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thesevenseraphs · 5 years

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Bungie Weekly Update - 3/14/19

This week at Bungie, we restored the Thorn in your side.

If you can remember your first revive in Old Russia, other memories of Thorn may plague your nightmares from time to time. This week, those same nightmares returned in full force. If you’re a Guardian who’s new around these parts, get ready to feel the sting.

Owners of the Annual Pass can begin the journey to acquire this weapon by sifting through the ashes of the EDZ. Earn a weapon fit for a villain, and unleash chaos among your foes. To celebrate, we’re also adding new Bungie Rewards for players to earn as they complete the quest and other content in Season of the Drifter. The following rewards will be added to the website on March 19, 2019:

Thorn T-Shirt/Replica:

Earn Thorn in game

Must have opted in to receive emails for all Bungie Rewards

Bungie Rewards Code may be generated and redeemed from March 19 through June 4, 2019

Gambit Prime Jersey:

Win a match of Gambit Prime with a single complete set of Notorious armor equipped for a single role

Can unlock the ability to purchase one jersey for each role by winning a Gambit Prime match with a set of Notorious equipped for that role

Must have opted in to receive emails for all Bungie Rewards

Bungie Rewards Code may be generated and redeemed from March 19 through June 4, 2019

Thorn wasn't the only thing happening in Destiny 2 this week. Guardians also faced a difficult question on Tuesday…

Picking Sides

Do you side with the Vanguard or the Drifter? Depending on your choice, you’ll receive a set of rewards specific to your allegiance. Through the Allegiance quest, each side will offer unique lore. Each week you’ll receive a small package as gratitude for your pledge. Throughout Season of the Drifter, depending on your pledge, one of these packages will be found at Ikora or Drifter upon each weekly reset:

Vanguard Weekly Package:

Powerful Vanguard Gear

Boon of the Vanguard

10 Vanguard Tactician Tokens

Enhancement Core

Drifter Weekly Package:

Powerful Gambit Gear

Collector Synth

Invader Synth

Sentry Synth

Reaper Synth

100 Infamy Points

If you’re the type of player who wants it all, or you're an all-out lore collector, you can make a different pledge on alternate characters. Just remember that your choice will last. You can either side with a slick-talking Drifter or be like me and side with those who protect the last safe city and its people.

There’s no bias here, I swear!

Prove Your Worth

Last week, Reckoning tiers 1 and 2 went live, bringing players to the plane of the Nine. Tomorrow, tier 3 will become available, opening the chase to fully unlock your Gambit Prime perks. This activity will have a Power level requirement of 680. Players will need to fully upgrade their synthesizer to enter. Modifiers are also active in this playlist, so be ready to mix your arsenal up for the challenge.

Matchmaking will continue to be available if you’re looking to take on the challenge without a pre-made fireteam. Things may be a little trickier without strategy or communication, so prepare for some white-knuckles as you race the clock to eliminate the darkness. We’ll be watching, as will the Nine.

Speaking of the Nine, Invitations of the Nine also begins tomorrow.

To begin, you’ll need to track down Xûr. In addition to his Exotic inventory, he’ll also offer a quest item for you to complete each week, for up to nine weeks. Each week you engage, you’ll be invited to learn more about the Nine and unlock lore pages to dive deeper into their story.

Polish and Prime

With Season of the Drifter little more than a week old, we’re tracking down some bugs to squash and quality-of-life to address. We’ll be deploying hotfixes and updates, along with some back-end server changes to help keep things fresh. Here’s a quick list of changes specific to Gambit, Gambit Prime, and Reckoning that are currently in-flight.

Gambit Matchmaking [Revised 2:20 PM 3/14/19]

With the release of this very blog article, Gambit received some updates to matchmaking. Gambit is a team based activity and as such, players who are in a pre-made fireteam have a communication advantage. To offset that advantage, we've raised the internal skill rating of pre-made fireteams to pull in higher skill enemies to fight against. With this change, even as a solo player, you'll still have a chance. Plus, your other matched fireteam mates should be higher skilled as well.

Solo players of low skill should expect to match other solo players more frequently. Higher skill teams will also match teams more frequently.

Gambit Prime Synths

Shortly after the release of Gambit Prime, players began filling their inventory with Prime Armor Synths. Tentatively planned for Hotfix 2.2.0.2, players will be able exchange a stack of 5 Synths for 100 Glimmer with the Drifter. The intention of this isn’t to give players a means of acquiring large amounts of Glimmer, but strictly to help address inventory issues.

Reckoning Modifiers

In early playtests at the studio, Prism proved to be more challenging than intended in higher Tiers of Reckoning and we planned to remove it in the first patch proactively. When we launched last week, we collected some fairly positive feedback with Prism and wanted to react quickly and remedy that change. Since Glass seemed more problematic, we wanted to take action there too. Tentatively planned for Hotfix 2.2.0.2, we will be replacing Glass with Prism. Tier 3 goes live tomorrow, so we’ll continue to monitor feedback and make adjustments as needed.

As with all things in development, any of these forecast changes could be altered or delayed. For the most current information on our plans and progress, stay tuned for patch notes.

Persistent Upkeep

Week in and week out, Player Support is at the ready to lend a helping hand when issues arise in Destiny 2. This week, they have some vital information for those preparing to pick a side in the Allegiance quest. No, they’re not telling you to pledge to the Vanguard (even though you totally should), but making sure your experience is smooth and issue free.

This is their report.

Destiny 2 Hotfix 2.2.0.1

In last week’s Player Support Report, we highlighted an issue where some players’ weekly bounties for Ada-1 and Petra Venj did not refresh at the weekly reset, instead refreshing the following Sunday. With the conclusion of this week’s maintenance, we expect this issue to be resolved. In addition to this change, we’d like to also highlight the resolution of the following issues:

Drifter’s Weapon Pursuits: Fixed an issue where the pursuits for Malfeasance and Breakneck were not progressing as expected in Gambit and Gambit Prime.

“The Best Offense” Triumph: Fixed an issue where the Triumph “The Best Offense,” which awards Oxygen SR3, wasn't counting the correct number of Orbs of Light generated in strike activities.

Gambit Maps: Fixed an issue where Blockers were not spawning on Kell’s Grave and Cathedral of Scars. These maps have since been re-enabled in the Gambit playlist.

For the full list of issues resolved in Tuesday’s hotfix, players should visit the Destiny 2 Hotfix 2.2.0.1 patch notes.

Known Issue Callout: Losing Allegiance Pursuits

This week, players who own the Destiny 2: Forsaken Annual Pass are being asked to make a choice; pledge to the Vanguard, or side with the Drifter.

Since this ultimatum has gone live, Destiny Player Support has monitored reports regarding an issue where players who make their choice while they have a full Pursuit inventory are not receiving either quest item, regardless of which side they chose.

We are currently working to resolve this issue in an upcoming hotfix. In the meantime, all players should ensure they have space available in their Pursuits inventory prior to accepting either of these quests from the Drifter. As always, we’ll be sure to sound off with more information when it's available.

Destiny 2 Season of the Drifter Known Issues

Whether you choose to stand tall with the Vanguard or join the Drifter’s crew, we’ve got the details you need on the latest known issues in Destiny 2.

Allegiance Quest—Titan Adventure: Players should be aware that the beacon for launching the Titan heroic adventure for the Allegiance quest is not the usual heroic adventure beacon, but is instead near it in the same room.

Allegiance Quest—Banking Motes: We are investigating an issue where Motes banked in Gambit are not progressing this quest step. Currently, only Motes banked in Gambit Prime are applying progress.

Allegiance Quest—Tapes: We are investigating an issue where players can become blocked from progressing their Allegiance quest if not all tapes are successfully scanned in the EDZ.

Power Surge Bounties: We are investigating an issue where the Power Surge bounties can expire after 7 days, and are not recoverable if they are deleted.

Warlock Ball Lightning Melee: We are investigating an issue where the Stormcaller Warlock’s Ball Lightning melee ability isn't activating perks on some weapons, Conduction Tines on Crown of Tempests, or Vampire’s Caress on Karnstein Armlets.

Iron Banner Rolls: We are investigating reports regarding an issue where some Iron Banner weapons may have re-rolled perks after Update 2.2.0.

Delayed Dragonfly: We are investigating reports regarding an issue where the explosion caused by the Dragonfly weapon perk is delayed slightly.

Finding Thorn: Players will not be able to receive the quest item for Thorn if their Pursuits inventory is full when they investigate the world object.

For the running list of all issues tracked by Destiny Player Support, players are encouraged to visit our Destiny 2 Known Issues help page. Players who encounter other issues should report to the #Help forum. When reporting a gameplay issue, providing screenshots, captured video, or repro steps will help Destiny Player Support investigate your report.

#Destiny #Destiny the game #Destiny 2 #bungie weekly update #long post

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mandareeboo · 6 years

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Unfinished work #3 (Completed Chapter)

Seeing how I did squat over the weekend, I figure this is as good a way to showcase my goods on Fanfic Preview Monday as anything else.

‘Course, this’un is actually finished, but I felt weird about putting on Fanfic or Ao3- probably because I’m a really casual AT watcher- so it’s been sitting in a folder collecting dust. (Also, I wrote it all really late at night, so that’s a thing)

Title: Potato Stacks

Summary: Never thought of one.

Setting: Right after "Elements"

Bubblegum wakes up feeling like she's lost something special. It's that kind of loss where your whole body aches for it, that bitter taste at the very back of the throat. Admittedly, it's not a very special feeling, despite it being connected towards losing something special. But that's the way of the world, she supposes.

She also wakes up warm. Not blanket-warmth, but body-warmth.

"Marcy, I know you're awake," she says without opening her eyes. "You float when you sleep."

As if to disprove her point, Marceline lifts her head off her chest with a groggy, "Wassat?"

"Oh. You were asleep?"

"Yeah."

"I don't remember you ever sleeping on an actual bed."

Bubblegum feels her shrug. "I was extra tired this time. Still am, really."

She felt bad. Not about turning her into a marshmallow- that's not something she did of sound mind- but for working her marshmallow bod that hard. What kind of leader didn't give snack breaks? "I wanna get up."

Marceline hums indecisively. "No princess junk?"

"No princess junk," she agrees. It's only now that she becomes aware of Finn and Jake, snoring next to them. "They were pretty shook, huh?"

Marceline takes the neutral road on that question via not answering, rolling off of her with a small grunt. Bubblegum lets that slide- she might as well, right? She's let everything else slide lately- and maneuvers her way around the other two bed mates, greatly warmed by their concern for her. She never really imagined they'd be this close. Then again, she's never been good at imaging the future. She forgets variables, like others' personal volition and morality. When she glances over her shoulder, Marcy is still on her side, and still not floating.

Bubblegum moves to the window and pushes back the curtains, revealing the kingdom below. All things considered, it's not as bad as it could be, but there's still so much to do. Apologize to Phoebe, for one. And there's surely some sort of damage somewhere from all the chaos. Maybe a few new laws or treaties to be signed. She rubbed at her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

The next few days are going to be hell.

Marceline cracks open her eyes and pushes herself onto her elbows. She catches sight of the curtains and lets out a weak hiss, falling back onto the sheets as if personally wounded. The window doesn't face the bed. Bubblegum had it made that way specifically. "Ugh. No fair. I can't guide you back to bed when you're standing in a shaft of sunlight like that."

"I'm not sure I want to be guided," Bubblegum confessed quietly, mind far away. "Is it bad that- that I kind of miss being the pillar?"

"You've got a thing for control, Bonnie." Marceline shrugged. "It's not good or bad. It just is. Y'know, unless you're using it as an excuse to do good or bad."

"I'm not going to deny that. But that's not what I meant."

"Then I'm lost." Marcy waved her arms in the air. "How 'bout you guide me instead, huh?"

She found herself chuckling a bit at that, leaving the window behind, curtain still open. Despite the sun's glare, the room is still fairly shaded and dark, like a cave that had just had a hole punched into it. Bubblegum sat on the very edge of her own bed, hands politely on her lap. "It's hard to explain, but also not."

"Is this 'bout to get philosophical? Because it's cool if it is, but we should prolly get some red into me before we start talkin' the meaning of life."

Bubblegum wrinkled her nose. "Not philosophical. More like nostalgic."

Marceline pulled a pillow free from the multitude Jake had managed to grab, tucking it unceremoniously under her head. "I can do nostalgic."

Of course you can, she finds herself thinking. You're a relic of the past, preserved and given new life. A reboot. The age difference between them isn't all that large, when you consider eternity, but they come from two different worlds. "Being the pillar- I was connected to everyone, you know? I could feel all of them. I could feel you, I could feel Tree Trunks, Crunchy- even Flame Princess, for that short while. I knew where everyone was, and how they were feeling, and what they needed." Bonnibel pulled a single leg up, her knee digging into her chest. "I guess it just reminded me of home."

The black-haired woman is fully sitting up now. That's the nice thing about Marceline. She well-aware that they've got eternity to talk through pretty much anything. "Is this about the Mother Gum?"

She found herself nodding. It's never been easy to discuss the Mother Gum. It's not something she's ashamed of- it's just hard to find someone who understands. Marcy and Finn and Jake- they never had anything like that. A lot of people in her kingdom were made by Bonnibel's hand; separate, uniquely silly, never knowing the wonders of having a 'regular' birth. "I can sense Neddy right now. Did you know I can sense him?"

"I did not know that," Marcy says. "That's pretty neat. Is he happy?"

"Oh, yeah. I doubt he even noticed anything changed." Bubblegum breathed heavily out of her nose. "It was a bit like coming home, is what I'm trying to say. Not exactly the same- no one was forced into the Mother Gum, and we didn't change to become part of it. We just were, and we were together, and there was no separating us."

"Until you got separated."

"Right."

"Didja ever have any second thoughts about that? About leaving?"

"I don't regret things that haven't occurred," Bonnibel answered firmly. "I simply analyze them. If I hadn't followed Neddy, I would've become one of the many in that particular dropping. That wouldn't be so bad. But I'd have to live with the reminder that my brother was all alone in the world and probably defenseless, and the lack of resolution would've driven me up the wall. There's also the fact that I probably wouldn't be here if I didn't go- there wouldn't be any Candy Kingdom, and there wouldn't be a Princess Bubblegum. And I like doin' my PB thing. I like knowing that I've helped mold history, even if it's not always in a good way. I like knowing that Neddy is safe and happy and where he feels he belongs forever." She cast the vampire a look that could almost be misconstrued as shy. "I like knowing you."

"Bonnie?"

"Yeah?"

"No offense, but your birth sounds super trippy, dude. I mean, you were part of a hive mind." Marceline paused, watching out of the corner of her eye as Bubblegum retook her place next to her on the bed. "Is that hypocritical? I feel like that's hypocritical. I'm literally a demon spawn."

"The Mother Gum isn't a hive mind," she said, perhaps a bit too quickly. She never did like the connotation people got when they heard 'hive mind'. "It's a multi-person being, within which those beings are incubated and then popped out. It's like birth, really. If birth was full of bubblegum."

"Didn't you drop down in an old building?"

"Yeah. I fell into a puddle."

"Yeah, no. That's not like human birth."

"Human birth sounds weird. And a lot more messy."

"It probably is."

As if on cue, Finn stirs, sitting up with such suddenness it's a wonder he isn't dizzy. "Princess?"

"I'm here, Finn."

He relaxed almost at once, reaching out his hand to find Jake's fur. His metal hand clenches and un-clenches as he tests it. He does that a lot after a fight, making sure the circuits aren't damaged. It reminds her of Shoko; which is, in itself, a paradox to consider. Or perhaps hypocritical? Can a person be hypocritical in their mannerisms? He reminds her of Shoko because he is Shoko. Simple as that. "Marcy, you good?"

"Kinda hungry, kinda not willing to get out of bed just yet."

Finn accepted that fairly easily, considering he was the most viable source of nutrition in the room. "We don't have to get up yet, do we?"

Bubblegum shook her head. "No, we're good," she reassured him, then added a few clicking sounds under her breath, as if making sure she remembered how to do so. "I think the whole world is dead after junk like what just happened. We can resurrect it later."

#Fanfic Preview Monday #Adventure Time #Princess Bubblegum #Marceline the Vampire Queen #Unfinished Work #Fanfic #Fanfiction #This is fine to reblog/like

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bazypitchandsimonsnow · 6 years

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Family (Children Part 3)

Rating: T

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 4858

Summary: The big day arrives a bit sooner than expected.

Read on AO3

AN: So this prompt is what inspired this whole "having a baby" idea. You can guess what happens :)

Disclaimer: I have never been pregnant, dealt with a surrogate, or been to Guy's Hospital. Sorry for any inaccuracies.

Baz

Work is dreadfully boring. It has been for the last few weeks. I’m mindlessly filing away client reports. It’s weirdly meditative in it’s repetitiveness. It keeps my mind off worrying. Simon said I should keep going to work. Otherwise I’d just spend hours fussing over Helen with him, and she would not appreciate the extra worrying father to be hovering over her. So I’m sitting here, rearranging documents, being bored into weird zen coma. I barely register my phone ringing, picking up the receiver calmly like I always do.

“Basilton Snow-Pitch.”

“BAZ!” Simon’s voice is so loud I have to pull the phone away from my hyper sensitive ear, wincing painfully.

“Aleister Crowley, Snow, are you trying to make me deaf?”

“Sorry sorry, it’s just- you gotta- you should really get up and go- cause cause-”

“Simon, please slow down! Take a deep breath, then talk, okay, love?”

“Okay okay.” He takes an audible slow inhale and exhale. “Baz, you have to make your way to Guy’s Hospital. Because Helen is going into labour and we’re about to drive there right now.”

“What?!” I jump so suddenly my office phone rattles on my desk. My heart is beating so fast I fear it may stop. “But Helen isn’t due for another week!”

“Tell that to your baby, Basilton!” Helen shouts from somewhere in the background.

“What she says,” Simon puts in, trying not to laugh. “Just get there quickly. We’ll meet you there.”

“Yes yes, good. See you soon.”

I put down the phone. For just a moment, I freeze. The whole world sort of stops for a second. It’s really happening. I’m about to have a baby. I’m about to be a Dad. I think I’m going to be sick. Whether it’s from nerves or happiness, I’m not sure. Doesn’t matter, I need to go!

I gather up all my stuff quickly and shove it into my work bag. Running down the hall, I luckily spot my supervisor.

“Martin!” I shout. He turns around, smiling politely.

“Hey Basil. What’s up?”

“I-I have to go. My surrogate has gone into labour early, and I have to get to the hospital. Can my parental leave start, well, now?”

His eyes go wide. “Oh my god! Yes, yes of course. Please go. Congratulations, mate!”

“Thank you,” I sigh, and dash off out of the office. I hope I don’t get sick in my car.

I have prided myself on staying calm in stressful situations. When Snow would freak out and just attack frantically or simply go off, I would use logic and precise spells. But it seems my serene personality has decided to take a vacation today. Hooray.

I sprint into the hospital lobby and practically crash against the front desk. The man sitting there jolts up to look at me.

“Hello,” I pant out (Merlin, I’m out of breath). “Where is the maternity wing?”

“..why?” He says nervously, probably scared by a weird disheveled man asking where the babies are. (Understandable.)

“M-My husband is here. We’re having a baby. He’s probably already arrived with our surrogate. Should be under Snow. Or Pitch. Or Snow-Pitch, I don’t know. He's not consistent with which name he picks.”

“Uh, let me check.” His fingers rattle across his keyboard. “Are you Basilton?”

“Yes! Yes, that’s me.”

“Alright. Your family is in Room 224”

“Thank you, good sir.”

Once again, I sprint down the clinical hospital, trying to block out all the smells. Hospitals always smell disgusting. I’m so distracted by scents of blood and antiseptic that I nearly miss the room. But a certain voice tips me off.

“Breathe, Helen, breathe.”

“That’s what I’m bloody well doing!”

I burst through. Snow’s head whips up, a relieved smile spreading across his face. Helen is laying on the hospital bed, breathing deeply and gripping my husband’s hand like her life depends on it.

“Hello,” I say as calmly as possible. “What did I miss?”

“Your baby is very eager to see the world,” Helen groans.

“Apparently so. They’re over eager like their father. Here, give Snow’s hand a break and take mine.”

I stride forward and hold my hand out to her. Helen releases her death drip on Simon’s and he sighs heavily, shaking it out. She clutches mine instead. I hiss slightly. Damn, she’s strong. But she’s not vampire strong.

“Wow,” Helen gasps. “For a desk jockey you’re very tough.”

Snow and I share a knowing look across the bed. His eyebrow nearly reaches his hairline, matching his smug smile. “Yeah,” I say. “Working out pays off.

Simon scoffs and rolls his eyes. I glare, but can’t help but smirk.

“You’ve called everyone, right love?” I ask

He nods eagerly. “Yup! Your family, all the Bunces, even Agatha. Oh, she says she wants many pictures of our, I quote, ‘demon spawn.’”

“How eloquent,” I deadpan.

“Hey, if any kid is going to be a demon spawn, it will probably be our’s.”

Of course this is when the doctor decides to enter. She’s a lovely young woman with dark curly hair and glasses. Crowley, she looks a lot like Bunce. That’s a bit freaky.

“Hello!” she greets cheerily (well, she’s more perky than Bunce). “I’m Dr. Gerald. Now, who are the lucky parents today?”

“Uh,” Simon say. “Well, I’m the father.”

I raise my free hand. “I’m also the father.”

“And I’m the incubator,” Helen chimes in.

Dr. Gerald nods slowly. “Okay then. Sounds good. You’re not the first ‘non-traditional’ family I’ve helped. Now, let’s check on how your baby is doing.”

She sits down on the stool and reaches under the medical sheet covering Helen’s lower half. Her face scrunches up in concentration, nodding with little “hm” noises. My worry just increases with every “hm”, twisting and pooling in my stomach.

“Well?!” I snap. Helen lightly smacks my shoulder, glaring harshly.

Dr. Gerald smiles. “Everything seems good. Your baby is well on its way. I think we should expect a quick delivery.”

“Thank god,” Helen sighs.

I squeeze her hand once. “Agreed.”

The doctor sheds her blue plastic gloves still grinning at us. “I’ll be back in little bit to check on you again. In the meantime, try to relax.”

We watch her walk out the door. Helen glares viciously. “Easy for her to say. She doesn’t have a watermelon trying to force its way out of her vagina.”

“Yeah, sorry about that, Helen.” Simon says, genuinely apologetic.

“Not your fault, Si. I signed up for this. Literally.”

“Want me to get you anything?”

“Ice chips would be lovely.”

“On it!” Snow bounces up, giving me a peck on the cheek before he dashes off.

I pull up a chair while not letting go of her hand. She’s breathing deeply, clutching and loosening her grip on my hand with every inhale and exhale.

“How are you doing, Helen?” I ask quietly.

“Considering everything? Pretty well. How about you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Baz.” She gives me a knowing look through her sweat soaked auburn bangs. “You don’t need to play tough for me.”

I straighten up instinctively. I still don’t like when people see through my facade. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re about to have a baby. An actual, honest to god, human baby. You’re freaked out, and so is Simon. Which is entirely reasonable. So you don’t need to pretend to be calm in front of me. I understand if you’re not.”

I try to keep my composure. But I’ve been keeping it for months, trying to be the confident one for everyone, especially Simon. But he’s not here right now. So I let out a long sigh, shoulders slumping.

“I’m certainly freaking out,” I say quietly. “All of this has been so far away. But now, it’s actually happening. And...I’m not sure I’m ready.”

“Well, as my sister with four kids says, ‘no one has a script for this shit. Having a kid is life’s ultimate improv’.” Script? Improv? I give her a curious look. She shrugs. “She’s an actress. Everything is a theatre metaphor. But she’s right. No one is ever fully ready to have a kid. Anyone who says otherwise is a fucking liar.”

I groan, leaning my head on the hospital bed. “I just don’t like being unprepared. I usually have a plan for everything. But I’ve read every book and article I can, and I still don’t feel ready. And...and I need to be the ready one, for Snow.”

Helen sighs heavily. I look up at her, and she looks back annoyed. “What?” I snap.

“Baz, you don’t need to be the calm one for Simon.”

“Of course I do! He’s terrified enough, considering his childhood and shitty...foster father. I can’t add to his stress.”

“Y’know, if you ask me, I think Simon would prefer if you were just as freaked out as he is. Then you wouldn’t hide, and he wouldn’t feel weird for being freaked.”

I furrow my brow. What is she talking about? I open my mouth to ask, but suddenly the door bursts open. Snow strides in with a bucket of ice chips.

“Found some! You wouldn’t believe this place. It’s a goddamn maze!”

Helen grins. “Wonderful. Hand them over, Si.”

He puts the bucket in front of her, and Helen scoops out a few to chew on. Snow sits on the other side. They start chatting about random crap while I roll around Helen’s words in my head. I thought I had to be strong for Simon, but now I’m questioning if that’s the right thing to do. Does he need me to be scared too? That doesn’t make sense. At least, not to me.

Helen groans, clutching her stomach and crushing my hand. Simon takes her other one.

“Shit,” she huffs. “I hope that annoying doctor is back here soon.”

“I actually agree with you,” I chuckle.

“It’s okay we’re here for you, Helen,” Simon says. “Thank you so much.”

“Yeah yeah, you’re welcome, you big softie,” she replies. “Buy me a drink after all this. That will be a true thank you.”

“We’ll buy you an entire goddamn bar, I promise.”

“I’m going to hold you to that, Sim- Shit!” She grips us again, teeth clenched and muscles tensing with another contraction. We let her crush our hands. It’s the least we can do for her. Part of me hopes this is over soon, for Helen and for us. But a smaller part of me hopes time will stop, just wait a little longer, until I’m ready. Though now, I’m not sure I ever will be.

“Should I push yet?” Helen pants. “I feel like I should push.”

“Not just yet,” Dr. Gerald says. “You’re almost there though.”

“Thank the lord.”

“Agreed,” Simon says, subtly shaking out his hand from Helen’s grip. I don’t blame him. I’ll be surprised if I’ll be able to do anything with mine ever again.

I read that labour takes awhile, but this seems to be speeding along. Only two hours and a half hours after we arrived and the doctor says our baby is almost here. My heart is beating so hard it threatens to break my ribs. I’ve been trying to stay calm throughout all of this. But that’s slowly been ebbed away and replaced with utter dread. There’s so much that could go wrong, so much we could do wrong.

I look up at Simon, still standing on the other side of Helen. He’s chewing on his lips to the point it’s probably almost bleeding. I see him picking at his nails on his other hand. He hasn’t done that since uni. I reach behind Helen’s head, palm up in offering. Simon notices, and grabs it firmly. His hot skin fits perfectly my tepid body temperature, like always. We look at each other. His eyes are wide and open and more than a bit scared, silently saying two words. I’m scared.

I nod and mouth, me too .

He sighs and nods back, giving my hand one firm squeeze.

“Okay,” Dr. Gerald says, “it’s time. Helen, on three, I want you to push. Okay?”

“Okay, okay,” she sighs shakily. “Hold on tight, boys.”

“One, two, three, push!”

Helen pushes with all her might, gripping our hands like a vice. My lungs and heart feel tight. My stomach feels like it’s about to drop out on the floor. But for once, I don’t try to hide it from my face. I’m scared, for many reasons, and that’s okay. I’m not above fear, and I’m allowed to show it.

A wail rips through the air.

“It’s a girl! Congratulations, dads!” The doctor announces. She holds up the screaming baby. And my heart officially stops beating.

She’s tiny and crying, as she should be. Her skin is tan, a shade or two darker than Snow’s, and covered in freckles. Little black hairs poke up from the top of her head. I let out a happy, breathy chuckle. My fear doesn’t go away, but joy overwhelms it. This is my kid. I have a daughter. And Crowley, she’s fucking perfect.

“Which one of you wants to cut the cord?” The masked nurse asks.

Snow and I look at each other. He seems just as happy and bewildered as me. My hands are shaking, far too much to do that right now. Snow’s eyes flick down where our’s are joined. He nods knowingly.

“I’ll do it,” he says.

Crowley, I love him. While he does that, I lean down to Helen, who’s breathing heavily and still clutching my hand tightly. “You did so well,” I whisper. “Thank you.”

Helen smiles sleepily. “You’re very welcome. Still scared?”

“Terrified. But far more happy.”

“Good. That’s how it should be.”

“I know.”

Soon, Simon taps my shoulder. “Hey,” he says quietly. I turn around. He stands there, smiling widely, the little bundle in his arms. “Take a look at her.”

Cautiously, I straighten up. She’s still making adorable little cries, though not the shrieks from a few minutes earlier. She stretches towards the sky with her tiny chubby hand. Slowly, I reach out my index finger, and she wraps her own fingers around it. Her grip is strong and warm and so alive . Almost immediately, she stops crying. She’s amazing. And she’s mine.

“Holy shit,” I chuckle. “We have a daughter.”

“Yeah,” Simon sighs. “Which means we need to work on our language.”

I lightly knock his shoulder. “Oh shut up.”

“Wanna hold her?”

“Of course.”

Simon carefully passes her over to me. She fits perfectly into my arms. I lightly cup her little cheek. She yawns and leans into it. Simon giggles.

“She likes you,” he teases.

“I bloody well hope so. She’s going to have to put up with me for a long time.”

“Very true.” He strokes her head softly. “Baz, are you scared? I-It’s really not just me?”

I turn to him. He’s still looking at the baby, but I see the tension in his face, the way all his beautiful features are pulled together. I put my hand over his, stilling it on her soft head. He finally looks at me. I smile.

“No, it’s not just you. I’m terrified. But I’m also very, very happy.”

He sighs, and smiles warmly back at me. “Me too.”

“Then we’ll be terrified and happy together.”

“Damn right.”

“Language,” Helen mumbles sleepily. Simon and I both laugh.

Simon discreetly wipes a few tears from his cheek and snuffles unceremoniously. “Now, I should go inform our horde of relatives. You okay if they come in, Helen?”

“Yeah sure. Bring on the horde.”

“Alright,” Simon chuckles. “Be right back.”

I kiss his cheek. “Thank you, love.”

Simon practically skips out the door. I sigh, and sit the chair, my baby still close to my chest. Crowley, my baby. I have a living breathing infant who I’m responsible for. And I already love her more than anything.

“See?” Helen says. “Told you it was better to tell him.”

“Yeah yeah, you were right.”

“Penelope’s got a point. You two really do have trouble communicating.”

“Ha, you think this is bad? You should’ve seen us when we were roommates at school. There were many reason it took us 7 and a half years to confess our feelings. Lack of communication was certainly one of them.”

“Damn. Were you a great love story filled with toils and trials and tragic miscommunications?”

I smirk, flicking my eyes over to her. “Something like that.”

Suddenly, the door bursts open, and the horde pours in. The Bunces and my family, including all my little siblings, rush inside. Penelope is at the front (of course she is), smiling so hard her face hurts.

“Let me see!” She shrieks.

“Shhh!” I hiss. “Helen’s tired and the baby is tentatively sleeping.”

“Sorry sorry. Just let me see her, please?”

I shift the baby slightly, facing her out more. Bunce gasps quietly.

“She’s so cute,” she whispers. “Got Simon’s freckles, huh?”

“Yes, certainly. Hopefully she’s inherited a better sense of humour though.”

“Hey!” Simon snaps from beside me.

I press my lips to his cheek “Love you, darling.”

He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, love you too. Now go talk to your dad.”

With some very short mental preparation, I stand up and stride over to my father, who’s standing with my step-mother and siblings. He looks stern, wearing a crisp black suit with his hair slicked back, but that’s usual. For once, I do wonder what he’s thinking.

“Father,” I say.

“Basil,” he replies, voice flat.

I shift my bundled baby towards him. “This is your first grandchild.”

“Yes, I can see that.”

“Would you like to hold her?”

His bored mask breaks a little. In a very rare instance, he looks nervous. Our relationship has certainly improved over the years but it’s far from perfect. We still tend to tiptoe around each other a lot, afraid we’ll do the wrong thing.

I hold the baby out further. “It’s alright. You’ve had five children, I don’t think you’ll drop her or something.”

He scoffs out a small laugh. “Alright, let’s see her.”

I pass my daughter over to him. He holds her carefully. I know that my father is precise and cautious, but that’s usually in regards to schemes or magic. But now I see it applied to my child, and it’s much less menacing. My siblings peer over, smiling and giggling over the baby.

Daphne walks up next to me, placing a hand on my arm. “Congratulations, Basilton.”

“Thank you, Daphne.”

Suddenly, Mordelia crashes into me. Even as an official adult, she’s still boisterous as anything. And after years in America, she talks like them, unfortunately. “Yeah, congrats, broseph. Try to be nice to her, okay?”

I elbow her side. “Fu- Screw off, Mordelia. I’m plenty nice.”

“Liar.” She peers over at the baby, tickling her little cheek. “Does this little munchkin have a name yet?”

I turn my head to look at Simon, who’s talking with Bunce quietly near a snoring Helen. I raise an eyebrow, silently asking the question. We picked names for a boy or a girl a while ago, but kept them both secret, despite Bunce and others pestering us. Simon nods with a smile. I turn back to my father.

“Her name’s Natasha,” I say loud enough for all to hear. “Natasha Penelope Snow-Pitch.”

Everyone goes dead silent. Father inhales sharply, probably in shock and happiness. Micah, standing with Gil a bit farther away, goes slack jawed. Gil laughs loudly.

“That’s Mamá’s name!” He shouts.

I turn around. Bunce is frozen where she stands, brown eyes as big as saucer plates behind her glasses. When she speaks, her voice is nervously cracking.

“S-Seriously?”

“Yeah, Pen, seriously,” Simon says, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “You’re my best friend. I’d probably be dead by now if it wasn’t for you. So when Baz suggested I pick a middle name for a girl, it was sort of a no-brainer.”

Bunce opens her mouth to speak, but I think for once in her life, she doesn’t have anything to say. Instead she just hugs him fiercely, burying her face in his shirt. Simon chuckles and hugs her back. It’s the second most adorable thing I’ve seen today (my baby takes first place, of course.) When she pulls back, there are tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Areseholes,” she sputters. “This was all some ploy to make me blubber in front of everyone, right? You bastards.”

Simon laughs with his head thrown back and everyone joins in, including Bunce herself. Snow presses her to him in a side hug. “Seriously, though. It’s a big honour. Thank you,” she looks at me, “both of you.”

I nod once. “You’re most welcome, Bunce.”

“Welcome, Penny.”

A hand claps over my shoulder, arm snaking around them. I turn to my father. He’s smiling, more genuinely than I’ve ever seen him do so in my entire life.

“Your mother would be very honoured as well, Baz. And incredibly happy for you,” he says with actual real affection.

My heart stutters. For years, I’ve been scared of what my mother would think of me. Her gay, vampire son. But that sentiment, from my father of all people, makes me feel a whole lot better. My lips press together, trying to will back tears. I’ve been dangerously close to crying for awhile now and this isn’t helping. I feel a few tears leak out, but quickly wipe them away. I have a reputation to maintain, dammit.

“Thank you, father,” I reply, voice cracking slightly.

He nods once. I feel a tug on my trouser leg and look down to see Gil, sucking in his thumb. “I see baby, uncle Baz?”

“Of course, Gil. C’mere.”

I lift him up in my arms. He peers over at Natasha in my father’s arms, eyebrows pulling in and mouth turning into a frown.

“She’s so...” he says. “Squishy.”

All the adults chuckle. “Yes, she’s very squishy looking.”

“Papá, was I squishy?”

“Yes, mijo,” Micah says, ruffling his hair. “You were just as squishy.”

He sticks his tongue out. “Gross!”

Everyone laughs again. Gil stays on my hip for a bit, zooming his toy car up and down my shoulder, while we all chat. Natasha gets passed to other people, but I always keep an eye on her. Daphne coos over her happily with Mordelia and the twins. Even my usually Grimm-family-level-solemn little brother smiles. Eventually she makes her way into Penelope’s arms. She, Snow, and a newly awake Helen look over her, giggling at her every little movement. I sigh under my breath. Part of me can’t believe this is happening to me. All my family is here, including my child. My own living, breathing, perfect child. Aleister Crowley, I’m living a charmed life.

After about a few hours, we’re all quite tired, Helen especially, who’s been falling in and out of sleep. The nurse says, barring any complications, she can go home tonight. (She’s going to stay with her sister, who she wants to take care of her post-pregnancy.) We shuffle everyone out so she can get some rest. Daphne gives me one last cheek kiss, Father and Micah shake my hand, Mordelia says goodbye with a fist bump, Gil hugs my leg, and Penelope reluctantly gives me back my own baby.

“Am I going to have to worry about you kidnapping her?” I ask with a playful smirk.

“Hey, you just might,” she replies with a nudge. “She’s absolutely precious. If you ever need a babysitter, I’d be happy to help.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“Of course.” She gives me one more hug, careful not to crush Natasha between us. “Congrats again, Baz. I’m really happy for you two.”

“Thank you, Penelope.”

She pulls back, patting my arms once. “Try to get some sleep tonight. You’re not going to get a lot for awhile.”

“Wonderful...”

“Welcome to parenthood, Basil. Have fun!”

She walks off with final swish in her step. I roll my eyes. Of course, smug as usual. Should I expect anything else at this point? I go back in and pull up my chair next to Snow. He’s lounging with his eyes shut, a sleepy smile playing on his face. I lean my head on his soft shoulder.

“Hey,” I whisper.

“Hey,” he replies. “How’s she doing?”

“Still sleeping, thank Merlin. Hopefully she’s not a restless baby.”

“Knowing our luck? She’ll be up all hours of the night.”

I let out a scoffing chuckle. “Very true. She is cute though.”

Simon hums, playing with her little black hairs. “Incredibly so.” He sighs happily. “She’s perfect.”

“M-hm.” My mouth twists slightly. “I hope I don’t mess her up.”

“Hey, remember what you told me? Back when we started this craziness?” He puts his strong arm around me, pulling me closer. “‘We’ll both fuck up. No parent is perfect. But we’ll try our best. And I know your best will be fucking amazing.’”

I chuckle. “Yes yes, I remember, I said it.”

“Well, I know you’re best will be fucking amazing too.”

I lean into him more, holding Natasha between us. She breathes very quietly but I can hear her (yay vampire senses). Every inhale and exhale makes me happy and relieved, because it reassures me that she’s alive and well. “Thank you, love.”

He carefully takes Natasha from me. “You look tired. Sleep for a bit. I’ll take care of Natty for now.”

“We’re not calling her that,” I mumble before turning over in my chair. Simon chuckles. Quickly, I’m whisked away into into welcome sleep.

Even more hours later, after tests and talking to doctors and getting our stuff together, we’re allowed to take Natasha home. Helen still dozes on and off in our car. She says she wants to sleep for a thousand years. As we let her off at her sister’s house, we promise to call and visit her in a few days. She tiredly agrees, and we thank her for the millionth time before shutting the door gently behind her.

When we arrive at our own home, it’s very dark. Natasha hasn’t woken up, thank Merlin and Morgana. I drop all our heavy baby bags with a sigh.

“Home sweet home,” I say happily.

“Wonderful,” Simon sighs. “I need real sleep. In pyjamas. In our bed.”

“Me too.” I take his hand in mine and lead us to our room. In there, Snow lays Natasha in her little green bassinet that we had ready. She stretches and yawns, smacking her tiny lips. I spend an inordinate time just staring her. Even though that’s what I’ve been doing all day. Maybe I’m still absorbing it all. Will I ever get used to this? Having a child in my house, in my life? I think so. But right now, I can’t help but stare at her.

“Baz,” Simon whispers. “C’mon, you’re tired. You can look at her tomorrow.”

I lopsidedly, half my mouth pulling up. “Yeah, I guess I can.”

We get changed as quickly and quietly as possible. (Just because Natasha hasn’t woken up yet doesn’t mean she won’t very soon.) Silently, we slip under the covers. I pull Simon against me, my body curled around his. He holds my hand tightly over his heart. Our fingers slip together easily like they always do.

Simon sighs. “Today has been...”

“A day ,” I finish.

He chuckles, back rattling against my chest. “That’s one way to put it.”

“I’m excited though.”

“Me too.” He turns in my arms to face me. His beautiful face is half lit up in moonlight, accentuating his freckles and making his bronze hair glow. He traces a finger down my cheekbone, then cups my face softly. He smiles, blue eyes almost sparkling. “We can do this. We’ve faced a lot worse. So we can certainly do this.”

I put my hand hand over his, nodding slowly. “Yes, we can. Together.”

“Together.”

He shuffles forward, pressing his face into my shoulder. I rub slow circles into his back and run my fingers through his hair.

��I love you,” I whisper against his scalp.

“I love you too,” he replies, voice muffled by my shirt.

I let my eyes slide shut. The exhausting excitement of the day makes my bones and muscles soft. Sleep is a welcome guest in my body. My husband is snoring softly into my skin, my daughter is right behind me. Everything is okay. Better than that, everything is great. I can sleep.

Then Natasha starts crying.

She lets out a loud piercing wail that tears through my sleepy calm. Simon groans and starts disentangling himself from me.

“No no,” I mutter. “I’ll get her.”

He makes tired sound of gratitude and rolls onto his other side. I swing my legs off the mattress, hanging my head for a second to get my composure, then scoop up my screaming child. I pat her back lightly, bouncing her up and down the hall.

“There there, little puff,” I say softly. “It’s alright, I’m here. Everything’s alright. Don’t worry, love, I’m not going anywhere.”

AN: Baby's here! And in my mind, of course her name would be Natasha, and with the middle name Penelope. I've used this name in my other fics too because I feel it works really well. Penny would certainly blubber :) Also the final situation is based on exactly what happened to my parents the day they brought me home. I was a loud baby. Even as an infant I liked to scream all the time. Now I scream about fandom stuff instead of food (still sometimes about food, tbh.) Tomorrow: snowy day!

#carry on countdown #coc 2017 #carry on #snowbaz #simon snow #baz pitch #penelope bunce #micah #malcolm grimm #daphne grimm #mordelia grimm #fluff #children #mysnowbazfic

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entergamingxp · 4 years

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Zombie Army 4: Dead War Review — Sharknado: Zombie Edition

February 3, 2020 11:00 AM EST

Zombie Army 4: Dead War is the most refined entry in the series so far and offers hours upon hours of zombie-killing content for your enjoyment.

From Resident Evil to the upcoming The Last of Us Part II, zombies have been featured in video games for as long as I can remember. It’s a tried-and-true formula that just works. I think the zombies and video games relationship can be best summed up by paraphrasing Forrest Gump; they belong together like peas and carrots. However, it was Treyarch’s hidden mode from Call of Duty: World at War that made Nazi zombies all the rage. The merging of the two evils inspired the creators of Sniper Elite to feature Nazi zombies in the game’s expansions which ended up being so popular with fans, it went on to spawn its own franchise. Now, the fourth entry in the series, Rebellion’s Zombie Army 4: Dead War, will be releasing shortly on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

At the end of the Zombie Army Trilogy, Hitler was defeated and sent to Hell. It’s now one year later and Hitler’s dead army still roams the earth leaving a path of death and destruction in their wake. In Zombie Army 4: Dead War your task is to defeat this leaderless army of zombies before they can revive their supreme evil leader Adolf Hitler and wipe out humanity in the ultimate zombie apocalypse. The all-new campaign starts in Italy and ends in Hell as you encounter the most grotesque enemies ever seen in the series such as zombie tanks and sharks.

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“Rebellion, who both developed and published Zombie Army 4: Dead War, has improved upon the gunplay quite a bit.”

There are four characters to play as and as you level up, you can customize and upgrade them to match your gameplay style. This includes up to five perk slots that boost your offensive and defensive tactics along with a special category that provides things like the ability to carry more ammo for weapon types. You need to level up to unlock these slots with the fifth and final one unlocking at level 35. Your character can also get a special melee attack that ranges from giving you a small amount of health to an incendiary axe throw.

Rebellion, who both developed and published Zombie Army 4: Dead War, has improved upon the gunplay quite a bit. The game also still includes the oh-so-satisfying X-Ray Kill Cam made famous in the Sniper Elite series. If you are unfamiliar with the X-Ray Kill Cam, it slows up time so you can watch the bullets shatter brains, organs, and bones. If you have played any third or first-person shooters before, controls and gameplay will feel familiar and easy to master.

Zombie Army 4’s arsenal includes a handful of rifles, assault rifles, shotguns, and pistols that are typical and standard in most WWII shooters such as the MP44 and the Gewehr 43. Making them unique is the fact that they are upgradeable with a variety of cool perks that will enhance your bullets with lightning or Vampir scopes that return a small amount of health on successful critical hits.

Zombie Army 4: Dead War’s campaign can be played solo or with up to three others in co-op. Unfortunately, I couldn’t test out co-op too extensively in this pre-release form. Since I prefer playing campaigns first on my own before joining others anyway, this didn’t really concern me, although it’s easy to see that the game is designed with cooperative play in mind.

I also tested out the new and improved Horde mode and while it’s not impossible to play on your own, it’s definitely not easy taking on progressively more difficult and numerous waves of zombies. Even in my failure, I still had fun with Horde mode but I’m looking forward to being able to play with more friends once the game releases.

There’s a whole lot more to Zombie Army 4 than just killing zombies. There are objectives and obstacles to conquer which provide a little more depth and polish to the overall experience. Traveling down the canals of Venice in a boat, you will have to stop and refuel with the fuel being scattered throughout the level. Once you find the tanks of fuel, you must make your way back to the boat amidst zombie chaos and only the use of your pistol. For those of you treasure hunters, each chapter includes several collectibles to be had including weapon upgrade kits which you don’t want to miss. Of course, the real reason we are here is to kill zombies, and the game does a good job of not getting repetitive by offering several varieties of zombies to blow away. Half of the battle becomes learning the weaknesses of each type so you can quickly eliminate them.

The graphics and art direction of Zombie Army 4 bring lifelike realism to the various zombie forms as well as depict some of Italy’s notable landmarks in a ruined but still lovely state. The sound crew at Rebellion have added to the intensity of the zombie attacks with a perfect mix of sound effects and zombie cries. The scream of a Suicider will become all too familiar as you frantically seek the direction it’s coming from before it’s too late and self destructs in front of you. I was reminded of the Clickers from The Last of Us and how the sound of them haunted my dreams long after I finished the game.

Zombie Army 4: Dead War poses a challenge in its punishing gameplay that feels mostly balanced, with the exception of the lack of health. I’m currently at level 43 in the game and only a very small portion of my health bar regenerates. In order to regenerate to full health, you need a medkit. You can carry one extra medkit with you, but given the length and difficulty of some chapters, sometimes one alone is not enough. Ammunition is scattered around the levels very generously, so you rarely run out of bullets, but I almost never found medkits. After each level, you are sent to a safe house where you can re-supply and often that was the only time I would see them. I’m not saying I didn’t come across the random medkit here and there, but it was an extremely rare occurrence. I even tested all three difficulties to see if they spawned more frequently on Easy, Medium, or Hard and the result was always the same.

“Zombie Army 4 offers a cohesive and fun experience that doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

Another pitfall of playing games prior to release is that often I’m playing it before it has been fully optimized with the day one patch. That was, unfortunately, the case with Zombie Army 4: Dead War at times. The worst error which took place for me was during the Death Canal mission where I was prompted to pull a lever to lower a bridge but the ability to actually interact with the lever never manifested. For a while, I was stuck here and couldn’t progress. Since it was fairly early in the game, I started over from the beginning and was able to finally move along. There were other similar incidents throughout the game, but nothing as severe as this. Typically, restarting the most recent checkpoint fixed most of my other problems.

Another odd issue I experienced had to do with beating the final boss. Upon defeating this baddie, the game immediately went straight to the main menu, with no story wrap up, cutscenes, or anything. The only way I knew the game was over, was because the achievement for finishing the game popped. Replaying the last chapter properly ended the game for me and I was able to see how things actually wrapped up. Fortunately, these problems I had shouldn’t be an issue for you as Rebellion has sent out the contents of a day one patch that should fix these and a few other minor bugs that are currently plaguing Zombie Army 4.

Unlike the direction the Zombies mode from Call of Duty has taken in the past few iterations, Zombie Army 4 offers a cohesive and fun experience that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s engaging from start to finish and with its weekly challenges, the arcade-like setup of the chapters and leaderboards, and with Horde Mode, there’s a bunch of replay value here. Zombie Army 4: Dead War has finally broken free of its Sniper Elite shackles and will hopefully give rise to a lasting franchise of smiting out Nazi zombies.

February 3, 2020 11:00 AM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/02/zombie-army-4-dead-war-review-sharknado-zombie-edition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=zombie-army-4-dead-war-review-sharknado-zombie-edition

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