Friday, January 25, 2008

Rest in Peace, Mr. Blinky

We all know Mr. Blinky. He's the ghostly pale avatar with a DOID number for a name. He is the biggest mystery of our time, out there constantly blinking in and out of existence, forever casting those longing eyes of his out upon the farthest reaches of Therian soil. He's been a friend to each and every one of us since the very moment we were first introduced to this unique individual, standing in stark contrast to the brightly colored landscape around him. From Saja's shoreline out into the vast blue concrete, from one coast of New Kansas to the other, he's seen good times and bad times, he's been trapped and subsequently released, he's been held hostage and paid homage to, he's met all kinds of people and has seen to the farthest corners of Theria, he's had a girlfriend, he's been entrusted by many of us with countless untold secrets, and he's even been allowed to relieve himself on rare occasion.


This is our friend, Mr. Blinky, DOID number 108891507. But he wasn't always so. Once upon a time, he had a purpose. He was created for a specific reason and he was content to fulfill that purpose. He lived out his life in Saja, surrounded by a tranquil atmosphere and soundtrack. But one day, something went terribly wrong. A horrible accident took place in Saja which thundered through the sky and shook every pod in its soil. And thus Blinky was unwillingly created, transformed into the white man we know and love. His first moments in this new existence must have been horrifying as he tumbled downward from his once comfortable location atop a floating island, spiraling toward the unknown land below. He shortly found himself standing on the shore of a completely foreign island, dense fog threatening him on one side, an ocean of blue concrete beckoning him on the other, and an ominous moon hanging above his head.

It wasn't long before others took notice of this newcomer, this strange gh0st in the machine. He received quite a bit of attention for one lone avatar. People wondered why he looked so sad and why he gazed outward into the unknown, seeming to long for an existence now so distant and unreachable, longing to be more--or less--than what he was. People visited him, studied him, spoke to him, and even wrote poetry about him. One day, someone decided Mr. Blinky required a change of scenery to improve his overall disposition. And thus began a great migratory effort to move Blinky to his new home on New Kansas, miles from his familiar abode on Saja, where he would reside for the rest of his life as Mr. Blinky.

Little is known about the circumstances surrounding his creation. The staff have admitted their own failure to correct the anomaly which created him. At one point, an attempt was made to simply vanquish him--eradicate him from existence in order to correct the flaw. The procedure was a rather simple one, but Mr. Blinky resisted. The Avman servers subsequently reported his nonexistence and yet there he was, blinking away, locked in a never-ending struggle for survival.

But that was not the only struggle Mr. Blinky has faced. His very nature invoked such curiosity in people, especially newcomers. Sadly, there have been those who did not respect Mr. Blinky and who have attempted to exploit him for their own benefit. But Mr. Blinky would not be taken advantage of. He would amuse himself with their antics for a time, but he would invariably grow weary of such trivialities and move on, ever reaching for his one true purpose in life.

Until one day, when that purpose was returned to him. The anomaly which created Mr. Blinky was finally found and corrected, and Mr. Blinky was returned to his former and original self. It is theorized that this correction was necessitated by upgrades to the client which allows us access to this world. Whatever the reason behind it, Mr. Blinky now resides back in Saja, DOID number 108891507. Justin and I found him among friends, similar DOID numbers which indicate a sequence of creation on this particular floating island. Simply fly Northeast from the main teleport point on Saja and land on the first island you glimpse. There he happily and peacefully watches over the Zoyoa Garden as its signpost, forever the garden's gatekeeper. Blinky has finally found that which he has sought all his life.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Blinky.


Jon Quixote was There!

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Hunt for There_Monitor 1/19/08

I had been dwelling on this clue all weekend. What could it mean? A bubble? I was as confused as a newborn baby. In an attempt to clear my head, I went for a short cruise. I hopped in my buggy and off I went, up to my bumper in our ocean's crystal clear water. I was following a shoreline south when, like a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick, it hit me square in the face. Suddenly, everything made perfect sense! As all the clues fell into place, I popped the e-brake, spun that little buggy of mine around, and shot off to find There_Monitor!

From the journal of There_Monitor....

Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink. I was soooooooo thirsty. And I felt totally trapped on my small round island. Other islands were nearby but I could not manage the sea between myself and the next spot of land. I began to see the mirage of a cold drink in the distance, but I didn't need a mirage. I needed THE REAL THING! Miraculously a balloon landed by me. My rescuer laughed at my thirst. "You are so close to refreshment," he said. "I could see it clearly from the air. You are perched on a bubble!"


As you can see, There_Monitor still wears that Adventure Quest t-shirt instead of the Big Eights shirt she has worn most of her life prior. I suppose change is inevitable. Nevertheless, she will always remain an icon of Big Eights for those of us who remember.


Jon Quixote was There!