Anyway, I’m weaving up a little suspense novella of a 15-year-old farmer’s daughter. Some sort of damsel living in the Blue Ridge Mountains named Crysti Arelen. I’ll tell you that she’s NOT my favorite character, but her best friend, Jordan, is more adventurous and more daring. Yet, she’s still a very good friend. I’ve also started thinking of another character, Winston Birking. Some sort of puzzle lover and math geek with no glasses. But he’s 11 and the younger brother to Dustin Birking, the hero. Winston doesn’t appear in the excerpt, but he helps sove a nessecary puzzle leading to danger.

Enjoy.

When Crysti’s topaz eyes opened again, she was restrained and tied thoroughly to a wooden chair with white clothesline rope. Her hands were tied on the backrest, Her legs were tied to each of the front chair legs, and a piece of white cloth between her lips silenced the schoolgirl. The inside of her overalls were damp with sweat, and her surroundings told her mentally, Crysti, you’re in a cave. The private one, at Hieback Springs. You’re in trouble. You might be held hostage, or be kidnapped. Call for help! “Mmppphhh! Mpph!” Crysti cried frantically for help, only to be answered by heavy footsteps. That sounds like leather…leather boots. Uh-oh.

Two leather-clad men stood in front of the bound beauty like giants. Crysti was now a damsel in distress. And their looks! They looked so alike, each draped in rough-and-tumble black leather with burgundy sunglasses. Crysti was terrified. What do they want with me? Do they know me? Are they stalkers? I never noticed bulky fellows stomping behind me! “What a beauty, Nil! Look at that curtain of hair!” said one of the “giants”, stroking Crysti’s grain-colored tresses. This guy had dirty blond hair, like fool’s gold covered with ashes. He was definitely in need of Crysti’s personal neck-coverer, hair. “Yes, Boss will be sastified with this pretty catch. Jolly easy too! And with goody sound,” agreed Nil, the taller of Crysti’s captors, with burnt-sienna brown spikes and a scar to make a living Frankenstein punk. “But shan’t we do a suspense test run first, Russo?” Russo agreed, with drawing a vast paper bag shaking like it had Parkinson’s disease. “Let’s have the damsel be a herpetologist today!”

Crysti screamed immediately at what events unfolded after this very point.

Spider! (Hey, don’t you have arachnophobia?)

A hairy minuscule spider scampered out of the bag. Russo added a drop of slimy green liquid onto the arachnid’s back, and poof, the somewhat harmless spider fizzled up into a monstrous, 4-eyed, completely maroon-colored, poisonous 8-legged creature! It was no longer hard to see, it was 2 stories tall! (Unfortunately, the cave’s ceiling was hollow and high, preventing concussions. Crysti desperately wanted-and needed- the arachnid to bonk its head.) “Mmpphh! Mwwp! Mumbudy hewp!” Crysti shrieked and sobbed and writhed around in her bindings, hoping for a loose knot, or a hero. The arachnid stared at Crysti with rusty eyes-the color of blood and lust. Crysti’s eyes and gagged mouth pleaded for mercy, but the men didn’t even notice. Venom dripped slightly from the spider’s fangs as the titanic-sized monster aimed its glistening fangs over the faded overalls. Crysti thrashed around violently, her face streaming with crystal tears. If only SOMEBODY was at Hieback Springs. SOMEBODY!!  Crysti squeezed her eyes shut, sobbing all the while…

What will happen to the lovely maiden?

Cue dramatic music.

Rookies, interns, and scientists who accidentally brainwashed and forgot might need to stick to a popular routine. So I wrote a few down for the ladies out there, but hey, it doesn’t really matter. Soon I’ll post for the hes reading.

For the Glamourous Geek:

1. Wake up! That’s the most important thing! Maybe around  4 or 5 or 6 am, but don’t get into the 7s. Nuh-uh. Do some scretches, maybe a teensy Pilates, but make sure that sleeping mask is off! And please, no tousled hair.
2. Hit the bathroom and shut the door! It’s you time. First, make sure you’re on stock. Running out to the drug store simply for a deoderant stick is NOT in-season. Take a shower, and smooth your hair and body. Smooth hair removal lotion around stubby epidermis, scrub your hair with shampoo (and conditioner, NEVER forget that) and cleanse your body. Smoothing on baby wash is good, since baby skin is the best. A little tip: Mix a little pomegranate juice with water and add a touch of lemon, mix some Johnson’s Baby Wash in and rub into skin. You’ll turn noses today.
3. After shower comes dental care. Remember to scrub your teeth until the enamel gleams, and ALWAYS floss or mouthwash! Don’t forget to carry one box of Oral-B dental floss in your purse or pocket. Live for fresh breath. Always live for it.

1. Now touch yourself up! Comb your hair, add a little gel, powder some blush, and smooth on the deoderant (gel, always floral-scented gel). Lipstick and mascara must be gleaming, and perfect! Remember clothes, cause you can’t conduct experiments in your nightgown.

The Tomboy and the Nerd:

This is similar to the Glamourous Geek, but subtract some stuff. You know what, the make-up, the pomegranate fragrance, the sleeping mask, and you know what.

Next: Starting routines for boys.

If you’re a mad scientist, we salute you!

So we’ve written an online guide, with easy How-Tos for everything. How to perfect that Inator you’ve been toiling on for 3 weeks. How to tie the damsel good and tight. How to put the finishing touches (and wires) for the conquering robots. How to create a metalloid sauce for your buffalo wings.

A. P. chemistry nerds, don your lab coats, adjust your glasses, grab some clothesline rope, and raise your test tubes.

Shall we begin?

And whitening. Whitening. You know, in the public media, every character has gleaming, glistening teeth. The dazzling shine. The perfect smile. The smooth enamel. No missing teeth or stuck food.

Compare THAT to REAL life….

The teeth is crooked. The breath is a horrible stench (if you just ate a darian fruit. The taste is pure heaven, but the smell!..oh, I can’t describe it. Blech.).  And the hue of the teeth. Brownish. Yellowed. Ivory. Off-white.

Where is the “whitening” the toothpapste claims to have?!

Stupid propaganda and persuasion. “Whitening” is all lies.

Yet I don’t believe toothpaste really fulfills my expectations. So mouthwash and dental floss and Waterpiks™ came into the universe. (Hey, maybe micro-organisms from other planets are pouring some sort of Listerine™ on themselves. Who knows!)

Toothpaste must please the people, not use propaganda to persuade the people. (My cousin studies everything that starts with a P-propanganda, persuasion, people, People’s Republic of China, where I call home of the ancestors of me-and no, her name is Maggie, not Patty!)

For example, taste. Bleh. When I was little, the Oral-B™ Fluoride-free Toothpaste for Infants and Toddlers were flavored like berries. After every brushing session, I would eat a quarter of the tube. Ahh, blissful memories!

And NOW???

NOW, we have mint mint mint. Spearmint, Peppermint, Freshmint, Cinnamint. And gum also had that ‘mint rush’. Yes, they have bubble gum too, but it doesn’t really taste good. I remember times when I threw up on mint. Luckily I found a solution-Crest™ Toothpaste with Scope™ Citrus Flavor.

To be Continued….my rant of expectations.

Here’s a summary of what will be continued:

Bikini: Yes, that will defenitely be continued

Damsel in distress stories: Yes

Musings: Yes

JWB Story: Yes

Well, actually everything.

Never get into this mess. (Picture found at Cyndi Wilde's blog.)

But why? Why does every girl choose the swimsuit that is a look-alike to bra and panties? I prefer a one-piece suit, why not others? I found reasons NOT to sport the sexy swimsuit, so enjoy.

1. Look at this suit:
   

   Bikini Bliss?

   The ropes are thin, so they might slip off the woman’s body, or break. How would you like to have your breasts shown at a public beach or pool? Embarrassing.

More reasons tommorrow!

Starting with some party favors:

Friday, July 2, 2010

Celebrate with some powerful party favors.

Here are three items in the store to pump some power into your party.

The Atomic Power item will generate a lot of atomic energy for you and those who happen to be near you when you punch the power button (space bar.)

VIDEO OF ATOM POWER NOT SHOWN.

The fireworks are another new item in the store. Just launch them and watch the fireworks shower above. I recommend using them on top of a tall building on Spy Island, or at the Pirate Outpost. Just try not to light them too close to the gun powder on Pirate Outpost. We don’t want to have to release an injured victim outfit in the store.

And last, don’t forget those Silly Streams. Always fun for spraying at friends, and innocent mimes that are often too easy of a target.

MASTER MIME

YES!! A authentic Chinese creation AT LAST!

Next, we have a new island out! Say HELLO to Steamworks Island! Lots of posts about this robotic island, so feed on this and read.

Announcing the new Poptropica island!

All week we’ve been showing you sneak peeks of the newest Poptropica island currently in development, and we’ve promised to reveal the island’s name.

The time has come. My fellow Poptropicans, the Poptropica creators are proud to announce their newest creation:

STEAMWORKS ISLAND is coming soon!

Make sure to visit the official Poptropica creators’ blog often for the latest news and announcements about Steamworks Island, including some of the incredible gameplay features we have in store.

MASTER MIME

Monday, July 5, 2010

Evolution of a Steamworks Island monster

For Steamworks Island, the we’ll pit you against a variety of mutated plant monsters. But how did we make the creepiest, crawliest, ickiest plant monsters around?

We started by brainstorming.

These are just some of the sketches we drew to help us visualize what our monstrous creations would look like. Not all of the sketches will make it into the final product — in fact, most won’t — but this allows us to try out different ideas. Then we’ll take the very best concepts and work them into Poptropica.

HADES

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Steamworks monster sketch

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Steamworks plant monster art

After settling on a sketch we liked, it was time for to give a little more life to the plant monster that will be menacing players on Steamworks Island.

Below are two approaches to the plant monster. Can you spot the differences between them?

Little details, like the color of the planter, and big ones, like the plant’s eye, can make a big difference in the monster’s appearance.

The next step: animation test!

HADES

Yesterday, you saw some of the earliest ideas for the plant monsters that will appear on the next Poptropica island, Steamworks Island. This one seemed appropriately icky.

It’s still no more than a sketch — just an outline of an idea. But we’re already thinking about how the plant will look when it’s colored and detailed, and how it will move. The next step is to take this sketch and Poptropica-ize it!

HADES

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Plant monster, attack!

We’ve got a pretty scary looking monster at this point, but what good is a monster if it can’t attack? This monster can swing its seed pods around from its head, before throwing them at you at high speed.

Looks like you’re pretty small next to this thing, doesn’t it? That’s not all — we haven’t even seen the plant monster in motion yet.

HADES

Friday, July 9, 2010

Steamworks monster animation test

Now that the we’ve decided what this plant monster should look like on the new Poptropica Island, Steamworks Island, the next step is to decide how the monster should move. We put together a quick and dirty animation test:

ANIMATIONS NOT SHOWN

Bet you wouldn’t want to run into that thing in a dark alley!

All this has taken us nearly to the completion of a plant monster for Steamworks Island. We may still decide to change the monter’s behavior, or some aspects of its appearance. After a few final touches, we’ll put it all together — but you’ll have to wait until Steamworks Island launches to see it!

HADES

Thursday, July 15, 2010

A Steamworks surprise is coming

There’s a special treat coming tomorrow for Poptropica Members: a special Steamworks-related mystery item!

All will be revealed tomorrow. What could it be? The suspense is killing me!

…fortunately, I am well versed in suspenders.

COMIC KID

Poptropica Members: Get your exclusive Steamworks Island costume now!

Here it is! Today until July 30, all new and existing Poptropica Members will get this free costume added to their inventory. All you have to do is log into your game with a valid Membership!

Boy oh boy, that is one sweet looking mech pilot costume.

Wait a minute… what the heck is a “mech?”

COMIC KID

Monday, July 19, 2010

What’s all the Hub-bub?

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The Hub takes shape

The Hub started life as all of Poptropica does, as a simple idea and a sketch. Before long, we take that idea and turn it into reality. But did you know how many different revisions a single scene takes before it gets the Poptropica stamp of approval?

At first glance, this might look like a well developed scene.

But look a little more closely. Why is almost everything the same color? Why does it all look so flat? And what the heck is that blue thing on the right, anyway?

No, the Hub isn’t done yet. Not even close.

BINARY BARD

One of the places you’ll visit on Steamworks Island is what we call the Hub. It’s a sight to see! A rickety tower, a massive drawbridge, and pot-bellied steam stoves powering everything. Safe to say that you’ve never seen anything like the Hub before.

Er, at least, you won’t have seen anything like it. To start with, this marvel of modern engineering just looked like this:

Yes, it’s hard to see what all the hubbub is about — yet. Just wait until you see how this one develops!

BINARY BARD

Everything is SO high-tech! Very futuristic. Well, we’ll be playing this in the future.

Better look your best when you adventure into this tangle of metal! You might end up on the cover of PopTeen Weekly magazine. If so, never be looking like Bucky Lucas! But the Creators released some sweet stuff in the Poptropica store, so we can look our best. Girls, slick on that “Posh Peach Pinkalicious” lipstick, and boys, PLEASE don’t get spiky hairdos, so you can sport new ‘dos!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

I want to be free

That’s not true: I want everything else to be free. In the Poptropica Store, I mean. Even though most of those sweet, sweet Gold Cards cost me my precious Credits, there are plenty of free items to go around.

Like mini-quests!

The avatar studio!

Candy canes!

Popgum!

(What is it, bubblegum week around here? Wake me up when there’s a carrot-flavored gum. Sheesh.)

Of course, for Poptropica Members, everything in the store is free, even costumes. But you knew that already.

DR. HARE

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Bubblegum party!

Remember that cool bubblegum we released to the Poptropica Store a few weeks ago?

Or maybe the hot bubblegum?

Or the free bubblegum?

Well, the creators decided to get together in a Multiverse room for a bubblegum party! As you can see, things got a little out of control.

Why not throw your own bubblegum party in a common room or Multiverse room?

CAPTAIN CRAWFISH

Monday, July 12, 2010

Sink your teeth into these shark costumes

Have you had a chance to try out the new Hammerhead Shark costume in the Poptropica Store? I thought about it, but I couldn’t bear to look at myself in the mirror. What would my shark parents think?

Don’t forget, there are lots more neat ways to dress up like your favorite ocean predator in Poptropica. Also available in the store is this mean-looking Tiger Shark:

You don’t need credits for all the fishy fun. On Shark Tooth Island, a street vendor will give you this snazzy dorsal fin, free of charge!

And, of course, you can always visit the lowest level of the Shark Museum on Shark Tooth Island and costumize the most handsome museum employee around.

All this neat shark stuff — it’s almost enough to get me to crack a smile! Almost.

SHARK BOY

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…

Squeals 'n' Squiggles Skirt, Elephant Pantyhose, and Posh in Petal Pink Heels!

Isn’t it cool? Maybe a little dorky, but my grandma could sure use that pantyhose. It’s stretchable, which makes it adjustable! Perfect if you’re modeling, because it’s super-comfy, which is good if you’re a model and trussed up with tight ropes. It can get itchy though.

And the skirt! It’s a mini-skirt, but next time I’ m making a longer on. One that does NOT curl at the edges. And NEVER forget the heels. Comfy and posh!

Some Floridian style tommorrow, PLUS a damsel drama! Maybe a bikini or two!

Finally, Example by Kerrenk is here!

Oh, it’s just one of those designer names-but VIRTUAL. I’m creating lots of items for Example by Kerrenk, which is unisex by the way. Check out this Kerrenk picture I made!

Cursive is COOL- especially with designer brands.

Yeah, I’m creating a new thing here called Example by Kerrenk, featuring everything, from umbrellas, clothing, assessories, and even damsels in distress! Yeah, that should be Drama by Kerrenk, or Peril by Kerrenk, or maybe Fetish..who knows? Yeah, Kerrenk is good, so see you tommorrow!