Fiesta Christmas Carol - Archer Got Run Over By a Fighter

This year, OutSpark is hosting a series of Holiday themed events and of course, I'll enter and support them any way I can.  Here's my entry... Fiesta related:

Archer Got Run Over By a Fighter

(To the tune of: Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer)


Archer got run over by a Fighter,
Walking out from Roumen's F B Z.
Onson will say this game's pretty balanced,
But as the Archers will tell you, don't believe.

This Archer had been charming while grinding,
Still we begged him not to go
But he thought he just might have a chance
So he walked in F B Z and readied his bow.

When they found him dead in the corner
At the scene of the attack
There were bruises all over his body
And incriminatin' axe marks on his back.

Archer got run over by a Fighter,
Walking out from Roumen's F B Z.
Onson will say this game's pretty balanced,
But as the Archers will tell you, don't believe.

Now we're still proud to be Archers
Some say our class is worse than jail
Sure we complain and post on forums
But we keep playing and hoping not to fail.

It's not Fiesta without the Archers
We pray for the missing skills that we lack
And we just can't help but wonder
How many retired Archers would come back

Archer got run over by a Fighter,
Walking out from Roumen's F B Z.
Onson will say this game's pretty balanced,
But as the Archers will tell you, don't believe.

Forum MVP - Silver Screen

While no longer a "weekly" MVP, forum events are always a great opportunity for players like myself to showcase some of our out-of-game talents.  They allow us to push our own limits of creativity and oftentimes help us expand our own knowledge base as we strive for better and better results.

This particular MVP event was a video and poster submission.  The theme of this MVP was that we were required to act out a scene from a movie using the Fiesta game engine.  For the posters, we just had to recreate a famous movie poster using Fiesta elements.  Pretty straight-forward.

This is the first video event I've entered so I hope I do well.  The prizes were definitely a factor in deciding to take on a project like this.  There are three grand prizes for the video category being awarded, a "custom Fiesta themed HD Flip Camera" + 30-day SparkCash item, and seven honorable mention prizes, "permanent SparkCash item".  Looking at the prize list, I figured I only needed to land in the top 10 to qualify for a decent prize.  We have no idea what the "permanent SparkCash item" really is.  Is it a costume?  Accessory?   I hope it's not a mount....

For the poster portion of the event, the prizes are what we typically expect, three grand prize winners receive a 30-day SparkCash item, five honorable mentions receive a 7-day item.

For my video submission, I had originally planned to find a movie scene with a female voice-over and recreate the scene with my Fiesta characters using multiple computers.  I had considered the opening scene to Underworld, where Selene (Kate Beckinsale) gives the backstory of the movie, or Lord of the Rings, where Galadriel explains how the One Ring came to be.  I finally decided on a scene from Terminator 2, where Sarah Connor contemplates the situation she finds herself in, entrusting the safety of her son, the last hope for humanity, to the very machine that previously tried to hunt him down and kill him.

Here's that original entry:



After giving it some thought, and watching it over and over, I just didn't like it.  The voice-over quality was extremely poor and it just wasn't exciting, so I decided to rethink it.  Instead of a monologue-type scene I decided to go with something a bit more action oriented.  A scene that had no spoken dialogue but was still powerful all the same.  For that, I turned to TOP GUN.  Anyone who's seen the movie immediately remembers the opening sequence with all the fighter jets taking off and landing from the aircraft carrier, the ground crew hustling about, inspirational, powerful music playing in the background... So that's where I went.  I figured I could use movers to simulate the jets, use some newbie looking male characters to work the grounds crew detail.  Well, here's the result:



I'm much, much happier with this entry.  Although the editing isn't perfect, I thought it was decent.  Since I only used Windows Live Movie Maker to edit the video, I was fairly limited to what I could do.  I wanted to best replicate the original scene, but I couldn't do the close-up zooms, or backlit, shadowy actors like the original.  I did what I could just dropping a sepia-toned filter over the movie and dimming the brightness to try and match as best I could.  Like the original scene, the brightness gets amped up as the scene progresses, simulating more daylight.

We were only allowed one video submission, so I chose my second one.  I think I made the right decision.

For the posters, we were allowed three entries, I only squeezed in two, but I think they're good enough to land in the top 8 at least.

The first submission was based on the I Am Legend movie poster:

The second submission was, of course, based on Jurassic Park:

The event submission deadline passed about 2 hours ago and the GMs closed the submission thread.  Hopefully we see the results back shortly!  Wish me luck!

Fatal's Fiesta Facts - CSI Edition RESULTS!

Case Closed!  With your help, we caught Reo/Mario and brought him to justice!  Thanks to everyone who took the time to participate, hope it was an enjoyable experience for you guys.  I definitely had fun creating the event and trying to pose all the dead bodies at just the right angle for the screenshots!

Now that that's out of the way, who came out ahead?  Here are your winners!

1st Place (Fatal's Dark Makeover Pack) - Lukasz_Lucky (100 points)
2nd Place (30-Day Yellow Dragon) - DemonBlitzKragor (100 points)
3rd Place (30-Day Yellow Dragon) - RikoRain (100 points)
4th Place (30-Day Yellow Dragon) - kratosrice (96 points)
5th Place (30-Day Yellow Dragon) - heiji. (96 points)

Winners, please contact me via forum PM so I can give you your redemption codes for your prizes.

I also wanted to award one special unannounced prize, this is coming personally from me, to Eloren.  While she didn't win either event, she did have the quickest entry both times.  This is just my way of thanking her for all of her support with every event that I hold, I can always count on her being there and participating.  So thank you Eloren, I'm sending you a Fall Boop, look for it in your premium inventory.

And so ends my participation in the Fiesta Fourth Anniversary series of events.  I do hope you guys enjoyed yourselves, a lot of work went into the planning and execution of these events and hey, I'm doing it by myself here!  I hope OutSpark will sponsor more events like this in the future!

Oh!  Almost forgot, here are your answers:

Part I
1) Marlone Megaton in Burning Hill
2) Mara Pirate Elite in Sea of Greed
3) Prisoner in Collapsed Prison
4) Goblin King in Goblin Camp
5) Marlone Clan Soldier in Burning Hill
6) Karasian Arch Templar in Collapsed Prison
7) Navar in Concealed Prison 1st Floor
8) Tomb Fox in Moonlight Tomb
9) Werebear Fighter in Goblin Camp
10) Ratman Elite Knight in Concealed Prison 1st Floor
11) Goblin Captain in Goblin Camp
12) Nox Hunter in Concealed Prison 2nd Floor
13) Hob in Vine Tomb
14) Grave Robber in Burning Hill
15) Elf Knight Soul in Concealed Prison 1st Floor

Part II
16) Shutian
17) Moonlight Tomb
18) She was gathering toadstools
19) Chateau de Kebing
20) Marigold Tea
21) Trickster

Part III
22) Renegade, Reo and Mario

4 Years of Fiesta Event: Fatal's Fiesta Facts - CSI: ISYA Edition!

We’ve all heard the stories, bodies mutilated and discarded.  Random mobs attacked without provocation and without mercy.  Yeah, sometimes they deserve it, but this has gone too far.  Typically when mobs are defeated they disappear as their spirits return to Isya.  But now, that’s no longer the case.  Bodies cut, gashed, slashed and left to decompose, gruesome reminders of a darker magic once forbidden.  I have my theories, but can I find the clues that prove it?

Shutian:  WinterLace, thanks for responding.  You’ve heard the rumors, well, they’re true.  I need you to help me connect the dots on this case.  I have my suspicions, but without concrete proof, my hands are tied.

WinterLace:  Sure thing chief.  I’ll see what I can dig up.

Shutian:  Interesting choice of words since your journey starts here in Moonlight Tomb.  Wishis was out gathering toadstools when she discovered a body.  Need you to check it out.  Search the body and the surrounding area and get back to me with what you find.  Now get going, no time to waste.  Take this device, it hasn’t got a name yet but it’s a top secret technology that Hans has been tinkering with, it’ll help you document what you find.

With device in hand, I set off.  So what is this thing exactly?  Shutian wasn’t very forthcoming with details or instructions, typical.  What’s this button do?

Oww.... that flash hurt my eyes.  But hey, pretty cool, a picture of myself came outta this thing.  This device is great!  I’d better be careful with it... OH CRAP!

Ha!  I guess it’s pretty sturdy too, still works after dropping it.  Oh great another picture... not exactly flattering.  Oh well I'd better get started....

As I went from map to map, what I found was disturbing, the kind of stuff that haunts your dreams and ruins your appetite.  I took a bunch of pictures and interviewed a few witnesses.  Mobs don't usually like to talk to adventurers, but heck, even they're spooked.  Knowing that their spirits may not reach the afterlife will put a scare into anyone.

Gathering up all my evidence, I headed over to my favorite cafe Chateau de Kebing, to put my case together.  Thankfully, I take a lot of notes because my memory is just awful!  After all this work, I needed a break and I could definitely use the caffeine boost.

I closed my eyes and savored my Marigold Tea.  The fragrance seemed to just lift the stress from my shoulders and give me a sense of calm, a sense of peace.  Now focused and relaxed, I headed back to my work when -- What the?!

All I saw was a flash of color and suddenly some guy is running off with my case file!  He's not doing a great job stealing it as the contents of my file are falling all over the place... I chased him off, but it looks like he shredded my notebook.  I recovered the pictures, but with my poor memory, I'm going to need help piecing this case back together.  Can you help me identify the victims and locations?  I'll try to help with a clue here and there if I can remember.

Questions 1-15:  Help me identify each victim and their location (map name).  2 points will be awarded for each correct name and another 2 points for each correct map.  Total possible, 60pts.

1)  Victim and Location

2) Victim and Location (I can still smell the ocean)

3) Victim and Location

4) Victim and Location

5) Victim and Location (I remember him being silver, not red)

6) Victim and Location (He was larger than the others, lots of broken bridges here)

7) Victim and Location (found him in an upstairs room)

8) Victim and Location (I felt sorry for her, this was what Wishis found)

9) Victim and Location (He was massive, but he didn't wear the crown)

10) Victim and Location (those Archons were awfully noisy)

11) Victim and Location

12) Victim and Location (the color white seems familiar here)

13) Victim and Location (I heard a Werewolf howl nearby)

14) Victim and Location (Picture was taken near the base of a hill)

15) Victim and Location (His body was being guarded by Red Stonies)

Questions 16-21:  I'm going to be testing your sleuthing abilities here.  Remembering back to what you read above, answer the following questions (3 points each, total possible 18 points):

16)  Which NPC tasked me with investigating this case?

17)  On which map did he suggest I start?


18)  What was Wishis doing when she discovered a mutilated body?


19)  What is the name of my favorite cafe?


20)  What was I drinking when my case file was stolen?


21)  What class was the thief that stole my files?


After analyzing my shredded notebook, I recovered the following key words from the interviews I conducted, using these words can you name the killer?  (He's an NPC)

Schizophrenic

Painted

Pointy Toed

Green Hair

Eccentric

Puppets

Question 22 - Name the killer (22 points)

Please answer all 22 questions before submitting them as comments on this thread.  Comments will be hidden until I approve them.  I will not start approving comments until all the winners have been determined.  Comments are uneditable by me and kept in chronological order according to time of submission.  Only submit ONE entry per SparkID.  Please be sure to include your SparkID with your submission!  Multiple entries will disqualify you, so please double and triple check your work before you submit.  There is only one correct answer for each question.  Event will conclude at 6pm PST today.

Warning:  My Blog uses Captcha verification for comments so if you are trying to enter this event via smartphone or any other device that blocks Captcha images, you will not be able to participate.

Event Preview: The Road to Enlightenment (Pt. 1)

So there I was, just a normal day.  Nothing pressing on the agenda, the Orc uprising had been surpressed, those Greenkies stopped stealing underwear off of Roumen clotheslines, and the price of Xir continues to rise according to the news report.  And then my day got a bit interesting....  THWACK!

Startled at the noise, I grabbed my Staff and headed out the door, I didn't see anything the matter out there.  I figured it was just those 2x Abyss Noobs pranking again then running back into the Abyss to hide.  As I turned around to head back into my home, I noticed a note stuck on my door with an arrow through it.  Bonus points for style, but geez, my mailbox is right there! 

Miffed at the button-sized hole in my custom Giant Elven Tree door, I ripped the note off the door and read it.

FatalLace,

We have an urgent matter that requires your attention.  The 4 Years of Fiesta celebration is upon us.  We need your help in educating players about some little known facts about our world.

See me immediately for more details.

Shutian.

It seems I get approached for one of these projects every year by Shutian and the Order of the Sworn Knights of Isya, the OSKI.  But, as a proud citizen of Isya, I always do what I can!  These OSKI guys can be a handful to work with, demanding time lines, flow charts, blood samples...

 

So anyway, off I went to meet up with Shutian.  When I got there, he looked grim.  Or like he needed fiber.  Oh nevermind, that's just how he always looks.  He asked me to follow him somewhere quiet where we could discuss this.  Knowing his resistance to magic, I bought a Mace from a nearby vendor just in case.  Hey, the guy stands there all day while girls dance suggestively around him... then suddenly he asks me to walk off with him?  You'd take some protection too!

We made our way behind the Free Battle Zone 2 entrance.  Shutian ordered the guard there to leave, muttering something about, "nobody goes in there anyway."  Still a little uneasy, I kept my distance.  Then with those deep set eyes that looks right down into your soul, Shutian told me, "I'M SO SICK OF NOOBS!  All day long they stand in Elderine shouting for this, shouting for that.  Too lazy to venture out and discover the world on their own!  We must educate them."  I nodded and gave him my best determined stare  =. = 

"After consulting the OSKI, we have chosen you to educate these newbies into fine, capable citizens of Isya.  We will allow you to reward the best of your students with a complete makeover!  Hmm, that dress you have on is nice, we'll add that in!"

Before I could object, he dismissed me with a wave of his gauntleted hand.  Geez, I'm all for incentive-based learning, but do I really want other people to look like me?  My fashionable inner child kicked me.

With this new quest in hand, I decided that I'd best get some counsel on this before I start.  There was only one person I knew I had to see, but that journey was a long and perilous one.

Bijou's Civil War - Red Team Recruitment!

--- >  SIGN UP HERE:  Red Team Recruitment Thread  <---

Greetings Adventurers! War is upon us, but this time, the conflict is from within.

A series of skirmishes is set to take place starting Saturday September 17, 2011. There will be four battles daily between three guilds: Red, Blue, and Green.

The Blue and Green teams are scrambling to round up fierce combatants to take us down! We must prepare for this assault! The Blue team is led by ChaseNetwork, the Green Team by OMG_ITS_JEMMY.

Level Limits: 20-34.
SparkCash: None allowed (See original post HERE)

I'm still looking for able-bodied, reliable Admins to serve with me and wage war at the designated times since I will be unable to attend all scheduled battles.

Again, these series of wars are just for fun, it's meant to be non-competitive. Hopefully, it's something everyone can participate in when they have some free time on Saturdays.

If you would like to participate or volunteer for an admin position, please let me know ASAP. I have a small cache of gear available, nothing great, just stuff I farmed out of Marlone Hideout. First come first served on that.

Red Team
LegendaryFatal (GM)

If any of you plan to use a beauty shop coupon for this, I HIGHLY encourage you to use RED HAIR. If not, that's okay too. =)

Weekly Event: Bijou's Civil War

Strife has befallen our beloved Bijou, in a time of great despair and hardships, the battlelines have been drawn and sides have been chosen. With whom will your allegiances lie?

Be prepared Bijou, the curtain of war rises on Saturday September 17th, 2011.

Event Summary
This will be a planned 3-way guild war between 3 teams: Red Team, Blue Team, and Green Team. The level limits for participation are from level 20-34. Wars will be held on Saturdays at the posted times.

Guildwar Rules
3 Teams: Red, Blue, Green
Wars will occur every Saturday at 2:00am, 8:00am, 2:00pm, and 8:00pm (OS/Forum time).
Future mutually agreed upon war times can be discussed.
Red will war Blue, Blue will war Green, Green will war Red.
Fighting will only occur within the confines of Elderine and OX Field.
Spawn killing is allowed.
Shop killing is allowed.

Player Participation
Anybody can participate as long as they meet these criteria:

Minimum Level 20
Maximum Level 34
(This excludes level 36 perms and overpowered level 35 sets)

No SparkCash items, no Marriage.
Exceptions: Vault Items approved, Mounts approved, 'Appearance Costumes' approved, Beauty Shop approved
Enhanced Gear / Weapons - Approved.
+1 Pets - Approved.
Purple Pots (Str/Def/Dex) - Not Approved
Rama Potions - Not Approved
Guild Tourney Items - Not Approved
Purple Weapons/Shields (Halloween) - Not Approved

I highly encourage those of you in existing guilds to split up amongst the three teams.
All players from all servers are welcome and encouraged to participate!

Violations
Should any player be found circumventing the rules, they will be banned.
Any player over level 34 will immediately be banned.
Any player excessively taunting will be banned.
What you do from Monday-Friday, I could care less, but be prideful, be a respected, honorable member of Bijou's society.

Volunteers Needed
I will directly oversee the Red team and the event itself.
I need two others to oversee the formation of the Blue and Green teams.
The GMs do not need to be online for every war so long as there is an Admin present and able to declare war.

If you would like to be a combatant or know of people that would like to participate, please have them join each respective team's academy for now until an admin is online to add them.
We can arrange to be online at the same time, send me a forum PM if you are unable to locate another admin.
I will carry admin status on each team so I can add players, however, I will only participate actively on the Red team.

Disclaimer
While I do realize that this may affect the market of the 2x-3x players, I apologize. For many of us, there is just little to do and I was hoping this would be a way to bring the server a bit closer together and forge new friendships through any level range. Use this opportunity to network and meet new people.
The general rules as stated above are subject to change at any time.

Community Cooperation
I do ask the community's help in participating and getting the word out about this weekly event. I also ask that you be courteous with each other and that you respect each other's rights to have fun. I know Bijou can be full of poor sports and killjoys, please don't be one of them that encroaches on others. Let's be a model server in that respect.

This event is purely for fun. Please don't take the competition and your resulting deaths or kills too seriously. If we can't play nice, we'll have to discontinue the event.

Thank you.

(( Guild Numbers are 7712, 7713, 7714))
Varies by guild you're in.

FAQs:

Q: Fatal, why is spawn killing and shop killing allowable?

A: Simply because if you know ahead of time what the rules are, you shouldn't complain when it happens to you. I don't want to have to overly police this type of event, so for the most part, anything goes. If you find yourself getting ganged at the spawn point, wait to respawn until your guild can help you out. Call for help, it's why you're in a guild.

Q: Are there any prizes?

A: Unfortunately, no. Prizes would be impossible to determine in a full scale event like this. And I'm broke anyway, damn T5 Bogo.... *grumble*

Q: I'm from another server, can I join?

A: Absolutely, I want you to! The requirements are only to get to level 20 which can be accomplished even soloing within a few hours. From the time of this posting, you have over two weeks to get started and geared.

Conquering Social Media - Grand Prize Awarded!

So as not to miss out on Ramy's arrival via Cool Catch, I went ahead and awarded that prize about 5 minutes ago.  I printed out all 52 comments and numbered them from 1-52, with CreepyCookie's comment being #1 and alice_bunny's comment being #52.  I went over to random.org and put a range of 1-52 into their randomizer and voila!

Out popped #15..... and #15 belongs to.............. xchampagne!

So congratulations xchampagne, and thanks so much for supporting all of my social media outlets!  You should already have it in your premium inventory.  If it's not there for some reason, please contact me.

The remaining prizes will be awarded some time this weekend or Monday.  The results will be posted on Sunday.  If you still haven't entered, you have until Saturday to do so for the remaining prizes.

New Mini-Blog - Where's Fatal?

Happy Saturday everyone!  Well I decided to create a sort of mini-blog for my Where's Fatal postings.  I wanted it to be a daily sort of trivia thing, so I'll be posting them here:  http://wheresfatal.blogspot.com.  So please head over there to follow this contest.  I will be awarding a small prize every two weeks for the player with the most accumulated points over that span.  More details are on that mini-blog so go check it out!

Thanks again everyone for supporting me and my efforts, your comments here, on the OutSpark Forums, and in-game really help to keep me motivated to post and interact with you all... I truly appreciate it!

Yeah, the new blog is a little plain, but over time I'll spruce it up... give me a break will ya!?  ^. ~

100,000 Hits: Help FatalLace Conquer Social Media!

Wow, just about a year invested in my blog and I'm probably less than an hour away from eclipsing 100,000 hits!  When I started this blog back in May of last year, I had no idea that it would be this successful and have such a loyal and interactive following!  So, 'Thank you!" from me to all of you....

Without the support of readers such as yourself, I wouldn't have the success I've enjoyed.  I've tried to give back as much as I could through educating, enlightening, and hopefully entertaining you guys over the last 13 months... but I wanted to do a bit more!

As most of you noticed, I've set up accounts on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.  Thanks to all that have encouraged me and have so far subscribed and interacted with me through those other channels.  My blog will continue to be my focus, but I will continue to use those other platforms.  Twitter and Facebook will be mostly conversational, mostly more of a what-goes-on-in-her-crazy-mind kinda thing.  I'll also highlight and promote my postings there.  I've also given some shoutouts via Twitter to those I've met and (successfully) partied with in-game.  I had fun playing with you, so why not broadcast it right?

So anyway, as a thank you, I wanted to hold a mini-event with some SparkCash items as prizes.  Obviously if you're a Gamigo or (ahem) p-server player, this kinda excludes you, sorry!  I just yesterday picked up a $20 SparkCash card from GameStop (yay for GameStop Hawaii for actually carrying them!) and intend to divide that up to award some stuff.

So what's the event?

It's really simple!  But in order to help me "Conquer Social Media", I need you to be my army!  You will be my minions of darkness that will lay waste to all that-- .. oh sorry, getting carried away.  *ahem*

Anyway, here's what you have to do... simply comment on this blog posting, subscribe to my Twittter account, and also "Like" me on Facebook... The comment here has to include your SparkID, a link to your Twitter account (I don't care if it's not active), and also a link to your Facebook page.  If that's too much to ask, then well, you just made everyone else's chance of winning a little bit better!

All comments must be entered by 11:59pm PST (OS Time) on Saturday June 25, 2011.  At that time I will number all legitimate and complete comments from 1-XXX in chronological order and then use the random number generator at random.org to draw my winners.

So what are the prizes?

First off, I would like to thank the GMs at OutSpark who have helped contribute half of the prize pool.  Without their support, well, we'd have half the prizes?  Haha just kidding, but seriously, they do a lot of behind the scenes work for all of us and really are our only lifeline to the developers to push for the changes and improvements we always request.  So much thanks and aloha to them as well.  You guys continue to keep an open dialogue with your player base and I truly appreciate that.

With that said, here are the prizes and wow(!) there's 16 of them!

Grand Prize:  Permanent Ramy Mount (1 Winner)**

Second Prize:  Angel or Demon Set (2 Winners)

Third Prize:  Traditional Tagalog, Nightmare, Joker, Maid, Colada, or Cosmo Costumes (4 Winners)

Fourth Prize:  Any 665sc Dance of your choice (9 Winners)

** The winner of the permanent Ramy mount will have to wait until the actual item becomes available for either normal sale or Cool Catch.  If it comes on Cool Catch, I will do my best to get it for you.  If you do not want to wait, you can opt for any of the other permanent mounts currently available for sale.  (But Ramy is like waaaaaaay cuter)

Another Chapter of Rebalance & BoE - June 1st Maintenance

There's a saying that goes: "The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step..."  That couldn't be more fitting considering the plight of Fiesta's Archers.  After a 24 hour delay and much anticipation we received our weekly maintenance update!  The GMs hinted that we were in for something big and they didn't disappoint.  While not everything in the patch went over smoothly, for the most part, I think the majority of the players are happy this week.  Thankfully Archers did see a bit of attention this week, but I remain confident that OutSpark and OnsOnSoft aren't done tweaking the arrow flinging class just yet.

So here's a breakdown of this week's patch:

Thy Name Is Trickster - Forum MVP Event

While we're all eagerly anticipating the release of Fiesta's fifth class, the Trickster, the nice folks at OutSpark continue to feed our hunger with little snippets of information and events.  A little bit of insight was given into the Trickster class, but for the purposes of this event, we were just given the ball and told to run with it.  Our writing could be fictional, from experience, or even our hopes for the future.  We are allowed two entries with each limited to only 300 words, so a huge narrative wouldn't work.  I've finished my first one, and with a deadline of April 1, I don't know if I'll be able to write another.  Wish me luck!

Well anyway, I hope you enjoy my take on the emergence of the Trickster...

Darkness. My journey begins here, unconscious, the sad result of another defeat. But in this pit, there is hope for someone like me.  The outcast.

A man much wiser than I once said, “Finding your niche in life is key to one's happiness.” As I bounce from discipline to discipline, I've never experienced anything that remotely felt like "this is me". I lack the brawn and bravado of the typical Fighter, I lack the mastery of a Mage's powerful spells, I lack the elusiveness of the Archer, and I lack the faith and humility of the Cleric.  So where is my place in this world?

The darkness brings about calm. A single point of light brings about focus. Thoughts of vengeance bring me a clarity besieged by mayhem. It is clear now that what used to be is not what I will be, my path to glory must take a detour. Rejecting the roles our forefathers laid before us, I will forge my own path. 

Fighter. Cleric. Archer. Mage. I am none of these, yet, I will become all of these at once.  I will take what I have learned and apply them to a new discipline. But will it be enough? Simply, no.

For generations now, myths have been passed down that spoke of a dark magic long forgotten, abandoned, and outlawed.  But where does simple myth end and truth begin?  Is the power to spirit away the souls of defeated enemies real?  And as the legend states, if the cost is one’s own sanity, is the price worth the madness?  Simply, yes.

I promise to be like nothing you have ever seen before. You have been warned. My journey begins today, the Trickster is born.

Edit:  Hey I was chosen as one of the winners!

Nine Nefarious Nerpas - GO!!!!!!!!

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to my second Holiday Event, sponsored by OutSpark, another leg in the 'Christmas Spirit' set of events to celebrate this holiday season.  If you're at all unfamiliar with the Christmas Spirit Events, you can view the announcement here.  Also, if you wanted to see what you, and everyone else, has already collected, you can view that here.

(Edit 12/20/2010 - Event's long over so I minimized the posting to make navigating my blog easier.  You can still view the full posting by clicking the 'Read more' link just below.)

Holiday Event #2: Name My Nine Nefarious Nerpas!

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to my second Holiday Event, sponsored by OutSpark, another leg in the 'Christmas Spirit' set of events to celebrate this holiday season.  If you're at all unfamiliar with the Christmas Spirit Events, you can view the announcement here.  Also, if you wanted to see what you, and everyone else, has already collected, you can view that here.

(Edit 12/20/2010 - Event's long over so I minimized the posting to make navigating my blog easier.  You can still view the full posting by clicking the 'Read more' link just below.)
Alrighty, so formalities are out of the way... here are the details:

Holiday Scramble - Event Completed!

First off, I wanted to thank OutSpark for allowing me to host one of their sponsored events.  It was a tremendous honor, and I do hope that my first event met or exceeded expectations!  I'm really looking forward to my second event one week from today!

The first correct entry was sent in by eloren.  Congratulations!

Winning entries #2-10 were:

brossom

tazmer90

monk-ish

kunoichi49

majicvella

inari_fuuko

squirrelz

Lukasz_Lucky

emriana

eloren will be receiving the 30-day White Holiday Outfit, while the other 9 winners will receive the 7-day versions.

(Edit 12/20/2010 - Event's long over so I minimized the posting to make navigating my blog easier.  You can still view the full posting by clicking the 'Read more' link just below.)

Event Quest - Zombie Invasion!

In celebration of Halloween, OutSpark has released a new event quest called Zombie Invasion.  You can pick it up from Shutian in Elderine.  He tasks you with gathering 50 Healing Herbs which can be acquired farming flowers throughout Isya.  The reward for completing the quest is a 7-day version of the new Type1 Zombie Dance which is based off of the dancing from the 'Thriller' video by Michael Jackson, the rewarded dance is half of the dance in the embedded video.  Pretty inventive! (Video and Screenshot above Copyright of Outspark, Inc.)

So it's simple right?  Find some flowers, grab the Healing Herbs, turn em in.... right?  Wrong.

Isyan Explorer Update - 3 Down 1 To Go!

Alright!  I just found out earlier today that one of my entries in the Adventure Story - Forum MVP Event was selected as the top prize.  Surprisingly, it was my first entry, my Leviathan's Nest Poem that earned the honors, not the story I had posted in last week's blog entry.  Wow, who knew?

Down Time Fun - The Nest Slime Challenge

Every now and then all players experience some down time in Fiesta, whether it be after a guild war, after an intense grind session, after an hour of questing, after reaching that next milestone, or simply when your batteries just need a recharge, it's important to fill your time with interesting activities.

You could dance in Elderine like everyone else, maybe farm some Toadstools in Uruga, or kill time (and players) in your FBZ of choice... Today I decided to have a bit of fun with a couple of mid-level players in Forest of Tides.

Isyan Explorer Set - OMG I WANTZZ

Once again, my pixel-fetish has gotten the best of me.  OutSpark is hosting a new 2 week + long event over the forums, FaceBook, and in-game.  It's quite ambitious and the prizes are very lucrative.