Not that I’m religious or anything but saying “Happy Easter” to people does put a nice bounce to my step. The best Easter surprise so far (aside from dozen flutes of mimosas) came from my email inbox. Ania from Warsaw, a fellow talented artsy gamer girl, sent me a photo of this:

I am floored.

Painstakingly beautiful stain-glass versions of WoW character with a complete Warcraft map draped behind it.  I don’t think I even have that much patience to do something exquisite like that.  Ania on the process:

Well, fist i drew on the egg with a graphic pen, the kind that can write on any surface. I drew the continents
and simple character outlines. Than I busted out my acrylic paint and painted the surface.
And last i retouched the contours with the pen again.

So i think the whole thing took about an hour a half maybe more, I was really into it so I’m not sure
I realised a more “realistic” or illustrative style wouldn’t work, or really fit on to the egg.

Also, I love that the Outlands whirl Maelstrom looks like a giant meteorological typhoon.  Reminds me of home a lot.

Thanks so much Ania! You’ve brightened up my Easter Sunday!

So just a few minutes ago, I got an email from the head cat herself letting me know that starting October 17th, I get to help build friggin’ New York City in the game.  The Big Apple!  Yankees!  Pretzels!  Subway pee! Where Tim Gunn lives!

Now, hardcore Kitty lore nerds can debate about whether or not New York City is a part of the HK canonnical universe but I think this a great approach!  The email reads:

…players of the Hello Kitty Online Founders’ Beta will be able to participate in a series of quests to collect and organize materials for the building of New York, a new area that will appear in the next phase of the game. … Players who successfully complete all the required quests will have the names of their character permanently recorded on virtual commemorative plaques located throughout the new area (the plaques will appear in future versions of the game’s North American edition). It’s a unique opportunity to leave your mark on Hello Kitty Online!

The game is definitely trying to give players the sense that they’re working together to build their next maps and worlds.  Now, not to crush anyone’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition dreams, HKO’s New York City probably already exists, and what the players will essentially be doing is unlocking the content through quests and actions.

I know, I know, World of Warcraft has done this already with the The Gates of Ahn-Qiraj but to be honest, I felt that whole AQ event wasn’t very compelling.  There wasn’t a lot of cooperation involved.  It didn’t affect all of the players.  And many people saw the server-wide event as a way to make some dough off of players who were invested in unlocking the content.

But then again, who knows how nice the HKO community will play together during this Build NYC project?   Maybe the claws will finally come out?

(Oh my gosh, I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.  Lame, I know.)

Imagine World of Warcraft being a cute beagle puppy.  Then imagine if that cute beagle puppy is sleeping in a wicker basket filled with french vanilla scented candles and pink saltwater taffy.

That’s Hello Kitty Online.

Now, I can’t really critique on the game that much since I’ve only started playing it yesterday.  It *is* an MMO.  So unless I stay up poop-sock style with cans of Red Bull and meals in bar form, I haven’t really experienced the game in full saccharine effect.

But I will be chronicling the (mis)adventures of my blue-haired pixie girl Thrall in the great land of Sanriotown.

For my guild <Cant Quit You>. We <3 dolphins.

I think I’m going to start a Hall of Shame where I post some of the choice hate mail I receive and then review them. Here’s one for today, and I’m going to call this one “Nonsensical Warcraft Lapdance Slash Fic” written by DeathToEmoFatchicks who made an account on 1UP just to send me this lovely novella:

1UP.COM GROUPIE TELLS ALL!!: MY ONE NIGHT STAND WITH KAREN!

by DeathToEmoFatchicks

Posted: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:57:15 PST

It was three in the morning and I was signed on to World of Warcraft and I had just finished a Sunken Temple instance run and hearthed back to Storm Wind to fix my gear and collect myself after a difficult boss fight. Now, like at the end of most instance runs Im tired, irritable, famished, and surprisingly horny as hell and in need of release, so I jumped on to Trade chat and waved my flag of proposition. I typed “WTB a lap dance from a female character. Will pay 5g,” and sat patiently waiting for any taker. Interesting enough the first offer was from a character named Mentos,a Draenei Hunter, who I knew was Karen Chu from the Legendary Thread podcast, so I thought to myself “Well, I dont have yellow fever, but I do have Draenei fever, so you’ll do.”
And off we went to the Blue Recluse inn. I sat down in the chair and she was about to dismiss her pet when I said “No, I want it to watch.” So she started her dance emote and slowly taking off her gear. Every time she turned her back to me her tail brushed up against my chest, which is always freaking hot when a woman does that. I was almost done when I noticed her shoes, they were unmistakable. She was wearing Sandals of the Insurgent, leather shoes with +8 intellect and +20 Spirit, I was infuriated, I mean down right outraged. What the hell does she need those for!! She is a freakin Hunter!! Give them to a Mage or Paladin, dont be selfish like that. So I shot up right out of that chair and /slap the shit out of her. I mean I really gave it to her. I /spit on her as I walked out of there while she was kneeling on the floor crying. And now I refuse to group with Draenei Hunters, Karen really gave her people a bad image.

Review: What a tale, huh? Teeming with rich imaginative details and just enough of sexual commentary. The author clearly knows his way around Azeroth and has an extensive knowledge of my character except for the big glaring mistake that Mages can’t wear leather. Though I have to say, when DeathToEmoFatChicks started spewing out armor stats and placing the actual “/” symbol in, it really halted the natural flow of the narrative. But overall, it’s a creative stab at your usual hate mail. Kudos to originality.

Score: 8/10