Reader Submitted: "Sexual Etiquette"

By Nydia Tungsten

Okay, this article is going to give the editor a frickin' heart attack as he tries to find a safe way to reword this, so the sensitive people won't have their butts tighten up so tight it deprives them of air at the sight of the name of a sexual organ. But the subject is long overdue, so if you are ready …

Yes, a lot of people some to Second Life to live out their teenage fantasies of sexual prowess. And if they are able to find likeminded people, no problem. But when you go looking, have some class!

I have been in Second Life for four years, and I can tell you there are some dense pervs out there. I have had a male (human) walk up to me on a nude beach and ask me on the spot if I was interested in getting intimate, and another (fur) saying in quite descriptive terms what he wanted to do with me.

Don't think it's just the male half of the population where this behavior comes from. I have had females Instant-Message me, and tell me how they couldn't wait to … I shudder at the language some use.

I can't speak for every female in Second Life, or males for that matter. But not everyone comes to Second Life to be a sex toy. If you see someone attractive, get to know them first before offering to do the "horizontal tango" out on the dance floor. Show some class and just talk first. You would be surprised you *may* find someone you can actually care for.

There are a *lot* of nude beaches here in Second Life that are *not* for sexual trolling. People just like to show off their avatar skins that they work so hard on, *not* to get hit on. And for the love of all that's holy, if you see a couple cuddling a beach or someplace, never, and I mean NEVER assume that just because they are out in the open that it is an invitation to join.

There are *plenty* of sims devoted to sex and kinks of all kinds. If that's where you want to go, more power to you. But if you're not in one of those sims, treat people like you do in real life. Respect them. and you may be surprised that they will respect you too.

But be warned, I own sims and administer a lot more. If I see any inappropriate behavior, you will be banned. You would not be the first, or the last, and I am not the only one who feels this way.

So pervs beware, we're watching you now.

Nydia Tungsten

Greed in Stores

By Theonlyjohnny Resident

    Yes, I know greedy store owners are not a new thing, however some of them have gone above others and have reached almost the pinnacle of greed. These store owners have basically been using their customers, just to get more linden. Whether by a so called "discount group," selling upgrades, or through other means.

    One store, which I will not name, I have visited, has lots of avatars, weapons, and avatar accessories, for extremely high prices. These prices are so high, they will turn people away at the first sight of them. However, rather than lower the prices, the owner of the store simply made a group, and gave a 90% discount on everything in the store, to all group members. A lot of people would have been overjoyed, if it wasn't for one small problem. To join the group, it costs L$ 3000.


This is a problem for quite a few reasons, one of them being the fact that most people will only buy one or two items from a store, unless it's a well known store with low prices. This means that people would actually be paying more for the product, at this store, since the prices are too high, and it's not really well known, also only a few products, at this store are decent. The second problem being the cost to join the group isn't the only fee. There is also a L$ 1000 weekly fee to stay in the group. This would be ok, if it was going towards the store, which, not surprisingly, it isn't. In fact I doubt the owner of the store has spent any of it on the store, considering the fact that I have watched this store for a while now, to see if the prices go down, and after 2 months, there hasn't been a single change. It makes me wonder where all that linden is going, seeing as how the group is getting about 5 new members a day.

    Another store sells avatars, and clothing. Of course, these products use scripts and they do require upgrades every now and then. However, unlike most upgrades, which are free, these upgrades cost, for the first upgrade, the same amount as the product, and then the price is double the previous price, for each upgrade after the first. A lot of these upgrades shouldn't even cost anything, since most of them either just replace invisiprims with alphas, or they upgrade the coloring, slightly. If the upgrades added new parts to them, or added new buttons to the hud, that would be worth paying for. However these charge people a lot of linden, for a small thing that they could do themselves.

    I guess these people, and others like them, believe that everyone else is around, to provide them with linden. This is just a tip, you may want to do research about people before you buy from them. If it seems too good to be true, it most definitely is.

Theonlyjohnny Resident

Marketplace Problems

By Theonlyjohnny Resident

    I, like most people in Second Life, see the marketplace as a useful tool, which can be used by all. However, there are a few problems that I wish to discuss. These problems clutter the marketplace, and make it hard to find what people want.

    The first problem is the overwhelming number of Demos. Demos were originally used for trying before you buy. They were great, however now there are way too many demos in the marketplace. In fact, typing the word Demo in the marketplace search will result in 105,878 items that either are demos, or have demos. This means that just searching demo will result in approximately 52,939. Of course, this number isn't the actual number of demos, which is a much higher number, however, it does show how demos have practically taken over the marketplace. Also, some of the demos are not specified as demos, but they are demo versions of items in the sellers store.

    The next problem is of greed. Not just in outrageous prices, but also in the sale of items that should be free. Upon searching for various objects in the marketplace, I have discovered many items being sold for prices that they do not deserve. One such item, a pair of boots (which I will not give the name of), that have nothing special about them, no texture change hud, no color change hud, they are one prim each, and yet their price is a staggering L$ 5000. This price is well out of most people's price range, and those that can afford them, wouldn't buy them because they aren't even full perm, nor do they have a cool design. Another thing I have noticed, is that people are actually selling their demos for linden. Demos were meant to be Try before you Buy, and it has angered quite a few people, since they don't want to spend linden on something that isn't even the full product.

    The third problem is that of lies and half-truths. A lot of people have many products, without pictures, but the product isn't what the seller said it was. I have experienced this when I bought what I had thought was a couch, however, it turned out to be a notecard mocking me. This is against the TOS, however it is still being done, and a lot of people have made quick bucks doing this, cheating people out of lindens.

    These problems, and many more, make the marketplace a place where people need to be cautious of what they buy. My suggestion is that you always read the review, and if an object doesn't have a review, make sure it has a pic, if there are no pics, or reviews, but it is free, then it is safe to buy. Otherwise, don't buy it. If the seller doesn't have the time to put up a pic, you shouldn't waste your time, as it could be too good to be true.

Theonlyjohnny Resident

Breezes Thoughts: The Wolf - Part 2

I woke in a daze, I had been thrown from my horse as he stumbled while jumping a fence.My head was spinning and there were flashes of light, when all of a sudden, a big dark shadow appeared  coming near me. I slowly opened my eyes, and saw my Wolfie, warily coming to me.  I saw his yellow eyes glaring around, I had blood on my gown and the look in his eyes was a sight to see. He was snarling and snapping his teeth. The howl he let loose was a mournful sound.He hunched over to lift my head and then he gathered me in his powerful limbs, he stood, and looked around very carefully.  He sensed the hunters were looking for me. I had not returned to my home for quite a spell.  If the hunters saw him carrying me, they would shoot to kill of this I know.  They would never believe this werewolf was actually caring for me.

The darkness hid him well, but soon the day would break  and he must be hidden away.    I wondered what he could look like beneath that skin of a werewolf.  How do I know he must be a fine man to care this much to risk his life to take me home.

Well, I had read my books of history and discovered many things I never understood before. Taking account of  humans and such,  I know there is good and bad  among everything on this earth. I feel no evil when Wolfie is around. knowing he probably would not be pleased with the name I called him.

He loped quickly through the trees and  crossed many roads as fast as could be.  We came to home, and quickly he rushed me to my room  and lay me down with a sadness in his eyes, I looked at him and weakly said, "Run for your life now... please do go." growling, he turned away.

I later  heard a great howling atop the mountains not to far away. I knew he was letting me know he was safe  and this gives me great happiness. who else can say of this from a creature hardly none do know. 

Breezes Babii

Commentary: Lucky Eggs - The Image, The Truth

By Theonlyjohnny Resident


    Lucky Eggs are something that can only be classified as a sploder. The creator of the eggs insists that they are different from sploders in many ways. However, a sploder is defined as an object that you pay linden to, in order to win more linden, from an accumulated pot.

    A lot of people enjoy them. However some people realized that Lucky Eggs are truly 'lucky' eggs. They determined this, when they themselves were playing lucky eggs, and discovered that the majority of Lucky Eggs winners were at a few specific clubs. A lot of times, the same people would win consecutively, from the same location. This raised the question, "Are the eggs really fair? They don't seem to be random, given the fact that most of the winners were at the same places. So, are they truly fair?"

    Well I tried to answer this question, using just what I know, at first. This lead me to two possible answers to how the Lucky Eggs prizes are distributed. The first, and more probable, the Lucky Eggs scripts are written to give people a better chance of winning, at certain places. This would mean that the Lucky Eggs are not fair at all, due to the slant in the probability. The second answer, and the less likely one, the lucky egg prizes are chosen by someone, and sent to the winners. This would mean that there is a possibility of favoritism, which would throw fairness out the window.

    Another thing I noticed, is that each time someone pays a lucky egg, it gives them an empty egg. This is not to show that you paid the lucky egg. The reason for this egg is so the lucky eggs can skirt past the TOS rules about gambling. The egg is the key to opening a loop hole for the lucky eggs to pass through. According to the rules about gambling, everyone must have an equal chance to win. However, since they provide the egg, then the rule doesn't apply, due to the fact that it's not considered a 'game', by the TOS, it's considered a vendor.

    This shows how instead of fixing their morals, the lucky eggs people would rather bend the rules in their favor. Lucky Eggs may be wrong in morality, but they have made sure that their Lucky Eggs cannot be banned, by working their way through the loopholes. Another thing that makes people mad, is the fact that in the Lucky Eggs group, it says they are totally free. This is not true, because in order to participate in them you need to pay L$ 50. In order to join the Lucky Eggs group, there is a fee of L$ 100. When you place a lucky egg in your land, you have to pay 90% of your earnings, to the Lucky Eggs group.

    Another thing they say in their description is that it is 100% legal. If it really was 100% legal, why would they need to say that? In my opinion, they only say that to try and convince people of a lie. I see Lucky Eggs as immoral and wrong, and have basically been a way to take people's lindens, just to give them to other people.

    Given what I've told you, it is up to you to decide whether they're worth it.

Theonlyjohnny Resident

Breezes Thoughts: The Wolf

Working hard all day, stressing from outlaws running around ... and  lawmen trying to outsmart those rotten cowards, who rather rob then work, I stumble on the long dusty road to my beautiful land of streams and gardens on which my neice and her husband let me live . Dinner was waiting but ... but good grief, I saw this creature stand by my horse, he turned and was upon his beautiful mount. A werewolf no less did I see.  My eyes were wide with fright,  ,  his fangs were glistening white as can be.. Gnashing and snapping  at me, he tried to frighten me away, I knew he be  hungry as he eyed my horse.

No man nor beast will get too close to me or my horse. His name is "I am Man", a Pet now. I raised him from birth.

Hands on hip I looked this beastie in his eyes  straight away, he growled and snapped at me. Though I was truly scared, I show no fear. Wolfie decides this human was a different brave lady and lowered his body to sit afore me. I signed in relief and sat near him.

We watched the apples fall from the tree. I took one and bit into it, so he would see it was tasty. I handed one to wolfie, he turned his head in disgust.  I know he wanted bloody meat, but not to be tonight.

He was so tired and morning would bring the hunters, following his trail. He rose, looking back and somehow I knew I had made a friend.

Breezes Babii

World of Warcraft To Test Using Real Money to Buy Experience Buffs

By Bixyl Shuftan

While World of Warcraft players have been busy with the Battle of the Barrens and other places, earlier this month there was some news that Blizzard would be testing out something never done before in the game - allowing players to gain experience faster by using real money purchases.

The buying of game items, or "micro-transactions," are not new to gaming, or even to WoW. Some smaller Internet games such as Evony allow players to purchase a variety of buffs, better equipment, etc. As these purchases give the buyer an advantage over free players, they are sometimes called "Pay to Win" games. Larger MMOs have tended to avoid such offers, not wanting to give loyal players who've gamed a long time the impression someone can just buy their way to the top and avoid the time and hard work in getting there. Instead some, WoW included, offer the sale of items that do not affect gameplay, such as mounts and pets.

In Summer 2011, Eve Online players protested plans to allow the purchase of items that would affect gameplay, and eventually the company relented. "It's one thing to add non-game items and make money off that," one reader wrote, "It's another entirely to screw up the whole game mechanics so that veteran players who've worked a year to get where they are get bumped by some snotnosed kid who's using Daddy's credit card to buy his way to the top."

Earlier this month, Blizzard forum moderators admitted to plans to "exploring" options after it was discovered there were plans for items to be sold at an "in game store," such as an "Enduring Elixir of Wisdom" that gave a 100% experience boost. The store will reportedly be only on Asian servers at first, and the item is described as currently only on test servers and only available to players level 85 or more.

The response from the players was mostly negative, "The item itself is mostly harmless … the problem is that it opens doors to (the) 'Pay to Win' model. And we already pay the game and a monthy fee just to skip that." Some stated they would leave the game, or feared others would if the In Game Store was released. Some stated they wouldn't mind the option to level other characters this way once a player had brought one up to the maximum Level 90 anyway.

This comes soon after some less than happy news for World of Warcraft. In May, Blizzard stated they had lost more than a million players in the first three months of the year, from 9.6 million n January 2013 to 8.3 million in March. While most of the losses were from Asia (where the in-game store will be tested), some Western gamers left as well. This continues a long-term drop from it's peak of 12 million in 2010, and the company admitted further decline was likely, "we expect to have fewer subscribers at year end than we do today." The reasons for the drop, players were leaving for cheaper games, notably those playable on mobile devices. The video game industry, in addition to virtual words such as Second Life, has been facing increased competition from handhelds such as tablets, iPods, and others.

At the time, Blizzard stated they would be investing more in WoW, with more storylines and features. Since then, the Darkspear Rebellion was introduced. But that even the largest of MMOs would resort to "dabbling in the darkest gold-producing alchemy of them all" of microtransactions allowing those with deeper pockets an edge over conventional players, this could be taken as a sign that even the people behind World of Warcraft are wondering if it won't be long before they no longer dominate online gaming.

Sources: Gamasutra, BBC News, Rock Paper Shotgun, Blizzard Forums,

Bixyl Shuftan

Game Review: Final Fantasy VII Returns on Steam

By Grease Coakes

Lots of people remember the old Atari game systems with the old games combat and space invaders with very primitive graphics. A little later the Nintendo entertainment system stormed across the world with Super Mario bros and classics like Metroid and Zelda.

Fast forward about ten years or so and the First Playstation became the popular gaming system of the time. Squaresoft a gaming company from Japan well known for its Final Fantasy RPG game series came out with the seventh game in the series. Back in 1997 when it was released it had state of the art graphics not with the characters but with realistic looking environments. By today’s standards the blocky avatar you controlled as Cloud was a graphical joke. However the environments made a solid attempt of looking realistic especially in Midgar where you start the game. Considering this was back in 1997 before the year flipped to 2000 and beyond, Final Fantasy VII was a major feat.

In combat however the avatars are better looking 3-d models as your characters do battle with bad guys that you encounter to gain experience Gil and so on. In fact one of the main features of FF VII is the active combat system. Instead of turn based combat like in a dragon quest game where you can take your time deciding what to do your team will be attacked as you tell your characters what to do.

So yes if you do nothing and step away for a bathroom break or your roommate badgers you to death about taking out the trash when you get back your game may be over as the pixel Cloud and his buddies were told to do nothing.

The story itself starts in Midgar as you control a blond spiky man named Cloud who was an Ex-Solider. Caring for nothing but himself, Cloud was hired by Avalanche, a resistance group against the powerful corporation Shinra. Barret the group leader doesn’t trust Cloud’s arrogant attitude, but lets him help in the mission anyway.

Barret and Cloud sabotage a mako reactor as Barret explains it’s unethical for Shinra to drain energy from the earth to power homes etc. Cloud could care less as he just wants his payment of Gil. The game from then on starts as possibly one of the greatest role playing games in the history of video games.

The game play is simple where you command Cloud and your team to attack cast magic or use an item like a potion during combat. However each character can only cast magic if he or she has Materia equipped to their weapon and or armor. Having a Restore Materia equipped to Cloud lets him cast cure to heal hit points on himself or others. Fire Materia allows a character like Barret or Tifa to cast fire attack spells. Materia is created as condensed life energy and allows magical abilities. Most materia very slightly reduces physical attributes while very slightly increasing your magical power. Over a long period of time you gain AP or attribute points to make your material level up to give you stronger healing or lightning abilities. You could just constantly fight enemies early on to beat the system and level up your materia to fire and cure 2, but it would take a very long time to do so.

Another addition to combat is the limit break where a bar fills up a little or a lot depending how much damage your character takes. When the bar fills up instead of attacking your character can do a Limit break instead. Aeris a weak physical character her limit break heals everyone on your team. Cloud does a Braver, which is a super physical attack with his large sword. As you level up your characters gain new limit breaks along with higher hit points and magic points.

The game from years ago is still the same from 1997 with a slight brush up of the graphics along with the same music and sound effects. When I talked to a dog I heard a good attempt of recreating a dog’s woof. It missed by a mile or so, but I enjoyed the sound effect anyway. The movies in between scenes were graphically good though for the time. Pixar or another computer animation company could easily blow those scenes away in one of their movies today though. However Squareenix left the old school movies as is and only improved upon them cleaning them up. Cloud’s sword twirl at the end of each battle and Tifa’s stretching are still there. In fact when I loaded up the game for the first time there were the charging chocobos with the Squaresoft logo very much if I started up the game 16 years ago.

Another feature that I liked playing with was the color change feature to change the color of the background behind the menus and dialogue and combat. There’s a screen with four corners and you can change the color of each corner to customize your very own color scheme as you helped Cloud and his friends fight Shinra and whatever other baddies came your way. I remember changing the color scheme every so often.

There’s something shocking that happens later in the game, but if you never played FF7 I don’t want to give it away. If you really must know ask a friend or use the web. But if you want to find out for yourself and you tell your friends “No! Don’t tell me! I want to find out for myself!” More power to you I won’t give away what happens.

When I played Final Fantasy 7 for a little bit before I wrote this article, I greatly enjoyed playing through the game as I played on my computer years ago when I didn’t have a playstation. I’ll savor the game by playing a little bit now and again and not rush through the game as I barely got anywhere in the game anyway so far. Final Fantasy 7 is a classic game that even if you hate video games and RPG/s you can at least give a try, or you could be reading this article and you beat the game 100 times before and you want to beat the game 101th time on steam on your computer.

It’s available for download on steam at www.steam.com for a low price of $11.99. Swing Cloud’s big sword or shoot Barret’s hand gun (no really his hand is a gun) for the first time or you’re a hardened vet of the game. This game is a smart buy.

Grease Coakes

Breezes Thoughts: "Twas an Old Lady ..." Part 3

Little old lady is disguised as a beauty gal walking through Arizona trails. She gasps in amazement  when she wandered into a town called Tombstone . Seeing many colorful baskets  that you can ride inside  and above the baskets all so many different big air balloons filled with Gas.  Gas, she thinks.  where they figure out how to fill Gas in a Balloon. Thinks must not be the kind of gas she knows.  Shuddering, she decides not to ask question .

Oh boy!  There she sees a balloon that is from the Apaches.  Let her describe it to you. It is a wigwam,  and the basket contains a campfire. She knows the tribe is talented in hunting and creations for headdresses and bracelets and necklaces and the making of beautiful dreamcatchers. But this balloon just thrills her.   Seeing more big balloons raising to the deep blue sky, is a sight to behold.

Higher and higher they go, flying oh so close the the mountain top and  - oops, hears a shot  from near where she stands. Seeing an outlaw with shotgun in hand.  Meanest man in the land, trying to pierce a balloon to the ground.

She hears the thunder of a posse coming to find the outlaw, but he flees to the hidden caves scattered round.  Time for  this little lady to run for her life.

Goodbye til next adventure.   July 4th 1899.

Breezes Babii

Breezes Thoughts: "Twas an Old Lady ..." Part 2

Here she found a lady siting by a waterfall. Imagine this in the outskirts of desert land.  Hiding  behind a boulder as not to scare the lady away, the Old lady in the shoe was delighted with all the glory is to be found along the way. To swim and dive in the  deepest cold mountains streams and see the fishes all fleeing fast as their fins can go. So many different species here she has found, only to discover a 7 Seas sign of fishing allowed. Is there nothing more relaxing than to fish and swim and she knew what treasures this land has provided.

So if all you readers like the thought of the Old West. come and discover what wonders to be found in Tombstone Arizona.

Breezes Babii

The Egypt Sim: Getting Away From the Crisis

In recent days, the counrty of Egypt's been in the news. It was February 2011 in which Mubarak, who had ruled for decades, stepped down from power after many days of protests. But the optimism that change would lead to a free republic was darkened when the elections were won by the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood. While the new president, Mohamed Morsi, appeared somewhat moderate at times, there were calls from the Brotherhood for an Islamic state under their brand of Sharia law, with crushing restrictions for women and war with their neighbor Israel.

More and more of the public grew increasingly upset with the government, and in recent days there have been numerous protests in Cairo, some of which resulted in clashes with pro-Islamist groups. Crowds demanded Morsi resign from office. Finally on July 3rd, the military made it's move and seized control. Morsi was forced out of power and in house arrest. Warrants have also been issued for the arrest of about three hundred Brotherhood members. The result was cheers from the demonstrators. Celebrations went on for hours.

In Second Life, the demonstrations against Mubarak two years ago were reflected at the Egypt sim, followed by celebrations after his ouster. Dropping by the Egypt sim today, the place was much more subdued. The people there were mostly gathered at some gaming tables, chatting with one another in text and voice. The sim owner, Faresgaser Firelyte, happened to be there. Chatting with him, he explained that they were here to relax, and not take their real world troubles with them into Second Life.

But there was one concession to events in real life. Not far from the tables, a memorial had been set up. It was done up in red white and black, the traditional colors of Arab flags, and with a plaque that read "To the memory of all these wonderful people who lost there lives for freedom trying to make the world a better place to live."

Meanwhile, developments in Egypt continue. An interim president has been selected until after the next elections. Some outside the country have mixed feelings as it took the military to oust the Brotherhood from power. But for now, the crowds at Cairo are expressing little if anything but cheer with the Islamists out of power, "No more beards!"

Bixyl Shuftan

Breezes Thoughts: "Twas an Old Lady ..."

'Twas a old lady, lived in a shoe.  She needed something to do.

She decide to untie that shoe. Grinning excitedly, she left that old shoe hearing sounds far away she ventured off to see what she could get into. Oohhhhh, yes  what did she find? 

A land of olden times, full of  warpainted Indians chanting away, smoke signals floating thru the sky. In amazement and such curious thoughts ran thru her mind. 

She knew she was different and dressed all wrong, looking around to discover what could she do.  Finding a strange looking abode, abandoned for some reason. She ventured in and saw a beautiful deerskin that would fix her needs. Slipping it on, it felt so nice and soft. Fringes swirling round her legs, she began to see young and free, being as how her skin was sunburnt and resembling the others that she had seen from far off.

She nodded to herself, pulled out the old fashioned bun of hair atop her head, her long tressing falling about and down her back. She spotted some red berries, smashing them finely  and rubbing the color onto her face, she knew she was ready to go amongst this land and discover sights she never knew existed.

The story will continue as this adventure unfolds, 

Breezes Babii

Game Review: World of Warcraft - The Darkspear Rebellion

By Bixyl Shuftan

(Note, the article has some spoilers about what happens in this World of Warcraft adventure)

The biggest Multiplayer Online Game, World of Warcraft, recently went though a few changes in the form of a "patch." Patch 5.3, also known as "Escalation." There are four new scenarios players can play out, two of which are aimed at one of the factions, one Horde, one Alliance. Two new battlegrounds for player vs player action. There's new PvP gear and some Pet Battle and Brawler's Guild Tweaks. But the biggest feature is the Darkspear Rebellion.

For those who don't remember much about the game in it's earlier days, the Horde used to be led by Orcish Warchief Thrall. Thrall valued peace with the Alliance and the freedom of the Horde's peoples. But when Azeroth was threatened with being torn apart in the Cataclysm, Thrall steped down to help stop it as a shaman. In his place, he appoints Garrosh Hellscream as the new Orc and Horde leader. But unlike Thrall, Hellscream sees little need to negotiate for what can be taken by force, and refuses to listen to the Orcs' allies. His brutal ways lead to increased conflict with the Alliance, and the alienation of the other peoples of the Horde who see him more and more as a tyrant.

With opposition against him increasing, Garrosh brands the the Trolls of the Horde, the Darkspear, as traitors, rounding up those still in the Orc capital Ogrimmar and moves against them elsewhere in the province of Durotar (the home province to the Orcs and trolls). The Troll leader Vol'jin responds by declaring open rebellion, dubbed the Darkspear Rebellion.

Both Horde and Alliance players can take part in quest chains, Horde players as part of the rebellion, and Alliance players aiding it. Level 90 players will get a letter in the mail from Lorewalker Cho, and upon entering the Vale of Eternal Blossoms in Pandaria will see him waving at them from Mogu'shan Palace. Talking to him, the player hears about actions concerning the Alliance and the Horde, and sends out the player in two scenarios via his "dream brew" on a nearby table: "Blood in the Snow," and "The Warchief and the Darkness." Normally playable by just one faction, in this case the opposite one can do so as well, Horde players in "Blood" disguised as humans, and Alliance ones in "Darkness" taking on the guise of Goblins.

Following the revelations, Cho will send the player off. For Horde players, they head to Duartor and to Sen'jin Village. Vol'jin is there, among with Chen Stormstout and Thrall. Thrall has finally had enough of Hellscream, and is aiding the effort against him.

Speaking to Vol'jin, the player hears about the rebellion, and will be asked to gather resources from the Northern Barrens to help supply it. These resources are in camps set up by Hellscream's Kor'kron, once elite soldiers of the Horde now Hellscream's personal army, loyal only to him and determined to carry out his will (see later in the article on more how to get the resources). After the player returns to the village, the place is attacked by the Kor'kron.

After the player helps defeat the assault, Thrall heads off to convince some Orc leaders to more actively support the rebellion. Vol'jin will launch a counterattack north to Razor Hill. There, the player has to free several captives (dissident Orcs are among the Trolls), in addition to defeating three elite NPC enemies, a gunman, a shaman, and a Lvl 92 axe-wielding melee fighter. Speaking to the NPC Zulu de Voice just outside the town will provide a healing buff that without defeating them single-handed is nearly impossible. Even with it, players may need to team up to defeat them.

After the battle, Horde players will see a scene between Vol'jin and the Tauren leader Baine Bloodhoof, discussing the future of the rebellion.

For Alliance players, they can take a shortcut to Duartor via a teleporter at the upper level on the Summer Terrace (the Alliance hub in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms), which takes them to the town of Ratchet in the Southern Barrens. Flying to above the defenses south of Ogrimmar, they'll see two Alliance agents, who will ask them to help scout for intelligence. Once they find out just how badly Hellscream and Vol'jin have fallen out, the player is send as an emissary to contact them. After talking to the Troll leader, the player is offered a chance to show his good intentions by getting some supplies from the Kor'kron camps in the Barrens and delivering them to the insurrection.

Following these quests, both Horde and Alliance players will be asked by Chen Stormstout to return to Pandaria to Mount Neverest in the Kun-Lai Summit to talk to an old seer about some answers to questions about Pandaria's situation. Meeting up with him, he accompanies the player up the mountain. Once they reach Seeker's Point, the seer will reveal his true identity, why Pandaria was hidden from the world, and how that is relevant to the current situation, "Only by working together can we overcome the darkness."

Horde and Alliance players can continue to gather supplies in a weekly "Battlefied: Barrens" quest. The player needs to gather 150 units each of lumber, stone, oil, and meat. These can be gathered at four camps in the Northern Barrens. Players can gather them by clobbering Kor'kron guards or the workers helping them or swiping crates and slabs of meat there. One can also get meat from slain wolf mounts.

There are two quicker ways to get resources. One is by escorting caravans of goods. Multiple players are needed to ensure the caravans survive the attacks by Kor'kron raiders. Once it reaches it's destination, the player gets rewarded with surplus supplies. You can also get supplies by taking down elite Kor'kron commanders, but they're too tough to fight alone. It takes a team to defeat them. One can also get supplies by overturned Kor'kron caravans, announced in Barrens chat when these events happen. But only if you can get them before they're recovered.

Rewards include new titles, "Darkspear Revolutionary" for Horde Players, and "Hordebreaker" for Alliance, some high level gear from some of the quests, and the "Radical Mojo" rewards from the weekly Barrens quests can be combined with "Latent Kor'kron armor" you get either from battle or the Darkspear Quartermaster into items with "randomized stats that may have some unexpected results that you won't be able to get from other gear."

The Darkspear Rebellion won't last forever. Eventually another patch will close these events, "where the story will continue beyond the Barrens and take the next step toward what could be a historic shift in power."

So players of WoW, whether you're "For the Horde" or "For the Alliance," get into the action while you can in this turning point in Azeroth's history.

Sources: Blizzard,  Wowpedia

Bixyl Shuftan

This is Your Life, Grease Coakes

By DrFran Babcock

Grease Coakes, SL Newser Reporter, was rezzed on June 12, 2007. This makes him six years old—an old-timer in this virtual world that is about to be ten years old. SL Newser sat down with this remarkable griffin on June 11^th to learn a little bit about him, and see what he was up to. Grease needed no prompting:

Grease Coakes: Tomorrow is my sixth SL birthday and I’ve done a lot in Second Life™. I’ve learned to deejay,  I’m well known in furry clubs, and humans are familiar with me. I think that says a lot about an avatar, for SL.

SL Newser: How did you come to be in Second Life™?

Grease Coakes: Well, a friend from Neopets (the online virtual pet community) was saying I should check out Second Life™. I had no idea what it was about. I came on like a complete newbie, and my friend told me about camping for Lindens, so I tried it.  At first, I wasn’t earning jack, but then I figured out I could buy Lindens with real money, and I bought for my first furry avatar: a mutant red fox from Mutation Industries. I thought I was too cool walking around in that ugly avatar.

SL Newser: haha

Grease Coakes: I spent my own money a few times, but when I learned you could work in SL earning Lindens I wanted a part of that. I think the first job I got was as a male stripper for a club that’s long gone called The Spot. I used to hang out at a club that’s Dance Island now, but was called TJ Icey’s. Just for kicks I still use their really old glowsticks. I met RAFTWET Jewell there, who is one of the co-owners of the A-List and is Xavier’s wife, and Sneaky Krugman, a deejay who almost never changes his clothes. He’s always dressed in his longcoat and that Russian hat.  Later on I learned to host for a club that’s still around, Blackhearts Café, that you may have heard of—that plays 80’s music. I think back then in 2007/2008 it was a new club. It was fairly popular as an 80’s club. I guess it was a new thing in SL, an 80’s club, so lots of people came while I hosted and I made good money.

By that time I had my second avatar, an Aventity black fox. I started buying those like crazy, but the thing was I was earning the money from hosting instead of going to my debit card. I also found out about furry clubs a little later. Before, I only went to human clubs. The first furry club I went to was The Ark. Other furries, when I mentioned human clubs, said I was lucky for not being ejected as a furry, or at least being griefed. I guess I went to the right clubs back then. Even Blackhearts Café, a human club, got so used to me they let me host there. So I might of been the first furry to host at a human club in all of Second Life™.

    I ran into Tantari Kim at The Ark, who became one of my friends for a long time. She also gave me positive feedback about my children’s story before it got published. So she has always been a good friend.  And she's the leader of her very own Vixen Scouts. Every time I IM her to say “hi” she always says “arf!” Yeah Tantari is a helpful and kind person, but I can’t join her Vixen Scouts because I’m a guy. She likes recruiting vixens that are helpful and kind like her. She’s also been in SL a long time (2004), a longer time then me. So, even if I’m old in Second Life™ at six, her avatar is almost a decade old. Her last name, Kim, was the only last name she could pick out back then

SL Newser: Will you be deejaying at SL10B?

Grease Coakes: Yes, I might have to change my time though because it conflicts with a game I play over Skype. For those who haven't heard me I play house trance and video game remixes.

SL Newser: Have  you been a griffin for long?

Grease Coakes: Yes, for a while. The first griffins I bought were Toshuki, and today I have all nine of their colors, even the pink color.  One way or the other I’ve found a way to earn Lindens in SL. I haven't bought Lindens with real money for a long time. I’ve been in tail sales; lots of them (See: http://slnewserextra.blogspot.com/2013/02/at-tail-sale.html ). In fact, speaking of pink anyone who buys my children's story for 250L in SL gets a pink shirt with the book cover on it that is also a sixth birthday shirt. So far I have had three people buy it.

SL Newser: So, tell me about the book. How did you come to write a children's book?

Grease Coakes: Well I always remembered the Richard Scary books with the talking animals. As a kid I related to those stories, so I was a furry at heart although I didn't what it was a called back then. I thought wouldn’t it be cool if I wrote something similar? My character deals with something that children might relate to in the real world.

   My book was rejected many times, but in real life a woman did help me. I found her first life phone number on a website called Literary Market In the end she didn’t accept my book, but she was encouraging me and giving me advice. Her name is Annette Johnson, and she runs allwrite publishing. She’s a nice lady, and even though she did not publish my book in real life she helped a lot, just like Tantari Kim did. She was proud of me when I published my book in first life through a website called lulu.com It cost me a lot of money, but I was excited when I saw my book get published. I used a tax refund, so I didn’t really lose out. I can promote myself too in Second Life™.

   I like having fun too. I just blew 4,000 Lindens on buying an artist at a tail sale. I forget what club it was though.

SL Newser: Could you please explain about tail sales for readers who might not understand?

Grease Coakes: At a tail sale, for example, a furry can bid on me for my writing abilty. The last furry who bought me wanted a story about pirates, so i wrote a high seas adventure with his character and his girlfriend. One time, Dragon Heart bought me at a club for 5,000L. I kept 2,500 the other 2,500 went to the club to help pay for club fees. He had an interesting request, one that isn't suitable for the SL Newser (grin).

SL Newser: OK, we can move along…

Grease Coakes: Chazore Ayers is the exception, because she just wanted a flat out adventure without adult themes. The story I wrote for her is more PG-13, not so much XXX. She just wanted to be in a fantasy adventure. I thought it would be easy, but it took a while to write. She also gave me a 7,500L bonus when I finished because it was so long.  It was close to 40 pages long. I made 10k off a single story. I didn’t have to worry about Lindens for a while.

SL Newser: So, what would you like for your birthday? What gift would make you the happiest ?

Grease Coakes: Probably just people buying my book, Ginny Griffin’s First Day Of School, and then turning around saying it was a good book .

SL Newser: And, you said it deals with something folks could relate to in First Life ?

Grease Coakes: Yes, for children on their first day of school who don’t know anyone. Ginny Griffin runs into some bad things at her new school. I won't say what, but it’s a big issue now.

Starting tomorrow I will start handing out limited edition shirts to celebrate my SL birthday. I’ll be handing them out for a week or so, and after that no more shirts. Last year I handed out my fifth SL birthday shirts only on my SL birthday.  Giving away the shirts is fun as they are limited edition, making them rarities, like Linden bears.

Find Grease Coakes and get a limited edition birthday tee shirt, see if you can guess what issue troubles Ginny Griffin on her first day at school, and:

Come see Grease Coakes deejaying for SL10B on June 20^th from  4:00-6:00 SL time.

DrFran Babcock

Minecraft Angels Village: An Ending and a Beginning

By Bixyl Shuftan

Since I last wrote on Minecraft, the activity continued in Angel's Village's server. Jasmine continued to work on improving her chicken cooker at her place of Havenshire, and then went on to work on other projects. She built an object sorter, a "silkstone" maker, an obsidian generator that worked on redstone dust, and more. One of her newest, an "enderman spawner" in the nether. She had corralled them so in one region they spawned only in one place, and players could easily hack away at them from spots they couldn't reach, getting lots of experience orbs. Trouble was, there were more orbs than could be easily absorbed at times. So a player could easily be swinging blind at the enders in front, and not notice another player stepping in front of him/her. The result could easily be one player back to her bedroom, without her gear.


Jasmine and I had been alone with occasional visits from others, other friends of Nydia preferring her "Feed the Beast" and the Kitsunuki servers. But we soon had company. Kryxia and Valkyre signed up on Minecraft and joined. Kryxia made a nice longhouse near Havenshire with Jasmine's and my help. Valkyre once she had a little time to figure things out went on a 24 hour building spree, creating a *massive* tower. Taking a look at it, Jasmine had thought Nydia had made Valkyre a server op without telling her. That wasn't the case. Valkyre had done the big build simply through hard work.

Then Jasmine went to work on her biggest project: literally. Nydia's Village was surrounded with a  detailed wall. Jasmine planned to do even better by surrounding the place with castle walls and towers. So starting in one corner, the first structure went up, and bit by bit the walls extended away from it, with castle gates and battlements going up along the way. Jasmine did the planning and the bulk of the work with some help from Kryxia and I. We soon came across one problem: Jasmine's house was built into a hill that would be level or taller than the castle walls. So an excavation was called for, one done partly through server op powers of easy digging, and partially through blasting through TNT, "Jazzy wants big boom." Eventually most of the hill was replaced with flat land on level with most of Havenshire, and the walls continued to go up.

Soon, the walls were more or less done. Havenshire was surrounded by castle structures that could be walked through via gates or climbed from the inside via doors in the battlements and ladders upward. It was so big, only from the air could one see the whole thing. From the castle led roads to Valkyre's tower and Kryxia's longhouse. There was also a road heading north to the desert. To the east deep in a region of tundra was Nydia's ice castle. And further east of that was Skylark's home. The area north of Angel's was getting some truly great builds.

It was about this time that came two major events. One was the Dragon. If Minecraft has a way to win, it's beating the Dragon at "The End," accessible only through the nether. Getting there, there's only two ways out, die or defeat the Dragon. Nydia never had, and when she was on with Jasmine, Kryxia, and Valkyrie also there, they decided to team up to beat him. And they did. Jasmine got a dragons egg out of it, as well as able to say she had "beaten" Minecraft.

Going to the spot where they had gone to "The End," instead I was shown the credits, as well as something else. What is it? Well, I won't spoil the surprise. You'll just have to find out for yourself.

The other event, well, it seems all that has been created in Angles will soon be coming to an end. Nydia says the servers will soon be updated, an update that will essentially wipe the slate clean. Back to an unspoiled wilderness with no buildings, roads, machines, farms, or roads. Just the players, the wilds, and the monsters that come out at night.

Nydia says those whom were still active there will be made server ops, once this change occurs. Which means the option of playing the regular way, or being able to create as we please, flying across the land. And since the server's starting over anyway, Nydia's installing a modification called "Terra Firma Craft." It's a bit different from normal Minecraft in a number of ways. For one, you can't just knock down sections of tree trunk to get wood for a shelter. You need to collect small rocks on the ground, gather branches from trees, notch a rock to make an axe head, make a hatchet, *then* cut down the tree. There's also a thirst bar in addition to the hunger bar. But the hunger bar doesn't go down as fast. And the monsters at night are stronger. More information can be found in the Tera Firma Craft Wiki, in addition to the youtube Brandi Strussel sent me (Click Here).

Our friend Ranchan, or Amaya as she's sometimes called, has a server as well, the Kitsunuki one, of which the Angels world is one of several the players can free hop and take inventory from one to another. Her Angel's Village was duplicated there, as well as the Newser building (before the top floor was finished). The difference there seems to be mainly graphics. Nydia also has a server with a modified version of Minecraft called "Feed the Beast," but as of the writing of this article it is shut down due to bugs. Our friend Kit Repine has a FTB server as well. I've heard that one has a number of machines one can build. It also has a number of new materials, and plants. A short look at Kit's server also revealed new dangers. There's quicksand in places which can trap you if you're not careful. Some of the monsters are more powerful here too. There seems to be a number of different versions of FTB, so what works in one may not work in another.

So it looks like the Minecraft journeys of Jasmine and I will be taking a new turn. Will we build a new Castle Havenshire, or just take things one step at a time. We'll soon see.

Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: Star Wars The Old Republic - Free vs Paid Accounts

By Nydia Tungsten

 While I claim to be a gamer I do NOT claim to be a good one. I game to have fun, NOT to prove I am the best. I am more than likely to complement you on the way you killed me, than to cuss the fact that you killed me. Hell, it’s how we learn, THAT said you now know where I am coming from gaming wise and I hope you try every game I review to see for yourself. Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean you won’t. Just remember what games are for, having fun, and I hope you enjoy what I have to say.

Like most M.M.O.R.P.’s, in this game you start by creating your in game avatar.  Starting with what side of the coin you begin at, either the “Republic” side or the “Empire” side.  After that, you choose what class you want to be, then the gender and after that the race.  From there you can further edit the details slightly about your Star Wars embodiment with sliders that adjust the body, face, skin and other features as well.  The most challenging part in this process, like with other long running M.M.O.R.P.G.s, is choosing a name that hasn’t been taken by someone.

You start out with basic missions but even at the lower levels you are given choices as to the direction you will go, and when you group you ALL get the choices but only one will answer and you each get social points for the answer but if you choose a different answer than the one given, you STILL get the light or dark points of the answer you have given

BUT where this is different is there are two ways to play.  You can have either a paid account or free, and I have played both sides of this coin.  The main difference is how badly the free side is cut to the bone.  You can’t even trade with fellow players.  If someone wants to give you a piece of better equipment, they have to “mail” it to you, which like the real-life postal service can take a while.  I have heard of it taking as long as overnight, and by that time that item isn’t a boost up but a step down.

You can’t “Sprint” until level 15 meaning you have a hard time keeping up with other paid players, causing some frustration on both sides.   Can’t get a speeder until level 25, which is the old level that players had to make it to before SW:TOR became free to play, again causing frustration between paid and unpaid accounts.   Free accounts have been “Nerfed” BADLY and feel like the put upon redheaded.

As for customer support…. Well lets say that has been “out sourced” and if you call them it can be hard to understand them through the thick accents

All that said, let’s look at some of the good things.  While the free accounts have been “Nerfed” it can still be a great game to play, especially if you get with the right group.  This is the only game that I know of that you can choose your path on how “Dark” or “Light” you can go. I have tried it both ways, a light and dark side. I play with “The Furry Gamers” Group.  We are on two servers, some paid some free.   We take that into account when we play and help each other’s characters level. 

Have they neutered the free to play accounts? Most definitely! Is it still fun to play as a free player? I must give a resounding YES! But don’t just take my word for it, try it for yourself.

May the force be with you!

And remember if you have a game you think should be reviewed shoot a notecard to me with its name and link and I will take a look.

GOOD GAMING TO YOU!!

By Nydia Tungsten

Reader Submitted: Game Review - World of Warcraft

By Nydia Tungsten

While I claim to be a gamer I do NOT claim to be a good one, I game to have fun, NOT to prove I am the best, I am more than likely to complement you on the way you killed me than to cuss the fact that you killed me, hell it’s how we learn, THAT said you will now know where I am coming from gaming wise and I hope you try every game I review to see for yourself, just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean you won’t just remember what games are for, having fun, and I hope you enjoy what I have to say.

I have been playing WOW off and on for almost….(have to think here)…I would have to say… almost ten years….(holy cow)  Do I have any level 90’s? Pfffft! not even close! But I do have a lot of levels between 20 and 70 and I enjoyed every min. I have 3 guilds and 2 servers and in a 4rth with my SL family The Sunweavers where I play with the Fox Newshound himself, Bixyl, and the original Micro Kitty Lomgren Smalls, as well as others from the Sunweavers.

Now in ALL the years I have been playing, I have found one thing to be true. With any and I mean ANY type of MMO you have WAY more fun if you have friends with you.

Unlike 90% of the games I play, WoW is a paid game. You can either have a reoccurring bank charge or do like I do and get the prepaid cards when you can afford them, when you can’t your account will be blocked or frozen.

But Blizzard keeps it in their system for a LONG time, I was inactive for 3 years and thought I would have to start all over. NOPE! The boys at Blizzard kept my data and account right there ready for me when I was.


When you first start you will end up on a creation page like this with ALL the Races and Classes and sexes. It can be overwhelming to some, but take a deep breath, it WILL help you through it. There is the “more info” button. It will tell you about the race and class you have highlighted.

I have always chosen the oddball races. I started with the Draenei (Space goats LOL). I loved the fact they had tails. Then came the Worgen. I was so disappointed that they had no tails. Then came the Pandaren. YAY! They could have a tail!

Then you go through what seem the endless choices for your appearance, just like in SL you can choose who YOU want to be!

And once done with all that, you get to face the

ULTIMATE CHALLENGE!

.... finding a name that ISN'T taken.

Now you have your character all set the way you want it. A name you like, then you click play and you are sent deep into the story line you chose.

I think it is important to listen and learn from the narration as you fly to your new body to your first quest, which is pretty easy, most of them are set to teach you how to move and defend yourself before you leave the newbies area. Once done there, you find a wonderful word to explore and have fun with, there are some pretty crazy quests,  with all kinds of pop culture references, one of my favorites is the  “Rambo” quest. I won’t spoil it but when you find it you will know.

So I give this game a BIG thumbs up and recommend it. Find some friends that play and have a ball, good luck and Good Hunting to you!

Nydia Tungsten

Reader Submitted: Game Review "World of Tanks"

By Nydia Tungsten


This is my first attempt to right a “review” if you will. Now while I claim to be a gamer, I do NOT claim to be a good one. I game to have fun, NOT to prove I am the best. I am more than likely to complement you on the way you killed me than to cuss the fact that you killed me. Hell it’s how we learn.

THAT said, you will now know where I am coming from gaming wise. And I hope you try every game I review to see for yourself. Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean you won’t. Just remember what games are for, having fun, and I hope you enjoy what I have to say.

I started playing World Of Tanks, or WoT to those who play a lot and I do. A few months ago, it was recommended to me by Jessicabelle Dayafter, whom I have the privilege of playing with.

You can download it here:  http://worldoftanks.com/ . Be prepared to wait a bit there is a LOT to download, but it is WELL worth the wait. The graphics are fantastic, and if you enjoy first person shooters you will like this one.

You start off with “tier one” tanks the lowest level and earliest ever made tanks as the “T1 Cunningham.” The higher you progress in the ranks, or “tiers,” the more modern the tanks become.  The load out of ammo consists of “Armor piercing” and “HEAT” rounds as to be expected. But they also have “gold” rounds, which will do at least a third more in damage. But here is the catch. In order to have “gold” rounds you need to buy them, and risk being called a “wallet warrior” by other players.

It is the same for “Premium” tanks such as one of my favorites the “TOG II.” It is by far the slowest tank on the battle field and doesn’t do the most damage either. But it DOES have one of the highest hit points in the game, but weak armor so it can’t go toe to toe with almost anything. Then why do I like it? Easy, remember what I said at the beginning? IT’S FUN!

Once the other players see a TOG on the list the good natured comments start flying, “we have a whale”, “No fair you have a battleship!” “I bet I could park on your back and you would STILL have room to move your turret!” and they go on, and I play into it whole heartedly, “The HMS White Vixen reporting for duty!” I call out to the other players.

This is strictly a PvP game, 15 tanks on each side face off and slug it out. You have the “Heavy” class as well as the “Medium,” “Tank Destroyer,” “Light,” and “Artillery.” So you have to find your niche in the game. There is a bit of thinking as well, knowing what rounds go best with what barrel on what tank, etc. There are TONS of videos on “How To’s”  to learn from, or just jump in with both feet and start blasting away.

Now like ANY MMO you will have the “Game Gods” that know everything, and are not shy to tell you how much of a “Noob” you are as their battered tank husk burns across the battlefield. Take my advice and ignore them and just have fun.

And if you come across me on the battlefield,  remember to do one thing…..DUCK!!

Nydia Tungsten

Reader Submitted: Castle Dark Haven

by Theonlyjohnny Resident

I found this place when I was looking for just a good place to hang out. I will be honest, I was a bit overwhelmed, at first, by the amount of visitors I saw at the club. The dance floor was filled, as were all the seats.


The DJ was rocking the stream better than I have seen anyone else. I immediately came to the conclusion that no one could follow such a great DJ. That was soon proven wrong. All of the DJs have performed the best I have ever seen a DJ perform.

Unlike other clubs, where either only one or two people say hello, I was welcomed by everyone there. I did apply for a job, on my first visit, but was amazed to find that, instead of turning me down, they let me know that I did not meet the requirements of the job. However, they DID give me a shot at being a host, and I was hired.

Be warned, this is an Adult furry club. However, it's not the kind of adult club that is about sexuality and what not. Furrys, and humans alike, come here to hear great music, and just have fun. No one is turned away, and everyone is treated as if they're family.

The design of the club is not simple, and is actually very complex, with each brick having a slightly different texture than the rest (Yes I have looked at the bricks, ha-ha). And the placement of everything is precise and shows how much work was truly put into this club. Even the placement of the dance poles, which are open to everyone as are the tip jars next to them, show that this was not just a random make. It was designed to perfection.

All in all I give this club,

Originality: 5 of 5
Design and Look: 5 of 5
Music: 5 of 5
Staff: 5 of 5
Owner involvement: 4 of 5

In total 24 of 25


TheonlyJohnny

Back to Minecraft Part 2

Earlier this month, I wrote about the continued activity in Nydia Tungsten's Minecraft servers, notably what Jasmine Dawn Shuftan had been doing. Far away from Angel's Village, she had been building a place of her own. Since I first wrote about it, her progress continued.

Jasmine's complex, seen from a log cabin on the outskirts. Note the archery tower to the right, with a flaming netherbrick roof for easy visibility at night.

Jasmine soon made a second archery tower, with the two connected by a glass and iron rail walkway.

 The first level of Jasmine's place, or "Jazzytown" as I dubbed it, which contains some stables. Here's some unusual cows I hadn't seen before, which she called "moo-shrooms."

Looking for monster spawners, she found this zombie one not far from the surface. Since they're not as bad as other hostile mobs, slow and they don't blow up on you, she had the idea of an experience farm.

So she surrounded it with fencing, and the zombies were trapped. She made a ladder, and built around it, including a glass ceiling. Now one could hack and slash the baddies and have the experience orbs fall into your lap, just waiting for new mobs and occasionally having to replace your sword.

And yes, that's my sword. Jasmine tossed me a few diamonds for one. Reminds me a little of being a "rune goon" in Runescape.

While digging her tunnel, Jasmine came across this place, which she named "Strussel Village." I later came back and added this nether portal for quicker access.

While digging the tunnel, Jasmine wanted to take a break, as well as get a few supplies. So we made this waystation that she later dubbed "Havenshire."

And this is where our marathon tunneling session ended, a village northwest of Angels that someone had built a wall around and improved. Not sure who made it or what name it was given. After that, Jasmine's main focus went back to Jazzytown.

While finishing the tunnel, digging west from Angels and south from the walled village, I came across a few obstacles, such as water when coming across rivers. So the way to go was lower, at least until it was past.

Ranchan's ship, due west of Angel's Village. The tunnel went under it, and I built an entrance next to the boat.

"And the twain shall meet." Finally Jasmine's subway from her place to Angel's Village was complete.

Jasmine showing off her place to a neighbor, Skylark and friend, who made their own place north of Angels, and east of Jazzytown. Note the signs showing how far it is to Angels and Strussel.

And Jasmine's latest creation: her "chicken plucker." The fowl in the upper chamber lay eggs, which fall through the water, into dispensers, which lay chicks into the lower chamber. When grown, a user can press the pistons to crush the birdies, "Buck-AWWKK!!" And one gets seperated feathers, meat, and sometimes more eggs.

Small irony it was built by a fox, "Colonel Sanders, eat your heart out!"

And that's it for now from the Angels server.

Bixyl Shuftan