Yea, I used a chromebook once for showing off my equipment playing a few rounds of MM for fun in school, and the browser would lag and crash after one or two matches. It was also one of the newer and more powerful models, so I'm thinking in general, a new computer would help with this problem. If that isn't something you can do, perhaps you can try 1. downloading a new browser (that supports flash) using instructions here and then 2. enjoying Tanki Online Flash using this link (flash version does not lag as much as html5 which I know from past experience). Note: If your chromebook is not evil like mine you can skip step 1 and just go straight to step 2. Happy playing!

A streamer has many places to livestream, unless, of course, they happen to be party decorations. How do you feel when you know you're not invited to someone's birthday party?

Is this a parody of a song? Just checking to make sure. I'm fine with multiple entries, but only the most recent one will be considered while judging.

just saying the Bible says that that day will not be known to man...

Approved. Great work, I enjoyed the experiences that it brought back. Making a Tanki friend is quite an awesome experience. I really liked the emotion in the story, but I'm thinking you can work on fixing grammar and spelling mistakes, especially commas (using Grammarly can help with basic checks, while a proofreader can work with more detailed errors the computer algorithms cannot catch). Other than that, I can't wait for the next few stories! Edits:

Great question! I didn't really think of two people working on this contest, but yes, if more players collaborate and make a song, then the prize will be shared between all the players. I'll add it in the rules.

Correct, there was one a while back... in fact it was one of the first few I've read. I made sure to use other ideas that Gnatty didn't use, don't want to copycat or get the newspaper banhammer (hence why there was no talk about eSports or clans). Thanks for the feedback, though!

Wondering about life is a great way to pass time. When is a good time to stop and think about anything?

Not sure if that's a question, but that makes me job easier. Thanks! Ever wonder if the world is fair?

@classic-style-hiphop Heyo, I have some feedback for you after a few good hours of procrastination and curing minor sadness. I hope it will be helpful. ? I feel like your sentence structure is pretty good and descriptive, and I guess all I really have to say is maybe add a few more descriptions in the sentence. However, I'm thinking you can switch up the sentence starts because I see a few chunks of sentences starting with "you". Maybe try to vary it once in a while? I also think that the dialogue can be improved as it feels ping-pong, back and forth. Perhaps add some descriptions in the middle or replace the dialogue. For example, replacing 'yes' wth a nodding of the head would cut the dialogue wall with a description, which helps further set the scene. Might add more if I have more time to analyze it deeper, I'll keep you posted. Hopefully, you'll be able to implement some changes to get you to that Hippin_in_Hawaii level ?

You're welcome! Second person is kind of new to me too (after being banned from using second person in classes I haven't had much experience), so I'm also trying to get the hang of it. We're in the same boat for this one mate. About constructive criticism, I'll be getting that done tomorrow, I'll update it in just a moment. (a little lazy rn hehe)

Approved. When you wrote that you were going to extend your first story, I was already excited, but when I read it, I was blown away. Great work, keep it up in future pieces. By the way, the second person POV is still quite new to me, so it'll take some time to get adjusted to that, but I think it really fits your story. Edits:

Sit down, shut up, keep your head down, and the world will start to revolve around you.

Story writing is a very unique task that takes years to master. How many stories does it take for a writer to improve?

Nah, I think it's fine, but if you would like, you can make a rework on the topic. I kinda relate to you, because when I look back, it can get a little hard for me to get through without dying of cringe lol.

Through my journey as an emerging writer to the fledgeling reporter that I am today, I’ve gained so much experience that really helped me take the next step and blossom into a better person. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Just about a year and some ago, a scrawny little tanker stepped onto the forum, not knowing what would ever happen. That tanker would go through initial success, a cycle of victory and failure, self-deprecation, a nadir, and finally, find the road that led to the ultimate accomplishment of becoming a Tanki Online Reporter. Tankers, that player was me. I went through the pain of losing, the self-hate, the pain of self-made enemies all around me, but I pulled through. Of course, with a journey that wild, I’ve learned so many lessons, not just about Tanki Online and the Forum, but life lessons I’ll never forget. Out of everything I’ve gained in this past year and a half, five points summarize the best takeaways from this journey. 1. Always bring your A-game. I noted that at first, I gained early success in two random writing contests that I just decided to participate in with hours before the deadline. With those clutch victories under my belt, I was sure that I could pull off the same trick in the AWS and have many viewers crowd by my pieces. After all, didn’t I just finish two contests (including a CtS) in under an hour and gain 40 000 crystals in return? Of course, that meant my first few articles were just a rough draft with a superficial edit or two submitted in under thirty minutes. Needless to say, my early articles were a bit of a flop. But because of my headstrong personality, I always channeled various excuses to explain my contest fiascos and low view count: I was an unknown and just as unpopular in Tanki as in real life. However, the truth was that I wasn’t putting in the work to get the feedback I thought I deserved. Finally, I found out the truth. It wasn’t that no one wanted to look at my pieces, but rather that I needed to put in more effort into the writing process to get more out of my work. Once I got that idea in my head, it was a few months before I finally could make a name for myself. 2. Everyone is different, find your strengths. I used to try various genres of writing that I believed would be more “popular” than others: humor, guides, reviews, stories, whatever I felt like would gather more views for me. However, this “strategy” of mine only caused more severe issues: drops in self-confidence and anger management problems. At that time, I often felt that no one understood my jokes or thought that my interpretation of the review was a witty idea. But it wasn’t just that. I suppose as I was writing in my early style (a more humorous, choppy sentence structure with plenty of emotes and strikethroughs), I neglected to think of what I was good at in writing: lyrical, descriptive bits with ample servings of figurative language and alliteration. Once I understood what was pushing my progress back, it was a hard transition to get to, but over the months, I started to make a name for myself. Before long, I was on the road to becoming a reporter. 3. Always cherish your feedback. In the writing class I attended for five years, my teacher often forced us to write feedback for other classmates. Because of my poor writing abilities at the time and the insensitivity of other students, I was often sent back with a truckload of negative comments. It was pretty obvious that by the time I started contributing to the AWS, I viewed feedback as another opportunity to take a shot at the fairly large target on my back, which started me off on the wrong foot. At first, I was always angry because of the words others had suggested so I could improve, but when I started reading, I also discovered that their advice proved correct. Their opinions helped me make more progress as a writer as well as learn how to tolerate negative words directed towards me, a great win-win in my journey to reporterhood. 4. What happens off the forum stays off the forum. If you’ve ever been bothered by me, stop cheering right now, I don’t annoy people anymore. For the most part of my forum career, I was plagued with self-hate and social issues, which often spilled over to the forum. If I felt discouraged by my track teammates or short-changed by my friends, it would often end up fueling my anger on the forum. After several of those “episodes”, I ended up alienating a lot of people who I shouldn’t have. It’s one of the greatest regrets of my life. Sometimes, I think if I were to go back and fix my life, this is probably one of the first things I would change for the better. But since time cannot turn around, I just had to work hard and show the tankers I had annoyed that I wasn’t always like this. These past few months were hard as a tanker, and then Guest Writer, because biting my tongue and deciding not to type out a poisonous message was always one of the hardest things to do. However, as time passed (and with the help of my good friend), I was able to change my personality and myself for the better. This does bring me to another point: Always have someone to talk to if things aren’t going well. I don’t mean to excuse my poor behavior, but I know that at that time, I had no one who I could reach out to and discuss my problems with. As a result, the Tanki Online Forum, the closest thing I had to a real friend, became the prime place to vent. It definitely wasn’t the right thing to do, and I apologize for that. But I think if I had someone who I could reach out to, things would have been different. However, one must learn from past mistakes to improve, and through these hardships, I’ve become a better person. 5. Erasing a bad reputation is an uphill battle, change for the better and never give up to go back to your old ways. Well, of course, I had become a bad name among the reporters for my unique attitude, which stopped me from advancing further into the ranks of the best writers, even though I was just as good as them. To counter the stain I had on my name, I had to work much harder (and crank out a record-number of editorials) to prove myself worthy of joining the newspaper team. At times, it was tempting to lash out in anger, which happened a few times, but mostly, I was able to stop my fingers just milliseconds before they sent that angry message on Discord or the TO Forum. But now, even though some might still have some sour memories of me, it’s easily wiped aside by my now easygoing personality on the forum. It’s a tough and slow process, and there are more than enough setbacks to get even the most persistent of people to lose interest, give up, and snap. However, I assure you that even though the journey will be one of the hardest things to go through, the reward at the end of your hard work will be enough to make the journey worth it. 6. Sit down, shut up, keep your head down, and watch the world revolve around you. So this is more of a recent discovery than a lesson I've learned throughout my journey. It's pretty simple: sometimes we feel the need to criticize that one typo a teacher made or tell that one kid who slept through the math exam that their 85 was only due to the grade curve. Often times, I've found myself making these comments without thinking about the consequences and they've come back to haunt me. However, recently, instead of listing unnecessary and angry comments on the forum and in real life, I decided to focus on other things instead of wasting my breath saying words that would usually hurt my reputation. Sometimes, it would be hard to bite my tongue when I saw injustices or something I really needed to criticize or vent, but I pulled through. I picked up US History and Physics instead of flaming others, suffered through the hard times of losing who I thought was my best friend, and survived a semester of one of the hardest years in school. After that, I went from amateur writer to Newspaper Reporter candidate, from lonely and friendless to content with my life, from struggling to succeeding in academics. It's safe to say that not speaking up isn't the only thing that'll step you up into the next level of life, but if talking is doing more harm than good, it's something you definitely could try. If you’ve snoozed through the textwalls I’ve put in the time to write, don’t worry, all you need to know is: 1. Always bring your A-game, 2. Everyone is different, find your strengths, 3. Always cherish your feedback, 4. What happens off the forum stays off the forum, and finally 5. Erasing a bad reputation is an uphill battle, change for the better and never give up to go back to your old ways. Hopefully, these tips will help you grow not only as a writer, but also give you the tools to thrive in life. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you’ve read this, you’ve now got five new guidelines to help better your daily life. Good luck in both the Tanki world and real life!

I have heard of very famous geographical triangles. What's a fascinating vacation spot?

I read on the SAT reading section that Vantablack is almost complete darkness. What is better, hiding in the darkness or being in the light?

Hey Tankers, looking for a new way to get extra crystals while flexing your songwriting abilities? Then this contest is perfect for you! __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Yep, you've arrived at the right place. Your task is simple: just take a song that you like and write in some Tanki-related lyrics to it. It can be just about Tanki in general, but there's also bonus points for writing a coherent plot into your parody. Out of ideas and need an example? Take a look here. But before you immerse yourself in Thor's Tanki rendition of "The Search" by NF, take a few minutes to read the rules. 1. No plagiarism. Easy right? 2. The song must have at least three distinct parts (i.e. two verses and a chorus). 3. Please post the original lyrics and parody in a spoiler below. These should be appropriately labelled. Any entries not in this format will not be considered. 4. Collaboration between multiple tankers is fine, just note that a. all player's nicknames must be stated or mentioned in the entry and b. the prizes will be split evenly. So if you've got a friend who's only willing to write two lines and mooch off of your work for the prize, keep these points in mind before sending in a collaboration entry. Any infractions of these rules will lead to a disqualification and a potential ban from participating in future newspaper contests. And now, of course, the best part, the prizes: 1st place: 60 000 crystals 2nd place: 45 000 crystals 3rd place: 30 000 crystals Any other deserving entries will receive 15 000 crystals each. But hurry, this contest closes Feburary 28th! Results will be posted in around two weeks following the deadline. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ So what are you waiting for? Grab your favorite song, a pencil and paper, and write the Tanki world's next pop hit!

Approved. Firstly, welcome to the AWS! I really enjoy your writing; this story felt very personal and filled with very evocative description. If you're thinking about writing some more, you could try extending this story because I'd really want to know where Anil's father is at. Edits:

The condition of a day is often perceived by a person as how it went versus how it was meant to be. Have you forgotten to do your homework? Because I just saw an assigment that I forgot to do...

As much as I would like to, I don't think I can big brain my way through this. Good luck to everyone else, though!

Usually, the places I go for pizza don't ask for flavors (though i think the Pizza Hut buffet in Taiwan does), they ask for toppings. What place do you usually get pizza from?

-425

It's been a while since we've interviewed our reporters, and boy does time fly - they're all seasoned reporters now! Still, let's get to know more about these tankers, starting with my clan leader - pythor20000! _ Pythor20000 A descriptive writer with a talent for suspenseful and entertaining stories as well as the leader of an eSports clan, Pythor's been a star in the AWS community before joining the reporter team. With creative articles and unforgettable stories, he has distinguished himself as an Amateur Writer, and now, a Newspaper Reporter. Hey there Pythor! Why don't you start us off with some quick information about you? Hey guys, it's Pythor aka Thor aka "The helper with a bunch of zeros at the end of his name". My real name is Sam and I was born and raised in the Chicagoland area of Illinois, USA. I'm currently an 18-year-old senior in HS, planning on pursuing some form of career involving engineering. I have been writing in the Tankiverse since September 2018. Ah, I remember. We began writing at about the same time. I remember that you made some great stories and the creative TWNC (Tanki Weather and News Channel). So what inspired you to apply and join the guild of reporters? I have fond memories back in Tanki's golden years of reading every TO newspaper issue I could lay my hands on. As a young kid, I thought it was so cool how my favorite video game had it's very own newspaper. As I grew older and matured, I discovered my own love for writing, and that skill transferred over to when I started my very first series in the AWS. It's truly an honor to write for the EN Tanki community and I look forward to what the upcoming years have in store. That's great! You've actually been on the team for a good while; how are you enjoying the reporter experience? During my six months working on the EN Newspaper Reporter team I've gained a ton of additional writing experience, gotten to meet a bunch of new people who read my articles, and had the honor of building amazing friendships with my fellow reporters. It's truly an experience unlike any other, and I can say without doubt that I work alongside some of the most talented and interesting people I've ever met. Joining the newspaper has brought along some new experiences to each and every one of us. For you, what has been the most rewarding and memorable experience as a reporter? The most memorable moment for me so far, aside from winning my first HOTM award, was seeing the sheer amount of views and positive feedback I received on my initial article as a reporter. I would not disagree at all. You did mention earlier that you were a young kid when you began reading Tanki's newspaper. Now I'm curious... when exactly did you find out about this game? I was first introduced into the Tanki realm in October of 2012. I, a wee 10 year old at the time, was over at my friend's house for a birthday party when he showed me this new game he had just started playing. I remember watching him use Twins-Hunter on his Sergeant account in a CTF battle. The very next day I created my first account "pythor2000" (that's 3 zeros not 4 for you dyslexic nubs). I used that account for about 2 weeks before forgetting my password. It was then that I had the brilliant idea of adding another zero at the end to form a new account "pythor20000". Little did I know at that time how big of an impact this game would have on my life. Yeap, I'd agree. It's really amazing that sometimes the discovery of a great video game like Tanki can drastically change the course of one's life. Knowing that you joined in 2012, I'm sure you've been through the 'golden years' of Tanki, so I really want to know: What was your favorite memory in TO? I gotta say probably the most defining moment of my Tanki career was when I created my clan "Destroying Angels" in November 2017. This could have been topped by my Legend rankup, but the party was ruined when I accidentally planted my Wasp's bomb instead of hitting tab... But thats a story for a different day. That's amazing! Most people can hardly manage real-life and in-game duties, but you've managed to juggle real life, Newspaper writing, and being a leader of an eSports clan. Would you tell us how you manage to excel in all three aspects of life? I don’t think many people realize how much work goes into leading an eSports clan. Attempting to juggle my reporter duties and commander duties, not to mention real life (school, baseball, work) can be very challenging. It is quite time-consuming and sometimes frankly I wish I was just a member and not the leader. But, of course, I one hundred percent enjoy the experience and love the guys on my squad. One of the coolest things to see as a commander is watching your guys gel together and form long lasting friendships. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. As far as practices go, I try to schedule at least two per week in between Blitz tournament games. Great! One final question: In the AWS, one of your most popular series, the Tanki Weather and News Channel [link] was an amazing smash hit. Now that you're in the newspaper, will the TWNC follow you to the Newspaper? And now finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. TWNC will indeed be making the shift over to the newspaper. The bad news is, I’m working on a variety of different articles at the moment, so it will not be any time really soon. For now, I’m thinking probably mid to late June, but that deadline could change due to fluctuating circumstances. Oh I totally forgot, one last question: what's the story behind your nickname? Oh boy... Do I have to answer this? ? Alright, that works too. Go send PMs to Thor asking for the answer. Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to do this interview, and good luck as a reporter! _ That wraps up one of our interviews. More to come soon! Goodbye for now, I need to get going! ~Actually, just kidding... I was browsing through the archive of ideas and saw that many players would like to be interviewed. If you are interested in being featured on the newspaper, please fill out this Google Form, thanks! The nonexistent form now exists, sorry for the delay... it got turned into a contest form along the way