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kittybellestark · 3 years

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Falling Apart At The Seams

Part 3/5

Read on AO3

Read Part 2

Only two more chapters to gooooo, this was originally a lot shorter so I had to go and give it a quick fix and make it longer thank god I did

TW: Non-con drugs, kidnappings, past trauma

Peter and May had been staying at the tower for a few weeks. Jimmy made sporadic appearance’s never following a particular pattern and always from different entrance’s. On top of that the FBI checked in regularly, and security had been tightened at the tower (despite the tower already being the most secure building in the city).

Mary had left a paper trail. It was confirmed she was in he city, but Mary was smart. She was always two steps ahead. The FBI figured out she was in Manhattan but by then she was in Queens, when they found her hide out there she was in New Jersey. Each time they found a lead, Mary was already gone again.

Maybe if Tony could muster up the courage to look at a picture of her, they would have found her already and Peter and May would be safe. Tony should be able to do this. For Peter. But he really couldn’t. He knew that Peter’s Mary was more than likely not the same Mary he dealt with.

But Tony was a coward.

That’s what it was right? Having Mary’s picture uploaded right to FRIDAY, without looking at it, that was cowardice. He should be able to do this. It’s just a picture, and a little bit of tracking. Mary shouldn’t still have this iron-grip control over Tony’s life. All the progress that Tony made is useless, he can’t even help the people who mean the most to him.

He can’t even look at Peter anymore. It was just too similar, it was too much. Tony could barely handle the jokes that were being made about Peter actually being his son. Calling Peter Stark Junior or Mini Stark or just Junior at all was enough to stop Tony from breathing. The only thing that let him know that Peter was not his child was the fact that Peter was born in August and his mothers name was Diane. Now he didn’t want to know when Peter was really born, he already knew that his mother’s name was Mary and that was too much.

“Tony,” Pepper sighed, sticking her head into his office, “you have a meeting across town in twenty minutes and it’s going to take you forty to get there.”

He couldn’t help but groan. While being pulled out the memories- crying, chains clinking, 48 tiles on the ceiling, knocking pipes, creaking mattress- was what he needed, a meeting certainly wasn’t. Tony just needed a nap, on the couch with a really soft blanket. He needed the hum of music and the sound of his family, and the comfort of his home.

“Can we cancel? I don’t know if I can do this today.”

Pepper smiled, stepping into his office. She held both her hands up and to the side, non-threatening. Tony loved her. Always helpful, always caring, always trying to help Tony in the best way Pepper knows how. Even if it is her trying to make herself seem like less of a threat. Pepper listened to Tony and figured out how to help him in ways that Tony never thought she would do. Ways he never thought anyone would do if they had learnt what had happened to him, and yet she proved him wrong.

Everyday Tony has been shown how wrong he was, because Pepper cared about him. She believed him. They talked about limits and knew how to read each other. Lines were never crossed and their relationship worked despite the fact that Mary ruined him, despite the fact Tony abandoned a child. Ever since he told her what happened Tony was never pulled out of his comfort zone in their relationship. He didn’t need to pretend to be okay with Pepper and she listened to him. She respected his needs and backed off when he was uncomfortable.

Tony didn’t feel that he was very deserving of her, of her love and trust and respect. Pepper shouldn’t love him, he was damaged goods and supposedly unlovable. Yet he got to be with her. Tony respected Pepper’s needs and boundaries and in return Pepper respected his and it worked. He was so lucky to be hers.

Taking small, careful steps, Pepper made her way towards Tony, stopping just a few feet away from his seat. Tony closed the space between them, staying in his chair. He wrapped his arms around her waist, head turned sideways resting on Peppers stomach. Pepper ran her fingers through Tony’s hair, humming sympathetically.

Tony loved Pepper.

“We’ve already rescheduled three times, as much as I would love to move this again for you we can’t. I know you’ve been going through a lot with everything so I can send someone else?”

“No,” Tony shook his head, “This deal is too important, I’ll go.”

So, Tony went to the meeting. He was late, and alone, but this was fine, it was his job. It wasn’t like he’s never done it before. He’s done it far more often then he has with a crowd.

Tony was a business man. Except he wasn’t really a business man, just an engineer that inherited a business job. But at the end of the day he worked business deals and negotiated with other companies. Tony was a business man and business men are able to go to meetings alone. He’s Tony Stark- Iron Man, what’s a little meeting on a bad day?

A bad meeting. That’s what it is.

He should have looked at the pictures. They were right there. Being passed around from Avenger to Avenger. They were right under his nose and he kept his eyes shut. Coward. It would have been a quick glance, he never would have needed to study it. Tony only ever needs a quick glance to know exactly what he’s looking for. It would have done a lot more good had he just opened his eyes.

What’s the point of being a genius if he can’t connect the dots? Really, he should have known, it was too much of a coincidence. Nothing ever happens to Tony and then it not come back to bite him in the ass later. Stark luck and all that.

Tony shouldn’t have been so naive.

Instead he walked into the meeting room, and was met with electric blue eyes and over processed bleached hair. While Mary had aged, she still looked the same. Wicked and evil.

Mary made him feel small. As if she was now taller than him and he was just another bug to be squashed. While in reality she was much smaller than Tony, her presence took up the entire room, having too strong of a hold on Tony for him to break away.

“I don’t think you realize how long I’ve been waiting for you, Tony.” Mary’s voice was smooth and soft like silk. It was far too kind, a stark contrast of how she has spoken so many years ago. That was the worst thing, she wasn’t exactly the same.

Mary moved forward, reaching out to Tony’s face, tutting as she approached. Tony felt paralyzed. Which is silly, it’s been 16 years since she first got her hands on him, Tony shouldn’t just freeze. He is Iron Man, he is Tony Stark, freezing should not be an option. There has always been an answer to everything, Tony has always been able to find his wait out. Except with her.

“Stay. Away. From. Me.”

Shaking his head, Tony tried to step away from her. The idea of her getting her hands back onto him made Tony’s skin crawl. The step backwards he took put him right against someone else. He flinched back in the room, trying not to touch anyone. Contact is bad, Tony just needs to be alone, not here. He can’t be here. He wants to go home.

Tony is Iron Man. Iron Man would have fought them. Without a second thought, Iron Man would have activated his gauntlet. He’d be out of there already, Mary and this other guy wouldn’t even be a thought. Iron Man never freezes, he thinks critically and acts on the next best move. But Tony, he couldn’t do anything even though he should be able to. His mind came to a crashing stop the moment Mary was put into his sight and it hasn’t started up again. Tony was trapped, just like 16 years ago, and he can’t do anything about it.

“Honey, our child doesn’t want anything to do with me,” She sounded too sweet, too nice. “So if we have another kid, then I’ll have them both. I really want this.”

Another kid. She wants another one. Mary wants Tony to give her second child. Tony didn’t even want a first one. He never wanted to be apart of her games. Tony could barely handle the thought of one child out there being his and Mary’s, but two? It’s far more than Tony ever wanted. If it happened again, after Pepper and Rhodey already knew what happened last time, he’d have to take some sort of responsibility. The saying has always been ‘it takes two to tango.’ No one will believe him anymore if it happens again. They’ll think he wanted this, that he wanted to help Mary, give her a child- children and then abandon them. Tony never wanted that. Not back then and not now.

“No. No, get away from me. I can’t do that, I can’t go through that, not again.”

“You really, don’t have a choice.”

Tony felt a prick in his neck, his body crumbling to the floor. He hated that he never lost consciousness. He was supposed to be a genius. Iron Man wouldn’t have let this happen. Iron Man wouldn’t let himself be carried out of the room and chained in a basement by some woman who clearly lost their marbles. But Tony is just letting it happen, just like he did in 2000.

At least Pepper knows where he is. Wonderful, perfect Pepper who will know something is wrong when he doesn’t check in. Tony always checks in on the Bad Days, it’s a part of their system. And their system doesn’t fail. Pepper will send someone for him. Mary didn’t move him out of the building, which means that she expects Tony to still be in his playboy ways. As if what happened never affected him, like he was released and went right back to life as usual. She didn’t do her research and that’s exactly what will get Tony out of here. It’ll just take a few hours.

But a few hours might not be fast enough.

Mary was in and out of the room multiple times, and Tony was left holding his breath each time. He couldn’t breathe when she was around, couldn’t even think. Tony was lucky that Mary hadn’t done anything, yet. Even the drug they gave him, that kept him paralyzed, he was lucky for that, Tony could feel his insides shaking and he knew it would be visible otherwise.

He was a weak man for being grateful for such small mercies.

“I know you’ve met our son.” Mary laughed, “he gets his intelligence from you.”

Tony couldn’t respond only stuck starring at Mary. She was squatting down, only inches away from Tony’s face. He wished he was able to pull away, that he wasn’t just on the floor at Mary’s mercy. If he had just left as soon as he realized, if he had researched her at all, this wouldn’t be happening. This was Tony’s fault, it always was.

“I named him after you, but I suppose you know my Tony by a different name. Peter, of course, but I’m sure you made that connection already.”

While he had, in fact made the connection, it was different for the words to be said out loud. Tony really didn’t want the connection to be real. He couldn’t be father to Peter. Tony didn’t want to be a father. He’s spent 15 years running from the fact that there is a some kid out there with his DNA. Peter was a great kid, but now he couldn’t help put picture Peter with Mary’s face, but instead of blue eyes, his brown ones in their place.. Tony would only see the kid he abandoned, the baby he left in the hands of a horrible person.

Tony didn’t want Peter, not as his son.

Mary mocked him, making a whining noise and tilting her head back and forth. She patting his cheek before standing back up, looking down at Tony.

“I’m really just surprised that you two managed to find each other. I really thought you were going to let Melissa take care of our son forever. She’s too soft on him, my Tony needs a firm hand to guide him.”

Pepper will be here soon. She will come, and Rhodey will be with her. They will get Tony out of here, and they will never let Mary do anything to him. Rhodey and Pepper are his family, and they know him, and Pepper knows it’s a bad day and they will come for him. Family does that for each other.

Family take’s care of each other.

And Peter is... Family. He is family. Peter had inserted himself into all their lives and he is family. Tony can deal with it, right? If he looks at Peter and see’s Mary instead he could just ignore it. He can ignore the overwhelming panic, and try not to look for any similarities between Peter and Mary. The guilt he drowned in for not looking for his child, Tony just won’t think about it. Tony won’t think about how he let Mary try to kill Peter, sell Peter, kidnap Peter. He can’t think about it, not even about how Peter watched who he believed his to be father get killed.

Tony just can’t think about anything if it involved Peter’s conception or anything previous to when Tony met him.

That’s a lot of Peter to not think about.

The sound of a repulsor charging brought Tony out of his spiraling thoughts. He tried to clear his mind, and while the thoughts wouldn’t stop, he was very much appreciating the sight in front of him. Pepper in her own Iron suit, an arm raised at Mary, telling her that she is under arrest.

“Tony, man, the medic’s are on their way in,” Rhodey was there, close to Tony but not actually touching him, “the team is clearing out the rest of the building.”

Nodding would be nice. Being able to walk out of this building would be incredible. But instead Tony was stuck, couldn’t even talk, so he cried instead.

This was too much. Mary was too much. Knowing was too much. It was all too much. He didn’t ask for this. He didn’t ask for Mary, or a child- Peter, or to be taken again with the looming threat of another child being forced into this world because he was too weak. Tony didn’t ask for it now or even back in 2000. Tony didn’t want this, he never did.

“Tones, hey, no, no. You’re not, no. This is her?”

He couldn’t breathe. Tony should be able to breathe, just inhale. He is Iron Man and Iron Man is very skilled at breathing, especially in high stress situations.

“Pepper. 2000. This is her.”

Mary laughed. “So you’re the girlfriend? You’ll never mean as much to him as I do. We share a child, I will always mean more to him.”

Rhodey stayed at Tony’s side, talking over the sound of the repulsor blasting and Pepper saying how an accidental blast isn’t enough to pay for everything Mary had done to them. He did his best to keep Tony grounded and as present as possible. Keeping Tony far away from the dirty floor and the sound of unhinged laughter. Tony just had to listen to Rhodey talk about his trip to the grocery store, and how they were sold out of Kraft Dinner. It wasn’t hard.

It shouldn’t be hard.

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thelakesuite · 4 years

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mooscal

- i have decided that frank gets 'shaved' (aka fake beard taken off and his hair tidied up) in the parlor by william just after he comes in from the well, while leonard and albert (and probably rose too) are arguing about how they werent supposed to fuck with the well etc.. i do want to include checkmate as a song to evenly split the songs into four acts (first years at the house ending at the elixir, the triplets ending at voodoo, albert fucks shit up and dies ending at checkmate, completing the ritual ending at roots), but it'd be choreographically light and probably the shortest of the songs. there should likely be a scene between these two to break things up but im not sure what it would be?

- the tree/clock in roots will have ten branches that the sacrifice jars (and vials) will be hung from

- god im rly still debating on the arrival. on the one hand itd be cute to have the whole family out for a Big Dance Number and lay down some intrigue but on the other hand it just feels too nonsensical for the tone im tryna reach? if thats the word. i don’t have any familiarity with smaller cast musicals so it feels like a big dance is required

- crow is actually present for a good portion of this, though usually only talking to william. narrator, vessel for exposition, what have you. the actors are never around (or awake) to notice him tho. he may also do voiceover giving the year & season of most scenes (aka wherever it changes significantly).

- i have another line! for fertility! from albert! "You know, Emma, our father wasn't entirely unsuccessful. The [universe] just preferred his mutt to survive. May those same stars align for you as well." see it sounds like he's supporting her but he's actually wantin those start to align to kill her lol. he says this just before he leaves n sams already gone. just droppin one liners.

- im wantin to have a lot of callbacks in this thing, at least in the first draft. james falls over and dies at the end of the elixir with mary standing directly behind him all shocked, just like human-william and corrupted-william in the prologue

- while we're talking about the elixir. turning point bout 1/3 through the song (maybe 1/2 but thatd the latest) james comes down to stage front while the background panels are ~dramatically~ pulled back, the basement backdrop is lowered, and the furniture is switched out. probably the most complicated transition in the show considering the time limit. corrupted stagehands hand james some Liquids while he alchemies all over stage and mary tries to stop him

- more bits on voodoo, may have said some of this before. therell be a few lines where albert is mimicking either sam or ida, and the mimickee(?) sings with him (which are the only parts they sing). somewhere past the halfway point, albert chucks aside samuel's doll and starts to do some tango shit with ida. of course, sam gets chucked aside too (as much as a stage fall can provide), and gets his eye cut out as some of the corrupted stagehands drag him off alive :(. similar happens to ida before the last line, but not as harshly

i'm probably moving later this month (still yet to be closed but the furthest date is december 2nd best i recall) and we are Packing so i'm not likely to work on this much anytime soon. i'd also want to wait for albert's game to release or for us to at least get more information on it, in case it characterizes the vanderbooms contrary to what i have, but here i could at least finish act 1 before albert comes into play (hopefully). the dream is to finish this to be fully released on roots' 5th anniversary, but that might be the release date for al's game for the same reason.

#drowsy auditions ended today and i've got loads of inspo but i can't act on headcanon for something like this #well i mean i can. but i'd feel terrible if i did.#if al's game hits before the summer and i remember about this it's gettin done #but its a helluvalot for a school day #i should really do a draft 2 of those bios since the 4th gens are Wrong and/or Weird but no point until the gaem

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ducktracy · 4 years

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165. porky’s building (1937)

release date: june 19th, 1937

series: looney tunes

director: frank tashlin

starring: mel blanc (porky), billy bletcher (dirty digg), berneice hansell (rabbit), tedd pierce (sandy c. ment, dog)

alas, the photo limit prevents me from placing this in here, but the cartoon opens with a highly amusing disclaimer:

any similarity of characters or happenings in this picture to actual people or events is definitely intended................. if you think we're going to sit around for days thinking up new ideas - you're pixilated!

somewhat of a strange anomaly is mel blanc voicing fat porky. this is the first frank tashlin cartoon since porky’s romance, the last cartoon to feature porky’s original voice actor, joe dougherty. fat porky wouldn’t survive past 1937—frank tashlin was the sole person who kept him going, after tashlin’s porky’s double trouble he got a diet. this is more of a personal anecdote than a concrete observation, i always found this so-called “transitional period” amusing. nevertheless—it’s up to porky you beat his rival, dirty digg, to see who can build the best town hall the fastest.

frank tashlin, ever the cinematographer, introduces the cartoon with a silhouette behind a closed door, the door identifying the silhouette as sandy c. ment, city building commissioner. tedd pierce provides the voice for sandy, discussing the plans for the new city hall about to be built. we see porky and a particularly grizzly brute as the gentlemen sandy is referring to, the only two contractors in the city. they’re both tasked with building the city hall--whoever can come up with the cheapest bid wins. i believe it’s norm mccabe who does some particularly funny animation of porky waving to his rival, only to receive a steely glare in return, much to the rejection of porky. i’m certain frank tashlin’s feelings towards porky were projected into that glare.

sandy displays the city hall plans, revealing a poster of an art deco feat of modern architecture. tashlin’s cartoons in the 30′s are particularly rife with the streamlined, art deco feel, supported by his tendency to use jazzy underscores as we see here as well. more norm mccabe(?) animation as porky and his rival get the papers they need to sort out the bids. lovely animation as any sense of camaraderie between the two is gone in a snap, both nose to nose (or nose to snout?) as they stalk over to their desks to crunch the numbers, not once breaking physical contact or eye contact until absolutely necessary. mel blanc and billy bletcher’s voices collide as the two crunch the numbers aloud, the billy bletcher brute deliberately copying porky’s numbers. the two finish, the staring contest resumes, and they do the same furious tango back to sandy.

as fate has it, the two reach a tie with their bids at $3,000,000.02 each, with a hilarious detail of dirty diggs’ paper including scribbles of a stickman and a self serving game of tic tac toe, indicating just how dedicated he is to his craft. the tie stumps sandy on how to determine who gets to build the city hall, until he reaches a conclusion—both get to build the city hall. whoever finishes first, wins. a lack of sound effects hides the detail, but there’s some rather amusing animation as sandy jabs a finger in porky’s face and honks dirty digg’s nose daffy duck style.

transition to the two now at their respective construction sites, waiting to take off like runners in a race, accompanied by a crowd no less. sandy fires a starting pistol, and the two take off to build. digg hops into his backhoe, clearing the land for his building. can’t go wrong with the backhoe scooping up a giant boulder and crunching it up with an anthropomorphic mouth, spitting the chunks into a cart. porky’s dinky little contraption is just as whimsical, with a mechanical boot slamming itself against an actual shovel suspended by a pulley to clear the way. frank tashlin does a wonderful job juxtaposing the personalities, through mannerisms and extraneous details such as their equipment.

the rubbery animation associated with digg is only furthered as he struggles to pull his backhoe out of the deep hole he dug for himself--we see that the street lamps in the city are caught in the machine, bobbing up and down in their respective “posts”. finally, digg prevails, pulling out a tangled mess of rubbery street lamps. points for creativity.

elsewhere, the cartoon takes a rather morbid yet wonderfully hilarious turn: a dog construction worker loads crates of dynamites into a hole, chuffing halfheartedly on a pipe as he waddles back to the dynamite lever, hands in pockets, marching along to a whimsical rendition of “boulevardier from the bronx”. rolling up his sleeves, he prepares to pull the lever, when a crowd of spectators approach, leaning in as the dog prepares to fire. the dog opens one eye and grunts “step back folks, ya bother me,” VERY well timed to a nice little oboe underscore with each syllable. the crowd gives him his space... until the dog prepares to fire again. another “step back folks, ya bother me.” they oblige, until they don’t. the charade continues, until finally the dog waddles back to the hole where the crates are stashed, rendition of “boulevardier from the bronx” and all. the dog pokes an eye open as the lemmings inevitably wander to the hole of dynamite (a fitting underscore of “let’s put our heads together” to boot.) the dog squeezes his way through the crowd, heads to the lever... and BOOM! cold blooded murder dismissed with a mere dusting off of the hands. a WONDERFUL gag timed succinctly and purposefully prolonged--the same dog would reappear a year later in porky the fireman, another tashlin piece, doing the same prolonged waddle and same accompaniment of boulevardier from the bronx.

a collection of some whimsical animal gags, gags that feel like something out of a harman and ising cartoon, albeit more polished. two beavers load cement and sand into a cocktail shaker strapped to the side of a camel, a pelican dumping water from its beak into the makeshift cocktail. the camel shakes the shaker, all of the animals swaying along. perhaps slightly outdated, yet still fun nonetheless. turtles flip their shells open (wheels attached to the top--or in this case, bottom--of the shells) and tow away the mixture created by the animals. meanwhile, a dog carrying a load of cement, the hod carrier, marches up a support beams thanks to suction cups tied on his shoes, complete with some jaunty music and animation. dirty digg lives up to his namesake by playing dirty, hurling a brick at the dog. the dog falls, his suction cups continuing to ascend up the scaffolding, underscore and all.

we meet camera shy porky for the first time in a few minutes, a reflection of frank tashlin’s distaste and uncertainty regarding the character, who encourages his team to “get in there and fight!” they’re all lined up along a bench, a sign above labeling them as “HOD CARRIER SUBSTITUTES”. thus sparks the running gag of the cartoon: as the substitutes dash off do to their duty for porky, a diminutive rabbit (voiced by berneice hansell, of course) zooms up to porky, donning a sweater that reads “HOD CARRIER” as she squeaks “how ‘bout me, porky?” porky isn’t at all convinced by her diminutive stature, snapping “no!”

on porky’s team, a few pelicans pull the appropriate levers to mix water, cement, and sand in their bills, flying off and twirling their heads and bills around to create the mixture. one pelican successfully discards his load down a long chute to the construction site. the next, however, isn’t so lucky. ever the conniving weasel (or dog), digg attaches a dead fish to a balloon for the oncoming pelican to feast on. the pelican, eager for the snack, spits out its mixture in favor of the fish, the mixture pouring from the sky and landing right on porky. none too deterred, porky encourages his cement mixer substitutes, a line of pelicans, to, once again, get out there and fight. as they fly off, the eager rabbit from before, now donning a sweater labeling her as a cement mixer, squeaks “how ‘bout me, porky?” the same routine as porky once more yells “no!”

digg’s construction site is going swimmingly, as to be expected. a wonderful slanted layout as we spot the builders hard at work. despite the success of the building, digg barks “okay boys, c’mon down. i don’t need you anymore.” digg marches into his office, a makeshift shack on the site, and we’re left to ponder what it is he’s scheming as a rolling pan of the exterior shields us from digg's view, the billy bletcher laugh the only thing cluing us in to nefarious acts. tashlin loved to do the concealing pans, and they work out well in his favor, adding a sense of suspense and anticipation. out on the other side comes digg in a fancy new machine--DIRTY DIGG’S BRICK BRICK LAYING MACHINE.

porky, who’s dutifully laying his bricks the old fashioned way, spots digg’s new trick, and is hardly pleased. mel’s stuttering is particularly heavy, still attempting to emulate joe dougherty as porky complains “say! you can’t do that!” digg takes no offense. “well, i’m doing it, ain’t it?” settings on digg’s machine include start, full speed, super speed, super colossal speed, gosh darn fast, and reverse. digg pulls the lever to start, increasing the speeds as bricks inevitably hurtle out of the chute and land right into place on the site of his building. wonderful (and tedious!) complex animation as the bricks pile on, one after the other, even porky taking a moment to admire the handiwork. tashlin’s cartoons always seem to entail bits of animation that seem so tedious and complex to animate, such as a whole mess of train cars zigzagging on train tracks in porky’s railroad, or the interminable pile of luggage carried by daffy in porky pig’s feat. tashlin’s eye for detail is keen.

a score board gloatingly displays digg’s lead over porky: digg has 22 stories, porky 2. as porky mourns his loss (”woe is me... woe is me!”) no matter--the eager beaver bunny from before is there to cheer him up, donning a “brick layer” sweater with the same “how ‘bout me, porky?” porky declines. a quick zoom in and out, and the rabbit asks the same question, now donning a “colossal brick layer” sweater. porky once more declines. with the third and final “super colossal brick layer”, porky finally yells “no!”, to which the rabbit sulks off. thankfully, porky has a change of heart. “ok-ok-o-oka-ok-ok-oka--alright, eh-geh-geh-go in there and eh-feh-fi-feh-fight!” little rabbit is ecstatic.

the power of popeye compels the rabbit as she flexes her muscles, even flexing her ears to make a pair of makeshift muscles. one ear scoops the mortar, the other tosses a brick on top, and we very quickly realize she is MORE than capable for the job, laying bricks three times as fast as digg’s machine. the scoreboard hurries to adjust porky’s “score”, both of them now tied at 77 stories each. even better is the little “whew!” the rabbit sighs after pausing to rest, a lovely bit of comedic timing both underscoring and highlighting her work.

now, digg rushes to beat porky’s building, realizing he has a worthy competitor on his hands. the two are neck and neck... until the poor mechanical design of digg’s brick layer lands him in hot water. he mistakes the reverse setting for the highest speed setting, and with a hearty kick to the lever, the lever breaks and is now stuck in reverse. mel blanc seems to provide digg’s exclamation of “gosh! it’s stuck in reverse!” instead of bletcher. just as quickly as he had laid the bricks, the bricks of digg’s building come hurtling back into the machine, the machine swelling bigger and bigger as it threatens to burst from the congestion. digg’s entire building is now without a brick, and to make matters worse (or better), the machine finally explodes.

porky’s dinky little backhoe from before comes to life, digging a plot of land the perfect size for digg to fit in. digg flops to the ground from the impact of the explosion, receiving a swift kick to the ass with the machine’s shoe and a konk on the head via shovel for good measure.

elsewhere, porky triumphs, his city hall now complete. the cartoon’s motif of “fifty-second street” triumphantly underscores porky’s victory as he shakes his fist in the glory, perched on top of his architectural feat as his adoring fans shout from below. suddenly, we’re visited by a familiar friend: the little rabbit from before zips to porky’s side. “how ‘bout me, porky?” instead of shooing her away, porky is more than happy to lift her up and have her pose on his outstretched hand. a wholesome iris out as the little rabbit clasps her ears together like fists, reveling in the glory.

truthfully, this is probably the one porky cartoon i forget about the most. not that it’s bad by any means, but out of his hearty filmography of 153 cartoons, this one isn’t the most notable. with that said, this is a fine cartoon. the animation is certainly the highlight: whether it’s porky and dirty digg doing their furious nose-to-snout tango, the dog lumbering around the site of the dynamite hole, the animals mixing cement together, or the entire brick laying montage, there is a lot to admire, the climax of the cartoon especially. the “how ‘bout me, porky?” gag is especially amusing, albeit taxing (as it was intended to be), and the dynamite gag with the dog is wonderfully morbid. porky still has a very transparent personality, yet mel’s deliveries are fun to listen to, especially at this stage when he’s still figuring out the speech patterns. the cartoon’s music score is absolutely WONDERFUL, very jazzy, very upbeat, a fitting score to match the streamlined look of the cartoon.

while this isn’t my go-to recommendation for porky cartoons, it makes for an amusing watch. i wouldn’t urge you to drop everything and see it, and if you don’t watch it you’ll be just as well off, but this is a fine cartoon with a lot to admire.

link!

#lt #porky’s building #looney tunes #reviews #tashlin #long post

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tabloidtoc · 4 years

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National Enquirer, December 14

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

Cover: Prince William’s secret cancer crisis

Page 2: Chris Martin is caught between girlfriend Dakota Johnson and ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow who are both hawking sex toys -- Gwyneth is accusing Dakota of copying her Goop brand and she’s letting Chris know it loud and clear -- Dakota signed on as co-creative director with the sexual wellness brand Maude to launch a line of hip sex products and Dakota’s gotten wind of Gwyn’s whining and thinks she’s being ridiculous -- Chris is proud of Dakota and he feels for Gwyneth but he really wants to be left out of this

Page 3: Martha Stewart has whipped up a new recipe for romance which is red-hot dates with a string of men ordered up online and she may be 79 years old but she’s still cooking with gas in the dating department -- Martha’s getting more dates now than she ever has and she’s saying it makes her feel younger and hotter than ever but all the guys know the deal that there’s no pressure and no commitment and it’s just for the fun and the good company because Martha’s not looking for a relationship

Page 4: Just weeks after Blake Shelton popped the question to longtime love Gwen Stefani they have something else to celebrate as Gwen is expecting a miracle baby at 51 -- after years of trying and failing to have a child together new photos show Gwen sporting what looks like a telltale baby bump -- after years of enduring grueling rounds of IVF treatment without any success Gwen had given up hope of being able to conceive again and she and Blake even looked into adopting but their baby dream has come true naturally

* Reba McEntire’s romance with actor Rex Linn is less than a year old but she’s already driving him crazy -- it was wonderful for the first few months but Reba is so controlling Rex is begging her to give him some space -- Reba wants to be together 24/7 and while Rex loves being with her he’s starting to find her a bit suffocating -- Reba also sees red whenever Rex mentions his former fiancee Renee DeRese and she’s worried Rex is talking to his ex when he’s not around and he has a good relationship with his ex and believes that’s none of Reba’s business

Page 5: Britney Spears lost her bid to have her father Jamie Spears removed from a controlling role in her conservatorship so she’s spending whatever money she can get her hands on to exact her revenge -- Britney is worth about $60 million and she gets a very healthy stipend from that so she’s going through it like water to thumb her nose at her dad and her recent no-holds-barred trip to Maui to celebrate her 39th birthday was more than a little payback because dropping $50,000 on a birthday trip to Hawaii was a satisfying slap in the face to her dad

Page 6: Matthew McConaughey is taking his midlife crisis to an all-time high by planning to do a stand-up comedy tour -- after baring his soul in a memoir the 51-year-old star is totally gung-ho about the comedy thing and he’s cleared his schedule and hired a coach to work on his timing and punch up his jokes -- he’s written a lot of jokes and tried them out on his wife Camila and friends but they’re already tired of his cheesy one-liners and dad jokes and fart gags -- Camila wants to be supportive but she can’t fake it and friends wonder if Matthew’s lost the plot and others claim he might get more inspiration is he took up smoking weed again

Page 7: Grieving Bobby Brown worries he’s cursed after the tragic death of his 28-year-old son Bobby Brown Jr. -- his son’s death follows the deaths of his ex-wife Whitney Houston in 2012 and the couple’s 22-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown in 2015 -- Bobby has suffered through so much pain in his life and it’s left him feeling like he’s cursed and he’s a loving father who always does the best he can and what’s right for his kids but there seems to be no escaping tragedy -- no foul play is expected in the death of Bobby Jr. but the coroner has yes to release the cause of death but Bobby Jr. seemed fit and healthy and had never been a drug user and was excited about a singing career after releasing his first single in September

* Donny Osmond is heading back to the Vegas strip to do a one-man show without his sister Marie Osmond and she’s fuming over the betrayal -- Marie is still smarting after getting dumped by The Talk and she thinks Donny could have been sensitive enough to at least invite her to join him -- Marie’s jealous co-stars on The Talk drove her off the daytime chat show because they couldn’t handle being overshadowed by her -- Donny will debut his new solo show at Harrah’s in August

Page 8: Doting Dolly Parton swooped in to save goddaughter Miley Cyrus from a meltdown after Miley trashed her sobriety during a boozy bender -- Miley has been on the wagon for six months after years of indulging in weed and alcohol but the boredom of lockdown pushed her over the edge -- Dolly has been a source of inspiration and strength to Miley during this difficult time and she’s never lectured Miley about her lifestyle only shown her unconditional love and understanding and that’s what Miley’s responded to

Page 9: Lady Gaga hopes to tango with Brad Pitt and they’re close to making a love connection -- the two have been in deep talks about working on a big-screen thriller and the conversations have turned up close and personal because the two have more in common than people realize -- Brad has always been a huge music nerd and Gaga wants to throw herself into movies in a big way after the success of A Star Is Born -- Gaga is ready to cash out of her latest relationship with businessman Michael Polansky because they quarantined together and things got a little too close for her tastes and she’s now set her sights on Brad who recently became unattached after giving the brush-off to German model Nicole Poturalski -- Gaga’s interest in Brad has not gone unreciprocated because Brad is fascinated by Gaga saying she’s cool and talented beyond words and he’s made it clear she’s his number one choice to star alongside him in next movie and as a result the new duo is set to spend months together in Japan filming the racy thriller Bullet Train and they both think that this will be a great opportunity to see if the chemistry they’ve shared in conversations is real

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Julia Garner filmed her role as a phony heiress in Inventing Anna in NYC, Gary Busey picked up a copy of the National Enquirer at a Malibu newsstand, Jay-Z tossed around a football with pals during a Hawaiian getaway, Heidi Klum shot Germany’s Next Top Model in Berlin

Page 11: In the latest tragedy to strike the Getty dynasty 52-year-old John Gilbert Getty was found dead in a Texas hotel room -- he was a descendant of J. Paul Getty the oil tycoon who was once the world’s richest man -- the Getty fortune is worth an estimated $5 billion but the family has been rocked by a string of tragedies

* Gutsy Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman kept his colon cancer diagnosis secret from his own brothers Derrick L. Boseman who is a pastor in Murfreesboro in Tennessee -- but when Derrick called Chadwick to congratulate him on his career the actor broke the tragic news -- Chadwick’s last words to him still echo in his heart: Chadwick said, “I’m in the fourth quarter and I need you to get me out of the game,” which Derrick understood to mean it was time for him to go -- Chadwick died on August 28

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- the scrawny look of the holiday tree at Rockefeller Center revealed something that happens every year -- the tree is always filled with faux branches because that’s the only way the tree can sustain 50,000 LED lights

* Marie Osmond hasn’t spoken to Sharon Osbourne since she left The Talk because Marie and Sharon were professional but never friends

* Scarlett Johansson is worth $165 million while her new husband Colin Jost tops out a $6 million but despite the difference Colin bought both wedding rings -- some men may be intimidated by a wife who’s rich and famous but not Colin and paying the bills is something the two have worked out together

* Woody Harrelson chats with police after a day filming The Man from Toronto in Ontario (picture)

Page 13: Conan O’Brien is putting on a happy face on his retirement from late-night TV but he was forced out -- after nearly three decades hosting a daily show Conan announced he’s leaving his TBS talker for a weekly variety series on HBO Max but he knew he had to go even before he was asked because he was made aware months ago that his show would not be renewed because the ratings weren’t great and the network was looking to replace him so he started looking for other opportunities

* Lizzo wailing about the pitfalls of fame in an emotional TikTok post has sent out the alarm among her friends who fear she is days away from a full-on meltdown -- she seems to be hanging by a thread and is trying to numb the pain with endless cycles of comfort eating and she already weighs 350 pounds -- Lizzo’s unhappy with her weight and hates the sight of herself when she looks in the mirror but she’s unable to stick to a diet and ends up binge eating through the night

Page 14: Crime

Page 15: Emboldened by his legal victories last year accused sexual abuser Kevin Spacey is denying all the allegations in a 2020 lawsuit in New York against him and demanding the case be brought to trial so he can clear his name -- Kevin is feeling pretty confident after two sexual harassment cases against him in Los Angeles and Massachusetts were dismissed last year and he wants his day in court to prove he is not the monster these charges paint him to be -- in the September suit two male accusers charged Spacey sexually assaulted them when they were 14 and the first accuser alleged Spacey assaulted him on multiple occasions after they met in an acting class in the ‘80s -- in the same suit actor Anthony Rapp charged Spacey invited him to a party at his home and grabbed his buttocks and lifted him onto a bed and lay on top of him

* Serial killer Ted Bundy relived the details of one of his horrific killings in his final conversation before he was fried in the electric chair in 1989 -- Bundy who was convicted of killing 30 women and suspected of doing the same to many more across four states in the 1970s and ‘80s spilled his guts to a psychologist just hours before his execution death and it can be heard in its frightening entirety on the Crimedoor app -- Bundy details the murder of Georgann Hawkins

Page 16: Accused Jeffrey Epstein madam Ghislaine Maxwell is under quarantine in a federal pen after being exposed to a guard with COVID-19 and now sources fear she could die before facing justice on child sex trafficking charges next year

Page 17: Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton’s kids are devastated after their best friend Lupo the family dog passed away -- the beloved dog had become a fixture in family photos but sadly died at age nine leaving Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte and especially Prince George enormously upset -- for George especially this is a tremendous upset as Lupo was his best friend and he has been there his entire life and this is his first experience with loss and he’s been crying nonstop and asking where Lupo is now

Page 18: American Life

Page 19: Russia is using a brain-frying microwave weapon to target American envoys in the U.S. and around the world -- a team of doctors and scientists at CIA headquarters determined the mysterious illness that’s plagued embassy workers in recent years was the handiwork of a weapon that can send a mind-scrambling sonic beam through windows and walls from two miles away -- since 2018 the weapon has zapped 26 diplomats in Cuba who reported suffering from migraines and ringing in the ears and dizziness and vertigo -- Some has longer-term effects such as fatigue and loss of vision and difficulty sleeping symptoms dubbed the Havana Syndrome

* Elon Musk is already designing posh planetary digs for residents of his future city on Mars and he said the first million Earthlings to arrive will live in glass domes -- Musk’s outer-space enterprise is still a little sketchy on details of how to ship a million people to Mars by 2050 and change the atmosphere by terraforming or planting the right stuff to create oxygen

Page 21: American Pie singer Don McLean’s daughter has blasted him as a verbally abusive tyrant who left her with deep psychological scars -- Jackie McLean claimed her father insulted and degraded her and forbade her from following in his musical footsteps and even threatened to exclude her from his $50 million fortune if she spoke out against him -- despite her dad’s warning Jackie has embarked on a musical career with her husband Shawn Strack forming the group Roan Yellowthorpe

Page 22: Hey, Big Spender! Hollywood’s tippers and tightwads -- Jessica Simpson, Mick Jagger, Rachael Ray, Taylor Swift

Page 23: Russell Crowe, Donnie Wahlberg, Jeremy Piven, Johnny Depp, Bill Cosby

Page 25: Justin Bieber is questioning his future in the scandal-scarred Hillsong church after his former pal and pastor Carl Lentz was booted out in disgrace -- the singer has long relied on Hillsong which some have branded a cult and Lentz to help him navigate fame -- Justin’s at a crossroads right now because he definitely felt betrayed by Carl and now he and his wife Hailey Bieber are deciding whether to stay with the church

Page 26: Viola Davis has revealed how growing up poor in Rhode Island affected her self-worth saying what comes with poverty is invisibility and we just want to be somebody desperately -- Viola says her feeling of I’m Important helped drive her career which has led to an Oscar and two Tonys and an Emmy

* Hollywood Hookups -- Vanessa Hudgens is dating Cole Tucker of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jordan Fisher and Ellie Woods married, Luann De Lesseps dating Garth Wakeford

Page 27: Nicole Kidman has revealed there is only one cure for her desperate struggles with loneliness which is in the arms of husband Keith Urban -- Nicole said she practices psychological discipline to keep her career and home life separate but isolation still plagues her

* Dallas star Linda Gray is mourning the death of her son Jeff Thrasher at the age of 56 -- she’s heard from some former Dallas colleagues who have rallied around her and expressed their condolences -- no cause of death for Jeff has been revealed

Page 28: Cover Story -- Prince William is trapped in a cancer nightmare after medical tests have led doctors to suspect the heir to Britain’s throne may be fighting a slow-moving form of the deadly disease and now the 38-year-old royal and his family are terrified he is in severe danger and medical experts are monitoring his health for any symptoms of the illness -- there’s talk around the palace the prince’s decision to reveal he tested positive for COVID-19 during the spring is really an attempt to explain away his condition because doctors found something funky when they checked for the virus -- if William’s health takes a turn for the worse it could further erode confidence in the monarchy which has already endured Prince Andrew’s sex scandal and the defection of Prince Harry -- when William’s doctors dropped their cancer bombshell his wife Duchess Kate Middleton locked herself away with just their kids for five days and she’s practically had a breakdown but she’s learned to be a royal and is now coping very bravely and confronting the future with steely resolve but she is urging William to mend fences with his estranged brother Harry

Page 32: Health Watch

Page 36: Jessica Simpson is preparing her windpipes for a post-pandemic musical comeback -- she hasn’t released an album since Happy Christmas a decade ago but wants to storm the pop charts once again and recruit some of her wider family to give her a disco edge because Jessica has always looked up to Diana Ross who is sister Ashlee Simpson’s mother-in-law and Jessica has been bugging Ashlee to hook her up with Diana and she thinks they could do an incredible duet

Page 38: Paul McCartney has taken a seething jab at a two-faced gold-digging mystery woman in his new song Lavatory Lil but insisted it’s not about his ex-wife Heather Mills

* Lil Wayne’s ex-girlfriend fears he will go insane behind bars -- the rapper is a convicted felon banned from possessing a weapon and now faces up to 10 years in jail after federal agents in Miami caught him with heroin and cocaine and ecstasy and marijuana and a gold-plated gun -- former girlfriend Melissa Howe says he won’t cope and it took him years to get his life back to normal after his last trip inside so for it to happen again for him to be put behind bars it would really get to him mentally

Page 42: Red Carpet -- American Music Awards -- Kristin Cavallari, Christian Serratos, Paris Hilton, Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha, Megan Fox

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- LeAnn Rimes holding a dog on Hallmark Channel’s Home and Family

Page 47: Odd List

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benbarnesescape · 7 years

Note

2, 44 and 48 with billy russo? (from your new prompt list) maybe with the reader being a cia agent or something like that and going 'bad' for billy? But that's up to you (:

This was really fun to write!

“Thisisn’t a game and you shouldn’t treat this like one.”

You pulledyour jacket closer to you as you walked down the busy streets of New York, asteaming cup of coffee in one of your hands and your bag held closely in theother as those words ran through your head. You turned a corner only to begreeted by a stranger running into you, dumping your large black coffee allover the New York street along with the contents in your work bag.

“Really?”you say to no one as the guy curses at you, not stopping to help you as youbend down to pick up the contents. You sigh, noticing a couple of files thathad become victim in the accident and begin to organize the files, pushing themback into your leather satchel.

Itwas your fault, running into the guy. You were distracted. Billy had been inyour head again. Had been for a while now. It annoyed the shit out of youbecause if he was in your head that meant that you were taking his warning witha grain of salt.

“You got a lot to lose if youfind Frank Castle.” Billy watched you as you threw your head back against hiscouch, strategically placing your feet on the table.

“What do you mean Billy. I don’thave kids. I don’t have a mom or dad – meth and gang violence took care of thata long time ago. Move too much to have to many close friends. I, of all thepeople involved in this tango, have nothing to lose.”

Billy’s back is to you, pouringyou both drinks before he turns around and strides toward you, taking a seattoo close to you as you grab the glass.

“You know what I mean. You likeyour job. Always been good at getting people to tell you your secrets by anymeans,” You roll your eyes as his hand moves to your thigh and you sit up,looking at him as his voice drops, an octave more serious. “I know that you’veworked your whole life Y/N to be a part of the CIA. You were a good soldier,you’re a better intelligence gatherer and you’re a natural killer. Don’t letMadani getting in that pretty little head of yours and make you forget that –get in the way of your dream.”

You take a swig of your drinkbefore you swat his hand away, your face inching closer to his as you whisper,

“Shouldn’t that be my lineRusso. You were always the kind of guy who liked to get your taste and move on.But you haven’t with Madani. I think she really likes you. And you like her.Obviously.”

You stand up and walk toward thewindow, trying to ignore the ache in your heart. You and Billy had had metwhile you both served – him as a marine and you in the army. You were anintelligence gathered assigned to his team because you were the best and theyneeded it. You had stayed in contact over the years and, when Stein had slidthe file across your desk about the possibility of Frank Castle being alive,had contacted Billy immediately about it. The same Frank that had garnered yourrespect while you served together. You knew how much he meant to Billy andcouldn’t hold it back, even if it was a breach of policy.

You hear Billy sigh as he setshis glass down, before walking to the window behind you.

“You know, I never denied how muchI liked you,” he whispers, reaching for your glass and turning you around. “Youwere the one always talking about boundaries. And Madani is a means to an endfor now.”

You shake your head, placingyour hands on his chest.

“Billy that’s beside the point. IFFrank is alive, he’s waist deep in some shit. The government is in some stinkyunkosher shit. I don’t know what to do anymore. Don’t know what I am ifeverything I believe in is a lie…”

Billy sighs, looking out at thecity skyline and you both stand there in silence. Minutes later, he looks downat you, seriousness dripping from his voice,

“I know you like to play gamesand be a tease and all that. Its half the reason I’ve always liked you. Youknow how to find the balance in keeping your sanity and getting shit done. ButY/N, this isn’t a game and you shouldn’t treat this like one. Remember thatwhatever path you decide to take.”

Thathad happened two weeks ago and after you left his place you both had been radiosilent. Wasn’t usual for either of you but you know, somewhere in the back of yourmind, it was probably best that way. You sigh, placing the last paper in yourbag before you hear a voice say,

“Ifyou want, I got a good look of the guys face. I can kick his ass for not beinga gentleman.”

You tryto hide your smile as you look up to see Billy smiling down at you, two cups ofsteaming coffee in his hands.

“Youplant that guy to have an excuse to talk to me?” You ask, extending your handup for existence as Billy easily pulls you up, balancing the large coffee’sperfectly in his other hand.

“If Iknew it was that easy I would have.”

Yousmile, taking the coffee, he offers and give a contented sigh as you take along sip.

“So,you’re tailing me?” you finally say and Billy chuckles, sticking his free handin his pocket and shaking his head.

“JesusY/N you really are a pusher. I saw you when I was getting a coffee and wasgoing to come over and apologize. Then I saw that asshole knock you off yourgame and had to check on you.”

Younod, moving aside to a less busy part of the sidewalk and Billy follows you asyou say,

“Heardyou and Madani ain’t a thing anymore.”

“She’sbeen pushing me about some things and I’m over it you know. Its fine to have anice fuck but not if she’s going to keep prying.”

Youshake your head, trying not to be annoyed as you ask,

“Thenwhy talk to me. I’m no different.”

Hewatches you carefully, before taking a step closer to you and ignore thepounding in your heart as you look up at his tall stature.

“I can’t stop thinking about you… I can’t.”

“Billy…” you begin and he raises his hand.

“Listen, outside of frank you were one of the few people in my lifethat always had my back. Always went out of your way to make sure I was alive –ok. And…. despite all my fucked up attachment issues, I care for you. I likeyou. And stubborn or not – I know you like me too. So, let me…. help you withyour work thing.”

You’re silent, taking long sips of your coffee before you exhale andsay,

“If you help me then you’re helping Madani.”

Billy shakes his head, an amused smile on his face before gettingcloser and whispering.

“I don’t give a fuck about Madani. I care about you. And the fact thatmaybe, through a little investigative work, I got a hit on frank.”

You stare at him, feeling the way, your breathing has hitched as yourbrain tries to focus on him. Frank Castle really was alive?”

“Are you sure?” you finally let out and Billy nods, his eyes no longerwith that twinkle of amusement.

“Had a beer with him not but two days ago.”

You bite your lip, looking down, trying to ignore the way your handsshake, causing your coffee to bleed over the cup onto your frigid hands. Billynotices. He gently holds your hand and you look back up at him, shaking your head.

“Hoping he wasn’t alive you know. That just seriously complicates…. Idon’t……I don’t want to give him to Madani but I don’t also understand why Frankwould go into hiding either unless he had something to hide.”

Billy nods before smiling, taking your work bag and looping his armwith yours.

“You have a few minutes for breakfast?”

You arch an eyebrow. You didn’t. You had a thousand case files to gothrough, on top of investigating who had killed one of your service men. Yourlife was one big tornado waiting to be released.

“Why not?” you shrug and you both start heading down the street.Getting caught in the sound of the city. Silent and stuck in your head.Finally, Billy whispers low enough for you to catch,

“I have a proposal for you.”

“A proposal?”

“It has to deal with all this shit but if things play out well, we cankeep Frank’s identity safe and ensure that you and fellow CIA agents don’t getcaught in the cross hairs.”

“Sounds like the kind of work I used to do back when I was a naïve littlearmy woman.” You stop and look back at him and he’s avoiding you. His eyessearching anywhere but your face.

“Sounds like a job a certain policy man in DC used to want us to do.”

His jaw flexes and you give a soft nod.

“He help you with Anvil?”

Billy clears his throat and nods.

“Government track. That’s smart. Helps take care of that itch – that feelingof being in control.”

You turn back in front of you sighing. You didn’t know what Billywanted from you but whenever you got involved with William, you always ended upbeing more an assassin than an intelligence gatherer. That side of you, thatcrazy animalistic side, scared the shit out of you.

“You don’t have to do it. We pretend I ever bought it up.”

He’s trying to offer you an olive branch you know. Know that he’s puthimself on the line for being honest with you because he cared. Cared beyondthe sexual tension and teasing. There was a bond you had with him. With frank. Witha lot of men and women you served with. Strongest with him. You debate it asyou cross the street as he takes you closer to the dive diner that had been afavorite for years before you stop him, looking up at him and saying

“I am who I am because of you. If you need help with Frank Castle,then who better to help you get him than me.”

He smiles, before he bends down to kiss you softly. When he pulls awayhe whispers,

“You don’t know how happy you just made me.”

#ben barnes #billy the beaut #billy russo x reader #ask and you shall receive #prompt challenge

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Best Games to Play in 2021

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

While 2020 was a landmark year for the gaming industry thanks to the release next-gen consoles and PC graphics cards, there are plenty of exciting new games coming in 2021. From highly-anticipated sequels like God of War: Ragnarok and Resident Evil Village to brand-new experiences such as Chorus and Deathloop, there’s plenty to look forward to this year.

To start the year off right, we’ve curated a list of the 2021 games we’re most excited about, including big AAA blockbusters as well as imaginative indie titles. Keep in mind that we’ve only included games that at the very least have a vague “2021” release window attached, which is why we’re not including games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel or Final Fantasy XVI. We’ll of course update this article as new 2021 titles are announced.

Here’s what you have to look forward to this year:

The Ascent

TBA | Neon Games | XSX, XBO, PC

The Ascent was originally planned as an Xbox Series X launch title before it slipped into 2021. A twin stick shooter at its core, The Ascent features a cover system as well as the ability to target high and low points on enemies, all in a destructible, open world cyberpunk setting. You can also fully customize your character with a variety augments.

Though Neon Games is a small studio, Epic Games was so impressed with early work on the title, that Neon was awarded a grant to help cover development costs. We’re really looking forward to this smaller take on the cyberpunk genre.

Axiom Verge 2

TBA | Thomas Happ Games | Switch

Metroidvanias from indie developers are a dime a dozen nowadays, but the original Axiom Verge stood out thanks to its tight controls, varied weapons, and compelling story. Axiom Verge 2 looks to largely be more of the same, but with even better graphics and more complex enemy patterns. The game has been in development for the past four years, but should finally be out in early 2021.

Balan Wonderworld

March 26 | Balan Company and Arzest | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC, Switch

Balan Wonderworld has positioned itself as a modern take on classic platformers of the 32-bit era. You’ll choose from one of two characters, exploring a variety of worlds mixing reality and imagination, but the real hook is the 80 different costumes that will unlock new abilities for your characters.

The game is being directed by Yuji Naka of Sonic the Hedgehog fame. And the trailer has already been favorably compared to his other seminal work, Nights into Dreams. Platformer fans won’t want to miss this one.

Back 4 Blood

June 22 | Turtle Rock Studios | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC

Valve may not have been able to get its act together to make a new Left 4 Dead game, but the developer behind the best-selling franchise has a spiritual successor in the works. Just like in Left 4 Dead, you’ll team up with three other players to take on waves of the undead in missions that change every time you play. There will also be a competitive 4v4 mode with one team taking the role of the zombies.

We went hands-on with the Back 4 Blood alpha, and so far, it does play a lot like Left 4 Dead with updated graphics, which isn’t a bad thing at all if you miss the classic horde shooter. The card system, which bestows interesting perks (and buffs) to players and zombies, does add a bit of variety to the usual formula that make this one a sleeper hit in the streaming world.

Bravely Default II

February 26 | Claytechworks | Switch

The first two Bravely Default games released on the 3DS were typical fantasy RPGs bolstered by their unique risk-reward battle system. Players could use brave points to stack up attacks for big damage, or default to save them up and take less damage in a turn. It kept those games fresh, even if they sometimes dragged on for too long.

Bravely Default II brings the series’ unique combat exclusively to the Switch for the first time. And true to its Final Fantasy inspirations, the characters and story will be completely original, so you don’t need any familiarity with the earlier games.

Chivalry 2

TBA | Torn Banner Studios | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC

Chivalry: Medieval Warfare was a huge multiplayer hit on the PC when it was released in 2012. Unfortunately, with lagging developer support, most of the community moved on to other games long ago. Now, Torn Banner is hoping to bring players back with the sequel, which boasts next-gen graphics, improved combat, and massive 64-player battles. Needless to say, Chivalry 2 could be the next big thing in multiplayer. The game is currently in Closed Alpha, so you might be able to check it out before release if you sign up here.

Chorus

TBA | Fishlabs | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC, Stadia

There’s been a serious lack of good third-person space combat shooters in recent years, but Chorus looks to rectify that. In this single-player game, you’ll play as Nara and her sentient ship Forsaken as they work together to track down the cult that created them in what Fishlabs is calling a “dark new universe.” It kind of looks like Goth Star Fox.

Unfortunately, we haven’t really seen anything more from Chorus since it was announced last summer. Hopefully, the radio silence ends soon.

CrossfireX

TBA | Smilegate Entertainment and Remedy Entertainment | XSX, XBO

CrossFire is a hugely popular tactical first-person shooter in China and South Korea, even though it’s barely made a mark in the West. Fortunately, Microsoft is bringing an updated version of the shooter exclusively to its consoles in hopes that it’ll catch on. Expect lots of tense, objective-based multiplayer action, and though the series isn’t known for its single-player, we’re looking forward to what Remedy can do with this mode hot on the heels of the excellent Control.

Like several of the titles on this list, CrossfireX was planned as a launch title for the Series X, but was delayed into 2021 due to development issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait that much longer for this one.

Deathloop

May 21 | Arkane Studios | PS5, PC

What if you could combine the movie Groundhog Day with the Hitman series? It’s likely that no one had actually asked that question before Deathloop. You play as Colt, an assassin stuck in a time loop on an island in the midst of a party that resets every day. You have to eliminate eight targets before midnight and avoid dying yourself, or you’ll end up at the beginning of the loop again.

Deathloop also features a multiplayer component that allows players to jump into your game as an assassin named Julianna, who is tasked with taking Colt down before he can complete his mission. This PvP aspect should result in some very interesting playthroughs.

While Microsoft now owns Arkane as part of its purchase of ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks, don’t expect Deathloop on the Xbox any time soon. It’s still launching exclusively on the PS5 and PC.

Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny

TBA | Nippon Ichi Software | Switch

After a couple of well-received remakes, the first new Disgaea title in more than five years should be out in 2021. This time around, the offbeat story focuses on Zed, a zombie who attempts to use something called “super reincarnation” to stop the seemingly invincible God of Destruction who is slowly destroying all worlds.

While both the PlayStation 4 and Switch are dialed in for Japanese releases in January, so far only a Switch version has been announced for the West.

Evil Dead: The Game

TBA | Boss Team Games and Saber Interactive | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC, Switch

The Evil Dead movies are considered all-time horror classics, but success has always eluded the franchise in the world of video games. But that could be about to change. Announced at The Game Awards, Evil Dead: The Game sees Ash and friends taking on waves of Deadites on several maps, including the iconic cabin in the woods. Gameplay appears to be similar to Saber’s previous adaptation, World War Z, which was a solid title that never quite seemed to find an audience.

Far Cry 6

TBA | Ubisoft | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC, Stadia, Luna

By now we all know what to expect from Far Cry: hop into a tropical paradise, blow up a bunch of outposts, and methodically take back the land from the big bad guy. After a detour into the American wilderness with Far Cry 5, the next entry in the series heads to Yara, a fictional Caribbean country heavily based on Cuba. And with Giancarlo Esposito of Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian fame playing the big bad El Presidente, you know we’re in for some especially awesome villainy.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

TBA | Steel Wool Studios | PS5, PS4, PC

The Five Nights at Freddy’s series has been terrorizing gamers for more than a half decade now, and Steel Wool Studio is looking to up the scares with the power of next-generation graphics. We don’t know how exactly the game will play yet, but the announcement video showcased a very cool looking shopping mall with an ‘80s motif. On the PS5 and PC, Security Breach will support real-time raytracing, so Freddy and the gang should look better than ever.

Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection

February 25 | Capcom | Switch

After a lengthy absence, the crushingly difficult Ghosts ‘n Goblins series is just a few weeks away from a new release. The debut trailer from The Game Awards shows off the series’ classic 2D gameplay, with the knight Arthur fighting his way through hordes of familiar enemies. Of course, the new graphics look much better than the old NES and SNES games.

Start honing those classic platforming skills now, because if Resurrection is anything like the previous games, you’re going to die. A lot.

Ghostwire: Tokyo

TBA | Tango Gameworks | PS5, PC

Tango Gameworks has only released two titles to date: The Evil Within and its sequel. Anyone who played those games can tell you, the developers know horror. With a variety of deformed enemies and a mind-bending plot, The Evil Within titles are two of the scariest games of the last decade.

Ghostwire: Tokyo is a brand new IP that moves the action to the third-person. Instead of the typical firearms, you’ll be dispatching ghosts with psychic powers. Expect an exceedingly creepy experience regardless.

God of War: Ragnarok

TBA | SIE Santa Monica Studio | PS5

Sony has said almost nothing about the next God of War game except that it’s coming next year. One thing we do know is that Ragnarok is the mythical battle leading to the death of the Norse gods. With Kratos’ history of deicide, it only makes sense that he’ll be killing a whole lot of them in the next game. The previous title also hinted at a showdown with Thor, the god of thunder (no, not the Marvel guy), which should be pretty epic.

Gotham Knights

TBA | WB Games Montreal | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC

Batman is finally returning to PC and consoles in 2021, or rather, his sidekicks are in Gotham Knights. With Batman and Commissioner Gordon apparently dead, it’s up to Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood to clean up the streets of Gotham. The entire campaign can be played solo or in two player co-op, with each player able to level up their character as they tackle increasingly difficult missions.

Guilty Gear Strive

TBA | Arc System Works | PS5, PS4, PC

The latest in the long-running Guilty Gear franchise should be out early in 2021 with some interesting new fighters as well as exciting returning characters. There will be a dedicated dash button and a new feature will let opponents who are knocked into walls cling to them. If you can land enough attacks, you will break through the wall and initiate a stage transition.

Arc has promised “a completely new Guilty Gear” with Strive. We’re not sure about that, but the trailers showcasing the franchise’s trademark mix of 2D and 3D graphics look better than ever.

Halo Infinite

Fall | 343 Industries | XSX, XBO, PC

After a disappointing reveal last July, Halo Infinite was bumped from the Series X launch to Fall 2021. The game has been described as both a sequel and a “spiritual reboot” for the series, so it will be interesting to see how far 343 Industries handles Cortana’s heel turn after the fan backlash Halo 5: Guardians received.

Many fans weren’t happy to hear more microtransactions will be added to Infinite in the form of “coatings” (shaders) that can be purchased to customize Spartans in multiplayer. It doesn’t help that players have yet to even see any multiplayer gameplay from Infinite.

Hopefully, the delay will give 343 the time it needs to put out a game that lives up to the series’ reputation.

Hitman III

January 20 | IO Interactive | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC, Switch, Stadia

IO’s rebooted Hitman games are among the most underrated titles of the last few years, streamlining the series’ once finnicky systems and placing Agent 47 in huge sandbox levels with more ways than ever to eliminate his targets. If you own the previous two games, you can import maps and progress to take advantage of Hitman III’s improvements on any platform, but only the PS4 version will support the PSVR headset for the ultimate Hitman experience.

Hogwarts Legacy

TBA | Avalanche Software | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC

Hogwarts Legacy is about the closest any of us will ever get to a Hogwarts acceptance letter. Set in the 1800s, you’ll get to choose your House, learn spells, brew potions, and live the life of a young wizard in an open world. But don’t think you’ll be stuck behind Hogwarts’ walls for the entire game. The trailer also showed off Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest.

Horizon Forbidden West

TBA | Guerilla Games | PS5, PS4

Thanks to its unique post-post-apocalyptic setting and fluid gameplay, Horizon Zero Dawn was one of the best open world games of the previous generation. The sequel looks to out do the original with even more varied environments like deserts, beaches, and the ruins of San Francisco. And there will of course be more mechanized prehistoric beasts than ever before.

While Forbidden West is coming to the PS4 as well, the PS5’s DualSense controller should provide the definitive experience thanks to its haptic feedback. You should finally be able to feel what it’s like for Aloy to pull back on her iconic bow.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

TBA | Traveller’s Tales | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC, Switch

There have been plenty of Lego Star Wars games, including one that already adapted the “complete” saga, but this will be the first to feature the entire Sequel Trilogy. Even if you’ve played through those other games, The Skywalker Saga will feature never-before-seen levels and gameplay.

Traveller’s Tales promises an absolutely massive game, too. Each of the nine films features five levels, and the movies can be played through in any order. Nearly 500 playable characters are expected to be included in the final game. We’d love it if Mando and Grogu make the final cut, too.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum

TBA | Daedalic Entertainment | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC, Switch

Making a pure action game or an RPG based on The Lord of the Rings is the obvious choice, so it’s a pleasant surprise to see a developer try something different with the franchise. Since Gollum isn’t exactly known for his combat prowess, this titular adventure will largely focus on stealth, following the creature on an adventure set between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. Unlike most recent Tolkien media, Gollum is based solely on the books and not the movies, so we should see some new visual takes on the usual orcs and trolls as well.

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

Spring | BioWare | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC

Nearly a decade since its conclusion, the Mass Effect trilogy remains a favorite among many gamers. BioWare hasn’t commented too much about what to expect from this remaster, but we know the visuals will be upgraded to 4K, and all of the excellent post-launch DLC will be included. The developer has also promised other upgrades to bring the titles up to modern standards, so maybe we’ll see some changes to the first game’s finicky combat. And if Bioware is feeling particularly ambitious, we might even get a few hints as to what they have planned for the upcoming sequel.

The Medium

January 28 | Bloober Team | XSX, PC

Originally announced way back in 2012 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii U, The Medium was shelved for years due to technological constraints before finally resurfacing in 2020. Gameplay focuses on a medium who can instantaneously travel between the real world and the spirit realm to solve puzzles, something that just wasn’t possible until the current crop of consoles adopted solid state drives.

Bloober Team has quietly built a reputation for itself excellent single-player horror games like Observer and Layers of Fear, and The Medium looks to be their best and most ambitious game yet.

Monster Hunter Rise

March 26 | Capcom | Switch

The excellent Monster Hunter: World helped the series find a large audience in the West, although the game’s more demanding performance requirements kept it off the Switch. But that’s okay because Rise is coming exclusively Nintendo’s portable-console hybrid. And rather than a watered down port of World, Capcom has said it’s a full-featured sequel with a new, more vertical map and all 14 weapon types from Monster Hunter: World and Monster Hunter Generations.Capcom has also announced that Rise will have some sort of compatibility with the upcoming Switch RPG Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, although we don’t know what that’ll entail just yet.

Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…

April 23 | Square Enix | PS4, XBO, PC

Before Nier: Automata was hailed as one of the best games of the last generation, there was simply Nier, a quirky, slightly janky action RPG that nevertheless found a devoted fanbase on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Square Enix has been cagey on exactly what improvements we’ll see in Replicant, an updated version of the original, saying only that it’s somewhere between a remaster and a full remake.

The screenshots we’ve seen so far look absolutely gorgeous, and the combat system will also be updated to more closely resemble Automata’s gameplay. Considering that Nier‘s graphics and combat were criticized at the time, Replicant could end up being the definitive version of the experience.

No More Heroes III

TBA | Grasshopper Manufacture | Switch

Another game that was bumped into 2021 at the last minute, we actually haven’t seen that much from this one, even though it should be out soon. Screenshots show Travis Touchdown wielding his trademark beam katana and performing pro wrestling moves on enemies. And everything looks much better on the Switch than the first two games originally released on the Wii.

As we’ve all come to expect from Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture by now, the story sounds absolutely bonkers, involving a weird parody of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and aliens posing as superheroes who Travis must now defeat to save the world. It doesn’t make a ton of sense, but No More Heroes fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Outlast Trials

TBA | Red Barrels | PC

While The Outlast Trials will be the third game in the Outlast series, it won’t follow the plot of the previous games and instead will focus on the subjects of some sort of Cold War experiment. Those earlier games didn’t feature any combat, instead forcing you to evade enemies to survive, and it’s a safe bet that The Outlast Trials will follow a similar gameplay structure. It’ll also feature four-player co-op, a first for the horror series. Knowing Red Barrels, you should expect something really scary.

Outriders

February 22 | People Can Fly | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC

Outriders combines the shooter and RPG genres in some unique and engaging ways. At the start of the game, you’ll pick from one of four classes: the time manipulating Trickster, fire-controlling Pyromancer, the seismic-powered Devastator, or the Technomancer, each of whom has a full-featured skill tree. The three-player drop-in, drop-out gameplay showed so far looks a lot like Gears of War with sci-fi powers. Some have compared the title to live service games like Destiny and The Division, but People Can Fly says that’s not accurate and that Outriders features a story campaign with a definitive ending.

Persona 5 Strikers

February 23 | Omega Force and P-Studio | PS4, PC, Switch

It’s a tradition at this point for Atlus to spin-off a Persona game into as many other titles as possible. We’ve already seen rhythm and dungeon crawler spin-offs of Persona 5 (and even a Super Smash Bros. cameo from Joker), but this will be The Phantom Thieves’ first foray into the hack and slash genre. Gameplay is a mix of the usual Dynasty Warriors combo attacks, but there will also be turn-based persona battles as well. And of course, expect plenty of Persona 5’s usual style and flare.

Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis

TBA | Sega | XSX, XBO, PC

Wait, didn’t Phantasy Star Online 2 just come out? Well yes, but only in the West. Japan has been playing the game since 2012, which is why the MMORPG might feel a little dated. New Genesis is a half update-half sequel with updated combat, and for the first time in the series, open world areas. It’s more like the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn update instead of a whole new game. The best part is that you’ll be able to transfer over your character from PSO 2 to New Genesis, and like its predecessor, it will be completely free-to-play.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake

March 18 | Ubisoft | PS4, XBO, PC

The Sands of Time was arguably the best game of the PS2 era, which is why a remake is long overdue. Fan reception regarding the new art style has been mixed, though it certainly does look better than the original 2003 release. But how this remake plays remains to be seen.

While lauded for its tight platforming and time-bending mechanics, The Sands of Time always suffered from lackluster combat. Let’s hope Ubisoft has ironed out all of the kinks with this remake, though.

Originally planned for a January release, Ubisoft recently pushed the game back to March 18, so we’ll have to wait just a little bit longer for the return of the Prince.

Psychonauts 2

TBA | Double Fine | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC

Fans have been waiting for a Psychonauts sequel for 15 years now. Fortunately, it looks like Double Fine’s follow up will finally see the light of day in 2021. The first game was praised for its varied levels and puzzles, and Psychonauts 2 will again see Raz delving into the psyches of other characters, with hilarious and frightening results. Raz won’t be completely alone for this journey as Double Fine has announced that he will be joined by a new glowing companion voiced by Jack Black.

Rainbow Six Quarantine

TBA | Ubisoft | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC

Rainbow Six Siege is still one of the most popular multiplayer games on the market years after its release, which is why Ubisoft isn’t looking to get in the way of its own success with Quarantine. While Siege focuses on PvP combat, Quarantine takes its inspiration from that game’s popular limited time Outbreak mode. In this spin-off, teams of three work together to eliminate an alien threat controlled by the AI in dynamic missions. The game won’t be completely independent from Siege though, with at least some of its roster of operators also being playable in Quarantine.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

TBA | Insomniac games | PS5

There hasn’t been a bad Ratchet & Clank game yet, and Rift Apart seems poisted to continue that trend. The basic gameplay will be similar to the excellent 2016 reboot, but Insomniac is taking advantage of the power of the PS5’s SSD to introduce instant travel between completely different worlds. From what we’ve seen in gameplay trailer so far, the mechanic is very impressive in action. Equally stunning are the game’s visuals, which will support real-time raytracing and full 4K resolution.

Resident Evil Village

TBA | Capcom | XSX, PS5, PC

Resident Evil Village is a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, but don’t call it Resident Evil 8, as Capcom is emphatic that the focus will be on the mysterious occurrences in a European village and not the larger Resi universe. From the one trailer we’ve seen, we know that Ethan Winters will be returning from the previous game, and this time around he’ll be joined by series regular Chris Redfield.

Gameplay will again be in first-person, so you should notice quite a few similarities with Resi 7, but with improved graphics and much shorter load times since this will be one of the first major next-gen releases that won’t have a PS4 or Xbox One version.

Scorn

TBA | Ebb Software | XSX, PC

Scorn looks like an absolute nightmare, but in the best possible way. It is, after all, directly inspired by the art of H.R. Giger of Alien fame and Polish painter Zdzisław Beksiński. In Scorn, you play as a skinless humanoid searching for answers in a horrific techno-organic open world. At the very least, it promises to be the most disturbing title of the year.

Shin Megami Tensei V

2021 | Atlus | Switch

While the Persona spin-off series gets most of the attention nowadays, the original Shin Megami Tensei franchise is still going strong, and the latest title in the long-running series should be out worldwide next year.

This is the first Shin Megami Tensei developed using the Unreal Engine 4, so it should look fantastic, but expect similar gameplay to previous titles, including turn-based combat and lots of negotiating with demons to try to get them to join your party.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury on Switch

February 12 | Nintendo | Switch

When it was released in 2013, Super Mario 3D World was easily one of the best Mario games in years, effortlessly combining the 3D movement of newer games in the series with the level design and multiple characters of the original NES games. You could play as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, or Rosalina, and they could each don catsuits that opened up all sorts of new platforming opportunities. But maybe 10 people played it because no one bought the Wii U.

Nintendo hasn’t said exactly what Bowser’s Fury is, but based on the trailer, a few new levels seem like a safe bet. Even if there aren’t a ton of new features, this is a welcome re-release of an underrated gem. And it will definitely be played more widely on the Switch.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

TBA | GSC Game World | XSX, PC

The original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games were praised for their horrifying atmosphere, survival horror gameplay, and unique setting in the radioactive Chernobyl zone. Even now, almost 14 years after its release, Shadow of Chernobyl holds up pretty well, even if the graphics are dated.

At this point, we know more about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s troubled development than the game itself. The title was first announced in 2010, cancelled in 2012, and then revived in 2018. The trailer released in 2020 looks promising though, and Microsoft has announced that the game will be available via Game Pass on release day.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2

TBA | Hardsuit Labs | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 may be the most unlikely sequel of 2021. The original game, released in 2004 exclusively for the PC, was a sales flop, criticized for its poor combat and myriad technical issues. Still, anyone who powered through the game was treated to some sharp writing and top-notch roleplaying. Needless to say, the game has built up a sizable fanbase over the years, with fan mods resolving many of its technical issues.

Bloodlines 2 moves the series to Seattle, with a new storyline emphasizing the struggle between vampire and human. Gameplay, which will mostly be in the first-person, focuses on choice, from which factions you side with to how you tackle each mission. If Hardsuit can avoid the technical problems that plagued the first game, this could be the redemption story of the year.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

TBA | Fatshark | XSX, PC

Fatshark’s previous Warhammer Vermintide games were among the best co-op titles of the last generation, featuring heart-pumping four-player multiplayer action against hordes of rat men. The latest installment, Darktide, has a lot in common with previous Vermintide games, except that the setting has moved to the sci-fi-heavy Warhammer 40,000 universe. Players will control members of the Inquisition, who are sent on a mission to exterminate a heretical cult known as The Admonition. The game will feature the same visceral melee combat as its predecessors, but this time all that killing is done for the glory of the God Emperor.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse-Earthblood

February 4 | Cyanide | XSX, PS5, PS4, XBO, PC

Despite their lengthy history in folklore, there have been remarkably few games that let you play as a werewolf. So, while there’s admittedly not much competition, Earthblood is already looking like the definitive lycanthrope experience.

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You play as Cahal, a werewolf seeking redemption in the Pacific Northwest after accidentally killing a member of his tribe. The game will feature the obligatory player choices and skill tree, but the real is the ability to shift between human, wolf, and werewolf forms at will. Should be interesting!

The post Best Games to Play in 2021 appeared first on Den of Geek.

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zodiacoracle · 7 years

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Scrapbook: In which I declare my love for the umpteenth time

[This was originally targeted to be published in October, but shit happened and I don’t think I will ever finish this now, so I’m posting it as is.]

[No, that’s not the kind of title I would have used if this was a proper, finished post.]

Have you played the demo for Octopath Traveler? It's a gorgeous looking game, and it looks fun. It's shaping up to be the Romancing SaGa of what Bravely Default was to classic Final Fantasy. On top of that, the music is wonderful. Too bad I don't have a Switch.

I hope you didn't think I'd write about my impression on the game.

Here's the thing though: I love Yasunori Nishiki, the composer. I love his music with my whole being, more than anything that isn't charming Spanish Flamenco or Tango inspired music. Oh, it just happens he has written such songs too. As you can see, he's really high in my list, I think he's one of the best composers I've heard in recent years.

And so with Octopus Octopath being the topical thing at the moment, there's no better time to talk about him than now! And I'd like to introduce a couple of his songs!

>> Profile

Yasunori Nishiki was born in Kanagawa, Japan, on July 10, 1985. Nishiki graduated from Film Scoring program of Tokyo College of Music in 2009 and joined KONAMI directly after.

His first contribution as a composer in Konami was for Quiz Magic Academy VII, released in 2010. He continued composing for the series until the ninth installment, Quiz Magic Academy Kenja no Tobira, after which he left the team to be the sound director and main composer of then-new Oreca Battle. He later also became the sound director of another game related to Oreca, the arcade version of the mobile game Dragon Collection.

Behind the alias Vivian, he first debuted in Bemani, Konami's line of arcade music games, in REFLEC BEAT colette, 2012, with the song guerre à outrance. His latest appearance in Bemani to date was in beatmania IIDX 23 copula, 2015. It is currently unknown if he will use this alias again in the future.

He also made contributions to a number of console titles, such as NeverDead and Frontier Gate - which he composed almost half of the soundtrack of.

In 2015, Nishiki left Konami and started freelancing. Outside of Konami, he took on various projects, working as a composer/arranger or synth manipulator amongst others. The projects he has written composition for include SHOW BY ROCK!!, the theme song of Fate/Extella, the anime adaptation of Granblue Fantasy, and the latest, Square Enix's Project Octopath Traveler.

So, I've been following Nishiki's activities ever since I first heard Vanity in jubeat saucer. That was in December 2012? Five years ago? How time flies! Around that time was also when I started getting into QMA music.

By the way, I mentioned Romancing SaGa above, but did you know Nishiki made an official rearrangement of SaGa music for SE's Lord of Vermillion Arena? It was SaGa Frontier 2, though.

Anyway, wow, Octopath Traveler. I didn't think the day when he would be recognized by so many people would come so soon, but here we are. I'm so proud, so happy for him. It makes me want to introduce some of his songs that may share the same style as Octopath.

I like to take any chance I can get to introduce his music to people, particularly his Oreca songs, and this time isn't any different. If you have ever wondered why Oreca in particular, there are two reasons why. The first is, Konami has uploaded a lot of Oreca songs to YouTube, making it easier to share them the legal/officially approved way. The second is, in my opinion, Oreca was where Nishiki shone the brightest in his time in Konami.

Nishiki worked on Oreca ever since it was first developed then released in 2012, and he kept composing for it until he left Konami in 2015. Within that time period, he composed and arranged about 150 songs for this little game alone, his songs making up more than half of its whole soundtrack at the time of the writing of this post.

The reason behind the huge number of songs in this game is because, being a constantly updated arcade game, it has lots and lots of boss characters, and almost every one of them has a battle theme of their own. It also has a decent number of stage music and such, but those character themes make up most of the game's soundtrack.

This is where Nishiki showed his true potential. Back when he was in QMA sound team, he only composed orchestral songs. In Oreca, he still was fond of orchestral songs (and still is until now), but to realize the vision of unique character battle themes he branched into other genres, revealing the versatile artist in him. From electronic and pop to rock and metal, from ethnic and classic sounds to modern ones, from mellow to aggressive - he covered everything he could.

[Then my plan was to review some of his Oreca songs, but, well. Below are the songs I considered to be included in this post, along with some short comments instead.]

[Of course I wouldn’t have included everything if I finished this post. Choosing is hard, however.]

Great Sorcery Mimi & Sisi's Theme: A safe song that played straight to his strengths, but a solid one nevertheless. It’s unexpectedly complex for a pair of goofy mice. I adore the sense of adventure in this song.

Mage Knight Chaos Magica's Theme: I’ve always felt Nishiki’s music might have some baroque roots, then this song came.

Deep Sea Emperor Barolo's Theme: This is the last boss. That was the feeling I got when I first heard this song.

Underworld God Anubis' Theme: I wanted to include this just to make a point that his dominantly electronic work can be as strong as everything else by him.

Kudlak's Theme: I like to call this song “Faux Castlevania” but really. It’s a song for a vampire character, I won’t be surprised if it was intentional. Oh, and, Nishiki rearranged Beginning too for Oreca. Despite being Faux Castlevania, this song is still brimming with his usual details.

Thin Ice Knight Dante's Theme: A rearrangement of a popular song for a popular character - popular between Oreca players, at least. A cold and lonely arrangement of an elegant song.

Purgatory Emperor Ares' Theme: Menacing, dark, and moody. It also has another version featuring Yuma Ito’s solo violin. You can never have enough of his violin when it comes to Nishiki’s music.

Great Djinn Ifrit's Theme: One of his more atmospheric songs, but still reeks off boss smell.

Dragon themes in a separate category, as he took one composition and rearranged it plenty of times. I’d argue the dragon theme is his most important legacy in Oreca. I want all Konami composers to remix the dragon theme.

The original dragon theme, for reference.

Ocean Stream Dragon's Theme: I think I picked this for similar reason as I picked Mimi & Sisi’s theme: it sounds like such a delightful adventure. It also has a lot of castanets, I like it when he use castanets.

Great Tree Root Dragon's Theme: Nishiki described this song as “dark fantasy” and I agree. This whimsical rearrangement is one of my favorite dragon themes.

Dragon Emperor Fei Long's Theme: I think I added this into consideration mostly to add variety. It also sounds really pleasant.

Celestial Dragon Bahamuth's Theme: Bahamuth and this song was to debut in WHF, an important event for the game, he gave everything into it and even incorporated real choir as he was in such high spirit. I will always remember about this little story. It turned into a grand song fitting of Bahamuth, and everything was worth it.

Divine Dragon Kuzuryu's Theme: My original intention was to only include songs that are officially uploaded, but I wanted to give an exception for this song badly. It’s easily one of the best dragon themes. It may not sound like a dragon theme at first, but if you listen closely you’ll hear that this is a dragon theme through and through. Here the usual melody takes a backseat while a new one gives a new soul into the song. Sachiko Watabe’s serene vocals definitely bring the song to life. I salute her, especially for that difficult chorus. Also, I vaguely remember Nishiki saying something along the line of “vocal song for BGM is unusual, especially in arcade games” but I don’t remember where. Twitter? Somewhere else? Eh? Anyway I’m glad he went for it anyway because that decision led to this song coming into existence. Thank you.

[Thank you for everything. Sorry I couldn’t finish this, I will do better next time.]

[I will always support you wherever you are.]

#scrap #eritalk #yasunori nishiki

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jcmarchi · 5 months

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Xbox Is Shutting Down Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, And More

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Xbox Is Shutting Down Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, And More

Xbox is closing Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, and more under Bethesda, according to IGN. Alpha Dog Studios, which is behind last year’s mobile Mighty Doom, is being closed as well, according to the report. Roundhouse Games is also affected, but it will be absorbed by The Elder Scrolls Online team ZeniMax Online Studios.

Tango has confirmed the news online, with a thank you to its fans:

Arkane Austin has followed suit, confirming the news online as well alongside word that players who purchased Redfall’s Hero Pass will be eligible “to receive the value of the upgrade.” Here’s the studio’s statement:

These closures arrive after Tango delivered the extremely well-received Hi-Fi Rush last year a few months before Arkane Austin released Redfall, which unfortunately didn’t pan out as expected, with both critics and fans disappointed in the first-person vampire shooter from the studio behind the Dishonored series.

IGN learned of these closures in emails sent to staff by Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty, where the executive cited reprioritization as the reason for the closures. Here is the email, in full:

“Today, I’m sharing changes we are making to our Bethesda and ZeniMax teams. These changes. These changes are grounded in prioritizing high-impact titles and further investing in Bethesda’s portfolio of blockbuster games and beloved worlds which you have nurtured over many decades.

To double down on these franchises and invest to build new ones requires us to look across the business to identify the opportunities that are best positioned for success. This reprioritization of titles and resources means a few teams will be realigned to others and that some of our colleagues will be leaving us.

Here are the changes going into effect:

Arkane Austin – This studio will close with some members of the team joining other studios to work on projects across Bethesda. Arkane Austin has a history of making impactful and innovative games and it is a pedigree that everyone should be proud of. Redfall’s previous update will be its last as we end all development on the game. The game and its servers will remain online for players to enjoy and we will provide make-good offers to players who purchased the Hero DLC.

Alpha Dog Studios – This studio will also close. We appreciate the team’s creativity in bringing Doom to new players. Mighty Doom will be sunset on August 7 and we will be turning off the ability for players to make any purchases in the game.

Tango Gameworks – Tango Gameworks will also close. We are thankful for their contributions to Bethesda and players around the world. Hi-Fi Rush will continue to be available to players on the platforms it is today.

Roundhouse Games – The team at Roundhouse Games will be joining ZeniMax Online Studios (ZOS). Roundhouse has played a key role in many of our recent game launches and bringing them into ZOS to work on The Elder Scrolls Online will mean we can do even more to grow the world that millions of players call home.

With this consolidation of our Bethesda studio teams, so that we can invest more deeply in our portfolio of games and new IP, a small number of roles across select Bethesda publishing and corporate teams will also be eliminated.

Those whose roles will be impacted will be notified today, and we ask that you please treat your departing colleagues with respect and compassion. We will provide our full support to those who are impacted in today’s notifications and through their transitions, including severance benefits informed by local laws.

These changes are not a reflection of the creativity and skill of the talented individuals at these teams or the risks they took to try new things. I acknowledge that these changes are also disruptive to the various support teams across ZeniMax and Bethesda that bring our games to market. We are making these tough decisions to create capacity to increase investment in other parts of our portfolio and focus on our priority games.

Bethesda remains one of the key pillars of Xbox with a strong portfolio of amazing games and thriving communities. As we look to the future, there is an impressive line-up of games on the horizon. In 2024 alone we have Starfield Shattered Space, Fallout 76 Skyline Valley, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, and The Elder Scrolls Online’s Golden Road. As we align our plans and resources to best set ourselves up for success in this complex and changing industry, our teams across Arkane Lyon, Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, MachineGames, ZeniMax Online Studios and the Bethesda publishing and corporate teams will be well-positioned to build new IP, explore new game concepts, and expand on our existing franchises.”

Game Informer has reached out to Xbox and Bethesda for comment and will update this story if it learns more.

Arkane Austin is one half of the Bethesda-owned Arkane Studios, the other half being Arkane Lyon. Both studios often work together on Arkane games, but Arkane Austin led the charge on titles like Redfall and 2017’s Prey while Arkane Lyon is behind 2021’s Deathloop and the in-development Marvel’s Blade game.

Arkane Lyon studio director and Marvel’s Blade creative director Dinga Bakaba posted on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after news of Arkane Austin’s closing hit the internet to explain his frustration and sadness:

“This is absolutely terrible,” Bakaba writes. “Permission to be human: to any executive reading this, friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment/cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them create value for you.”

He continues, “Don’t throw us into gold fever gambits, don’t use us as strawmen for miscalculations/blind spots, don’t make our work environment darwinist jungles. You say we make you proud when we make a good game. Make us proud when times are tough. We know you can, we seen it before.”

You can read Bakaba’s full thread below:

This is absolutely terrible. Permission to be human : to any executive reading this, friendly reminder that video games are an entertainment/cultural industry, and your business as a corporation is to take care of your artists/entertainers and help them create value for you.

— Dinga Bakaba (@DBakaba) May 7, 2024

Tango released Hi-Fi Rush as a surprise “out today” game during an Xbox Developer Direct in January of last year, and the game recently came to PlayStation 5. Before Hi-Fi Rush, Tango released Ghostwire: Tokyo, and outside of those two games, it is perhaps best known for The Evil Within series.

These studio closures join a string of other disheartening 2024 closures and layoffs, which now total more than 10,000 in just the first five months of this year.

Last week, Take-Two Interactive closed Rollerdrome studio Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program 2 studio Intercept Games alongside major layoffs to its indie-publisher Private Division label. That same week, we learned Deliver Us Mars developer Keoken Interactive had laid off nearly its entire staff.

Elsewhere in the year, EA laid off roughly 670 employees across all departments, resulting in the cancellation of Respawn’s Star Wars FPS game. PlayStation laid off 900 employees across Insomniac, Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, and more, closing down London Studio in the process, too. The day before, Until Dawn developer Supermassive Games announced it laid off 90 employees.

At the end of January, we learned Embracer Group had canceled a new Deus Ex game in development at Eidos-Montréal and laid off 97 employees in the process. Also in January, Destroy All Humans remake developer Black Forest Games reportedly laid off 50 employees and Microsoft announced it was laying off 1,900 employees across its Xbox, Activision Blizzard, and ZeniMax teams, as well. Outriders studio People Can Fly laid off more than 30 employees in January, and League of Legends company Riot Games laid off 530 employees.

Lords of the Fallen Publisher CI Games laid off 10 percent of its staff, Unity will lay off 1,800 people by the end of March, and Twitch laid off 500 employees.

We also learned that Discord had laid off 170 employees, that layoffs happened at PTW, a support studio that’s worked with companies like Blizzard and Capcom, and that SteamWorld Build company, Thunderful Group, let go of roughly 100 people. Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive also reportedly laid off 45 people, too.

[Source: IGN]

How do you feel about these closures? Let us know in the comments below!

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