Any Scars: She’s covered in a variety of nicks and scrapes, but does pick up a serious one on the side of her head after she’s grazed by a bullet.

Any Tattoos: Two swimming koi on her left shoulder blade. A phoenix on the inside of her right forearm, b/c apparently in Hope County, you have to have at least one forearm tattoo to fit in. Wrath across her upper chest, courtesy of John.

Any Piercings: She’s removed most for the job, but had at least a few piercings per ear, and back when she was doing piercing as an odd job, she had her eyebrow pierced, and her tongue on a lark. Sometimes she misses the tongue piercing, but the sensation was too weird to ever want to repeat it.

Other Notable Features: She’s absolutely covered in freckles.

Random Facts: Had a ton of jobs when she was figuring out what to do with herself, and also to get herself through college to get her Criminal Justice degree. Also, an 80’s movie junkie, would probably have enough boots to fill a closet if given the opportunity, and a motorcycle enthusiast. She was hoping to buy one after moving out to Hope after selling her old one, and years down the line makes sure to get one in Prosperity to work on.

====

And for fun, here’s a little something for V. ;)

The Basics

Full Name: [REDACTED]

Codename or Nickname: Boss V

Birth Date: October 6th, 1985

Birth Place: Stilwater, USA (Damn, I’m blanking if it’s supposed to be Michigan, but I want to say we all agreed on that back in the day)

Nationality: American

Organization/Group: The Third Street Saints

Former Affiliates: N/A

Family + Friends

Father: [REDACTED] - No previous knowledge, but was told about him when Kinzie dug into her background.

Mother: [REDACTED] (deceased) - Met her mother briefly when she was younger, but never saw her again after that. She learned later what happened to her when Kinzie dug into her background.

Siblings: She has three adopted siblings, but was never close to them. After her family leaves Stilwater after kicking her out, she never bothers trying to reconnect with them either.

Other Relatives: No damn clue, and she never tries to reach out to them later on in life.

Spouses: Unofficially since they never tie the knot, Troy Bradshaw and Johnny Gat

Children: None.

Description

Height: 5′6"

Weight: 131 lbs

Hair Colour: Auburn/dark red

Eye Colour: Dark brown

Skin Colour: Tan with warm undertones

Any Scars: She’s got one on her chin from one of her first few nights in Shivington when someone pulled a knife on her and took a swipe. She also had a few scattered scars from the boat explosion, but the worse ones she ended up getting treated.

Any Tattoos: V’s got plenty. Two swimming koi on her left shoulder blade. A Saints/angel’s wing on one forearm, and a snake coiled around her other forearm. A nautical star on her neck, and a large dragon running down her thigh and over her knee to her calf. Also, a gun ‘tramp stamp’ of sorts, that’s visible above the top of her pants,

Any Piercings: Both of her ears are pierced, along with her eyebrow.

Other Notable Features: V’s almost infamous for her freckles.

Random Facts: Worked at Freckle Bitch’s when she was younger, and still remembers most of the jingles. An absolute fool for Drive-In movies, and gets the old lot in Stilwater renovated so it can be used again. Might’ve inspired a certain you-know-who listed above.

[boreddcposts]

DC extreme capture the flag

This post is open for contribution, whether it be characters, teams, rules or funny scenarios that you can think of

TEAMS:

The Bats (black flag): - Bruce Wayne - Dick Grayson - Barbara Gordon - Jason Todd - Tim Drake - Damian Wayne - Duke Thomas - Cassandra Cain - Stephanie Brown

The Supers (blue flag): - Clark Kent - Lois Lane - Lucy Lane - Conner Kent - Jon Kent - Kara Danvers - Bizarro - Karen Starr - Lar Gand

The Amazons (yellow flag): (let’s face it. This team would win. Hands down) - Diana Prince - Steve Trevor - Donna Troy - Cassie Sandsmark - Artemis - Nubia - Grace Choi - Queen Hippolyta - Etta Candy

The Atlanteans (orange flag): - King Arthur - Queen Mera - Garth - Tula - Kaldur’ahm - Dolphin - Lorena Marquez - Koryak - Arthur Jr.

The Speedsters (red flag): - Barry Allen - Iris West - Wally West - Wallace West - Bart Allen - Thaddeus Thawne  - Jesse Chambers - Avery Ho - Max Mercury

The Arrows (green flag): - Oliver Queen - Dinah Lance - Roy Harper - Lian Harper - Emiko Queen - Mia Dearden - Connor Hawke - Cissie King-Jones - John Diggle

RULES:

- THERE ARE NO RULES. - Kidding. Of course there are rules. This is Capture the Flag: Extreme Edition. This means war. And even war has rules. - There are six teams. Six flags. Usually, this game only has two teams and two flags, but this is the Extreme Edition so the rules will be tweaked a little.  - One rule remains the same: your flag must be visible. You cannot hide it. The other teams must be able to spot your flag from ten feet (10 ft) away. - There are six territories for the six teams. Five of them are on land, while the Atlanteans’ is in the water, because not all of them are high-born and they need water to survive. Plus it makes the game really interesting. - A circle must be drawn around your flag, one that your team cannot enter. This circle must be ten feet (10 ft) in diameter. No one is allowed to stand directly in front of their flag.  - Because there are six flags, the way to win is a little different. I’ll explain it like this: if team ‘Bats’ captures the flag of team ‘Speedsters’, then team ‘Speedsters’ is forced to join forces with team ‘Bats’. They become one team. This system goes on until there are only two teams. Whichever team can steal the other’s flags, wins. Game over. - You cannot join forces if your flags aren’t joined. No team affiliation unless flags have been captured. Team affiliation is illegal. Unless flags are captured. - Once a flag has been captured and forces are joined, those forces can only be broken through one way. Let’s return to the previous example. Teams ‘Bats’ and ‘Speedsters’ are now one team. If team ‘Arrows’ were to steal the ‘Speedsters’ flag, this does not mean that ‘Speedsters’ now joins ‘Arrows’. they stay joined with ‘Bats’. However, if ‘Arrows’ were to also steal ‘Bats’ flag, then both ‘Speedsters’ and ‘Bats’ must join forces with ‘Arrows’. However, However. Let’s say team ‘Amazons’ were to then steal the ‘Bats’ flag, what happens then? Simple! The two teams must then split. ‘Speedsters’ join with ‘Arrows’, ‘Bats’ join with ‘Amazons’. This is the only way to break forces.  - There are jails! Team members can be tagged and captured by opposite team members. Captured members will be taken to a jail that is in another team’s neutral spot. Captured members can be freed by their own team, if they can get past the guards. The tagger must escort the captured to their jail, if they don’t then the captured has permission to run for it. The ‘Atlanteans’ jail is on land. - NO POWERS. The game is to be set on an equal ground. No speed. No super strength. No water manipulation. Nothing. If powers are used, this will result in an automatic disqualification and your team becomes spectators (they can just chill around the territories and watch the game). - Surprises are allowed. When I say surprises, I mean that you are allowed to bring in brand new teammates to join your team. The only team that knows this are the ‘Bats’, since they were the ones to come up with this idea, once when they were really really bored. Once this is common knowledge, the other teams are allowed to call in their own surprises. This includes pets. 

SHENANIGANS!!!

(hey, listen. I just want to put this out there. At this point in the post, I will be using some of my ships in these shenanigans. This does not mean that that ship is the default one in this headcannon. For example, I ship birdflash and will write some shenanigans involving them. But if you want to place Linda Park in this and have Wally cheering on his badass wife as she tackles other players to the ground, then you go ahead and do that! I ship batcat, but if you want to write out Bruce successfully distracting Clark while Dick and Jason steal the ‘Supers’ flag, that’s fine! Use whatever ships you want! Have fun with it! However, pedophilic, abusive, and incestuous ships are not welcomed here. Let’s just make that clear.)

Immediately, they had to start a second round. Because a minute into the first one, Bizarro had used his powers to get to the black flag and demand that Jason join forces with him. It resulted in laughing fits and Jason having to sit Bizarro down to explain the rules to him again. -- Dick, guarding the jail: Wally I swear to fucking god you even try to free them, I will not have sex with you for the next month! Wally: What!? Barry, in jail: No! Dick, how could you!? Don’t free us, Wally! Bart, also in jail: Don’t you dare do that to us, Dick! He’s going to stay over at our house and mope and eat all the chocolate and watch romantic movies and his eyes are going to tear up whenever the characters kiss! Wally: What!? I don’t do that! Dick, fully knowing that was the reaction he was going to get and now struggling to hold back laughter: You really do. It’s kind of flattering, actually -- Lois, before the match begins: Hey, Bruce, is Selina not joining us? I was kinda hoping to introduce her to Iris  Bruce, thinking about how Selina is their trump card and is going to join halfway through the game and win it for them: No, she’s busy. Sorry. -- Diana, after learning that Lian Harper successfully entered their territory and stole their flag: How. Queen Hippolyta, close to tears: Her eyes are so big. She reminded me of you when you were that age. She’s going to make a great warrior one day. -- Kara, guarding the flag: Why does it feel so cold? Conner, also guarding the flag: I feel cold, too Kara and Conner: ... Tim, suddenly directly behind them: That flag is mine. Kara and Conner: *scream* -- Jason: Kory!? Kory: Hello, Jason Roy, standing atop a hill with Lian in his arms: Hahaha!! You’ve brought in your surprise, I’ve brought in mine! Behold! The great Koriand’r from the planet Tamaran! Lian: She’s gonna kick your ass! Roy: Whoa! hey, where’d you get that word from!? -- Garth and Donna: *wrestling on the floor and screaming at each other* Dick, close to tears because this is the fifth time this has happened this match: Would you two please stop fighting!? This was meant to be a fun game of capture the flag, not war between atlanteans and amazons!!! -- Arthur Jr., guarding the jail after he captured Bart: You play videogames? Bart: Dude, of course! I’m trying to beat Warriors VS Assassins 5 at the moment, but the levels are really hard this time Arthur Jr., sadly: I can’t play videogames, I live in the water Bart: That sucks Thaddeus, sprinting out of the trees with an unholy shriek: RELEASE BART RIGHT NOW!!! Arthur Jr.: *screams* Bart: THAD NO! -- Oliver: Your kids had a great idea with this, Bats. It’s nice to have something where everyone can just take a break from crime and have fun. Dinah’s having a great time. I think this game might also be bringing Roy and I closer together-  Bruce, to Jason, as Oliver’s still talking: Did you have to capture their flag? Jason, holding Lian in one arm, the other wrapped around Roy’s waist: Yeah. Yeah, I did. -- Wally, having just encountered Dick as he’s trying to capture the black flag: Ooh, what are you gonna do, Officer Grayson? You gonna arrest me? Dick: I am going to murder you Wally: Sounds sexy- ACK *gets tackled to the ground*  -- Barry, attempting to sneak into the Amazon territory: Artemis, spotting him: The Flash is trying to capture our flag! Queen Hippolyta, instantly: GET HIM! Barry, running away from five Amazons who are all on his tail: OH MY GOD WHY DID I EVEN ATTEMPT THIS I AM SO SCARED RIGHT NOW

[just-random-obsessions]

Funny Moments In Thor Ragnarök

Thor 1

Thor 2

Avengers 1

I know I said I was gonna do Avengers Age of Ultron too, but because it didn’t have Loki in it, I decided to scrap that idea because this series is mostly focused on the relationship between Loki and Thor. So without further ado, all the funny moments in Thor Ragnarök. Side note: This accounts for all the moments were SUPPOSED to be funny. However these are mostly toilet humor, so whether or not it was actually funny to the viewer just depends on that person’s taste in humor. Funny moments listed below cut line which is underneath the tag list.

Edit for clarification: This is not a post supporting Thor Ragnarok. This is an anti post. In another post (that I’m too lazy to write right now) I will be explaining the difference in humor tones between this movie and the previous three. I will also be explaining why this tonal change is hated by anti Ragnarok people.

Tag List: @fyrecrafted @lokijiro @nikkoliferous @miskiett @icyxmischief @iamanartichoke @juliabohemian @official-and-unstable-satan @darthxerik @melodylnoelle @just-another-human-2019 @fandomsandfanfictions @mentallydatingahotcelebrity @cateyes315 @burningarbiterheart @imnotacreepijustlikeyou @usedtobegoodfriend96 @alexakeyloveloki

~ “Where I met you :)” *skeleton’s jaw drops*

~ “Surtr. Son of...a bitch you’re still alive?!”

~ *The chain keeps spinning Thor around and interrupting Surtr

~ “And you’ll grow as big as a house-?” “A mOuNtAiN” 

~ “Oh that’s a crown. I thought it was a big eyebrow”

~ *Thor’s timing being wrong when he says “that’s what heroes do”

~ “oh I make grave mistakes all the time. Everything seems- *shit that’s a bg dragon* -to work out”

~ “Behold!!! My stuff!

~ *Pronounces Texas wrong*

~ “I call them Des and Troy. Together, they Destroy”

~ *Thor drops the hammer in the dragon’s mouth* “Stay!”

~ *The entire Asgardian play*

~ *The woman in the audience emotionally grabbing Thor’s arm*

~ *Thor being all wtf???*

~ “Father” “Oh shit”

~ *that smile!!!* 

~ *Out of breath* “Behold!! Thor! Odinso-” “You had one job”

~ “I swear I left him right here” “right here on the sidewalk or right here where the building’s being demolished?”

~ “Can’t see into the future. I’m not a witch” “No? Then why do you dress like one?” “hEy!!!1!!!1!!”

~ “I can’t believe you’re alive. I mourned you! I cried for you!” “I’m honored??”

~ *the two girls who approach Thor to take a selfie*

~ “Sorry to hear that Jane dumped you” “She didn’t dump me. I dumped her. It was a mutual dumping”

~ *Thor poking the piece of paper cause he thinks it’s Loki*

~ “You can put down the umbrella”

~ “So Earth has wizards now” “The preferred term is Master of the Mystic Arts” “Alright wizard”

~ *Thor fumbling with the cool spikey things*

~ “I don’t drink tea” “Well what do you drink?” “Not tea”

~*the self-refilling beer*

~ “No I don’t have a phone but you could’ve sent an electronic letter. It’s called an email” “Right do you have a computer?” “No what for?” *confusion*

~ “My hair is not to be meddled with-OW!!!!”

~ “We could’ve just walked”

~ “Don’t forget your umbrella” *the awkwardness between them as everything crashes*

~ “I hAvE bEeN fAlLiNg FoR tHiRtY mInUtEs!!!!1!!1!!!!”

~ I’m pretty sure Odin’s death scene was the only scene to not have any humor in it.

~ “Who are you?” “I’m just the janitor”

~ *Valkyrie tries to do the Badass Walk but falls off the edge*

~ *Val keeps stumbling*

~ “But we’ve already got him” “Alright then. I guess I go through you”

~ *The guns not working at first*

~ *Val’s smirk*

~ *Thor’s mashed up face on the window of the ship*

~ “Whoever you are.” “Whoever I am?! Did you listen to a word I said?!”

~ *Thor’s scared screaming turned into a confused and awkward screaming as he is introduced to the Grandmaster*

~ “He’s wonderful. It is a he?” “It is a he”

~ “She is the- and it starts with a b” “Trash” “Were you just waiting to call her that? It doesn’t start with a b” “Booze-head”

~ “You’ll pay for this” “No I got payed for this”

~ “I am the god of THUNDER” *sparkles*

~ “OH MY GOD I’m stepping in it!!!”

~ “I’m going back to Asgard.” “Assgard?”

~ “Loki!” “Shhh!”

~ *Loki and Thor start arguing*

~ “Get me out!” “I can’t!” “Get me out!” “I can’t!”

~ “I’ve never met this man in my life” “He’s my brother” “Adopted”

~ “Let me introduce myself my name is Korg. I’m kinda like the leader in here”

~ “I tried to start a revolutions but I didn’t print enough pamphlets”

~ “Oh no. Doug’s dead”

~ “That’s exactly what Doug used to say. See you later New Doug”

~ Infinity Gauntlet: “Fake!!”

~ Casket: “Weak!”

~ Surtr’s Crown: “Smaller than I though it would be”

~ *Thor throwing rocks at Loki*

~ “Piss off ghost!!”

~ “It would pull me off-” “Oh my god. The hammer pulled you off?” 

~ *Thor fumbling with talkin to Val and doing the thumbs up*

~ “By Odin’s beard you shall not cut my hair” *2 seconds later* “Please kind sir do not cut my hair”

~ “I have to get off this planet” 

~ “Loki! Look who it is!” *NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENO

PENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE

NOPENOPENOPENOPE

~ *Thor gets whacked around like Loki did in Avengers* “YES!!! THATS HOW IT FEELS*

~ “Not just to execute people, but also to execute their vision. But mainly to execute people”

~ *Hulk being naked in the hot tub* “That’s in my brain now”

~ “What are you crazy?!” “YES”

~  “Hulk like fire. Thor like water”

~ *Thor stumbling around Val again*

~ “Because that’s what heroes-” *gets bonked in the head with the ball*

~ *the voice activation being “Point Break”*

~ “What happened to your hair?” “Some creepy old man cut it off” “It looks good”

~ “Banner” “Welcom strongest Avenger” “Uhhh what?”

~ “You and I had a fight “ “Did I win?” “No I won” “That doesn’t sound right”

~ *Topaz trying to hand the Grandmaster the meltsick*

~ “I don’t wanna fight your sister that’s a family issue”

~ *Thor and Bruce arguing like children*

~ “It’s my disguise” “I can see your face” “Not when I do this”

~ *Bruce complimenting Valkyrie*

~ *Thor stealing the name Revengers from the Avengers*

~ “Where are you at these days?” “It varies from moment to moment” *NOPE*

~ “We are going through the big one” “The Devil’s Anus?!”

~ “I’m asking for safe passage. Through the Anus”

~ *The snake story* 

~ “You guys have a beast :D?!!!!”

~ *”I’ll explain later”*

~ “I don’t like that word” “Mainframe?”

~ *Thor and Loki step out of the elevator* “Hello” “Hi”

~ *get help*

~ “Alright I can figure this out it’s just another spaceship”

~ “Did she just say the Grandmaster uses it for orgies?!!” “Yeah. Don’t touch anything”

~ “Use one of your PhD’s” “None of them aRe FoR FLYING ALIEN SPACESHIPS”

~ “Well you do seem like you’re in desperate need of leadership” “Why thank you” 

~ “Not that [Asgard’s] not nice it’s just that it’s on fire”

~ “I love what you’ve done with the place. Redecorating I see”

~ *heroic music plays* *Bruce falls flat on his face*

~ “I’m Korg. This is Miek. We’re gonna jump on that spaceship. Wanna come?”

~ “Your savior is here!!! Did you miss me?”

~ “You’re late” “You’re missing an eye” 

~ “I think we should disband the Revengers”

~ “Hit her with a lightning blast” “I just hit her with the biggest lightning blast in the history of lightning”

~ “So what do we do?” “I’m not doing Get Help”

~ “You can’t defeat me” “I know. But he can”

~ “We’re fulfilling the prophecy” “I hate this prophecy”

~ “For once in your life! Don’t smash!” “Big monster?!” 

~ “It will become a haven-” *Asgard explodes* “Yeah no sorry”

~ “Oh Mieks dead. Yeah I stomped on him on the bridge. I felt so guilty I’ve been carrying him around all day.” *2 seconds later* “Oh Miek you’re alive!! He;s alive guys!! What was your question?”

~ “Do you really think it’s a good idea to go back to earth?” “Yes of course, the people of Earth love me”

I FINALLY FINISHED IT!!!!!

[blueskydreama]

Uncharted is my favorite action adventure video game franchise of all time. I tried my absolute best to be as unbiased as possible when writing this review, but I have to admit that I did fall into the trap more than once. Coming from the talented developers at Naughty Dog, creators of the smash hit The Last of Us, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End wraps up the story of Nathan Drake and his comrades in this last, massive and explosive adventure. The PS4 has long been aching for an exclusive killer app, and Naughty Dog has done everything in their power to make sure UC4 fits the bill. It does. Oh, sweet mother of God, it does.

 WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR UNCHARTED 4

Uncharted 4 picks up the story several years after the events of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Having retired from the life of a treasure hunting rogue, Drake has made a relatively normal life for himself, making a living as a salvager of cargo from underwater wrecks. However, his new life is quickly disrupted with the reappearance of his long-presumed dead brother Sam. Sam is in trouble. A Panamanian drug lord by the name of Hector Alcázar has demanded that Sam find the lost treasure of pirate Henry Avery in 3 months or he will be killed. Not an easy task, especially considering he and his brother tried once before 15 years ago and failed. Drake reluctantly accepts his brother’s pleas for help, and sets off an explosive chain of events that culminates in one of the best twists I have experienced in a long time.

Uncharted 4 will take players across the globe in a journey that puts some of the most epic adventures to shame. Players will visit Italy and pull off a high stakes heist at a black market auction, Scotland, visit Madagascar and explore the plateau, and the fabled pirate paradise of Libertalia. The story is larger than ever before, with betrayal, emotion and intensity the likes of which the previous games could only dream of. The pacing of the plot is near perfection, with an excellent balance of chaos, thrill and quiet moments, although the introduction sequence could have been better paced. However, after the (simply spectacular) opening credit scene, the pacing is far smoother, and really begins to feel like a summer blockbuster.

The voice acting is the greatest it’s ever been. Troy Baker is absolutely phenomenal as Drake’s brother, and Nolan North is at his finest portraying a worn out, tired Drake, while Emily Rose (Elena) and Richard McGonagle (Sully) also put on top acts. You truly feel that these actors have become their characters, and feel the emotional weight behind their performances.

The ending is controversial, I won’t deny that, and while it irked many people, I personally believe that it could not have been better handled. There is simply no better way to send off Naughty Dog’s flagship franchise.

Being an adventure game, it goes without saying that the locations will be exotic – and absolutely gorgeous. Naughty Dog has forced the absolute maximum potential of the PS4 for this game. The environments are huge and richly detailed, with lush foliage that bends and moves with the characters, and glistens and drips in the rain. Puddles splash when the player moves in them, and water refracts light. The animation is top notch, with characters having unique combat poses and idle stances. The level of detail and polish present in this game is beyond anything I have seen before, even on current generation games. While I can’t say anything for the authenticity in the locations, considering that Naughty Dog modelled Kathmandu in Uncharted 2 true to life, I can say it’s a safe bet they did the same here, although obvious liberties had to be taken for gameplay purposes.

Characters react realistically to the environment. When brawling in muddy locations, character react accordingly, flinging mud and becoming covered the gunk. They drip water and their clothing becomes heavy and darker colored when soaked. Skin shines and trails water, and hair becomes matted. I constantly found myself slack-jawed at the lengths the developers went for this game.

Graphics aside, the sound is unmatched. Gunfire is thunderous and jolting, and the environmental SFX are astounding. When in the jungle, you believe you are there, with howler monkeys screeching and birds calling. The wilds of Madagascar are populated with cicadas and typical wildlife. The hurricane in the opening level is terrifying. The music is astounding, with sweeping orchestral pieces during action and peaceful melodies that play during the more intimate moments.

The production values are through the roof. The game truly feels as if you are playing a summer blockbuster movie, and the near complete lack of bugs and glitches is the icing on the cake.

Not too much has changed since Drake’s Deception hit shelves in November of 2011. The gunplay is just as refined as ever, and feels smooth and very fluid, especially with the new lock on mechanic – although that can make getting headshots somewhat difficult; however, it can be disabled at any time. Many of the old weapons return, with some new additions such as the Aegis 9mm pistol and the HS39 assault rifle. Along with the new weapons comes the marking system, which allows players to tag enemies to follow their movements and plan routes of attack. In addition to this, players are given the option to completely avoid combat, a first for the series.

Another new entry to the series is the grappling hook and rope, which further enhances traversal and environmental interactivity. Drake can use it to cross otherwise impassable gaps, scale walls and even instantly KO enemies with a lethal dropdown attack. The rope enhances vertical gameplay to entire new levels, and truly feels like a useful tool. That aside, the rope can also be tethered to stationary objects and used as a pulley, or even attached to breakable things and used to create new pathways.

Hand to hand combat has been slightly upgraded as well, with new takedowns utilizing your partners and new combat moves, but otherwise stays the same. Environmental takedowns are still as flashy as ever and even seems to take queues from The Last of Us for some of them.

Stealth plays a much bigger role in this entry than previous games. As mentioned before, some combat sections can be completely avoided if you are stealthy enough. Sneaking up behind enemies and silently killing them is a lot more fun than it should be, but the terrified look on their buddy’s face when they discover the body is priceless. Enemy AI is intelligent and challenging. If they find you, they will continue searching the area even after you disappear. They flank you and use cooperative tactics to try and defeat you. It is a much welcome change from the brain dead AI of most shooters. The same goes for your partner AI as well – they actually kill enemies and do a spectacular job of aiding the player.

Treasures return, of course, only now there are 109 to find, and they are very cleverly hidden, which gives an excuse to meander around large wide open areas. Alongside these treasures are notes and journal pages to be found that flesh out the lore a bit more. By pressing the OPTIONS button, you can view these collectibles. Beating the game unlocks new bonuses such as skins and tweaks to make your next playthrough that much more fun and interesting.

 Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune blew me away the first time I played it in 2008 on my uncle’s PS3. I felt like a true adventurer, off to solve the mysteries of the ancient world. A modern day Indiana Jones – stop the bad guys, get the treasure and get the girl. I walked away dumbstruck. The game was hard, yes, but the presentation and quality spoke to me on a deeper level. That gaming could be a hobby, but could also be a way for talented individuals to tell a story, to create ART, and that’s what Naughty Dog did, way back in 2007.

Nearly ten years have passed since then. Uncharted has become synonymous with high production values, venerated storytelling, exceptional character growth, and the PlayStation name itself. Naughty Dog’s flagship series permanently landed them in the spotlight of AAA game development, and they have continued to prove that they earned their spot, garnering universal praise and hundreds of awards since then.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is the culmination of all of that hard work and dedication, passion and love. I cannot recommend this game enough. Tears have been shed, blood has been spilt and stories have been told. It saddens me to see Drake’s story end, but I would have it done no other way.

 Uncharted 4 is a true masterpiece of modern storytelling. This is for all the Dogs out there. 

[goddamnmuses-a]

Rules: Pick 5 shows, then answer the following questions. Don’t cheat. Tag some people. Tagged By: @renautas​

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

Community

What We Do In The Shadows

Rick and Morty

Batwoman

Who is your favorite character in 2?: Troy.

Who is your least favorite character in 1?: Carter Hall/Hawkman, honestly I forgot he existed until i saw the previous answer written here.

What is your favorite episode of 4?: Oh lord I love all of the episodes but I think the Mr.Meeseeks ep is probably up there so I’ll say that one.

What is your favorite season of 5?: haha it only has one season. I win. 

Who is your favorite couple in 3?: Nadja/Lazlo

Who is your favorite couple in 2? Troy and Annie

What is your favorite episode of 1?:  Uhh, no idea, probably a crossover one.

What is your favorite episode of 5? : Also no idea, the one where we got the flashback of Alice’s mom being fridged was good. 

What is your favorite season of 2?: Season 2 i think. 

How long have you watched 1?: Since it first came out.

How did you become interested in 3?: I heard about the movie from a friend, watched it, heard they were making a show and kept an eye on it and now it’s out and i watch it.

Who is your favorite actor in 4?: Err.. Justin Roiland I guess.

Which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5?: Hmm.. Probably 2.

Which show have you seen more episodes of - 1 or 3? Uhh 1 i think has more episodes so 1

If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?: Oh god. Probably Jerry.

Would a crossover between 3 and 4 work?:  Yes. It would be weird but it could work. 

Pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple?: Have you seen Legends? 100% here for Constantine/Zari (Just leaving this the same answer)

Overall, which show has the better storyline, 3 or 5?: 5.

Which has better theme music, 2 or 4?: 2

Tagging: anyone who wants to do it.

[elareine]

In the shallows

Chapters: 1/6 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, some swearing Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd Characters: Tim Drake, Donna Troy Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, NO CAPES, Identity Porn, Romantic Comedy, Drama & Romance, Texting, Online Dating AO3: /18803473

Summary: Jason Todd is a rock star... and an asshole. Dick Grayson has to do a movie with him. Luckily, there's this cute guy he's started texting recently.

Jason Todd was a rock star.

Yeah, exactly. Now, Dick had worked with some… less than talented people on set before. He’d made his debut in dance movies, for God’s sake, of course not everyone had been ready to play Hamlet.

But a total newbie? Never been on stage or on a movie set before? Dick really wished the producers had consulted him about that before making the decision. They hadn’t even done a chemistry test.  

Okay, sure, it was a blockbuster movie about an interracial gay couple. Funding wouldn’t come easy. If the names ‘Richard Grayson’ and ‘Jason Todd’ had to be attached to make the money happen, they would be. And Dick knew Tim Drake, the executive producer, well enough to trust him with this. Tim wouldn’t have cast Jason if he thought it’d be a total shit show.

The thing was - the script was beautiful. The writers had really poured their hearts into it, and it showed. Dick had almost forgotten to read it from an actor’s perspective, he’d been so engrossed. By the end, blinking away tears, he had texted his agent that he would do it before going on a run to shake some of the heaviness away.

It wasn’t like there was a sad ending, exactly. Dick wouldn’t have taken anything with a ‘bury your gays’ feel to it. It was just… it made him feel a lot, this script.

He wanted to do it justice. Hopefully, Jason Todd wouldn’t be the one to drag them all down.

Dick sighed and looked at the script in front of him again. Specifically, at the part marked: ‘Vano: [singing]…’

The other worry he had was quite the opposite from his first. At least Jason Todd didn’t have to worry about singing. Dick had heard his songs as much as anyone could without actively seeking them out, which was to say all the time and everywhere. Jason had been around for years at this point; it didn’t seem likely that his popularity would be abating any time soon.

(When he wasn’t busy critiquing Jason’s casting, Dick could freely admit that his songs were pretty great. They always gave him that on-the-road-looking-for-freedom feeling that he loved. He might be following Jason on Spotify, even, but shush.)

Dick, however… well. He’d been taking singing lessons ever since he’d moved into closer consideration for this role. His vocal coach attested him with enough skills for the songs he’d seen so far. He’d gotten the accent of his character down to pat, too, even when singing and screaming. Still, compared to Jason Todd…

And they would be singing duets.

Giving up on his concentration for the evening, Dick decided to just go for a run. He was already pretty sure he wouldn’t sleep tonight, but exhaustion might help.

It didn’t really. Dick slept like shit and then had to deal with the worst traffic he’d ever seen (and he’d lived in New York for years). He barely made it in time. Tim was already waiting for him outside the lot. That was a sure sign he was getting ready to herd Dick exactly where he needed to be as quickly as possible.

Tim greeted him with a friendly wave. “Hi, Dick, welcome on set! Kate is over at the sound studio, but she’ll be here any minute to start the read-through.”

“Thanks, Tim. Good to see you.” Dick refrained from hugging him only because he knew the younger man preferred it that way on set. “Sorry, I wanted to be here early. I seriously underestimated LA traffic.”

“Yes, I expected that. Just plan in enough time from now on, okay?”

“Of course, Tim.”

Tim sighed. “We’ll see, I guess.”

They entered the building together. Tim guided him towards a smaller meeting room. Jason Todd was already there, sitting in the small circle of chairs. There would be a full cast reading tomorrow; today it was pretty much only Kate, Jason and Dick with the producers.

Dick’s first thought was that he hadn’t expected Jason to look so… soft. He was used to the torn jeans and t-shirt look he rocked in his videos. The knitted sweater he was wearing didn’t exactly fit that image.

The smirk on his face, however, did.

Dick mentally steeled himself. Here we go. He held out his hand. “Hi, Jason. Nice to finally meet you.”

“Hi, Dick.” Jason’s handshake was firm without being too crushing. “Sorry we couldn’t meet up before. I’m pretty literally just coming back from a World Tour.”

Oh, great. Bragging.

“No worries. It’s good to get this started now.” He looked pointedly at the script in Jason’s hand. If Jason had just been on a world tour… “Did you get any time to prepare?”

“I’ll know my lines if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“It’s kind of about more than that.” Okay, that came out catty. “Like, the music, for example.”

Jason seemed to perk up at that. “Oh, yeah, that’s done. I did send the tapes of some suggestions to Kate. But we’ll workshop together, see what you think first.”

Dick would’ve preferred it if Jason had just presented him with finished sheet music and a tape he could imitate, honestly. He had no idea if he had any musical input to offer. And how did you workshop music, anyway? He’d done that with scenes before (though Kate wasn’t the type to welcome a lot of input from her actors beforehand), even settings, but music?

“Sure. Yeah. Let’s do that.” He tried to smile. “I’m looking forward to hearing what you came up with.”  

It was probably a good thing Kate entered the room at that moment, introducing herself again and bidding them to start the read-through.

Dick usually lost himself in a performance pretty easily. Even in a read-through, it only meant that he focused even more on letting every emotion shine through his voice.

Vano was pretty unlike Dick himself. Sensitive, shy, in desperate need of approval (okay, that one Dick could relate to) and unsure. Dick found it interesting how his character was juxtaposed with his actions. Vano was so, so afraid; yet he let himself be swept up in a whirlwind romance and even ended up the one pursuing Jason’s character when everything seemed to fall apart. His courage, in the end, was as quiet as it was present. Dick was determined to do him right.

So he concentrated on developing his voice further. He wanted it to be recognisably different from Jason’s character, but also harmonious.

Still, he couldn’t help but judge Jason’s performance.

He wasn’t bad. Honestly, this wasn’t a great script for a read-through - a lot of stuff went unsaid between the two main characters. So a little wooden-ness was expected. Dick was a bit annoyed at the way he stumbled over lines sometimes as if he was reading them for the first time, though. Unprepared partners were the worst.

Afterwards, Kate didn’t look happy. Her first critique was voluminous, including more background notes on their characters and a very detailed rundown of what had sucked about their dialogue. Ah, well. Dick didn’t mind. She wasn’t known to be a coddler.

She complimented Dick on his excellent accent, though. He thought Jason (who spoke in his own accent, or at least the one he always used in interviews and stuff) looked a bit sour at that, which pissed Dick off. He’d worked hard for this, okay. He was actually a trained and studied actor, despite what some people might think.

It also made him wary of the months ahead. Jealousy on set wasn’t cool, even if it was purely professional.

“Tomorrow we’ll go through the script scene by scene and talk through your suggestions. Is there anything fundamental you’d like to say now?” Kate asked.

Dick shook his head. This was honestly one of the best scripts he’d ever read, and he trusted her direction fully. Jason seemed to hesitate, but then he followed suit.  

Dick spent some time after talking with some of the crew members that were setting up the sets. He knew some of them from previous movie sets - Tim liked to reward good work with more, better-paid work - and was glad to chit-chat about their careers and families.

Still, Jason seemed to take his time, too. They arrived at the parking lot at about the same time.

“Can I give you a ride?” Dick offered when he noted that Jason was looking a bit lost.

“I’m actually here on my bike,” Jason said, pointing at a frankly gorgeous machine, black, sleek and utterly pretentious.

Dick mentally snorted. Of course he was. Rock star and all that

His own family sized van didn’t match up to that, but honestly, who cared.

“Okay. See you tomorrow, then.”

Jason didn’t even say goodbye, just waved. Dick was tired of him already.

When he entered the house he’d rented for the year, Dick headed straight for his studio and dropped down onto the mat. He needed a proper stretching after today and couldn’t quite face this house yet.

Mostly he was happy with it. It was spacious, including his own dance studio and a pool, and not too far away from the Wayne Brothers lot, but he was able to keep it up without no personnel beyond a cleaner and the occasional garden hand.

Days like these, it was a bit… lonely.

He would have been better off staying with his friend Donna Troy. She’d offered, after all. Dick had thought he would need some quiet to focus on this part, not to mention a room where he could practice his singing parts without annoying the shit out of everyone.

It was just that he wasn’t made for the quiet. His head got too loud when he wasn’t exercising. Usually, he filled that space by concentrating on his current role; he wasn’t precisely method but slipping into someone else’s headspace had always come easy to him. Today, though, that was exactly what he wanted to get away from.

He briefly toyed with the idea of going out and picking someone up. Getting laid worked better than pretty much anything else for him.

Except that wasn’t exactly what he wanted, either.  

Look. It wasn’t as if Dick had problems meeting people. The opposite, really. Dick knew he had a good body, okay, and he was charming enough.

He wanted something else, though. He wanted to get to know someone without them already knowing (or thinking they knew) everything about him. He wanted to be sure someone actually liked him for himself. He wanted someone to call in the evenings when he came home from set. Someone to come home to.

Dick sighed and re-arranged his limbs into a backstretch.

People wished for this kind of things all the time. He was just being silly. His mother would’ve straight up laughed at him if he went to her complaining about the drawbacks of fame, a profession he loved and obscene amounts of money.

Dropping his hips open and leaning into that delicious burn, he took out his phone and texted Donna: Going out and getting laid, yes or no? Any bar tips?

The answer was immediate.

Donna: Honey just use tinder like the rest of us

 …Why not.

 Donna: That was a joke.

 Donna: But go ahead I guess.

Thinking about it, Dick finished his routine and headed upstairs to change into some comfy sweats, then back down to the kitchen. A bowl of cereal wasn’t exactly a glamorous meal for a movie star - but neither were Dick’s cooking skills.

Grabbing a beer, he plopped down on his couch and gave in. At least the tinder app was free on the app store. Going through the set-up motions, he hit the next snag, though.

What do I use as a profile picture??? I can’t show my face on this, can I?

Donna: Use your abs

Donna: no wait

Donna: Your butt

Donna: Or maybe that’s too recognisable. Abs it is.

Dick chuckled.

  …Thanks I think.

For a second he considered just cutting something out of a promo pic or one of his dozens of semi-nude photoshoots, but who the fuck knew how well Google would be able to match these up. Dick wasn’t going to risk the headline ‘Actor famous for starring in romances is looking for hook-up on tinder’ (though of course TMZ would be far pithier than that) just for his vanity.

Though he did find some shots that hadn’t ever been released and cropped his face out of one of these. That would do. As for his username… he went with the hero of the first movie he’d ever starred in and combined that with his year of birth once the system informed him the name was taken.

After a brief hesitation, he set his sexual preferences to ‘all genders’.

Finally, everything was set up. Dick settled down to check out some hot singles in his area.

Sadly, the selection wasn’t that great. Especially with the dudes. Dick was sure that about half of them were either a decade older or younger than they pretended to be. The women were clearly better at taking selfies, too.  

It was possibly the wrong time to be picky. Dick wasn’t usually - a good smile was pretty much all it took on a good day. But hey, he had just spent the day in the company of the hottest rock star the 21st century had produced so far. Every mortal would have difficulty competing with that.

(Not with Jason’s personality though. Easily bottom 20% material there. Urgh. Dick was trying to forget about that.)

After that thought, he swiped right a few times. So far, no one had matched with him, but that was fine. He had just signed up, after all.

Then, finally, came a pic that stood out.

Funnily enough, this profile pic was as profile-less as Dick’s. All it showed was a bare back. It was mirror shot, probably, but with none of the glariness of the other pictures. The guy’s skin was almost as tanned as Dick’s, but what caught his eyes was the sheer endless mass of muscles it stretched across.

Dick swiped right.

A message appeared on the screen. ‘You matched with Rock_n_Rumble, 29’.

He switched apps and texted Donna again: There’s a cute guy! We matched! But I can’t just go meet up with him, can I? Wally would kill me

Donna: you genuinely just thought of that???

Yes^^’

Donna: Stop trying to make manga emojis happen again, Dick

Donna: Just… talk to him, flirt a bit; maybe it’ll be ok

Donna: This is    LA after all

Donna: Or he’ll just send you a dick pic

Donna: I do not want to know if either of these possibilities occurs.

I will describe everything that happens in explicit, excruciating detail.  

Dick switched back to tinder and pressed ‘OK’. A chatroom opened. He stared at the entry field for a long second, pondering how to start the conversation. He’d never felt the need for chat up lines before. Honesty and friendliness had always worked best for him. Hopefully, that would translate over into the Internet.

Nightwing86: Hi

Rock_n_Rumble: Hi.

This was where Dick would usually make a comment about the venue they were at or the way the other person looked, but… how did you compliment someone’s bare back without sounding like a total creep?

As he watched the seconds tick by without either of them writing anything, he realised that oh. Rock_n_Rumble wasn’t exactly in a better situation. Oh well, there was nothing for it then.

Nightwing86:  With a body like that - what on Earth are you doing on this site?

Rock_n_Rumble: Shouldn’t I ask you the same thing?

Rock_n_Rumble: Musician, ex-addict, grew up in New York - and also shit at flirting, in case you didn’t notice. Should I continue with that list? 

Nightwing86: Eh, you’re doing fine.

He was. Dick kinda dug the self-deprecating sarcasm. And at least he had something to work with now.

Nightwing86: Musician?

Rock_n_Rumble: I’m a guitarist

Nightwing86: Oh, you’re in a band?

Rock_n_Rumble: Kind of

Rock_n_Rumble: Nothing fixed, but I go on tour a lot. Weird staying in one place for work right now

He must be recording an album then. Considering that good guitarists in LA were like sand at a beach, Dick mentally re-evaluated the fame level of his conversation partner.

Nightwing86: I get that; I travel for work a lot too  

Rock_n_Rumble: What do you do?

Dick considered lying, but honestly, what was the point? And anyway, they were in LA. There were thousands of people calling themselves actors here.

Nightwing86: I’m an actor.

Rock_n_Rumble: oh cool. Film or theatre?  

Nightwing86: Mostly film these days. Was up on stage in NY for a bit, kinda miss it.  

Rock_n_Rumble: Oh really? When? Might’ve seen you, I went to Broadway a lot once I could afford it.

Nightwing86: its been a while, 2004-2006

That information wouldn’t give him away. Again, tons of people tried to make it on Broadway. Still, maybe he should address the fact that he wasn’t ready to talk about who he was.

Rock_n_Rumble: So I notice neither of us is forthcoming about names and identifying information.  

Rock_n_Rumble: Proposal: We stay anonymous for now, see how we get along, decide if we want to actually meet up later.

Nightwing86: oh thank god

Nightwing86: yeah, that would be great. I don’t like lying, but coming out to a stranger isn’t…

Rock_n_Rumble: same. Like, I’m technically out, but with the industry being what it is, the gossip isn’t fun.

Nightwing86: How does being ‘technically out’ work? All I ever get is ‘if you so much as breathe into the direction of someone who isn’t a cis woman we’ll kill you’

Rock_n_Rumble: It’s called ‘being a shit liar’.

Rock_n_Rumble: Also contrary enough that management knows that my reaction to being told that would probably result in me sucking a dick on stage.

Dick laughed.  

Nightwing86: Now that is a mental image to take to bed with.

Rock_n_Rumble: I like that we’ve been chatting for ten minutes and I’ve already got a kink noted down.  

Nightwing86: You remember you’re talking to an actor, right? Pretty sure we’re 85% exhibitionists.

Rock_n_Rumble: …okay, that’s a fair point.

Rock_n_Rumble: Still noting it down, though.

Nightwing86: Please tell me you’re not literally doing that.

Rock_n_Rumble: Maybe.

Rock_n_Rumble: Look, you want to exchange numbers? I’m not going to stay on this platform, I think.

Nightwing86: Aww, am I enough for you?

Nightwing86: 344-394-2222. Do me a favour and don’t pass that on.

Rock_n_Rumble: Promise. I’ll text you, just one sec.

Barely a few seconds later, a WhatsApp message popped up: Hi it’s Rock_n_Rumble. Thought this might work out better than text if you’re travelling a lot, too.

After some consideration, Dick saved the contact as ‘R_n_R’. The consideration was mostly about adding a butt or shoulder emoji to it, but he decided to be classy instead.

Out of curiosity, he checked out the WhatsApp profile of the other guy. Sadly, the pic was of a bright red guitar. His own was of the bird plushie that had accompanied him through his childhood and ever since, though, so he probably shouldn’t complain.

Hi again. Good thinking.

R_n_R: Oh good, it’s you and not someone completely unsuspecting.

R_n_R: So what are you up to? Apart from tindering, obviously.

Trying to decide if I want to watch something. Any Netflix recs?

Dick later mentally congratulated himself, because that question started a conversation that lasted for at least half an hour. Their taste didn’t seem too different, though Dick kinda had to snort when R_n_R recommended some of his own movies to him. In the end, they settled on ‘Luther’, because Idris Elba and murder. How exactly ‘recommend me a movie’ had turned into ‘let’s watch this series at the same time and shoot the shit over text’, Dick wasn’t sure, but it was pretty fun.

So fun, actually, that it took a text from Donna to remind him how much time had passed.

Donna: So how was it? Don’t leave me hanging, bird-boy.

I’m getting rid of tinder. All I got were three dick pics and two girls accusing me of catfishing them using Dick Grayson’s photos. Another girl explained to me that headless pics usually mean someone is married or in a relationship and doesn’t want their significant other to see. She called me an asshole for that, that’s why she even swiped right. Then she blocked me.

And if Dick was honest… he kinda liked the thought of trying this with Rock_n_Rumble, and Rock_n_Rumble only. The first person he’d talked to on there. The only one he connected to, even if only on a superficial level so far.

(Yes, he had screenshotted and saved that picture. Whatever.)

Donna: One gender clearly came out ahead in this.

And the cute guy is still chatting with me. We’re keeping it anon for now though. It’s been an hour and no sex talk, so I guess he’s legit.

Donna: facepalm Dick, do you ever consider your life might’ve turned into a romantic comedy?

We’re just talking.

Donna: Right. Well, I’ll leave you to do that. Good night, Dick. Have fun.

[archivistsrock]

Tagged by @forever-and-almost-always Thanks! :)

rules: tag nine people you want to know better and answer the questions

favorite color: Don’t have one. Blue at the moment?

top three ships: Currently, really only Neal/Peter and Peter/Elizabeth/Neal (from White Collar, of course). I’m kind of a one-show girl when it comes to shipping and fandom. Previous ships include: Jack/Daniel from Stargate SG-1. Riker/Troi from Star Trek: TNG.  There was another ship in there, but it’s too embarrassing, so I’ll keep it to myself. lololol

last song: “Pictures of You” by The Cure. Just had my iphone on shuffle on the bus ride home.

last movie: Hmmmmmm. I think maybe How It Ends? On Netflix. I don’t watch movies very often. I don’t remember the last movie I saw in the theater. But I do have tickets for “Us” next week!

tagging: Anyone who wants to play!

[daleisgreat]

20 Years of PS2: Flashback Special

October 26th this year marked the 20th anniversary of the North American launch of the PlayStation 2 (PS2) and I am ready to commemorate it with another flashback special recounting my highlighted highs and lows with the system since its launch. Like with my previous console retrospectives I have un-vaulted a few of my older podcast episodes focused on the PS2 and uploaded them to YouTube that you can check out embedded at the bottom of this piece for your listening pleasure. One of those episodes was recorded around the then-10th anniversary of the PS2 in 2010 where we brought on two hosts from the PSnation podcast and we waxed nostalgic for three hours about our favorite PS2 games and memories. The episode proved to be our most downloaded ever to the point we had to purchase more web server space to handle the downloads. Now I think the best way to start off this special on the PS2 would be to remember that leading up to its October 26th, 2000 launch, that it was impossible to ignore….. ….The Hype The PS2 was the first Sony console I purchased. I never owned a PSone because our family opted with the N64 (of which I have no regrets and many great memories of), and by the time I got my first job a decent way into 1999 where I could afford a system with my own income, it was either heavily speculated at that point or confirmed the PS2 would be backwards compatible with PSone games. This was a big deal learning of this in 1999. Up until that point in America, backwards compatibility only hit consoles (excluding handhelds) in small waves with the limited Master System library working on the Genesis with an adaptor, and the under-performing Atari 7800 having back-compat built inside the hardware so it could play 2600 games. So for having the mega-successful PSone library being guaranteed to work on the PS2 on launch day sold me on saving my money on a PSone system and waiting for the PS2.

The other big selling point for the PS2 was that it would be the first game console in America to support DVD movies. DVD players first started hitting in America in 1997, but it was a very slow growth process for them because they remained at a high price point their first few years on the market, and VHS tapes were exponentially cheaper. For you younger kids growing up with streaming tech, I feel obligated to say how big a deal was that PS2 was able to play DVDs. When I first saw what DVDs could do in 1999 at a friend’s place I was blown away with no longer having to rewind tapes, being able to pick certain scenes to jump to, interactive menus, extra bonus features and the big jump in picture quality. This is also why Dominic Toretto and his motley crew were hijacking semis in the first Fast & Furious film in 2001 for their precious DVD player cargo. With the PS2 being able to play PSone games, having guaranteed third party support from most of the PSone game publishers, being able to play audio CDs (which were still a major seller in 2000) and DVDs all for the launch price of $299 made the system garner mammoth hype leading up to the October 26, 2000 launch. The Launch After instantly getting sold on DVDs at my friend’s place in 1999, I started to collect some of my favorite movies on DVD leading up to the PS2’s launch and by launch day I believe I had roughly a dozen movies already with some of my then-recent favorite films at the time like Fight Club, Go and Detroit Rock City being early DVD favorites. The console was the first game product I remember our local Software Etc. offering to pre-order, and I was able to pre-order early enough to confirm a system for me at launch, which was a relief after hearing how Sony announced shortly before the launch they would be reducing the amount of systems available at launch by half from one million to 500,000. I pestered a co-worker at the time, Troy, a couple months before launch if he would be able give me a ride to the store that day to pick it up since the store was opening early before school started and he gave me his word. I thought it was not going to happen when he quit where I worked a few weeks before the launch, but somehow I was able to figure out where his next job was at and called him up at his other job a couple days before the PS2 launch to see if he would still honor his word and he assured me so. I showed Troy many thanks by covering breakfast for him that morning!

22 games launched with the PS2, and despite the variety, there was never a ‘killer app’ on the PS2’s launch. Despite Sony being a powerhouse of a first party publisher on the PSone, they only had one game available for the PS2 at launch with the puzzle game, Fantavision. I have always felt the PS2 launch got an unfair look over the years, as indicated in this AV Club piece. While there was never one end-all-be-all game, there were still plenty of solid ‘fans of the genre’ titles in my opinion. Racing game fans were covered with Ridge Racer V, the original Midnight Club and MotoGP. Over the years I became a fan of the three launch PS2 tag-focused fighting games Street Fighter EX3, Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore and especially putting a ton of time into the first Tekken Tag Tournament. FPS fans had a solid port of Unreal Tournament, and the heavily anticipated TimeSplitters with the gaming press at the time hyping it up to be the GoldenEye-killer since a fair amount of the development team worked on that hit FPS title. EA Sports had their latest NHL and Madden entries at launch, and the first game under their “EA Sports BIG” label with the original SSX. I think it is forgotten at that time the gaming mags and early online gaming press outlets heralding SSX as the surprise best original game out of the PS2 launch. For myself all I wanted was TimeSplitters and Madden NFL 2001. I knew my friend and former podcast co-host, Chris would be picking up TimeSplitters, so I stuck with Madden and a memory card for my pre-orders. Troy and I got there an hour before the store opened, and only one other person was ahead of us in line, so we were in and out of there in a breeze….only after the store manager jipped me out of a memory card I pre-ordered because there was a shortage on those too, but apparently the manager got first priority on the several she pre-ordered and offered to sell me one outside the store. I asked if it would be for MSRP, and she just gave me a knowing grin, and I was not having any of that and said no thanks and was fine waiting for their call when their next shipment of memory cards arrived (which was only about a week later, and for Madden it was not that much to get worked up over).

Those first few months of the PS2 launch from late 2000 into early 2001 were a memorable time during my senior year of high school. I played a plethora of Madden NFL 2001 against my neighbor friend Rich, and my brother-in-law, Shawn. I watched the hell out of those first dozen DVDs and threw in a few random PSone games I picked up too. Chris picked up several PS2 games at launch and for about two weekends a month I met up with him and the two primary games we played were TimeSplitters and Tekken Tag. The original TimeSplitters blew us away with its customization options for FPS multiplayer with being able to play against a huge variety of bots and in-depth level creation editors. We would create a map where we started in a room with all the ammo and weapon pickups, and a sea of mindless bots would march down a lengthy hallway to enter a room where we would be anticipating their entrance so they could rush into a hasty demise. I totally devoured Tekken Tag with Chris and got into its roster of characters and tag-style fighting, and especially its five star bowling mini-game, Tekken Bowl. Chris’s family had access to purchase bulk boxes of those rectangular bricks of school cafeteria pizza, and I have nostalgic memories putting away that delicious pizza while consuming the PS2 launch window games. Early-through-Summer 2001: My First Apartment Three Blocks Away From a Blockbuster Video As the months wore on after the launch window, the only early 2001 game I really enjoyed was the PS2 port of Quake III, even with its ridiculous loading times! For not having a powerhouse PC at that time, it was a fun alternative to experience the deathmatch chaos that was dominating the PC scene at the time. In the spring I got Onimusha: Warlords, and while I was digging the samurai/zombie action, the Capcom tank controls eventually got the best of me and I had to step away from it after a few hours. It was not until well into the summer of 2001 that I started experimenting more with the PS2 library when I got my first apartment with my friend Matt. We lived a few blocks away from a Blockbuster Video and so we made frequent trips there on weekends chancing random games that popped out to us. We did not have a computer at our place, and the high-speed Internet era was about another year or two from catching on, so that was one of the last years you could really just chance a game by going by the box and from whatever was available in print at the time.

Capcom debuted two classic single player franchises in the first year of the PS2 in the forms of Devil May Cry (left) and Onimusha: Warlords (right) We rented plenty of stuff throughout the remainder of 2001. Some titles like the quirky action/adventure game, Okage, was decent, but nothing remarkable. Others we ate up like Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, where it perfectly encapsulated the addicting hack ‘n slash, action-RPG loot-fest gameplay of the acclaimed PC Diablo series on console. We took turns passing the controller progressing away at the stylistic action title Devil May Cry, which blew us away back then. Speaking of stylistic Capcom titles, we re-busted out Onimusha and I witnessed Matt get past my hang-ups and go on to blitz through it. It recently got remastered on PS4/Xbox One and worth checking out if you have yet not. Summoner was a so-so fantasy themed action game, but we were looking at the options screen for that game and for whatever reason we decided to check out the credits from the options. After a minute of that we realized this was a waste of time and pressed the X button to proceed on out of there, and instead were bamboozled at the following bonus cinematic it unlocked. We must have watched it at least four or five times throughout the day, because we got more out of that sketch than Summoner itself. It was a radio skit that was CG animated for this game and kind of went on to have some notoriety in gaming circles, but if you are unaware than I will encourage you to click or press here to experience it for yourself. Holiday 2001: A Flurry of All-Time Classics Arrive

The fall of 2001 was a big quarter for PS2. Several classic exclusives hit that holiday season for it. Metal Gear Solid 2 was the first entry in the series I played. Matt and I rented it, but its stealth-focused gameplay was too much for us at the time and both us kept messing up sneaking through the speech scene near the end of the opening boat mission. It would be over a decade before I revisited it and finally played through it in its entirety off the PS3 HD collection of the PS2 and PSP games. I loved both Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater, but I would have to give the nudge in favor to Snake Eater with its superb origin story, nonstop 007-homages, an extraordinary ladder climb like no other, one of the best theme songs in videogame history and one of the best final boss battles in videogame history too. The first of many yearly WWF/WWE games hit in fall of 2001 with WWF Smackdown: Just Bring It. We had the multi-tap, and for that game it greatly benefitted because it became a hit with our neighbor friends where we would play a seemingly infinite amount of Royal Rumbles and Survival elimination matches. I threw it in again a few days ago to prep up for this and to relive the dozen zany created wrestlers that still lived on in my save file. The graphics have come a long way I can say for sure! Twisted Metal: Black was a big deal for Matt and I at the time. The gritty, M-rated cutscenes for each character’s opening, middle and ending cinemas that were unlocked from their story mode completions inspired Matt and I to play through the story mode in co-op with every single character. Thankfully the game saved the cinemas unlocked, because Matt and I were so impressed by how they stood out at the time that we forced them upon several friends that stopped by over the coming weeks. Gameplay-wise, it was a well-refined, straightforward Twisted Metal car combat game, but its M-rated makeover from the T-rated PSone entries struck a chord with us.

Speaking of M-rated games that were huge for us that year, that was when Grand Theft Auto III released and changed the gaming landscape as we know it. I was vaguely familiar with the first two games, but with the third one having 3D gameplay and a more expansive open world, it seemed like it would be a surefire hit, and boy was it ever. I loved SimCopter on PC (an early 3D open world game), and the gaming mag previews gave me the impression that it would be SimCopter, but with guns and violence, and it delivered on that front in spades. I dug its primary narrative for it too, but I think it is safe to say that I was like nearly everyone else and eventually wound up having more fun getting lost and immersed in Liberty City’s world and eventually causing so much mayhem just to see how long I could hold up against a five star wanted rating. 2002: Highs and Lows The early months of 2002 I recall was when I kept going back to those same fall 2001 games I just broke down, but later came around on going all in on those aforementioned PS2 fighting games. I picked up a copy of Tekken Tag for myself around this time and invested a lot of time into it. I took a chance on Street Fighter EX3 and after getting over the initial awkwardness of a 3D-based Street Fighter game I got crazy into EX3 with its devastating meteor attacks, optional tag team fighting and its colorful cast of characters such as the affable Skull-o-Mania! This was right when Guilty Gear X released too and I absolutely ate up that title with it upping the WTF quotient like no other fighter before it. Its unique roster performed all kinds of bizarre attacks, and learning its intricate control systems with complex mechanics like instant kill maneuvers and ‘roman cancels’ had me studying its manual for days!

In late spring of 2002 I moved out of my first apartment so my renting marathons with Matt were over, but shortly-thereafter I landed my first sort-of major gaming press gig. I was independently submitting reviews to GameFAQs for a few years at this point, and the management at the website Game 2 Extreme (G2X) contacted me to coming on board and said while they would not pay me, they would offer me free review copies of games. As a freshly turned 19 year-old, I looked at this as an opportunity to bigger and better things and jumped on it. I will never forget the very first review copy I received for the so-so monster truck driving game, Monster Jam: Maximum Destruction. I spent the rest of the decade jumping to different websites to write for every couple years and lost track of all the titles I got to review. I can attest for the PS2 there was a wide range in quality of titles I received to review. For some of the higher performing games like SOCOM III, Hitman 2 and Star Wars: Battlefront I was able to review, there were bottom of the barrel licensed titles like Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly and Hard Rock Casino to balance things out. Also around this time of mid-2002 my PS2 became my first console to brick on me. Worst of all, it was a gradual, painful death. First, it stopped reading blue-disc games on CD-ROMs, and then it started getting sketchy performance out of certain silver-disc games on DVD-ROMs. My brother at this time had his own PS2 that he won in a local grocery store contest a few months earlier. The PS2 network adaptor coincidentally came out in mid-2002 as well and he was freaking addicted to playing the original SOCOM online all the time. I did not want to shell out $300 for another system so I believe after testing that SOCOM still worked fine on my degrading PS2 I offered to trade my breaking-down PS2, for his newer model for $100 and the condition that if my system I was trading to him would stop playing SOCOM that I would go back on the trade. Thank goodness that never came to be, and as an impressionable 19-year-old at the time I became kind of bitter to the PS2 for a few years with it being the first system I purchased to break down on me. A few years later though after having a couple 360s and my PS3 also all brick on me, I later came to accept that sometimes these systems go bad, especially when getting the first wave of systems rushed through manufacturing in time for launch. For the last two game console generations I have since waited a couple years after each system launch to purchase it in hopes of the console’s manufacturing process being less prone to producing faulty hardware. Sports-ball Love There was a ton of sports games on PS2 and I was lucky to review a lot of them. The football titles in particular I had to plead with editors not to trim down on 3000+ word counts because I exclaimed how the readers wanted to know each and every little detail of what was improved and added in the latest game. I had fun reviewing some of Midway’s arcade sports offerings that generation with NFL Blitz 20-02 and MLB Slugfest: Loaded. Another quirky arcade baseball game was 2K endorsing Konami to release MLB Power Pros in North America. It was a cartoony, cel-shaded baseball game that saw adorable pint-sized versions of MLB players duking it out, but fleshed out with in-depth single player modes. On the PSone I was happy to see Arena Football finally receive its own videogame, and on the PS2, EA acquired the license and released two AFL games that were faithful renditions of the sport, especially the second game that added both AFL divisions. They were sadly the last games released to get the AFL branding as the long running indoor football league finally folded operations last year after a 30-year run.

Two under-the-radar sports series I recommend tracking down on the PS2 are the Power Pros and Arena Football games. I played almost all of the 2K games on Xbox, but as I mentioned above I played a lot of Madden and NCAA Football on PS2 because the PS2 versions had exclusive online support for a couple years, and additionally because of my rivalry with my brother-in-law, Shawn. This generation saw both of EA’s football games explode in popularity and it was no longer apparent the NCAA game was the NFL title slapped with college teams and rules over it. Shawn and I played a lot of Madden at first, but eventually shifted over to the NCAA games more, with the 2003 and 2004 editions we especially played to death. I liked the variety of teams and unique playbooks, and found myself picking Navy a lot because of their unorthodox playbook that focused on fullback running plays. Shawn only played the football games to the point where I could hardly compete with him. One priceless memory of mine was having an awful game full of turnovers and pick-6s, and I swear to god I am not embellishing this: we were playing five minute quarters and it got to the point I wanted a moral victory to avoid a shutout and make one score, and somehow luck struck on one play where I connected on a deep throw in the final minutes of the game and proceeded infuriate my brother-in-law as I celebrated as if I won the game. I understood his frustrations because I will forever remember the final score of that game: 100-6. A Terrific Twilight The PS2 sold so well into the 360/PS3/Wii generation that its cross-gen viability lead to a regular slate of games releasing through 2009-ish, and a handful of sports titles sneaking out after that with the final PS2 game, Pro Evolution Soccer 2013, being released in North America in 2012. If you were keeping up with release schedules, you will notice that two types of games dominated the PS2 in its cross-gen years. One were ports of PSP games from Sony, with titles like Motorstorm: Arctic Edge and the pair of Syphon Filter games getting ported up to the PS2. The Wii was technologically not that far advanced from the PS2, so a lot of cash-cow licensed games on Wii also got ported to PS2 with titles like X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Ghostbusters being completely different playing games by other developers when compared to the bigger budget versions on the 360 and PS3. Some PS2 exclusives also snuck out in this timeframe like the first two Katamari titles and the first two Guitar Hero games. I was a big fan of both games and invested serious time into both series. There are many fond holiday 2005 moments of passing the guitar around to family members trying to best each other’s high scores.

I recall being stoked that the PS2 became the first home console in North America to get an official FirePro Wrestling game with 2007’s FirePro Wrestling Returns. I remember speaking to some of the people working for its publisher, Agetec, at E3 and how excited they were that they finally got Sony to loosen up on its restrictions of releasing 2D games on the system now that the PS2 was in its waning years. Another hit stealth PS2 release from this time was Silent Hill: Shattered Memories that hit America in early 2010. I had a friend visiting from out of town that was huge into the series, but was unaware of this PS2 entry and so we stayed up all night deep diving into that unique take on the series. The first two Yakuza games hit late in the PS2’s lifecycle and I was especially eager to play them because they were being hyped as spiritual successor’s to the Shenmue games that I ranked so high. I played a good ways into the first Yakuza, but recall getting stuck at a funeral escape stage in that game, and unfortunately never got back to it. Yakuza 3 on PS3 is the only title in the series I finished, and now with the Kiwami remakes of the first two games I need to one day just dedicate a year to only playing the many Yakuza games that have since released. MISC Memories -I never got too invested into the online PS2 scene. Usually that was because my brother was always using the PS2 to play SOCOM online a lot. I would use it from time to time to test out online play for games I was reviewing, with Star Wars: Battlefront and SOCOM 3’s online play standing out the most of what I reviewed. I do recall taking up Sony on its mail-in offer for a free copy of Twisted Metal: Black – Online with purchase of the PS2 network adaptor and having fun online in that for a couple weeks. My brother got the PS2 version of Final Fantasy XI, and I briefly dabbled in that for a couple hours, and it was interesting at that time playing an MMO on a console with a controller. The original Xbox had a significantly better online interface with Xbox Live, so that became my preferred console online play option. Only exception to this was for the 2003/2004 installments of Madden and NCAA Football because EA Sports held off on implementing online play for their Xbox games for a couple years, and that was key for me opting in on their PS2 versions when both of those football titles were surging in popularity and lead to the most consistent online play I did with PS2.

-There were so many PS2 games being released in its heyday from 2001-2006 that I would take random payday visits to Best Buy when they had gargantuan videogame aisles in hopes of discovering games I never heard of from smaller label publishers. This worked out both ways in learning of little known ‘hidden gems’ of that era, and eventually finding utter trash. -One odd peripheral I received for review was the PS2 ‘Clash Pads.’ It was a pair of controllers that were connected together with a little accessory box that had switches to give your gaming partner/opponent advantages and disadvantages for gameplay. The controller was a mess to operate, and the added perks and penalties it implemented were mind-boggling. I will instead recommend Namco’s light gun for the Time Crisis games….but only if you still have a standard-def TV. -Popular in the retro gaming scene lately is HDMI cables for retro game consoles to up-convert a system’s signal to HD and provide a much improved looking display than the muddy, watered down graphics that would result when plugging in composite cables into an HDTV. I picked up the HDMI PS2 cables from Pound last year, and they worked nicely on my slim PS2. I understand there are more expensive alternatives out there that yield noticeably better results, but for $30, the Pound cables provided enough of a bump up in quality for me.

-I busted out several games over the past week to prep up for this flashback special. I was finally able to play my copy of the BMX title, Downhill Domination and regretted not trying it out sooner. I had a blast revisiting a couple old favorites in Rumble Racing and Motorstrom: Arctic Edge. Wish I could have tried out more games, but the PS2 was giving me ‘read disc errors’ with half of my attempts and I could not determine if it was the HD cables causing this or if it was the PS2 itself simply aging out. -I touched on a couple wrestling games on the PS2 already, but as a whole I would give the slate of wrestling games for the PS2 in America a hearty thumbs up. I believe I played the entirety and unlocked everything from all the first-run SmackDown games on PS2. When firing up Just Bring It again, I cracked a smile because I completely forgot Fred Durst was a playable character, complete with “Rollin’” for his entrance theme. FirePro Wrestling Returns was a long anticipated console debut for the franchise in America. Multi-platform games I played on other systems like the car-combat spinoff, WWE Crush Hour and the pair of Backyard Wrestling games were fun alternative wrestling games to take a break from the annual core WWE game. Yes, there was a car combat WWE game, and it is surprisingly halfway-decent. I picked up the PS2 version of TNA Impact, but it was a victim of the ‘disc read error’ from the past week. Ditto with the Ultimate MUSCLE-licensed Galactic Wrestling. I picked that one up long ago, but never played it all these years and was stoked to sit down with it on a couple occasions this past week to play it, but alas it was not meant to be.

-A game that was able to load on the PS2 this past week was Namco Bandai’s The Fast and the Furious. It turned out to be an ok-open world street racing game, much like Need for Speed: Underground on the PS2, but with more of a focus on drag races. Odd memory of the day I picked up this game I will never forget: I was out of town for a hockey game killing time at a pawn shop a couple hours beforehand with a buddy where I randomly bought this with a handful of other games. In a gut-punch of irony, it was later after the game while re-fueling on gas, I was catching up on my timelines when I found out earlier that day was when Paul Walker perished. -Another game I was hoping to throw in this past week was 24: The Game. I am a huge fan of the show, and I remember playing a demo of it at E3 2005 and thinking it was surprisingly alright for a licensed-based game. Sadly, that disc was also a victim of the ‘disc read error’ message, so instead I will point everyone to this highly entertaining spoof video review you can see by click or pressing here from then-GameSpot staff member, Alex Navarro.

-Speaking of PS2 games based off licensed TV properties, I want to shout out The Shield: The Game. It was a very by-the-numbers third person action game, and featured unremarkable gameplay, but having the show’s cast well represented visually and aurally in the form of voiceovers was enough to quench my fandom for that show. Despite the five out of ten I gave it in my review at the time, if you were a ardent fan of The Shield, then it was just something you had to play. -I am a big fan of the PS2 slim, but it is worth mentioning a major caveat of the slim: it does not support the PS2 multi-tap for reasons perplexing me to this very day!

-It is almost a prerequisite that I purchase faithful videogame conversions of my favorite board games and TV game shows every console generation and the PS2 was no exception. It had an adequate version of Risk with multi-tap support which was a semi-worthy substitute when we were not up for setting up the board game. Its versions of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune had a bountiful amount of hosting video clips from Trebek and Vanna, respectively, to perfectly capture the look and feel of the show. The PS2’s version of Family Feud however is easily the worst version I have ever played. Insanely short entry response times, unresponsive button inputs and overall clunky design forever marred the Family Feud brand! Looking back at my review I am guffawed that I scored this a six out of ten. -The last fighting game I was really into on PS2 than the others previously mentioned was Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution. I first played it at Chris’s place like how he introduced me to most other fighting games, and Chris would school me at it nonstop. A short while later, I was staying over at my sister and brother-in-law’s place where they also had that game. I stayed up late after they went to bed and spent hours mastering Wolf since he was the sole pro-wrestler of the roster. Next time I met up with Chris I finally won ONE match against him, but after that he refused to play me again!

-Now while I gushed earlier of my adoration for TimeSplitters during the launch window of PS2, I would be remiss if I did not give some well-earned props to the third game in the series, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. In the past several years, that game has remained in the rotation of go-to couch multiplayer game with my friends Derek, Brooke and Ryan. It retains the same style of FPS gameplay and creation options as the first game, but now with a ton of extra characters, weapons and levels available. My preferred playlist would be rocking the disco level with its appropriate theme music, and playing as a big bear (complete with bear claw strike!) and whamming everyone with gigantic bananas on the dance floor. Classic times! One of the Best Systems Ever? That is what hardware sales and overall critical reception trend to be when looking back at the PS2. While I now look back fondly at the PS2 as a whole, especially my first two years owning the system, I cannot deny for a few years in the system’s heyday I was not too keen on the system due to it bricking on me and preferred playing games on Xbox and GameCube instead. Like I stated above, I came around on this a few years later and had a blast with the PS2 in its cross-gen sunset years, and revisited its vast library numerous times over the years. While I cannot say it is my personal, all-time favorite console, I can safely rank it among my top tier of favorite systems.

If you want even more PS2 nostalgia coverage from me, then check out the three PS2-centric episodes of my podcast I have un-vaulted from my personal archives and embedded below. Right now I have my general all-encompassing PS2 retrospective I recorded on its 10th anniversary and the PS2/Xbox/Wii installment of the history of comic book videogames episode uploaded. Finishing it off is the PS2 installment in our history of RPG videogames series.

This episode has special guest hosts from the PSnation podcast where we deep dive for three hours of nostalgic memories of the PS2.

Matt and I spare no expense at elucidating on every major and minor comic book game on the PS2.

Just over three hours we spend breaking down nearly every RPG to hit the PS2! My Other Gaming Flashbacks Dreamcast 20th Anniversary GameBoy 30th Anniversary Genesis 30th Anniversary NES 35th Anniversary PSone 25th Anniversary PSP 15th Anniversary and Neo-Geo 30th Anniversary Saturn and Virtual Boy 25th Anniversaries TurboGrafX-16 30th Anniversary and 32-X 25th Anniversary

You’re Still Here!?

Somehow you still made it to the end of another tome of a flashback special from me, so that means I must reward you with an oddball PS2 anecdote of my past! I referenced in past specials how I attended several retro videogame conventions that took place every year in Milwaukee - The Midwest Gaming Classic. At the time the podcast known as Team Fremont Live would always host Jeopardy-style game show each year. My brother and I were picked to be contestants that year! To spice things up for the crowd and get them involved, after every few questions of trivia there would be a quick videogame challenge for extra points and prizes for the crowd and/or contestant. I got picked to play a single stage of the space shooter/shmup, Castle Shikigami 2. Two incredibly loud kids got picked from the crowd got selected to only verbally trash talk and distract me, and if I lost one life then the kids would get a game, but if I somehow overcame the odds and finished a level on a single life then I would win. Now I enjoy playing an occasional shmup, especially in March (it is intergalactic Shmuppreaction month, ya’know!), but I nowhere consider myself legitimately good at the genre and usually lose at least a couple lives a level for almost any shooter I play. Somehow the shmup gods were on my side that day, because even with one of those kids unleashing maximum effort with trash talk directly against my ear, I somehow zoned them out and unbelievably managed to finish the stage and beat the boss with one life. I was at zenith-level of goosebumps during that boss battle and had a cool-down moment of emotions as soon as let go of the arcade stick. My prize? Metal Gear Solid 2, which I would eventually give a serious effort to and finish several years later! That moment, along with the 100-6 loss in NCAA Football 2004, are my two most cherished PS2 moments I will forever remember….and now you can too, because the MGC staff record my attempt and posted it on YouTube. I have embedded it below, or you can click or press here to see it yourself.