#black desert online life skills

[thenewtz]

He's my #1 Shai guy

[elektronique237]

Black Desert is an open world sandbox combat MMORPG, with a huge focus on life skills, action combat and end game grinding. With great character customization options. The character I choose is my favorite one 'The Sorceress' Enjoy this Let's Play! Black Desert Online - Gameplay (PC) [1080HP30FPS] Thanks for watching and Have a beautiful day! 🔴 Live on Twitch:   / elektronique_ 

[carpe-noctemseries]

Meet the Author

Hi, it occurred to me that I really should do one of these so y’all can get to know me a little better! Feel free to skip, but this one is a ride!

My name is Sam, he/him, and I’m a 28 year old trans man from the Nevada desert. I’m mixed race being half Filipino (my Dad immigrated to the US back in....like... I wanna say like ‘82?) and half Black, though I wasn’t really raised with either of my cultures so I’m learning more about both sides as I get older.

I’ve been writing since I was smol, originally because my adopted Grandfather (on my mom’s side) was a storyteller himself and I admired the way he could just.... spin an entire story at a moment’s notice. Coolest thing in the world to baby Sam. When he passed (can’t remember how old I was, but I was lil) I promised I’d keep telling stories the way he did to help keep his memory alive for me. He was the only member of my family I was genuinely close to, and being able to have a way of connecting with him was everything at the time.

All of my skills are self taught (I honestly cannot learn from other people without frustrating both sides, neurodivergents you feel me, right?) for that reason and primarily because I’m from a very poor family and I don’t have the means to reach out to higher learning even if I thought it might work for me. That includes any artwork I produce, any acting I do, any music I create, any writing I’ve made. All of it. I’ve spent a lot of time alone and it helped me keep my sanity to allocate that time to learning skills instead of chewing on the walls of my mental health.

I started writing the series I’m currently creating when I was in 6th grade. Yeah, it’s been that long. The first iteration of Carpe Noctem was actually called Eternal Knight and it featured Frost as the main character rather than Xinghua, but as I was in 6th grade it was a bit of a mess. There are a lot of things I’ve changed since then, but also a lot of Easter Eggs left in from that time. It’s grown a lot since then and I cannot state to you how much it means to me that I’ve gotten to the publication stage with it. I’ve been incredibly unlucky though life and due to one thing or another (My mother pawning my computer, or the computer just dying, having to move and losing the physical copy in the process) I’ve had to rewrite this story in it’s entirety four separate times.

It’s a labor of love but also probably a bit of a coping technique as, like I mentioned, I am incredibly unlucky. I’ve spent quite a lot of time homeless, and was so when I was working on making my publishing company and publishing the book earlier this year. My traditional publication attempts have been abysmal at best, and given the climate of the industry these days, I thought it would be better and ultimately easier to self-produce. Which is debatable, but it does put me in the driver’s seat of this whole thing. So if you’re looking to support an independent creator, know that there’s currently just me working on this story and I could really really use any support you’re able to give, even if that’s just chatting with someone about this crazy vampire novel you heard of online.

If I’m honest this story represents hope for me, the fierce, unfuckable belief that for as bad as things ever get, at the very least I can make something I consider beautiful and worthwhile. Something that might be able to let someone else escape whatever they’re going through for a while the same way it’s done for me. Above all, I think I write with that hope in mind.

Honestly most of my personal story is sad but at this point I think we’re all on that level. So suffice it to say, despite life throwing hands with me on sight, I’m a stubborn little dude with a lot of drive to make engaging and creative stories even if they never go anywhere.

I would say I’ve been inspired by works like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Underworld, Twilight, and The Vampire Diaries, but what I really mean by that is I constantly see work that’s just on the cusp of being really good that I end up frustrated by their failings (I’m sure you all relate to that) and then go write a story that subverts all of those issues. I was inspired by the MCU in the same way, but you’ll have to stick around to see what I mean by that.

Overall, I’m just a stressed out little guy doing his best to tell silly stories that let people have some fun and maybe cry a little tiny bit. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[tristancumbria2024]

Black Desert Online review 

Black Desert Online also referred to as BDO is a sandbox oriented fantasy massively multiplayer online role playing game. It was released in Korea in July 2015 and released in Europe and America on the third of March 2016. 

I’ve been playing BDO for a few years, Early game progression is really quick compared to other games and with how they’ve done their combat system it’s really fun to grind your way through the levelling process. There’s plenty of choice when it comes to what class you want to play all with their own style for combat. Late game starts once you hit level 58 in my option and the progression seems to really slow down but there’s a wide range of content for you to try out and explore. The two main paths for late game progression is combat which can be both PvP and PvE or you can go down the route of life skilling which opens the world up for you to farm, hunt, craft items and a few more things for you to do. Now the reason why I say the levelling in the late game can be slow is because your way of progressing is updating or gear in an RNG gambling system which means if your upgrade fails you have to start again trying to get all the required for the upgrade as well as the risk of the item degrading or being destroyed all together which considering how long it takes to get the items for these upgrades it can feel like a massive slap in the face. 

In summary I do enjoy playing BDO but it is a game you need to invest a lot of time and patience in to too enjoy it. But with all that time and patience the game’s world is massive and the visuals are beautiful and if you start feeling bored there’s plenty of content in the game to freshen the experience for you. 

3.5/5 

[rockislandadultreads]

2023 Barry Awards Winners

These books were voted on by readers of the online mystery magazine, Deadly Pleasures!

Best Mystery/Crime Novel: Desert Star by Michael Connelly

A year has passed since LAPD detective Renée Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralization, and endless red tape. Yet, after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving “the Late Show” to rebuild the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division.

For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him but that he hasn’t been able to crack—the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free. Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come work with her as a volunteer investigator in the new Open-Unsolved Unit, and he can pursue his “white whale” with the resources of the LAPD behind him. The two must put aside old resentments to work together again and close in on a dangerous killer

Best Debut Mystery/Crime Novel: The Maid by Nita Prose

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.

Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?

Best Thriller: Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.

When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death.

Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They're about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman--and a killer--of a certain age.

[blackdesert000]

Mastering Black Desert Online: Tips to Level Up Your Gameplay

Are you an avid player of Black Desert Online (BDO), seeking ways to refine your skills and elevate your gaming experience? Look no further! In this article, we'll explore tried-and-true strategies to help you master the intricacies of this immersive MMORPG. From character progression to economic savvy, we've got you covered.

Choose the Right Class for You

Black Desert Online offers a plethora of classes, each with unique abilities and playstyles. It's essential to select a class that resonates with your preferences and gaming style. Experiment with different classes and don't be afraid to start anew if your current choice isn't fulfilling.

Familiarize Yourself with the Game Interface

BDO's interface can be intimidating, but taking the time to understand its various elements will help you optimize your gameplay. Explore the game's settings, adjust the UI to your liking, and learn the keybindings to streamline your in-game actions.

Grasp the Importance of Contribution Points (CP) and Energy

Contribution Points and Energy are crucial resources in BDO, enabling you to unlock nodes, invest in properties, and engage in crafting. Completing quests and discovering new locations will reward you with CP, while Energy is replenished over time. Allocate these resources wisely to maximize your benefits.

Develop Your Life Skills

Life Skills play a vital role in BDO's economy. They allow you to gather, process, and craft various items. Investing time in these activities can bring substantial profits and enable you to upgrade your gear more easily.

Join a Guild and Connect with Fellow Players

A sense of community is an integral part of MMORPGs. Joining a guild and participating in group activities can provide valuable insights, assistance, and camaraderie. Collaborate with other players to tackle challenging content or simply to share your BDO experiences.

Take Advantage of Events and Seasonal Servers

Participating in in-game events and seasonal servers can offer numerous rewards, such as unique items, experience boosts, and silver. These incentives can jumpstart your progression and enhance your gameplay experience.

Master Your Combat Skills

BDO is renowned for its fluid and dynamic combat system. Learn your class's combos and adapt your tactics based on your opponents. Don't shy away from Player vs. Player (PvP) encounters, as they can be a valuable learning opportunity.

Manage Your Inventory and Central Market

Efficient inventory management and mastering the Central Market are vital aspects of BDO. Sell unneeded items, invest in storage, and utilize the Central Market to maximize your profits.

By incorporating these tips into your Black Desert Online journey, you'll be well on your way to mastering the game. Remember, practice makes perfect, and perseverance is key. Happy adventuring!

Unlock the true potential of Black Desert Online and become the ultimate adventurer with our exclusive black desert online cheats - click on our website to explore more!

[bisrsrch]

While numerous categories of online games are available, games of skill are defined as online games in which the outcome of the game is determined either fully or partially by the skill of the player in the form of dexterity, logic abilities, knowledge or strategic thinking. This definition has legal implications as real money games of chance or luck are illegal in several jurisdictions while games of skill are not. Following the definition, games such as fantasy sports, eSports, strategy games, brain games, word games and trivia games where players compete against each other, fall under the category of skill based games.

The digital gaming boom has led to the expansion of the industry far beyond its traditional ecosystem of developers, publishers and operators, and inculcates a host of players from adjoining verticals such as media firms, investment firms, event organizers and advertising agencies. Although, as the competition in the market intensifies, it is becoming increasingly difficult for developers to generate brand loyalty and sustain a revenue generating consumer base despite the integration of gaming platforms with social media that has made it easier than ever for players to recommend games to other prospective players.  

Get the Sample Report at: https://bisresearch.com/requestsample?id=307&type=download

[pink1027]

I was telling my friends about why I like Black Desert so much and I was like “It’s a nice game to vibe with. I take my sailboat out to go fishing, then I come home and I brew some tea, do some cooking, and tend to my garden.”

Their immediate response? “We’re old.”

[mokeechu]

i missed this girl <3

[princessprefers]

this is awfully heavy...

[satellite-runner]

The significance of the color red (the venom siblings)

[Tw's: Canon typical violence, misgendering, child neglect? I physically couldn't bare looking at this thing any longer and it's already been like a month since I said I'd post it. I didn't even finish it but I figured I'd just post what I have. Sorry that if its formated badly and the grammar/punctuation is off, i only have my phone to write and post on. Ive also never posted fanfiction online before so theres that to]

Everyone knows the venom siblings both include red as part of their primary colors.

What most don’t know is why they do.

Party Poison had striking red hair and matching makeup on their neck. The hair was done first, long before the iconic red splatter over their jugular. Poison doesn’t like to think of themselves as an attention seeker, more like they drew attention. they couldn’t control it, eyes constantly on them whether they liked it or not; especially in their first few years in the zones, it caused a lot of trouble. They needed to fly under the radar. Fresh out of the city, barely fighting off Dracs coupled with the desert heat and starvation, they couldn’t afford to be the one flame moths were drawn to. For a long time, they thought they were cursed. It caused them unimaginable grief. Getting them in rumbles and duels before they even knew how to shoot proper but somehow surviving.

They knew when they were just Juvie Halls, Kobra had a psychology book on the effects different colors had on the mind. Poison wasn’t all that interested in reading but Kobra was. He loved books, once he got his hands on any book of any genre, he wouldn’t put it down until he finished. The psychology book being one of the first few non-city regulation books the young boy had, he spoke about it a lot. It was clear Kobra liked the color red the most, he talked about it constantly and mostly its effects. Red meant plenty of things: love, anger, passion, hatred, desire, strength, anxiety, help and danger. One thing that struck the siblings about the color was that it was always loud. It screamed in need of attention, it was yelling to everyone, “Look at me! Look at me!”

Once they landed a semi-permanent home with Dr. D, Cherri Cola, and Show Pony, Poison  found themselves bored. They’d spend only Witch knows how long looking at their appearance, the urge to change becoming insatiable. They felt too city-like. It was clear they were green, with a city accent and no proper sense of zone fashion, plain brown hair and no tattoos or piercings. They were painfully plain. They couldn’t stand it, seeing themselves in any kind of reflective surface, it made them sick (they later learned that was also related to their gender dysphoria but lets smooth over that for now). So for the next supply run, they asked Pony to find them some bleach and red hair dye. They felt a bit dirty, stealing Kobra's favorite color right out from under him, but he reassured them that it was okay. Despite turning to Pony about their problem with their appearance, they couldn't stand having the person to also help with the dyeing process. So they got Kobra to do it, under Pony’s careful instructions. After all that, their hair was shaggy and their scalp burnt– but their hair was firetruck red. They couldn't find Kobra any gloves to wear so his hands were just as red, the color staining both of their souls permanently. Poison spent so long staring at themselves in their shitty, broken mirror, transfixed by the fact that the color felt so much like them. Eventually, Kobra had to drag them out of the bathroom, making Poison realize that the matching stain on Kobra’s skin made red feel like the both of them.

The vibrant color felt fitting, their outward appearance finally matched with their skill to draw attention. Now it was them that visibly screamed, “Look at me! Look at me! I'm rebelling!” Of course, the dyed hair took away any chance they had to live life peacefully as a neutral. the vibrancy went so far against Bli’s black and white that it was a death sentence. They weren’t bothered about it though, they wouldn’t have been able to live with themselves if they complied with Bli’s rules out in the desert instead of inside their walls, they needed to rebel.

Dyed hair was symbolic no matter where you lived, even just highlights would get you re-educated inside the city. In neutral towns, you could get away with a blonde streak or two but color was still a large no-no. But with killjoys? Neon was the norm. Dyed hair, bright clothes, painted vehicles, painted guns, graffiti. You couldn't step into killjoy territory without seeing so many colors your head would hurt. Once again color screams, and it screamed, “Look at me! Look at me! I'm not alone! We are rebelling! We made these dyes and paint! We are rebelling!”

The red stain of Poison’s hair dye on Kobra's hands was not the first piece of red symbolism he took on. He’d taken a shine to the color early on, finding its brightness captivating. 

He knew Poison was always the center of attention; always catching eyes and turning heads, always being sought out for advice and reassurance. People looked up to Poison, but overlooked Kobra. He was mostly okay with this, seeing just how crushing the weight of the attention Poison received could be. But sometimes, he just wished to be the one they looked at. He was skilled and smart too! Just because he was younger didn’t mean he was useless! 

When they got into the zones, Kobra was just a boy. He was barely ten and still unsure of his own pronouns, letting people call him a girl, never speaking up about the horrible churning pain it stirred in his chest. He could ignore it if he distracted himself enough, if he used everyone's lack of attention on him to his advantage. 

They hopped from crew to crew often, no one was willing to take in two kids so young and unwieldy. Poison was loud, clumsy and angry. Kobra was virtually mute, standoffish and suffocating to be around. It left all the attention to Poison, like always. By the third or fourth crew they passed through, Kobra had the perfect system for swiping things from them. Poison would inevitably do something that needed everyone’s undivided attention and no one would notice the little girl slipping his tiny hands in their pockets or bags, rifling through and stealing anything with a significant amount of red on it. Poison knew Kobra did this but could never find a reason to force him to stop. He didn’t take anything important and most of the time, the crew wouldn’t even notice anything was missing until after the siblings were already gone. they never suspected the innocent little girl and Poison was just too boisterous to steal anything without immediately giving themselves up.

A few years later, the siblings stumbled upon the radio shack. After a few weeks of observation, it was impossible for Dr. D to not notice the boy's obsession with the color. There were a lot of things that were impossible to miss about the boy, actually. He was almost always non-verbal for one and he was scary smart for a kid his age. He was standoffish and shy, not telling anyone much about himself other than the fact he was not a girl (which was more so said through Poison but Dr. D liked to count it anyway) but he was also polite, thoughtful and scared. The poor boy was terrified. It took Doc a few weeks and a lot of gentle prodding to learn he was so scared because they’ve never stayed in one place for so long.

It wasn’t surprising, it wasn't shocking, instead it was sad. The kid was well into his teens at fourteen years of age and never settled into one spot for more than two months, hell, the boy knew every zone like the back of his hand simply because he had lived in every inch of sand the desert had to offer. Neither of the siblings ever had a home or a crew to call their own. It was then and there Doc decided he’d do anything he could for the siblings, care for them until they found their own crew, spend every last carbon he had on them for them to realize that they were worth it, until they understood he wanted to keep them around.

It was a no-brainer to look for red clothing the next supply run he went on.

He was beyond delighted when he found two (mostly) red jackets that seemed right up Kobra's alley. He picked up a few zonemade sketchbooks and pens at Tommy Chow Meins for Poison, so it didn't look like he favored Kobra over them. 

When he got back to the radio shack, Kobra and Poison were on the floor. Poison was laying on their back talking animatedly to Kobra as he sat about a foot away, listening. Kobra was very good at listening, especially when it was Poison talking.

"You two! C'mere!" He gestured towards the siblings, waving them over to where he stood in the middle of the room. The pair got up excitedly (well, Kobra looked more confused than excited) after seeing Doc holding something behind his back, out of their view. 

He'd found two red gift bags to package the presents in, figuring the color suited the both of them just fine. He found both of them rocked on the balls of their feet when waiting. 

"I got you two some gifts!" he grinned, pulling the bags from behind his back, presenting them to the siblings.

The young 'joys looked at him apprehensively, with Kobra even taking a half step back. It took a few words of reassurance for them to take the bags let alone open them at all.

Poison reacted first, gasping when they pulled out the twine tied pack of pens and a few handmade sketchbooks. They practically squealed, tackling Doc into a hug that he happily returned. He was so distracted by the older venom sibling that he didn't notice Kobra putting on the lighter weighted jacket of the two.

The jacket was too big, engulfing the boy’s body. It was a windbreaker. Zipping up to the chin, the sleeves and lower half a faded red with an upper panel of mustard yellow that started at the chest and went up to the chin. Truly Dr D didn't know the boy's sensory issues with clothing, so  he'd gone over the common things like no tags or feelable threads or seams. Past that, he had no clue if Kobra liked the fabric, the zipper or the noise it made when moving. He'd just hoped he could find someone who liked the jackets if Kobra didn't.

Kobra twisted and turned in the jacket, getting a sense of what it was like. The zip going all the way up to his jaw was weird, though not a feeling he couldn't get used to. It was baggy, an adult jacket was indeed unfit for a malnourished teen. But he adored the colors, the yellow matched with his bleached hair perfectly, the red just a few shades lighter than Poison’s ‘in your face’ red. The sleeves and waist were cuffed with fabric that was softened with time, making him feel secure in the article of clothing. 

He felt like lightning had been shot through him, coming out in the flapping of his hands and the chewing of his bottom lip. The jacket concealed his horribly feminine figure, the colors were eye-catching but not overwhelming. Instead, he got the immense feeling to never take the jacket off, it felt like the missing piece of the puzzle he was looking for. It was staggering. 

Doc looked back to the younger sibling, finding him to be stimming up a storm. The jacket suited him surprisingly well, the faded hues blending well with his hair and skin tone. Doc could easily see the boy growing into the jacket and have it become an easy part of his iconic killjoy outfit.

It took a lot of convincing for Kobra to try on the other jacket. This jacket was all red and much heavier, thicker, stuffier and once again far too large. 

Doc hummed in thought, looking over the 'joy.

"It's a motorbike jacket, we gotta get you a bike to go with it," he said casually. In passing just to wipe the confusion of both the siblings' faces. They all still understood it as a promise, they would get him a bike to go with it.

Dr D watched with pride as Kobra took to the first jacket immediately, wearing it every day he could. A year or two later, after they'd found him a sketchy city surgeon to give him top surgery and supply him with HRT, Kobra reinstated his love for the jacket as he filled it out with some muscle. The jacket no longer swamped him and hid his figure, the tighter fit brought him a constant sense of confidence and security. 

Kobra's name grew from being unheard of to being whispered in alleyways, his reputation in duels and rumbles turned heads. People started to recognise him by his iconic jacket, bleached hair and sunglasses. People started to know who he was, when walking past a deck o’ cards, it wasn’t only his sibling who was spoken about in admired, hushed words. 

When Kobra and Poison were grown, with two close friends, Doc was sure they'd run off with to start a crew of their own. They celebrated their final zone birthday before Doc had to watch his first two permanent strays leave him behind (it was dramatic, 

 he'd still have Pony living him with and 'joys from all over the zones popping in and out) 

Zone birthdays were important for city borns. Zone birthdays were for the fortunate bats that made it for more than a year in the desert, an anniversary of the day they escaped Bli’s black and white life and making it to the zone's neon. Dr D knew he'd have to make this one a big one, give them the biggest presents he could before they were suddenly gone, not filling the Radio Shack with excited laughter, ramblings, fights and endless creativity. He'd miss those venom kids.

Doc left for a week to secure Kobra’s present, leaving Poison’s present to Pony (he put his trust into them, knowing they always had luck on their side) 

He left Cherri in charge, being the second oldest (which really wasn't that far ahead of the siblings) and slightly more responsible than Pony. Cherri was much more laid back than the Doc, less strict on the rules, basically letting the 'joys do whatever they liked as long as they didn't die or leave any evidence behind to a crime.

That's how the venom siblings ended up drunk on Zonemead, rambling to the poor guy about anything and everything. As it often did, their conversation gradually drifted to the color red and its significance. That piqued Cherri’s interest, because it lit up Kobra’s face (his eyes widened slightly, the biggest facial expression he'd make these days) and his hands curled in the thick fabric of his pants.

The topic stuck, going over psychology, theory and speculation. They came to one conclusion, red was important. It was a stable of not only the desert, killjoys and revaluation, but life in general. Cherri could vividly describe to you the suffocating feeling of being around something larger than you. The feeling that always choked him up after having a long conversation with the venom siblings. 

While Cherri was primarily there to keep everyone alive and well, his job was to also distract them. The presents they were getting weren't exactly easy to conceal as time goes on. 

Doc always got discounts, no matter where he went. He was the only zone-wide radio host, keeping everyone company on their best and worst days. He was every 'joy’s friend, everyone knew his name and radio station number by heart. For many lone wolves, he was the only friend they had. He wasn't shocked when he got to the shop where he ordered Kobra’s custom bike and they immediately docked the price so heavily it cost the same as a box of power pup. It helped that everyone knew who Kobra Kid was. He pretended not to notice the 'joy getting starry eyed at the mention of the boy, for their sake.

Pony was admittedly running late on Poison’s present. They hadn't actually thought about anything to get the red head, just trusting that they'd stumble across something perfect like they always did. It was a day and half after Doc left and they still haven't done much more than hop couches and wander the zones like they always did. The crew they were running with for the day was familiar, a young crew who had been hanging around the radio station every now and again. 

"Pony!" One of them yelled out, a pink haired boy who went by Sandman.

"Yes, darlin'?" They hummed, skating over to where the 'joy had been rummaging through a few dilapidated buildings. Pony hadn't bothered joining, their skates not faring too well through the rubble, they didn't fancy eating concrete that particular day. 

"I think there's something shiny you might like there," he grinned back, sweeping his arm to a rusted garage. Maybe the buildings once belonged to a neutral village, there wasn't enough color for it to point towards it being a killjoy village and the architecture looked plain. 

Pony rolled over to the entrance, leaning over to peak under the roller door that Sandman forcefully pried open moments prior.

What they saw, they'd have never expected to see out in the dregs of zone 5. A car, dusty and half covered with a sheet that Sandman had clearly just moved. It was a nice car, sleek and looked like it was once well looked after. Pony wasn't a motorhead, they couldn't have told you what kind it was but it really was shiny.

"Wow, a Trans am! Haven't seen one of those in real life before!" Another 'joy in the crew whistled, his coily hair bouncing around his head. He ducked under the garage door, marvelling at the vehicle.

The familiar thing in Ponys chest clicked, they knew they'd found the right present. They sent a quick 'thank you' to the deities before ducking under the door themselves. 

Just like that, a few days of work on the car and Doc's tedious journey back with a new bike, they secured both the venom siblings a shiny new vehicle for their fresh start.

Birthday parties always worked the same in the radio shack. It'd be done in the lounge, where there was the most space. They'd wrapped and wheeled Kobras present into the room, and had just wrapped the keys to Poison's car tightly up in a box. The siblings always had a race to open their presents first, the wrapping getting more intricate and difficult over the years. 

The siblings got blindly placed in front of their presents, Jet's hands covering Kobras eyes and Ghoul's covering Poisons.

Both the presents were wrapped wildly, layers of tape, paper, wire, anything they could get their hands on to make the packaging impossible to tear open quickly. The venom siblings always knew how to get through it anyway, finding which string to pull and what wire to rip. 

They were both rocking on the balls of their feet as everyone counted down, excitement thrumming through their veins. 

As soon as Doc yelled 'go!' They were scrambling. Poison threw themselves onto their knees, pulling the little box onto their lap and throwing off the first layer of newspaper. Kobra had immediately wrapped his hands into the first layer, snagging some string underneath. They were both much too busy trying to win the race to think about what their gifts may be, neither even so much as glancing at the other's present. 

The room was full of screaming and cheering, incoherent yells of names and directions. Kobra felt his heart rise into his throat as his fingers met a white sheet. They always used fabric as the final layer between the wrapping and the present, to try ensure no damage was done to the actual gift in the onslaught. He heard poison scream next to him, so he assumed they'd hit the fabric as well. He desperately clawed the fabric away, only to be left utterly speechless despite the overwhelming noise around him.

It was a motorbike. Not a city one either, a real honest to Witch zone made motorbike. It was painted a shiny blood red.

Poison furrowed their brow as they tore open the box, throwing the fabric covering the small item inside. They were faced with a pair of keys. They looked handmade and a bit junky, like most keys were in the zones. It took them a long moment to realize it was a set of car keys. The ribbon holding them together was a faded red. 

[mfaunlv]

Introducing the Incoming Class

PHD/Black Mountain Institute Fellows 

Domonique Conway (Nonfiction)

Dominque Demetrea Conway is a Baltimore-based activist and author who writes non-fiction that embodies her lived experience as a person of African descent in the United States, and a resident of West Baltimore. Born in Evanston, Illinois and raised in the nation’s rustbelt, she is the mother of four adult children. As an activist, Dominque has engaged in work addressing mass incarceration and political imprisonment in the United States. Her work with men in prisons resulted in the creation of Friend of a Friend, a prison-based mentoring program designed to teach critical thinking skills to young prisoners. Dominque has a BA from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont, and received an MFA from Goucher College in Baltimore in May 2021; she will pursue a Ph.D. in English at University of Nevada at Las Vegas beginning in the Fall of 2022. She is the co-author of Marshall Law The Life and Times of a Baltimore Black Panther, the memoir of Black Panther political prisoner, Eddie Conway. Her current project, Far From The Tree is a genealogical memoir examining the impact of racism and trauma on consecutive generations of her family spanning three centuries in America.

Tanya Shirazi (Fiction) 

Shirazi Galvez is from Lynwood, California. She completed her undergraduate studies at UCLA, and received an MS in Counseling Psychology from Mount St. Mary's University and an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. She is Senior Editor at Aster(ix) Journal and is working on her first novel. L.A. based, Las Vegas bound Fall 2022.

Fiction MFA

Alex Schechter

Alex Schechter is a writer and plant lover based in Los Angeles. For the last decade, he has been a professional wanderer, and he has written about his travels in National Geographic, Monocle, The New York Times, and Lonely Planet. His fiction weaves together themes of alienation, fame, the paranormal, and queer desire. He doesn't consider himself a desert person, and yet the desert keeps finding him.

Gurmehar Kaur

Gurmehar Kaur (aka Nupur Sharma) is a Radio and Online Video Broadcaster who has worked in India, the UK, Dubai and more recently the US.Her mantra in life is: Dare to Dream, Dare to Trust and on a happy day even Dare to Sing. Gurmehar’s areas of creative inquiry and work include: Indian / South Asian Literature and Cinema, New Media and Connectivity, Inter Faith Solidarity etc. Friends call her Mehar which is Persian for Affection. 

Delight Ejiaka

Delight Ejiaka is a graduate of Lee University from Cleveland, TN where she studied film production and English Writing. She loves stories and reviews new releases on her Instagram page to the delight of her bookish audience. 

Arel Wiederholt-Kassar 

Arel is from San Francisco. After studying literature at UC Santa Cruz, he worked at 826 Valencia in SF before moving to Barcelona to write and teach. His favorite fiction has long sentences and invented words. He’s excited to move to Las Vegas and get to work.

Kailee Wingo 

Kailee Wingo is a biracial fiction writer born and raised in Shanghai, China. I moved to California after high school to study English, Art, and Chemical Physics. Kailee’s stories are surreal, and they explore repressed personal identity and memory in a dream-like landscape. In his free time, Kailee enjoys playing indie games, painting, wheel throwing, and lampworking marbles and beads.

Poetry MFA

Jo Wallace

Jo Wallace is a poet from Indiana, fresh off earning their B.A. in Creative Writing, Sociology, and Communications from Purdue University. As a first-generation scholar, Jo’s work orbits topics such as poverty, addiction, mental illness, family, and intergenerational trauma, as well as reconciling the experience of these struggles while also existing in a world that somehow still leaves you in a state of constant wonder. 

Leah Mell-Carrington

Leah (she/they) is a genderqueer lesbian poet and translator from Charlotte, NC. She graduated from Davidson College with a BA in English and Russian Language & Literature. At present, she works as a freelance poetry critic for Lunate Journal, an admin at a local community college, and moonlights as her drag alter ego Tallulah Van Dank after sundown. Her artistic obsessions lie in noir, persona, morbidity, and the queer body. Leah is fond of ghosts and the sea.

Madina Tuhbatullina

Madina Tuhbatullina is from Dashoguz, Turkmenistan. She came to the United States to study English and Creative Writing in 2017. Much of her work is about bi-cultural identity and how it affects her relationship with herself and other people. Madina is excited to join UNLV’s creative community and will be glad to teach how to pronounce her last name to anyone interested.

Benjamin Favero 

Benjamin Favero was born in Ogden, Utah where he earned his BA from Weber State University in English—Creative Writing with minors in French and Literary Editing. As new parents, Ben and his wife, Jenae, look forward to warm winters and sweltering summers in Las Vegas with their daughter Halle. On top of writing poetry, fiction and reading whatever he can get his hands on, Ben loves hiking, swimming, and playing basketball.

Non-Fiction MFA 

Meg Bernhard

Meg Bernhard is a freelance writer and reporter from California. Between 2017 and 2020, she lived in Spain and Belgium, where she worked on vineyards and as a stringer for The Los Angeles Times. Her other work has been published in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Guernica, Harper’s, and elsewhere. Her Hazlitt essay “Water or Sky?” about a friend’s drowning and finding meaning through shared grief, was  anthologized in the 2021 Best American Travel Writing edition. She loves desert pavement.

Destiny Pinder-Buckley

Destiny Pinder-Buckley was born and raised (mostly) in South Dakota. She used to hate the place, but after traveling to 34 countries, she’s come to appreciate what the Midwest has to offer. She graduated with a B.A. in English and French and often wonders if she can speak either language correctly. This fall, her personal essay “Pandemic: You Are Here” will be published in an anthology about Sioux Falls, SD by Belt Publishing.

Billy Lezra 

Billy Lezra (they/them) was born and raised in Spain. They earned degrees in creative writing and global humanities from Mills College and are the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Rough Cut Press, a monthly literary journal that publishes emerging and established voices from the LGBTQIA community. Their nonfiction has appeared in The Independent, Huff Post, and elsewhere. They are intrigued and excited to move from the coast to the desert.

Chris Falite

Chris Falite hails from just outside Boston, Massachusetts. His primary focus is literary nonfiction inside the political and social arena, and he’s currently working on “a memoir of sorts.” His first book, To Whom It May Concern (an utterly warped and anxious odyssey into the psyche of American Democracy) documents his adventures as a freelance photographer during the 2020 Democratic Primary, the Coronavirus Pandemic, and the George Floyd protests. Separately, Chris enjoys doing everything and doing nothing, as long as it’s worth it. An East Coast soul through and through, he’s excited to explore the West.

[secret-treasury]

The Marauders Video Game Headcannons

Author’s note: I haven’t seen any headcannons of The Marauders playing Video Games so i created them myself. lol. I’m a gamer so i might have gotten a bit over the top. enjoy~

warnings: Screw the timeline!, personal opinion, meantion of death,

spoiler warning for Brothers: a Tale of Two Sons

Remus Lupin

Remus is the biggest gamer out of the bunch being a halfblood and such. He mostly likes to play puzzle games like Mirror's Edge, Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Celeste. Celeste specifically helped him deal better with his anxiety and coping with the fear of failure. He also likes co-op puzzle games like A Way Out, It Takes Two and Brothers a Tale of Two Sons. 

Sirius Black

He, being a pureblood, was introduced to video games by Remus and quickly took a liking to the fast paced First person shooters like Halo, CoD, Overwatch, Apex Legends & Destiny 1 & 2. he is really good with a sniper but prefers close combat a bit more.

Sometimes he does crave a bit of a bigger challenge mostly to distract himself whenever he is going through a rough time. as luck would have it he found Souls games like Dark Souls 1, 2 & 3, Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows die twice

James Potter

James, just like Sirius, was introduced to video games when he befriended Remus. He took a strong liking to strategy games and claims it enhances his skills as a captain on the quidditch team. He plays games like Civilization, Age of Empires & The Fire Emblem series

The Marauders Playing Together

Remus and Sirius played Brothers: a Tale of Two Sons together, Remus as the younger brother and Sirius as the older brother. Close to the ending when the older brother passed away untimely and the little brother couldn’t save him, Remus and Sirius both cried so much. 

Sirius cried because he could relate to the older brother as he was disowned by his family and thus felt like he was dead to them. It also made him understand what it must have felt like for Regulus being his little brother and symbolically burying his older brother and then being all alone.

Remus cried because he can’t imagine a life without his found brothers, his found family. Just the thought that one of them would leave him... it just tears his heart apart.

They all play Destiny 1 & 2 Together, Remus plays as the warlock class while Sirius plays as a Hunter and James as a Titan. They compliment each other very well while playing the game as Remus likes and honestly gets really excited over solving all the puzzles, especially when there is new DLC with new puzzles. James is good at leading and directing the team and Sirius being the long range support is good at giving call outs.  

Bonus: Lilly Evans

LOVES MMORPGs like Final Fantasy XIV, Elder Scrolls Online and Black Desert.

[tenaciouspeacesandwich]

PSA: Online Safety

Ok so normally I don’t post personal stuff on here, but I saw something today that made me remember this and I knew I had to post it somewhere. 

When I was 14, I was really into digital art and online forums where people could post and discuss their paintings/drawings. As someone w/adhd and social anxiety, the internet was somewhere I felt I could be myself and be in control of my social interactions. It wasn’t as intimidating as making friends or talking to people in real life, and I built genuine social skills on there. However, I wasn’t aware of how dangerous these digital communities could be.

I had (still do) a really great relationship with my parents growing up, and they made sure to have the discussion with me about stranger danger and how you should never give away personal info online, all the classics. I never really hid anything I did on the computer from them, and they trusted me completely. They monitored our internet that was considered acceptable by most parenting standards (i.e. server blockers for adult content, etc.). But none of that mattered when I met someone on a discussion board who convinced me to meet up with them irl.

Obviously, looking back on it now years later, it was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done. Even at the time, I remember being a little scared when this person asked me to meet them at a public park. They were one of my online ‘art buddies’, ppl who critiqued and gave advice for your submissions, and we’d ‘known’ each other for a while. They complimented my sketches, gave me great tips on how to draw better, and I was really inspired by all the works they posted. Then the conversations meandered naturally from our posts to our lives, casual talk like how we hated homework but liked our teachers, our siblings were annoying, etc. 

WARNING: DESCRIPTION OF GROOMING AHEAD

Then, one day they messaged me complementing my self-portrait that I had posted. It was by no means realism, more of a cartoon version of myself, but their flattering words were enough to make my introverted,14-year-old self swoon. I was so shy in school, no one even knew i was there half the time, let alone told me i was beautiful. It made me feel special, valued, less alone. Looking back now, I see it for what it was. But at the time, those words only made me trust this person more. So when they mentioned that they lived in my city and asked if I wanted to meet up at a public park, it wasn’t a huge red flag to me. It was a public place, right? It’s not like they were asking for my social or my address or anything. And they wouldn’t be picking me up in their car, the park was close enough to my school that I could bike the 4 miles there myself. We were just gonna hang out at the picnic tables for a couple of hours, no big deal. 

Even though I’d seen this park before, I’d never actually been to it. My parents never took us there, and I always just assumed it was because there were other, closer parks to our house that were just as nice. It didn’t seem sketchy to me as I rode up closer, other than the fact that some of the playground equipment was rusty and the swing set had overgrown weeds on it. 

I remember this day so clearly even though it’s been 10 years now: I was pedaling up this mini-hill that went thru a neighborhood, and the park was at the bottom of the hill on the other side. I remember stopping at the top of the hill to catch my breath for a second on the sidewalk, and I looked down at the park. From where I was standing, I could see the picnic tables and the parking lot. My friend had been messaging me on my phone, and had been updating me ever since I left school on my bike. They said they were already there and had been waiting for me for the past 10 minutes, and that when I arrived I’d be able to find them really easily because they had a red convertible in the parking lot, and they had managed to get us a table that we didn’t have to share. I texted them when I left, asking if there were a lot of people at the park that day. Their reply was really distinct, because instead of ‘yeah, kinda’ or ‘not really’, they texted back; ‘Super crowded, some kind of birthday party at the gazebo- All kinds of moms lol’ . Reading that gave me assurance that I didn’t know I needed, and that’s why I remember the dread and fear I felt when I looked down at the park.

 There was no one there.

No party, no kids, nothing- the gazebo was empty, the playground deserted, everything was just quiet. 

Except for this one man sitting at a picnic table, who had to be at least my father’s age. There was a gray sedan parked in the lot (i’m assuming his, but I don’t know), and the man was looking down at his phone as he sat at the table.

I texted my ‘friend’ again, still hidden by the garage wall of someone’s house where my bike was parked at the top of the hill. My ‘friend’ was supposed to be a guy my age who was wearing a pink floyd t shirt and black jeans. I asked him, ‘is there food at the party?’

I got an instant reply; ‘Yeah, a grillout- smells amazing but i don’t think they’ll let us have anything lol’. 

I turned around and got on my bike, looking over my shoulder every 5 minutes, terrified that this guy might have seen and followed me. Thankfully, there was never anyone behind me, and I didn’t stop until I got home. I went to my room and deleted my entire account from that website, blocking my ‘friend’ first and deleting all of our conversation history in a panic before making sure every trace of me was gone forever. I sat there in my room for a while just staring at the wall. 

I don’t know for sure if the man that I saw had anything to do with the person I was messaging- I don’t know him or why he was at the park. All of these things are connections I drew from what I knew via the website and our conversation, and what I could see with my own eyes. But more powerful than any of that was the immense, strong gut feeling I had wash over me when I was about to meet that person. Something just felt very, very wrong. I was still happy and excited to meet them, but that happiness was soured by that innate reaction of dread and foreboding that just screamed at me to go away. 

I never told my parents about this, and still haven’t to this day. I know they would blame themselves for me being lured by this person (if that was in fact what happened), and that is the last thing I want- they did everything right.

That’s my entire point in posting this: my parents did everything by the book, took the experts advice, had an open and trusting relationship with me, and monitored our internet access. But I still made this happen, I still got my way, and I’m convinced that it’s by sheer luck that I’m still here today. I got up the courage to ask them one day, about 3 years after all this, when we were driving by that park why they never took us there as kids. My parents told me that park was notorious for drug use and crime, and that there were no working security cameras anywhere nearby. 

There have been so many people in my situation who unfortunately never came home. Please please please be careful who you talk to on the internet, and be even more careful about the excuses you tell yourself to justify why it’s ok for you to be communicating with strangers. I convinced myself that this was just a fun meet up with a friend, that it was safe because it was on a public property, and that it was ok for me to go by myself. I will remember this experience for the rest of my life. 

[the-odd-job]

Close Your Eyes to This Disaster Chapter 2: Where Has It Gone?

Rating: Explicit Warnings: Chose Not to Use, Rape/Non-Con Category: Other Fandom: Transformers G1 Relationships: Megatron/Sunstreaker, Megatron/Sideswipe, Sideswipe & Sunstreaker Characters: Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Prowl, Jazz, Bluestreak Additional Tags: Dubcon, Sticky, Abusive Relationships, Mind Games, Manipulation, Gaslighting, Canon-Typical Violence Words: 1549

( Previous )

Earth. For the time being, it looked like they’d be calling it home—along so with a host of Decepticons. With the Prime’s skills at diplomacy, the humans hadn’t quite welcomed the Autobots, but had at least agreed to leave them alone when they promised they intended no harm. And, once the Decepticons began to attack human establishments in search for energy and resources, the Autobots’ opposition of their enemy faction had warmed the humans to them further.

These were the kinds of details Sunstreaker didn’t care too much about, though. He held no love for the squishy organics that populated the planet, and the whole place was so full of… Dirt.

And now they were stuck here for the foreseeable future. His only consolation was the fact there were still Decepticons to fight to combat some of the boredom that might have otherwise come, and he had to admit that there was a strange kind of beauty to the alien world. Not to mention it had a star it orbited. They had stopped at other planets on the way to the accident that landed them here; daylight wasn’t something he hadn’t seen before, but it would be a long time before he got used to it after the eternal night Cybertron had been clad in for the entirety of his lifetime.

Sunrises and sunsets in particular were something to marvel at, and even now Sunstreaker sat on the edge of one of the Ark’s engines, the spaceship’s rear so protruding from the mountain it had been buried under for the longest time. It offered an excellent vantage point over the desert and the setting sun in the horizon. His drawing tablet was held steadily in his servos as he painted the sight with sure strokes of his stylus. It was a pleasure to even have a drawing tablet again, after he hadn’t possessed one since the beginning of the war. Excuse him for making the most of it now that he could.

Sideswipe’s voice rose from below him where his brother was chatting with Bluestreak and Jazz at Ark’s entrance. Sunstreaker let the conversation wash through him, Sideswipe’s laughter the only thing that he allowed to ring loud and clear in him. There was something about a bet relating to Prowl that Smokescreen had been organizing, Sideswipe’s intrigue over it clear. Jazz was always going to win any and all bets related to Prowl, but that never stopped others from trying to get even partial winnings. Wasn’t some fun at the expense of the black and white doorwinger just fun?

It was indeed, up until a fourth voice joined in. “I heard that.”

Sunstreaker grinned at Prowl’s flat and entirely unamused tone when the SIC joined them, his wings twitching stiffly in clear indication that he wasn’t all that pleased. Bluestreak squeaked and began to stammer apologies at once. Sideswipe just went on to laugh outright, as unapologetic as Jazz who wrapped an arm across Prowl’s shoulders. “Aw, Prowler. Just a bit of fun in good spirits, yeah? No harm intended, whatsoever.”

Prowl wasn’t having it, but Jazz was a terrible mech to argue with. With grins and playful words he shot down each of Prowl’s complaints until the tactician was dragging a servo down his faceplates, looking beyond frustrated.

Sideswipe was still snickering at the two, but Sunstreaker’s attention was pulled back to his work. The sun was going too low to be an useful reference anymore, but he was almost done anyway. One detail was fixed, other two added as he captured the last of the colors onto the screen, and then… He wasn’t going to make it look any better without spending an eternity on it.

Satisfied, Sunstreaker subspaced his tablet before pushing himself over the edge entirely, taking the too long fall down and landing heavily in the middle of the conversation. He took the pain in his legs gladly just for the others’ reactions. Sideswipe didn’t react in any way, of course; Jazz’s visor flashed and Prowl’s wings jerked and that was already quite a bit of reaction from them, but Bluestreak jumped back in fright. “Oh, Primus, Sunstreaker, can you not do that?” he squeaked. “I swear you’re going to snuff my spark one day with the scares you give by creeping up on mecha, and I don’t know how you even do it but it’s really disconcerting–!��

Satisfactory. “Do you want me to tell Ratchet that you’re apparently once again trying to injure yourself with foolhardy stunts?” Prowl asked from him, continuing on with laying down the effect his too sudden entries had on others–

There was just the slightest tug of a smirk at the corners of Sunstreaker’s mouth and he shrugged, uncaring despite the threats of getting Ratchet involved—which would end in something painful. In response Prowl’s doorwings hiked higher, but before he could gear up to more admonishment, Sideswipe clicked for their attention.

“As much as I’d love to stay and listen to your lovely voice,” his brother winked at the SIC, “I’ve got an early patrol in the morning. Figure I oughta go catch some recharge before that. Wouldn’t want to give the ‘Cons an easy kill ‘cause I was runnin’ low on charge.” In the middle of that Sideswipe set towards the Ark’s interior, Sunstreaker trailing a step after him.

“Have a good night!” Bluestreak wished after them, Jazz repeating the sentiment.

And Prowl, poor, poor Prowl only looked more aggravated. They’d inevitably do something to land themselves in his office again, though, they always did. He could lecture them all he wanted then.

And they would tune it all out and have no answers when Prowl demanded them to tell him what he’d just said. Then they’d be handed a punishment of some sort… Rinse and repeat ad infinitum. They never learned, much to their commanders’ eternal chagrin.

They headed straight to their quarters, Sideswipe practically dancing the way and Sunstreaker walking in a more sedate manner next to his energetic half. They passed a couple of mecha Sideswipe had friendly words for, Sunstreaker’s offer a glare, before they came to their door. Inside Sunstreaker laid down on their berth on his back, Sideswipe crawling on top of him, chest to chest. Their spark halves pushed on the insides of their spark chambers as they settled, drawn to each other with inescapable demand—but they didn’t merge their cores, only their fields. “Gotta find Smokes in the morning,” Sideswipe murmured. “I want in on that bet.”

“Shower and polish, too,” Sunstreaker added, letting his optics close once the lights in the room turned off. Sideswipe giggled.

“Wash before a dusty patrol, that’s such a good idea. It’s a backroads patrol, too.”

“It is.”

“Shower and polish. I need to get up early for that. Only need my ratios after the patrol.” Air pushed from Sideswipe’s vents as he relaxed fully and let silence fall despite his dislike of it, Sunstreaker taking his weight and doing the same. They set the length of their frames’ recharge cycles to give themselves enough time in the morning, before initiating them for their systems to power down.

They didn’t get the chance to run the full course of it, though. It was only three hours later according to their chronometers when there was a knock on their—careful, but loud enough to rouse them. They tensed, confused and still in the middle of bringing their systems online, but as ever, their combat programming reached its peak before anything else. Even if it was danger, they would be prepared.

However, a ping for identification said it was only Bluestreak. Sideswipe triggered the door to open. “Come in.”

Bluestreak’s optics glowed in the dark as he stepped into their room, wringing his servos together. “Thanks. I uh, ha-had a bad memory purge, I’m not really sure why because I haven’t done anything special, but I had one anyway a-and I really wouldn’t want to be alone right now but I can go if I’m bothering you–“

The twins untangled themselves and Sunstreaker scooted to the side until he was against the wall. Sideswipe gestured for Bluestreak to join them, his brother settling down next to Sunstreaker and beckoning Bluestreak to lay down on his other side. “’Course. C’mere and lemme cuddle you. I need a cuddlebuddy.”

Bluestreak cracked a small smile but took the invitation, nearly tripping over his own pedes in his rush to get the comfort of another. “I know you prefer to cuddle Sunny,” he said even as he got on the berth and burrowed into Sideswipe’s side, his doorwings in the open space behind him.

“Yeah, well, variety’s the spice of life,” Sideswipe grinned. “Plus he’s right there, so.” Sunstreaker huffed but let his optics offline again, Sideswipe doing the same. They didn’t continue their recharge cycles right away, though, instead waiting until Bluestreak began to relax and then, eventually, fell into his own recharge entirely, the sounds of his systems evening out. It likely wouldn’t be the last time they got the gunner in their berth like this, but it was big enough to accommodate all three of them, so what did it matter?

Besides, he was a friend, and wasn’t this what friends did?

( Next )

[spykeh]

Road to creating my first ever Unity Game

Background

I am a professional web application engineer, however my main hobby have always been about games, so I thought why don’t I try to create some game that is actually fun and also somewhat different from other games.

I have been developing this game for a while now - about 9 months, including learning about Unity -, but I just wanted to start writing some devlogs as well.

This game’s idea is mainly coming from Pokemon GO. I thought Pokemon GO is an interesting game, and it’s different from other games in a way that we have to move in real life in order to move in game. And it is basically an earth sized game already since it uses Google Maps or Mapbox’s data only to create the environment.

But I personally like touching the joystick or keyboard to move the character as well so I thought of ways of mixing together today’s big MMORPG’s with Pokemon GO. I also want the environment to be more 3D, and for that we need elevation data as well.

Idea

In my mobile game I want to have a procedurally generated environment using only map data, and the ability to move in game with a joystick as well, not just with real GPS location.

Here comes the problem: what’s the point of moving in real life if we can just move with the joystick? Well we can limit the movement in a certain area, or add benefits to the user being close to the real location for example. I think it could be still an enjoyable way to play even on a train to work/school, or at home. Maybe even for while walking if I find some way to make it playable in Portrait mode, but no concrete idea yet.

Creating equal sized areas

As a main element of the game, and a way to decide how big of area we want to build around us, we have to separate the earth into equal sized areas. Well it doesn’t necessarily have to be equal, but it makes more sense. I also want the areas to have equal neighbors, which can also be an element of the game (eg. only being able to walk or see current area and neighboring ones.

Basically the only way to divide a sphere into equal areas is by making hexagons (and 12 pentagons). So we start with an icosahedron, and subdivide into more and more smaller hexagons until we get to the size we want. Personally I chose 19 times subdivision of icosahedron which results into hexagons sized as about same as Tokyo Dome’s area (46,755 m2)

It is a little problem, since the tiles provided by Mapbox (or other map services) are rectangles, however their area is different depending on the latitude. 

I still decided to go on the divide by hexagon route, and finding the matching tile(s) what I need. I think hexagons look cool anyways :) 

Generating environment from map data

It is simple. The map is green by default which is converted to grass. Roads are painted on the terrain, and we dig space for the water area and put a flat mesh on it to create the water. And as for the terrain, we just use the real elevation data to create the mesh in 3D. All the data is coming from Mapbox. The rest can be pretty much random to make it more lively with trees, buildings, etc. 

I was even thinking of using POI or building data to decide where the buildings should be, but it seems bad idea for performance, and more importantly, unfair for people who live next to almost no buildings if the buildings are big part of the game.

Fuji.

When the elevation goes above a certain level, we can change the ground color to snow for example.

Server

This is a multiplayer game, so of course we need a server to run on. Since the world is huge, I want the performance to be best as possible, so I decided to write every server code in plain C# using System.Net package. It uses mostly TCP, except for joystick movement which is UDP. Not quite sure if it is feasible for huge amount of players, since the server also has to create the environment including physics and everything, but I think if it’s scalable, it should work. For example creating servers depending on the area and choose the server accordingly as well. I found EVE Online is working similarly, so hope it works.

Combat

Sorry for the hideous UI. All are placeholders/debugging.

The combat I want should be similar to today’s mobile games, like Black desert Online/Diablo Immortal/Wild Rift. So basically moving around with a joystick and easy auto targeting, but also enabling aiming skill shots.

Conclusion

I think that’s all about the progress so far. There are many minor things I missed but maybe I will write more of each minor thing later in more detail. My ultimate goal is to develop this game until a point which is actually publishable and hopefully enjoyable by people. I know it’s almost impossible to create MMORPG as a solo developer, but I hope I can achieve it by making many things procedural instead of manually created.