#❊ — JANINE HAWKINS — INTERACTIONS

[oh-stars]

Say It

Love is terrifying.

a @steddielovemonth prompt | 1547 words | CW: N/A | Rating: T

--

Eddie will be home soon. Steve’s stuck on the couch, elbows on knees and chin in his hand, as he watches the door. He’ll be home soon and Steve can’t run away from this conversation anymore. 

It’s been years since the world tried to end, since they fled Hawkins even. A lot has changed for all of them. Nearly all the kids have graduated high school and Dustin’s already out of undergrad. Erica has early acceptance at Harvard, Lucas and Max are at Duke, Mike is at Emerson, Will is at Berkley, and Eleven is working hard to get accepted at Emory for their nursing program. Robin’s working at the Met, Nancy’s at the Times, and Eddie’s been recognized in a tattoo magazine for his work. 

They’re all getting older, growing into their own people and finding their way in life. 

And then there’s Steve. 

He works at a gym as a personal trainer and he’s working with Robin’s partner, Janine, to open up their own gym so that they can make a safe place for everyone, but especially women and other gay people. He has so many ideas, but he knows they aren’t as cool or esteemed as his friends’ career choices. 

No matter how many digs he gets about his choices and being a dumb jock, Steve likes the flexibility and power his career gives him. He feels good about it. 

It helps that it gives him a purpose and reason to keep his body in fighting shape. Just in case. 

Steve looks down at his watch. Ten till. Eddie will be home soon. 

Why is he doing this? He could be doing literally anything else with his night, but now he’s subjecting himself to a potentially miserable and devastating conversation that could end the world as he knows it. 

Jesus, he’s been spending too much time with Robin lately. Catastrophizing every interaction he has, like a single conversation could hold that much weight. 

Except… This one does. If it goes wrong, if Steve missteps and assumes something he shouldn’t, then he risks the entire friend group collapsing in on itself like a dying star. And now he sounds like Dustin, maybe he just needs new, less dramatic friends all together. 

Oh, who is he kidding? He loves these weirdos with everything in him, they make him full, filling all the nooks and crannies of scars and gashes his past has left him with. It’s like they super glued him back together, a porcelain doll made stronger by the care of his friends. 

Steve runs a hand over his hair, scrubbing at his face. Fuck, maybe he’s spent too much time talking with Mike, with all his prose and fancy speak. He’s absorbing way more of his friends than he realizes. 

He glances back down at the watch. Only a minute has passed. 

This feels cruel. 

It’s not even a special occasion. There’s no insistent need as to why he has to talk to Eddie tonight. He just can’t take it anymore. 

Actually, Steve wonders if this is the right move at all. Should he wait until Eddie’s settled in? Ambushing him when he comes home is kind of a dick move. Oh god, he’s gone about this all wrong. He’s for sure going to blow it now. 

He looks down at the folder sitting on the cushion beside him. It’s bold, it’s presumptuous. It’s putting everything he has into one suspicion. 

No, he has to do this. 

They’re at a turning point, at the end of this chapter, and it’s now or never. Steve can either be brave or take the cowardly route and live in this limbo for the rest of his life, potentially ruining the best thing he’s ever had. 

Five more minutes. Eddie will be home in five more minutes. 

Steve’s knee bounces as he takes in a deep, shaky breath. He can do this. He’s got this. It’s just Eddie and the biggest conversation they’ve ever had. 

Or rather… the only conversation they’ve ever had. 

Okay, obviously they’ve talked but it’s rarely anything serious and usually the only serious things they do talk about are Upside Down related. Steve has accepted this, it works for them, but at the same time… If they don’t have this conversation, he may implode from the inside out. 

He just wants to know what they are. 

They’ve lived together for nearly five years, their routines and lives revolve around one another. Everyone they know, treats them like they’re a package deal because they are one. You don’t invite Steve to watch the big game without Eddie tagging along for the snacks or Eddie going to a concert without Steve and his trusty headphones. They’re typically completely in sync. 

But even more than that, Steve’s pretty sure they’ve been dating for six years without saying a goddamn word. 

Steve can’t remember the last time they slept in separate beds – including when Robin sleeps over, all three of them squished into one of the beds. And while they have separate rooms still, Steve can barely distinguish between the two. They go on dates, they cuddle on the couch, they’re always touching one another. 

And the sex! 

God, the sex is so good. Steve’s never had this amazing of a connection with anyone. Eddie treats him with the perfect balance of care, even when they try riskier things there’s always an undercurrent of care and… 

Love. 

Which is why he’s almost certain that this conversation, this first big one, should go well. 

So why is his stomach threatening to revolt against him? 

The door knob turns with three minutes to spare. He kind of wants to scream, to beg for more time, while simultaneously ready to cry with relief. 

Eddie opens the door, drops his bag at his feet and pauses when he sees Steve waiting. “Everything okay?” he asks as he slowly puts his coat up. 

He’s fought monsters. He stood up to his parents. He can do this. 

Steve stands up and wipes his hands on his jeans. “I have something to ask you.” 

Eddie slowly raises one eyebrow, but nods cautiously as he closes the door. “You’re scaring me.”

“I think it's a good thing,” Steve says, motioning to the couch, “but, uh, you have to decide that.” 

“I do?” 

Steve sits back down as Eddie sits at the other end, the folder between them. “Our lease is coming up,” Steve starts, “and George called the other day to see if we wanted to renew.”

“Well duh, why wouldn’t we renew? We’ve got a good set up,” Eddie says, leaning back against the arm of the couch. He crosses an ankle over his knee, fully relaxing now. “So we just need to sign something, right?” 

“What if…” Steve squeezes the back of his neck. “What if we didn’t renew?”

Eddie sits up. “Do you not want to live with me?” 

“I don’t want to live here,” Steve clarifies. He hands over the folder. “I’ve been looking at houses–”

“Houses?” Eddie asks softly. 

Steve winces. “Okay, a house. I’m kind of already in love and I can understand if this isn’t where you saw yourself. But I–” He groans and puts his head in his hands. “I’m butchering this.” 

“What the hell are you talking about?” 

He had a whole speech planned!! Now he’s fumbling over himself and–

Steve jumps up and turns to Eddie. “I can’t keep living like this,” he starts, “where we just keep going without actually saying anything.” He wipes his mouth with one hand as he steadies himself, his other hand on his hip. When he looks back at Eddie, it all clicks back into place. “I love you, Eddie. I don’t care if that ruins everything and you want to move out. I can’t change how I feel and goddammit, Eddie, I love you.” 

Eddie’s mouth falls open as he leans forward. “You love me?” 

“Yes,” Steve says, biting at the inside of his cheek. “So you can see why I can’t keep doing what we’re doing, not without you knowing. We don’t have to consider the houses, I’m okay with renewing,” he says, “but I can’t…” 

“I hear you,” Eddie says carefully, “I do.” 

Steve nods. “Okay.” 

Eddie reaches out and tugs Steve in close, pulling him onto his lap. His hands slide up Steve’s body to cup his face in his hands. “I love you.” 

“You’re not just saying that, right?” 

He shakes his head, pulling Steve in closer. “I’ve loved you for so long, Steve Harrington. I just didn’t want to…”

“Ruin it?” Steve says with a smirk. 

Eddie nods. “I don’t want to lose you,” he adds. 

“You would never have lost me,” Steve whispers. “I can’t live without you.” 

The kiss they share is sweeter than any Steve’s had in his life. It’s simple and chaste, but god does it have Steve soaring. When he pulls away, his hand on Eddie’s face in a mirror of his own, Steve knows why he was so scared to mess up something wonderful, something beautiful by adding extra pressure. He knows it with the same ferocity that he knows Eddie’s feeling the same thing, the way he always did. 

All he had to do was say it.

--

Thank you @lady-lostmind!

Ao3 Link

[morganbritton132]

Eddie starts a live stream by sticking his head into the living room where Steve is looking for something to watch on Netflix like, “Do you want to go on an adventure with me?”

Steve is reluctant to go because Eddie won’t give him any details about it but ultimately gives in because well, it’s Eddie. His reservations return when he gets in the car and Robin is sitting in the backseat, and when he asks about it Eddie just says that she’s there for ‘damage control.’

Like, “What the hell does that mean? She’s not calming and have you seen her walk? She is the damage.”

“Hey!”

“Rob, I love you but that’s true. She’s here for emotional support.”

“What does that mean?!”

Eddie tells Steve to trust him and Steve gives in because well, again. It’s Eddie.

Steve would accompany Eddie to Mount Sauron, or whatever, any day of the week. So he puts his seatbelt on and gears up the playlist they made for when it’s the three of them in the car, and they drive.

Eddie explains to Steve and to his live-stream that he’s doing an impromptu meet-and-greet at a mystery location. He’ll drop some hints over to the course of the drive and if it’s your area and you can figure it out, come out and meet him.

Steve thinks that’s actually a pretty cool idea and thinks it’s great that Eddie is interacting with his fans again after all the death-threat drama. He pokes Eddie in the arm and tells him, “That’s really cool, babe.”

Eddie flashes him a grin that doesn’t quite gel with the nervous tapping of his fingers, but that thought slips from Steve’s mind when Robin punches him in the arm and points, “Look, cows.”

Steve smiles, “I’m naming that one Kirby.”

“It looks more like a Janine.”

Other highlights of the road trip live stream include the three of them absentmindedly singing along to Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls, the three of them singing passionately to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, rest-stop stopping so Ozzy can get out and run around for a bit, and Steve outlawing Punch Buggy after Robin and Eddie punched him in the arm three times in a row.

The whole time Eddie keeps dropping vague little hints like ‘taking it back to where it all begins’ and ‘we’re treading old territory’ and Steve initially thinks that they’re heading to the bar in Indianapolis where Corroded Coffin was discovered. So maybe he didn’t really pay attention to the rest of Eddie’s clues or maybe he’s really bad at connecting the dots because he feels winded when they come upon the Welcome to Hawkins sign.

He feels increasingly more winded when they turn down streets that have changed a lot but feel the same. He doesn’t notice how the car went quite or how Eddie keeps sneaking glances at him, just the streets they’re taking. Every turn they take that he’d taken a hundred times before.

“Eddie,” Steve breaths out like he’s just taped the pieces to a treasure map together and discovered ‘X’ was home all along. He inhales in time with the click of the blinker as they turn onto Loch Nora, “What’s going on?”

Eddie doesn’t actually answer that question until after they’re parked outside of Steve’s childhood home. He doesn’t answer until after he gets out of the car and circles the other side, and he holds Steve in his arms.

He says, “You told me that you will never work through this thing with your mom until you understand why she’s like this. If she won’t come to you, babe, then you gotta go to her. You gotta do this to get peace.”

Steve is always shaking his head no because he can’t. He can’t just walk up to her door after twenty years and asks her for an explanation. He doesn’t even know how he’d – he doesn’t –

Eddie tilts Steve’s head up until they’re eye to eye and he tells him like he can hear all those half-formed questions in his head, “You are Steve fucking Harrington, baby. You fight monsters and you save the world, and you are brave beyond words. There are worst things out there than this, so you got this. You can do this.”

“It’s not going to be easy,” Eddie continues. “But it has never been easy, and… This is it, babe. This is the last battle you got to fight and then we leave it all behind. I’m sorry I tricked you, but you wouldn’t have come if I told you.”

Steve takes a deep breath and then another, and maybe a third. He shakes the nerves out of his fingers and he hugs Eddie as tight as he can without hurting him, and he says because he knows he’ll mean it later, “Thank you.”

“Take Oz with you,” Eddie tells him and kisses him in broad daylight like he was never able to do on this street. He tells Steve that his meet-and-greet is at high school, and that Robin’s going to stay here with the car, that they’re going to Hopper and Joyce’s after, “If you need anything, call me immediately.”

Eddie stays with Robin to watch Steve walk up to the door and knock. He doesn’t move an inch until the door is answered, and then he smiles at Robin, “That went better than expected, right?”

Robin asks, “Did you end your live stream?”

“Shit.” 

[fatt-twitter-updates]

More Twilight Mirage up on the YouTube

Twilight Mirage 02: The Last Divine

After receiving word that the city-ship of Seance* would come under attack, the Beloved Dust move to intercept the threat. Fourteen Fifteen (Jack de Quidt) tracks their quarry into the mechanical guts of a giant coliseum, while above, ⸢Signet⸣ (Janine Hawkins) protects the human leader of the Divine Fleet’s faith. And deep inside “the Mysteries,” an interactive historical simulation, Tender Sky (Alicia Acampora) confronts a would-be killer...

11:42 AM PST, 08 December 2023 (Source)

[compoundingmuses]

@venosum // continued from this

she had long since settled down into her new life. after everything that had happened, some quiet time was something that janine felt she had deserved. first magnussen and running all around for him, then sherlock and everything that had happened after. what she hadn’t expected though was mary to appear at her door suddenly one day. wiping her hands off on the apron that she was wearing, janine kept the polite smile seated on her face, something she was still well practised in after her years with magnussen. “me? oh i haven’t felt the need to come back. sussex is a little quieter than london. think it suits me better now. what are you doing here? was there something you wanted?”

[oots-digitalmedia]

Queer Rep in Friends at the Table

Title: Friends at the Table

    Status: Ongoing

    Cast: Austin Walker, Keith Carberry, Art Tebbel, Jack de Quidt, Ali Acampora, Sylvi Clare, Janine Hawkins, Andrew Lee Swan, and previously Nick Scratch

    Queer Cast: Yes

    Accessibility: Episode descriptions include content warnings, transcripts are available.

Summary: Friends at the Table is an actual play podcast about critical worldbuilding, smart characterization, and fun interaction between good friends. Find us (and a listener guide) @Friends_Table on Twitter.

Hieron (Dungeon World): 

    Tags: m|m PC, w|w PC, aromantic PC, multiple queer NPC, non-binary NPC

COUNTER/Weight: 

Tags: agender character, non-binary characters, multiple bisexual characters, gay character, multiple lesbian characters

Detailed tags under the break!

Check out our other queer podcast recommendations here.

Hieron:

ID Tags: Lem King (PC): m|m, Hella Varal (PC): w|w, Fero Feritas (PC): aromantic, Emmanuel Aracia La Salle: mlm, Samot, Samothese, Samantine: nonbinary

Details and/or Spoilers: Lem King and Emmanuel are dating, Samot and Samothese are married, all gods are queer

COUNTER/Weight:

ID Tags: AuDy: Agender, Cassander “Cass” Timaeus Berenice Pelagios: Non-Binary (alien), Aria Joie: Bisexual/Pansexual, Mako Trig: Gay, Jacqui Green: Lesbian, Gyllian Red: Lesbian, Jace Rethal: Bisexual/Pansexual, Addax Dawn: Bisexual/Pansexual, Peace: Non-Binary (robot), Kobus: Non-Binary, Tower Chalet: Queer, Lazer Ted (NPC): Bisexual/Pansexual, Paisley Moon (NPC): Bisexual/Pansexual, Cene Sixheart (NPC): Non-binary, Blake Bromley: Non-binary, Castille: Bisexual/Pansexual, Blake: Non-Binary, Clipper: Non-Binary, Hella: Wlw, Adaire: Wlw

Details and/or Spoilers: Aria Joie and Jacqui are dating,

If any listeners have anything to add, please feel free!

[whirlybirbs]

⋆    —–   CARHOP COOL, 3 and a 1/2.

summary: it’s time for a two day vacation to the beach, aka lake tippecanoe. pairing: steve harrington x reader, au!post season three word count: 1.8k, mostly world building a/n: have some good ol’ establishing-the-au fic! and billy! and steve’s mom! things are gonna get a little freaky up at the lake. here’s a filler chapter. 

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Steve’s driveway is crowded.

Tippecanoe, two hours North from Hawkins, was home to the Harrington family’s lakehouse. His mom had asked, earlier in the summer, if Steve would be willing to ride up and make sure everything was alright between rentals -- she’d cheerily added, “Go up for a day or two. Bring Dustin, Robin, whoever -- you kids need a vacation after everything that happened, y’know?”

(Janine Harrington had, in recent weeks, become infinitely closer with her son -- when men in suits had brought a bloodied Steve home that night in early July, priding him as a hero, a lot of things changed. He’d opened up about everything in the days following, spurring Janine to reach out to Mrs. Wheeler and Mrs. Henderson and Mrs. Byers and even Hopper, whom her husband couldn’t stand, with kind words and promises that their children were allowed over anytime -- they were bound together now, by Government NDA’s.

It was a nice change, though, between her and Steve -- there was a lot more trust now.)

His mom is chatting happily with Mrs. Byers by the mailbox as Will grabs his towel and cooler, loading the stuff into the Wheeler family hatchback. Nancy unlocks it for him between chatting with Jonathan. Mike helps, grin turning upwards as Dustin arrives with Lucas on his heels, bikes dropped by the mailbox as the boys laugh and launch into one another’s arm.

“Vacation, baby!”

Steve, carrying his own towel over his shoulder, laughs when Dustin finally calls out, sneakers pounding across the hot asphalt of the Harrington home’s driveway.

They both meet half-way.

“Steve!” he gets a toothless grin, “It’s vacay time!”

“Oh, you know --” the handshake is quick, calculated, and well-practiced, “We’re gonna get our tan on --”

The roar of a Camaro startles the group from their laughter.

Billy Hargrove rolls around the cul-de-sac, pulling up behind the Byer’s car and the mailbox before promptly cutting the engine and the Judas Priest track.

Max, with dueling, flaming red braids, hops from the front seat with a beaming smile.

The boys give a victorious cry.

“Zoomer!”

Billy’s slow to exit the car, aviators perched on his nose. The Def Leppard shirt’s sleeves has been chopped off, really hammering home the whole ‘suns out, guns out’ motto the lifeguard seems to be living by this summer. 

After the Battle of Starcourt, a lot of things changed. 

The biggest change, though, seemed to be in Billy Hargrove -- post Mind Flayer, he’d been exposed to the world the Upside Down created, the world his sister and everyone else had been living in for the last year; he’d come out of the haze, out of the flayed, and cried into Max and Eleven’s arms, nothing but apologies on his mouth in the wake of the destruction.

Steve remembers seeing him in the back of one of the ambulances, holding Max’s hand, talking. 

Not fighting, not screaming, not... being Billy.

Steve and Billy shared a look, then. Truce was what it meant. 

At first, Billy tried to pretend the whole ‘Mind Flayer’ thing never happened. 

But pretending didn’t get rid of the nightmares. And soon, Billy Hargrove was knocking on Will Byer’s door mid-D&D game looking for help, for someone to talk to.

The apology had come a few days later.

Billy had strolled up the Family Video, scaring the shit out of Steve, before offering his hand and a genuine apology. Robin watched on, a bit slack-jawed.

“I was a fucking asshole,” the blonde said slowly, “I’m sorry, man.”

Steve blinked at his hand.

After a moment, he shook it.

“It’s cool, dude,” Steve said before he could stop himself, “You didn’t know.”

“Doesn’t excuse the fact I was a dick, though.”

A look of surprise fleeted across Steve’s face. “Fair.”

Billy smiled, then, different from every other time he’d seen it. It wasn’t for show. It was... real. When Billy left, Robin had made a sound of pure shock before asking what the hell that was about.

“He beat the shit out of me,” Steve said, watching him drive away, “Tried to beat up Lucas, all while we were being hunted by Demogorgans... Just, y’know, was a genuine shit-bag.”

“Seems like he’s changed.”

“No kidding.”

“Trauma,” Robin chirps as she moves to sort the VHS’s, “is a hell of a thing.”

The malice that was there before the Fourth of July is gone. Instead, Billy smiles as he hauls Max’s cooler from the trunk of the navy sports car, offering Lucas a causal knuckle-touch before clapping Steve on the back.

“Hey man.”

“Hey Billy,” Steve chirps, “Nice outfit.”

“It’s hot out, alright,” he battles back, clearly amused, “I gotta work on my tan.”

“You coming with?” Steve asks, lips pulled into a smirk as he crosses his arms and shifts from foot to foot. His white converse are stark against the dark driveway, “We’ve got room.”

“Naw,” Billy breathes, crossing his arms, “I gotta shift at the pool -- thanks for the invite, though.”

“Yeah,” Steve shrugs, “It’s cool -- You’re one of the gang now.”

Billy’s lips quirk. Steve can tell that means something to him. Another clap on the back. Billy begins heading to his car, calling out to Max as he does. 

“See ya, kid -- be safe, alright?” he waves his finger across the group, “All a’ you.”

She gives her brother a grin. “’Kay, loser.”

“‘Kay, brat,” he snaps his gum, shoots her a smile, and falls into the driver’s seat.

As Billy leaves, the familiar rumble of Chief Hopper’s Blazer arrives to the drop-off point. Jim makes the small-talk quick, thank god, he’s terrifying, citing that he’s late for work and Mrs. Johnson has already called the station three times about her cat getting out, but makes a point to shake Steve’s hand as he leaves, telling him to look out for El.

Eleven has her dad’s pair of aviators on and an old baseball cap. She’s grinning.

“Vacation,” she says.

Steve’s got his hands on his hips, eyeing the growing party, when Dustin speaks.

“Hey,” he says slowly, looking around, “Where’s your girlfriend?”

Steve stammers. “She’s not --”

“Robin?” Mike asks, confused.

“No, not Robin --” Steve makes a face. “That’s gross.”

“Ohhhh,” says Lucas, pointing, “The one with the hair.”

Will makes a face of genuine frustration. “With the hair?”

“Real specific, Lucas,” jabs Max.

“Y’know,” he waves his hands, “Roll-o girl!”

The group exhales “oooohhhhh” at once. Steve’s face is in his hands. 

He’s just glad Nancy didn’t over the conversation -- she’s too busy with Jonathan, chatting with his mom and saying good-bye. 

(Though things were fine between them, it was still awkward -- the break-up was a one-sided-sort-of-rough, especially with the Jonathan being thrown into the mix. But, Nancy was happy and that was really all Steve cared about -- she was nice and smart and kind and she deserved to be happy especially after everything, and despite the wound it had created in Steve’s chest, he couldn’t hold the break-up against her. 

That was a weird time... things were weird. Things sometimes are still weird, but to her credit, she still treats him like a good friend and he tries to do the same. Just... sometimes it’a a lot. Especially when Jonathan is around.

Steve just opts to keep a polite distance, y’know?)

“Can I just say, one,” Steve raises a finger, “She is not my girlfriend --”

“But, you like her, right?” says Dustin, completely serious, “She’s cool, she’s cute, she can rollerblade, all great traits in a girlfriend --”

Steve narrows his eyes, finger still in the air. “I’m talking right now, Dustin, okay, I’m talking.”

“Right, sorry.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he repeats, hissing, “And two --”

Steve doesn’t get to finish his sentence, because the blaring of Duran Duran’s Girls on Film fills the entire neighborhood as you pull into the cul-de-sac. Robin is in the passenger’s seat, sunglasses pulled down her nose as she dances and mouths the words into her suntan lotion. You’re driving, snorting at her moves as you park the car and pop the trunk, mimicking Robin as you get out of the car -- you can barely do it you’re laughing so hard.

The cabbage patch dance move has never looked worse. You don’t really care. 

Mostly because you see Steve and he’s grinning. You wave. He mirrors.

“She is cute,” says Max, leaning against Lucas and watching the exchange, “Your girlfriend’s cute, Harrington.”

“Shut up, Max.”

She mimics a zipping motion over her lips with her hand as Steve strides by. She tosses the imaginary key.

You move to cut the engine, spurring Robin to move up the driveway with a smile -- she’s quick to greet Steve’s mom with a hug. 

You’re quickly swept into a handshake by the older woman in question.

She looks like Steve -- they have the smile doe-eyes and dark hair, same nose and same excited demeanor -- and you can’t say you’re surprised when you give her your name and she sweeps you in a hug. 

“It’s so good to finally meet you,” she says warmly, “Steve’s told me so much about you!”

You’ve seen Janine Harrington around before at baseball games and after-school functions. Back then, though, you were dodging any interaction you could with her son. Now, you’re excited to him idle up beside his mom with a grin. He rocks back on his heels. 

“Ready?”

You nod. Robin pats your back, holding onto your arm before turning on her text-book parent charm. “Mrs. Harrington, is it alright if she drives, as well? We figured it might be better than all packing into Nancy’s car -- safer, too.”

“Of course,” she says with a smile, “Steve knows the way, he’s been going up there with us since he was a little baby --”

“Yep,” he chirps, cutting that off quick, “I’ll just, uh, I’ll ride with you -- Nancy can follow us.”

“Cool kid mobile, assemble,” Robin calls out, breaking from Steve, yourself and his mom, “We call Dustin!”

“Drive safe,” Mrs. Harrington offers as the group splits into the separate hatchbacks, “Call when you get there!”

“Alright, mom!”

“Bye, Mrs. Harrington!”

Robin shoves Steve into the passenger side of your car, winking, as you clamber into the driver’s seat. Robin happily sits between Dustin and Will, mirroring Steve as she drops her sunglasses down from her hair. 

The other car, quickly named The Couples Car, holds the rest of the party -- Lucas, Max, Mike, Eleven, Jonathan and Nancy.

It’s 10am by the time you all hit the road, ready for a night over at Tippecanoe.

Steve nudges your elbow.

You blink over at him.

“Radio?”

“Hit it, Harrington.”

GIRLS ON FILM!

[tomeandflickcorner]

For the character ask, Dale Turner (Jericho) Gray Anderson (Jericho) Darth Maul and Egon (Ghostbusters) please!

Ah, quite an assortment!  Thank you, @revanmeetra87!

Let’s see....

Dale Turner

overall: who? / i hate them / i dislike them / kinda wanna fight them / they’re alright / i like them / i love them / *accidentally drops thousands of pictures of them*

I certainly felt bad for this kid initially.  But as the show progressed and he began spiraling downwards, he became less and less sympathetic.  Really a shame his mother died and he also lost his surrogate mother figure as well, because this boy needs parental guidance back in his life.

opinion: again, who??? / the purest bean / cinnamon roll / who knows really / sinnamon roll / the problematic fav otp(s): None, really other ship(s): Maybe Skylar?  They do seem to have a whole partners in crime relationship at a few points #noromo ship(s): Perhaps Allison Hawkins?  She was a reasonably sensible teen.  Perhaps she could have become a voice of reason for Dale crack ship(s): Can’t think of any. fav headcanon(s): Hmmm.  I wonder if Dale eventually would get mixed up with Jonah.  And Jake would step in, recognizing that Dale was in danger of repeating the same mistakes he made as a teenager and wanting to prevent that

Gray Anderson

overall: who? / i hate them / i dislike them / kinda wanna fight them / they’re alright / i like them / i love them / *accidentally drops thousands of pictures of them*

In a nutshell, the man is all talk but no brains, with an inability to think long-term.  It’s rather a shame the majority of Jericho fell for it and chose to replace Johnston Green with this guy as mayor.  But at the same time, it was sadly realistic, as desperate people can be irrational.  However, at the same time, I can tell he’s not a bad guy and he does care about the town.  And he does eventually realize that he had bitten off more then he could chew, as he is able to swallow his pride and seek help from people who were better suited to lead the town.

opinion: again, who??? / the purest bean / cinnamon roll / who knows really / sinnamon roll / the problematic fav otp(s): None, I’m afraid other ship(s): Had she lived, I think it would have been interesting to see him with Gracie.  They did seem to be a bit similar in some regards #noromo ship(s): Well, I think the comics showed him getting along with Gail Green, does that count? crack ship(s): Drawing a blank here, I’m afraid fav headcanon(s): I tend to think that, from S2 onwards, Gray was mayor in name only, and only took up leadership responsibility when the Green Brothers (particularly Jake) were not available. 

Darth Maul

overall: who? / i hate them / i dislike them / kinda wanna fight them / they’re alright / i like them / i love them / *accidentally drops thousands of pictures of them*

To be honest, I presently don’t really getwhy this character was so popular among the fanbase.  To date, I’ve only seen him in Phantom Menace (where I think he only had one line) and his brief cameo at the end of Solo (which was more jarring than anything, as that was my first indication that he somehow survived getting split in half and falling down a seemingly bottomless pit) .  That’s not much to go on.  Maybe my opinion will change once I get father into the Clone Wars series, as well as Star Wars: Rebels.  I think he pops up in those shows, right?

opinion: again, who??? / the purest bean / cinnamon roll / who knows really / sinnamon roll / the problematic fav otp(s): None.   other ship(s): Can’t think of any.  He didn’t really interact with many people, did he? #noromo ship(s): Um....I think I read somewhere that he had a brother?  So maybe him and his brother? crack ship(s): I don’t know.  Maybe the demon from the Insidious franchise?  They do kinda look alike, after all fav headcanon(s): Um....Not sure if it’s a headcanon but.... can his species grow back limbs like an Axolotl?  Because that might explain how he survived.....

Egon 

overall: who? / i hate them / i dislike them / kinda wanna fight them / they’re alright / i like them / i love them / *accidentally drops thousands of pictures of them*

While Peter is usually treated as the de facto leader of the original Ghostbusters, the team itself really couldn’t function without Egon, as he is the brains of the operation.  Particularly since he has a textbook knowledge of the ghosts they face, and was also the one who designed all of their equipment.  (Yeah, Ray helped with that, but that’s beside the point.)  At the same time, his heightened intelligence is somewhat tragic.  In the show The Real Ghostbusters, and arguably the movies as well, it’s strongly implied that he was born into a family that demanded he excel academically, and never really allowed him the chance to simply be a kid.  So it’s no small wonder he turned out the way he did, oftentimes struggling to understand social cues and norms and having difficulty connecting to people on an emotional level.

opinion: again, who??? / the purest bean / cinnamon roll / who knows really / sinnamon roll / the problematic fav otp(s): Janine, hands down! other ship(s): None #noromo ship(s): I adore his friendship with Peter.  Their banter is a thing to behold crack ship(s): None fav headcanon(s): I kinda wonder if he might be demisexual sometimes.  It would certainly make his possible relationship with Janine that much sweeter.

[aspiringsouls]

tag dump

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tag dump 4/??

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The 500 greatest video games of all time: 500-401

New Post has been published on https://takenews.net/the-500-greatest-video-games-of-all-time-500-401/

The 500 greatest video games of all time: 500-401

As Polygon’s latest fifth birthday approached, we began interested by what we might do to have fun it. And what’s extra enjoyable than rating the 100 greatest video games of all time? 500? So we did.

We began by setting guidelines upfront.

We requested everybody to vote primarily based on innovation, polish and sturdiness, fairly than merely private style. We lower video games launched in 2017 to remove recency bias. And we ignored sequels that we deemed too much like the video games that got here earlier than them.

Then we voted, however we knew we had gaps in our data on workers. So along with gathering votes from the Polygon workforce, we labored with a gaggle of exterior and freelance writers to tug of their enter: Kahlief Adams, Susan Arendt, Katherine Cross, Jon-Paul Dyson, Benj Edwards, Cara Ellison, JC Fletcher, Jenn Frank, Harold Goldberg, Janine Hawkins, Blake Hester, Laura Hudson, Henry Lowood, Jeremy Parish, Carolyn Petit, Andrea Rene, Jaz Rignall and Gary Whitta.

Gathering all these votes collectively, we then combed by way of the information for anomalies and got here up with the ultimate order you see right here, with private decisions for every voter’s favourite recreation sprinkled all through as sidebars — together with, as you’ll see under, just a few decisions that didn’t even make the general record.

Over the course of this week, we’re posting 100 video games every day. Scroll down for the primary 100.

(1984, Atari Eight-bit, others)

Ballblazer pushed each inch of the Atari 400 and 800 farther than anybody knew they might go. A one-on-one sports activities recreation combining components of basketball and soccer, although it wasn’t primarily based on an actual sport per se, Ballblazer was a trailblazer in early sports activities sims with a sensible strategy to gameplay and physics.

(1986, Arcade, others)

Arkanoid is like Breakout, however immensely higher. Taking the blockbuster’s gameplay, however including power-ups and new degree layouts, Arkanoid is a real check of talent. Cloned and ported all over since, Arkanoid continues to be among the best arcade video games on the market.

(2003, Sport Boy Advance, others)

Advance Wars 2: Black Gap Rising pushed the Sport Boy Advance to its limits with its strategy-game components and long-lasting classes. Comparatively an identical to the primary Advance Wars by way of gameplay, Black Gap Rising discovered favor from critics when taking part in towards different gamers, with some saying it was one of many “meatiest handheld video games on the market.”

Dragon Age: Inquisition felt just like the end result of one thing the sequence had been constructing to for years. By means of the earlier two video games, gamers got here to know and perceive the world of Thedas; its folks, politics, threats and historical past. However in Inquisition it’s as if a curtain lifted. What as soon as felt like the entire story shifted into the background of a bigger story, making the actual stakes that rather more significant.

The early Dragon Age video games made me care about their world in a manner no different sequence ever has — and even so, Inquisition confirmed me simply how little of it I’d actually seen.

– Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart)

(2014, PC, PlayStation three, Xbox 360, others)

Individuals nonetheless discuss Dragon Age: Inquisition’s depth and mature strategy to romance choices, permitting gamers to decide on their sexual orientation. We gave Inquisition our 2014 recreation of the 12 months award, with author Colin Campbell noting the sport was “a sufficiently convincing universe of otherness that consumed my time after I was taking part in, and my consideration after I was not.”

(2010, PC, Xbox 360, others)

Extremely-hard, ultra-violent and form of cute, Tremendous Meat Boy helped change the best way we take into consideration independently created video games and the way video games needs to be launched. Initially launched digitally on the Xbox 360 in 2010, the sport’s intense important reward helped convey a brand new wave of unbiased launched video games to shore.

(1990, Tremendous Nintendo, others)

F-Zero’s insistence in pushing technological boundaries to be the quickest recreation ever seen helped encourage video games like Wipeout and Daytona USA. Giving gamers solely moments to react earlier than crashing, F-Zero continues to be one of many tightest, tensest racing video games obtainable.

(1995, PC, PlayStation, others)

Taking affect from F-Zero, Wipeout was a technical tour-de-force when it launched on the unique PlayStation. Praised for its superior techno soundtrack and anti-gravity racing, Wipeout was geared toward a unique form of viewers — one on the chopping fringe of artwork, music and trend. This strategy gave the sport and its distinctive — although typically controversial — advertising and marketing marketing campaign its glossy, fashionable look.

(2006, PlayStation 2, others)

Happening on the New England non-public college Bullworth Academy, Bully invitations gamers to rise the ranks of highschool archetypes, all of the whereas residing within the rebellious sneakers of protagonist James “Jimmy” Hopkins. Whether or not you are kissing suitors or making stink bombs, Bully is an ideal allegory for rising up on the fringes and looking for your personal place on the earth.

(2011, PlayStation three, Xbox 360)

Relationships are exhausting. Lusting after one other is straightforward. Catherine is aware of this and leaves the choice to have interaction in protagonist Vincent’s affair with Catherine as much as the participant. Even with its bizarre, dream-like puzzle sections stuffed with sheep and monstrous infants, Catherine is a surprisingly nuanced tackle intercourse and grownup relationship, exploring the causes of lust, love and guilt.

(1991, Sport Boy)

A sequence recognized for its emphasis on meticulous exploration, Metroid’s soar to handheld with Metroid 2: Return of Samus looks like an ideal match. Regardless of its small bodily measurement, Metroid 2’s steady massive world makes for a cohesive expertise, and the choice to take it wherever enable the sport to be explored wherever the participant goes.

(1992, PC, others)

Surprising and Lovecraftian, Alone within the Darkish’s distinctive strategy to horror and exploration spawned a style now a staple of the sport trade and birthed a few of the best video games of all time. Whereas it could not be part of the upper ranks of horror video games additional down the record, Alone within the Darkish was the primary of its sort.

(2004, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

Among the best superhero video games of all time, Spider-Man 2 got here remarkably near giving gamers the expertise they had been watching on screens and seeing in comics. Climbing to the highest of a constructing, diving off, solely to shoot an online and swing to security on the final second was exhilarating and anxiousness inducing.

(2000, Dreamcast, others)

Earlier than there was Simply Dance, there was Area Channel 5. Colourful and bizarre as hell, gamers assumed the position of TV reporter Ulala whereas she danced and shot to save lots of hostages, all of the whereas preventing for TV scores. Area Channel 5 was a standout of bizarre Dreamcast titles Sega launched within the late ’90s and early 2000s, emphasizing creativity and quirkiness.

(2004, PC, others)

A uncommon instance of a Japanese indie recreation receiving important acclaim within the west, Cave Story and its exploration-heavy gameplay helped pave the best way for different indies to experiment with the older style, resulting in a renaissance of unbiased Metroidvania video games.

(2015, PC, Xbox One)

Moon Studios’ debut recreation, Ori and the Blind Forest had gamers crying inside the first 5 minutes, after which gnashing their tooth in focus inside the subsequent 5. Emotional, colourful and intensely troublesome, Ori masterfully balanced the open, puzzle-like ranges of different Metroidvania video games with the uncooked, actual tales typically seen in smaller-scale indie video games.

(2008, Xbox 360)

Fable 2 let gamers select how they needed to stay their digital lives. Be that how they interacted with the phrase, what intercourse they needed to be, who they needed to marry or what breed of canine they needed, Fable 2 tried to not restrict the alternatives of how its gamers needed to work together with its world.

(1997, Nintendo 64, others)

Star Fox 64 was one of many landmark titles Nintendo launched because it made its technique to the 3D world. Sticking intently to the scrolling flight fight gameplay launched in Star Fox on the Tremendous Nintendo, Star Fox 64 was shortly praised for its strategy to the sequence, even changing into one among Guinness World Information’ greatest video games of all time in 2009.

(2006, Mac, PC)

Firm of Heroes is a much more grounded real-time technique recreation than its friends. Set throughout World Struggle 2, the sport places gamers accountable for strategic choices that may flip the occasions of considerably actual occasions — including a degree of weight to video games. It does not damage that, upon launch, gamers thought of it one of many most interesting real-time technique video games ever made.

(2011, PC, PlayStation three, Xbox 360, others)

Batman: Arkham Metropolis took the critically-praised open degree construction of Batman: Arkham Asylum and expanded it to a whole metropolis. Whereas not as revolutionary as its predecessor, Arkham Metropolis refined the traversal and fight of Asylum, altering the best way sequence like Shadow of Mordor and Murderer’s Creed approached third-person fight going ahead.

(2004, PC, others)

Garry’s Mod takes the perfect a part of Half-Life 2’s gameplay, the gravity gun, and throws away the whole lot else. Initially a mod, now a full-blown recreation, Garry’s Mod permits gamers to do no matter they need inside the physics of the Supply Engine. An ingenious recreation of creativity, Garry’s Mod helped pioneer the concept video games might be bizarre, with no course, and gamers might be the artistic pressure behind a recreation’s success.

(2008, PC, others)

For each recreation sparking conversations about video games as excessive artwork, one other’s there to remind us they are often bizarre. Performed with solely the Q, W, O and P keys of a keyboard, every transferring a unique a part of a runner’s physique, QWOP normally ends in horribly distorted animations. However who’s to say video games cannot be each, as QWOP was displayed in New York’s Museum of Fashionable Artwork?

(2015, Wii U)

Splatoon has all of the conventions of a third-person shooter, however strips away the violence and replaces it with cuteness, creating an accessible recreation for kids unfamiliar with an often-gory style. It is a shooter solely Nintendo would make, one mixing the mechanics of one of the well-liked recreation genres round with the acquainted stylings that preserve Nintendo a family-friendly firm.

(1984, Arcade, others)

The primary main success by grasp programmer Mark Cerny, Marble Insanity helped popularize issue as a promoting level. Past that, the sport’s use of of true-stereo sound gave it a way of identification. Its improvements in these camps helped catapult Cerny’s profession; he went on to work on Crash Bandicoot and lead the design of the PlayStation four

(2010, Nintendo DS, others)

Type of like Noticed, but when it had been satisfying, 9 Hours, 9 Individuals, 9 Doorways, duties gamers with fixing puzzles in an effort to flee a murderous recreation known as the “Nonary Sport.” Terrifying in its execution, 999 helped popularize the visible novel style in America, which now has a robust cult following.

(2012, Vita, others)

Consistently altering, continuously rotating, Gravity Rush was a mind-bending exploration of a weird metropolis and what many critics felt was a nonsensical story. The sport maintains a cult following and spawned a 2017 sequel iterating on the weird strategy to degree design and conventional gravity that made Gravity Rush a memorable journey.

Having been launched within the Quake period of 3D video games, Blood stands as an nearly criminally neglected title within the MS-DOS gaming pantheon. Many avid gamers simply missed this campy horror basic, which makes use of the identical Construct recreation engine as Duke Nukem 3D. Regardless of its old-school technological base, Blood eclipsed Quake in character, design and gameplay.

Blood derives its power from its excessive core manufacturing values. The sport feels flawless in management and design: Its detailed graphics kind a cohesive, horrifying complete, and its vocal and sound results stand alone within the DOS period. Higher but, Blood sports activities essentially the most artistic and various degree design of any DOS first-person shooter, bar none (remember to strive the extent the place you battle your manner by way of a transferring practice).

The number of Blood‘s monsters, gadgets and weapons (every with an alternate hearth mode) present the participant with 1,000,000 methods to assault the identical drawback, giving the sport a depth and replayability that many fashionable shooters sorely lack. These qualities, together with stellar co-op and deathmatch choices, preserve Blood followers taking part in to at the present time.

– Benj Edwards (@benjedwards)

(2009, PC, PlayStation three, Xbox 360)

Borderlands’ combination of first-person taking pictures, role-playing mechanics and loot-based upgrades, in quite a lot of methods, helped pave the best way for video games like Future. That includes a then-novel idea, Borderlands let gamers select the character they needed to be and the way they needed to play, all of the whereas sustaining the sensibilities of the fashionable first-person shooter.

(2014, iOS, Android, others)

Monument Valley is a puzzle recreation that does not fixate itself on stumping the participant. Not that the puzzles are dangerous — they’re nice. However the recreation succeeds in its pure means to place the participant in a “trance.” Practically hypnotic, the sport’s attractive art-style and intelligent puzzles make for a recreation as a lot a pleasure to take a look at as it’s to play.

(2016, PC, PlayStation four, Xbox One, others)

Firewatch mixes the mundanity of boring jobs with the exhilaration of assembly a brand new romantic curiosity, even when that romance is incorrect. Mixed with a conspiracy plot revolving across the Shoshone Nationwide Forest, Firewatch lets gamers select how essential constancy is to them, all of the whereas giving them full freedom to let their relationships go up in flames.

(1993, Genesis)

Aladdin was, in some methods, the final hurrah on the Genesis. Although film tie-in video games have lengthy had a nasty fame, Aladdin’s tight gameplay, wonderful platforming and film-authentic graphics made it a standout of the then-aging Genesis, in addition to among the best film tie-in video games ever launched.

(2007, Xbox 360, others)

Earth Protection Pressure 2017 is absolute chaos. Pitting gamers towards a race of huge aliens and providing them over 100 weapons to take the beasts down, the world is a playground. Buildings crumble, more and more massive enemies come at you and also you blow all of them up. It is nice dumb enjoyable.

(2007, PC, others)

Peggle’s mastery is in its near-instantaneous reward loop. A recreation simple to select up and immediately discover satisfaction with, Peggle continuously tempts you into taking part in it just a bit longer with dangerously addictive gameplay.

(1989, Nintendo Leisure System)

Ninja Gaiden could very properly be the magnum opus of ultra-difficult action-platformers. Requiring talent, quick responses and zen-like endurance, Ninja Gaiden’s fun-but-precise gameplay makes it simple to select up and play, however a process to grasp. Fortunately, that process is rooted in one of many most interesting NES platformers of all time.

(2002, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

TimeSplitters 2 carried on the legacy of GoldenEye 007. One of many all time greatest split-screen co-op video games, TimeSplitters is straightforward dumb enjoyable. Between 4 and 16 gamers might assume the roles of assorted absurd characters — like a dinosaur or a duck — partaking in an all-out assault towards different gamers.

(1990, PC, others)

Although not the designer’s first recreation or his first sim-game, Railroad Tycoon helped flip Sid Meier from profitable online game maker to one of many all-time nice recreation auteurs. Unparalleled in its depth and complexity, Railroad Tycoon established early on what a Sid Meier recreation could be, all of the whereas elevating the mark for all different simulation video games.

(2013, PC, others)

Video games typically lack nuance, understanding of human feelings and psychological sicknesses. Melancholy Quest nonetheless, doesn’t. Primarily based on actual accounts of melancholy and psychological sickness, the text-based Melancholy Quest is a really actual have a look at simply how exhausting it may be to stay daily with the boulder in your again known as melancholy.

(1999, PlayStation)

Designed and produced partly by movie auteur Steven Spielberg, Medal of Honor was bombastic, scary and gorgeous in its 1999 illustration of World Struggle 2, paving the best way for later sequence like Name of Responsibility to attempt to current battle precisely in gaming, all of the whereas sustaining some form of spectacle.

(2004, PC, Xbox, others)

Higher than its movie counterpart, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay is a notable exception to the consensus that film-based video games are unnecessary money tie-ins. Assuming the position of Richard Riddick, the sport featured no heads-up show as gamers had been tasked with breaking out of the utmost safety jail Butcher Bay by seemingly any means vital.

(1982, Arcade, others)

A comply with as much as one of the essential arcade video games of all time, Donkey Kong Jr. expanded the gameplay with new challenges and collectibles, in addition to new traversal choices, reminiscent of the flexibility to swing from vines whereas preventing a number of enemy sorts.

(1988, Nintendo Leisure System)

After the success of The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo determined to strive one thing completely different with its sequel: an action-role taking part in recreation. Whereas its predecessor is commonly famous for its sense of journey influencing the sequence going ahead, Journey of Hyperlink launched quite a lot of mechanics that grew to become staples, reminiscent of combining platforming and RPG mechanics and the enduring Triforce of Braveness.

(1990, Nintendo Leisure System, others)

The target of River Metropolis Ransom is fairly easy: battle the dangerous guys. As protagonists Alex and Ryan traverse the titular metropolis to save lots of their girlfriends, gamers repeatedly battle waves of “The Generic Dudes,” “The Frat Guys” and “The Squids.”

(2010, Nintendo DS)

One, maybe apparent change made Picross 3D vastly higher than the unique: the addition of a 3rd dimension. Constructing on an addicting premise — constructing photographs primarily based on transferring blocks — Picross 3D shined, including depth to puzzles and new methods to resolve them.

(2001, Nintendo 64)

It is uncommon for a 17-year-old recreation to nonetheless look nice, and but Paper Mario seems to be half its age. The second Mario RPG, Paper Mario is extensively considered among the best video games of the period and is famous for the stunning quantity of depth and technique required when taking part in by way of its 2D, paper worlds.

(2006, Nintendo DS, others)

Electroplankton is a tough recreation to explain. An interactive music expertise managed by taking part in with various kinds of plankton, the sport permits for the creation of some stunning melodies — even when there is no native technique to save them. This distinctive strategy to music-creation makes Electroplankton a standout in a style sometimes targeted on gimmicks.

(2009, PC, others)

When Vegetation vs. Zombies launched on cellular units in 2009, it differentiated itself from different cellular video games with its acclaimed presentation, depth and quantity of content material. In a saturated market, Vegetation vs. Zombies was additionally in a position to seize awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, in addition to nominations for its design from the Sport Builders Alternative Awards.

(2015, PC, others)

Cities: Skylines was a return to kind. After the fiasco that was SimCity (2003), Skylines had an opportunity to provide city-sim followers what they needed: to easily construct the cities of their goals. The sport’s affect even expanded past the sport trade. In Stockholm, the sport was just lately used to design and check city planning.

(1984, Atari Eight-bit, others)

Not talked about an excessive amount of nowadays, Boulder Sprint has been round for longer than most recreation sequence. In it, Rockford digs by way of caves searching for gems whereas attempting to keep away from falling rocks and being crushed. Boulder Sprint faucets into the a part of the mind craving “only one extra go,” resulting in quite a few misplaced days in its caves.

(1983, Apple Eight-bit, others)

One of many first video games printed by EA, Archon is a cross between a technique recreation and an arcade preventing recreation. Performed out kind of like chess, touchdown on one other participant’s piece ends in the 2 characters preventing to find out a victor. Virtually like two video games in a single, Archon requires gamers to be considerate and expert at its genre-bending format.

(2009, PC, PlayStation three, Xbox 360, others)

Dragon Age: Origins set quite a lot of the requirements folks now anticipate from open world role-playing video games. In a masterfully realized world stuffed with fully-fleshed out characters and missions, Origins’ unimaginable depth and a focus to element redefined a style all about residing in a unique world in a unique life.

(2009, iOS, others)

It is simple to see Offended Birds as a fad, one thing for retailers to slap on kids’s garments and backpacks. However Offended Birds discovered an addictive method and took it to the highest. Since its first launch, the sequence has crossed over with Star Wars, been plastered on hundreds of thousands of shirts and even acquired its personal function size movie.

(2011, PC, Xbox 360, others)

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings noticed developer CD Projekt Crimson start to develop into its personal. Increasing its storytelling, honing its fight and making its first engine from scratch, the workforce took a transparent step ahead, and Assassins of Kings set the cornerstones for what would make Projekt Crimson one of many high builders in video games.

Yu Suzuki’s Out Run could put you behind the wheel of a Testarossa cruising up the coast, however it’s way more involved with model than pace. The blissful tunes (with names like “Passing Breeze” and “Magical Sound Bathe”) and the indelibly vibrant colours conspire to conjure an expertise of paradise: hitting the open highway with the highest down, feeling the wind in your hair as you weave by way of the idealized California of your goals.

Suzuki knew the place he needed Out Run to take you, and 30 years later, it’s nonetheless uncommon to come across a recreation that so successfully transports you someplace so stunning.

– Carolyn Petit (@carolynmichelle)

(2010, Nintendo DS)

Undeniably charming and difficult in all the suitable methods, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future by no means double-dips with its puzzles. Requiring math abilities, logic and different abilities to progress, on paper the sport feels like a nightmare. In apply, Unwound Future is pleasant mind teasing, requiring simply the quantity of thought to really feel perplexing however not irritating.

(2014, iOS, others)

The Hitman sequence has at all times been about planning and preparation. Hitman Go took this concept and made it right into a puzzle recreation the place gamers needed to strategically plan each motion and motion by way of a turn-based system. Hitman Go looks like a recreation of chess, the place each transfer have to be calculated and considered.

(2001, PlayStation 2, others)

Closing Fantasy 10 got here out swinging on PlayStation 2. Apart from being the best-looking recreation within the sequence as much as that time, the sport’s introduction of key mechanics, like the flexibility to construct characters dynamically, introduced the sequence to the fashionable period. The sport made modifications that’d higher the sequence for years to come back.

(2010, PC, PlayStation three, Xbox 360)

BioShock 2 dug additional into the autumn of Rapture, giving context and depth to its inhabitants, all of the whereas honing the sequence’ fight. It additionally birthed what’s considered among the best DLC episodes of all time, Minerva’s Den, which partly led to the founding of indie success story The Fullbright Firm, the studio behind Gone Dwelling.

(2010, Wii)

For video games all about operating, Sonic entries typically have hassle discovering their footing. Sonic Colours, although, discovered a steadiness between the sequence’ emphasis on pace and platforming, making for a recreation that appealed to a bigger viewers than simply the Sonic neighborhood. Sonic Colours nonetheless stands out as one of many higher-rated video games within the sequence.

(2010, PlayStation three, Xbox 360, others)

Vanquish is all about motion and magnificence, and it has each in spades. Popping out on the top of canopy shooters, Vanquish helped revolutionize the method by penalizing gamers for spending time behind cowl, in addition to maintaining bullets and projectiles continuously coming at them from all instructions, additional emphasizing fixed motion.

(2014, PC, PlayStation four, Xbox One, others)

Flawed. Filled with coronary heart. Unafraid. Wolfenstein: The New Order took the ultra-gruff FPS protagonist archetype and tore it to shreds. B.J. Blazkowicz barely stops taking pictures, and but he does it figuring out the sense of weight of his actions. He does not kill to kill, just like the Doom Marine; he kills for a greater future, one the place the bullets stop and the dreamscape barbecues resume.

(2004, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy forces gamers to assume exterior the field. Focusing much less on weapons and extra on the sport’s psychic and telekinesis mechanics, The Mindgate Conspiracy necessitates gamers be artistic when partaking in fight, making it stand out amongst different shooters launched on the time, and influencing builders to strive new concepts when dealing with fight.

(2011, iOS, others)

If cellular video games dangle their hats on addictive gameplay loops, then Jetpack Joyride is the magnum opus of cellular video games. Flying round and dodging fixed obstacles on this countless runner faucets into your mind, making placing the cellphone down far more durable and saying “another time” all the better.

(1992, Tremendous NES)

Mario video games are about creativity, however that is normally restricted to partaking within the creativity of the developer. Mario Paint, nonetheless, left the creativity as much as the participant, permitting them to make their very own customized artwork pixel by pixel and animation loops with customized music. It’s, as AllGame mentioned, “maybe essentially the most ingenious and impressed thought Nintendo ever got here up with for a product.”

(1991, Tremendous NES, others)

Already a preferred franchise by its 1991 launch, the Castlevania sequence acquired a modernization with Tremendous Castlevania four, increasing controls and bringing the sequence to 16-bit, all set to new preparations of older Castlevania songs.

(2012, PC, PlayStation three, Xbox 360, others)

9 video games deep within the sequence, Want for Pace: Most Needed did not actually change the method up, a lot because it refined it. Driving felt nice, the maps had been a pleasure to get round and the whole lot simply seemed so cool.

(2015, PC, others)

The last word simulation, Kerbal Area Program duties gamers with reaching the ultimate frontier. That includes life like orbital and flight physics, Kerbal is in no way a simple recreation, regardless of its cute look. Critically acclaimed and award-winning, Kerbal provides gamers the flexibility to have interaction in life like, simulated house flight with out ever truly leaving the bottom.

(2000, Nintendo 64)

Virtually each child, sooner or later of their lives, desires to be an expert wrestler. WWF No Mercy lets them stay out that dream. That includes the sequence’ most in depth create-a-wrestler as much as that time, gamers had been free to be artistic with their personas, giving them the possibility to roleplay what it would be like had they made it to the WWF.

(2001, PlayStation 2, others)

Nonetheless one of many coolest video games ever, Satan Might Cry put model first, rewarding gamers for being flashy and violent when killing its waves of enemies. Years earlier than PlatinumGames got here alongside and made a reputation for itself with fluid controls, Satan Might Cry revolutionized the best way hack-and-slash video games might appear and feel.

(1992, PC, others)

Some extent and click on journey placing gamers within the sneakers of the titular archeologist, Indiana Jones And The Destiny Of Atlantis helped, partly, popularize the point-and-click journey recreation style, paving the best way for later video games like Day of the Tentacle.

(2014, iOS, Android, others)

Do not chuckle. Regardless of a combined response, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is a pressure to be reckoned with. With 22.Eight million gamers making the sport $43.four million inside its first quarter of launch, Hollywood reached — and continues to succeed in — extra gamers than most critically acclaimed video games.

(1979, Arcade, others)

Designed to be a competitor to Area Invaders, Galaxian is notable for being the predecessor to Galaga and influencing different video games alongside the best way. However greater than that, Galaxian by no means left he aggressive gaming scene. With competitions nonetheless happening between high gamers, Galaxian’s loved a 38-year tail since its 1979 launch.

(1987, Arcade, others)

2D brawler Double Dragon was so well-liked upon launch that it has been persistently re-released and remade — and that does not even embrace sequels and spinoffs. The success of Double Dragon and its early sequels was so great that they had been tailored into different media like comics, tv and movie.

(2009, PC, PlayStation three, Xbox 360, others)

Road Fighter four, arriving a few years after the preliminary preventing recreation growth, was in a position to bridge the hole between outdated and new gamers, combining components, skills and characters from each camps right into a bundle acquired as among the best preventing video games of all time. Simply ignore the net points.

(2015, PC, PlayStation four, Xbox One)

Impossibly huge, Fallout four did what the Fallout sequence greatest: give gamers a world to lose themselves in. Although not as critically-acclaimed as a few of its predecessors, Fallout four continued the pedigree of open world role-playing and exploration set forth by Fallout three.

(2014, PC, others)

Nidhogg, inherently, creates an excellent taking part in subject. Pitting two gamers towards one another with solely a sword — and with the chance of one-hit deaths — success in Nidhogg depends equally on talent because it does luck.

(2001, PC, others)

Bejeweled is a recreation that perfects the suggestions loop, leaving a participant desirous to play only one extra spherical. Development depends merely on matching up tiles, making the sport appear deceptively easy, however its addictiveness made it a recreation, like many others on this record, that discovered its manner the fingers of hundreds of thousands who in any other case would not play video video games.

(1994, Sega CD, others)

Considered one of Hideo Kojima’s lesser-known video games, Snatcher offered poorly however maintains a cult-following because of its tackle the journey style. Snatcher mixed visible novel components to flesh out its lore and backstory, a transfer many noticed as groundbreaking for the style.

(1993, PC, others)

Sam & Max Hit the Street capitalized on LucasArts’ trademark humor and distinctive puzzle design, and introduced its personal improvements — reminiscent of being one of many first video games with full voice appearing. Letting gamers management the titular Sam and Max, Hit the Street is a extra cartoony journey than different LucasArts video games, one thing it leans into with its world and puzzle design.

After co-inventing the side-scrolling platformer with Ghosts ’N Goblins, designer Tokuro Fujiwara instantly determined to re-invent it. He did this by eradicating platforming’s major mechanic: Somewhat than leaping, gamers traversed levels with a grappling wire. Whereas tough in its authentic arcade incarnation, Bionic Commando achieved perfection on NES. Capcom refined the grappling ingredient, then designed dozens of levels that examined gamers’ mastery of the controls.

Capcom additionally added a story-driven framework together with a degree map construction, basically turning the sport into an motion RPG. It was cutting-edge for its time, however I preserve it in fixed rotation just because no different recreation has matched the fluid grace of its sensible grappling.

– Jeremy Parish (@gamespite)

(1981, Arcade, others)

By as we speak’s requirements, Qix is an easy wanting recreation. Nevertheless, it shortly grew to become a top-played arcade recreation within the early ’80s. When it launched, Digital Gaming Month-to-month mentioned the sport “grabbed the gaming world with its shade and imaginative design.” That recognition shortly declined, although, and as we speak Qix is famous as one of many most-cloned video games of all time.

(2000, Dreamcast, others)

Combating recreation Energy Stone 2 is seen as an innovator, a recreation pushing the boundaries set forth by its predecessor. Tasking as much as 4 gamers with breaking out of a fortress, gamers had been invited to make the most of the interactive setting and gadgets on the earth to progress — one thing notable and revolutionary within the early 2000s.

(2010, PC, PlayStation three, Xbox 360)

Thanks for what made Simply Trigger 2 successful should not solely go to developer Avalanche Video games. Simply Trigger 2’s modding neighborhood not solely made the gameplay higher, however in flip influenced Avalanche to incorporate a few of the greatest mods — such because the grappling hook — as official options in its sequel, successfully opening the door between official and nonofficial creators.

(1982, Arcade, others)

Pole Place is, as one author places it, “arguably an important racing recreation ever made.” Letting gamers race towards the clock in a Components One automotive, Pole Place was the primary recreation to function a monitor primarily based on an actual racing circuit, paving the best way for video games like Gran Turismo emphasizing simulation over arcade racing.

(1980, Arcade, others)

Missile Command is just not solely one of the essential arcade video games of all time, however an early instance of video games getting into popular culture. A pair years after its launch, Missile Command was referenced in Quick Occasions at Ridgemont Excessive. Nonetheless as we speak, the sport finds its manner into the mainstream. In 2016, Emmett/Furla/Oasis Movies secured the rights to make a Missle Command film.

(1989, TurboGrafx-16, others)

The place XCOM popularized the style, Navy Insanity helped create the turn-based technique style. Navy Insanity is cited as a key affect for different landmark video games reminiscent of Dune 2 and Command and Conquer.

(2010, PC, Xbox 360)

Happening primarily in Moscow’s run down Metro system, Metro 2033 is as a lot about survival horror as it’s survival within the wake of tragedy. Gamers had been inspired to discover their environments and study the tales of the Metro’s inhabitants, understanding how others received by after the tip of the fashionable world.

(2016, Nintendo 3DS)

Fireplace Emblem Fates is three completely different video games all making up one expertise. Tying its three tales into one product is its best power, making for a deep, significant story of battle and hardship.

(2010, PC, PlayStation three, others)

Closing Fantasy 14 is a uncommon instance of a recreation going from full catastrophe to near-universal acclaim. When this MMORPG launched in 2010, it was met with immense backlash and criticism, nonetheless Sq. Enix’s dedication to the venture led to a recreation that has accrued hundreds of thousands of devoted gamers.

(1999, PC, others)

Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri’s affect cannot be understated. Whereas it was an incredible recreation in its personal proper, lots of its builders additionally went on to assist out on the Civilization sequence, bringing alongside lots of the similar concepts. With out the affect of Alpha Centauri, it is exhausting to say whether or not or not the Civilization video games would’ve had the identical impression.

(1998, PC, others)

Grim Fandango’s legacy is a double-edged sword. Whereas it helped launch Tim Schafer’s profession to the auteur standing he holds now, and it refined the humor and storytelling point-and-click video games are well-known for, Grim Fandango’s poor gross sales additionally led to the decline of the now-cult style.

(2006, PC, Xbox 360)

It undoubtedly wasn’t the primary open-ended RPG, however The Elder Scrolls four: Oblivion was a vital stepping stone. The successor to Morrowind and the predecessor to Skyrim, Oblivion acquired a revamped AI system to make a extra plausible neighborhood, and continued the custom of Bethesda iterating its worlds into locations to be misplaced in.

(2009, Nintendo DS)

Rhythm Heaven is sort of a WarioWare recreation for the musically-inclined. Enjoying by way of a sequence of ranges with completely different guidelines, gamers should faucet in sync with the sport’s beat to progress. What outcomes is an addictive romp by way of a few of Nintendo’s weirdest ranges. Rhythm Heaven excels by asking little of gamers whereas nonetheless being sufficient of a problem to make for an interesting rhythm recreation.

(2009, iOS, Android)

Drop7 is a type of video games so easy in its design, you hardly ever notice how sensible it’s. Combining easy addition with a match three recreation, Drop7 takes seconds to grasp however hours to place down. It is an incredible instance of how cellular video games, carried out proper, rival the enjoyable and engagement of AAA, big-budget experiences.

(2011, iOS, Android, others)

Not not like Drop7, Kingdom Rush is one other instance of a cellular recreation carried out near-perfectly. Taking the tower protection style and including new layers of gameplay — reminiscent of the flexibility to ship footmen into battle to decelerate waves — Kingdom Rush seems to be acquainted at first, however is simply completely different sufficient to separate it from the remainder of the crowded tower protection style.

(1999, Dreamcast, others)

Energy Stone shortly grew to become a “should have” when it launched on the Sega Dreamcast. Like its sequel just a few spots up, Energy Stone ditched the primarily 2D style, went 3D and opened up interactivity on the earth. Earlier than most preventing video games had a number of levels and methods to strategy a battle, Energy Stone gave gamers the flexibility to strategize in a different way.

(1999, PC, PlayStation, others)

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is brooding. It is darkish. It is bloody. Soul Reaver had an environment forward of its time, one IGN mentioned was “saturated with a foreboding darkish wrath, intelligence, and plodding particulars.” Many critics praised the sport’s engine, which allowed Kain to journey between a number of dimensions, altering the look of the sport in actual time — a stunning feat on the time.

(1996, PC, others)

Command and Conquer: Crimson Alert streamlined the real-time technique recreation expertise. A superb user-interface allowed a number of components to be accessed directly, and the sport was one of many first within the style to function aggressive play. Crimson Alert was extra inviting and interesting than most different real-time technique video games.

(2014, PlayStation four, Xbox One, others)

Future is and was a promise of what is to come back. Pitched as Bungie’s bold follow-up to the Halo sequence, Future promised a narrative stuffed with planet-hopping and deep lore — and initially its execution various. Nevertheless, Future’s tight gameplay mixed with Bungie’s dedication to delivering on its authentic promise makes the sequence increasingly more attention-grabbing as time goes on.

(2010, PlayStation Transportable, others)

Overshadowed commercially by its console siblings, Metallic Gear Strong: Peace Walker is however one of the essential video games within the Metallic Gear sequence. Peace Walker set a few of the early cornerstones by way of story and design that may convey the sequence to the landmark Metallic Gear Strong 5: The Phantom Ache.

(1984, ZX Spectrum, others)

Deus Ex Machina is, as creator Mel Croucher calls it, “the perfect recreation you by no means performed in your life.” Hyperbole apart, Machina was the primary recreation to function a synchronized soundtrack, although that was not restricted to only music. The sport additionally had full narration and celebrities contributing voice and musical expertise.

(1998, PC)

Thief: The Darkish Challenge rests within the pantheon of basic Trying Glass video games. The primary within the Thief sequence, The Darkish Challenge helped popularize the concept of ethical ambiguity in video games, permitting gamers, in the event that they select, to forgo violence altogether in favor of merely reaching their goal. This concept could be adopted advert nauseum by video games that adopted.

(2004, PC, Xbox, others)

Just like The Darkish Challenge, Star Wars Knights of the Previous Republic 2: The Sith Lords offered gamers with an ethical grayness, permitting them to decide on whether or not to play on the sunshine or darkish facet. The Sith Lords was famous for its tight story, in addition to presenting a completely new Star Wars story influenced by the actions of the participant.

(2011, PlayStation three, Xbox 360, others)

One of many finer golf video games of all time, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 was the primary within the sequence to really function The Masters Event on the Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership in Augusta, Georgia. This inclusion gave gamers the possibility to stay out an actual golf season headlined by the game’s final real-world competitors.

(2008, PlayStation three, others)

Should you can dream it, likelihood is you are able to do it in LittleBigPlanet. All about creativity, LittleBigPlanet not solely emphasizes however encourages participant creativity. Due to that, it was warmly acquired for its openness for experimentation, permitting gamers to get bizarre and take a look at issues they assume will not work.

Click on right here to proceed to entries 400-301.

Story textual content: Blake Hester

[2babyturtles-ao3]

Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Sherlock (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Shernine - Relationship, janlock, Sherlock/Janine, Janine/Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes/Janine Hawkins, Janine Hawkins/Sherlock Holmes, Johnlock, John/Sherlock, Sherlock/John - Relationship, Mary/Janine Characters: Sherlock Holmes, Janine Hawkins Additional Tags: Falling In Love, Fluff, Sweet, They're perfect honestly, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, John's Wedding, Episode: s03e02 The Sign of Three, Post sign of three, Romance, Getting over John, Moving On, learning to love again, Healing, Getting over Johnlock Series: Part 9 of Tumblr Fanfic Prompts Summary:

The day after John and Mary's wedding, Sherlock wakes to the aftermath of an overdose and a pretty set of brown eyes looking back at him. For the first time in his life, he finds himself interacting with someone who really seems to care about him that isn't John, and his mind turns to all sorts of unfamiliar places.

[compoundingmuses]

@venosum // continued from this

she didn’t know what to believe anymore. there’d been so much going on, so many lies and people using her for various reasons. who she could trust was more confusing to her than ever. “i’ve found out that it doesn’t really work out that way though.”

[compoundingmuses]

tag dump

[2babyturtles-ao3]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Sherlock (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Shernine - Relationship, janlock, Sherlock/Janine, Janine/Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes/Janine Hawkins, Janine Hawkins/Sherlock Holmes Characters: Sherlock Holmes, Janine Hawkins Additional Tags: Falling In Love, Fluff, Sweet, They're perfect honestly, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, John's Wedding, Episode: s03e02 The Sign of Three, Post sign of three, Romance Series: Part 9 of Tumblr Fanfic Prompts Summary:

The day after John and Mary's wedding, Sherlock wakes to the aftermath of an overdose and a pretty set of brown eyes looking back at him. For the first time in his life, he finds himself interacting with someone who really seems to care about him that isn't John, and his mind turns to all sorts of unfamiliar places.