How was your Saturday Night?

 So last year I did something I had never done before.  
I forced myself to get involved in an online community.  
Not a group message. 
Not a game that I jumped in to play with co-workers or people that I knew in real life to be a part of a social circle because in person interactions are so much work for me.  
But an actual community.  

I've played Destiny 2 since launch. 
I played Destiny 1 since the start of the game. 
But it was very much a solo experience for me. 
I had a couple of people that would join me to run missions from time to time, or I them.  

There were other online games I would join people for but I always ran into the same problem. 

I'm not super social.  
Never have been.  
I always thought there was something off about me but couldn't put my finger on it.  
Not until I was 36 and found out, figured out, was diagnosed with....well that I am autistic. 
And a lot of things, experiences, and difficulties I've had over the years all started to make sense. 

But I heard a Ted talk, had an idea, I'm not really certain how you would explain it but it was very much what was talked about in here. 

Stuart Duncan: Why do we need safe virtual play spaces?

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1079924726
   

And I decided, I'm going to join a group in a game and I'm going to learn how to do things in Destiny that people do.  
I'm going to be honest about who I am, which took a lot of work in accepting it on my part.
 I would maintain boundaries.
I wouldn't put up with the usual derogatory commentary, bullying activities, and elitist snobbery that is so prevalent in any community that surrounds organized activities like sports and games, physical or virtual.
I'm still digesting the last years experience and will be putting a more concise summary of how it's gone and what I've learned together in a thesis covering virtual learning and exploration but, as with this, and the various people I've come to chat with I need to word vomit to get my thoughts in order. 
On the destiny front let's say, I've learned a lot and have actually made some friends.  
Yeah, that last bit surprises me too. 

Largely because of an experience, that I've had a multitude of times over the past few years, that happened over the past few days I find myself in the middle of this word vomit trying to get my thoughts together.  


I picked up a new game, a multiplayer game. 
The Division 2. 
It had been recommended to me a number of times by people I played Destiny with,  they just warned it hadn't had much in the way of content updates over the years it's been out. 
I had largely avoided it because it was a game that required a significant amount of time to learn, level, and get into the late game content. 
There was a lot of leveling up and learning the ins and outs of gear management.
A DLC pack that would fast track me to end game but I've never done that for games I'm learning because.  I feel like fast tracking in leveling and things doesn't allow me, as a player, to really learn the ins and outs of the game mechanics.   Also, by leveling organically through game play skills are acquired and unlocked individually rather than just thrown down all at once.  
Fast tracking can be Great for a player that's already made and leveled a character or two and knows and understand the mechanics and rules of the game.  But for a new player...not so much. 

The moment I meet other players I'm immediately asked
"Why didn't you just go strait to level 30?"  
"Well I don't have the DLC"
"Oh, well, we can just go here and you'll be to 30 really quick"
"I'm still working on the story content" 
"Oh, well we're going to to go do this really hard end game content instead."
"That's cool, because you guys just being here is getting me killed anyway."

See, the thing about this game, in particular, is when all of these end game players join all of the enemies became end game level.  
Sure I got an artificial boost in health and damage to compensate as the low level player, but I was still working with starting gear and skills.  I couldn't be left alone because even a single enemy was deadly regardless of my skills as a player. 
So three end game guys join in on my session. 
One is just like "put a marker somewhere and I'll help you get there."
So he sets off to the marker I placed and the other two start an event near by. 
I get caught in the event and stick with them because...well if I didn't I was dead. 
 The first player heads off to the checkpoint I had placed. 
I think the event is passed and start heading towards the check point and, not realizing I was by myself am immediately killed.  
The other two had continued the event (that I had thought was over because I had only done one other before).  
The above conversation was taking place while all this happened. 


So for the next two days I knuckle down, work on getting leveled as fast as I can and start building a gear set that fits my play style and will allow me to survive high level and end game content until I start getting the oh so coveted pieces of super powerful gear and can start bumping up difficulties and the like. 

The moment I get to the point of being able to handle things and am working on the last district in the base game a friend says "here, grab the dlc, and when you finish this stuff you we can start the harder stuff."  
"Rad" I do that.
I'm then barraged by someone about "not being social enough, making them feel left out by being quite in the chat, and telling them that they make the game harder by joining in. That me taking the time to explore the game and learn how to play ruins it for everyone else.
They don't let me clarify myself and just keep yelling and talking over me.
At that moment I realize, 
 Oh yeah, I have boundaries.

"And I'm like...alright, cool.  Have a nice night" 
Leave the chat and close the game.

Now I'm asking myself 
"Why don't I just stick to single player games' 
While simultaneously trying to prove... my point?... to people that have no concept of what my life is like. 
I don't know dude. 
I deal with facts and figures and logic.  
Emotions, often, are just beyond me. 
Even my own a lot of days. 

How would I Roe that boat?

 If I were president after the overturning of Roe V. Wade this is how I would handle it speaking in front of congress. 

"How many in this room are opposed to abortions?  Go ahead, show your hands."
After waiting a moment to see if anyone actually had the fortitude to raise their hands. 
"To quote George Carlin:  'Why is it that the people that are against abortion are people you wouldn't want to fuck in the first place.' 
The congress reacts. 

"Did I offend you?  
Did I say something in appropriate?  
If I did, you should probably just resign now. 
Because that:  as politicians, as elected officials, as heads of state, is the job.   
Dealing with the inappropriate and trying to figure out how to make it appropriate.  Or as appropriate as it can be.  
And what was done by overturning Roe V Wade  was inappropriate.  
What was done, was taking the decision out of the hands of someone baring a child.  The decision  on whether or not safety of that child's life or their own life would be appropriate to their personal situation.  
Telling the person gestating that child that they had no rights, that they were not allowed to make a decision for themselves.  Telling medical professionals tasked with assisting in such decisions in as safe and ethically sound ways as such decisions can be made that they have no right to keep those decisions physically safe and ethically sound.  
If we, as a nation, continue to follow that line of reasoning then this government should be taking children from their families at birth and raising them and educating the way that we see fit.  That those children, and their guardians, have no rights or decision making powers in any of it. 
Oh, wait...this government has done that. 
  
There are people in this room that were alive, that were in this room, when "American Indian Boarding Schools" and all that they entail were brought to light.   When they began to be shut down.  It wasn't until very recently that the true magnitude of these schools atrocities were brought to light.  
Are we the nation that stopped the Nazi's?  
Or are we the nation that the Nazi's looked at our Jim Crow laws and said.  "You know, that's a good idea. But it's a little heavy handed.

I live in the land of the free. 
A place where Liberty and Justice are meant for ALL.
Not some, but all.  
And it is time that our laws and institutions truly reflected that.

Registration Please

 It's midterms year.  
Things have moved forward largely as predicted.  
Gerrymandering is in full swing, a public health crisis was politicized, wars rage, and nature does as it will.  

Voting this year will be more difficult in previous years.  
Those that would have voting suppressed  have done, and continue to do, everything in their power to stack things further into their favor.  

So what can we do.  
We can Bar-b-q. 
We can roast.
We can sing
We can dance. 

Here's the plan.  
We get voter turn out to rival that of the 2020 election.  
How?  
See above. 

Here's the thing, and my challenge to politicians that really want a reminder, and to set an example, as to what it means to hold a public office. 
To be a public servant.  

You pass out water. 

On voting days, when the polls are open, at the voting locations.  You set up a little table, maybe a tent, handful of chairs.  Hell, I'll loan at least one of you both just to see it done.  
And if someone raises their hand you bring them a bottle of water.  
No signs, no buttons or pins, no slogans, no handshaking, no speeches.  
Just take them a bottle of water then go back to your seat.  
And at the end of the day, you stay, help clean up the garbage.  
Then you pack up and head home.  
Simple as that.  

Because if there is no more literal metaphor as to what it means to be a politician it's that right there. 
The people don't vote politicians in so a politician can tell them what to do, they don't vote politicians in to makes themselves rich.  
They vote politicians in so that when they turn the faucet on they know there will be water coming out of it.  They vote politicians in so that when they flip the light switch the lights come on.  So that when the storms come there is an ambulance or a fire truck that will show up to help.  
People vote politicians in so that they know that what they are paying for...
What they are paying taxes for. 
What they are providing their personal information for.
What they are providing their time and energy for.
Will help them have a home to go to, or a drink of water when they need it.  


So to everyone out there.  
Now is the time to start getting the cook outs organized.
Quietly ask the politicians and political parties how much and/or what they want to donate to put them together. 

'cause here's the cook out. 
After someone has voted, and they show up with their little "I voted" sticker, or equivalent.   
You give them a plate and turn them loose on whatever is there. 
Play music, dance, have a good ass time. 
Get everyone to request the day off.  
Let's get this turned into a proper holiday.
And if they bring the kids, ask the kids, "Why would you vote?"  and, no matter their answer, give them a "I will vote" sticker.  Because there are no wrong answers about voting. 
When the day is done, you pack up the leftovers and you take them to the shelters, you pass them out to the refugees and the immigrants.  The people that couldn't take the day off. 
Then, after the polls are closed and all of the votes are counted, you or the political parties, politicians,....whoever...helped fund the cookouts can reveal all or none of it.  

Because here's the lesson in all of it. 
Voting. 
Is.
Work.
You have to do  your homework on the issues.  Who's running for what offices.  What that office is.  You have to make a decision then you have to file the paper work on it.  
You have to plan ahead, register...all of it is work. 
And if you can't put in a days work and earn some water, and a meal, some entertainment and have a little left over...what's the point of working?  

And for the politicians and elected officials, the lesson is fairly simple as well. 
You, work for the people.  
Not the other way around.
That's the whole concept of the Republic.
The entire idea behind Democracy. 

Stay safe. 
And now is the time, when the taxes are being filed, and the results of the previous elections fully seen should people start registering and putting together their voting plan.  
Time to start picking places for the Cook Out.

Project : Overload

 When I used to run tabletop games there was a pretty firm rule that I followed. 
"For every hour of play time scheduled have about four hours of prep time ahead of time."
This came from knowing that players almost never followed the adventure, and if they did detours were inevitable.  How did the prep work go down...kinda like this. 

1st hour,
Focus on where the characters are.
What are they doing?  Who are they observing?  Who is observing them?  Do they have any goals for their current location?  What are some normal things going on?  What are two odd things goin on?  

2nd Hour
Where are the characters going? 
Make or get a map. 
If it's a homebrew you'll need to make one if it's an established world you can probably find one. Then look at the four cardinal directions from the characters locations and figure out what's going on in each of those directions. 
For example :
There's another town to the east, a Mountain range to the west, a coast for an inland sea to the North and a dense forest to the south.

3rd Hour
Why are the characters going there
 Judging from last session they'd be heading to the coast line to find a boat to get across the sea because "Plot" 
Ahhh, but one of the odd things in town was that a farmers Wife went missing in the woods a day before the characters arrived in town. 
A Caravan has stopped outside of town and is trying to hire protection from bandits on the road to the east. 
Rumor has it that there is a hidden Valley in the mountains where a witch lives.

4th hour 
Fill in the details. 
How far is it between the starting point and the possible destinations.
Where and what kind of boat will they find? Or is it a port they'll be arriving at where they can hire a ship. 
What happened to the farmers wife?  What clues where left behind?
Is it a good witch or a bad witch?  What does the witch have to offer the characters when they arrive?
Who are the bandits and why do they bandit?  Where is their hideout? Is their a reward?  What is the Caravan offering for these services.

Then (assuming it's a usual 4ish hour play session) for the next 3 blocks of planning you focus on each of your destinations and give them the same treatment.  Detailing the boat or ship and it's crew.  Figuring out what's going on in the next town over, outlining the dangers of the forest, building up the witches valley.   
And, don't forget, to look beyond each of these locations.  What if they just blitz to the boat and end up out at sea,  what if they go to the next town over and instead of going across the ocean they continue traveling with the caravan?  Do they find the missing farmer and discover some secret in the depths of the forest?  Do they get lost in the mountains?  What's on the other side of the mountains?  


Why am I bringing this up now?  
A number of reasons?   
For starts, what am I working on?  Why have I been so silent the past few months?  
Research, research, research.  
Planning ahead, just like if I were putting together an adventure for a D&D group.  

My projects? 

On the Fun Side
 outlining and writing scenes for t.v. shows and movies  I'd like to pitch or work on if I ever found my self in the position to do so.   
A sequel to Bumblebee set in early 90's Atlanta following Ratchet and Jazz.
What would an actual reboot of Firefly look like.
What is my idea for a batman series? (1970's street racing following a young Luscious Fox for the record)
Actually working on my little pet project.


On the Academic Side
Studying various online  games and the communities surrounding them.  Fortnite, Destiny, Star Trek Online.  What it takes to build a community within a community, etc.  
Game design, from single player to co-op, to competitive. 
If I designed and released a game what would I make and how would I make it? 
Answer - a co-op game built around exploration and adventure with quarterly story updates that could be played on or offline.  Think if Skyrim were two players but had the game play of the arkham games.
Looking what does the video game world have to offer the public library system and vice versa.


On  the "If I were president side"
How would I be handling the current national and global issues if I were president currently? 
If I were elected in 2024 and these issues were yet unresolved how would I work towards resolving them?   What might they look like if they were unresolved in the next two years?
What plans would I have for working with the national budget?
What projects are started?  What are ongoing? What would I like to see started?
What are my stances on the current issues being raised around the nation and what, if anything, would there be that I could do to influence them?  If in that position, should I influence them?
What would be the main issues I would focus on?
Infrastructure, Education, and Industry...and space...don't forget space. 
Moon Base!


Lastly, I have about four other posts for this blog that are about this length or longer that are sitting in drafts.  Partly because I haven't decided if they would be better served as blog posts or as part of some of the more focused papers I'm working on.

Like one detailing how the last year of being part of an active Destiny clan has gone.  
Short answer...I still don't people super well but it is possible to find non toxic people in a notoriously toxic community. (the shooter genre and online gaming in general) 

And another talking, more in depth, about streaming and telling stories within larger universes. I.E. The pitfalls and positives of using established story telling universes (I.E. Star Trek and Wars, Marvel and D.C.)  and the merits of reboots, adaptations, and retellings (I.E. Hercule Perot, Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare, and any myth or story based around folklore) 

Ahh, but enough side tracking, back to study and research.  
My least and most favorite things simultaneously.  
I love the process, Love getting into details and building things and planning things.  But sometimes I just want to explore. 

Dream a little Dream

 Today is a National Holiday
It should be, but not for the reasons people think. 

We should be remembering Dr. King's legacy. 
We should be trying to strive for the ideals that he set forth and holding them in the light. 

But more importantly we should be measuring.  
How far down the road  have we really moved from the time of Dr. King's life? 
What strides have we taken.  

What strides have we not Taken? 

Today, in respect to Dr. Kings family, to the person he was,  and the movement he championed, we should be figuring out how to Vote.  

How to make our voices heard. 
And if our voice is already heard, to remain silent so that those that speak softly, or those to long held in silence may be heard. 

We have come a long way down the road in some ways. 
In others we have not. 

But at the end of the day, it is about lifting up voices. 

So go forward and listen. 
Listen to stories you've never heard. 
Listen to stories you have. 

And, don't be color blind. 
Be aware.
To be blind to the tone of some ones skin is to be blind to their life experiences. 

It's funny.  
Dr King said
"...That my four little children shall be judged, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character..."  
The entire speech is about awareness.  
Awareness of the realities of the time and the changes that needed, and in many cases still need,  made. 

So listen to the stories.  
The stories of  the past, the stories of the present, and the stories of the dreams yet to be. 

And by God, do your part to get a ballot into every hand that can and should vote. 
Even if it's just getting it into your own hand. 
Voting, being heard, is how we affect change.  
If it wasn't, there would not be so many people trying to stop it from happening.  

After all, those that would see others oppressed.  Those that would maintain a status quo that was agreed over a hundred years ago to be changed are not afraid of not enough votes being cast, but too many.  
They are afraid of the change on the wind. 
The wind of dreams. 
The wind of hopes.
The wind of justice. 

Stay Safe