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ciaranswritingportfolio · 1 year ago

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Every Cancelled Sonic Game Pt 1 [YT Script]

Sonic X-Treme

Starting our list is possibly the most infamous of the entire range of cancelled Sonic games, and one that will keep cropping up as we go along! Sonic X-Treme was slated to be the next huge Sonic game, intended to boost sales of the Sega Saturn, timing the release for the holiday period. The game underwent several rewrites, and iterations with the final one focussing around a classic science-fiction theme. Hirokazu Yasuhara and Richard Wheeler pitched the idea that the game will take place in space, with Dr. Eggman building a ‘death egg’ to use for his world conquering plans, the pair planned to have different alien species included in the story, interacting with the characters. While the story went through many iterations, the gameplay style had landed upon a spherical fish-eye lens which the player could rotate in order to get better views of the 3D environment that Sonic was in, utilising the mechanic for puzzle solving, and exploration. One issue which led to X-Treme’s demise was that the game was not being made by the usual Sonic Team, instead, it was siphoned out to Sega of America. Unfortunately, relations weren’t great between them and the Japanese arm of the company, leading to stressful work conditions for the dev team. The infighting meant that the team (who were also new to working in 3D) worked long hours. Disorganised management, and exorbitant expectations from Sega Japan, such as one visit by a Sega Japan executive who made the over half the team switch to a different engine that was being developed alongside the game. This unsustainable work atmosphere led to the lead developer, Chris Coffin, becoming sick through the unbearable stress. Chris stepping away from the project for his health, led colleague Mike Wallis to throw in the towel, and call it a day for Sonic X-Treme, leading it to be cancelled. Information about this unreleased title is well known, and thanks to a tech demo at E3 in 1996, we have a glimpse of how it may have looked. Fans expectations of a brand new huge Sonic game at the time were destroyed, and arguably affecting the future of Sega’s involvement as a console leader.

Segasonic Bros

This cancelled game was one that never graced the arcades. Designed by Bubble Bobble creator, Fukio Mitsuji, Segasonic’s development was actually mostly completed, however, due to poor player response it never saw the light of day outside of Sega’s localisation testing. The game followed a similar gameplay structure to the classic ‘Tetris’, but rather than falling blocks, it involved differently coloured Sonic characters that fell from the top of the screen. The game was designed to have social mechanics with a 2 player mode, but ultimately scrapped, and never made it out to the public.

Sister Sonic

This was a great case of fans getting involved in game development, and influencing the course of Sonic history. In 1992, a game called Popful Mail was released in Japan on the Mega-CD (known as the Sega-CD outside Japan). During this time, and after the success of Sonic 2, Sega joined the development team of Popful Mail, and began re-skinning the entire game to be Sonic related. It would be released as ‘Sister Sonic’ introducing Sonic’s sibling. A popular gaming magazine, Electronic Gaming Monthly, in 1993 reported on Sega’s plans and fans were outraged. Fans of the game wrote letters to both companies expressing how they wanted Popful Mail in its original form, ultimately causing the rebrand, just like Sonic’s Sister, to be cancelled. The companies focussed on releasing a true version of Popful Mail to the Sega CD.

Sonic Crackers

This game was one of the earliest prototypes of the official release ‘Knuckles’ Chaotix’, but appears of our list due to its differences. Sonic and Tails were originally to be the main characters in this game. Fans uncovered the ROM of this early build in 1995, with much speculation as to whether the game was a joke by the group that made it public, however, it was later found to be legitimate after later prototypes of Chaotix were uncovered.

It had classic Sonic gameplay, with seven playable ‘worlds’ each with one field level, and five attraction levels. The attraction levels were a surviving concept that made it all the way through to Chaotix. While Chaotix had bonus stages which would shift camera perspective, Crackers was intended to have an isometric view during the field stages, however, this never seemed to make it past the prototypes. Eventually these prototypes underwent some serious change, causing a complete shake up of the cast, and a few of the mechanics. Although some features remain the same, it would have been good to see Sonic and Tails in all their isometric glory!

Sonic’s One Button Mobile Game

Heading to the UK for development studio Nitrome’s cancelled mobile Sonic Game! Intended for release on iOS and android, Nitrome pitched a Sonic game with mechanics that ended up being used for their game Super Leap Day, which released in 2001. The developers created a fully fleshed out demo for Sega executives to enjoy, however, according to a tweet by Nitrome, it didn’t go down too well.

The game was pitched with the idea of being a simple take on their classic games, with just one control button. The developers said that they would have included pinball bonus rounds, and stage themes echoing old, and new Sonic releases. Nitrome followed up their tweet with a causal hint to Sega that they’d still be down to work on a Sonic game considering their success with Super Leap Day, so.. maybe one day Nitrome… maybe one day!

Sonic DS

The Nintendo DS was hot off the market in 2004, and Sega wanted a piece of it. Sega knew they had to make a Sonic game for the hit handheld, and so they began development. E3 in 2004 came, and work had been completed on a tech demo for the DS, displaying a 3D platformer, with largely flat level design, negating the need for jumping, but side swiping mechanics were present, utilising the stylus on the touch screen.

The tech demo gathered some impressive responses in regards to the visuals, but ultimately was lacklustre in gameplay. This game was eventually swiped aside, and Sonic Rush ended up being the first DS Sonic game.

Sonic Mars

Sonic Mars was to be a title developed for the performance-enhancing add on to the Sega Mega Drive. The hardware was codenamed ‘Project Mars’, making it easy to see where the title got its name.

Lead designer Michael Kosaka and duo of assistants pitched this game to Sega of America to great success. The trio of designers would take heavy inspiration from the Sonic television show that was airing at the time, with ambitions to create the first 3D polygonal Sonic game. Yuji Naka, who was co-creator, and president of the Sonic Team at the time, reportedly had a negative reaction towards what the American development teams had come up with and backhandedly wished them luck on development, noting their naivety.

The 3D scope ended up being too much for even the 32X, and was moved to be developed on the Sega Saturn, where the project was eventually adapted to be content for the also cancelled Sonic X-Treme.

Sonic Riders (GBA Port)

Sonic Riders is a well known and much loved game, but did you know that there was going to be a port to the Gameboy Advance handheld system? The console version of the game used a 3D engine, but due to the hard limitations of the Gameboy Advance system, this was not really feasible for the port. Instead the development team, Backbone Entertainment, worked on an engine which primarily used 2D sprites, similar to the one used in the racing arcade games Outrun. The hover-boarding hedgehog never made it to the GBA, with complications arising when Sega Japan wanted more 3D elements, resulting in the American side of the company axing the game, as they’d have to significantly rework the engine to incorporate 3D assets.

Sonic Saturn

Whilst work was tumultuously commencing on Sonic X-Treme, the Sega Technical Institute were also set working on another Sonic game that would be released for the Sega Saturn. Not much information about this cancelled game exists, aside from a small amount of concept art, which appears to depict the inclusion of Metal Sonic. Peter Morawiec, a designer who began his Sonic career making the special stages on Sonic 2, described Sonic Saturn’s bonus stages as a minigame where the beloved character would be playing a giant ball game similar to pool. The screenshots that Morawiec released shows sonic being on the table within a 3D environment featuring various themes within the special stages, including Egyptian theme, a Roman Amphitheatre, and even a futuristic spaceship stage.

This project eventually was cancelled, and Morawiec went on a mission, spanning years, to get his bonus stage design into a Sonic game. The Sonic X-Treme team agreed during one of their phases of development, but unfortunately we all know how that went.

Sonic Sports

A spinoff game featuring Sonic and his pals was in development for the 32X hardware. The game almost beat Mario in its bid to have the first sports styled spinoff. The sports title is shelved under the category of ‘lost’ cancelled games, as occasionally fans find, or those with the archival files, releases a ROM, prototype, or source code to cancelled Sonic games. Unfortunately, this is still yet to happen, and the only information we have to go by is an article by the now discontinued GamePlayers magazine, which claimed that the development team was Scavenger, who were working on other games for 32X hardware at the time. The article also hinted at an all-in-one 32X and Mega Drive system that was reportedly going to be called the Sega Neptune. Ultimately, a number of factors likely led to its cancellation, including poor sales, and also the fact that development kits for 32X were released late, not leaving much room for development time.

Sonic the Hedgehog (Home Computer)

YES! That’s correct, the classic original Megadrive game was being ported to UK PCs. At the time, Sega had lucrative contracts in licensing out its arcade intellectual properties to studios wanting to profit from the home computer industry. With the release of the Megadrive, Sega understood the value of these licenses, and while selling rights for games like World Cup Soccer, OutRun, and Thunder Blade. Just prior to the explosion of success that Sega had for the release of the first game, it was ready to sign off on deals which would bring the blue hedgehog to home computer systems, however, not wanting to disrupt the flow of customers that were coming to buy the Megadrive to play Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega pulled out of talks and negotiations with those wanting to port the game. Because of this, its unlikely much, if any work was actually completed on these ports.

Sonic the Hedgehog MEGA-CD

Continuing with the theme, another port of the original game was cancelled, this time during development. To be titled ‘Sonic the Hedgehog MEGA-CD’, this game was going to be ported in order to take advantage of the add-on hardware systems that Sega was developing. The Mega-CD would boast enhanced graphics, and processing power, and its clear to see why Sega would want their iconic hedgehog fronting sales of their new hardware. Details of the game have been seen in public twice, with a tech demo at the Consumer Electronics Show during the Summer of 1992, and as a feature in the 11th issue of the Mega Play magazine. The port side of things on this project were shelved, and it made way for Sonic the Hedgehog CD, an extension of the original games mechanics that also introducing new characters, and time travel elements.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CD

Here we have another cancelled port that was due to be for the Mega-CD, however, rather than being adapted into a new game like Sonic CD, it was cancelled entirely. This cancelled game has also been known as ‘Super Sonic’, and ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Escape from Ring Zone’. It’s thought that Sonic the Hedgehog CD, and this project were intended to be a part of the same bundle, however, the projects split once Sonic CD expanded its scope beyond the original game, with others speculating that Sonic CD may have taken abandoned ideas from this Sonic port. It would have introduced new cutscenes, improving on the visuals that the game would be being remade from. Cancellation of this title was more than likely down to the fact that the original Sonic port to the Mega-CD was cancelled!

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Limited Edition

The story of this limited edition title begins with the simultaneous development of Sonic & Knuckles, and Sonic 3, as these two games were initially planned as one game, but due to the tight deadlines, and costs of the right sized cartridges meant that the developers had to split the game in two. The limited edition, also known as Sonic 3+ was to hold both games in one unifying product on the same cartridge. Two early prototypes of this game were found, and unfortunately, the game was cancelled, this was likely decided in order to save development resources once Sega had created their ‘lock-on’ technology, which allowed players to plug in their Sonic 3 cartridge into the Sonic and Knuckles lock on system. Doing this allowed for additional content for both games, including altered levels, new playable characters (Tails, and Knuckles respectively), and also the inclusion of the new collectibles, and abilities.

Sonic the Hedgehog Extreme

Not to be confused with the famous ‘X-Treme’ that we’ve already mentioned, Sonic the Hedgehog EXtreme was planned to show off the blue hedgehogs hoverboarding skills. Slated for release on the Xbox, it would feature Sonic and Shadow riding around a 3D open world version of Green Hill, including different game modes. Due to the popularity of the Pro Skater games, developers at Visionscape Interactive saw an opportunity to pair Skate culture with Sonic the Hedgehogs gnarly attitude. An early prototype was found and subsequently released online in 2016. Some believe that it may have been the prototype which led to the game Sonic Riders, leaving Visionscape’s co-founder Mark McDonald with a bitter taste, as he claimed that Sega took their concept to make the hoverboarding game, though, no legal action was taken due to the contractual obligations that McDonald signed while working on the Sonic IP.

Sonic the Hedgehog Awakening

This game was in development between the years of 2006 and 2009, with its public discovery happening when keen eyed Sonic fans found the title of the game on Pete Capella’s work portolio. Capella back then was the voice for Silver the Hedgehog, and was presumably hired to voice that character in the game, suggesting that this game was quite far along in its development. It’s quite rare for a cancelled Sonic game to have this little info, as fans normally are able to get hold of visuals and concepts of these games, even working source code into playable prototypes, however, there is nothing on Sonic Awakening! Fans speculate that the game would have centred around Silver, and that it may have been cancelled due to the poor reception of Sonic ’06, Silver’s debut game.

Sonic’s Edusoft

Developed by Tiertex Design Studios, this cancelled game would have seen Sonic in a educational game that was due to be released for the Sega Master System in 1991.

If released, then this would have made it not only the first educational Sonic game, but also the first Sonic game made by an outside company. With over 15 levels, the game featured timed puzzles, with correct answers moving Sonic along in a race themed format.

Unfortunately for Tiertex, they never obtained the license for the Sonic IP, and couldn’t release the game, however, multiple sprites, and even a prototype has been leaked online by fans.

Sonic-16

Peter Morawiec returns for this cancelled game where he and his colleague, John Duggan, at the Sega Technical Institute, pitched a game that would have strong narrative elements due to the plans to base it on an animated Sonic TV show that aired at the time, known as Sonic SatAM.

Sonic-16 would be developed for the Mega Drive and have beat-em-up styled game mechanics, with new abilities for Sonic such as ledge climbs, and new attacks prompting new ways to traverse and battle his way through the environment. A video demonstration exists of the game and displays fully animated sprites, and the visual style appears to be a vast departure from previous games.

Cancelled personally by Yuji Naka, with speculation that the slower gameplay didn’t have him convinced.

Treasure Tails

Game designers who worked for the Sega Technical Institute in 1993 supposedly pitched for a spin-off Sonic game starring Tails. The game would be planned to have an isometric view of various tomb areas, with screenshots depicting Tails exploring these ruins. Very little is known about this project, aside from the screenshots released by Craig Stitt, who made the screenshots in order to make a more appealing, and persuasive presentation. Stitt rediscovered them on a VHS in 2020, and uploaded them onto a private Facebook group, revolving around retro Sega games. It’s unknown whether the pitch was approved, but the game was definitely never made.

Untitled Sega Technological Institute Game

There is one game that STI employee, Chris Senn, created concept art for that never got a name. The image that Senn made showed Sonic in a world with graphics similar to the older classics, but with an isometric view. The paths are diverging, but only momentarily, making it seem like Senn wanting to hold onto the classic mechanics, but update the players viewpoint. Senn himself said that the mockup screenshot was made during the development of the 32X hardware, with him keeping in mind the possibilities that this could bring to development. The concept for this game never came to fruition, and that it was absorbed, and ultimately lost in the many iterations of Sonic X-Treme.

[47 References Available on Request] Content Link [if available]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdS3KBbuJpY&t=51s

#gaming #content writing #sonic the hedgehog

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tinycartridge · 3 years ago

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There's a new Puzzle Bobble and it's very important ⊟

Don't just take it from me, the person who drinks coffee from a Bubble Bobble mug every morning and is on stage 1174 (oh no) of Bub's Puzzle Blast, a game I only found by accident while looking for a new Bust a Move/Puzzle Bobble.

Look at the above video, with its four-player co-op (including Story Mode), hi-res Bub, Bob, Peb, and Pab, little Miniroons, and so many bubbles. Everybubble, in fact! Puzzle Bobble Everybubble will be out on Switch next year.

New Bubble and/or Puzzle Bobble games aren't always... good, but I'm getting my hopes way up anyway. Sky high! I definitely won't survive even a slight disappointment.

JOIN CLUB TINY AND OUR DISCORD Support Tiny Cartridge!

#jc #gaming #nintendo switch #bubble bobble #bust a move #puzzle bobble #Youtube

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lostplay · 2 years ago

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Game 39: Kingdom Hearts 3

I don't think I'm trending new ground here when I say Kingdom Hearts 3 is a disappointment. The sequel just promised so much about itself that it honestly had no hope of pleasing everybody. What I didn't think would happen however is how much the game spreads itself thin to make it feel like there is a bunch of things to do. There is a ton of great things to say about Kingdom Hearts 3, but there is a lot here that makes it feel a bit rushed when it comes down to it.

What I can absolutely praise Kingdom Hearts 3 for is the sheer amount of content we got for it. KH3 contains game & watch style mini-games, a full on cooking mini game, a bubble bobble type puzzle game, photo mode, and an entirely revamped gummi ship mode that let's you explore full maps. Throughout playing KH3 I consistently thought about how neat the whole thing was. Nearly every little thing here is thought through to the point that little details kinda just add an extra charm to how well they are crafted. I genuinely can't express how floored I was when I found out how many mini games the Game & Watch like titles had. Like honestly, I'm sure people would buy little handheld titles like this in real life. The fact that the gummi ship mode is like it's own little arcade shooter also really helped break up the pacing by giving a somewhat challenging and neat mode to play with when we just want to explore. The photo mode even adds a much needed collection element with the hidden mickey's being scattered throughout the worlds. Honestly as much as I hate the brainwashing technique; gamifying it was the way to go. Add that together with a bunch of different mini games in game, and you really start to see that what KH3 did was pay attention to everything, but the main game.

Games being easy shouldn't be seen as a problem, and I would rather encourage it over making something super hard. Providing a challenge is always a unique issue to any given game because each gameplay style is just different, from both players and games alike. So what did KH3 do? Why it made it have so many extra flashy super moves, power ups, summons, and tag team attacks that the only issue is picking the next attack. Really I can't express how easy this game is without mentioning the ride summons. I love the ride summons, I think they are super stylish and a fun thing to do as a sort of mini-game. Sadly though, KH3 doesn't really limit how often you can use them, and constantly feeds you the attacks roughly one minute in any given battle. That is, of course, if you aren't also given a team attack or transformation gauge, and even then it's all in all likely you have all three up to pick from. The game literally feeds you so much "super meter" attacks that I honestly forgot I had additional summons and magic to use. Kingdom Hearts has never been a super nuanced combat system, even at it's peak with KH2, largely the majority of the attack strings are just pressing X at certain times. Here though? You just get over stuffed with options that your brain and battles can't actually engage with combat unless it's something as long as a boss fight. Even then, the problem just becomes using these super moves on the bosses till they die; it truly feels like KH3 just doesn't trust the player enough to give them a proper challenge. Perhaps what is most maddening about this though is just the fact the combat is actually good? Something that returned, and what I love about Dream Drop Distance is the movement options. You are able to dash, jump, and even ride rails like you were in the previous game straight from the start. While you don't have full access to everything right away; you are given enough to ensure you can work toward more movement options later on. This combined with combat has always made Kingdom Hearts far more engaging to me as it gives it a lot more style compared to the previous two entries where combat just feels far too slow and stiff. Being able to block and dodge immediately is a standard, and the fact the previous two main games hide that away always hurt it's combat. As previously addressed though, any combat you do get into is often over before you know, overloaded with some super moves, or can just be walked passed. The only time it actually feels you are playing the game really is during mini-games or boss battles, and it really is a shame because I honestly do see the combat here be on par with what we got with Dream Drop Distance, although far more busted.

One thing KH3 solidly did right tho is the Disney worlds. While some have far more to do in others, or at least feel constructed better story wise, each one has plenty of weight to them. I don't think every world out there is particularly amazing, but compared to the worlds of the past, it feels like it's an actual place. Like Tangled's world for instance. While I can tell there is quite a bit of context taken out, largely the game provided enough there that made me absolutely engrossed with the world and characters. I felt like we were on a proper journey to deliver Rapunzel to the Corona kingdom, and it hit enough emotional beats to feel invested. Even places like the Big Hero 6 World where it kinda feels slapped on story wise still has an incredibly large city to explore. Nothing feels like it was left out, or repeated when it comes to the gameplay of these worlds, and it's something I'm finally happy to see come to fruition. Unfortunately, there is nothing to help save the story of Kingdom Hearts. While I know some like to argue that you just need to pay attention, or that the Disney worlds are the less interesting part; Kingdom Hearts 3 most boring bits are the continuing story. Like I have played through all the kingdom hearts games that are needed to be played through with the exception of the mobile game, and I can tell you that the only extra Kingdom Hearts game you need to play is Birth By Sleep. Without knowing the context of why Aqua is in the darkness helps a lot when the game finally decides to have a plot, it still doesn't save the rest of the story. Constantly they interject these Disney worlds with a random black cloak members, but in the end the only real take away is that sometimes characters outside of Sora will interact and it's nice. The rest of the time though? It's like they pop up and say "the plot is going to happen Sora BOOO" then screw off. Even the "final payoff" of getting these battles together is just Sora taking everyone's victories away. There is absolutely no fanfare for other characters in a way that matters, and honestly it's perhaps the biggest downer when it comes to Kingdom Hearts 3. Long way to say it, but Kingdom Hearts 3 is just a game that shoved itself with so many things that it legitimately forgot to be a proper conclusion to it's own story. Even with all the other games under my belt it's still a hapless mess, and one that even gets in it's own way when it's trying to be fun. Still to say I didn't enjoy it is a lie. This is legit one of my favorite Kingdom Hearts game because it just has so many neat things to it. I kinda respect a lot of aspects to it because a lot of the things they have been working on, or that they introduce, work so well. I just implore anyone wanting to play the game to not do so for the story or challenge, but because you can explore. Just don't look for any real substance here, it's just an average game with a very stylish way of failing to met expectations.

#Kingdom Hearts #Kingdom Hearts 3 #Kingdom Hearts Series #PS4 #Square Enix #Lost Reviews #lostleader #LOSTLEAD8R #Forever you don't need to play all the games #the most homework you need to play 3 is Birth By Sleep #Literally was going to be titled Kingdom Hearts 0 #You can just play 1 - 3 and you would understand enough #you are not missing out on lore #not really #the lore is #is it cool?#Kingdom Hearts is just a game about being cool #Wish people talk about the game and watch like games more #we getting physical collection of those?

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smokeybrandreviews · 2 years ago

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Z-Awakening

The flood gates have opened and i have been on this mobile game kick for weeks. It started with BLEACH: Brave Souls and I've been legitimately entrenched in this weirdly satisfying form of gaming ever since. Now, I'm not going to sit here and say mobile gaming is super great, it’ not and wildly predatory, but i am going to say i have found a few that don’t outright suck ass. Brave Souls turned out to be more of a mixed bag than i expected and has kind of fallen on the back burner. Since my Fate/Grand Order account got yeeted into oblivion and I've started over fresh, i have realized how goddamn terrible that sh*t is. FGO is bad. It’s the worst! Outside of the overall narratives (Fate, at it’s core, is a visual novel), there is no substance to that “game.” It just prints money for Type-Moon. That said, i stumbled across one that has the same energy as my beloved Azure Lane. I get so much of the same vibes with this one that i feel like it might become a proper option in my gaming repertoire. The game i;m talking about is Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle!

Now, I'm a sucker for Dragon Ball, period. This blog is riddled with essays and rants about that franchise. I’ve loved that sh*t since before i knew what Dragon Ball even was. I saw a little blurb about Hyper Dimension in a Gamefan magazine in the Nineties. I had no idea what the f*ck i was looking at but i knew it was the coolest sh*t, ever. When i got older and more familiar with the franchise, i realized it was SSJ Goku firing off a Kamehameha at Perfect Cell but, back when i first saw that sh*t, it was straight up bewildering. Imagine seeing Perfect Cell for the first time, with no contest, in the throwaway space of a video magazine that was about Sonic 3? Yeah, it was a confusing time. As i got older, i absorbed more and more understanding of DB through cultural osmosis. Being an otaku (Weebs before the term “Weeb” was coined), i came to recognize such things as Super Saya-Jin, Broly, and Freezer. When i finally got the opportunity to take in the franchise personally, i felt like i had been watching this sh*t for decades. And i loved every second of it. Dokkan Battle is kind of a love letter to everything Dragon Ball and i ma her for all of it. Before i get into why i adore this game so, i need to pay some bills. Basically, explain to why this mobile game doesn’t suck like MOST of it’s kin.

Dokkan Battle is just Bubble Bobble. That’s it. This sh*t is Bejeweled with Super Saiyans. It’s just Puzzle Fighter, on a slant, with dope ass Dragon Ball cutscenes. That, alone, gives it more wight than the VAST majority of games in the Play Store. Full disclosure, the mechanics of this game aren’t super unique. Like, you’ve played Bubble Bobble in your life. You’re probably playing a clone right now. If you can do that, you can do Dokkan. There are, of course, little quirks to it’s specific dynamic. Like, there’s an Elemental Wheel where certain things are stronger than others and the Spheres you select correlate to those rules or whatever. It’s diversified further by the characters you pick to go into battle, having these same Elemental aspects. Buffs and debuffs re given to them in battle depending on if said character matches said bubbles or whatever. Dokkan isn’t changing the wheel with there game play loop but I've been playing this sh*t for decades so I'm pretty comfortable with that. Seriously, who doesn’t know how to play Puzzle Fighter? Well, let me rephrase; Who under the age of forty-five, doesn’t now how to play Puzzle Fighter? That type of game is basically Oregon Trail for my generation. In terms of playability, Dokkan is, arguably, a better game than Azur Lane and i f*cking have a blast with that sh*t but that’s not why i love it so much. It’s a real bonus, but not the thing which has me gushing over it right now.

The history is what keeps me coming back to Dokkan. This sh*t spans the entire Dragon Ball franchise. The shows, the games, the manga; All of it. There are characters, multiple versions of characters, that have been on scree or on the page, for the blink of an eye. Super deep cuts like Western Supreme Kai or Towa, are represented in this sh*t. They get a back story. They are developed as characters, to an extent. We all know I'm a sucker for lore so this sh*t really, REALLY, speaks to the core of my entertainment experience. It’s just mad dope being able to see Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta, Final Flash a guy into oblivion. That never happens in Dragon Ball proper. Vegeta hates that form but in this game? Yeah, he’s a perennial component to my team. There is just so much depth in terms of team structure, and even more when it comes to leveling them up. Awakenings, Z-Awakenings, and Dokkan Awakenings are available to a great many of these characters, with a significant power increase to these characters. Each has a skill tree unlocked once out get to a certain level and, as a Final Fantasy guy, I'm all about a Sphere Grid. Like, everything about this game is built for me to absolutely lose myself in it and i have willingly done so. I am all over Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle and, if you are like me or like my sh*t here, you probably will, too.

#Dragon Ball Z #Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle

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satoshi-mochida · 4 years ago

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Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron’s Workshop will launch for PC via Steam on September 30 for $39.99 / £30.99 / €39.99, developer Taito announced. It will be available at a 15 percent-off discount price for the first week of release.

Here is an overview of the game, via Taito:

About

The Steam release of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron’s Workshop will feature all the original and downloadable content from the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch releases, plus a new PC-exclusive Baron’s Workshop mode where players can create new stages using dozens of block types, enemies, and gimmicks unlocked as they play through the game. Players can share their own stages and download endless original creations from around the world on Steam Workshop.

First launched in 1986, Bubble Bobble is an iconic arcade classic in which twins Bub and Bob clear stages of bullies by blowing and bursting bubbles. Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is the latest edition in the classic Bubble Bobble series and the first new sequel in 24 years. Join Bub and Bob as they journey with their friends Peb and Pab on a quest to defeat their old enemies Bonner and Baron Von Blubba in 200 stages of platform puzzle action.

Key Features

The Baron’s Workshop – Exclusive to the Steam version, create, share and download new Bubble Bobble stages with players around the world. Unlock various blocks, enemies and gimmicks as you play through the main campaign.

Up to four-player couch cooperative play.

4 Friends – With 100 stages to take on!

Arcade of the Future – Play 100 more super-difficult stages with no continues for pro Bubble Bobble players.

Original Arcade Mode – A faithful port of the classic Bubble Bobble for up to two players, with scanlines and screen ratio options for a truly authentic arcade experience.

Global Online Leaderboards – Challenge your friends’ best scores across every game mode.

Watch a new video message featuring game director Tsuyoshi Tozaki, level designer Hidetaka Iyomasa, and Bub below.

youtube

#Bubble Bobble 4 Friends: The Baron’s Workshop #Bubble Bobble 4 Friends #Bubble Bobble 4 #Bubble Bobble #Taito #Gematsu

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nohaijiachi · 6 years ago

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Crowley never minded to just hang around the bookshop while Aziraphale busied himself with something else, even less so after the not-pocalypse. Still, he also preferred to have something to do in the meantime, even just to look the right amount of disinterested, like a cat who would follow in every room but then look away or clean a paw, as if saying ‘I’m only gracing you with my presence, it’s not like I want to be near you or anything, silly!’

It had been very difficult, at first, when there weren’t so many things one could distract himself with, especially when declaring that ‘they did not read’. Crowley had welcomed the technological revolution between the end of a millennia and the start of a new one with open arms. Smartphones had been a metaphorical God-send, and he did not mind dabbling in the world of gaming consoles from time to time, especially if they were extremely sought after, at launch, and getting himself one meant pissing off some righteous can-I-see-your-manager mom who demanded the new, shiny toy for her precious spawn without a pre-order.

That was why he owned a day one Switch, a model that came with ruby-red joycons and a print of snakes on the dock that did not really exist for anyone but him. He never really brought it around the shop, before, as both he and Aziraphale were a tad too busy trying to raise the -wrong- Antichrist, but now that they were free Crowley had taken a liking to place himself in one of the comfy armchairs strewn about with his Switch that somehow never ran out of battery, and just pour in the apparently endless amount of games available. Aziraphale had noticed, one day, as Crowley focused on his game of Puzzle Bobble with his tongue vaguely sticking out in focus.

“Oh, how cute,” he commented, leaning from behind to look at the colourful bubbles Crowley was making explode in rapid combos, and that seemed to be it. Aziraphale never really asked about it, still looking utterly confused by any device that seemed able to run without a wire connected to an electric socket. He couldn’t even learn to say ‘console’, rather referring to gaming devices as ‘those games in video thingies’, much to Crowley’s chagrin.

Or that was what Crowley thought.

He forgot his Switch at the shop, once. It had been an honest mistake, seeing as he held no secret hope Aziraphale would ever take interest into the modern world. He forgot it there for about a about a week, as he went out of town for a floriculture trade fair from where he would, no doubt, come back with armfuls of new plants to terrorise.

When he came back into the shop after that little vacation and settling his new green victims between the others nice and snug, he didn’t even think about it. He saw the console sitting exactly where he left it, thought ‘oh, right, that was here. I guess I could go for a game’, and turned it on exactly to do that. Played a single game of Puzzle Bobble, just enough to get back into the swing of it, and when he lost it and was sent to the top five screen his eyes went wide behind the glasses.

All his records were gone. And not just that, all the little ‘CRW’ hadn’t been replaced by the default setting of the top five, no—

There was a small list of ‘AZR’ instead.

“Angel?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Did you—“ Crowley did not need to finish asking that question, as he twisted on the armchair to launch a questioningly look at Aziraphale. “Really?” he added, instead, tilting an eyebrow.

“Oh,” Aziraphale said, noticing the console in his hands, although Crowley had the feeling his surprise was mostly an act. “Oh, well, I thought ‘what is the harm in trying?’, and then those little dinosaurs looked so sad whenever I’d lose a game, so I kept trying…”

“And you made sure to erase all my scores from the top five, didn’t you?”

Aziraphale curled a smile around his mug, as he took a sip of his cocoa, not even slightly apologetic about what he had done. Crowley had never loved his bit-of-a-bastard Angel more in his entire, immortal life.

Just a silly little ficlet I don’t think it’s worth the bother to post an AO3, with how short it is, lol. For you young’uns out there: back in my day we wasted all our money in arcades and were grateful for it. Having those three letters in the top five, for everyone to see, was a big honor. I’m sure arcades were invented by Crowley, money sucking places as they were.

This is how the first Puzzle Bobble top five screen looks like

#ineffable husbands #Crowley #Aziraphale #fic

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kaetastic · 5 years ago

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Testing Him To His Limits

pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

summary: Bucky was just enjoying the sun, until his phone beeped of a message. If only he hadn’t opened it.

word count: 3.6k

warning: nsfw, fingering, language, no metal arm!bucky

note: inspired by this video on youtube! I’m not exactly sure if this is a Modern AU, I still have yet to grip concept on the spectrum lmao. But technically, they are not The Avengers in this. Also, do grills even pop stuff?? Ion no, I never griled lmao. This is a chaotic, messy writing lol.

Despite the guaranteed coverage of the umbrella, Bucky could feel his body fry alive under the scorching heat of the sun. The wavering waves plastered all over his skin as if it was like the surface of a heated desert. Quivering lines danced over his bare chest. Even though his chest was covered by a smeared layer of glistening sweat that twinkled a smile with every churn of his muscle, he didn’t bother to wipe it off. Maybe it was due to the fact that the heat had made it unbearable for him to place a foot on the burning ground (unfortunately for him, he had to find out the pain after scrambling without a sandal on when he wanted to grab a quick sip) or maybe he was just lazy. Bucky opted to believe the other reason.

In the heat (with restricted ability to step off the seat), Bucky couldn’t help but let his mind wander off as it took a leisurely stroll to random thoughts and topics. He questioned why Tony had decided to choose the day it had peaked the temperature of the sun. The week had swum over a steady crest. It was somewhat tolerable to take a walk in the beginning of the week. Now? Now, Bucky was contemplating if he was either nudged out of a plastic bag, straight from the freezer; dunked into the sizzling fryer, or he was the melting ice cream that flew onto the fiery red lava port of a fair near the ocean. It was as if mother nature had been surprised by a wrestling match in her gut.

But, then again, the host had reassured that no one would pass out. Which might’ve been the reason for the heightened concern for the moment where someone who splay against the burning ground. No one had bothered about someone else passing out until Tony had brought it up. However, there was no need to worry as they were blessed to be in the presence of a sophisticated doctor, Bruce Banner. And no, it was not at all reassuring as it literally felt like their feet were being sizzled alive.

The muscles and tendons that cladded around Bucky’s wavering bones were at the end of a merciless stick of heat. It somehow liquified into a puddle of nothing but... meat. Pushing the hideous (and shuddering) visualization to the side, he inquired a question he knew he wouldn’t have an answer to: Why had he been dunked by a bucket of sweat, his soles still bubbling of unbearable bumps that pinched pain from his regrettable decision where he was put at a vulnerable spot... while his friends had been sauntering on the ground? Were the ground not fired enough to melt their foam sandals? Not even their feet, one of his closest friend, Steve Rogers, paced around the pool with only a teasing amount of sweat painted across his forehead. Bucky had to sigh in defeat, though, the man had been consuming cans upon cans. All iced and cold. Oh, how suffocating it felt to sit on the chair.

With only his blue swimming trunks on, he fell into the captivating imagination of him walking over the frying pan to snatch a drink for himself. Bucky could only take a glance at the icebox that poked bobbling heads of aluminium cans of refreshing flavours whenever the lid was opened for him to take a faint glance. The man was sure he had seen a teaser of an iced coffee somewhere. Although, he feared it might’ve been consumed by a somewhat... hyperactive friend. Hands tucked behind his head, Bucky’s fingers were engulfed in the sticky liquid. It weaved as irritating strings that wouldn’t fly off with every swat of his hand. Bucky’s hands were accustomed to the beads of sweat exasperating out of his skin while the air was sizzling. Not much different from pouring oil onto a pan that was ready to exert its anger on.

Chattering from randomly wheeled through topics which had been on a range from an accidental shift of work hours to high school crushes, it was followed by strings of laughter. The noise trickled into the ears of the only man who had found himself in peace without any interaction. Was peace even the right word? Not too long ago he wished he would jump into the pool for a quick cool off (after a few minutes of adapting to the scorching medium, he was sure the water would be just warm- not burning), but then he remembered he had no energy and will to do so. Bucky wished someone pushed him into the pool without having his skin graze over the hellfire-like ground. Another surge of roaring laughter erupted from the small crowd. It was most likely Tony cracking one of those past eggs before the attention had been directed to the man whose face was smeared over with crimson red paint. It was Steve.

Although Bucky had been pulled into some conversations, most of them had ended quite abruptly. One of them had been from the forgotten grill that had been sizzling, popping chunks of burnt meat into the covered lid. At least Thor had the decency to shut it. Or else it would’ve resulted in parkour of avoiding the bouncing hot pieces from the erupting volcano. Despite the chatting had been so quick, he forgot what they were even talking about. He blamed it on the weather, and the scorching temperature, which caused his thoughts to be evaporated into the unbearable heat.

Bucky tried his hardest to enjoy the session of the invisible breeze of wind in the hot air (there was only a teasing amount of appearances from the natural cooling method). Well, he was trying his best to see the silver lining of the situation. After all, it was he who had dragged his girl to go to the gathering. There was nothing worse than having to admit your fault when you had been so determined and persistent on pursuing a belief. Oh, the last thing Bucky would do was give that satisfactory to Y/N; even though, she could practically see through his tears.

Freshly peeled can of soda swirled into his nose, the scent of a too concentrated solution of grape rammed the wall of his lungs. It clashed into the delicately layered muscles, no different to that of poison. Less than a centilitre of poison would be enough to yank the soul of the victim before they could even comprehend it was their last day. To see the same effects, one would have to drink around half a dozen of the sodas that had been hovering in front of the resting (would it be called resting if he was dying inside?).

Despite the obvious taste of chemicals that would linger on ones’ tongue for the whole day even though they had been scrubbing the bristles of their toothbrush on the flap of muscle with immense force, the brand had still insisted on the ‘No artificials’ plastered on their metal cans. The enormous label that was the size of the can’s name was plastered at the top in bright yellow, the outline had been bubbly with a faint shadow that had exposed the grainy pixels. What a way to catch attention.

His eyelids fluttered open as jumping droplets of the soda pierced onto his face. No different to that of popcorns springing out from the machine. Standing beside the chair was Sam, who offered the drink to Bucky. Despite Bucky squinting through his nearly closed eyelids, he could tell that Sam was not at all affected by said-weather.

There Bucky was, having a courtroom debate in his head to the burning temperature, while his friend had been at the merciful end. There were evaporating beads of sweat that trickled down the sides of his face, nothing a swipe from his hand cannot remove. Even though Bucky was sauntering down the lane of jealousy, he was tugged onto a screeching halt in realization. A can that had been freshly plucked out from the icebox was in Sam’s hand. Then, all that glittered in the resting man’s eyes were sparkles of gold as if he had seen his guardian angel who had flown down to save him. His saviour. Wings would look good on Sam.

After mumbling thanks under his breath that came out more of a raspy noise of cheese being grated; he grabbed the can, Sam made a place on the neighbouring chair that was vacant for anyone to use, “Man, Steve’s like a six-year-old who's banned from sugar.” Even though Sam’s eyes were behind the shadowy glasses, Bucky could guess the expression he wore. Bucky chuckled at the sight of his blond friend chugging cans after cans as if it was a competition.

There was no doubt that Steve was in such a state because he had somehow slipped one sip down his throat, which was his first mistake. A mistake that would usually be meticulously watched over by Steve’s other half, Peggy. The woman was the friend in the friend group who sent health benefits of herbs and other green things (unfortunately, not Shrek) to the group chat at two in the morning. Which only left questions and speculations to linger in the air to what she was even doing awake at such times. Maybe it was when Tony had chided for Peggy to let loose of the rope she twirled around the man. Peggy had been persistent that she was loose. So, one thing led to another; the man was now on his third can. Peggy had to watch with her eyes twitching at the hyperactive man. His bloodstreams probably had enough sugar to coat the walls of his blood vessels.

“He’s gonna be a handful for Peggy. Nothing she can’t handle.” The two chuckled at Bucky’s words. It was true, Peggy barely had problem with... taming Steve. They were like a perfect piece of a puzzle, their sides of the parts completed one another. The last time a situation was like so, Steve had been enticed by a sugary pink stick that Tony had lying around, sprawled on his kitchen counter. Once again, one thing led to another, and Steve somehow ended up pounding on his chest as if a gorilla on a table.

Sam hummed, muscles dancing against the ticklish bumps on the chair, “He’s on a leash, I tell you.” Eyes shut tight, Sam practically melted into the seat. Maybe it was from the heat, but as Bucky brushed his eyes over the relaxing figure, he knew Sam found solace in the air. The chilly liquid crawled down his throat.

The silence from the chilling man had only answered to his suspicion that Sam was in fact, fast asleep. The corners of his lips curled up at the sight of the man who was infamous for never finding the time to relax. Sam associated himself with parties; when the man’s mindset had set onto the things that needed to be done on his desk, it was difficult to stir him away from the focus. Bucky recalled the time he had stumbled on Sam who had splayed out on his office floor since the man had pushed himself to complete the batch of work. He still remembered the worry he had at the sight. The only evidence that the man was not dead but just slumbering was the presence of his pulse thrumming.

Shifting his body back to his previous state, Bucky could feel the prickling of kisses from the sun on his hairs. Although he was enjoying the dream of returning back home, all his work completed, waiting for him on the desk, whoever watched over him disliked the idea. The sheets he would have to go through would consume nearly his whole day, if he was unlucky, it would bite off a chunk from his weekend. Oh, no. The weekend was his only method of escape to ignore the existence of work. A vibration echoed from his phone, shaking an earthquake through the glass table. The noise trickled into his ears, shattering the glowing imagination that was too good to be true.

The groaning from the device pierced through the table once again, calling out for its owner, “Hey, Buck, think you could... run a little errand for me?” Before he had the chance to flip the phone to glance at the notification, Bruce stood in front of the burning source of light, shielding Bucky’s blinded eyes. The sneaky ray of light bounced off the umbrella. Bucky quirked an eyebrow, confused to the vague sentence.

“Errand?” Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What happened to your new secretary?” Bruce let out a sheepish chuckle, fingers scratching the nape of his neck as he replayed the memory which he now wished he could forget.

“Yeah, about that, I accidentally gave her a leave...” A chuckle fell off the resting man’s face, Bucky shook his head in disbelief. Oh, Bruce. Always expect the unexpected with the man. There had been countless of times Bruce had a word slip off his tongue, most of them were nice. Too nice. So, it didn’t shock Bucky that the man had somehow allowed his new secretary to take some time off. Never will they forget the time they went to a cafe, and Bruce somehow ended up buying a dozen coffees. The doctor blamed it on the enticing offer, one he couldn’t pass off. But the team knew. They knew the cashier cast a spell on him.

“Sure, what’dya need?”

A hand clasped onto Bruce’s shoulders, causing the man to hiss a wince through the cracks of his teeth, “Why’d you run away like that?” Rising from the back, a shadowy figure soon stood next to Bruce. Thor’s booming voice banged into their ears in surges of boisterous pitches. It was a habit the man had, a little quirk, he did. Thor’s way of talking was screaming; although, he had denied being that loud, “You wanna ask Bucky to do it?”

“Do what?” Bucky stared at the two, eyes darting, lost from the lack of context.

“Yes! I do!” Bruce grumbled back, annoyed that Thor had scurried from the circle he was just in, to follow the man. All Bruce wanted to do was mumble the words in secret, away from the people that might whisper his words to other ears. The two fell into bickering. Bruce was prominently shorter than the towering figure of Thor, a reason to why Bruce’s neck would be needed gentle massages later on.

Bucky grabbed his phone, he leaned back with a huff. If the man wasn’t confused already, he had no clue why his girlfriend who sat on the other side of the pool had texted him. Their eyes met. Bucky didn’t know how to react when he saw her shoot a coquettish smirk into his perplexed eyes. Ardent thumbs pressed the password before he clicked on the messaging app.

Then, his heart dropped out of his ass.

The photo of his girl in fiery red lingerie struck a chord in him. Well, snipped away his connection to reality as he tried to digest the picture. It was mostly indulging in the way her skin filled up the brassiere and the garter. Not to forget the accompanying message. Need your fingers in me, “Right, Bucky?”

Bucky didn’t know how fast it took him to switch off his phone, “Huh?”

Thor let out a loud cackle, no different to that of a cracking thunder that zapped the innocent field. Bruce walked away in defeat, shoulders curled down. Noticing the confusion in Bucky’s eyes, Thor chided, “I said some people don’t even listen to what Bruce say. You proved my point.”

The man didn’t have the chance to say anything since Thor paced away. Then, everything flipped.

“Holy shit!” Tony yelled out, his neck veins so close to the surface, it nearly burst the vessel. Without having to say anything, everyone did their part. “Steve! Stop taking so many tissues! I fucking pay for those as a matter of fact! Y/N, could you grab a roll of tissue paper? It’s in the store!”

Pulling her eyes away from her screen, the device was nearly thrown into the body of water at the abrupt change of events. The chaotic mess of shuffling bodies with sheets of ripped tissue papers in their hands that sprinted left and right pierced into her head. What a day for relaxing. Even though she was confused to the commotion, she didn’t need to ask as her eyes brought upon the answer. The bits of meat that had splattered from its main chunk haphazardly pierced the ground, splattering against the floor as if an uncontrollable firearm. Poor burgers.

The woman nodded, sprinting into the house, inching away from the furious grill to avoid being the canvas for its splashes of paint. With her heart thrumming, her feet stomping the ground echoed through the long hallways of the home. Sticking to shuffle in the middle as the path had been blocked by large decorations of lavish vases that sat at her waists’ height, she made sure nothing had been damaged. Y/N was pulled to a screech at the door that resided at the end of the hallway. Practically bursting into the room, she didn’t waste time to nudge everything off the shelves that wasn’t what she needed. The name of the object chanted in her head, echoing as if to remind herself. Everything else was of no use. If her head was a movie theatre and all the seats were take, the audience was probably melting. There was no sight of the needed roll. Her heart sang the last song she would ever hear before it was cut short by the slamming of a door.

“Bucky?” Although she was narrowing her eyes at the figure of the man who leaned on the metal shelves, his eyes amused by her franticness, her attention was averted back to the treasure hunting. Y/N nudged the endless bottles of shampoo aside, not scoring a point of care. She wasn’t sure if it was all for Pepper or Tony. The deep cracks she had meandered through the once organized storeroom didn’t give a sign of the roll. “Not now. I need to find tissues.”

Her words fell on his deaf ears as he persistently rubbed his body into her back. Despite her efforts to shimmy away from him, it seemed the space between the two closed, inching until she could feel a hardness prodding her thigh. A gasp echoed into the air, “You feel that?”

“Bucky! I need to find the tissues.” Y/N managed to breathe out, the words obstructed her throat.

“Then find it,” Bucky’s voice was low, deep as the puffs from his lips caressed her exposed skin. There was barely anything her skimpy bikini could cover. With determination, she continued, ignoring the prominent presence. “Though, I wouldn’t bother. Thor just used a fire extinguisher.”

Even though she wanted to snap her back straight from the news, Bucky’s rigid body blocked her way, “I said find it,” Without warning her, his warm digit nudges her panties aside, dipping into her. A breathy moan trickled into the tranquil air which Y/N tried her best to stifle. There wasn’t any use in pressing her lips together, the way his fingers knew how to rotate her gear had only sent off something in her. Y/N didn’t even dare to cover her mouth with her hand as she knew if she removed the leverage, she would’ve collapsed into the ground. “Sending me photos in public.” Bucky chuckled, not sending the same emotion of amusement to the brutal pace he had pumped his fingers.

He didn’t even bother to tease, pressing his thumb to her sensitive clit, circling roughly. The shelves shake, little bits falling off the surface (thankfully, they were only crumpled up plastic bags). Y/N barely had time to whine about him removing his fingers as she spun around, her lips locking into his, “Bucky...”

The man hummed, his fingers not wasting time to plunge into her, “Wanted my finger. Take it.”

It didn’t take long for Bucky to relish the sight of her head thrown back, chest heaving in surges of breathing. Tongue swirling around the liquid, he hummed at the familiar taste. Y/N had told hold herself back from rolling her eyes.

“What took you so long?” Tony’s eyes darted towards the woman who he had trusted the task of fetching the roll of tissues from the store. The conversation they were having died down, their focus now set onto the exiting figure. Y/N hummed as she practically threw the object onto the wooden table, the legs of the victimized surface quivered. Shivers of the earthquake wavered through the metal rods causing the metal to sing in a falsetto tone as it clashes into its neighbouring accompanies, nearly causing the other occupants of the table to slide off.

“Couldn’t find it.” The words brushed her lips, jumping into the ears of her friends. While she had sauntered off to lay back down on her previous spot, she didn’t notice that everybody’s neck craned to the following body. Fingers weaved through the locks of his hair, Bucky mussed the already messy bundle.

“What?” He couldn’t help himself. The corners of his lips curled up in satisfaction that they had seen the marking he had left on Y/N. Too caught up in the bliss moment, she hadn’t even realized he had left a piece of himself on her neck. The owner of the house threw the utensil on the floor with a huff. Reminder: Don’t invite Bucky and Y/N over.

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kogo-dogo · 5 years ago

Note

You seem to have a lot of thoughts on weird old games. Do you have any suggestions for games to play from years ago that maybe people should revisit or at all of the games you know ones that you wouldn’t recommend?

… Hold on a second. Uh. I’m gonna go grab Ye Olde CD Case Full of Ancient Games for this one. Because my memory is pretty scattershot, so I tend to forget most things if I’m not looking at them. I will say that I’ll try to keep the games to ones you could conceivably afford, though, since I recently found out that some of my JRPGs are… pretty… valuable.

- The Legacy of Kain Series: This one isn’t one that’s aged badly at all, and generally all of the series is good. They’re made up of the Blood Omen and Soul Reaver games and cap off with Legacy of Kain: Defiance, which brings the two protagonists of each series together (you swap between them with each level). The game is about vampires but shies away from a lot of cliche vampire lore, taking place in a fantasy setting that defies a lot of explanation. It starts very “kings and castles” with the original Blood Omen, and then devolves into a nightmarish hellscape of bizarre contraptions, ruined civilizations, and horrifying monsters.

The main themes of the game are pretty fun, too, as a lot of it stems from the fact that the bad ending of Blood Omen is canon, with the rest of the series reflecting the titular Kain trying to undo all of his mistakes while his “son,” Raziel, tries to enact revenge on him for effectively killing him. There’s some time travel shenanigans, and some very memorable characters, and Kain is… *clears throat* I would marry this vampire, okay?

Blood Omen 2 is not the best game, though (it was made without most of the main team and is completely different, to the point the head writer brushed it aside as the result of a paradox), but it’s really kind of funny.

- Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath: I know this got rereleased on the Switch in HD, but I know every time I bring it up, nobody really gets it. It’s far from the most popular Oddworld game, even though it’s my absolute favorite because it remains absolutely gorgeous (especially considering how old it is) and Stranger is one of my favorite characters in video games period. A lot of it is centered on environmentalism and the evils of capitalism, but the biggest twist of the game hits you like a fucking train. The gameplay is also incredibly fun; I just absolutely love the fact you hunt your ammo and just carry a pouch of small animals you use as projectiles.

- Chaos Legion: This game is… okay. It’s not perfect. It’s a hack-and-slash that’s a lot like Devil May Cry (it is essentially a knock-off of Devil May Cry), but it comes with the interesting perk that the entire combat system revolves around training demons (the Legions) to assist you in combat. They can have offensive capabilities, defensive capabilities. They level up alongside you, they have different strengths and weaknesses. It’s a whole lot of fun, to be quite honest. The story is absolute fucking drivel and the cut scenes have this weird, campy vibe that is equal parts dramatic anime and really bad student film, though, which is a plus for me (it’s hilarious) but could probably instill some second-hand embarrassment in other people (sane people). The soundtrack kicks absolute ass, barring the credits music.

- Panzer Dragoon Orta: Probably the most affordable of the old Panzer Dragoon games, and one you don’t really need to understand the lore for because it comes equipped with an entire encyclopedia that breaks down the history of the world and every monster you encounter. It’s a rail shooter, kind of like Starfox, but you’re an escaped prisoner on a dragon who is just tearing shit up. It’s actually a lot more deep than that, but I doubt anyone would be interested in hearing me drone on and on about the world and the previous games which… are borderline impossible to afford (like Saga, which hurts my soul).

- Croc: Legend of the Gobbos: It was supposed to be a game about Yoshi. They lost the license. They made Croc instead. It is fucking adorable. You should fucking play it.

- Escape from Puppy Death Factory: This is actually a flash game that is… but, okay. LISTEN. It’s a flash game, but it’s a Metroid-style game with a heavy focus on puzzle solving instead of combat. You play as a little dog in a spacesuit, and you try to rescue puppies. The end boss is very fucking confusing (I don’t get it and it doesn’t fit with the rest of the game), but it’s legitimately adorable and has a very addictive soundtrack. This is seriously a game that could have come out as an indie release, but it’s free, and it’s just lingering around until Flash eventually dies and steals it from me. Heartless fucks.

- G-Darius: It’s a side-scrolling shooter where you fight giant robot fish. The entire Darius series is about shooting sideways and fighting giant robot fish. But G-Darius has Queen Fossil, and Queen Fossil is hands down one of my favorite boss fights in any game ever. Look at her. Look at her and be fucking amazed.

- Liquid Kids: It’s made by the same people who made Bubble Bobble and, uh, I’ve found it to be pretty easy to emulate. It’s about a little hippo(? Maybe platypus?) named Hipopo who fights adorable monsters with water-filled bubbles. Unlike Bubble Bobble, it’s an actual platformer where the point of the stage is to make it across obstacles and fight the big boss. It can be INCREDIBLY hard at times, but it’s so bright and colorful and fun. It’s one of those feel good games, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I’ve also talked about games like The Suffering and Breakdown, but I will be the first to tell you that I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them. The Suffering is a little hard to swallow in this day and age, and Breakdown is just a mixture of not very good and relentless in its desire to not play fair.

If you ever want to hear me talk about the pricier old games I have hanging around that I could recommend? Let me know. Like, I am absolutely good for talking about shit.

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captainchrisfics · 6 years ago

Text

Paps Meet Politics

About: While working on A Starting Point, Chris takes a liking to a particular Congresswoman. Amidst speculation that he’s dating his co-star, she tries not to think too much of it when he asks her to be his plus one to a gala, but a probing reporter clears the air in the end.

Word Count: 6,650

Requested By: @spilledinkindumpster - Thank you for your patience and sending this idea my way, I hope you enjoy!

P.S. This fic is also known as the soliloquy of cevans’s eyebrows- Will they be raised in surprise? Dropped in disappointment? Cockeyed with confusion? The drama!

“Thank you for the interview,” Chris said so genuinely it made me feel as if I’d done a whole lot more than sit there and talk about my job. It was easy, I could go on about being a Congresswoman forever with an eager light in my eyes and passion pouring out of my voice. Ever since I was young, when my father was first elected and we got to take the train to D.C. from our home in Brooklyn to visit him on weekends, I wanted to be sat in the same maroon chair behind my own mahogany desk, doing my best to represent and support my community he’d fostered such a deep appreciation for in me. Little did I know Chris Evans of all people would be sitting on the other side someday.

He reached out to shake my hand, grinning a perfect smile that seemed to be made for the camera. “You’re doing great work here. I’d love to talk about it more sometime,” Chris said with an honest tone that surpassed politeness by a mile. He all but seeped a sincerity I’d come to find was rather rare in this city.

In actuality, our conversation drifted from my policies about combating climate change to how disgraceful it was that I was a Yankees fan and what brand of squeaky toys he buys his dog since mine manages to tear through everything. Sure, there’d be a hell of a lot of b-roll, but I think we both needed the break. To talk to another person as a person, letting the conversation flow naturally without having to stay on task all the time and genuinely listening to each other, wasn’t something it seemed we got to do often enough. You could tell by the enthusiastic way we gushed over salads at only the mention of breaking for lunch that we’d had enough of the grind, at least for an hour or two.

He squeezed my hand tight one more time before letting go. “We’re having a small gala for some of A Starting Point’s supporters to raise a little money for the project. I’d really like you to come, if you’re available?” Chris looked up through his dark eyelashes with a sort of puppy enthusiasm in his eyes.

“I’d love to, but I’ve got a lot of meetings and everything...” I bit my lip as I thought about it a little more, trying to come up with anything to stop the corners of his mouth from turning down any further. “You know what? Why don’t you have your people talk to my people, you know how it goes,” I said sarcastically, driving it home with a roll of my eyes.

Chris chuckled, swiping his thumb across his bottom lip. “You don’t know how many of your colleagues actually mean it when they say things like that. Let’s keep it old-fashioned,” he said, tugging his phone out of his pocket to exchange numbers. I laughed and said that he shouldn’t be so sure as I handed him mine and punched my name into a new contact.

“Well,” Chris said as he slipped the device back into his pocket without breaking eye contact. He rolled up his button-up’s sleeves to his elbows, resting a hand lazily on his waist, as if he wasn’t straining the clasps around his chest enough for it to make my knees weak. He was about to say something else, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t waiting with bated breath, before the producer rushed over to hurry him on to the next office for another interview. We’d spent so long talking he was behind schedule.

Chris sighed, his chest caving like a deflated balloon with the release of a breath I didn’t realize he’d bottled up, picking his suit jacket off the back of his chair. “I certainly hope we’ll see each other again soon,” he said with a small smile of apology, the kind that crinkled his eyes closed in the slightest.

“Me too,” I confessed, tucking my hair behind my ears nervously. Chris stood there for a beat or two, looking conflicted as he stood partially turned to the door, but not making any moves. I shifted my weight from my toes to my heels, feeling nervous under his scrutiny.

He turned to leave, stretching to scratch the back of his neck as he took a few steps before whipping around again, sending the coat in his arms flying. “You, uh, you really mean that?” he asked, shoving a hand in his pocket.

I nodded, a little taken aback by his question. My eyes searched for some sort of answer in his slumped shoulders, raised brows, and the way his eye was half-winking almost in a wince. It was a sharp contrast to his behavior during our banter earlier, like someone sucked the air out of our atmosphere. Chris didn’t elaborate anymore, though. He only nodded back at me like a bobble-headed reflection, taking slow steps out of my office and then, as he picked up speed all at once, he was gone. I fell back into my chair, chest caving as everything left me in a heavy sigh.

One of the interns entered before the door had even finished swinging shut, clutching salads to her chest as if her life depended on it. With a slack jaw and popped-out eyes, she said all too breathlessly, “That was Chris Evans.”

She passed me my lunch with a shaking hand. “That was awkward,” I shot back with a little bit of a laugh. “I think he asked for my number… for personal purposes?” I admitted, trying to make sense of the whole thing. Although the words felt wrong on my lips and silly to my ears, I wasn’t sure what I was meant to feel in the first place.

The intern took a seat opposite of me, cracking open her own lunch container. “Did you give it to him?” she inquired hesitantly, like she was trying to put her own puzzle together. I confirmed her theory with a shake of my head, but the hum she responded with made me question it.

“I’d hate to rain on your parade, honest, but I’m pretty sure he’s dating his co-star from that new Netflix movie?” she said, giving me a minute to chew it over while she took a bite of her lunch. “I mean,” she started again, her mouth still full, “obviously no one really knows for sure. It’s just speculation, but…” She shrugged, giving me an apologetic look.

I waved her off, insisting it was probably for the better anyway. Still, I couldn’t help the way my stomach sank with disappointment. I tossed my lunch to my desk, my appetite suddenly gone.

Next to the abandoned container, my phone buzzed. I picked it up curiously, not really expecting a text from anyone in particular. Next to the green bubble, the notification only read Chris, not that I needed much more of an indication as to who that was. I opened it to see he’d taken a picture for his contact, a bad one from a low angle with his tongue stuck out and crossed eyes.

Hope you’re enjoying lunch. I was thinking about checking that place out on break- What do you recommend?

I smiled as I typed out my usual order. Chris responded immediately, even though I knew he was supposed to be working, telling me that he thought I had good taste.

We texted like that for a week, on and off throughout the day and then almost incessantly at night. About some of the stupidest things, like arguing over whether Dunkin or Starbucks was better with statistics to back us up. Other times Chris would ask what the best part of today was and usually it would be something like reading a really kind email from a constituent, but once I honestly told Chris just hearing from him had made my day. It was easy to talk to him without having to look at those crystal clear blue eyes, feeling like he could see straight into my soul. I spilled it all anyway, feeling the familiar flutter of butterflies in my stomach like I was back in middle school passing notes to a crush.

Chris didn’t seem to have any qualms about telling me anything either. In fact, even the small things, like if he had a particularly good jog with Dodger that morning, I’d hear about it. It was a refreshing change of pace from the way we’d left things in person, returning to the comfortable ease we’d felt sitting across from each other, only this time it was on the other side of a screen.

At the same time, no matter where I went, I couldn’t escape the rumors about Chris and his co-star. Every magazine headline as I checked out at the grocery store, every paparazzi photo when I channel surfed past E! News, even every clickbait article title on Snapchat’s discover page. All of it being a constant reminder that the warm feelings that came to a boil every time my phone buzzed with a new message from the man himself. Some heart-eyed emoji-filled message to a picture of my dinner I’d sent or an update on the book he’d been reading that was so detailed I’d never have to check it out myself. Something that made me fall a little harder and reminded me of how painful it’d be once my bubble bursts simultaneously.

I felt incredibly guilty, continuing to talk to someone else’s partner when I knew I was developing feelings I couldn’t suppress forever, but it was nice to have a friend that wasn’t all the way back home in Brooklyn.

It’d been just over a week since I’d properly seen Chris in person. I knew he was lurking around Congress somewhere, interviewing as many of my colleagues as he could and making every connection possible, but I didn’t get out of my office very often. In fact, it was usually in between committees that I’d see him running down the hall to catch up with someone before their next meeting. Something inside of me, call it my fight or flight response or good old cowardice, always pulled my feet to take me out of his sight, ducking into a bathroom or behind another corridor’s wall. My heart would race until his voice, asking when he could squeeze into someone’s calendar for only half an hour or if they’d be more comfortable chatting over coffee before jumping in front of the camera, faded as he walked away.

I wasn’t sure exactly why, but seeing Chris in person made me debilitatingly nervous in a way that messaging him never did. It was easy, the manageable way my stomach flip-flopped when the three little dots indicated he was texting me. But when he looked at me, like really looked at me like he was listening to the lilt in my voice as well as the twitching tick in the corner of my eye? Forgetting what I was saying when he scratched his beard contemplatively or loosened his tie? That made me feel like I was about to toss up my last meal.

At least I thought I was safe within the walls of my own office, but it wasn’t a sanctuary for long. One day, right before lunch, Chris sent me a very odd text. My eyes were downcast, reading over a bill for the second time and trying to highlight the parts I wanted to edit when my phone buzzed. With my break nearing and my brain growing too fuzzy to make much sense of the convoluted document, I caved into the distraction.

Not to be a creep, but green’s definitely your color.

My gaze drifted even further down to the pine-colored pantsuit I’d picked for the day, feeling that tingle in my spine that only watching-eyes could bring. My eyes shot up, searching and failing to find Chris anywhere in my office. Then I caught the twinkle of his mischievous blue eye behind the crack in my door.

“Should’ve seen your face,” he laughed with a wide grin that made his crow’s feet more pronounced as my tense muscles relaxed. I rolled my eyes, but my smile gave me away as I swore I’d get him back when he least expected it.

“How’d you know I was even available?” I spluttered, caught totally off guard by his presence. My words were muffled by the marker cap stuck between my teeth, but it didn’t bother Chris who sauntered over to the seat across from me like he owned the place, his plaid blue suit hugging his hips immaculately. He took off his jacket and hung it over his seat as if he’d done in a million times before, revealing a starched white shirt with buttons that strained when he took a seat.

“We talk for this hour every day, figured it was when you scheduled lunch,” Chris retorted with a shrug, taking his tie off and undoing his shirt by a couple buttons to make himself comfortable. “So I brought you something better to chew on than that highlighter.” He dropped a bag from the restaurant I recommended the first time we met onto my desk in between us.

It dropped from my lips as I ogled I the bag and then Chris again before lunging for it, distributing our meals, drinks, and silverware. Anything to distract myself from the way his forearms flexed as he rolled up his sleeves and placate the burning blush of my cheeks.

We were halfway through lunch, too busy stuffing our faces to talk very much, when I finally broke the silence. My curiosity was eating away at me like it was on break too. “What’s got you in my neck of the woods anyway?”

Chris dropped his salad to the table as he chewed, silently holding a pointer finger up to ask for a minute as he fished around his coat pocket. Letting out a satisfied hum as he found whatever he was looking for, he pulled a white envelope in between his fingers. Chris stretched across the desk toward me and I held my breath as he reached behind my head so I wouldn’t drown in his intoxicating smell, an impossible mix of fresh air and lavish cologne. I averted my eyes to the ceiling, trying to save Chris some modesty by not gawking down his open shirt while he tugged a pen out of my bun. I only caught a glimpse of the course, dark hair smattered across his chest, accentuating the soft curves of his pronounced muscle, but it certainly made me sweat like a sinner in church. It seemed to last an excruciatingly lustful eternity before he leaned back.

My hair sagged, partially held up by the utensil resting lazily in his hand as he scribbled along the front of the envelope. The tip of his tongue peeked out of the corner of Chris’s mouth when he focused and his eyebrows dropped dangerously low as they furrowed.

“There are pens right in front of you,” I pointed out, trying to make sense of what just happened. Chris only shrugged and changed the subject.

“Sorry, I almost forgot,” he said, shoving the pen that’d been in my hair with the others. “I wanted to hand-deliver this to you.” Chris slid the envelope to my side of the desk. He’d written my name in his chicken scratch’s best excuse for cursive, but other than that it was rather plain.

“What’s this?” I asked, giving Chris a cautioned look. He slouched back in his seat, balancing his salad on his knee while shrugging and looking down at his food, pushing cherry tomatoes around his cucumbers as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

“If I told you, wouldn’t that defeat the whole purpose?” he countered, staring up at me through his long, dark lashes. I only nodded since I didn’t trust my voice too much not to break when he looked at me like that. Like he was the one who was nervous, as if I was the one in dangerously close proximity.

I reached to take the only other thing holding my haphazard bun together, my letter opener, which unraveled my hair completely. As it fell across my shoulders, Chris took a sharp intake of breath, shifting in his seat suspiciously. I eyed him with curiosity as I opened the envelope before focusing on its contents.

“It’s next weekend. I’m sorry it’s last minute, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all week now. You’re an awfully hard person to pin down,” Chris explained as I delicately unfolded my invitation to his gala. “Your receptionist, we’ve gotten to know each other well. She always says you’re in a meeting or a little too busy to be bothered, but… if’m honest, I can’t help feeling a little avoided.”

My gaze lifted to him, seeing how his broad shoulders folded inward like he was about to collapse into an anxious origami of his former self. His hands wrung in his lap and I realized he must’ve been highly strung after all.

“Nothing like that,” I lied in a soft voice, trying to catch him before he crash-landed. Well, it was partially true. I mean, I was steering clear of Chris, but not for any of the reasons it seemed he suspected. My receptionist, being one of my closest friends in this city, knew the nature of my feelings for Chris and probably decided it’d be in my best interest to put some distance between us. “It’s just been really hectic around here lately. I’ll make up for it at the gala, promise.” I tried to smile encouragingly.

It seemed to connect with Chris as his own stretched across his cheeks. “In that case, well, I was-” Chris stopped to clear his throat, head tilted as if he was trying to put himself together with an internal pep talk. “I was hoping maybe, if you want to, you’d be my plus one?”

My fork clattered to the tabletop as I stuttered with shock. I felt like a machine missing a piece, something small like a gear, something that made my place in this not make very much sense. I mean, I wasn’t his girlfriend, shouldn’t he be asking her? It seemed too good to be true, Chris offering to tote around such a public event, in front of the other members of Congress nonetheless, with me on his arm. Matching his tie to my dress, posing for pictures together, walking me to my door with my heels in his hand and his coat around my shoulders after a long night. It just couldn’t be what he meant.

“Only, uh, again it’s only if you want to. Really, I don’t want you to feel any obligation,” Chris started to backtrack, running an anxious hand through his slicked-back hair. “I mean, if you haven’t got other plans already, of course, I thought it might be- I don’t know. Could be fun, is what I’m trying to say.” He started talking with his hands, waving them frantically and nearly knocking my pens over. Chris huffed as he straightened their jar, eyebrows raised as he retracted his hands back to his lap.

“I think it would be too,” I admitted, chewing my bottom lip. Despite my better judgment, I told Chris I’d go. After all, he made it clear it wasn’t a date based on his fevered reaction, trying to clarify his offer to make sure I didn’t misunderstand his intentions. Plus, a night with Chris did really seem like it’d be a nice break from the stressors of my weekdays and the dullness of my days off, especially considering I wanted to make the most of his time here before he had to jet back to L.A. At least for one night, I could indulge in playing a guilty game of pretend.

“That’s just…” Chris sighed, a relieved smile gracing his lips as he collapsed back into his chair. He closed his eyes, allowing a little bit of peace to wash over him with the worst of this conversation being over. “Great. That’s great, thank you. I’ll pick you up at 8,” he said, although it came out more like a question. “God, let’s hope I’ll be better at asking people for money than that,” Chris joked as he laughed through a sigh.

“And if not,” I said, raising my bottle of iced tea for Chris to cheers, “that’s why you have me.” Chris smiled in thanks as his drink met mine with a gentle tap, a quiet pause ensuing our swig.

“That’s not all you’re good for,” Chris commented, his head tilted as he looked at me. He maintained a crooked grin as he eyed me from across the desk. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was a look of admiration.

“You’re right,” I confirmed before taking another bite. ‘Oh, really?’ Chris challenged silently with a raise of his eyebrows. “Mhm,” I mumbled. “I can also stuff enough little appetizers wrapped in napkins to feed a militia into my purse in case the main course sucks.”

That earned a laugh from Chris, the kind that stemmed from the bottom of his belly and nearly caused him to choke on his lunch. His hand rose to the left of his chest as he threw his head back, absolutely relishing in it to the point where it was infectious. I wasn’t even the one who thought it was funny, but I couldn’t help grinning so big it made my cheeks hurt. A part of me I tried to shove down the thought that I could get used to hearing that laugh, the pride pulling it out of Chris brought.

I wished I could’ve bottled up that feeling, the utter confidence I felt in that moment, and taken a shot of it while I waited for Chris that night. Probably would’ve burned less than the liquid courage I’d tried to emulate it. I looked myself over in the hall mirror for the hundredth time as I waited, trying to do anything other than count the seconds he was late by.

I wore a long tulle dress with one shoulder and a ribbon cinching the smallest part of my waist. It was a shade of green a bit lighter than the suit Chris liked on me and, considering we were going as nothing more than friends, I tried to push the thought of whether or not he’d like this better far out of my mind. Tried, being the operative word.

I stood there, examining myself in the mirror with a cocked head, when a knock out of nowhere startled me. I ran my hand through my hair quickly, trying to break up the curls so it didn’t look I’d tried as hard as I did, before answering the door. “Hi,” I breathed the word, looking Chris up and down. He wore a simple black and white tux with a bowtie, something I wouldn’t have pegged for, but it was a pleasant surprise.

“You’re…” Chris’s eyes roamed my body from head to toe, taking me in as he held his arms out wide like he was standing before some great sight like the grand canyon instead of me, standing awkwardly and over-dressed for my living room. His cheeks puffed out as his eyes grew wide, meeting my gaze with a wide smile. “Gorgeous,” he concluded, saying it like the word wasn’t enough. Smiling like it wasn’t wide enough. “Tell me again how I got lucky enough to even stand in your shadow?” Chris asked jokingly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

I rolled my eyes and stepped out to meet him, closing the door behind me. “Don’t kid yourself, Evans. You’re not one to talk in that suit,” I returned the compliment, hoping it was dark enough that he couldn’t see the firetruck shade of red it felt like my whole face turned in a furious blush.

Chris extended a hand to me, offering to lead me down the steps to his car. I took it, eyes cast down partially to watch my step in these heels, but also because I don’t think I could bear to look him in the eye while I was thinking such unsavory things about the way the jacket hugged his bicep, how perfectly the slim-fitting pants were tailored to his thighs…

“No way,” Chris dismissed my compliment, pulling me from my thoughts. “I look like a penguin.” We reached his car and he held open the passenger door for me, but I hesitated to get in. Instead, I just stared at him with my jaw hovering maybe an inch or two from the asphalt.

“Well, then, I guess it’s a good thing they’re my favorite animal,” I said as I composed myself, gathering my skirt before sliding into the front seat. Chris shut the door, but leaned against the open window instead of walking to his side.

“With the way you’re looking at me, there’s a joke in there about some beastiality implications,” he quipped, his tongue-in-cheek humor coupled with the callout catching me completely off guard. I gaped at him for a beat too long before I started stammering, trying to come up with some sort of apology coupled with an excuse. Chris only stood there with this goofy smile as he said, “But I’m certainly too decent to make it.”

“I’m not looking at you in any sort of way,” I told him matter of factly, crossing my arms over my chest and tilting my chin up righteously. The last thing I needed was Chris thinking I was undressing him with my eyes, even if there was a sliver of a fraction of truth to it. I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable or have him mention something to his girlfriend and raise her suspicions.

“I know, it was just a bad joke,” he reassured me. I relaxed then, until Chris’s hand reached to comfortably to rest over mine as if holding hands was something we did all the time, giving me a gentle squeeze to say it was alright, but then he didn’t let go. I tensed, staring at his hand as if it was a bug that suddenly landed on me instead of an act of affection. Chris didn’t notice, keeping his eyes on the road, until my brain caught up with my racing heart and I pulled away from him.

“What’re you up to, Evans?” I asked, although it sounded a lot more like an accusation. I certainly didn’t plan on being his “other woman” in D.C. while his girlfriend had no clue all the way in California. Chris gave me this glance in between green lights, a confused furrowed brow and pursed lips like he was focusing on figuring out what just happened, that made me nervous I was being hypervigilant.

“Nothing. I’m sorry,” he said smally, adding that he didn’t mean to make me feel uncomfortable under his breath, clearly taken aback by my reaction. It became evident that he hadn’t been trying anything with me, that I really just misinterpreted his intentions by a long shot, so I apologized too.

The rest of the drive was painfully quiet, until we pulled up to the venue. Between Chris’s famous friends and some of the country’s most prominent politicians attending the gala, I should’ve expected the plethora of paparazzi waiting outside, lining the entrance and snapping shots before the car doors even cracked open.

Chris parked and climbed out of his door, asking if I could wait for him to open mine. I nodded, feeling a bit guilty that he needed to ask if I was okay with the simplest gestures now. As if it wasn’t the most achingly awkward drive of our lives, Chris tossed his keys to the valet and helped me out. He stuck his hand in his pocket, but I reached to wrap my arm around his.

Chris’s eyebrows perked up in surprise as his eyes snapped to mine, looking for some sort of assurance that this was alright so I nodded encouragingly, tugging us by our interlocked arms toward the entrance. While we walked through the alley of reporters, all taking pictures with bright flashes and shouting questions as Chris and I drew closer, I felt his muscles tighten as he grew tense. I snaked my arm up his, rubbing his bicep with the hope of helping him relax, but it only fueled the roar of inquiries thrown at us.

One member of the press, an older man who looked like he’d spent far too long in all sorts of seedy establishments, jumped forward with so much force he nearly caused the barricade holding them back to topple. He bumped into Chris, grabbing his attention as his forehead wrinkled with discontent and his lips turned down in a frown.

Instead of apologizing, the pap took the opportunity to shove a microphone in Chris’s face. “Who’s your date tonight, Mr. Evans?” he asked, voice crackling with years of smoking damage. I turned away from his camera instinctively, only to be met with a barrage of other blinding flashes from the opposite side. “We’ve heard from reliable sources that you’re taken, so who is this girl supposed to be?”

At the mention of his girlfriend, it felt like a rock had dropped off a cliff and plummeted to the pit of my stomach. Of course, everyone else knew he already spoken for, too. The press was never kind, especially to politicians, so I’d gotten used to the tabloids and right-wing sources disparaging comments. However, knowing TMZ and the lot would be picking apart my intense blush, the look in my eyes I couldn’t hide around Chris, the tight grip I held onto him with, it wasn’t something I was prepared for. I didn’t need speculative news to plant any ideas in Chris’s head, or his girlfriend’s for that matter. As badly as I may want it, nothing was going on between us. The rest of the world didn’t need to think there was.

Chris scoffed, muttering that his relationship status wasn’t any of their business. “Especially at a political event, I shouldn’t have to tell you to fact-check your sources. That’s blatantly untrue, her and I haven’t even spoken since that premier months ago,” Chris chided, nearing a snarl. He must’ve been so fed up with those rumors by now, especially if it wasn’t true.

Wait, it wasn’t true?

We took a few steps away, posing for some more pictures from other reporters as we turned our backs to that unbridled pap. “Were you being honest back there, when you said you weren’t dating your co-star, I mean?” I asked Chris, barely in a whisper as I tried to keep the conversation between us. Even just the small bit of hope that I could actually have a chance felt too big for my chest, filling me up until it felt like I was about to burst.

“Of course it is. I wouldn’t have taken you on this date if I was with someone else,” Chris said like it was obvious. We took another couple steps and posed, Chris’s smile appearing much more like a grimace.

“This is a date?” I shot back with so much perplexion it elicited a laugh from Chris, barely able to process the rest of it.

“Mhm, if you’re alright with that,” Chris hummed, staring down at me with an inclined eyebrow and a patient partial smile. He paused to shoot the paparazzi another supposed-to-be smile that made him look more pained than anything. “I’ve been trying to build up the courage to ask you out since we met. Thought this was as good a time as any, considering the free dinner,” he elaborated with wiggling eyebrows, taking a few more steps.

The pictures that came out of that moment are not my best, to say the least. The one where I’m slapping Chris’s shoulder, yelling at him for not being nearly clear enough and ruining what could’ve been a perfectly good hand-holding moment with his ambiguity, looking like I’d smite him if I could was his phone’s home screen for far too long.

“I’m sorry,” he said, although his laughter implied completely otherwise. “I thought you knew. I mean, I did ask you to be my date.” Chris shrugged, shuffling down the carpet a little more.

I shook my head, still gaping at him with shock. “No,” I emphasized, all but wagging my finger as I scolded him. “You asked me to be your plus one. When I bring a plus one to a wedding, it’s my best friend and our very own bottle of wine. But when I have a date, I bring- I don’t know, condoms instead.”

“I hate to break it to you,” Chris started, sounding awfully naughty in his endearing sort of way. “But would it be insulting if I said I slipped one of those into my wallet just in case? I’ll give you a hint,” he leaned down, tickling my cheek’s sensitive skin with his beard as he whispered gruffly, “the wine wouldn’t fit.” Chris laughed again when he pulled away, finding my astonishment so funny he utterly guffawed until his eyes squeezed shut and he was nearly doubled over.

“You are unbelievable,” I said, feeling terribly light-headed as if I’d forgotten to breathe, which I probably did. All I managed to do was smile at him with everything I had, my lips and my eyes and my whole soul started beaming.

“Really, though,” Chris said with a sudden seriousness as he caught his breath after his laughter subsided. We turned to face the other half of the press as he took his hand out of his pocket, wrapping it around my waist and tugging me into his side. I think he may have just wanted to speak quietly enough that our conversation remained private amidst the many recording devices. “I just want to be clear this time. You do want to go out with me?” he asked, imploring me to be honest, reassuring me that there was no pressure.

“Only since I met you,” I confessed, feeling like a heavy weight left my chest for the first time in a week. “I really like you. I just- My intern told me something and then it was all over every gossip column. God, it sounds so stupid now, but I really thought you had a girlfriend.”

We posed for a picture where I leaned my head on Chris’s chest, just in the slightest. Now that I could express it, to everyone else, including Chris, I wasn’t going to waste a moment of showing exactly how I felt about him.

Chris chuckled with a rumble that made my head vibrate against his chest, wrapping his arm around my shoulders in a half-hug as he pulled me closer and said, “I’m hoping I will soon.” I looked up at him, not entirely sure how to respond. After all, I’d been hoping- no, dreaming of hearing him say something to that extent for what felt like forever. He winked at me and, for a moment, every shouting reporter and every camera flare ceased to exist.

Then the reporter who’d berated Chris earlier caught up to us, shoving through the length of the barricade to get our attention again. Apparently, he wasn’t satisfied with Chris’s response. “So who’s this new girl, then? Another movie promotion project?” he sneered, reaching as far as he could to get the mic back in Chris’s face. He only rolled his eyes and shuffled down a little farther, hoping we would be left alone. We seemed to be in the clear, almost to the gala’s entrance, when the pap spoke up again. “Maybe another charity case, then? Definitely a downgrade in arm candy!”

Chris stopped dead in his tracks, causing me to fall back to his side when I tried to race forward without letting him go. “Come on,” I urged him. “He just wants a rise out of you. It doesn’t bother me, they’ve said worse. Let’s just head in,” I begged, only wanting to escape the onslaught of reporters and get out of the limelight if only for the night. We could deal with the gossip in the morning, but, right now, Chris didn’t need to cause any more incited trouble.

Instead, Chris didn’t budge toward the door by an inch. I nearly stomped my foot trying to bargain with him, but Chris only gave me this look like he was apologizing for something that hadn’t happened yet. The harsh, angry lines carved into his features that may as well have been sculpted from marble softened and his stone-cold gaze warmed as he looked at me for a split second before his head snapped to the reporter.

“You want a headline?” Chris challenged the reporter. He hesitated for a moment, eyes darting between Chris and I, before nodding eagerly and jutting his microphone further into his face.

Chris cleared his throat dramatically. “She,” he said, gesturing a lazy hand to me. I smiled and waved awkwardly, entirely unsure of where this was going. “She is my intelligent, beautiful, successful, kind, funny, incredible date,” Chris paused to give me a pointed look, “who is in no way attached to any of my work, charity or otherwise,” he spoke from low in his throat, stopping again to shoot the reporter daggers before turning back to the camera with a dauntingly serious glare, just daring someone to even think any less.

“She, however, does a lot of amazing work for her city and this country. Amazingly, all on her very own!” Chris’s mouth gaped with mock bewilderment before he started laughing again, unable to take any of this seriously. “Report about that. Now, I’m sure you have plenty of questions,” Chris said, raising his hands in self-defense and shaking his head with a tight-lipped, roguish grin. “Since you guys love using your sources so much, Google New York’s 9th congressional district representative. I’m sure you’ll find that she’s a lot more interesting than calling her ‘arm candy’ implies, although she’s awfully good at that, too.” Chris shot me a wink, his scowl morphing into a smirk. If the mic had been in his hand, I’m sure he would’ve dropped it just for the dramatic flare.

For once, the media seemed to be stunned to silence, allowing us to make our grand escape without interruption. I grabbed Chris by his lapels, for the first time in however long, I could remember completely disregarding the cameras and microphones pointed in my direction. Instead of worrying about my image or what anyone other than myself would think, I was overcome with one desire.

I pulled him in for a kiss as his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Then, right under the harsh lights of the red carpet, we melted together. My hands started at his cheeks and then snaked around to the nape of his neck, pressing Chris impossibly closer to me. His rested at the small of my back as he dipped me, bending into the kiss and holding me tight like I was about to vanish into thin air.

We shared a tender glance when we broke apart before Chris cracked a smile. He jokingly bowed and held his hand out to me as he said, “If that doesn’t prove how I feel about you, I don’t know what will.” I rolled my eyes as I wrapped my hand around his gratefully, hoping with every bit of me after our fingers intertwined that he’d never let go this time.

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