MuseBlog

If there are MuseBloggers who don’t like music, we haven’t met them yet. Continued from version 2007.3.

All right, Pumpkin Droppers: time to start designing our vehicle. Robert has a few ideas but is still wrestling with practicalities, so everything is up for grabs.

(Anyone who has no idea what we’re talking about may consult Part Two, Part One, and even earlier announcements.)

Muser-to-Muser tips about things that work, last, and/or please.

A reincarnation of last year’s “Recommendations” thread.

Submit your ideas for new threads or anything else you like. Continued from version 2007.1.

Continued from Part 2.

Users’ Manual: Obey The Rules. Consult The Guide. Have fun!

Unlike the random thread, this discussion thread stays on topic until the topic changes.

Newcomers should read The Rules and The Guide before plunging in.

Current topic:
Annoying ailments
Butterflies
Fears
Favorite sculptures

New around these parts? Come to this thread for a faceplateful of pie and instruction in the Ways of MuseBlog.

Please read The Rules. You might also glance at The HG2MB (Hitchhiker’s Guide to MuseBlog), which contains helpful hints regarding local customs, lingo, and other peculiarities of the blog; smiley information included.

Want to keep traffic coming to your favorite parts of the blog? Post ’em here.

(Note: Please include the URL (Web address) with your requests. It also helps if you limit your requests to a few at a time, four or five at the most.)

ADVENTURES IN THE MUSIVERSE
The Kokonspiracy (Mostly Harmless) (the man for aeiou)
Pie Isle (Lady Cinnamon Moon)
Incredible Beasts of Museica (Various Gnomes Who Wish to Remain Anonymous)

A.K.A. MBers
DC Kokonvention Scrapbook (Red-tailed HAWK)
Name Changes (Beavo the Online Stalker)
Titles, Labels, and Nicknames (Beavo the Online Stalker)
Alter Egos (Beavo the Online Stalker)

LIFE BEYOND THE VIRTUAL DIVIDE
Global Warming (Red-tailed HAWK, Beavo the Online Stalker)
Hot Topics (Beavo the Online Stalker)
On the Road with the Gozas (the man for aeiou)

SILLY FUN
SSSS [Stupid Senseless Smiley Stories] (Beavo the Online Stalker)
The Polling Place (kiwimuncher)
MuseBlog Lightbulb Joke (Robert)
Ask the GAPAs (Midnight Fiddler)
Beavo’s Mostly Harmless Board Game (Beavo the Online Stalker)
NationStates (Red-tailed HAWK)
Alliteration (Red-tailed HAWK)

WRITING – RRRs
The Sea Roc (Alice, kiwimuncher)
Fractured Fairy Tale (Alice)
Dreamland (Alice)
Spirits and Blood (agagabagabag)
Etheterre (Prarilius Canix)
Time Travel (Capricious the Great and Terrible)
School (the man for aeiou)
Terenika (the man for aeiou)
The Original (2,3-dimethylPENTane a.k.a. Penty)

WRITING – ASSORTED OTHER
Writing Challenge: Theme with Variations (Alice, oxlin widdershins)
Writing (Alice)
MuseBlog Fanfiction (Beavo the Online Stalker)
Muse FanFiction (Beavo the Online Stalker)
Role-Playing Writing (Purple Panda)
Poems and Songs (oxlin widdershins, Nthanda the Laugher)
Muse Movie (the man for aeiou)

OTHER THINGS WE LIKE
Computer and Video Games (Drops of Jupiter [SSJ424])
Manga, Anime, and Graphic Novels (Drops of Jupiter [SSJ424])

Known Muser Birthdays This Month*:

10-01 Kiki the Great’s birthday (1995 – bright purple)
10-07 TOPFOT’s birthday (1992)
10-07 HMOTT’s birthday (19?? – light green)
10-08 nerdz__r00l’s birthday (1995 – light green)
10-11 E2MB’s birthday (1994 – green)
10-12 Ebeth’s birthday (1991 – blue or octarine)
10-13 Paul Baker’s birthday
10-14 Isabella’s birthday (1994 – deep, pensive indigo, or whatever)
10-16 Bannaya’s birthday (1996)
10-16 astronomerrox’s birthday (1993 – blue)
10-16 Kagcomix’s birthday (1993 – green)
10-18 hypermoocow’s birthday (year? – orange)
10-20 Dark Lord of Darkness’s birthday (1993 – yellow, red, black, or purple)
10-23 kokopelli #13’s birthday (1992 – camouflage)
10-24 hotstuff trinity’s birthday (1992 – lime green)
10-25 Red-tailed HAWK’s birthday (1994 – blue)
10-26 Calla Lily’s birthday (19?? – )
10-27 a tap dancing elephant’s birthday (1992 – pink, teal/aqua blue and raspberry)
10-29 Eccentric the Afterthought’s birthday (1990 – black and/or dark red)

You turn 5,000 days old this month if you were born between January 23 and February 22, 1994.
You turn 6,000 days old this month if you were born between April 29 and May 29, 1991.

*Note: Several of these MBers have been inactive for a long time. We’re sure they’re out there playing important parts in Mostly Harmless (once a Muser, always a Muser, and you can’t fight destiny). Even so, their names will be deleted from future birthday calendars unless they show up on the blog this month.

Game Materials

1 Playing Board
2 Kokopelli w/ pie thrower
2 Urania w/ telescope and blue ball
2 Pwt w/ net
2 Feather w/ watering can
2 Craaw w/ rhyme dictionary
2 Chad w/ wrench
2 Aeiou
2 Mimi
2 Bo
8 GAPA’s (Paul Baker, Robert Coontz, Rebecca Lasley, Rosanne Spector)
8 Hot Pink Bunnies
2 Mr. Green
50 Pies
20 Doughnuts
10 J-Rock CDs
20 Factoid Cards (Including Astronomy Cards, which are blue)
1 Thirty second timer
2 2012 Pies

Object of the Game

The object of the game is execute Mostly Harmless and take over the world with Pies.

Number of Players, and Game Setup

This game can be played by 2 players.

Place your Muses (1 of each), GAPA’s (1 of each), Mr. Green (one), and Hot Pink Bunnies (four) in your chosen space on your side of the game board, front facing you. Deal twenty-five pies, ten doughnuts, 1 2012 pie, and five J-Rock CD’s to each player. Collect and place on your side of the game board. Place all 20 Factoid Cards on the picture of Bo.

How to Play

Determine who starts the game by being the first one to answer a factoid card. Whoever wins, throws one of their pies at one of your characters. These are the characters strengths, and what happens when they are hit by a pie:

Kokopelli: Can throw a pie eight spaces in any direction. Can also throw one 2012 Pie. When attacked, catches the pie, and can either throw it back, or end the turn by placing it on a region. Moves similar to a Queen in chess.

Urania: Can throw a pie five spaces. Is able to see through the character’s back to who they are. When attacked, sees the pie coming in her telescope, and can challenge the opposing Urania to an astronomy duel. Whichever Urania loses is out of the game. Moves similar to a Rook in chess.

Pwt: Can throw a pie five spaces. If attacks a Craaw, he is out of the game. When attacked, catches the pie in her net, and can either throw it back, or end the turn by placing it on a region. Moves similar to a Knight in chess.

Feather: Cannot throw pies. Is able to plant doughnuts on regions, which makes them unable to claim. Affective for three turns. When attacked, waters the pie. (This does nothing, and Feather is out of the game.) Moves similar to a King in chess.

Craaw: Can throw pies three spaces. When attacked, flies over the pie. Duels opposing Craaw in a rhyming duel. Whichever Craaw loses is out of the game. Is automatically out if attacked by opposing Pwt. Moves similar to a Queen in chess.

Chad: Can throw pies three spaces. Is able to manufacture machines (which take one turn) to throw pies eight spaces. When attacked, hits the pie with wrench. (This does nothing, and Chad is out of the game. Moves similar to a Bishop in chess.

Aeiou: Cannot throw pies. Is able to enable Chad’s machines (which takes two turns). When attacked, educates the pie. (This does nothing, and Aeiou is out of the game. Moves similar to a Bishop in chess.

Mimi: Cannot throw pies. Mimi is an extra character. She is there to confuse the enemy. When attacked, makes friends with the pie. (This does nothing, and Mimi is out of the game.) Moves similar to a Knight in chess.

Bo: Cannot throw pies. Bo is a master at factoids. The pie does not affect Bo. Bo challenges the opposing Bo to a factoid duel, and whichever Bo loses is out of the game.) Moves similar to a King in chess.

GAPA’s: Can throw a pies three spaces. The GAPA’s are not affected by the pie. The GAPA can either throw the pie back, or place the pie on a region. Moves similar to a Rook in chess.

Hot Pink Bunny: Can throw a pie all eight spaces. The bunny eats the pie, causing the one of the opposing bunnies to be out of the game. Moves similar to a Queen in chess.

Mr. Green: Cannot throw pies. Mr. Green smiles at the pie. (This does nothing, and Mr. Green is out of the game.) Moves similar to a Bishop in chess.

Each Muse, GAPA, and Emoticon moves spaces toward the enemy, throwing pies, and placing pies on regions to take them over. The enemy cannot step on spaces with a pie. The enemy cannot step on spaces with a doughnut either, but for just three turns.

J-Rock CDs have two sides, one that looks like a CD, and one that looks like a pie. They are there to confuse the enemy. The enemy may turn over pies if they are on an adjacent space to see if they are a CD, but if they aren’t, that character is out of the game. If it is, they may claim that space.

In duels, the challenging player picks a factoid/astronomy card. The factoid or astronomy question must be answered within thirty seconds, and the first noun of the factoid card must by rhymed in thirty seconds.

The 2012 pie spells instant death to whoever it hits. That character is then out of the game. There are only one of these per player.

When pies miss their target, have no effect, or are eaten, they are then awarded to the player who’s character has been missed.

Regions consist of time zones. There are 24. Each time zone with a pie on it gives ten points to the captor.

The game is won when one player has captured 13 of the time zones (or has 130 points). Also when all characters of the other player is out of the game.

Factoid Cards

There are four kinds of Factoid Cards.

Regular Factoid Cards: These cards contain trivia questions with answers on the back. Bo uses these in a duel. They are also used as rhyme cards, when Craaw duels. The players must guess first the answer to the question (or rhyme the first noun) in thirty seconds. This is counted by the turning of the sand timer.

Astronomy Cards: These cards contain trivia questions about astronomy. Urania uses these in a duel. The players must guess first the answer to the question in thirty seconds. This is counted by the turning of the sand timer.

Continued from Part 1 (what else?).

A new story begins. Old stories continue from Muse Fanfiction, v. 2007.1.

Please note: these are not RRRs but solo projects which share the same thread. Start your own or just stop by and visit.

WARNING! Will definitely contain spoilers!

To spare MBers reading the “Recent Comments” columns, please paste the following message in at the beginning of your posts:

SPOILER SPOILER OCTOBER MUSE SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Just for letting us know when your copy arrives. NO SPOILERS, PLEASE! There’s a separate thread for discussing the issue.

= NaNo Brainstorming = generating ideas for NaNoWriMo = National Novel-Writing Month, which takes place in November and will have to be described on the thread.

It arrived early Sunday morning, blog time. How do you like it so far?

Robert is in the midst of upgrading the blog’s software. You can expect things to look odd and stop working unexpectedly until he finishes. It’s impossible to say how long that will take. Patience, please!

A place to discuss life outside the educational system. Continued from version 2007.1.

New: ATTENTION! Purple Panda and Taiwan Hippo Fan’s mother is VERY eager to involve Musers in the Pumpkin Drop and would like to hear from other potentially interested parents. Details below.

There was a flurry of interest in this event at the Kokonvention.

The sponsor, West Virginia University, has finally posted information about the drop. As feared, it takes place on a Friday, which may limit Musers’ ability to take part. Anyone possibly interested can find out all about it here (remove spaces):

http:// www. mae.cemr.wvu.edu/ news/20pumpkindrop.php

Muse fielded a team a few years ago, with results recounted in the Koko Bomb Saga.

The latest issue of Muse introduced us to the Gozas — a family that calls the entire United States its home. Kimberly (mom), Dennis (dad) and Zephyr (teenage son) travel the continent in their RV, rarely staying put for more than two days. What’s it like? We can ask them. They’ve promised to stop by this thread and answer our questions. So let the questions begin.

All kinds of dances and dancing. Anything that moves. Continued from v. 2007.1.

The school of your dreams, under virtual construction here on the blog.

“Talk Like a Pirate” Day is Wednesday, September 19. (No, the GAPAs didn’t make it up. It goes far beyond MuseBlog.) How will you mARRRk the occasion?