#doom hell revealed II

[m39]

Doom WADs’ Roulette (2004): Hell Revealed II

You stand still in your room, with your eyes fully open and with some small fire on your head. You don’t even blink for a while. You’ve just finished playing “Hell Revealed II”.

Twice.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

You pass out.

Three days later.

You wake up.

Wh- WHAT?!

...

Oh yeah... this WAD...

G8: Hell Revealed II

Main author(s): Various (project originally led by Jonas Feragen (Chrozoron))

Release date: December 31st, 2003 (original release)

Version played: Final (I guess)        

Required port compatibility: Vanilla

Levels: 32 (classic 30 + 2)

Remember Hell Revealed? You know, the WAD from 1997 that was really hard and had a shit ton of Barons? Well, there is a sequel to it. Not created by the original WAD’s authors, although Yonatan Donner approved this WAD’s creation. This one was made by a group of over 10 creators led by Jonas Feragen, who created the Under the Horizon map for the 10 Sectors contest. This group also included Derek MacDonald (Jägermörder 1), Mike Watson (Void and MassMouth series), and Martin Friberg (Crestfallen) among many other authors that helped with Alien Vendetta.

So how was the development of Hell Revealed II behind the scenes? Well, it all started in 1998. Yes, just around a year later after the release of the original WAD. To put it lightly, this project was a mess. There were two beta versions of this WAD that had 17 maps, both released around February 2000. Surprisingly, Jonas left the project after some time (which considering that he hated the time with this WAD according to the comment on the Dean of Doom video about this WAD, it was a good call that he left), leaving Sam Woodman and Andy Olivera to somehow pull this mess together and release it.

So after all of this chaos, is Hell Revealed II a worthy sequel to the original MegaWAD? Let’s take a look.

And also, my apologies if I end up sounding sour towards this WAD. Two playthroughs can tire a man.

Hell Revealed II looks rather meh. Usually, the maps look rather fine and once in a while you can find something that can be awe for your eyes, but there are also times when a map looks like something out of the mid-1990s.

I know that this WAD focuses on tough battles and most of the maps were theoretically made between 1998 and 2000 by one guy, not even mentioning that it was made with Vanilla standards and restrictions but come on. Alien Vendetta and Scythe prove that you could make maps that were as pretty as they are hard. Even the first Hell Revealed had more interesting-looking maps than this WAD.

The status bar looks better, but I would prefer the numbers to use another font because sometimes I can’t differentiate some of them from each other.

Also, this WAD might like 3D bridges a little bit too much. Sure there is this fun extravaganza in Mind Trap with multiple of these stacked vertically but aside from this part of the WAD, I feel like they were overdone at this point in time. Oh, and you can fall through at least one of these.

Thankfully, the soundtrack is good. Unlike HR1 which had most of the tracks replaced with music from Rise of the Triad, this WAD has its soundtrack created by Sam Woodman (who I mentioned before) and Petter Mårtensen. Thank God it didn’t ruin my mood while playing this WAD, otherwise, I don’t know what would’ve happened.

If I could choose my favorite tracks, I would go with Sweaty Mancubus Armpits (very mature title), The Temple of Judgment, and Remains of War among the ones I liked the most.

...

Why do I feel like the uglier the map, the better the music is?

Most of the time, Hell Revealed II has very simple maps. You would need to have mayo for a brain to get lost in these. There are of course some maps that require some brainstorming but there is nothing going too far.

Like with its predecessor, you can complete this WAD’s maps in no time if there are no monsters enabled, no matter if they are big or small.

There is some interesting stuff in these maps, good and bad. The list will get pretty long so buckle up:

You can finish IGNITION! with one of the three keys required to enter the building.

For some reason, Revival has the blue key hidden behind an unmarked wall near one of the switches. This is not a key to a secret, folks. It is required to finish this map. Is this supposed to be a reference to something from the original Hell Revealed that only Cyb understands? I don’t know.

Base Blaze tricks you with too simple-to-be-true key hunting before revealing its actual guts.

You end up being blown up at the end of Metal Meltdown. Don’t worry you don’t die. You just start the next map with 1% of your health (near a Megasphere, thankfully).

And speaking of the next map, in The Path II you can ignore the Mancubi that are in cages. At the very end of the map, you can squish them with crushers, saving your ammo in the process if you want to.

Also, this map and The Descent II have basically the same way to reach the secret exit AKA finding three switches to get access to the fourth one. The difference is that you need to shoot the switches in the former map while in the latter one, these are behind the Icon of Sin textures.

Conflux has this very funny thing at the beginning where the lights on stairs systematically turn on as you approach them.

Dis 2000 and Beyond the Sea are two oddball maps that were released before HRII was finished. So most of you might be wondering WTF is this? But at least Dis 2000 was created for this WAD. PAG666 released it separately because he thought that the project was abandoned.

Beyond the Sea, though? It was originally MAP06 from the WAD called D2200EP1 that came out in 1998 and Andy Olivera just shoved his map into the MAP28 slot to release this WAD completely!

Oh, by the way, this might be the most tedious map to play in Hell Revealed II. If not straight up the worst. Might as well call it IDCLEV29 in my opinion. In fact, fuck playing this map twice! One time is too much!

Oh yeah, and the last map (Source Control) is yet another shitty Icon of Sin map. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay...

If you haven’t noticed already, some of the maps are (to some degree) sequels to the ones from the first Hell Revealed, like Resistance Remains, The Path II, and Hardcore. And while I believe that most of these maps do a great job taking the original concept and expanding it and/or sticking rather faithly to it, some of these maps are actually named after maps from WADs that have nothing to do with the original Hell Revealed, like The Inmost Dens III and Not That Simple II to Inmost Dens II and Not That Simple from Memento Mori, and the previously mentioned Dis 2000 to the original Dis from the Inferno episode.

And then there is The Siege II, which doesn’t really feel like a homage to the original Siege but more like to the cage trap from Last Look at Eden! Why Jonas even called this map like that?!

Changing the subject, I feel like Hell Revealed II is basically as hard as the first Hell Revealed. I wouldn’t say it’s easier since this WAD has maps that basically go beyond what HR1 had to offer in 1997. I wouldn’t also say that it’s harder since the experience I gathered from playing WADs (and watching decino’s videos on this WAD) made me somewhat completely numb towards some of the sections that should’ve scared me if they were in HR1. I played worse.

But this WAD feels really tiring to play. My memory of playing Hell Revealed 1 is next to none at this point but I don’t think the maps there felt as completely tiring as here. Just hard. It’s like the map makers, instead of improving on the original WAD’s concept, just shoved as many monsters as possible in like at least one-third of this WAD and said IS HARD!! DONE!!!

I wonder if it was even properly tested for Pistol-starting by looking at other videos dedicated to this WAD. From what I’ve read, Jonas Feragen was more into Deathmatch maps instead of single-player ones. And Andy Olivera had... masochistic tendencies to be nice while contributing to the WAD’s maps.

Remember the Hoovy Trap of Infinite Bullshit from Ascending to the Stars? Well, Hell Revealed II decided to replicate this trap... a couple of times. And everytime it was shit to artificially increase the difficulty of this WAD. Some of the biggest examples are Three Times Ending Fuckery in Reluctant Pain, the Hoovy mosh pit in Mind Trap (the closest one to resemble the original trap), and Four-Way Cow Barrage in The Inmost Dens III (I wonder if someone actually beat this one without a secret Invun).

Just like in my HR1 review, I’ve decided to count how many Barons are in this WAD. Surprisingly, their amount is much smaller, up to over 250 on Hurt Me Plenty, compared to almost 450 of these in the first WAD on the same difficulty level.

But where Hell Revealed II lacks with Barons, it definitely makes up with Arch-viles. Up to 281 on HMP from my calculations. And if you feel masochistic today, don’t worry, Ultra-Violence pumps up almost another 200 of these, making it up to 472.

Guys? You know what? I don’t even want to know what the authors were on while making this WAD.

And let me talk briefly about The Inmost Dens III. MtPain27 might call this map the Doom equivalent of a chastity belt... and he might be right if you Pistol-start it blind on Ultra-Violence. But thankfully it was much more manageable in my case, simply because I wasn’t Pistol-starting this map, nor playing it on UV. It was still hard, but not as much as I thought at first.

Playground on the other hand? Ho boy! Forget about how you play this one. You will get your ass blasted by this map anyway! It’s up to over 1100 demons, and that’s just Hurt Me Plenty people! Ultra-Violence adds another 500! Oh yeah, did I mention it can have up to 88 Martians depending on the difficulty?!

I saw people liking this map. I’m not really one of those people. I feel like it goes too far, and it proves my point on how HRII feels more like a shove as many demons on a map type of sequel WAD instead of improving on an original concept type of one. Sure, it does get better after wiping the floor of the initial demons, but I dare you to tell me if someone actually did it without the secret Invun. Because filling four platforms with as many Arch-viles as possible is such a good idea, right?!

...

Still better than Beyond the Sea. I beat it on my second try. Not gonna come back to this map, however.

Like HR1, this WAD has bugs. Unlike HR1, it doesn’t utilize them and they are all accidental. I can remember at least three instances where there were holes in textures and you could look into the void. Other than that, it’s stuff related to maps having too much stuff in them if you won’t play it on a limit-removing source port (all written in the text file).

So, to ask again after playing Hell Revealed II, does it deserve to be called a worthy sequel to the original WAD? Honestly, I don’t know. I wouldn’t call this WAD terrible but something tells me that most of the authors went too far. Sure, most of the time it was rather fun while playing this WAD, but other times it was tiring due to the problems that I mentioned before.

I’m not gonna play this WAD again for a very long time. One playthrough is enough, but two (even with the knowledge of cheesing some hard moments and where the secrets are) may have a chance to break your mind.

If you want to know more about HRII, then first of all, there is decino’s let’s play series, showing you how to beat it on UV while also Pistol-starting.

Secondly, Dean of Doom’s review on the WAD where he ripped it apart.

phew

Finally, I can have some rest from this WAD. Thankfully the next WAD on the roster is more enjoyable than this one. And it’s the second WAD related to B.P.R.D from 2004. So we are going to expect at least one banger map to play.

See you guys next time.

Bye!

[sheisjoeschateau]

"Oh, so we DO love Steve..." | PART II

ALRIGHT, SECOND PART IS OUT. NOT WAITING. hope u like :)

⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ SERIES MASTERLIST ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Steve Harrington x Bauman!fem!reader || enemies to lovers trope.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR MY WORK TO BE COPIED AND/OR REPOSTED ON HERE OR ANY OTHER PLATFORM, OR PUT INTO ANY AI PROGRAMS. THIS IS AN 18+ BLOG, MDNI.

An original fanfiction series, written by Misha St. James.

This isn't your first time meeting Steve Harrington.

You know him. And he knows you. Well, maybe. Who knows. You both run in completely different circles in high school.

While there's some very obvious tension amongst the love triangle (Nancy-Steve-Jonathan) you take a second to look over at the group of kids behind King Steve. There's a curly-haired kid wearing a cap, another kid sporting a bandana, and a redheaded girl. They give you sort of awkward waves, which you return with a tight-lipped grin.

"Sorry," Jonathan's suddenly saying. "Uh, you guys, this is umm -"

"Bauman," you interject. "Just...call me Bauman."

Steve is now looking at you, realizing. Recognizing. "Hey," he says. "Wait, aren't you in Click's class?"

You press your lips into a thin line, trying not to be totally off-put by him. And in truth, you weren't really. Steve had seemed less... douchey, since he started dating Nancy. You were grateful for that. No matter how doomed their relationship was, it seemed to help him get rid of his trash friends. God, Tommy H. and Carol and that Nicole girl were just toxic.

"Yeah," you said, reaching out a hand. "Nice to officially meet you."

Steve shook your hand, a bit sheepish. And still distracted with the fact that his girlfriend had shown up with Byers. Why was she with Byers? You felt yourself internally cringing, seeing how oblivious yet aware he was. It actually made you feel bad.

"I'm Dustin!"

You suddenly looked in the direction of a toothy-grinned kid smiling at you, and you couldn't help but grin back. "Hey, Dustin."

Lucas and Max introduced themselves, too. But then, you all heard sound coming from off in the distance. The lab.

So yeah, things took a pretty sharp turn from there. It's all kind of a blur, if you're being honest. Everyone began talking over each other, eventually gathering info as to exactly who you are and why you were here (at least the general just of it). They learned about Murray Bauman, and Steve's face just became more perplexed, the more that Nancy and Jonathan revealed what they had learned...together.

...yikes.

But the kids were also asking you a million questions, very curious about you. Max found you funny, finding you to have more cool-girl energy than Nancy, who just seemed too polished for her to know how to communicate with her.

Eventually, Nancy noticed the power back on at the lab and you all took off in that direction. Steve was arguing a lot with the kid named Dustin. Very brotherly. Low-key motherly. The toll gate wouldn't open, then suddenly it did open, and then next thing you know a car is racing towards you from the lab and it's got Jim Hopper at the steering wheel? He's throwing the door open, demanding all of you to get in.

As you all drive, you end up near the front of the car, squished between Steve and Dustin.

"Bauman."

You look over at Jim, surprised. But he's looking at you in the rearview with all-knowing eyes. "You're Murray's niece."

You nod. "Yeah. Jim Hopper, right?"

Jim reaches back to pat your knee, eyes on the road and still shaken up from whatever the hell they just escaped. "M'sorry, kid. Your uncle's been getting shit from me. I know he sent you. M'really sorry. I'll make it right with him after all this, alright? Promise."

You just nod, knowing there's really no time for any of that right now. Since you got in the car, you haven't even had time to notice how there is a woman (clearly Joyce Byers) in pure distress, along with another kid in tow and the limp body of another child that she's holding. Jonathan is reaching for him, riddled with worry. Is that Will?

Once you all make it back to the Byers residence, it's tense. Really fucking tense. Jonathan is knelt in front of the couch, voicing his regrets out loud as he stares at his brother's limp form. Nancy stands behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. You're on the opposite side of the room, leaned against the wall.

Which is why you notice that behind Hopper, who's yelling into the wall phone, Steve. He looks...devastated. Hurt. Heartbroken.

...fuck, he looks heartbroken.

He walks past you, pinching his nose and sniffing once. He looks like he's really fighting off some emotion, escaping to another room. It makes you think about everything that went down at your uncle's bunker, and how maybe it was funny there...but it isn't here. Not now, seeing that this guy actually has some intense feeling for Nancy Wheeler. Intense love for her. Real love.

...but Nancy doesn't feel that same intense love for him.

...oh god, that's messy.

But all hell is breaking loose before you can linger on that for much longer. Suddenly, you're all devising a plan. It has something to do with dungeons and dragons, and Will being possessed, and getting him in a room that whatever monster is inside of him won't recognize. The you're all deciphering Morse Code, and it's a whirlwind from there.

And then you're all holding weapons, bracing fore an attack...when some young girl walks in. Who you come to learn is the infamous Eleven. Her hair grew back, and she looks ready to join a punk band.

Pretty bitchin' look, you gotta admit.

The kids introduce her to you, and she gives you a shy smile. Then you're all splitting up into groups, and you catch a brief exchange between Nancy and Steve. He's saying something to her about going with Jonathan, and it makes you tense for Nancy. You can't even imagine how she must feel, knowing that he sees it.

And honestly, the way that Steve talks is...so not King Steve. It's uncharacteristically mature. Secure, and assuring. Not that of the teen heartthrob and bad boy you've been going to school with. And when Nancy does go off with Jonathan, you see Harrington's heart shatter into a million pieces with just the look in his eyes.

You feel bad. You suddenly feel really bad.

But also, he had to have seen this coming. Right? Jonathan Byers was a good, decent guy, who'd been there for Nancy all throughout the hell of last year. Steve had come around, finally. But by then, the trauma bond between Byers and Wheeler was irreversible. There's no changing that.

But damn, unrequited love sucks.

You knew was rejection felt like, and you wouldn't wish it on anyone. Not even your worst enemy.

Out of guilt, you make some conversation with Steve. Given it's just the two of you with the kids left at the house, needing to wait things out, you both easily make conversation. It's a bit awkward at first, but oddly it finds flow pretty easily. Steve's still got his charm, although it's a little more grounded than before. It isn't forced, or laced with popular-kid attitude. That's refreshing.

As you both end up listening to the kids like the only two parental figures around, then end up having to fight off that psycho new kid at school named Billy Hargrove (who's actually Max's stepbrother?!) and patch up Steve's very beaten and battered face which somehow still looks pretty, annnnd wind up in a tunnel full of creatures (demo dogs? is that what Dustin called them?), then somehow survive all of that shit... you and Steve become pretty bonded, pretty quickly.

And when the worst of it is seemingly over, you end up helping Eleven get ready for the Snowball -- dropping her off with Hopper. He's grateful for your help, and after making amends with your uncle you two have gotten to know each other well, too. He likes you, appreciating your mature sense of self.

Joyce adores you already, being the kind-natured and loving mama-bear that she is.

And El? Well, she loves you. You're like a cool older sister figure of sorts.

You and Steve run into each other when dropping off the kiddos at the Snowball, making conversation about how crazy everything was. You talk about other things, too. Just mundane things, bouncing off each other well. But when Steve notices Nancy inside, he gets that sad puppy-dog look in his eyes again. Then, Jonathan's coming out of the dance with a camera. He clearly was the designated photographer for the night.

And he clearly has captured Nancy Wheeler's heart.

One night, after Jonathan and Nancy have started going steady and you're all on summer break, you're all over at the Henderson's house watching the kids. The adults are there, too, since Mrs. Henderson is out working overnight. Murray is pouring up drinks for the adults and teens, much to Joyce's disapproval. But he just goes about his business, clinking glasses. Hopper honestly looks like he could really use a fucking drink. Or 5.

You, Steve, Nancy and Jonathan all toast, happily. Chatting. Laughing. Making light of things.

...but that ends up being pretty short-lived.

Before you know it, you're in the kitchen helping clean up while Joyce gets the kids in bed and Hopper is on the couch slurring with your uncle. Steve had offered to help you, but Dustin insisted that he come see something in his room before they all went to bed. Nancy has left with Mike and Max, while Lucas is staying the night.

Welp. Jonathan walks in, drunk, telling you thank you.

It's sloppy, and it would be funny except for the fact that he is talking so fucking loud. He's just thanking you, and then Murray, over and over -- "...for meddling with'm love life because now, I'm dating th'most beautifurrrl girl in Hawkins. N'if'it weren't for y'two...I'd still'b pining o'r h-her."

...annnnd then he’s blabbering on about how you let him and Nancy take the bed. “Well’lmost… ha, w-we ended urp…takin’th…couch. Whischhh…you tol’us you’w’d…toHaLLy tAkE’stead.” Then he’s snickering, drunkenly. “Cuz’you toooootally wanted us to doooo itttt. Schhhhhhayin that — m’not the safe one. That’m — I’m the one’th Nannnncy l-loves. Not…S-Steve…”

You just chuckle nervously, giving him a pat on the shoulder. And you just keep washing the dishes when he gives you a tight hug from behind, stumbling a bit and making you almost drop and break one of Mrs. Henderson's very cute plates.

Right on cue, Steve rounds the corner, having heard it.

All of it.

And now that Steve has gotten wind of the fact you played a huge role — along with Murray — on why Nancy left him, he is totally pissed.

In fact, he’s livid. 

"Steve," you try, but he just holds up a hand, staring daggers at you.

"Save it, Bauman," he grits. "Save. It."

It causes him to have the utmost disdain towards you, border lining hate. It just festers over time, getting worse.

Something about that makes your stomach flip inside out with a horrible, upset feeling. Your guts feel knotted up, and if the reality of things weren't so bleak, you would laugh at the fact that losing Steve Harrington's friendship (let alone trust) would upset you one day, let alone even happen. You feel bad. You really do. But God, as time goes on... his entire attitude about it is insufferable. He isn't letting up any time soon. Not when you both meet up with the kids (because regardless of the strain between you two, you're both the parents now). It feels like two divorced parents, meeting up to share custody of the chitlins.

The only relationship to which Steve is committed, is the one that he shares with Miss Hatred. And you're her bitch.

...guess there's still some King Steve in him after all.

You knew King Steve. He was an ass. So you know what? Suck it, Harrington. Karma’s a bitch.

As time passes, you begin firing back at him - tired of trying to explain yourself, apologize or play nice. Steve wants to fucking play? Alright then. Game on, Harrington.

There's a whole upside down universe threatening to take over still? All good. Let's still brawl, Harrington.

The kids keep bringing you both around each other, and you're also working at a place inside of the same damn mall as Steve is for the summer? AWESOME.

LET'S GET READY TO FUCKIN RUMBLE.

So yeah, you’re totally involved in the whole mall ordeal with the Russians, bonding you to Steve and Robin, along with Dustin and Erica.

But despite that, Steve still resents you. So there is still rivalry between the two of you.  Hot and bothered. 

That said, despite his pure disdain towards you...it doesn't change the fact that you actually do begin to see him for the much better human that he is becoming. King Steve has fallen. No doubt. You see that. The way that he loves and cares the kids, especially Dustin. And the way that Steve reacts whenever Robin comes out to you both? He's an angel. Hell, he even fought the soldiers off of you whenever they decided to make you their torture-chamber play-thing. He definitely got mad at them for that one, but he also got mad at you for not going with Dustin and Erica before all of that went down. You both nearly strangled each other when attempting to hold the door shut, yelling at each other to run. Robin had finally joined you both, but still - neither of you budged.

Steve was a good guy. A nice guy, even. Just not to you, unless the moment called for him to be. Which was fine.

…but he’s still annoying. And apparently, he can hold a fucking grudge like no other. He’s a world class champ at that, come to find out. Gold star.

You're onboarded to help Hopper, Murray and Joyce with shutting the gate. It's a no-brainer. Steve looks a little miffed, seeing how the adults trust you like one of them rather than him. Even the way that Jonathan is so cool around you, and Nancy seems shy around you, it just...irks him.

When you manage to help Joyce close the gate, you witness the death of Hopper. And it kills you, along with your uncle. You ache for Joyce, unable to fathom how you'll have to bring it up to El.

But hey, you all manage to destroy the Mind Flayer. And when Billy is killed in the process, you tend to Max like a true older sister. She and Eleven have both come to look up to you as such, and Steve won't deny the fact that you're a saint with these kids. A real fucking saint. And if he's being honest...he's relieved to have a co-parenting partner.

But that is the extent of his gratitude towards you, which is strictly circumstantial. You make things convenient sometimes.

Hopper dying hits all of you hard. And you do everything that you can to help your uncle not drink himself to death. It's the only reason that you don't regularly visit the Wheelers in California. Your uncle is a wreck. Hopper was the only man who truly felt like a friend to your very lonely (by choice) Uncle Murray.

Steve does single you out to ask how you're doing, knowing that witnessing Hopper's death was tragic. But you just tell him that the real concern is your uncle and Joyce, insisting that you will get by. Steve seems hesitant at first, knowing that you're not fine. He might hate you, but he still cares about a party member who got put through hell.

"I'm alive, Steve. So I need to carry on. For everyone's sakes. I'll be alright."

As time goes on...

You and Steve give Robin very conflicting love advice, when it comes to her crush on Vikki.

"VIKKI LIKES BOOBIES."

"Christ, Steve," you're groaning in the backseat. "Stop being such a damn teenage boy."

"I'm almost 20, Bauman," he scowls at you in the rearview mirror.

You make a face, exaggerating feigned apology. "'Scuuuuuse me."

Man, he could not hate you more. Steve is sure of that. You are the worst. Why are you here. You are just the worst. Every time he looks at you, all he sees is Murray Bauman but as a much hotter 19-year-old girl with way more better comebacks and select timing.

AND NO, THAT IS NOT A COMPLIMENT.

!!!!!!!!

Next thing you know, Chrissy Cunningham has been found dead in a trailer that belongs to Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson. Who, according to Dustin, is not only still in high school — he’s also friends with them? Yikes. But Dustin swears that he’s not a murderer.

You choose to believe Dustin. Much to Steve’s chagrin. In his mind, any chance that you get to disagree with him, you will gladly fucking take it. He is really committed to you being his enemy.

And you know what? Fine. You can play. You've been playing.

Eventually, Nancy comes back into the picture.

And honestly? Watching her be all into Steve again? As if she isn't in a relationship with Jonathan still? That pisses you off.

Not because you’re jealous. No, no. Not that.

…yeah no, it’s not that.

Nah, it’s the way this girl just cannot for the life of her figure out what she is feeling. Dear lord, woman. Pick.

Eventually, you comment on this. But not until Eddie Munson is suddenly roped into y’all’s crew and you both strangely hit it off. You share the same taste in music. You both compare concert history, listing off you're favorites and randomly bursting into song. Very scream-o, metal music. Eddie thinks you're the shit, and you make him laugh a lot. He also makes you laugh a lot.

Steve hates that.  He really, really hates that.

But not because he is jealous. No, no. It’s not that.

…yeah, it’s definitely not that.

Nah, it’s the way you make friends with someone he isn't a fan of just to spite him. You know he doesn’t like Eddie. You know he feels replaced by Dustin for him. You’re doing this shit on purpose. He knows it. He just knows it.

Regardless, you both stand by each other throughout the whole Vecna ordeal. And Max?  She loves you. Trusts you. A lot. You also tell her not to give Steve so much shit. So he’ll give you that.

But that’s all he’s gonna give you. And even that has its limits.

Whenever you all find out that Max is cursed, the first person that Steve finds himself looking at is you. Because you're the co-parent. You've gotta help him know what to do. You feel the exact same way.

You both witness her possession in he graveyard. You both help calm the kids down, and each other. Whenever Max writes letters to each of you, she looks at both you and Steve for a long time. A really long time. It's very uncomfortable.

...then she's finally handing you both a letter, and the look she shoots you both afterwards in really unsettling. Like she knows something.

But what the hell is there to know? That you both can't stand each other? NEWSFLASH: EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT. So joke's on them.

...not Max though. She's in trouble. So she's allowed to know whatever the hell...that she...knows...?

You and Steve both profusely disagree with everyone about the idea of Max becoming the bait. In fact, it's the first time that you both are defending each other to everyone else. Whenever Max argues Steve, you tell her to listen.

"Steve has every right to be worried right now. We all do, Max."

She sighs, knowing that you're right.

And whenever Dustin tries to get quippy with you about stuff, Steve shuts him down real fast.

"Hey. Not cool. Bauman's in the right, check yourself."

Dustin also sighs, knowing that he's right.

Because you both know these kids better than anyone. You helped Mike ease up on Hopper, becoming that one older-sister figure he can actually go to and be normal around. Hell, he even hugs you. Mike never hugs anyone, except El. And Lucas? You and Steve are at every single one of his games, like proud parents. Will calls you whenever he wants to paint, knowing that you enjoy art. You've spent many nights painting with him, and even Steve will join with the other kids. They mostly just finger paint and bicker, but it's still lovely in its own sort of way. And then there's Dustin. The golden child, who both of you wanna hug and strangle at the same time. He is forever putting the two of you in close proximity, secretly loving the tension between the two of you. He figures that it's just because you both wanna be the favorite parent, and Dustin is too fixated on why Steve hasn't started dating Robin to even remotely suspect that you two could be an item.

There's a plan in motion now. It's in full swing, all groups peeling off. There's a new species added to the fucked up realm (the newly coined named for them is demo-bats) and you've somehow saved Steve's ass for the 3rd time. This guy seriously cannot catch a break.

But now, Eddie’s suddenly encouraging Steve to go after Nancy again. And damn, that bugs you.  It really motherfuckin’ gets under your skin. Because Eddie doesn’t know the full story about what went down between them. Not even close.

You can't help yourself. You tell Steve this, once Eddie walks up ahead. But of course, Steve is rebuking everything that you are saying.

And then he's telling you that Nancy is different, and -- “actually, things are better.” 

But you scoff at that, incredulously. And you're telling him to "wake up and realize that 1) she’s still with lover-boy Byers, and 2) you shouldn’t pine after someone who chose someone else over you."

You mean to say it kindly. Honestly, you try to.

But Steve doesn’t think so.  And he’s faster. He’s also cruel.

“Maybe that’s why you broke us up, huh?" Steve is firing back at you with all that he's got now. "Because you’re used to that. Being the second choice. Weren’t you Clark’s best friend? Didn’t he drag you along until he ended up picking Becky? Yeah. Thought I didn’t know that, right? Or how you hung out with some of the basketball guys and never once got asked out by any of them? God, it’s so obvious. Also, it’s pathetic. You clearly hate seeing anyone happy. So hey, guess what? You got your wish: successfully ruining someone else’s happiness. Bingo! Congratulations, you won.”

It hurts. It really does. It fucking hurts.

Still, you do try to reason with him. It’s a little harsh, you’ll admit it. You’re not exactly speaking to him sweetly. But you try.

“All my personal love life issues aside —" you start, bringing your voice down and speaking as level as possible. "...which honestly, I’ve never even had something worth labeling as love — Steve, YOU still deserve to —”

“To suffer,” he cuts you off. “Yeah. I know. And the fact you’ve not had love? That just further proves my point. You admit it and yet you’re still out to get me. Because you’re fucking miserable.”

Alright, you’ve had it.

“I’m miserable?” you ask, ready to fire back. “Steve. You’re the one letting your ex-girlfriend — who didn’t even properly dump you — toy with your brain again into actually thinking she’s gonna pick you this time. She doesn’t deserve that. And you certainly don’t deserve —”

“You deserve nothing.” Steve is seething. Then hissing at you, “You’re bullshit, Bauman. You and your whack job Uncle. You’re both bullshit.”

So you stop. You let it go.

You let Steve Harrington hate you and suffer his own misfortunes. And you pretend that what he said didn’t just shatter your soul into a million tiny pieces.  You nod at him, swallowing hard.

“My uncle is twice the man you’ll ever be. King Steve.”  

It’s a pathetic last attempt. And your voice feels small, tight. But standing up for your uncle is better than yourself at this point. You walk off, away from him.

And Steve doesn’t tell you to stop. He doesn’t tell you not to walk away. He lets you.

So he doesn’t see you cry alone inside of the upside down version of the Wheelers’ bathroom.  He doesn’t see your heart break in two, and he doesn’t see you bite back the sobs sinking your teeth into your palms.

[thedarkheretic156]

VI_Eternal Flame_VI

Parts: ❧ I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX❧

warnings: none.

The old folklore of the east whispers of a terrible power. Wielded by a lone demigod, fated to walk through the eras the dark fires of hell dancing on her fingers. With no regard for human life, she was fated to be feared and worshipped. But fate is a bitch. Now cursed to be stripped of her powers and doomed to mortality she finds herself in the care of a sworn rival. The great Daiyoki of the west.

❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧

❧ Home

Kagura's face twisted in a daunting smile, the beautiful fan fluttered, the wind rose and I pushed Rin out of the way.

The child wailed as the entire impact of the vortex slammed into me. I was thrown backwards,

Pulling tuffs of soft earth as i tried to dig my nails into the ground.

Fuck fuck fuck.

I pulled myself back on my feet, heart hammering. I looked up in time to see Kagura’s sneer deepen.  She sent another wave of wind towards me and it scaled, scaled the trees around me. I rolled away in the nick of time, getting away with only a cut on my cheek. On the brighter side she seemed to focus all her energy on me, forgetting Rin. I only hoped the child had the brains to start running.

She flicked her wrist and the fan gleamed morbidly; the impact hit me right in my stomach. I gagged as I was thrown backwards, painfully hard into a tree stump. I blinked stars out of my eyes as I braced myself for what could be the next blow, but something beat her to it. In retrospect, I would have preferred that wind lady over whatever the fuck happened next anytime.

There was a sudden shift in the sky, a cunning entity entirely hidden, now finally revealing itself.

Within moments, the world around me went black. And no, I did not pass out. It was as if I had been pulled inside the mouth of an ancient Deitya Beast. And I would know, because once I was stuck in there for a week- I forced my mind to focus. It wasn’t just some miasma clouding my sight. I was no longer in the forest.

The dark miasma flooded over my senses like a rolling tide. I jerked back, tripping over the hem of my kimono. My ears popped as I crouched lower, covering my ears. I had never felt energy like this, something so vile yet so all encompassing. Like I was facing a churning ocean in all her rage. I forced my eyes open, choking and gasping through the thick poison.

I had to see what abomination of nature held power like that.

“How curious.” The voice said, and my human blood ran cold. The voice had a strange hum, as velvety as a shroud. It came at me from all directions, I spun my head around, what the hell?

“Show yourself coward!” I screamed out.

The reply was a laugh from the pits of hell. Ancient, yet incomplete, a monster that hadn’t stepped into his power yet. I gritted my teeth, the miasma sending pain shooting through my body. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up with it much longer.

“But I am right here.”

I froze. The thing sat crouched beside me, warm breath tickling the shell of my ear as he whispered. Panic rose in my chest, how the fuck had I not noticed? He hummed curiously, long fingers brushing against the small of my back. This little fuck-

But I couldn’t move. Not one bit. I opened my mouth, but only an estranged yelp came out. Finally, I felt the things that were holding me down. Long dwindling legs, sprawled along my body, like crawling black legs of a spider. Bile rose up by throat.

“Don’t struggle now demigod, in this body you can’t fight me.”

Demigod. My blood chilled as one of the legs wrapped around my throat tapping my cheek playfully.

“You see, I’m not as dense as the mutt.” He said lovingly, “Even in your human body… I can feel your hell fire.” He breathed out. The spider legs tightened around me, pulling me in an embrace, “I can free you.”

Liar.

My rage bubbled inside me. I will kill him; I will kill him slowly.

“Join me and I can return you to your former glory.” His hands slid up my torso, “Power like the one you hold, is rare, you would hold great power in my ranks.” 

I felt sick, I could hardly hear his words over the feeling of his crawling limbs across my body. His hand stopped on my chest, palm pressing against my hammering heart. “Submit to me child of hellfire.” For a heartbeat he paused. Panic like I had never felt before rang in my ears. “It was nice meeting you Y/n.”

His talons dug into my chest. The pain nearly blinded me, as his fingers continued to dig deeper charring through my skin. I tried to fight my very being to gain some sort of control, but I couldn’t fight back. He was just too powerful. He was about to carve me out. Blood gurgled as I spluttered out, I couldn’t do anything.

I closed my eyes in absolute defeat, scouring down within myself trying to grapple on to any shred of power I could conjure. But I couldn’t. There was nothing. Tears streamed down my face as a final broken sob tore out of my throat.

Empty, empty and empty. What a horrible end to a sad story. For the first time since I lost my powers, I stopped fighting.

And the magic exploded.

It wasn’t mine. It couldn’t have been. It was bright, blistering, like I had looked directly at the run. The beam shot through me, pulling a wall of pure sacred power between me and the thing. I was pushed forward, I stumbled on hard ground, falling face first into sand.

Naraku was taken aback by the pain, the light that threw him back was sacred magic, pure yet unyielding. It was impossible for the demigod to hold any magic energy in her human form. It sizzled through his limbs, he retracted them at once, more surprised than hurt. What in the world?

I was… I was smoking, curls of steam rising off my body. There was no way that was my fire, it was something else entirely. Before me Naraku’s eyes narrowed. For the first time I saw the thing that was holding me down. The dark hair, the sharp face and the crimson eyes. The miasma around us flickered again.

This time I actually saw it. A pure ray of white-hot light shooting across between us, putting enough space for me to scurry away as far as I could manage. My body still felt painfully heavy, I tripped over myself again, heels skidding on the soft muck underneath me. The darkness around me thinned and I fell with a sad thud.

“TESSAIGA!”

The attack cut through the wind, slicing through the remaining miasma. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the spider’s miasma disappeared. My chest heaved as I gulped down clear air again. As my eyes adjusted I realized I wasn't in the darkness anymore.

,"Are you alright?" A voice asked as a figure ran towards me helping me to my feet. I groaned in response, my head still ringing, my skin stung where the spider had wrapped it's talons. But the pain on my chest was unbearable. I tried to look at the young man holding me up by my arm, but more splintering pain erupted across my body. I collapsed on the ground again. Eyesight blurring.

"She's bleeding, be careful Miroku." A woman's voice said sharply. The girl set down her bow, as she crouched down beside me, the pain dulled and I tried to focus on her features.

"I'm fine." I mumbled out, pulling my arm free of the man's grip.

"Easy there love, that was a nasty miasma you were caught up in." The man said. I tried to stand up but my legs gave in, I groaned in defeat as the bow girl eased me on the ground.

“Her chest- God, Sango, hand me my bag now.”

“So it was Naraku.” The man said.

Naraku?

“I’d know his rotten scent anywhere.” The boy grumbled. He scratched the back of his head. I tried to look at him, white hair, amber eyes… were those ears on the top of his head?

“we’ll have to clean her wound right away Kagome.” Another voice said, “otherwise the poison from the miasma will infect it beyond help.”

The voices sounded underwater.

Don’t fight the fatigue Y/n.

For once I complied and closed my eyes.

❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧

I jerked awake and someone beside me jumped violently.

“Seven hells!”

I had just snapped out of the most peaceful sleep I had gotten in days. I looked around a little bewildered and the girl sat up by my side at once.

“Its okay we won’t hurt you!” The young girl said, putting her hands up in assurance. I stared at her wide brown eyes, wasn’t she the one who bandaged me up? my heart twinged at the thought. Her aura, it reminded me of Wei.

“Try sitting up.” The older woman said gently. I shifted, sitting up. I was expecting blinding pain, but it never came. I was fine. I blinked up at her in surprise and the woman grinned, “Looks like your herbs worked Kagome! You’re getting really good at this.”

The upper part of my kimono was bloody and ripped. The top half fell open as I sat up, showing my chest wrapped securely in bandages. The guy in the monk style clothes pinned his eyes on my breasts and the other woman kicked him hard.

“You’ll be fine now,” she said softly. I could feel the bitter taste of herbs in my mouth. They must have fed me something too. Even after the awful encounter, my body felt well rested. The unbearable pain replaced with a dull throb. 

Why daughter of the hills, you keep getting lucky.

I put a hand on the bandages, feeling the soft thump of my petrified yet working heart. I had somehow survived.

“Thankyou.” I told her. More sincerely than I had ever talked to a human. “I owe you my life.”

The girl with the bow blushed, “It’s quite alright. Not a big deal.”

I stared at the quizzical faces before me,

“I know you must have questions,” I started.

The monk dude winked. “We could start with your name~”

“Wei.” I told them, ignoring him.

Lying to the ones who showed you such kindness. You really are a wicked thing.

“And what job does that Naraku have with a lady?” Miroku sang, he slipped his fingers through mine, gazing at me intently, “Tell me little dove, where did you come from?”

“I’m from…” my voice trailed off, I couldn’t risk telling them the truth, “I’m not from here.” I said.

The girl who did my bandages gave me a half smile, “It’s okay, I’m kinda far from home too.”

“My name is Kagome, that’s Sango, Miroku but you can ignore him and that-“ she pointed to the boy I had scared earlier, “Inuyasha! Why are you sulking all the way over there?” she snapped at him.

I scratched my neck. Inuyasha? Why does that name sound familiar now. The half demon looked at me skeptically, “She smells weird, its almost like… urgh forget it.” He said looking away.

“You’re being rude!” Kagome yelled back him. These two seemed to get along.

“Wei,” The other girl with pink makeup… Sango, asked. She sat down beside me, setting her huge weapon aside. “What did Naraku want from you?”

“I don’t know.” I said bitterly, “I don’t even know who he was, I had literally never even heard of him before.” I closed my eyes, head still throbbing.

"I was someplace else before - and then i was in that purple slushy thing- and now I'm… here." I explained. I looked around my surroundings for the first time. From the auburn sky I could tell it was already late evening.

We stood on a levelled hill top. The mountain range was huge, surrounding us in a circle. Against the evening sky they looked like deformed hunchbacks. There wasn’t any greenery on the mountains, just dark, unfertile sand. Everything about this place filled me with a sense of dread.

“Where is this place?” I asked, my voice hollow.

Sango handed me an apple. “The locals just call it Kuroi Yama, the black mountain.”

“It doesn’t have much human settlement, other than a few villages and a bunch of skeletal birds.” Miroku said, he gave me a cheeky smile, “The monks always had morbid stories of this place.”

“We were demon hunting in a nearby village.” Kagome explained. She turned to inuyasha scowling, “When this idiot just ran off mid fight because he smelled ‘something familiar.’”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, he snapped back at her, but my mind was too busy elsewhere.

I knew the place;

The black sand hills, the same place my great- grandfather burnt down the entire enemy fleet, charring the sands of the mountain a forever ashen grey. Such a strange coincidence, I thought. My clan rarely crossed the eastern sea. We didn’t have any history in the western lands. Nothing except maybe just this one place. I picked up a fistful of the dark sand, letting it fall through my fingers. And the spider had dragged me back here of all places.

How strange.

“Let’s set up camp here for the night.” Sango said. She looked up at the sky as some skeletal birds squawked distantly. “We have had enough of an adventure for the night.”

❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧

I curled up against the dried-up tree bark, the evening shadow of its branches eerily similar to the spider’s. Sango had kindly lent me one of her spare clothes. I had just pulled it over my previous kimono like a blanket.

I watched the campfire before me crackle. Behind me Inuyasha’s eyes were pinned on the horizon, as if he was making sense of something beyond him. I continued to stare at the flames, holding back every instinct to just put my fingers through it.

Fire is not your friend anymore Demigod. Play with it and it will sear through you.

“Careful not to burn yourself.”

I looked up. “Oh, Kagome.” I said as the young girl sat down beside me.

She brushed her dark hair over her shoulder, “How are you doing?”

I shuddered, “I… don’t know.” And I truly didn’t.

In my head I counted the remaining nights. 4 more moons. I was foolish to think I would die before the prophecy. The crone would not grant me that mercy, while I was fated to die, I had to die on her terms not the spider’s.

Kagome seemed to consider my answer.

“If Naraku was targeting you that means something.” Kagome said.

I pressed the fear down. Naraku had come after me because he knew I was the demigod. But why would he want me dead? It wasn’t that the FireLords didn’t have any enemies. Half of east would rejoice my death, but what did this spider want?

Inuyasha nodded as he walked over, “He doesn’t just go after small fry. He has minions to do that, the wind lady and that short white-haired kid an-

“The point is,” Kagome cut him off, “Even if you don’t know why, if Naraku wants you dead he will see it through. He’s dangerous.”

She pursed her lips, “Wei, we can’t help you, if you can’t tell us who you are.”

I closed my eyes considering my options. I had no fucking idea where I was. I had no fucking idea if Sesshomaru could even find me here. Or if he wanted to. For now, this odd group had shown me kindness, but I wondered how long that would last. If I told them my real identity, they for sure would forsake me. Who needs a cursed demigod doomed to meet death? But I couldn’t keep lying to them either.

“I’m from the east.” I said finally.

Inuyasha’s eyes widened, “Really?” he asked, “Never met anyone from there before.”

“Yeah.” I replied, “My father… he is related to the firelords of the East.”

“Although human!” I added quickly, “We’re both human, I mean.”

“As for how I got here is-“ I sighed morbidly, “It’s a long treacherous story I won’t bore you with. But right now, I can’t go home. Not like this. So I’m pretty much stuck in the west.”

Kagome put a hand on my shoulder, “What about your mother?”

I opened and closed my mouth.

“I never knew her.” I replied, no longer lying. I hugged my knees to my chest, no one had really asked me about her before. “I have no memories of her.”

Something like sympathy settled in Inuyasha’s eyes, he kicked a small pebble out of his way, “Parents are overrated anyways.” He grumbled out. “You just stick with us.”

I blinked at him, “What?”

There was a ferocity in his amber eyes, I knew in a different situation we would get along well. “Naraku is sure to come after you again, thankfully for you we’re already on his hitlist. What’s one more?”

Something like warmth tickled my insides. “I couldn’t bear to be a burden.”

Kagome’s eyes flickered, “You wouldn’t be.” She told me. “And yes, Inuyasha is right, most of us here don’t have the nicest idea of home, I think you’ll fit in.”

I couldn’t help but peek a smile. “Okay.” But my heart still weighed down. I couldn’t put the picture of Rin’s tear-soaked face as I had pushed her away, screaming at her to run. Maybe it was better for the child to think I was dead. The sinking feeling deepened. What if she didn’t make it back? What if Kagura caught up with her after the spider took me? What if-

Urgh, what was the matter with me? The situation I was in with Sesshomaru was temporary, neither of us wanted to be in it. The human child was bound to die in a couple of centuries any ways. Why should it matter to me so much? It shouldn’t, but it did.

I didn’t want to admit to myself but I was hoping to go back to Rin, quietly hoping that I somehow find my way back. How embarrassing.

I pushed that thought away, “Inuyasha you said that Naraku was after you too, why is that?”

Inuyasha shrugged, “It’s another long story, and it involves far too much fighting… even for me.”

Kagome rolled her eyes, “Do you know anything about the shikon jewel?” she asked me.

I dug into the apple, “you mean the pearl thing that can grant a yokai God like power?”

Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a glance. “Naraku is hell bent on collecting all of its pieces. If he attacked you, there must be something that connects you to it.”

I stared at Kagome, “You mean to tell me the jewel is real?”

She shook her head, “Unfortunately.”

A heavy silence fell over. I had only ever heard of the jewel in casual talk. Something voyagers and guests from the east would chat about. For me it was an old wives’ tale. What could it possibly have to do with me.

“If what I heard about the jewel is correct… if that spider dude-

“Naraku” inuyasha corrected me under his breath.

“Well, if he gets his hands on it, he’ll-“ I gulped down the thought. The memory of his miasma choking me. It sent violent chills down my spine. He was already too powerful, with the jewel, I doubted if even I with my hellfire could defeat him.

“Which is why we can’t let it happen.” Inuyasha stated. I blinked at the young man before me. Now why did he looks so familiar?

“Dinner’s ready!” Sango’s voice called, the woman appeared with Miroku, each carrying a delicious smelling bowl.

“Here’s yours, Wei” She said, setting one in my hands, “Don’t be shy.”

I stared as the small fire demon ran to me and curled in my lap. Well. As with Ah-Un, fire demons really could sense that I was something more.

“Kirara!” Sango, exclaimed, “He doesn’t usually do that.”

I watched as the group huddled together by the fire. Sango chatted to Miroku animatedly just as Kagome said something and everyone laughed. Kirara purred in my lap. I realized this might be the closest I would be to home. I looked up at the sky sending a thought to the companions i had until now.

❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧

Sesshomaru stared at what had become of the forest. Her sword in his hand trembled with rage. The miasma still hung in the air, charred remains of the portal had seared itself into the nearby trees. What in the actual fuck had happened here.

His lips twisted in a scowl as he noticed the blue scrap of her kimono stuck on one of the tree's charred remains. The sword in his hand grew white-hot. Humming with life like a heart outside of its body. With all of his being Sesshomaru just wanted to leave it at that. Throw away the sword and forget about this strange human here and now. He had let her overstay and Rin had gotten too attached.

But something pricked at his soul. The razor sharp grin, the sheer audacity of that wiry mountain girl before him. Like him being a daiyokai didn't faze her one bit. The first time he had seen her, she was half-dead, caked in yokai entrails, but Sesshomaru swore he saw violet-blue hellfire flash in her eyes. How does a human bring anger like that?

He felt himself bare his fangs as he whiffed out the sent of her blood. Human as she may have been she was still under his protection. He was about to tear through the heavens themselves if it meant getting her back.

His eyes shifted to the Yokai sword in his hands, "Lead me to her." he growled out, the ancient markings on the sheath gleamed, blazing so hot smoke curled off of them.

The Daiyokai took that as a yes and kicked off into the sky.

------------

Parts: ❧ I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX❧

Ay loves thankyou for reading!

[usagirotten]

Bethesda announces a remaster of DOOM and DOOM II

Bethesda Softworks has thrilled fans by announcing enhanced remasters of the iconic DOOM and DOOM II games. In a surprise reveal at QuakeCon 2024, Bethesda Softworks announced that the legendary first-person shooters, DOOM and DOOM II, are getting enhanced remasters. These new versions will feature upgraded visuals, support for modern controllers, and a brand-new episode titled “Legacy of Rust,” co-developed by id Software, Nightdive Studios, and MachineGames. The remasters will run on the KEX Engine, known for its use in other classic shooter re-releases like DOOM 64 and Quake. Players can look forward to online, cross-platform deathmatch, and co-op support for up to 16 players, along with a new Deathmatch map pack featuring 25 new maps2.  Bethesda’s announcement has been met with excitement from the gaming community, eager to relive the nostalgia of these groundbreaking games with modern enhancements. The remasters are expected to be available on all major platforms, bringing the classic DOOM experience to a new generation of players3. Also announced at QuakeCon, the DOOM Anthology is a new physical release that includes DOOM (1993), DOOM II, DOOM 64, DOOM 3, DOOM (2016), and DOOM Eternal Deluxe Edition. Containing an exclusive SteelBook game case and a 5-inch replica of the BFG with LEDs and a stand, this is a hell of a collection. The DOOM Anthology will be available for purchase on October 22, 2024, for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to the release date! Read the full article

[wadbot]

slottr2.wad: SLOTTER II (Demo) MAP09: Rip and Tear (3368, 540, 136) Author: Arsinikk and others Date: 2023-04-23 Description: SLOTTER II is a Vanilla Doom (complevel 2) demo for the upcoming megawad Hell Revealations, the spiritual successor to Hell Revealed I + II. This beta demo only includes 14 maps (maps 1-12 + 30 + 32) and is supposed to highlight how the full megawad will play like. While this mapset targets Vanilla Doom (no VPOs, etc), we highly suggest playing in a port that increases the sprite limit, as many of the maps exceed the limit, just like its Hell Revealed precursors. All maps were designed with pistol start in mind, though continuous play is perfectly fine. P.S. This WAD uses UMAPINFO to use particular skies for maps that will be in Episode 2 and 3 of the final megawad. P.P.S. This WAD is a beta, therefore some of the maps may not make it into the final megawad. List of beta mappers: Arsinikk, SilverMiner, Synami, Andrea Rovenski, Blue Phoenix, Rivi the Warlock, tonytheparrot, SuperPecanMan, finnks13, and NinjaDelphox.

[slayers-testament]

Headcanon: Slayer's Mental State and Sense of Self

The Doom Slayer has been a persistent myth throughout both human and demon history alike. He has long since forgotten how long he's been fighting, with he himself essentially being an amalgam of many different Doom Marines, Doom Slayers, and even just different people altogether. As a result, this has taken a serious toll on his mental fortitude, leaving him to cling to small things. Time doesn't matter to him anymore, nor does the idea that he is human.

He is, to himself and others, The Doom Slayer.

In an attempt to cling to some form of sanity, sometime after the events of Doom 2016 he tried his best to remember who he was in his search for weapons to stop the demon threat. Between 2016 and Eternal, he would remember bits and pieces of at least one of his histories, adopting them as his own.

He knows of B.J. Blazkowicz from a version of history that he himself doesn't belong to, as his people won World War II, as opposed to Blazkowicz Sr.'s timeline. He is in some part related to this man, whether a distant descendant or a reincarnation, and he has thusly chosen the name William Joseph Blazkowicz as his own. It feels familiar enough to him, and has more meaning to him than the other names in his mind, like Flynn Taggart, but he doesn't disregard these other names, integrating them into parts of his day to day life(such as the password to the PC in Doom Eternal).

Whoever he is, he knows that he had a wife and child before he joined the military, and he even had a pet rabbit, all of which were slaughtered viciously by the forces of Hell. While the names and faces of his family have left him throughout the years, Daisy is a persistent part of his memory which he holds dear, even keeping a rabbit cage next to his desk in case, by some cosmic miracle, she comes back to him.

Keeping with persistent memories, he knows that he had assaulted a superior officer when given an order that seemed morally reprehensible, no matter which version of him it was. He finds himself still agreeing with the action, even if he doesn't remember the officer himself.

And then there's his own internal monologue, which is somewhat reflected in my writing style for Doom Slayer. Under normal circumstances, that's all he sees himself as; The Doom Slayer, a weapon of mass destruction created by, and dedicated to stopping, forces that would seek to harm humanity. Even in private, even when appreciating his leisure time by himself, the idea of The Doom Slayer is a persistent one in his mind.

He doesn't want to involve people in his life again, even if he yearns for companionship. He doesn't want people to see him as someone he isn't even sure he really is, he will present himself as The Doom Slayer in any instance... until someone cracks the shell. It's only in moments of true vulnerability that he will let the façade slip, revealing William Joseph Blazkowicz III to himself and those he cares for. Those he trusts to show that side of himself are few and far between, but they're people he would protect with his dying breath.

[polkadotsunshine]

maya's doom guide

playing "oldschool"

i've played a lot of doom and it is my opinion that Doom (aka doom 1 aka doom 93) is a Good Game that you Should Play. there's a lot of different ways to play it on modern machines so this explains my personal preference. my general philosophy is to add minimal quality of life features to an otherwise original 1993 faithful experience.

i think "newschool" stuff like GZDoom and gameplay mods are best for people who already like the game and want to push the engine to its limits. however, for people who are just getting into the game and want to know what makes it interesting in terms of game history, i recommend playing "oldschool."

here's how i think you should play:

source port: Crispy Doom

https://github.com/fabiangreffrath/crispy-doom/releases

a source port is how you run the game on modern machines. in the above link, under the assets section of the latest release, download the doom zip for your system. it should be something like crispy-doom-6.0.0-win64.zip. extract the folder; this is where your game is effectively installed.

Crispy Doom is a fork of the incredibly vanilla-faithful Chocolate Doom with a few modern differences. i recommend it for its WASD key rebinds, resolution settings, and framerate settings. otherwise, i think you keep all "crispiness" settings as default for a vanilla experience. if you're interested in completionist runs where you get 100% secrets, you may set "report revealed secrets" to "on" and/or set "show level stats" to "in automap". do not enable free look, do not disable autoaim, and do not enable jumping.

iwad: Ultimate Doom, The

https://archive.org/details/2020_03_22_DOOM

an internal "where's all the data" file aka IWAD is the game that runs via your source port. download Ultimate Doom, The and put it into your source port directory. if you want to play a different game, like Doom II, download that IWAD instead.

The Ultimate Doom runs the final 1.9 engine and includes the 4th episode "Thy Flesh Consumed." the 4th episode has an interesting development history; it was released after Doom II was released and it has a more eclectic set of level designers including American McGee's infamous e4m1 Hell Beneath and John Romero's divisely beloved e4m2 Perfect Hatred. i do not think you have to play e4 to "get" Doom.

pwads: DAR's DOOM Marathon

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/89263-dars-doom-marathon-music-mod-updated-070322

a patch wad aka PWAD is how you mod an IWAD. i recommend this mod to change the game's soundtrack. first download DAR's DOOM 1 Marathon and put it into your source port directory. now we have to run it.

imo, the easiest way to run PWADs with Crispy Doom is to write a batch file and include your PWAD via command line arguments. create a new text file and paste: .\crispy-doom.exe -iwad doom.wad -file "DARs_DOOM_Marathon.wad", save it and rename it to doom.bat (make sure you overwrite the .txt to be .bat). instead of running your .exe, run the .bat instead.

while i'm very far on the vanilla end of the oldschool-newschool spectrum, i find Doom's midi music underwhelming. DAR's soundtrack is faithful to the original composition but recreated with more depth than midi could ever achieve. music is a massive factor in my enjoyment of video games and i think this PWAD makes the game strictly better. compare the youtube links from the forum post to uploads of the vanilla OST online and decide if this is for you.

how to play: the story and the controls

a regular part of any old game is to read the [fucking] manual. you don't actually have to, but it's debatably faithful to have this knowledge going in. here's a scan: https://archive.org/details/doom-doom-2-final-doom-scans/Doom/Manual/img001.jpg. as previously mentioned, Crispy Doom has key rebinds which add controls in addition to those described in the manual. the changes are detailed here: https://github.com/fabiangreffrath/crispy-doom/wiki/New-Controls

skill: Hurt me plenty or Ultra-Violence

i am a Gamer with a capital g. i get it. do not play the maximum difficulty.

episode 1 was made with HMP in mind though vets tend to play everything in UV. Nightmare is a literal joke added after release to respond to complaints that the game was too easy. it makes enemies infinitely respawn and gives you 2x ammo. do not play on Nightmare! if you want the game to be harder, limit how many saves you do per playthrough. typical completionists try to "uv-max" a level, meaning they get 100% kills and 100% secrets on UV. getting 100% items is boring.

hungry for more:

if you liked episodes 1-3 so much that you played Thy Flesh Consumed and liked that, play Doom II (Doom II - Hell on Earth (v1.9)! DAR made a soundtrack for it which i again recommend (DAR's DOOM II Marathon). after this, there's a gajillion community mods and level sets to play. this is outside of my realm of expertise, but conventional wisdom is to check out 10 Years of Doom (1993-2003) and The Cacowards (2004-present). i also like https://doomwads.tumblr.com/. hell, go newschool and play stuff like MyHouse.wad!

[bersergner-blog]

Escape from Tombstone - Art Book Structure

Now that pretty much all of the art was finished it was time to start assembling the art-book to collect all of my hard work. I'm actually quite an avid collector of Art Books so this was a great opportunity for me to leaf through them again. The following books are the ones I focused on (I started with structure so the notes will be pertaining to this):

Resident Evil 6 - Artworks Content Key Visuals Humans/Gadgets Creatures Environments

The Art of Doom (2016) Intro Content Demons Environments Characters Weapons Props and Graphics

The Art of Doom Eternal Of Earth (Characters/Humans) From Hell (Demons/Enemies) Cursed Worlds (Environments) Hurt ‘Em Plenty (Weapons) Demon vs. Slayer (Multiplayer/Props)

The Art of the Last of Us Introduction Joel and Ellie (Main Characters) The Journey (Environments/Side-Characters) The Infected (Enemies) The World (Weapons & Props) Marketing (Splash Art) American Dreams (Tie-in Comic concept art)

The Art of The Last of Us Part II (Follows the structure of the plot, revealing concepts as they are appropriate to the story) Foreword Prologue Jackson, Wyoming Seattle, Washington The Farm Santa Barbara, California Epilogue Graphic Design

The Art of Borderlands 3 Introduction Characters Environments Creatures and Enemies Weapons Vehicles Credits

The Art of Castlevania Lords of Shadows Contents Introduction Gabriel Belmont Dracula The Belmont Family Allies & Antagonists Whips & Chains Supernatural Bestiary Locations & Environments The Modern Age Acknowledgments

The Art of Darksiders Illustrations Characters Creatures Bosses Environments Weapons Artifacts Icons CG Gallery Key Visuals

The Art of Darksiders II Key Visuals (Illustrations) Characters & Enemies Weapons Locations CG Models Storyboards The Art of Death & Darksiders 2 Key Visuals (CG)

The Art of Darksiders III Prelude Key Art Characters Bosses World Weapons Icons Storyboards CG Models

The Art of Darksiders Genesis Characters Bosses Enemies Environment Gameplay Objects Cinematics Icons Key Art

Devil May Cry Graphic Arts Introduction Devil May Cry 3 (Playback, Art, Graphics, Drafts) Devil May Cry (Playback, Art, Graphics, Drafts) Devil May Cry 4 (Playback, Art, Graphics, Drafts) Devil May Cry 2 (Playback, Art, Graphics, Drafts) Extra

The Art of Diablo Foreword Introduction Embrace the Darkness Characters Loot Creatures Environments A Return to Darkness Acknowledgments

The Art of Overwatch Volume 2 Introduction Heroes Environments Seasonal Events Challenges Skins Animated Shorts Beyond the Game A Glimpse of things to come

My research helped me immensely and I narrowed down my structure to the following:

Structure: Introduction Content Characters Enemies Environments Weapons Props Key Art

[excusethequality]

My 2023 in Film

Part 6: 251-300

Good golly, I'm finally nearly done listing these! Perhaps next year I should just keep up with it and that way won't have to run this marathon. Although this year was kind of an outlier, so I don't anticipate reaching these numbers again.

Link to Part 1

Link to Part II

Link to Part III

Link to Part IV

Link to Part V

* = rewatched

[++] = I loved it [+] = I liked it [=] = I am indifferent about it [-] = Not my thing [--] = I hate it

Click on the list number to get a trailer for it.

251.

The Human Voice (2020) ---Short Film Drama

A woman tries to come to terms with the end of a relationship. [-]

252.

Strange Way of Life (2023) ---Short Film Queer Western Romance

Two gunslingers with a past meet again after 25 years. Unfortunately there is extenuating circumstances to their reunion. [+]

253.

Shivers (1975) *

See #131

254.

Carnival of Souls (1962) ---Psychological Horror

A woman struggles to move on with her life after a tragic accident. [+]

255.

Phantasm (1979) * ---Sci-Fi Horror

A pair of brothers begin to suspect that there is something very odd going on at the local cemetery. [-]

256.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) * ---Horror

When a group of friends swear to take a shameful secret to their grave, they learn that that might be sooner than they thought. [+]

257.

Shock (1977) ---Horror

A woman tries to start fresh in the home she once shared with her now deceased husband. But when her son starts acting strangely she learns that her ex-husband's influence has affected her son. [-]

258.

Tales from the Hood 2 (2018) ---Anthology Horror

An author is hired to read stories to prototype law enforcement robots because...of reasons. [-]

259.

The Seed (2021) ---Cosmic Horror

A group influencers go to a mansion in the Mojave Desert to livestream a meteor shower only to wind up being influenced by something themselves. [=]

260.

The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here! (1972) ---Horror

The daughter of an eccentric family of werewolves returns home with her new husband. [--]

261.

Hellbender (2021) ---Horror

A teenage daughter lives alone in the woods with her mother when a chance encounter with someone from the outside world reveals the truth behind her isolation. [=]

262.

The Wind (2018) ---Prairie Horror

In late 19th century America a newlywed couple move to the unpopulated prairies of New Mexico. After spending so much time by herself the wife begins to wonder what is worse: if you were truly all alone out there or if you weren't? [=]

263.

Slotherhouse (2023) ---Creature Feature Horror

A sorority gets a pet sloth only to learn that this sloth is out for blood. [-]

264.

The Wolfman (2010) ---Horror

In 1891 an actor returns home to England due to a family emergency only to the find the situation is more dire and strange than he could have imagined. [=]

265.

Shiva Baby (2020) *

See #175

266.

Violent Night (2022) ---Holiday Action

A family of uber-rich snobs is attacked by a group of mercenaries and the only one who can save them is Old Saint Nick. [-]

267.

Black Roses (1988) ---Rock 'n Roll Horror

A group of demons starts a band and use their devil music to hypnotize youths into being evil. [=]

268.

Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror (2006) ---Anthology Horror

A gang member sells his soul and becomes a hound of hell, doomed to tell us the spooky tales of the inner-city people whose supernatural encounter will damn them to hell. [-]

269.

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) ---Period Crime Drama

The story behind the brutal murders of Osage Nation members in 1920s Oklahoma becomes a metaphor for white America's relationship with indigenous peoples. [+]

270.

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) * ---Horror Sequel

Michael Myers is back and he's after his niece, her newborn child, and anyone who gets in his way. [-]

271.

Popcorn (1991) ---Horror

When a group of college students attempt to put on horror movie marathon they draw the attention of a serial killer. [=]

272.

Drag Me to Hell (2009) ---Horror

An old woman who refuses to take responsibilities for her own actions and doesn't understand how capitalism works curses a bank employee to be dragged to hell. [=]

273.

The Gorgon (1964) ---Horror

A German village in 1910 is terrorized by a gorgon hiding in human form. [-]

274.

Let the Wrong One In (2021) ---Horror Comedy

A young man struggles with what to do when his older brother is bitten by a vampire and asks him for sanctuary. [-]

275.

Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971) *

See #220

276.

Fright Night (2011) ---Horror Comedy

A teenager becomes convinced that his next door neighbor is actually a deadly vampire. [=]

277.

The Last Witch Hunter (2015) ---Fantasy Action Adventure

Hundreds of years ago a knight manages to defeat a powerful witch and in return is cursed with eternal life. Now in the present day he discovers a plot to bring the witch back after a friend of his is murdered. [=]

278.

Elvira's Haunted Hills (2011) ---Spooky Comedy

Elvira and her handmaiden are on their way to Paris when they find themselves stranded without lodging. They are taken in by a doctor and invited to stay at his castle only to discover that there is something strange going on there. [-]

279.

The Theater Bizarre (2011) ---Anthology Horror

A woman enters an abandoned theater and each shown a series of 6 gruesome stories. [-]

280.

The Midnight Hour (1985) ---Comedy Horror Romance

One Halloween night some high school kids inadvertently raise the dead. [+]

281.

Escape Room (2019) ---Horror

A group of people who were all sole survivors of tragic accidents are invited to a mysterious escape room. [=]

282.

Halloween at Aunt Ethel's (2019) ---Comedy Horror

The kids in town suspect a woman named Ethel of killing and eating kids every Halloween. They are correct. If everyone was thinking this why did no one tell the police? The film makes you wonder about a lot things. Not in a thought-provoking kind of way mind you, just in the quietly confused kind of way that comes with poor writing. [--]

283.

Hackers (1995) * ---Queer Crime Drama

A group of teenage hackers must clear their names and prevent an ecological disaster when an evil computer genius tries to frame them for a crime. [++]

284.

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (2023) ---Sci-Fi Horror

A smart young girl tries to bring her brother back to life in a world where everyone seems to want them dead. [=]

285.

The Witch (2015) * ---Period Fantasy Horror

A series of terrible misfortunes have a family in 1600s New England looking for a someone to blame and their eyes are set on superstitions and their young teenage daughter. [++]

286.

ManFish (2022) ---Comedy Horror

A depressed man finds someone who truly understands him when he discovers a manfish creature on the beach. His wife and brother, however, have different plans for it. [-]

287.

The Hallow (2015) ---Folk Horror

A British family moves to rural Ireland for work and—in historical fashion—fails to respect its land, people, and stories. After poking their nose where it doesn't belong they become the target of a group of ancient creatures. [+]

288.

Cube (2021) ---Horror Remake

A Japanese remake of the 1997 Canadian movie Cube. [-]

289.

Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later (1998) ---Horror Sequel

20 years after the events of Halloween II Michael Meyers finally manages to track Laurie down and get back to what he does best: being a menace. [=]

290.

Priscilla (2023) ---BioPic Drama

A biopic about Priscilla Presley and her toxic relationship with Elvis. [-]

291.

Quiz Lady (2023) ---Comedy Adventure

Two estranged sisters reunite and attempt to win a game show in order to raise the money they need to cover their mother's gambling debts and get their dog back. [+]

292.

The Wolf House (2018) ---Animated Horror Fairy Tale

An fairy tale interpretation of the case of the Colonia Dignidad in 1970s Chile. [+]

293.

Ginger Snaps (2000) * ---Coming-of-Age Horror

The relationship between two teenage sisters will never be the same when one them starts bleeding, growing hair where there wasn't hair before, cramping, and more. Because, you guessed it, it's the time of the month for werewolves. [+]

294.

Goodbye Pork Pie (1980) ---Crime Adventure Comedy

Two fellas with nothing to lose decide to drive a stolen car across New Zealand. [=]

295.

Petite Maman (2021) ---Magical-Realism Coming-of-Age Drama

An eight-year-old girl struggles to deal with the pain of having recently lost her grandmother and the fear of losing her mother. While exploring the woods one day she encounters a girl her own age and the two bond. [++]

296.

My Life as a Zucchini (2016) ---Animated Coming-of-Age Drama Comedy

A child has to go live at an orphanage and begins to learn what family really means. [++]

297.

Training Day (2001) ---Crime Thriller

An LA cop is up for a promotion contingent on a one day ride along evaluation from a narcotics officer. He soon learns he is about to the get the training session of a life time: in how corrupt law enforcement really is. [+]

298.

Shin Godzilla (2016) ---Creature Feature

A massive radioactive creature begins to attack Japan and a bloated bureaucracy is preventing anything from getting done about it. With time ticking down before the rest of the world aggressively intervenes the people of Japan will have to work together to find a solution. [--]

299.

Till Death (2021) ---Thriller

A woman tries to get rid of her abusive husband, but that is hard to do when his body is currently handcuffed to her wrist. [+]

300.

Little Woods (2018) ---Drama Crime

Ollie is on probation after serving time for smuggling prescription drugs from Canada into her small North Dakotan town to help the poor people there. Trying to do everything she can to put her old life behind her, familial bonds begin to pull her back into her old ways when her sister needs medical help and can't afford it. [+]

[junegloom3d]

SIGIL II

Doom is 30 years old as of yesterday, and to celebrate the anniversary John Romero dropped an entire new episode on us, a rip-roaring sequel to his 2019 classic SIGIL. SIGIL II feels quite a bit looser than its predecessor, but that's not a bad thing. It's picked up a bit of a Doom Eternal vibe, which I appreciate, but is still noticeably John Romero in style.

Note that version 1.0 was played, and if Romero happens to provide updates as he did with the original episode, some parts of this may be outdated.

Main review here.

E6M1: Cursed Darkness

SIGIL II starts off with a bang, a high-octane mess of lava under a blue night sky reminiscent of Clan B0S' infamous Sacrament mod, with a cool cage trap and a surprise Cybie on UV to keep us on our toes. Clever players will find the big SIGIL II logo lava chamber; cleverer players will find it's a lot easier to do the final room once you've raised all the pathways.

E6M2: Violent Hatred

Classic Romero. This one feels the most like a map from the first SIGIL; it's a delightful box of poison chocolates that gradually opens up to reveal angry waves of monsters. The outside is optional, but it may be worth it for the goodies -- just mind the Cyberdemon on Ultraviolence.

E6M3: Twilight Desolation

A stark "Inferno" vibe dominates this somewhat open-ended map with the use of some techy textures. If you're quick, you can get the plasma rifle, which should help with the swarms of lost souls. The secret exit is a reuse of Sandy Petersen's trick with the rocket knockback from E3M6, only this time you don't have the benefit of invulnerability.

E6M9: Shattered Homecoming

Romero hits us with a surprise techbase nightmare; the signs indicating what each sector was intended for are a nice touch. I really like the collapsed command room in the northwest, but the "training field" will provide the most hectic firefight as you assault a fortress full of zombies and imps with cacodemon support. Great level.

E6M4: Fragments of Sanity

This one gave me real strong Doom Eternal vibes -- perhaps it was the broken room, perhaps it was the mix of colors. Whatever the case, it's a solid level, a ruined techbase slowly breaking apart and sinking into a lake of fire. The crusher trap will infuriate you -- I wouldn't be surprised if Romero were to revise that section in later versions. (I seem to recall him having to do something similar with E5M4.)

E6M5: Wrathful Reckoning

Techbase, but the grody, industrial techbase of "Nuclear Plant" or "Toxin Refinery." The big toxic disposal chamber beyond the blue door will have you dealing with harassment from all corners, but the cybie in the south end (at least on higher difficulties) will stop your progression dead until you've managed to take him out.

E6M6: Vengeance Unleashed

Welcome back to Regular Hell. This one plays out similarly to "Paths of Wretchedness" from the first SIGIL, with each path having its own conceit, but it's a much more sprawling affair. The maze to the west is terrifying with a cyberdemon in it, Romero explicitly citing it as a callback to a similar one in the previous episode. Really fun map.

E6M7: Descent Into Terror

Romero's magnum opus for this set, "Descent Into Terror" is marked by some really cool visuals (the shining red rock canyon really stuck with me) and a terrifying sense of verticality. It feels significantly more epic than usual for Romero, and will take you quite some time to complete. The community will love this one.

E6M8: Abyss of Despair

Compared to E6M7, "Abyss of Despair" is pretty low-key as a finisher. You'll have a short jaunt into some caves, before you unlock the big teleporter to the boss arena. Romero clearly took to heart the criticism of how underwhelming the big finish of SIGIL was, but SIGIL II's grand finale doesn't really excite much either: a big room with a spidey and some cyberdemons, each one having to be killed to progress on the narrow catwalk they occupy. The spiderdemon has had her health tripled in DEHACKED to make her more of a threat, but all it does is make the fight more boring. Honestly, the lone baron that emerges out of the exit was more theatrical.

Final thoughts

SIGIL II is a great mapset. It's an evolution of style for Romero, but in some ways it feels like a bit of a retread, catering more to community tastes. While aesthetically it remains very pleasing, it doesn't really seem to bring much new to the table. And that's okay -- there's plenty of maps out there that fall back on tried-and-true design tropes. But it does feel like Romero wanted to coast on the original episode's success while working on his new Doom II megawad. It's still very much worth your time, just don't expect much new compared to its predecessor.

[m39]

Doom WADs’ Roulette (2004): Phobos Revisited

We previously met Rex Claussen back in May of the last year (as of writing this) when I took a look at his Star Wars total conversion The Darkest Hour. It was one of the more polarizing WADs I’ve played due to how much of a mixed bag it was. Have a link to that review if you are interested: ==>

Today’s WAD of his is, however, anything but a total conversion. In fact, it doesn’t require any source port to be played with.

G7: Phobos Revisited

Main author(s): Rex Claussen

Release date: September 9th, 2004 (original version)/ September 13th, 2004 (modified version)

Version played: Modified (I guess)

Required port compatibility: Vanilla

Levels: 9 (classic episode standard)

If you didn’t notice the purpose of this WAD by its name by this point, Phobos Revisited is another episode 1 replacement that tries to replicate the magic of the original episode with its more.. unique spin for lack of better words. However, unlike, for instance, Phobos WAD from 1998 which tries to look more realistic, this WAD prefers to be closer to the original aesthetics of Knee-Deep in the Dead, to the point of (at least partially) replicating the geometry and pathing of the original levels.

Did it succeed after almost two years of development? Well, let’s find out.

Visually this WAD does a good job. While it is simplistic and abstract, it fulfills the purpose of being a homage to Knee-Deep in the Dead. Many times I felt like I was playing the original Doom I. It’s that similar. It even has more details due to the standards from the time it was released.

Unpredictably, playing this episode replacement is basically the same as the original one. I’m not complaining about it, I’m just stating the obvious.

But truth be said, it’s not one-to-one recreation of the OG levels’ progress. Many times it subverts and/or extends how you progress. Phobos Revisited even utilizes locations that were originally exclusive for secrets. That’s kind of awesome.

As for the other interesting stuff, the PR version of Central Processing has a set of barrels where, if you blow up the leftmost one while looking at them, you will push the Voodoo Doll unto Megaarmor and Soulsphere. Sure, you will get hurt, but it will mean nothing due to the items I’ve just mentioned.

There is even a funny moment at the very end of the WAD, where you can choose the teleporter to one of the three death zones. These zones differentiate with what demons blow you up.

Phobos Revisited is really easy. Sure, it is harder compared to the original episode, and there are at least two moments where you end up surrounded by enemies unlike in KDITD, but for an experienced player that finished some of the harder WADs released between 1994 and 2003, it will be nothing more but walking through butter.

It kind of gets harder in E1M9 and E1M8 but, as I said earlier, it’s still an easy WAD.

Phobos Revisited is a rather enjoyable trip to the past for people who want to play the first episode again but done differently and modernized (by 2004 standards) and even for people who want to enjoy some good Doom I WAD that doesn’t waste their time (like me).

Next time we will be taking a look at...

at...

You look at the next WAD on your list.

Uhm... Guys?

Is it me or does this WAD look especially demonic?

Hell Revealed II WAD:

0_O

I’m doomed...

[jayextee]

FINAL DOOM - Plutonia Revisited Community Project 2

Fresh off aborting a playthrough of Hell Revealed for DOOM II and close to burnout from the gameplay offered by that, I thought I'd make my next WAD playthrough a more-relaxing one. Because I've a strange sense of humour, this clearly meant something something Plutonia; a WAD renowned for its high difficulty (although mileage may vary as to whether this reputation holds true...).

I'd tried PRCP2 as it dropped last year, and got burned hard by a super-brutal MAP03. "This isn't Plutonia!" I thought to myself, "it's not in the spirit of the original!". But some chatter on DOOMworld's forums reminded me how the original PRCP and Plutonia 2 before it kinda weren't. So, I guess, time to take another stab?

SPOILERS: MAP03 was still rough on me. But I persevered, and (despite a couple of my most recent posts) enjoyed it. For the most part - but I'll get to that.

Being as it is a community project, mappers of all stripes can come in and flex their mapping skills (or lack thereof, but the overall quality of map in PRCP2 is quite high, at least from a technical standpoint) -- this plus PRCP2 going BOOM-compatible (as opposed to the original targeting the vanilla .exe) means that, ah shit, magnum opus syndrome rears its ugly head here.

Magnawhat?

I'll boil it down to essentially "there's nothing stopping me from making a gigantic map, so I shall". If I spend upwards of ten minutes on a DOOM map, I'm starting to get real burned. My attention-span isn't that great, and I'm champing at the bit to do something else, anything but play this fucking thing, by the time the minutes reach double-figures. Seeing maps of this scale in a Plutonia-style project, to me at least, betrays one of the core principles of the original Plutonia Experiment -- those maps were rough, cruel even, but (aside from my least-favourite pair of Impossible Mission and Tombstone) they were mercifully-short. I've likened Plutonia to "DOOM as an arcade game" for this reason before. It's a big part of why it's probably my favourite of the IWADs after the original.

And when PRCP2 maps hit the twenties a number of them are absolutely sprawling affairs that really tested me; they're feats of endurance as much as they are automap-studying and patience, the latter I have very precious little of in my old age. A low point for sure.

But the middle? Oh lawdy, toward the middle there are some great maps! Although they may not have that 1:1 Plutonia thang going on (but what community-driven Plutonia project does?) they're almost there in spirit, regardless the limit-removing/BOOM trappings of sector-soup detailing and confusing automaps.

On the whole, I enjoyed this. I shall prepare myself, should I decide to replay this set in the future, to swear at the screen a whole ton for those protracted ordeals in the '20s (and an ill-conceived, downright awkward Icon of Sin stand-in map), and enjoy what's here.

3.5/5

[trickstrust]

Sea of solitude e3 reveal

#SEA OF SOLITUDE E3 REVEAL SOFTWARE#

#SEA OF SOLITUDE E3 REVEAL PLUS#

#SEA OF SOLITUDE E3 REVEAL SERIES#

Little more than a teaser with a suggestion that we'll see "hell on Earth," but the end of the world is apparently going to take a very long time in Doom Eternal. This is going to be the next Bethesda Game Studio title after Starfield.Īgain, this wasn't really shown off except for the title and vaguest idea of a space setting, but hype is high for Bethesda Game Studio's first new IP in a very long time.įollow-up to Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will see players taking the role of protagonist BJ Blazkowicz's twin daughters in this 1980s synth-infused Nazi murder spree across Paris. BethesdaĪ stripped-back Elder scrolls adventure for mobile set to arrive later this year.īethesda basically just showed some text superimposed over a landscape. First up is Cursed Sails in July, followed by Forsaken Shores in September. Two new expansions are lined-up this year for Rare's Sea of Thieves.

#SEA OF SOLITUDE E3 REVEAL SOFTWARE#

Set for release four years after the original, Ori and the Will of the Wisps looks as beautiful as you'd imagine from developer Moon Studios.ĭystopian smile-athon from Gearbox Software gets a new trailer and release date. Terry Crews' polygonal form dragged us all into the uncanny valley to announce that Crackdown 3 is indeed still on its way.

#SEA OF SOLITUDE E3 REVEAL PLUS#

People asked for Skate 4, and got Session it's too early to tell if that's a good compromise though as the game doesn't even have a release date yet.įast cars and serpentine roads, Forza Horizon 4 will be set in Britain and feature dynamic seasons, plus an online shared world with games-as-a-service characteristics. Studio MDHR offers up a round of DLC for the critically acclaimed 2017 Microsoft exclusive.

#SEA OF SOLITUDE E3 REVEAL SERIES#

Yet another major franchise to put women in the lead role, Gears of War 5 still looks like what you'd expect from the chainsaw-machine gun wielding series.īuilt on 343 Industries' new Slipspace Engine, the next addition to the Halo series looks like another contender in the persistent world shoot-and-loot space.Ĭutesy action-adventure in the Legend of Zelda vein from indie developer Finji. Taking a page from the XCOM handbook, Gears Tactics looks like departure from the conventional adrenaline fuelled fury of the franchise. Not a reboot anyone was expecting, but Battletoads is set to return sometime next year.Īppearing for the first time on mobile, the horrors of blood-soaked warfare on hostile alien planets gets some Funko Pop packaging. More details on Battlefield V emerged, along with a confirmed release date.ĮA announced a whole new app for its Madden mobile series, rebuilding the game from the ground up as a fresh experience. Septem/ PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo SwitchĪs reliable as the tide, the next FIFA game is slated for its usual release window. The spooky sea adventure exploring depression and isolation has been announced previously, but now has a rough launch window.īioWare's attempt to enter the persistent world shoot-and-loot at the behest of EA finally has some gameplay footage and a release date. Little more than a promise at this point, Jedi: Fallen Order could turn out to be a collectable card game for all we know, but with a studio like Respawn at the helm, it's already got potential.Ĭommand & Conquer is set to make its return to real-time strategy after more than seven years, this time on mobile.ĮA announced the surprise launch of Unravel 2 the day of its E3 showcase, live on stage.Īnother addition to the EA Original line-up, this one from Jo-Mei games. What looks like a sizable expansion pack for Destiny, though it requires all previous DLC in order to play.Īctivision follows up its successful Crash Bandicoot revival with a similar return to the purple dragon's pre-Skylanders roots. We already know Black Ops IIII won't feature a single player campaign, but now we know it will feature remastered multiplayer maps from earlier entries in the series. Activisionįrom Software's latest main project not only appearing on the Xbox stage, but also under the banner of Activision, came as a surprise to many, but the third-person action game looks entirely on-brand for the acclaimed Japanese studio. You'll find the games organised by their publisher or, in the case of indie games, the host of the conference in which they were featured. To help remedy that situation, we've compiled a list of major games showcase, announced, or dated at the E3 conferences this year. There was a lot to see at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and no shortage of things to distract you from getting to all of it. E3 2018 is in the books, and by some metrics it was the biggest show in a dozen years.

[doomwads]

“When the Sun Won’t Rise Anymore”

Game: Doom II PWAD: Hell Revealed II Year: 2003 Appears In: MAP29 (”Hell’s Cauldron”) Author: Petter Mårtensen aka  “Thyrbse” idgames | doomwiki

[valkiriforce]

Hell Revealed II - Map 14: Metal Meltdown

[missxfaithc]

Levitating - Head Engineer Mark x Captain Fanfic

“There are no secrets that time does not reveal.”

—Jean Racine

Part Eleven:

Scene: Invincible II, Cryogenics Control Room

[CELCI is seen speaking to ACTOR MARK.  The two seem to be in a heated discussion.]

CELCI: Whoa, whoa.  Hold on, what do you wanna do?

ACTOR MARK: I think if we just... remove a couple hundred colonists or so, the ship would run a lot more smoothly.

CELCI: How?  And what would we even do with them?

ACTOR MARK: Well, some of these cryo-chambers are in desperate need of repair and---as we all know---there just aren’t enough staff aboard this ship to do all the maintenance needed.  So, I was thinking we could lessen the issue at least somewhat if we just... got rid of the colonists in the damaged cryo-chambers.

CELCI: That’s absurd.  Where would they go?

ACTOR MARK: Um... out of the airlock?

CELCI: You’re joking, right?  You’re not seriously that stupid, are you?  We can’t just kill the colonists!

ACTOR MARK: I mean, we’d only be killing a couple hundred of them.  That’s a small fraction of the total amount.

CELCI: Uh, no!  That’s genocide!  What the hell is wrong with you?  Shouldn’t you be busy following the Captain around or something?

ACTOR MARK: No?  I have an important job to do on this ship, you know.

CELCI: [scoffing] Ah, right.  You tryna get Janitor of the Month or something?  Hey, how does it feel to be demoted from Head Engineer?  That must really hurt your fragile little ego.

ACTOR MARK: What do you---oh, right.  Uh, I suppose it does, yes.

CELCI: [rolling her eyes] Ugh, whatever.  Unlike you, I have a real job to keep up with around here.  Oh, and how many times do I have to mention that I don’t want you cleaning in here?  Trouble always seems to follow close behind you, Asshat.

ACTOR MARK: [with a scowl] You’ll regret not taking my advice.  This ship is doomed---you’ll see.

Scene Change: Invincible II, hallway

[MARK sets his cleaning supplies aside and approaches the main control room.  Since it’s currently around lunchtime, he figured he should ask the CAPTAIN if they’d like to head to the cafeteria with him and grab something to eat.  As MARK nears the door, though, he overhears the CAPTAIN talking to someone.]

CAPTAIN: [muffled, MARK only catches some of the conversation] ...go back where?  No...  I don’t understand what you’re talking about.  Who’s that?  He’s... No, I don’t think so.  I’m sorry.  You know I can’t...  don’t wanna upset Mark.  No, he isn’t...  I know, it’s confusing...  No, we really aren’t...  It’s okay...  Yeah, so can you help me?  Okay, good.  No, don’t worry... I won’t tell Mark.  Yes, I’m quite good at keeping secrets.

[MARK doesn’t know what to make of the strange conversation.  Whoever the CAPTAIN is talking to, MARK isn’t close enough to hear them.  He wonders what sort of secret the CAPTAIN might be keeping from him.  He wonders if he should confront the CAPTAIN about what he’s just overheard.]

Scene Change: Invincible II, control room

[The CAPTAIN sighs loudly and runs a hand down their face.  A message on their portable tablet tells them that it’s finally time for lunch.  They pick up their previously discarded face-visor, as well as their Invincible standard-issue Captain uniform. 

Putting it back on after the events of the past fifteen-ish minutes feels weird, but the CAPTAIN knows it’s better to be slightly uncomfortable and sweaty in the extra layer of clothing than to risk having someone walk in and question why they’re standing in the middle of the control room half-clothed.  

And, as it turns out, it’s a very good thing that the CAPTAIN puts their uniform back on, because only a few minutes later MARK walks in.]

MARK: [smiling brightly] Hello, Captain.  I was wondering if you’d like to grab some lunch with me in the cafeteria.

CAPTAIN: [smiling back, though it looks a bit forced] Sure, Mark.  I’m starving.

MARK: [with a chuckle] You do look a bit sweaty, Captain.  Have you been trying out Gunther’s fifteen-minute workout routine?  I’ve heard it can really work up a sweat, if you know what I mean.

CAPTAIN: [nervously] Oh... no.  I mean, only fifteen minutes?  That’s a pretty short amount of time.  Certainly not enough time to get any, uh, aggressive exercises accomplished.

MARK: [looking confused] Um, I never said they were aggressive.  Are you all right, Captain?

CAPTAIN: Yeah!  Yeah, of course.  I’m just, uh, hungry.  Really, really hungry.

MARK: [with a laugh] All right.  I get it.  Say no more, my dear Captain.  The cafeteria awaits us.  

CAPTAIN: [following MARK out of the control room] Yes.  Food.  Food is good.  Can’t wait to... eat some.

MARK: [turning back to look at the CAPTAIN] Are you sure you’re feeling okay?  You seem a little nervous.

CAPTAIN: [voice higher-pitched than usual] What?  No, I’m good.  I’m great.  Today’s a great day.

MARK: Okay... if you say so, Captain.

[The CAPTAIN feels bad for having to lie to MARK, but they know it’s for the best.  He won’t understand.  He’ll be upset with them, surely.  He can’t know... at least not yet.]

For previous parts of this story please check out the pinned post on my profile.

https://missxfaithc.tumblr.com/post/682465956921032704/levitating-head-engineer-mark-x-captain-fanfic