Again, sorry I've been so crappy about updating, but you guys, this is amazing! Matching funds to a good cause and beta access! Dooooo it!
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
dirt enthusiast
occasionally subtle
🪼

blake kathryn

ellievsbear
i don't do bad sauce passes
RMH

if i look back, i am lost
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"

No title available
Mike Driver

pixel skylines
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Xuebing Du

Love Begins
tumblr dot com
NASA
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
Keni
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United Kingdom

seen from United States

seen from Spain
seen from United States
seen from Morocco
seen from United States

seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Germany

seen from Türkiye

seen from Türkiye

seen from Switzerland

seen from France
seen from United States
seen from China

seen from Slovakia
seen from Italy

seen from Russia
@endgameargh
Again, sorry I've been so crappy about updating, but you guys, this is amazing! Matching funds to a good cause and beta access! Dooooo it!
Aisling. Shari. Maccabee. Baitsakhan.
Endgame Training Diary Vol 2: “Descendant” is out Feb 24. Preorder it today. http://endgameiscoming.com/buy
In which Maccabee continues to be my people.
After creating the mobile game Ingress, Niantic is now working on Endgame, an alternate-reality game with 12 competing factions.
Sorry I've been doing such a crap job of updating this blog. But here's a cool article to make up for it! Rest assured, I've been very active on the site itself. God, it would be amazing to be incorporated into the story itself.
So today spawned a cool new direction for the site, where Stella welcomed us to imagine how to solve problems from the perspective of our bloodlines. Today’s challenge was to think about how our bloodline would solve the current issue of the 1% vs everyone else. This was my answer:
“The Nabataeans believe both in individual determination as well as collective will, so while our community is discussing our response, I’d like to also make sense here of how I, personally, believe a Nabataean would respond: “Faced with corruption on this scale, it would be just as important to balance the survival of our bloodline against the destruction of the oppressors’ instruments. We would take the long view of the war, making plans within plans, forging alliances and trade relations, and maneuvering ourselves into key positions, then striking quickly, with force, almost before they know we’re attacking. Up to this point, it might appear as if some of us were colluding with the corrupt: Nabataeans understand that one must sometimes appear wicked in order to do greater good. We also understand that not all of the ruling class are happy with the status quo, and that the best way to find and encourage these people is to be their friends, not their faceless enemy. The Nabataean penchant for flexibility will serve us well: while we still use the oppressors’ financial systems, for example, we quietly invest in credit unions that prioritize people over profits. We agitate for political reform, to keep wealth from subverting the process, but we do not distance ourselves from the corrupted arena. We learn what they know. We see what they do. We keep our eyes and ears open for the advantage, because we know we have to be just as clever but even more prepared than the enemy in order to prevail. “The key thing for us would be to ensure that there was a new infrastructure in place to minimize chaos once we had succeeded, as well as oversight to ensure that those now in power were not given free reign to repeat the crimes of their predecessors. There is always, always a fine line between being a Custodian of the People and being Corrupt: Nabataeans especially must hold steadfast to the Truth even when giving the appearance of doing otherwise. In history, we would side with Rome when it did not conflict with our Truth, when it would bring us advantage. We understand that not even the corrupt are wrong 100% of the time, and we know it is better to preserve the good than to destroy wholesale. That said, we do not shy from fighting, but we do believe in preparation. It is not enough to defeat the corrupt when victory would mean chaos and worse for humanity. We must be ready with our transition plans, as well. “As ever, Nabataeans must remain vigilant in ensuring that the institutions we then build to protect the people and the truth are not corrupted in their turn. To be a Nabataean is to be able to embrace all that is right in the world while keeping a watchful eye on all that is wrong with it, and to swiftly, ruthlessly deter the evil while preserving the good. It is a difficult, nuanced path that requires constant thought and judgment, and one I embrace. “I know that this is merely an outline of a plan, but I think it embodies the Nabataean philosophy well. I will work with the others of my bloodline to prepare more for you, Stella, and thank you for the opportunity to share our thoughts like this.” So, basically, a coup. I do hope some of the others in my bloodline contribute ideas for us to collaborate on a consensus post. At the moment, it’s just me and one other guy bouncing around ideas, but I’m optimistic we’ll get more input soon. Oh, and senpai +1ed my post transcribed above! Granted, she +1ed the posts of everyone who strung together something relevant, but I imagine she hit the +1 button with especial vigor in my case. (Ugh, tumblr on the phone has formatted this all wrong. Will try to fix from my PC soon.)
Yay, Stella's back! Unfortunately for me, she posted the challenge much earlier than I expected, while I was scrambling to get the kids ready for an Ingress play date. Luckily, I picked up the phone and saw that MFC was exhorting me to get on it already (and for this he might earn the special ringtone only BAF has qualified for so far!) so I took five minutes, literally, and figured out the answer. Think I still acquitted myself decently despite being 14 minutes late to seeing the challenge. I wonder if the subject of the picture in the reward is actually familiar to Stella or just a random photo. Thank goodness for people who know how to find messages in photos, tho!
***Apologies for this being so belated. Will hopefully be back to our regularly scheduled programming momentarily.***
I got the Challenge announcement tweet while Arsenal was busy BREAKING MY FUCKING HEART in a bar with some of my best football friends. I took a peek when the challenge went live, saw that it seemed like a fairly straightforward keyed cipher using the week’s answers as keys, then finished watching Arsenal STOMP ALL OVER MY POOR BREAKING HEART.
To cheer myself up after that tragedy of a match (lightened, of course, by Giroud being a fucking Greek god,) I went in and looked at the challenge again. The guy who deservedly came in first had posted a handy link to an online decryption site, so it took no time for me to figure out the words, then figure out their meaning.
And holy shit, I wound up third! Or fourth? G+ comments can be a bit erratic in showing up, but I was Top 5 for sure. That reward, tho, which I have no problems spoiling because Stella quickly posted it on her main page, too.
Anyway, this is what I posted on the reward page: "No, no, Stella, you are not a lie!! The Truth burns bright inside you and THAT is what's important. Take the time that you need to recenter yourself but all this stuff happening around you is neither YOU not a reflection of your character. You are awesome and brave and wise, and you have friends who believe in you and believe that you can overcome all these terrible things. We love you." And this is what I posted in the public page, a slightly better considered post, and a direct reply to the question she posited: "Stella, I have to reiterate: you are not a lie. But all the lies that surround you can only quench your Truth if you let them, and I believe that you're stronger than that, that your fire burns too brightly to be extinguished by what is undoubtedly an existential crisis. "As to what to DO next, would you want to find out who is sending you this stuff? If the flyer was placed in your bag when you went down to breakfast, would there be CC camera recordings of whomever went close enough to your bag to put it there, even if you don't remember anyone? Tracking down this individual might help you make better sense of the motive behind all this. "And perhaps getting in touch with +Angela Sanning might lead to some answers from a different end? "I'm going to think on what else I can do to help over the next few days. I'll be checking the site daily, so if you need anything, please reach out. And I hope, despite all this, that you somehow manage to enjoy Thanksgiving, faint as that possibility might seem. We're here for you, Stella. <3" I seriously can't believe that I'm investing so much concern into an NPC, but man is it a ton of fun! Love this game, and can't wait for the devs to get back after the Thanksgiving break with their promised site updates. Gotta say, tho, was kinda weirded out by people concerned the game was ending when Stella said she needed a break. I mean, come on, metagame just a little, please.
I love rebuses, so got this one really quickly. Placed third: should've been first but, instead of looking up the hoax I recognized after solving the second term of the equation's right hand side, I decided I would try to solve the other terms, doh. Anyway, got beaten to first by a whole minute. Should just follow my instincts next time.
Though I DID follow my instincts when commenting on the reward given, and senpai replied to me! EEEEE! I get so Lisa Simpson about this, it's almost unfunny.
Anyway, crazy stuff going on with Stella's dad and his businesses. We Students have dug up a whole bunch of interesting information, though none is more mystifying to me than why Stella uses an iPhone and a Mac when this game is run by our Google overlords.
Will freely admit that my fifth place finish today was achieved through brute force and sounding boards: 50% of my getting to the answer was from My Favorite Collaborator discussing with me his approach from a purely mathematical end while I tackled the hoax end. I think we make a pretty good team, though it is pretty funny when we’re thinking the same thoughts at the same time then typing them out to each other simultaneously.
The reward circled back round to Stella’s father and his somewhat shady business deals. It led some of our enterprising members to track down his business websites, which were pretty intense. I took the quiz and got Dominator, which is pretty funny considering my household where I am the only female, outnumbered by 6 males. I need to go hypothesize on the page about Stella’s dad’s possible connection to TBotS. Tactfully, of course, but wish me luck!
Heyyyyy Doreeeeeen. I see you bloggin’ ‘bout me.
Ohai, MFC, I talk about you a lot, just not behind your back any longer now that you've totes busted me :"D.
Will freely admit that my fifth place finish today was achieved through brute force and sounding boards: 50% of my getting to the answer was from My Favorite Collaborator discussing with me his approach from a purely mathematical end while I tackled the hoax end. I think we make a pretty good team, though it is pretty funny when we're thinking the same thoughts at the same time then typing them out to each other simultaneously. The reward circled back round to Stella's father and his somewhat shady business deals. It led some of our enterprising members to track down his business websites, which were pretty intense. I took the quiz and got Dominator, which is pretty funny considering my household where I am the only female, outnumbered by 6 males. I need to go hypothesize on the page about Stella's dad's possible connection to TBotS. Tactfully, of course, but wish me luck!
My Favorite Collaborator took last week off but came back yesterday, so we spent a good portion of today discussing story. As we were chatting, we got the tweet announcing an impending challenge. As soon as I saw "Heller", I cued up Catch22 in my stl window. Which, of course, came to naught, but it doesn't matter because I CAME IN FIRST ANYWAY!!! WOOHOO!!! HIGH FIVES FOR EVERYONE!!! But especially for MFC who helped me through Step One of the challenge, allowing me to access the rebus that would provide the solution. Oh, man, the blood was pounding in my ears as I solved that and logged on as first. Promptly turned around and coached MFC to second. Awesome teamwork. I only wish that I'd come first on harder challenges. It feels like the two I did crush were the super easy/obvious ones, but I guess other people feel similarly about their victories, depending on the challenge. Anyway, I'm raring for more! The reward was very illuminating about Stella's (purported) family background. Oh, and not only did Greg Jordan show up to be an asshole in comments, but he also posted a creepy awesome video called Sofia, Wake Up (or something to that effect) on his YouTube channel. The plot thickens!
Tuesday's was a doozy! I stayed up till 3:30 a.m. before giving up; my friend I mentioned in the challenge for the day prior powered through till who knows what time and deservedly made first. When I woke up, it was easy to follow the hints he left: I was only mad that the answer was something I'd already considered but overlooked despite having tried similar answers in other lines of inquiry. Two notable things about this challenge: first, the emergence of Kinder, Gentler Stella. Sensing perhaps that last Friday's challenge had been a total shitshow, the devs turned very helpful and encouraging in the comments section, even going so far as to say we'd be justified in complaining about this one. In character, one could say that the overwhelming show of support after Saturday's video reward caused her to feel more secure in us and, thus, friendlier. Regardless of why, I'll take KGS any day. The second notable thing was that the reward totes confirmed my hunch of the night before re: Angela. She has not commented despite numerous plusses, so we shall see. Interestingly, she nudged us in the right direction on the challenge, which pleases me. It's nice to see the devs seeding clues for us that way. I have to say, I really dig how the mysteries are being layered here. Besides the Ancient Truth, there's Jake and now Sofia and, perhaps, Angela. So much good stuff!
Sorry I've been remiss with posting, I'm dreadfully forgetful. Anyway, Monday's was a fun puzzle made hilarious by the fact that the guy who solved it first (one of my most frequent collaborators, incidentally) gave us all what he thought was the wrong answer without realizing he'd been typing the stl URL wrong. A bunch of us raced to the reward page because his discarded solution fit so perfectly, then nudged him to try again. Everyone who got there before him (including myself) credited him with the answer, though, which was nice. Plus, Stella +1ed, which I think means she gave him credit, too. Anyway, the reward was a computer-generated transcript, you know the kind where they run a script through a software program to have it read the material aloud. I guessed that the new third person discussed in it was Angela Sanning, and plused her into the conversation. She played coy but didn't provide an outright denial...
Man, when this challenge showed up while we were still feverishly scrambling to solve the other puzzle, there was a lot of "OMGWTF" going on. Most of us quickly decided it was probably smarter to reverse engineer Friday's solution from the solution to this one, though, to good result: I was once more Top 10 in both challenges. No one's come up with a good explanation for solving Friday's challenge just from its page, though. Maybe another erroneous challenge?
Anyway, today's reward was really neat, a video of Stella confiding her deepest fears. This was my response to her:
"OMG, Stella, you are not crazy! These Brotherhood jerks (or maybe it's just one guy with way too much time on his hands) are totally messing with your head. Even if they're not just making things up out of thin air, they're revealing things in the most sadistic way possible, and that's not fair to you. You're totally right to feel the way you do. I, for one, have your back, and hope I can help you decipher this weird yet deeply personal puzzle laid on you unasked. Stay strong, Stella, though if you feel weak, lean on me."
It's kind of weird how involved I feel with someone who's not real, but I'm really enjoying the immersive interactiveness of this game. It's almost like playing in an RPG again. Anyway, here's hoping senpai notices me again soon! :D
What even was this, y'all? Not only was no one able to solve it overnight, but Stella didn't show up in the comments section after several hours to help put us on the right path. Angela Sanning showed up, though, to make inquiries! Which, tbh, only had us wondering whether Stella was okay, or if another NPC (i.e. Angela) was showing up in order to help us find her.
Anyway, we reverse-engineered the solution from the weekly wrap-up and found another weird message from the Brotherhood Of The Snake here. Insofar as their information can be trusted, looks more and more as if Stella was kidnapped as a child, and the deaths of her parents staged. But to what end, is the next question...
Woot, broke my duck and came in Top 5 today! Had to zoom out and take a macro view of the puzzle. Didn't help that when I first logged in, it was missing a crucial but of info, but hey, I figured it out in a timely fashion. This definitely boosted my confidence going forward. Anyway, the reward was super juicy, and I wonder if it's stating that Stella really isn't who she thinks she is. Narrowed it down to Texas, tho. Looking forward to more info!
I was feeling bad about making little to no headway on this challenge yesterday before I had to head out to Ingress, until I peeked at comments during post-Ingress dinner and discovered it was such a head scratcher that Stella had to step in and point people in the right direction. One of my buddies texted me later to lmk that it was super tough and I might want to avoid looking at the comments till I'd completely given up on the solve. Since that, to me, was a complete contradiction in terms, I looked at the comments anyway and figured it out quickly enough. The complaints were definitely justified, IMO: idk how people unfamiliar with American customs would have gotten that one at all. The reward was another interesting tidbit, leading to an external email. Of an NPC? She hasn't responded to me yet, so I hope I hadn't missed my window of opportunity. Another interesting thing gleaned from today's live Q&A was that some of the more cryptic stuff Stella shows us as rewards comes from the mysterious and antagonistic Greg Jordan. Curiouser and curiouser.
Before I start talking about last night's challenge, OMG YOU GUYS SENPAI NOTICED ME!!!!1!!111!! Rather, she answered my question about how she and Jake met. Eeeeeeeee!!! Anyway, this puts a wrench into the whole "he was in on it" theory, and frankly I'm glad for that. It doesn't discredit the idea entirely, tho, so I'm still bracing myself, just in case. But you guys, she noticed me!!!