#this was a huge undertaking though...took about a month to build it in survival because of just how much varied resources I needed

[solardrake]

Rebuilding a Minecraft Village in Survival (1/?): "Cleric Temple"

[reylofanfictionanthology]

Authors have now been revealed for For one is love and both are one in love!

Over 170 fics were posted to our Exchange this month and we are so excited to finally share the authors with you!  Thank you so much to all of the writers who wrote for this event!  

For one is love and both are one in love collection on AO3 |  Gift Fic Master Post Part Two | Treats Master Post

Gift Fic Master Post Part One: 

ghosts on the shore by dearly for aaronBursar

“I meant what I said to you that day on the Death Star. I thought I could never go back. I still think it even now—that I don’t belong here, that I never will.” “But you did come back,” she said, squeezing his hand. “You’re here now. With me. You chose it. Despite everything, we made it, both of us.” They sat in silence for awhile, hands clasped while they watched the camp clear as people finally turned in for the night. Then, suddenly, Ben was struck with an idea. “What if we took a trip?”

Sugar High by HopeRebelfor abbytheatre08

When Maz Kanata hosts five weeks of a Battle of the Bands competition, Rey Johnson and Kylo Ren find themselves both pitted against one another, and drawn together as the weeks go on.

Delayed For A While by tmf for aionimica

Death cannot stop love. All it can do is delay it awhile.

I am ready to follow you even though I don't know where by iamladyloki for AlwaysEverlark

Her closest friends want Rey to move on from what happened on Exegol, but she refuses to accept that Ben Solo, her soulmate in the Force, is dead. Instead, she undertakes a rescue mission to bring Ben home--no matter the risk.

A More Perfect Union by fangirl_outlet for america_oreosandkitkats

Rey, new to DC, tags along to a stuffy networking event with her friend -- they're both poor and, hell, there's free booze. Ben, a recruiter for the lobbyist firm he works for, finds the intern with the soft voice and angry eyes a fun challenge -- especially when he finds out she works for his estranged mother Senator Leia Organa.

In the Den of the Darkwolf by Fairleigh for Amy326

Rey awakened in the darkwolf’s den.

happy cockus day by trasharama for andabatae

She prefers the nip of New Hampshire winters, heavy winds blowing in her hair, being bundled up in three layers with pens whose ink freeze fast and thaw slow. She loves warm buildings, and Christmas breaks, and slurping down huge bowls of ramen in the evenings, but being on the ground, a clipboard in her hand, boots on a voter’s doorstep? That’s where she knows she belongs. So there are a lot of things going against Rey Johnson’s introduction to Ben Solo, his moody personality probably the least of her worries, since he’s the reason she’s not outside, making some sort of tangible effort to get his mother elected as president.

Hope Lives by gennalannisters for aNerdObsessed

This AU story takes place right after the Battle of Exegol, Rey and Ben have just defeated Palpatine and they are both seriously injured but not mortally wounded. When all hope is lost for them as there is no one coming to get them, old friends of the past come to their aid.

Two Bits (or The Haircut) by Bombastique for Ann3onymous

Three days into their marriage of convenience, Ben and Rey are maybe starting to realize that there’s more to this arrangement than a green card or a cooperative board of directors.

We've Got a Good Thing Here by greyrey-lo (punkpoemprose) for Anysia

Rey & Ben Solo navigate their feelings in the aftermath of the end of the war. With Ben a "functionally dead" force ghost, Rey has to come to terms with how she will balance restoring liberty to the galaxy and making her relationship with Ben work in a... physical sense. It's a difficult enough task to begin with, and it doesn't help that every time they're alone someone seems to require Rey for something.

Event Horizon by SpaceWaffleHouseTM for Apisa_B

Rey runs into Kylo Ren on a mission for the Resistance, and they have to work together against their wishes. This would be simple... if working together didn't involve pretending to be married, sharing a hotel room, and a lot of unresolved feelings.

still caught in yesterday's wake by ilum for Apricot

Her heart is heavy with fear—fear that one day she will no longer be able to recall the shape of Ben’s face, or the timbre of his voice, or the exact color of his eyes; that her memory of him will fade until she is left with nothing but the pain of his absence, like some phantom limb that aches and aches and aches, relentlessly.

A Dark Day Dream by Lizardbeeth for ArdeaJestin

Ben's come home, but Rey can't face him. Not because of anything he's done, at least not in real life. But in her fantasies? oh yes.

Become Who You Were Meant to Be by lucymonster for Aurae

Kylo is a fighter both by training and by preference. Tactics, not strategy. Action, not discussion. Every instinct in him wants to solve his problems by grabbing his sword and shedding some blood. But those easy days are behind him now. He has a galaxy to run. It would be easier if only he could stop thinking about her.

The Spaces Inbetween by aionimica for Ayrith (freijya)

It wasn’t the first time. Not the first since Crait and she saw him kneeling and their eyes met with anger and ache and want and everything else they didn’t have to say. No. Not the first, nor the second, nor even the third. This was a well trodden path that they all walked over and over. As if the Force was taking their hands and despite both of them tearing it away, still trying to bring them together. --- Rey and Kylo have been dealing with the Force bond for some time, but it finally reaches a tipping point.

The Least Of What I Could Do by OkayPianist for benperor-ren (winterelf86)

"I refuse to play opposite someone who has never had a part in their entire life," sneers Ben. "Either Rey goes or I do."

Niima's by fantastic_fanatics for bensolosredemption

Though Niima's is a questionable establishment, it's always been Ben's favorite bar. It's not just because he's inexplicably attracted to the new bartender, either - though he has to admit she might have something to do with it.

Devil Spawn by OptimisticBeth for Biekewieke

After a hot anonymous encounter at The Annual Organa Halloween Ball, Rey realizes she slept with the horrible guy who is her new boss. But he doesn't recognize her! And he asks her to track down his mystery hookup, which she totally agrees to do (wink wink, haha, she's lying). But then she finds out she's pregnant! GASP! What's a scared, pregnant single girl to do? (Other than take a nap because she's exhausted.)

Belonging by Megara09 for bitterbones

Friends-with-benefits except whoops I'm in love with you now and hate seeing you flirt with other people because we're technically not together.

Paradise by englishable for bittersnake

For two people whose souls are inseparably united, the question of sex shouldn't be that complicated. Given Ben and Rey's individual histories, however, it really comes as no surprise. But that's all right. They’ll have their whole lives together to figure it out, if Rey and Ben and possibly several hundred generations’ worth of Jedi ghosts have anything to say about the matter. Which they do.

Miss Johnson & the Professor by ElegyGoldsmith for blackheretic (redlondons)

Her heart wants to erupt through her throat, and she audibly gulps, trying to keep her gaze from the only place it wants to go. Thank fuck his eyes are so hypnotic; she can get lost in them as she stammers for English syllables. “Y-Yes, Dr. Solo?” “Seriously, Rey.” Is he blushing? Surely not. “I’ve known you all year, call me Ben.” “Ben,” she mumbles. It tastes like delicious sacrilege. “I actually think you’re in my bed.” “Huh?” “The couch. I was going to sleep there. Remember?” Rey clutches the blanket to her collarbone, hoping the light fabric is tented loosely enough to cover her breasts. Fuck, why does he have to be so distractingly hot? “No, it’s all right. I don’t mind, Professor.” “Ben," he insists firmly. “And I won’t be able to sleep at all knowing I’m comfy in a bed while you’re sleeping on that thing.”

Owner Malfunction. by VirtualMadness for Bombastique

One year after surviving Execgol, Rey and Ben Solo find themselves in each other's company after they are both captured while trying to take back the Falcon from Kanjiklub remnants. (AKA - The Force, the Falcon, love, and droids.)

Stealing the Light by NiriKeehan for bratanimus

Redemption isn’t given. It’s earned. Or: As the galaxy rebuilds from war, the man formerly known as Kylo Ren tries to make peace with the person he was, and the person he’s becoming.

Rey Niima and the American (Hot Piece of) Ass that She Just Wants to Tap, while also Not Dying in the Triwizard Tournament or Becoming Otherwise Inconvenienced or Maimed by MahoganyDoodles for Cairdiuil_Paiste

Completed for the prompt: Hogwarts AU! Triwizard tournament time with seventh year Rey representing Hogwarts. She wants to impress the MACUSA representative to strengthen her chances of joining their graduate programme. Too bad American diplomat Ben Solo doesn't seem to like her…

a forest of stars by QueenOfCarrotFlowers for caisha

Rey works hard at the diner to save up for her long dreamed-of vacation to Finland. She's lonely, but that's not new. What is new is Kylo Ren, the CEO of Orpheus Corp and new boss of her best friend Finn. When Finn and Kylo Ren stop by the diner for lunch, Rey feels as though she's finally met someone who understands her. But who is Kylo Ren, and what's his secret? A Modern Fae AU

I am a Soul Longing by La_Catrina for Ceallaigh

Rey has spent the last two years searching the galaxy for clues about how to bring Ben back. Now, finally, it seems she has a solid lead. The planet Xolutel is said to be a vergence in the Force, and myth has it there's a hidden temple where worshipers of the Force were granted their deepest desires. No matter how slim the possibility, Rey owes it to Ben and herself to check it out. She's not known to give up easily.

The World Has Been Sad Since Tuesday by crystanagahori for ceciliasheplin

The creature on his bed defied explanation, but Kylo Ren had a distinct feeling that there was nothing to worry about, nothing to fear. At least, not in this room. Demons lay in wait outside, but not here. Best not to let anyone know about this.

Be With Me by tweis24 for Chthonia

A force connection between Kylo (Ben), and Rey. It takes place while she is on Ach-To, and he is on the Death Star.

between the shadow and the soul by ninecrimes for ClockworkCrow (icemink)

“You and Skywalker have been keeping it a secret,” she said, her eyes searching his face to catch him when he lies. “But I know the truth. I learned it, the day after we fought on Mustafar. That Lord Vader was his father, and your grandfather.” He struggled against her stasis but she pushed back harder, her power swirling around them both. “Rey—” “Don’t you see, Ben?” There was a ghost of a smile on her lips. “The darkness is inside of you, too. You don’t have to keep fighting it. You were meant to be mine.” Mine. . or: Jedi Knight Ben Solo should really stop doing smuggling runs with his father. Kira Ren should really stop trying to turn him to the dark side.

The Rescue by Vivien for cohava

“What is it?” Ben asked, watching the worry lines form on Rey’s forehead as she checked the message that had just pinged through her datapad. “Poe’s leading the relief efforts on Faratula. There’s a boy there, Force sensitive. Orphaned. Poe says it’s a pretty bad situation.” “Let’s go get him, then,” he said without pausing.

how easy you are to need by OccasionallyCreative for Crimson_Alchemistress

The war is finished, yet Rey still carries wounds. They come in the form of nightmares, but Ben is there to comfort her.

stuck on how it feels here next to you by kuresoto for crossingwinter

Around four months ago, Ben and Rey married out of convenience. It had started that way and one of the key reasons why they had agreed to this in the first place was the condition that neither had romantic feelings for the other. This is their life, both head of heels for the other while not really knowing what to do about it.

Blue Sand by patig_00 for Crysania

The pale crimson sun rises above the horizon across the fields. A slight wind gently brushed Rey’s face. She left the ship and coverded herself with a blue scarf from a desert heat. She stepped forward, carefully observing the small city before her. Hot sand was burning her feets despite thick soles of boots. “This is going to be disaster,” she told herself with a crooked smile.

covert mission: baby acquisition bitterbones for crystanagahori

In which Rey decides she's ready to start a family of her own and Ben Solo, her boss and dear friend, would make the perfect sperm donor. * It was a stupid, girlish crush. One that likely wasn’t reciprocated, and could land her in a world of trouble with HR if she acted brashly. But still, she wanted him. He could waive his parental rights for all she cared. They could enter into some sort of contract, if such things existed. But he was the perfect candidate, the ideal sperm donor. Ben Solo.

hands that hurt, hands that heal solikerez for cuddlesome

Rey climbs on top of Ben and makes out with his sopping self after Force healing his stab wound.

It was not Death, for I stood Up by politicalmamaduck for CwenPhy

Emperor Palpatine lied on Exegol; Rey is not his granddaughter. Rey sets off on a journey, led by Obi-Wan Kenobi, to bring Ben Solo back from the World Between Worlds.

Good Boy by Aicosu for dankobah

Rey takes her dog to a nearby veterinary clinic for an emergency and doesn't expect to meet Ben (or anyone) while there.

The Unbreakable Bond by AlwaysEverlark for DarkSideOfMe

After Crait, Rey thought she had severed their Force Bond, or at least closed it, but some weeks ago she started feeling it, a presence in the back of her mind. Then she could hear him saying her name or other random words or feelings: concern, anxiety, loneliness, longing..to be fair, she didn’t know who those feelings belonged to, if there were Kylo’s or hers. And that was the other reason to put an end to this; she wasn’t ready to deal with anything different to her anger and disappointment. She had to focus on her training, on the Resistance, in their fight against “his” First Order. She was scared, scared of something she couldn’t put a name to, and last night had just showed her how important it was to break their connection. It was time to read the Jedi texts she’s been putting off for too long.

NiimaRide by witchsoup for datswatutink

Journey urge her not to stop believin' but provide no further clarification before she's strapped in the back seat and they're pulling away from the only real break she's had in twenty-four years.

To Hold and Give Light by midwinterspring for dearly

After Exegol, Rey takes an injured Ben back to the Resistance.

a conundrum of lightsabers by wombathos for devon380black (kryptonian17)

In the aftermath of Crait, Rey is left with two halves of a broken lightsaber she has no idea how to fix. As her force bond conversations with Ben continue, she comes to understand he's the only one who can help her with her problem. Maybe if they can repair one thing, they can repair something else too.

What Happens in Hotel Chandrila by starfleetjedi for DrPearlGatsby

Accompanying her best friends to a Galaxy Wars convention in Chandrila sounded like a good idea at first. But third-wheeling sucks, and that's how Rey finds herself daydrinking alone at the hotel bar. And then she gets a free drink from a tall, brooding, handsome stranger…

Until the Wild Feelings Leave You by isszeldasayre for dustoftheancients

Rehabilitating from a battle injury leaves Rey an irritable mess. The way Ben hovers over her does nothing to help.

Kintsugi by Fic_me_senseless  for ElegyGoldsmith

In the darkest moments, the galaxy is still filled with light.

give me shapes and letters, if it’s not forever by dankobah for ElleRen31

She holds out her hand, “I don’t think we’ve met, I’m Rey.  I work at the flower shop next door.” He must be new, or she’s just a shut-in during work because she would’ve remembered seeing him after a year of being here. “I’m Kylo, I own the tattoo shop.”  He points to his building and her eyebrows raise as he shakes her hand.  Owner? So he’s the head honcho? She hums to herself and then keeps the smile plastered on her face. Then she sets her sights on the dogs, “What are their names?”

Where the ocean goes by Nebulous Bounds for Elywyngirlie

Sometimes getting out alive is the victory. Sometimes the rest takes a little time.

it shall not be death by TolkienGirl for englishable

Rey of the Jedi Knights is sent with her sword and Holy Fire, to destroy a palace of thorns.

It doesn't quite go as planned.

The Reckoning by bratanimus for Erin410

Because of Rey, Ben has grown rather good at waiting. But she’s waiting, too, for something that hasn’t dawned on him yet. [Post-TROS mildly angsty marriage proposal fluff, hope you enjoy!]

Trading Places by HellyJellyBean for Fairleigh

Kylo… Kylo awoke to the sound of her whimpering his name. He sat bolt upright in Rey’s extremely uncomfortable cot. Anxious for her safety, he reached out for her with his mind. Rey? He heard her moan and heat instantly pooled between his legs. Curious. The sensation was different but not unwelcome. Then he saw Rey, or rather he saw himself, naked and writhing on his bed. His mouth fell open. Rey was... masturbating. He watched in awe as she pumped his shaft up and down, slowly but forcefully. Kylo… She called his name again.

You'll Turn by shipperofdarkness for FangirlintheForest

A retelling of the Last Jedi's elevator and throne room scenes with a role reversal twist. Can Smuggler Ben turn Dark Rey?

Building Something Together by walkingsaladshooter for fantastic_fanatics

When Ben confronts his new upstairs neighbor who keeps making all manner of odd noises at all manner of hours, he didn't expect what she's doing up there. He also didn't expect her to be so pretty.

Little Starfighter by eliaatan for Fic_me_senseless

Convinced he ruins everything he touches, isolated and lonely Ben Solo successfully pushes everyone away, except for the girl who sees something in him she recognizes.

Benvenuto nella nostra famiglia by Ann3onymous for gennalannisters

"Well, I have sensitive information here. Dinner is just actually a ploy. It’s actually an interrogation to make sure you didn't read the documents." She turned and smirked at him as they headed down the stairs, "If that's the case, I'm happy to be interrogated through wining and dining.” Love is in the air at Harvard Square.

Binary Suns by Twisted_Mirror for gigi_marlee

Young Ben Solo meets a young Rey. The two form an intense and instant attachment to the confusion of Ben's parents and his Uncle, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. What is a dyad and what will it mean for two children who have found belonging in each other?

more everything by caisha for HalfwayThrough

"I'm the boss, I've earned the right to show up whenever the fuck I want." He was arrogant, condescending, and an asshole. And he didn't have a mark on his wrist.

One Stick of Unsalted Butter by HalfwayThrough for HopeRebel

Rey's neighbor is the rudest, least considerate person she had to interact with. However, when she runs out of butter in the middle of night trying to bake cookies for Rose's birthday, there is only person she knows is awake and he is her only hope. Of course, things don't go according to plan.

come home, ben by shiiera for hxllosweetie33

He looked at their hands, watched as Rey intertwined their fingers together, and fought the back the shutter from the contact. “ Rey…” He whispered. She brought her hand to his face – calloused tips brushing against his scar – observing his face, every detail of it, the bags and dark circles under his eyes, the paleness of his skin, his dry lips, the lack of light behind his eyes.

Ashes of Life by Elwyngirlie for iamladyloki

Dark Rey becomes a reality and Ben has to remind her who she is

Negotiated Settlement Aurae for ilum

General Leia Organa has brought a small team with her to Kaytuu 5, expecting to negotiate a ceasefire between the First Order-controlled planetary government and local Resistance fighters. Unfortunately, Supreme Leader Armitage Hux has other plans. Rey will need the assistance of a Certain Someone who no longer calls himself Kylo Ren if she and her friends are to save the day.

Coming Home by Xochiquetzl for incognitajones

After the Battle of Exegol, Rey and an injured Ben are trapped together on an uninhabited planet.

The Stray by TheOriginalSuki for itsinthestars

Rey moves in across the hall from Ben; a former foster kid alone in the city, aspiring to be an actress. Ben is a ladder-climbing white collar businessman with a horrible boss and zero social life. Which is just the way he likes it. So why in the world has this insufferable creature made it her life's work to adopt him? From sharing her dinner to doing his laundry, she seems determined to make a connection. In the end, it's easier for Ben to just let her. But opening up means letting your heart be vulnerable.

Peace and Purpose by Anysia for itsnotillegal

Across the stars, Rey and Ben yearn for each other, neither able to move on, both facing the unending nights alone. But the Force longs for balance as surely as they long for each other.

Christmas Blues by benperor-ren for karlamartinova

The first snow had fallen, covering the ground like a white blanket. The emergence of winter weather always marked the increase of Christmas moods. The season when people fervently decorated their houses and you couldn’t walk through the mall or downtown area without hearing a Christmas jingle. The neighborhood already sparkled with multicolored lights and inflated or authentic snow-made snowmen. Rey Johnson’s festive mood rose with each house she drove by, her fingers tapping on the wheel as “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree”faded and transitioned into another song.

and I'll come home to you by thewayofthetrashcompactor for kuresoto

Ben and Rey both escape Exegol, and the past follows them. To protect the strange child they've found, they set up a school for Force-sensitives, but Ben can't shake the weight of his guilt.

what stranger miracles by incognitajones for La_Catrina

Ben can’t even manage to die right, apparently. 

the universe resting in my arms by AceQueenKing for Lightningpelt

Rey sees Ben, quietly tooling around the Skywalker homestead, his hands wet with mechanic's grease, and the image is so perfect that she holds her breath, not wanting to mar it with a loud breath.

counting my steps, reaching out to you by RedPaladin465 for Lizardbeth

All her life, Rey has felt snatches of someone else's emotions, seen visions of other places, other people she's certain she's never seen before. In a world where everything had been taken away from her, this connection was hers alone. She is wholly unprepared for the day she finds out that the person at the other end of the connection is a Jedi fighting as part of the Resistance against her delusional Master.

Soulmates by itsinthestars for LostInQueue

After Ben Solo disappears in front of her eyes, she finds a way to bring him back, where love began…

Heal by ceciliasheplin for LRRH17

A few weeks after the Battle of Crait, the Force connects Rey and Ben again on several occasions.

Softly, Softly by Merixcil for lucymonster

When the Resistance start to pick up distress calls from defecting Stormtroopers, they move to save as many as they can. It doesn't occur to them that the First Order might be after the same renegades until they're right on top of them.

First Impressions and Unexpected Connections by Melusine11 for LueurdeLaube

War has ravaged the galaxy, but finally, there is a chance at peace. Her grandfather arranges for Princess Rey Palpatine to wed the Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, broadcast across the galaxy to usher in the new era. They've never met before, but he's sent her letters.

All These Things That I've Done by MissCoppelia for MahoganyDoodles

Someone dropped down to Rey's level and reached for the empty plastic shell of her case. She stilled for a moment, afraid that she was about to get smacked with it, afraid to look up. “Sorry about him,” she heard over the sound of her heart beating through her ears. Not Hux? This voice was deeper. Rey looked up and saw Ben Solo in front of her, holding out the case for her, a sympathetic look in his dark brown eyes.

For Now by Celia_and for maq_moon

There are plenty of things he could say, but he doesn’t. Buying you muffins makes me excited to get out of bed in the morning. I wish I could go back in time and be the kind of person you could like. I don’t remember my life before you. ---------- When Kylo finds his soulmate, she doesn't know, and he doesn't tell her.

You can view the other two masterposts for this exchange in this tag.

[ecotone99]

[AA] An American Spy in Wuhan

Logline: An American spy stationed at a Wuhan lab, in which the coronavirus originated, needs to take steps to alert the international community of the coming virus.

____________

Mila Sao was born in 1986 to Chinese immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York. She demonstrated an aptitude for science and engineering early on. By high school, she was on the fast track to be recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency for her STEM skills and ability to speak flawless mandarin.

On her most recent assignment in Wuhan, China, she was stationed at a biochemical laboratory with close links to the Chinese government for research and development. In two months, there was no unusual activity in the lab; today, everything has changed.

As Mila walks to work this morning, she notices that there is a military presence in the streets. When she gets to the lab, she finds that there are military personnel, body temperature monitors, and pat-downs. Nervous, Mila walks past the building, to call her handler, Harrison Parker, a high-level administrator, employed at the Pentagon,

"Check-in number 95637 - K4," Mila says into the phone.

"You got Parker," Harrison says.

"This is Agent 95637, requesting guidance on security check-ins at the Wuhan bio-chemical lab," Mila says.

"We see no red flags, trash this phone and proceed with the check-in, go in clean, one phone," Harrison responded.

"Copy that," Mila says as she removes the back panel from the phone, takes the SIM card and battery out, and dumps them in separate trash containers. She then walked back to the lab and proceeded with the security check-in. The first thing they do is take her body temperature reading, 98.1, that's a good sign. Mila then moved to the security table that has been set-up,

"What is your department?" Security asks.

"I work in the 5th-floor lab, synthetic insulin," Mila says.

"Cell phone please," security asks as Mila pulls out her official Chinese phone, and hands it over to the guard. They proceeded to download the location data to their database and then handed back the phone. Mila continued through an x-ray scanner, and then up to her lab.

Mila has created close ties with a lab technician named Tanya,

"What is going on today?" Mila asks.

"I heard that people think there was a security breach, 10th floor, bio-chemical," Tanya says.

"That sounds serious, should I be worried?" Mila says.

"Whatever it is, as long as we do what the government wants us to do, we should be fine," Tonya responded.

They continued to work most of the morning until the Chinese military entered the lab around 11 am. With the army, are numerous doctors that work for the Chinese government; they told everyone that the lab needed to convert into vaccine development. The instructions for the chemical makeup of the vaccine are labeled 'SARS-CoV.' Mila and Tonya convert the lab, no questions asked.

Mila knew that in 2003 the SARS virus was an international pandemic. She was unaware of any vaccine, but the public doesn't always know what the government knows. Tanya and Mila are supervised by military personnel as they make the vaccine. When completed, the vaccines are put into boxes and immediately shipped out of the lab.

Mila has a CIA check-in after work today, she needs to do all she can without getting caught, she has a gut feeling this is a huge conspiracy but requires the evidence to back it up. Mila asks the military personnel if she can go to the bathroom, he allowed it and she was allowed to proceed alone outside the lab. Instead of going to the bathroom, she climbs the stairs to the 10th floor; it's highly guarded, roped off; there's no way to get onto the floor from the stairway. Mila decides to go down to the 9th floor; instead, The lab there is converted as well. Mila sees an asset on that floor. Nguyen, a member of the lab security personnel. Mila has been paying her off as an informant for years now. Mila gets Nguyen's attention, and they meet in the stairwell.

The ninth floor is also being used as a staging area for the infection zone on the tenth floor. The tenth floor is swarming with military personnel; however, Nguyen knows where there are other full-body ventilator suits. The military keep their identification badges visible on the front left upper chest as identity can be tricky in the full-body suits. A high ranking military officer was not feeling well earlier and opted not to go into the infection zone. When he was in the bathroom, Nguyen, swiped his badge and gave it to Mila,

"Put this on the outside of your ventilator bodysuit, you should be able to stay up there for at least ten minutes, once he reports it missing though, you better get out of there," Nguyen says as Mila puts on the full-body ventilator suit. Nguyen attaches the badge to the suit,

"If anyone questions this, it's not going to hold up, be ready to run," she says.

Mila makes her way up to the tenth floor, lab technicians have died here, there's blood on the ground, broken glass, and swarms of military personnel in full-body ventilator suits. Mila walks by the investigation table, where evidence has been laid out, there are vials marked, 'SARS-CoV-2.' As Mila is about to pick up the test tube, a military general, in charge of the entire floor, asks everyone to circle up.

Mila follows orders and hangs in the back; she can tell by his identification badge that he's the guy in charge, top brass.

"All right everybody, the mutated SARS virus has escaped containment, the local hospital just admitted 50 people, with the mutated virus. The biochemical weapon manufactured here, escaped containment three days ago when a lab technician was infected. This biochemical weapon was years away from being used in warfare, as we do not have a vaccine yet. While the original purpose of this virus was intimidation of enemies, the project is now considered terminated, the objective from this point moving forward is to contain the virus, force people indoors, and quarantine the entire city of Wuhan," the general says. Many in the room are shocked, the city of Wuhan contains about 11 million people, that would be quite the undertaking for the Chinese military.

With this new information, Mila feels as though she needs to get out and warn the international community. She starts to back away from the meeting, hoping to sneak out the stairwell and back down to the 5th floor. She accidentally bumps a rack of test tubes, creating a rattling noise that has everyone look in her direction. One of the military personnel notices that her badge is of a male official,

"Who are you?" the military personnel asks as another military officer starts to approach.

"Can you come here for a minute?" asks another military officer. Mila takes off to the stairs; numerous troops are pursuing her, siren alarms, she knows she can't go back down to the fifth floor now. They're probably going to lock the building down; she can't use the first floor either. Mila gets off on the second floor, tossing her ventilator bodysuit in the stairwell to give her a little anonymity, but not for a long time.

There are no windows that open on the second floor, so she can't get out of the building that way; however, Mila knows that a trash chute that runs out of the first floor into a dumpster. Mila finds the chute; she hears military personnel approaching closer and closer, she jumps and lands safely in the dumpster below.

Mila's cover is blown; she can't come back. Her key concern is to get out of Wuhan before the quarantine comes into effect. Mila sprinted to her house, where she kept a car in the garage, leaving all her personal belongings, and sped out of Wuhan. As she left the city, the military trucks were parking in place; she just made it out. Mila rode the ten plus hours to Shanghai, where she took the last flight from China to Seattle, Washington. It all happened so quickly; she was sure the Chinese government would have caught up to her; she considered that they might be waiting for her in Seattle.

On the flight, Mila made friends with a woman named Poppy, who was going to visit her grandmother in Seattle. Poppy agreed to give her a ride when they got to the Seattle airport. When they landed, Mila was paranoid of everyone; she thought unidentified Chinese Nationals were everywhere. Poppy drove her to Seattle Bus Terminal; there, they parted ways, Poppy went to Kirkland Nursing Home to visit her grandma, Mila on a Greyhound Bus to New York City, via Chicago, Detroit, and Philadelphia.

The three-day bus ride was a secret, Mila thought that the Chinese government would surely intercept any communication at this point because she had to destroy her secure phone. Mila came to New York and delivered the evidence to her superiors, and was praised for her outstanding work.

Two days later, Mila was admitted to the hospital, diagnosed with Coronavirus, and she would survive, but it was no accident that she had fled Wuhan so easily. Her return to the United States would leave a wake of contagion, just as the Chinese military had initially planned.

submitted by /u/patrickryan182 [link] [comments] via Blogger https://ift.tt/3b9eWo2

[callmemoprah]

New Material Unveils the reduced Upon Higher education Coursework and The Reasons Why You Have To Take Motions Currently

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Source: http://mobimatic.io/2018/12/17/new-material-unveils-the-reduced-upon-higher-education-coursework-and-the-reasons-why-you-have-to-take-motions-currently/

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been dealing with a pretty rough illness of sorts that’s basically had me, more or less, couch-bound, sleeping, low on energy, and incredibly weak/sore. Once I got over the constant sleepiness, I decided to devote the couch time to catching up on a few games that I’ve put aside for the last year — namely, Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain — and, once I got most of the way through that (well, about 2/3 of the way through), I moved on to some games I’ve been anticipating for quite some time: NieR: Automata (vaguely related to the purpose of this article, so I’m largely ignoring it) and Persona 5. These games, aside from being Japanese-developed, have basically nothing in common whatsoever. Their one commonality is that their all sequels to games that I’ve long admired for one reason or another, especially Persona 5 and MGS5. Final Fantasy Tactics also fits into this whole thing, but it’s largely persisted through re-releases, a remaster on the PSP (Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions), and other platform ports.

This article isn’t about these games, but I’ll give a brief summary as to why they’re important. The final game that really changed things for me is Far Cry 2. Which, well, basically all these games have nothing linking them together whatsoever. Bear with me.

Persona 5

Persona was the first Playstation game that I ever bought. It was also my only Playstation game for a long while. I sunk, well, a lot of time into it over the six-nine months that it remained my sole Playstation game. I started it over, oh, about three or four times because I never felt that I did an adequate job of preparing my team for the later stages of the game. And then in one dungeon about 80–85% of the way through the game, I kept getting lost in the maze (Persona was a first-persona dungeon-crawler) and, since I’m incredibly prone to motion sickness, eventually I had to give up at the dungeon time and time again. It’s irrelevant to this article, but I didn’t succeed in getting beyond that point until it was re-released on the PSP about a decade later. It’s a game that bears little resemblance to the way the series has evolved over the years, but it’s a series I’ve stuck to as best I can. Persona 5 is, essentially, the culmination in everything the series has been building up to (including bits that, I assume, Catherine laid the roots for).

What sticks with me from Persona 5, which is a game I completed to its “true ending” (I hate multi-ending games, by the way) earlier today. Without spoiling too much, the game ends up handling its endgame in a way that reminds me a great deal of Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 in a very specific way: the bonds you form with people and the public perception your group earns over the course of the game play an incredibly important role in the emotional and narrative impact of the final sequence of events.

Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain

Similarly, Metal Gear Solid was another Playstation game I was incredibly attached to. At the time, I primarily enjoyed its more “serious” tone and approach to narrative. The gameplay was, at best, loosely interwoven with the overall plot, but the series has made strides to bring gameplay and plot closer and closer together over the years. That is until Metal Gear Solid 4 when the series took an overwhelming turn into being narrative-driven to the point of hour-long cutscenes and frequent cutscene interruptions.

Then Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker came out for PSP. A much lower-budget, “tentpole” title for the series, but one which ultimately laid the groundwork for what became Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain: a very systems-heavy, gameplay-driven game that mixed together high-level strategy (base-building, team assembly, etc.) with low-level, more Metal Gear Solid-esque gameplay that allowed players bite-sized, portable missions that were far closer to the initial glimpses into its gameplay style that the earlier games often left unexplored. And MGS5became a huge turning point for the series in that it’s, largely, a sandbox game where most of the story-telling (most) occurs throughout gameplay, leaving the player to play the game uninterrupted alongside the narrative. It’s an exquisitely-detailed game, to the point where if you leave your horse in a place for too long, eventually it poos. If a vehicle happens to come in contact with said poo, the vehicle will slide out of control and — usually (in this tremendous edge case) — crash. It is wonderful.

Final Fantasy Tactics

Honestly, I don’t have much to say about this game that I haven’t already said before or has been echoed by others. I was quoted in a Kotaku article years back along with other game developers as to why everyone loves Final Fantasy Tactics. Essentially: it is the quintessential realization of systems-driven gameplay. It doesn’t hurt that the narrative around the game’s battles is one of the most interesting ones I’ve seen in games. It’s ludicrous at times, but it attempts to tie together an intricate plot through political subterfuge, class warfare, war-time alliances between friends, and then there’s silly things about the power of the zodiac turning people into ultra-powerful demons.

Point is: the systems and design of the game are largely what govern gameplay to a degree that, I believe, is unprecedented in the games industry. Like I said in the Kotaku article: there’s a mathematician/arithmetician class. It allows you to combine the powers of your secondary class with formulae for targeting enemies/allies on the battlefield. It’s beautiful.

Far Cry 2

Without going too far into detail, as I’ve written about this game excessively in the past (though I’m not sure the articles survived), but it’s essentially the game that made me pursue game design over programming as a career path. Other than my work with LightBox Interactive/Sony Santa Monica on Starhawk and work on a myriad of mobile games to follow, I’ve largely been employed as more of a programmer than as a designer. To put it as it was once put to me: “why would we want a game designer when we can get a programmer instead?” That’s a digression, but it’s a horribly reductive line of reasoning that has never proven itself out as a well-made decision (in my opinion).

But the work that Clint Hocking (Creative Director on Far Cry 2) and Patrick Redding (Narrative Designer on Far Cry 2) put into the game intrigued me, so I basically read everything from the duo online that I possibly could. I don’t think I’ve ever met either of them in person or had any detailed game conversations with… But, never the less, they both had a profound impact on my change in perspective on how games were made and what they could accomplish.

Far Cry 2 is not an example of system design and narrative culminating in the holy grail of what these two fields of design can accomplish, but it was the first game to really attempt to see how far those as dictating influences could go in a major AAA game.

Other Influences

Likely due to both serendipity and my pushy nature, I eventually got to talk with some designers who believe in system design and narrative design in ways that “closely align with mine” (in quotes because both of these folks are far more experienced than I am): Matthias Worch (most recently worked on the superb Mafia 3) and Harvey Smith (most recently the creative director on Dishonored 2). Conversations with both of these guys, whether they realize it or not, ultimately resulted in my fervent pursuit of system design as a dictating factor in the direction of a holistic game design and development methodology.

Joy Machine and Steel Hunters

For about almost a year now, I’ve been working on establishing my own company with its debut title being Steel Hunters. To say this is an “undertaking” is putting it lightly. I wrote about this not too long ago in “Starting a Game Studio with No Money”. I could have worded that “less than no money” as a more accurate title, but that’s beside the point.

You can still read all about my progress (well, now, “our” progress, as I’ve convinced a team to form together and work on the side — just as I am and have been — on the project) on our site: http://ift.tt/2fjtOHM.

We were planning on releasing our “announcement” (initial) trailer for the game last Friday, but that was planned right before I got ill and, as a result, has been pushed back a few weeks. Likely without us talking about a release date in advance because I want to ensure that we have proper time to put together a trailer that fully represents the game in its current state. No doctored footage (though likely tightly-edited, as we want to keep the trailer short), just what me and my art director have put together as a nice, tight structure to drive the trailer. Well, we hope. Given our lack of any budget whatsoever, which hopefully doesn’t ever even come up as a point worth mentioning, I think it’ll be a wonderful introduction to the game. Our biggest challenge has been trying to infuse a trailer about what, in the simplest terms, is an action/adventure third-person shooter centered solely around robots, explosions, and dynamic gameplay, with the personality that is most representative of the eventual tone of the game as a whole and, well, who we are as a studio.

This is all somewhat of a digression, though. The point of Steel Hunters as it relates to this article is to be the successful game that I have complete confidence it will end up being so that we, as Joy Machine, can pursue further projects in the future without requiring the same level of outside funding that we will need for this project.

My Game Development End-Game

The reason for the self-sustaining company ecosystem that we are aiming for — aside from it being a generally, like, common-sense business strategy? — is that I want to continually push dynamic, system-driven gameplay to a point where the kind of scenarios that Persona 5 ends up achieving through its entirely-scripted (though well-assembled and well-written) structure. It’s still a new game, so I won’t reveal anything about where it ends up going, so I’ll revert to another analogy:

Ghostbusters

If this is spoiling the movie experience for you by now, I have no sympathy for you. The Ghostbusters, as a team, basically take an absurd premise that the core members all fundamentally believe in, prove out despite mockery and ridicule, become mass public sensations, hit a major blockade due to legal, bureaucratic, and petty reasons, but come out on top due to a massive city-wide crisis that has them, eventually, driving through their eventual target amidst enormous public support. The movie then cuts back-and-forth between the public opinion/reaction to the battle that is largely un-seen to them other than the repercussions of Zuul’s lightning zaps. And, well, an enormous Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man that eventually rampages through the city. They notice that one.

Eventually, once the dust settles, all the Ghostbusters emerge victorious and the credits roll as you see huge public support for their actions.

Ghostbusters 2 takes this whole thing in a somewhat different and less effective direction, but what’s of note is the role that the pink slime factors into the storyline. The pink slime, essentially, is intended to harness the negative energy and anger and bitterness and complacency of the public masses to manifest incredibly dark energy for the film’s antagonist to harness. But what the antagonist doesn’t anticipate is the same thing that Persona 5’s antagonist didn’t anticipate: that the bonds that you form with individuals and society as a whole are ultimately critical to your success as a team.

Sure, day-to-day, people are largely solely concerned with their own life and not the lives of the public or country as a whole. Not to take a political stance here, but I think the general public apathy is fairly well-represented in the reprehensible President of the United States right now. And that tangerine shit-show is, now, doing more to unify and inform the country (and, likely to a more effective extent, the world) to the dangers of ignorance, complacency, racism, greed, and all those other things that we’d all like to think we’re above.

I Promised This would Get to a Point

My ultimate goal as a game developer to create a game that serves as a sandbox for players to form meaningful relationships with characters in the world that aren’t solely governed by a scripted progression of emotional bonds. And a game in which the world reacts to the player’s actions in a meaningful way — both positively and negatively. And I want this all to occur in a game genre that is typically not known for evocative, emotional reactions in its players: moderately well-budgeted action games. Personally, I don’t ever really aspire to the level of making AAA games, but I’d adore being able to carve out a niche in the “AA” budget target.

I’m not saying something akin to what many series writers often say about long-running series: I have no inkling as to what form this eventual game will take. No idea whatsoever. Not even a glimmer of a speck of an idea.

What I do know is that I’m an idealist to a borderline-naive degree. I’ve always been most-absorbed with and fascinated by books, shows, games, and movies that explore the human condition in a positive (if not bittersweet) way. I’ve long said that one of my favorite books is The Fall by Albert Camus. And it’s one of my favorite books because it serves as a pitch-perfect example of the main character (who is not the narrator of the book; it’s all a series of stories between the main character to the book’s narrator) preying on what he knows is the weakness of mankind to the point of falling directly into a premeditated trap.

My goal as a game developer is to be able to systemically simulate the the emotional response and player-to-character bonds that tend to form in games like Persona (well, Persona 3 — Persona 5) in a wholly player-driven way. And have those bonds spur the progression of the player through the game. Have the game’s environment (in the Ghostbusters case: the general public) react in accordance with the way the player approaches the game. And then force the player into a world where they must react as best as possible to a situation that is entirely of their own creation through their actions, bonds with other characters, and perspective on whatever the game’s larger purpose/environment may be.

And I’m being vague because that’s, to put it in incredibly understated terms, a difficult design to achieve. But, I believe that it’s possible, and I’m planning on taking “baby-steps” in that direction with every single game I work on in whatever capacity I can influence it within. With Steel Hunters, we’re going to be heavily exploring an angle where a fully-realized physical, turbulent environment centered around enormous bosses which are capable of adapting to player strategies force players into situations where they must take everything they know about the game and adapt to situations they couldn’t possibly expect. But, with that said, these situations are all the result of a series of events which is repeatable and predictable if you take into account all of the factors that led to a given situation. And all of this is done systemically and dynamically. When I say “repeatable” I mean, following the exact same path that both the player and environmental conditions took in a prior play session, the result ends up being the same because the overall game is designed well enough predictability if players are ever able to fully grasp all of the high-level and low-level variables that are all operating in a dynamic, real-time environment — and then take advantage of that to their advantage.

Steel Hunters will definitely not be a game where players form meaningful relationships with in-game characters/AI, but it will, hopefully, be a game where players form meaningful relationships with their co-op partners due to the experiences they’ve all ended up in and worked together to overcome. I have no interest in competitive gameplay, in general, because the way that the internet “is” seems to generally result in competitive gameplay yielding toxic, unapproachable real-world environments. So, to the degree I can with our studio’s debut title, I’d like to focus on teamwork and seeing the positive community that can form around a game where players can form bonds with each other based on unforeseen challenges that required snap decisions and teamwork to overcome.

Which, I think, will be a huge step towards reaching my end goal.