#I feel like this game + Oxenfree + a few others came out close enough together that it could be called a trend | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

yourdeepestfathoms · 5 years ago

Text

Olly Olly Oxenfree (part one)

An fic based on the indie horror game, OXENFREE!

or: Joan and Cathy are step-sisters and fuck shit up for everyone, the AU

Also it’s super dialogue heavy I’m so sorry-

also also- Cathy has a beanie

TW: Underage drinking and one (1) weed brownie that’s vaguely mentioned

———————

Ask A Man About A Dog

“It used to be a military base! Well...it used to be a ranching thing, then it turned into a military thing, then it became a bird thing and museum and- whatever! Henry Fonda found a station here for a bit. Unless that’s wrong...”

“Who’s Henry Fonda?”

“And around Christmas time, this little breakfast place used to sell these AMAZING polar bear sugar cookies! MAN, those were good! But then they had to go and change the recipe and ruin it.... Joan, hey? Still with us?”

Joan blinked and looked up from the wine-dark waves lapping at the side of the ferry. She turned, feeling the sensation of pins and needles spreading up her arm thanks to how long she had been leaning against the guard rail, and faced the two girls standing a few feet away from her.

The first was familiar- she was around her height, pale, and had her hair done up in magnificent spacebuns that just screamed that her personality was eccentric. She was grinning like a mischievous gremlin- or maybe a raccoon, to be more realistic, however “monkey” jumped out at Joan, too.

The second was less familiar- very tall, dark skin, and her hair done in a way that would make Joan’s head hurt if she attempted it with her own. At first glances, this girl gave off a bookish appearance, but she seems more extroverted than Joan had been expecting, probably because of the beanie she was wearing (it was most likely just there because of the cold). Still, the image of an owl still remained.

“Yeah, sorry,” She finally said, learning how to speak and enunciate again. She pulled her grey coat closer around her. “My mind drifted for a second.”

Anne scanned her for a moment. Despite being outlandish and wild, she still worried over her friends when she thought something was wrong. That’s one of the many things Joan liked about her.

After the frisk with her eyes, she nodded, then wheeled around on her heels so she would be facing the other two.

“So, you’re all moved in?” She asked.

“Uh— not- not really.” The second girl answered. “I just got in this morning.”

“And how did her mum meet your mum again?” Anne continued with the questioning.

The girl laughed slightly. “They met on vacation in Scotland. She got lost in a— actually, I’m not even gonna tell this story.”

“Uhh, yes, please don’t,” Joan jumped back in. “We don’t need to relive their meet-cute anymore than we have to.”

The waves of the ocean jars the boat slightly. Joan doesn’t miss the way the dark-skinned girl clenches one hand on the guard rail. Anne, however, doesn’t even stumble as she makes her way to the deck to look out on the nearby island.

“And you guys just met tonight?” She asked.

“Yeah,” The girl swiveled around to keep Anne in her sights. “I was, umm... Out of school and the time just had never worked out, so...”

“And what does that make you, then?”

Joan and the girl exchange looks, blinking. They both turn back to Anne, whose eyebrows are raised in interest. That gremlin side of her was coming out strong.

“A, uh...” The girl uses her free hand to scratch her head. “A second cousin?”

“She’s my step-sister.” Joan said cooly. Out of the corner of her eye she sees the girl smile at her slightly.

“Oh yeah,” Anne laughed. “I forgot that was even a thing!”

Once again Joan and the girl give each other glances. Joan notes how she seems more relaxed after her step-sister statement, which makes her oddly happy.

“Well, you seem cool!” Anne began again, “Cool girl, cool hat...you get a cool new sibling living right in your house!” She smirks, “Sharing your toothbrush...wearing your clothes...”

“No, that’s-” Joan’s voice falters. She hears the girl snort into her hand. “That’s the weird part. Don’t make it weird, Anne! Getting a new sister isn’t like- like getting a puppy or something.”

“No, yeah, it’s been totally bizarre.” The girl said. “But, for the record,” She looks at Joan, “I don’t consider you to be a pet.”

Those words are left awkwardly hanging in the air before the waves seem to wash them away with another bob to the boat. The girl clenches her hand on the railing again, and uses the other to straighten her beanie, which the wind had been trying to rip right off of her head.

“So...” She started. “How did you two meet?”

“Oh, from way back when! Like, Paleozoic! Grade school era!” Anne said enthusiastically. “Young enough that I’ve seen her naked in a bathtub and it wasn’t sexual at all. I mean, we both looked like little skinned potato blobs-”

“Ahhh, Anne!!” Joan squealed. She could feel her ears flaming red. The girl at her side gave a laugh. “Why are you even talking about that?!”

“It’s humorous!” Anne giggled. Before she could go on and possibly embarrass Joan again, a voice on the ferry’s loudspeaker speaks up.

“PASSENGERS, WE WILL BE ARRIVING SOON. CHECK UNDER YOUR SEAT TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVEN’T LEFT ANY OF YOUR PERSONAL BELONGINGS.”

And, as it did so, Anne repeated the speech in a bored, stoic voice.

“How do you-?” Joan tilted her head.

“It’s a recording. They always play it.” Anne tells her before she could even finish. “Oh!” A new idea has already popped into her head. “We should get a picture! All of us!”

“Sure, why not.” Joan shrugged. “Come on, Cath.”

The girl nodded and finally pried her hand loose from the guard rail. They both walked over to Anne, who held up her phone and snapped a photo of all of them.

“There, great!” Anne beamed. “Also...it’s Catherine, right?”

“Yeah,” The girl nodded. “But just call me Cathy.”

“Cool! Oh, hey, Joan! You brought the radio, right?”

“Of course,” Joan said, then pulled a small, portable radio out of her pocket. “What’s it for, exactly?” She craned her head around to look at Cathy, “She sent me around twenty messages in all caps to bring this thing.”

Cathy laughed.

“You’ll see,” Anne said. “Trust me, it’ll be cool!”

A horn blares as the mist rolling over the ocean in its own waves of white parted so they could see an island coming up. The ferry begins to slow before coming to a halt at the docks. Anne eagerly bounced off, followed by Joan and Cathy.

“Smell the clean air, boys and girls! Err- Girls! This ain’t city livin’.” Anne said, “So, the others should be up and around the bend and...”

“Actually-” Cathy started abruptly. “I don’t mean to break us up already but- Anne, can I have a moment with Joan?”

“Uhh-” Anne blinked. “Really? I-”

“Is something wrong?” Joan looked up at Cathy- it was only then that she realized how tall the older girl really was. “What is it?”

“Nothing’s wrong, nothing’s wrong,” Cathy said, sensing her worry. “It’ll take, like, two minutes. Super fast.”

“I really don’t want to go up by myself-”

“No, I need to hear this, Anne. We’ll meet you up ahead, okay?” Joan said.

Anne’s mouth hung half open for a moment before she blinked and scratched her head.

“Umm- Alright. This is a weird way to start out...splitting up...” She said as she began walking away. Soon, she was out of sight, shrouded by the dark fog, and only the sound of the waves lapping the rocky shore was left behind.

But only for a moment.

“Listen,” Cathy started. She looked sheepish. “I just wanted to catch you ahead of time and say you’ve been...cool...about everything. And I guess just for me I’ve- you know, I’ve never moved around anywhere, and getting a new family during it all feels like I’m skipping the training wheels.” She pauses, then hurried to continue, thinking that that was a bad place to stop. “Not that it’s bad it anything! You and your mum have been great.”

“Eh, we’ll make do.” Joan said, shrugging her shoulders to try and mask her own anxiety with the whole thing. “Lemons, lemonade- however that goes.”

“An optimist.” Cathy said bitterly. “Oh, Christ.” She laughed. Joan laughs, too.

It feels nice to laugh with a sister.

“Oh, and thanks for setting up the attic for me. It’s cool how it’s like a little bedroom!”

(It feels nice to laugh with a sister again)

“That was, uhh-”

A pang of pain stabs right into Joan’s heart, wrenching it until it was mush in her chest. She glances wryly at the dark ocean water nearby and then can’t pry her eyes away. If she squints, she swore she could see a flailing figure...

“Joan?”

Cathy’s voice cut through the roaring waves in her ears.

“That was Maria’s room.” Joan whispered.

Breathe. She told herself, Like mum taught you. In five, hold three, out five... Breathe.

“There, uh-” She found her voice again. “There wasn’t that much to set up.”

Cathy’s hands, which had been on Joan’s shoulders to steady her, pulled back. They clench as she seemed to internally cringe for what she had accidentally made her new step-sister say.

“Oh. Oh, man. I’m so sorry.” She said. “I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

“It’s okay,” Joan said quickly, “You didn’t know.”

An awkward silence came between them. Instead of looking at the other, they both were scanning the island.

The only thing on the “bottom level” of the island was the docks, some cars, a bookstore, and a large tunnel that was closed off. Once the sisters decided to head back to Anne, they walked up some stone steps planted into the earth and onto the “second level”, where a stone statue of a wave and bird, an antique store, and a café stood. They passed these buildings and met up with Anne after a short hike up a small hill.

“Hello, kids!” Anne chirped, seemingly over her temporary exile. “Listen, the others should be close, so let’s hurry it up. And, as we hightail it, I’ll give you a speed-read of Edward’s Island!” She pauses, then leaned in, whispering, “That’s where we’re at.”

“I know.”

“We got that.”

“Good! Good!” Anne trotted the rest of the way up the hill. “This is a tourist trap with shops and a beach! Nobody lives here except for some geriatric named Mrs. Lee. But, with God as my witness, I will never mention her or any other old person tonight ever again! We are here to drink and be stupid.”

It seemed that their first “stupid act” was using a dumpster to jump a fence because Anne went on to tell them they were not allowed there after dark.

The three of them made their way down a mountainside path, chatting idly and getting to know each other better on Cathy’s part, before a slick, honey-laced voice chimed through the air.

“Reginald! I hear you over there!”

“H-hey, guys!” Anne smiles sheepishly, hopping down from a ledge to get down.

Two more girls now stood before them. One was significantly older than all of them. She had dark skin and curly brown hair that framed her unblemished face perfectly. The other girl was younger than Joan, with brown hair dyed pink at the tips and eyes like a kitten.

“Hey,” Joan waved slightly.

“We started a fire down at the beach.” Said the older girl. “But Kitty here wanted to play beach nanny.”

“I just wanted to make sure they got here before it was completely dark.” The younger girl said.

The older chuckled then looked over at the stranger in the group of three. “Who are you?”

“I’m Cathy.”

“That’s Cathy.” Anne said helpfully. “She’s Joan’s new, fresh-as-a-daisy step-sister! Cathy, that’s Katherine and Catherine. Confusing, right? Three girls with the same name! Except this little one goes by Kitty- she’s my cousin, actually- and the tall one goes by Catalina. Because she’s Spanish...or something.”

“Wait wait wait- Step-sister?” Catalina said. Joan just barely managed to bite back a groan of annoyance at her upcoming attitude. “How does that even work?”

“Her mum married my mum, so...law.” Joan said.

“Well, this is happening, now. This is a thing that is happening.” Catalina said, exasperated. She began walking down the path that led to the beach. “Where’s everybody else?”

“Maud had that thing and then Jane Parker-”

“We’re it.” Joan said for Anne.

“What.” Catalina momentarily swiveled her head around to analyze the whole group. Then, she gave a biting laugh. “Oh my god! It’s just Anne, Joan, and the new step-sister!”

“Yeah, we took the last ferry.” Anne said.

“Aren’t you guys friends?”

Everyone looked at Cathy. Then they exchanged scattered glances.

Catalina began leading again, marching her way down to the beach.

“I’m friends with Kitty,” She said. The younger girl gave a gleeful smile at that. “And I’m downgrading Anne to a creepy neighbor.”

“I’ll take it!” Anne said.

“And I just met you.”

“Hey!” Joan barked, “What about me?”

“What about you?”

Joan clenched her jaw, then sighed. She feels Cathy gently nudge her in a friendly way and give her a warm smile as if to say, “I’m your friend.”

Joan smiles back.

The five teenagers get down to the beach, where there was, in fact, a bonfire set up, along with some towels and a cooler. Joan hopes nobody saw the way she nervously glanced at the water.

“So... what’s the thing to do here?” Cathy asked, scanning the area.

“Whatever,” Kitty shrugged. She plops herself down by the fire and smiled at Catalina when she joined her.

“Hey, where does that old woman live?” Cathy asked another question.

“You mean Maggie Lee? She’s dead.” Catalina answered.

“What?” Anne snapped her head over to her.

“Yup. Keeled over three days ago. It was all over the news.” Catalina said. “And to answer your previous question, Cathy, the ‘thing to do’ is lay on the beach and drink until you can’t remember where your are.”

“And,” Kitty piped up, steering the topic away from very illegal underage drinking. “Sometimes play Truth or Slap!”

“Yeah!” Anne perked up. “Let’s play that! We can inaugurate Cathy. Ease her into the festivities.”

“Truth or Slap?” Joan asked stupidly, which prompts Anne to began to explain how it was like Truth or Dare except you just ask questions and get slapped if you’re lying about your answer.

“It’s a good getting to know each other game!” Anne concluded. “I’ll go first!” She turns to Joan with a smirk, “Joan!”

“Uh oh,” Cathy laughed.

“Lay it on me.” Joan smirked back.

“Okay. Kiss, Screw, Kill: Me, Kitty, and Catalina!”

“What?!” Kitty yelped.

“No!” Catalina barked.

“Calm down! Besides, I can’t include Cathy! They’re siblings!”

“Okay, okay... I’d probably marry you, Anne. I’ve known you the longest. Not a lot of surprises!” Joan said.

“Ha! Stay-at-home-wife!”

“Then I’d screw Catalina. Obviously.”

Anne laughed loudly. “‘Obviously’! Not gonna call her out on that?”

“No, I believe her.” Catalina said. “Look at me.”

“And that means you would smother poor little Kitty with a pillow,” Anne said, clutching her heart with one hand and wiping away an imaginary tear with the other.

“Oh shit- Sorry, Kit! It just worked out that way, I swear!” Joan said.

“It’s fine,” Kitty shrugged before snuggling up closer to Catalina’s side.

“So, Joan’s turn now?” Cathy asked.

“Right,” Anne nodded.

“Okay...Uhh...Kitty! Have you ever...peed in a swimming pool?”

Both Anne and Cathy erupt into laughter. Catalina snorts and shook her head, clearly not surprised. Kitty wrinkled her nose.

“Ugh, no!”

“Nice question,” Catalina snickered. “I wanna go now. Joan. You got a new sister. Pretty exciting. I’m sure Cathy is pretty excited, too. Or maybe ‘excited’ isn’t the word. Maybe a little unsure...overwhelmed...”

“No, I’m- I’m fine. I’m fine.” Cathy said.

“Yeah, see, she’s-” Joan shook her head. “What’s the question?”

Catalina took a sip of the beer she’s holding, then looked Joan directly into the eye and asked, “Why’d your mum finally decide to get married?”

Joan’s heart twisted.

“Just so Cathy can hear it from you.”

Kitty and Anne immediately began giving each other anxious looks. Cathy appears to be a little shocked until she calms her expression.

“Catalina, I don’t care why her mum-”

“You know why.” Joan said. Her eyes are dark, just like the nearby water. Just like the water on that- “Maria- died and it broke everything and she just needed someone there to try and pick up the pieces. The end.”

(Water roars in her ears- water rushes down her throat- water chokes her and holds her and consumes her until- until- until-)

(She’s screaming so loud SO LOUD WHY WON’T ANYONE HELP WHY IS SHE SLIPPING AWAY SOMEBODY HELP-)

“Well, now you know, Cathy. Don’t die and everything will be fine.” Catalina said.

Once again, there was a tense silence. Anne breaks it by saying she wanted to go check out the nearby caves, which Cathy and Joan agree to.

One quick hop over a fence (and a weed brownie eaten by Anne) later, the three of them find themselves inside of a large cave with three small rock piles set up.

“So, what you gotta do is stand right here and tune your radio until you find a ‘signal’.” Anne explained. “That’s why we brought it.”

Joan nodded and took the radio out. She began to rotate the little dial around, mainly getting plain static for a few minutes before a strange sound cut through the white noise.

Well, there was that and an ominous blue flickering from a crevice in the cave wall.

“Holy crap!” Cathy yelped.

“It worked!” Anne cried. “That was so cool! Do it again!”

Joan nodded and walked over to the next pile, tuning in her radio. Once again, the thing sputters loudly and the nearby light flashes.

“This is so cool!” Cathy exclaimed.

“I know!” Joan beamed excitedly at her.

“Do the last one, Jo!”

“I will! I will!”

And she does.

And, like the last two times, the sound returns, but this time more garbled and grating.

“Agh-” Cathy winced. She sees Joan press a hand to her ear. “It sounds so...”

“It sounds, agh-” Joan’s temples pulsate. She pulls her hand back, surprised to see no blood because she swore her eardrums ruptured. “It sounds, like...painful.”

A sound returns- however, this one was different, like a staticky moaning noise. Almost...human.

“There’s something in there.” Cathy said, walking over to the crack in the cave wall.

“Yeah, I see it, too.” Joan agreed.

“I’m gonna go check it out.” Cathy suddenly said. A moment later, she’s gone.

“Wh- That’s such a bad idea!” Anne cried.

“Cathy! Wait up!”

“WAIT UP?!” Anne looked at Joan like she was insane.

“I’ll be fine,” Joan assured her friend. “Wait here.”

With that, she slips in through the crack.

Immediately, the feeling of claustrophobia embraces her as the passageway was a lot longer than she had been expecting. She shuffles awkwardly through the tight space, feeling the cold, biting stone chafe into either sides of her. She could barely even breathe completely because the rock pressed against her chest, almost like it was trying to suffocate and trap her.

Right as she was about to panic, or maybe turn back, Joan pops out and into a large tunnel. It’s lit up by bioluminescent moss, but it’s far too bright, even with the glowing plants...

“Cathy?” She called out as she began to walk down the passageway. “Cathy, where are you?!”

No answer.

Not even an echo.

Chills ran up and down Joan’s spine. The feeling of eyes bearing down on her followed her through every twist and turn she took in that cave, but whenever she turned around, there was nobody there.

“Cathy?” Joan said again, this time more frantic. “Cathy, are you okay? Can you, like, scream or something?”

Nothing.

“Cathy?”

A shadow stretches across the jagged, rocky ground.

“Cathy!”

“AH!!”

Cathy leapt backwards as Joan just about charged her like an angry (but fuzzy) little lamb. She put a hand on her chest, reintroducing her lungs to oxygen as Joan tears strips off of her.

“What were you thinking?!” Joan barked. “I was so worried! I thought you, like- like died or something! Do you know what that would have done to me? How would I explain that to mum? Your mum- my mum- both!!”

“Okay, okay, I get it! You’re mad!” Cathy held her hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry. I just- I thought I heard something down here. A voice.”

Like that, Joan’s rage vanishes. Cathy wished she had led in with the whole voice thing.

“A voice?” Joan tilted her head like a confused puppy (or a lamb).

“Yeah.” Cathy turned and began walking further into the cave. “It was so...weird...”

Cathy’s voice trailed and died off as she and her sister ducked under an overhand and passed into a large cavern filled with huge crystals. An underground lake day in the middle, glistening in an unknown light source. The only ruddy-looking thing in that beautiful space was a rusty locker on the opposite of the shore.

“Oh my god,” Joan whispered.

“Holy- Joan,” Cathy grabbed and shook Joan’s elbow frantically. “Do you see that?!”

Joan blinked and looked up. It didn’t take long for her to realize what ‘that’ was.

A floating triangle.

A fucking floating, spinning triangle in the middle of the air.

“It- it must be some kind of...reflection...a rainbow...” Cathy was at a loss for words. “Those-those are things, right? Cave...triangle rainbows.”

“Sure,” Joan said slowly. “Let’s go with that.”

“I think this may be caused by when you ‘tuned in’ back at the beach.” Cathy said. “Maybe try it again?”

Joan glanced up at her, then nodded and took out her radio. She began to twist the dial until the triangle in the air shuddered and started to pulsate. A small, iridescent line stretched out from one of the tips.

“Oh- my god.” Cathy whispered. “Is this— are you— is this— YOU? Are you doing this?”

“Uhh- I-I think?” Joan stammered before tuning in again.

The line grew longer until it formed a second triangle. Joan felt a beating against her brain, almost like a second pulse that wasn’t hers and, by the way Cathy winced at her side, her sister felt it, too.

“I can’t even, like— what is— what?!”

“I-I know! I know!” Joan cried. She tuned in one last time and-

-and the triangle was complete.

Within the glowing shape, all there was was murky green. It was shuddering in the air, pulsating visible red vibrations.

“What the...”

“...hell...” Cathy finished for her sister.

̵̥͍̮̯̙́̈́́͆͋ ̵̧̬͓̆̈́̒͋“̶̼̈́̎̏H̵͖̓̒̅ͅę̴̥̥͇̌͊̏l̴̲̟̼̜̭͝l̸̛̜̩̖͚̜͝ő̷̞̎̓.̶̪̭͕̊̔̒ ̶̡̧̮̿D̸͓̍ȩ̵̻̰̖̲͐͋̄̈́͝å̴̲̽͝͝ͅṟ̵̟̐̀͗̽̕.̸̢̘͕͔̲̄͂͛ ̶͚̥͉̤̊̎̌͑͠T̶̪̏ê̶̢̯̩̻l̶̛̉̎͜ĺ̶͈̻̯̱̓̈́̕̚ ̴͎͍̆̀̐̍̀è̸̛̥̀̈́̈́v̶̩̯̯͠e̷̮͌̕͜r̷̤̍̉͝y̵̠̰̙͔̏ọ̵̠̠͗ͅn̶̢̯̥̎͜e̶̻̘̰̯̳̾̌́͝ ̸̛̘̪̬̤ȟ̴̨̢͎̺͆e̸̢̺̹͆̎ͅl̷̢̜͝ĺ̵̞͖̬͙̃͆̋͜͝ö̸̬́̊̄.̴͓̱̝͚̗̔̀”̶̰̝̠͓͋̂̐ Spoke an unknown garbled voice. It sounded as if snippets from radio programs were ripped out of their channels and used to form the words. There were tons of people talking at once, tons of voices. And, when it- they- speak, the pounding in Joan’s brain beat in time with each word.

“H-hello?” Joan said. She glances anxiously at Cathy, who is stunned into silence.

̵̨̠͍̄͛ ̶̱͆̀̾͂̂“̵͕̃͝S̴̟̰̊͌̕͜l̶̥̬̃̿ë̷͇́̏̈́̇́e̷͍͎͚̎p̷͕̼̠͂̾̀̑ȳ̸̦́ ̶̩̔͋̃t̵̬̞͉͍͆̐̓͘ĭ̶̢͓͇̇̉̎͝ṃ̴̡͕̔̏̎̑͜͝ḛ̵̙͉̘̿̃̀͊̓ ̴̢̫͈̟̓̒͠ͅg̵̣͂̿ͅą̵̞̙̺̈́̇̿l̴̥̰͇̠̇̃.̸͔̏ ̸̟̗̺̋͛́̑̕E̶͙̙̫̠̮̾̄v̷̗̯̯͙́͒͛͛̑ē̵̢̧͉̻͌͝ȑ̸̨̖͜ỵ̷͕͒́͊̑̔��̮t̵̬̩̭̤͖̓̍̍͋h̷̙̤̼͑̾͜ï̸̻͇͊͜n̵͎̈́g̸̢̤̻̝̕͜ ̵̡̛̼͉̒͝f̶̙̌͠i̷̯͂n̷̗̪͆e̷̩̪̫̺̒̿̔ͅ.̴̗͒́͜ ̵̨̛̟̻̄̓͝͠H̷̢̳̪̣̓̋ő̷̧p̴̧͕͕̗̯̂e̷̘̬̯̿̀͗ ̸̲͍̟̞̱̈́̌͊͝t̷̫͆̈́͆̓̆h̶̩͎̠̜̎̐͝i̶̠̳͒͗̔̽ǹ̸̹̻̣͍̀̽̚g̵̯͇̗̋s̷̢̡̞̖̾̀̕ ̴̳̲̾͋̏a̸̡̼͍̓̑r̶̫̪̮͖̾̍͋̂̇e̶͖̯͖̹̓̌́ͅ ̵̭̪͔̬̟͐͌̒̈̕s̶̭͇̞̬͐͑͂a̶̖͎̣̓̆͆̽͠m̸̫̙̺̈́ḙ̵̢̥͖̓͂͐̀̚͜.̸̢͓̖̓̋͊ ̴̭̞͓̺̱̔̾͒̾D̴̳͚̅͊́͒ŏ̵͖̫̥͚́̐͆n̵̢͔̭̬̂’̴͇̼̔͑t̶̫͑ ̴̛̹̹ḱ̵̡͎̄n̴͖̓̔͝ő̷̺͓̬̺͌̍w̸̡̥̖̼͋̽̌ ̸̱͓̞̀̈́͌͗̚ḯ̵̫̫̘f̸̡̫̝̖͊̈ ̸̗̠͉̖̹͊̎͝ļ̵̱͗̃͐͆͘e̴̡̡̲̬̙̓̄̑͝ȃ̷͓̜̈ͅv̷̡̠͇̠̀e̴̯̯̞̜̖̕ ̴̢̬̮͂̐̈́͘̚i̷̩̰͇̐̌͒s̴̬̥̫̤̒ ̸̘̝̬͑͜p̸̦̺̕ọ̶̟͕̞̱̈͠s̵̢͙̩͈̩͒̕s̵̼̍̈́̑͘i̴͚̠̖̯͗̓͝b̵͔̰̆͝l̷̨͍̝̻̍́͑̊͗ȩ̶̞̻͗́͋͘.̶̡͕͚̱̭̌͝”̷̩̳̼͍̓̀͠͠ Said the voices.

“This...is insane.” Cathy breathed out. Her hand takes Joan’s and squeezes it tightly, reassuringly.

̴̫̲̦̬̐̓̍̕ ̴͎̓̏̀̄͝“̵̝̬̝͖̩͊̂L̴̠͚̐̑̅̿͝ī̶͇̦͌͑s̷̤͈̩̈́͗̇̇̽t̷̨̺̰̄̌̇͘ͅe̵͙͊̃n̶̟̝͙̎̋̒̾̈́.̴̯̝̋̈̍͝ ̸̨̦͍̰͇̅̽B̵̗͙̝͋̍͜ò̶̙̺͙b̴͚̯̻̄͊̔͠ ̷̙̫̲̣̙̈́̑͊̚͝t̸̞̬̜̰̉̐͝ä̴̝̥̗́̎i̸̡̔̎l̷̝͇̳̩̮̓.̶͙̭͓̏́ ̷̻̣͓̽̓̋͒S̶̖͂̄h̵͕̘͗ă̴̗̱̤͙͙̆̒͝v̴͙͓͉̗̎͊ͅė̷̟̪̦ ̵̻̙̱̠̿̈́̈́ṯ̵̥͗́́͘͜ã̴̼̰͚̞̕͝ȋ̴̲̝̘͖̟̉͌̀ľ̷̪̜͕̜͍̈́̐͋͠.̴̢͎̼͛̓͜͠ ̵̛̘̉̅͠Ṩ̷̝̉̍l̵̝̘̞̼͛͌̈́͊ẹ̵̐̂̍͆͗e̵̥̔̅̏̓́͜p̶͈̜͈͍̂̌͜y̸̟̖͔̣̕ ̸͎͙̖̞͗̈̍̚t̸̗̤̻̏ỉ̴͔̅̇m̷̨͖̠̍ͅḛ̵̛ͅ ̸̡̱̰̲͕̋̉̾̾g̷͈̀͠a̴̛̛̠̒l̵͖̹̅̌͝.̴͉̥̫͖͆͑̅͜”̷͉͑̉͆͠ ̵̞̦̥̄̓͂̀ Said the voices. “̴̢̰̗̯̎́̀̔͒͜Ỉ̶͙͔̖̃ś̶̖̫̣̥̿̔̎.̵̲͊̽͝ ̷̻̭̯̬͍͐̕͘L̷̮̜͖̯̀é̸̬̬̓͗ͅå̶̖͔̈v̷̳̖͖̈́e̸̖̪̿̏͝.̴͎͍̫̪̿ͅ ̵̢͔̥̗̥̀̀̊̽͝P̷̖̞͐ọ̶̏̾̕s̶̖͒͒̍̆š̵̝̭͓̌̏i̵̖͂b̴̛̜͂̀͝l̸̖̑͑͋͛e̵͓͓͑͑̐.̶̥̟̦̳̆̓͠”̶̱̇͊̍

Joan swallowed thickly. She could taste blood on her tongue. Her brain is being turned to mush inside of her head.

“Umm...” She looks at Cathy unsurely. Her sister is pale and visibly in pain. There’s a thin line of blood trickling out of her right ear. “M-maybe?”

̶̳̠̮̦͈̏̃͝ ̵̧̤̠̥̳̽̾̇̚“̴̘̽̏̆B̶̧̗̹̤̻̏̕o̶͖͈̟͗̊̂͐b̵͉̙̝̯̜̾͆̈́ ̶̢̈́͊͘ẗ̸͚́a̶̮͋i̸̥͐͒̅̀̈l̵̞̓̄̕ͅ.̴̟̻̯̤̘́̌ ̸̥̱̉L̶̨̻̗͐͒e̷̜͔̎͒̂̅́á̵̩̤v̸͎͍̮̟͍̒̄̓è̷̼̜̓͐ ̵̡͆́͝c̸̻̹̺̬͐̀̑͋̓h̶̟̤̊̋i̸͙̲͎̞͒̈́̈́l̴͕̞̗̦̍d̴͓̹̿̽̑̕͠r̸̦̍͠ȇ̷͇ṉ̵̨̬͇̽͆͝.̴̣̩̯͇̦̏̔̅ ̴̪̖͓̖̿͊̚M̸̱͛͐͘ý̶̢̛̙̳͍̑̍͘ ̴̯̣̄͌m̷̖̟̜̬̺͌̄͆͌͘õ̴̰̜̹͌̈́͜t̷͎̾͊̇h̶̗̗̬̅̿̉͗͐ę̸̳̤̞͎͝r̶̞̝̲̩̤̽ŝ̸̞.̷̨̩̻͇̤̌ ̸̨̣͔͕͙̂̒W̸̱̤̮̹̜̉̈́̃͝ȋ̵̺̪̽l̶͔̞͈̺̐̐̉̿l̴̤̭̈́̒͐͌͝ ̸̡̤̉̿s̷̹̘͆̈́́̂͝e̴̢͇̹̭̭͑e̷̘͓͛̑͝ ̶̀́̚͜t̷̗͔̔͛̂̈́̚h̶̼̖͌̍è̵̲̲̞̼͖̀̓͝m̴̗̣͗́̄̕͜ͅ ̸̣̞͎̑̏s̷̻͐̈́̕ỏ̴̜͚͔o̸̪̜̓͋͋̕n̸̢̲̖͙͚̊̿͝.̷̮̈͂”̵͙̘̝͎̤̉̿͐͝ ̶̪͙̟͖͐̋̉̆̆

The ground began to shake. The triangle shudders harder. Cracks shoot through all the crystals and they crack and break into razor sharp shards. The pulse in Joan’s head turned into roaring, painful white noise.

“JOAN!!” Cathy shrieks.

A force seems to be ripping them apart.

“CATHY!!”

Her vision distorts. The feeling of phantom water rushes down through her eye sockets- she’s underwater.

Joan is underwater.

And down with her is debris.

Debris falling at an agonizingly slow rate.

She screams.

Bubbles explode from her lips.

A chunk of metal falls down, down, down.

The spray of bubbles turn red.

As Joan is cut in two by the debris.

She just barely feels it slice into her belly when-

“̷̝̋̈́Ḃ̷̩̒͋̍ō̵̱̖͔͙̄̓̊̅b̸̡̤̀̈́ ̵̪͕̮̌̏̈́͛̃t̵̰̪̬͕̹̕ȁ̷̘̌͆į̴͚̹̿̕l̵̡̗̬͈̗̎͑̿͐̚.̶̧̉͗̅̏ ̷̠̋͝S̸̢̗͙̞̔̈́h̴̙͉̥͚̑̊̾͝a̵̺̖̼̲̲͊̀̈́v̷̫̲̖͙̓e̸̼͑͂͐̑͌ ̵͔̬̑ť̵̛̖͘a̶̡̫̭͌͋̿͐͘ḭ̶͕̀̔͒l̴̡̩̮̲̩̑.̴̨̛͍͙́̀”̵̭̤͍̠̄́̐

-all goes black.

#oop #ollie ollie oxenfree #catherine parr #joan on the keys #anne boleyn #catherine of aragon #katherine howard #maggie lee #maggie on the guitar #six the musical #six the musical fanfiction #six the musical fanfic

24 notes · View notes

queenieships · 7 years ago

Photo

[ tagging @smoochesforseven per her request c’: ]

Here’s my submission for SSSC17!! I’m running late, as usual c; I decided to write a fic and a little picture to go with it, why I decided to go kind of lineless I don’t know because I have NEVER drawn something like this before - anyway I went with the haunted mansion prompt and kind of worked it around a little!! Was really inspired by the game Oxenfree and the ship I focused on was Davey (Newsies) and I, though I included the rest of the gang as well!! The fic will be under the cut c: @spookyselfship

“So, they say, if you turn a radio to the right frequency at midnight, then you can like – like hear ghosts or some shit!”

“Race, I think that’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said.” Davey huffed, clearly irritated at the nights events.

It was approaching 12am, the sky outside an oil spill of blue and black, swirling like a Van Gogh painting behind a pale yellow moon. Though the world had been noisy throughout the day, streets filled with bustling, sugar-craving children, it had become silent as the evening approached the morning hours.

The group had broken in to an abandoned mansion, dilapidated and dusty, influenced by Jack and Race’s charms as well as a touch of liquid confidence. God knew the more cautious of the group – Davey, Queenie and Crutchie – would never have even joked about breaking into anywhere if not for the keen persuasion of the others and the reckless, mischievous atmosphere that rolled around on Halloween night.

“Y’know, I’ve been friends with Race for a long time so I can tell you with a certainty that that is not, in fact, the dumbest thing he’s ever said.” Crutchie perked up, a lopsided grin plastered over his face. A round of small chuckles sounded from the group in response to his comment.

“Race, where did you even hear about this? This thing with the radios – and why specifically in this mansion?” Queenie asked, sitting closely to her boyfriend as the two scowled at the curly-haired blond.

The group were situated in a circle, a small, hand-held radio placed on a stool in the centre. It felt – and probably looked – awfully Cult-ish. Race and Jack, once the idea had struck them, went around Queenie’s house and collected any foldable chair or stool they could find to bring with them, apparently having planned on the eye-roll worthy arrangement from the beginning.

Race opened his mouth to speak but Jack quickly interrupted him, placing a hand on the skinnier boys shoulder. “Act-ual-lyyyyyy, it’s a well known urban legend around here! Apparently there was a huge Halloween celebration here, years ago in like the 1800s or something, and some real weird stuff happened throughout the night, people just getting real irritable and crazy – attacking each other, killing each other, killing THEMSELVES-”

“And that makes you want to come here?” Davey interrupted, calmly patting Queenie’s small hand which had shot out to hold his in response to Jack’s words.

Jack gave the tall boy a sour look, an eyebrow raised before dramatically continuing, hands swaying in the air. “ANYWAY, by the time morning came around no one was left alive. Some people say something real demonic happened, others say someone had drugged the food and drink as a prank and things just escalated way too far – some even say it was a cult thing. All we knows is that these people didn’t like, pass on or whatever, they’re stuck haunting this place and if you listen to the right radio frequency then you’ll be able to talk to them at Midnight. Some kids say it works with Walkie Talkies too but I dunno, Radios just seem a lot more legit, y’know?”

Davey returned Jack’s previous look, his brown eyes devoid of positivity and thin lips pulled into a scowl. “Radios just… seem more… legit. Alright, well, if that’s the logic you’re using here then this Urban Legend MUST be real!” He scoffed, head shaking at the ridiculous idea being presented to them. “We could be at home right now, watching Sweeney Todd or something but instead you wanted to come here and sit around, waiting to speak to dead people – who killed each other in a frenzy – through a radio?”

“Well at least it’s not boring! How many other people are doing this on Halloween, huh!?” Jack retorted, slinging his arm over Race’s shoulder, expecting back up.

“Yeah, exactly! ‘sides, only reason you’d rather be watching movies is cuz you’d get to cuddle up to Queenie! Why can’t you just make out with your girlfriend in a haunted mansion, huh? You some kinda coward or something?!” Race gave an impish grin, Jack laughing and shaking his shoulders encouragingly.

“WHAT ARE YOU- I’M NOT- MMMF.”

Davey’s hand slipped away from Queenie’s as he swung his arms wide angrily, cheeks stained red in both embarrassment and frustration. His brows furrowed, lips pressed tightly together in a straight line. There were small wrinkles over the bridge of his hooked nose as his face scrunched together in a scowl, the other boys having aggravated him enough for the evening.

“Okay, okay, let’s all calm down and stop being assholes.” Queenie sighed, rubbing her hand up and down Davey’s thigh soothingly. With her free hand she reached out and snatched up the radio, using her thumb to turn the dial through the different channels and frequencies.

“So, I’m going to go through all of these and if nothing happens we’re going home – to watch Sweeney Todd, to get drunk, to sleep, to make out, to whatever – okay?” Her voice was laced with a sweet sternness, feeling like she needed to take a role of authority before things got out of hand. The amount of raging testosterone in their group was incredible, she’d never seen a group of friends argue and fight one another so much but still be so tight-knit.

She continued to roll her thumb over the bumps and grooves of the dial, so far hearing nothing but a soft static. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“Well, this is all seeming like a waste of time.” Davey mumbled, hand now resting atop Queenie’s as his thumb softly rubbed over her knuckles.

Queenie found herself feeling both grateful and slightly disappointed as she neared the end of the frequencies, having always loved fiction about the supernatural but still fearing the possibility of it truly existing. She let out a soft sigh, picking up speed as she breezed through the numbers.

ZzzzkkKKrRRRRRRR

Her breath hitched, stopping on 102.2 – removing her hand from Davey’s she clutched the radio in both hands, eyes staring down at the small device as it emitted a loud, metallic rumble. After a few moments the noise gave way to faint music, the sound of a distant piano and trumpets – it sounded cheery but twisted, out of tune at times, varying in both speed and volume. She stared in horrified wonder at the soft blue light of the screen that displayed the frequency.

She felt the sensation of a drastic increase in speed, heart dropping into her stomach and eyes watering – it felt like air gushed past her ear drums, there one second and gone the next, replaced with music again but this time louder and clearer, as if she had been dropped in the middle of an orchestra. Blinking, her eyes flickered to the room around her.

Her friends were gone, instead surrounded by people dancing enthusiastically, laughing gleefully – eating and drinking to their hearts content. The women wore huge, structured ball gowns and beautifully ornate masks that peaked out under cascading curls. The men wore sleek, well-fitted suits and waist coats, hair slick and shining under the moonlight – their masks were far more simple, though each one was slightly unique in colour. None of them seemed to take note of her existence. Though the scene she was somehow spying on seemed fun and light-hearted, her skin crawled and her legs bobbed up and down anxiously.

The music crashed to a halt as a screech pierced through the air, followed by a wave of gasps, a commotion breaking through the crowd as panic mounted. There were screams and the echoes of heels pounding against the wooden floor as people ran, hollowed sobs radiating from someone, somewhere. Queenie’s eyes couldn’t keep up as she watched, catching glints of metal and splashes of red, anguished gurgles and hysterical laughter, high pitched and hair-raising like nails raking down a chalk board.

“NO, ENOUGH, I WANT TO LEAVE!” The words ripped from her throat in a babble of terror, the radio clattering to the ground as her hands waved around in a panic, instinctively clutching close to her cheeks a moment later, finding her face damp with frightened tears.

“Whoa whoa whoa-”

“What’s with her?”

“Queenie, what’s wrong? Honey, are you okay?”

She sniffled, shoulders shaking tensely as the room came into focus around her again. Her eyes roamed hesitantly, body relaxing slightly as her friends worried faces came into view.

“I’m… I’m sorry, I want to l-leave.” She stuttered out, voice quiet and fragile. Davey wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her face against his chest and stroking a hand softly through her short, brown hair.

“Alright, alright, we’ll leave – it’s okay, you’re okay.” He whispered, peppering light kisses to the top of her head before casting a glare over to the other boys who all stood with shocked, almost frightened expressions.

“Queenie, hey, what happened? Something weird just happened, right?” Race asked, voice tentative but excited.

“Race, Don’t. We’re going home to watch something nice and calm and we’re not going to talk about this.” Davey snapped, voice low and stern. There was no questioning him in that moment, not when the love of his life was upset and clearly frightened. Queenie could always feel more calm when her boyfriend took control, she knew he would take care of her – his worried, twittering nature solidifying into one of protectiveness and support.

The tall boy kept her in his arms as he lead her outside, their warm faces prickled with the cold of the night air. It felt soothing, coming back to reality and finally being able to take a breath without feeling dust scrape their throats. They stood by the worn down fence, strips of dried paint peeling as flecks were caught by the wind.

She stood in front of him, back pressed against his stomach as he kept on hand down, holding hers tightly and the other laced itself through the side of her hair comfortingly. They waited patiently for the others to pick up the chairs and tidy up, though Queenie could tell that Davey was itching to ask her some questions, despite his previous attitude towards the others. She appreciated him controlling his curious urges, respecting her feelings and caring more for her well-being than what had happened.

Though it sprung questions to her own mind. None of them had seen what she had, or heard the music – they hadn’t noticed anything up until the point she had spoken. It scared her, knowing that she was alone through the whole experience. Part of her wanted to go back, to watch the entire scene unfold and find out the truth but she knew, mentally, that she couldn’t. Queenie was naive and silly, afraid of the dark and spiders and just the very idea of what could be hiding out of sight – When she spent the night at Davey’s house he would have to walk her to the bathroom so she didn’t feel too afraid walking around at night – to experience something so horrible, so unique and impossible was frightening and Queenie knew that every quiet moment would be spent thinking about it, imagining and reliving it – the thoughts would make her sick with anxiety, unable to sleep.

She clutched his hand a little tighter. “David, can you stay with me? I don’t mind if you want to stay at my house, or if you want to ask your parents if I can stay at yours but I just don’t want to be alone for a while.” Her voice sounded strange, even to her. It was unusual for her to ask something of him, especially feeling as raw as she did – usually he would offer to do things for her, little favours such as getting them breakfast or pouring her a drink – so asking for anything felt strange.

He bent down and pressed a kiss atop her head. “Of course. I didn’t say anything because I just assumed you knew I wouldn’t be leaving your side, not after that. I need to make sure you’re all right.” Davey let out a sigh, burying his nose in her hair and taking a moment to himself. He had been stressed the whole night, trying to keep the others under control but not even being able to keep himself calm. He felt guilty somewhat for the entire situation, knowing the atmosphere towards the end of the evening had been nothing but tense and hostile.

Queenie let out a small laugh, though there wasn’t really much humour to it. She was pleased to hear that he knew the role to take without being asked, always there to be strong for her. There had been times when she had to comfort him of course, and he appreciate it massively when she did, but Queenie just bought out the caring, somewhat masculine nature in Davey – her small size, round face, expressive green eyes and entire soft, well-mannered nature – it was all so precious to him. Halloween was supposed to be a night that yes, maybe took a little advantaged of her child-like fears, only so that he could be her saviour in a silly, safe kind of way – to be there so she could hide her face into his chest at a particularly gory part of a movie, to hold her hand on the way to the bathroom upstairs – he never expected to have to take a more genuine, serious role. Didn’t expect to really deal with… whatever they had dealt with. It had been scary and surprising for both of them. A night of funny, mischievous fun had turned to tears and worry.

Eventually the others appeared from the mansion, giving Queenie quick but heartfelt apologies before piling into the back of Jack’s car. The rest of the night was spent under warm blankets on the sofa, huddled up together watching a variety of bright, cheery films – musicals and Disney classics, anything Queenie wanted. They binged on oreos and popcorn, trying to find some rest after the hair-raising events of the evening.

Despite her previous worries, Queenie was able to sleep soundly, wrapped up in Davey’s arms. Limbs tangled together, warm and snug under piles of sweatshirts and blankets, they could make it through even the scariest of ordeals as long as they had each other.

#SSSC17 #aaaaaah I rushed this so much I'm sorry aha!!#Seize the Day;;#Modern AU;;

8 notes · View notes

exe-cmd · 8 years ago

Text

Games of 2016 that I quite liked

It was an immense year for games, with a plethora of major studio titles and reboots of classics, and the year that VR’s rocket touched down on the moon (here’s a great spot for a topical reference to Earthlight). I didn’t play through enough games in 2016, but I collected and tested many of them. I’m sure some of them will make it onto my “Games of 2016 that I quite liked but didn’t have time to play” too.

Last year was filled with a lot of surprises, which usually give me some sort of anxiety. It was a big year for me personally, from beginning to meet my industry peers, exploring the world of games in Australia, GCAP and Melbourne International Games Week, not to mention all the actual personal changes. You’re not here for that, maybe not yet. Let’s get to know one another first then I’ll spill my beans and give some context over how this list of media has importance to me.

No time like the present! In no particular order;

GONNER for its attention to uncomplicated but incredibly smooth mechanics, and for being a roguelike without all the doom and gloom and with an engaging soundtrack. I heard about it in relation to Downwell, but GONNER has this extra dollop of extra creamy charm that adds a missing flavour.

Stellaris for its sheer scope, execution and support for its community going forward. This will be one of those games you spend forever discovering things in and more than a few friendships will be tested. This is the evolution of real time strategies and tabletop gaming.

Necropolis for its humour, charm, well crafted visuals and the hype I felt while waiting for it. It’s style of writing on release was probably definitely too vague for most people, but it spoke to my heart. It felt like an alternate universe of Kingdom of Loathing had it transitioned into a 3d rogue like…

Furi for its tight gameplay, invigorating soundtrack and for combining bullet hell elements with a fighting game. That game was a hell of a ride. It’s soundtrack combined so well with the gameplay mechanics, and really got the blood pumping. It’s multi-stage boss fights and HP reward system were some of the shining examples of it’s clever design and innovation within the realm of bullet hells and brawlers. A game that rewards patience, with it’s insistent tempo to trick you into rushing and making mistakes.

Grow Up for making me feel like a kid again, encouraging exploration and revelling in joy itself. I’m not often big on sandboxes and I feel sort of aimless and the centre of the universe and both of those things feel uncomfortable. Grow up presented a sandbox world that felt the most like an actual sandbox since I played in a sandbox as a kid. Sand sand sand! The simple puzzles were still engaging and the ability to treat the planet as your own or enjoy being a guest in its eco system, made it almost feel like a virtual holiday back to my youth.

INSIDE for being artistically stunning, and with wonderfully crafted puzzles and an atmosphere that is almost palpable. Anything I say about this game will be nothing new. The more mature edition of Limbo, I guess. We all know why this game is on the list.

Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor for using games as a window into the worlds of people, and creating a very human experience about the feeling of having dreams but just getting by, without it feeling monotonous or too much like real life. I came to enjoy playing this game when I needed to relax; it was like gardening for the soul.

Dark Souls 3 for being the first Soulslike that I could finish, or that didn’t give me chronic anxiety. This feels like a bit of a wooden spoon but holy crap did finishing that game send me down a rabbit hole of lore and concept exploration. My YouTube recommendations are evidence of the obsession. It made me consider narrative and world’s more closely than ever before, with details hidden in the cracks of everything.

DOOM for genuinely surprising me while technically being a remake of a FPS. I think surprised is overused here but I wasn’t expecting such a clever and subtle narrative in a game as boisterous as Doom with its gameplay. Being a metal head, I found the soundtrack really engaging also, and it was done by an Australian artist, so all the more praise!

Enter the Gungeon for scratching my Binding of Isaac itch, and for being so well crafted. The emphasis on 3D and mechanics usually present in other types of games, gives Gungeon a welcome depth to it’s gameplay. A delightful soundtrack also, and one of those games that’s skill ceiling is bigger than the time I have to explore it.

The Witness for the beautiful and confidence building journey that it was. The language of the puzzles was one of my favourite things to have come across this year, and like Braid I never felt frustrated or without the tools, only ever lacking in imagination.

Devil Daggers for giving minimalistic/low poly shooters a new meaning and a cooler haircut, and then coercing it to join a gang of Rogue likes. I’m so fascinated by this game, and it’s immense difficulty and ruthlessness. Worth playing if you like that intensity but entrancing to watch if not.

Oxenfree for treating young adults like human beings, and telling a supernatural story that doesn’t feel like a completely unexplainable mystery. Also, the dialogue was probably one of the most naturally flowing out of nearly every game I’ve played recently.

Hyper Light Drifter for proudly telling a story about illness without shying away from the trauma. Also, most impressive was it’s non-verbal exposition which did exceptionally well when teaching the player what was happening in the world. It gave me a lot to think about from a designers perspective, especially regarding storytelling.

Firewatch for its compelling narrative and it’s beautiful visuals. The conversational tone was a really relaxing aspect of it and I look forward to seeing more of that being done (such as games like Oxenfree). There’s a lot to be said for games that talk about the human experience, but they often explore the traumatic episode itself as it happens. What is beautiful about Firewatch is that it explores the character coming to terms with the events, instead of them being the driving factor in things occurring.

Honourable mention: Darkest Dungeon for finally releasing from early access and for showing people just how a game matures and develops through earnest development of a concept. It was like you smelling your mum making a chunky soup, and every trip to the kitchen you could see and smell it becoming fuller, with such precise additions and changes to the formula.

Those were a number of games I couldn’t stop thinking or talking about this year. Sorry if your favourites didn’t make the cut, I probably still enjoyed them or I didn’t play them. Let me know what they were and what they meant for you (I’m very serious about this last part).

#Me #2016 #Video games #Top 10 #I mean top however many #Game #Game design #gcap #gcap16 #migw16 #paxaus #game dev

6 notes · View notes