learn a few ways to earn more than a little gold l pg 9 so you’ve written 50k words, who cares? l pg20 catch a recap on the first three seasons of the walking dead l pg 24
behind th
Wow. That’s really all I can say, to start.
The past month putting together this magazine has been a roller-coaster ride like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. We had hoped to have this issue published on the 21st of November, but with deadlines coming and going and having staff in various departments not submitting anything, I was at a bit of a loss. On top of that, the holiday (for us Americans, at any rate) was hectic, and I recently started a second job so my time was not what I had hoped it would be, either. All of that thrown together and there was no way we were getting the magazine out on time. Now, more than a week later, and I think my entire staff is stressed and nervous for the reception of this magazine.
FEIGNING INNOCENCE editor-in-chief, head of editors, grx artist
We were all trying to think of a theme, something to pull the various different pieces of the magazine together. Somehow, we settled on the idea of change. Partly, this had to do with the recent U.S. election, but also with the change in seasons and the various holidays past and approaching. In this issue, you’ll find a bit of fall, a bit of winter, and everything in between! On top of all of that, we had a large change in staff again so we have a lot of new faces and still a great deal of learning to do amongst all of us! In this issue, you’ll find a couple entertainment reviews, another look at events of Gaia past, and a few more hidden gems. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for the entirety of my staff, from the artists all the way down to the editors and advertisers, everyone had a role to play and while there were certainly some hiccups along the way, this project just would not be possible without them. Lastly, I would like to thank the generous gaian’s who have stepped up to help us fund the magazine! That awesome staff I mentioned earlier? If I couldn’t pay them, they wouldn’t be here and without them there would be no magazine. These donors have helped fund us for the next few months, so here is a heart-felt thanks to the following people: D_Negel, the_wings_we_seek, Locke103, THE Red Corpse, Saffrons_Curse, Hatter Coon, Kloob, Music-Ecstasy, Freaque of Nature, Vvez, Pwnder, milk stain If you would like to donate to the magazine, please check out our quest thread! If you have any suggestions for articles, any concerns about anything published or the magazine as a whole, please contact myself of Zombie. Happy reading!!!
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GAIA
YOUR
he scenes
MAGAZINE
Hello fellow gaians!
First, a big thank you for supporting us!
My time with “Your Gaia Magazine” has been a blast for me! I work with some experienced people that have amazing creativity. Now, don’t get me wrong, “Your Gaia Magazine” does have its ups and downs, but I believe it’s worth it! I’ve been with this magazine since before the first issue and I fell in love with all the beautiful art and the outstanding articles that I can’t help but to read. This magazine goes to what gaia is all about, to getting to know real gaians on a personal level. Each member of our magazine is the face for “Your Gaia Magazine” but the one that deserves major recognition would be Fei, our editor-in-chief. She is the one that covers when people can’t submit on time or can’t get pieces in period. If it wasn’t for her, I’d probably be a hairless gal running around clueless. But we do have an amazing crew, I couldn’t ask for a better one myself. I will stay with this magazine untill the very end. I believe this magazine will achieve a lot due to hard working crew members and the dedication each one of us has. I like going on gaia and receiving feedback from everyone on how awesome the magazine is and how much they liked it, or what we could stand to improve! My main goal for this magazine is to become the face of gaia itself, a magazine people are interested in reading right when they get on gaia, big enough gaia staff itself wants to put us on gaia news! I believe this magazine offers some of the best articles and art.
JAYKAYZOMBIE assistant-editor-in-chief, head of promotions
I want to step down a minute and make sure I don’t leave anyone out! If it wasn’t for our editors, these articles would look messy. Not saying the writers do a bad job but it takes a great deal of time to make sure these articles are ready to be submitted with everything looking good and corrected. I believe we have some of the best editors, they do such amazing jobs! I just want to give thanks for being able to be a part of something so unique and awesome. I spend most of my free time with the crew of the magazine and helping with what needs to done, whatever that may be. I truly love this magazine, we have so much to offer and will achieve our goals each issue we publish. I just want to thank my whole crew, GOD I LOVE YOU GUYS!!
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Meet the Crew: Editor-in-chief
feigning innocence Head of Editing Assistant Editor-in-chief
jakayzombie Head of Promotions 4
Fei is a recent graduate of an upstate New York SUNY school with a dual bachelors in design and writing. She’s twenty-six and now works at Longhorns Steakhouse and a local newspaper! She really, really loves working with layout and editing in newspapers and magazine, so this is definitely a pet project for her! She’s also the head of the editing department! Feel free to private message her on Gaia if you have any questions or suggestions for the magazine!
Zombie’s name IRL is Wendy, and she answers to both online! Zombie is 25 years old with three beautiful children, two girls and one boy. She is a married women and wouldn’t be the same without her husband. She lives in a small town in Texas and it is very open, so everyone knows everything about everyone. She currently goes to college and is working towards her bachelors in business, soon to help her and her husband open their business up. She is a very sweet person and very open, not shy and loves talking...talking your head off.
Department Heads:
f o d hea Advertising
smutty cannibal prince
f o d hea Writers
f o d hea Artists
tessart
f o d hea Graphics
?????? nuclear whales 5
Meet the Crew: Artists
Xylerz Freaque of Nature Saffrons_Curse Average Waifu Baby Tyr snowy15708 Now Hiring
Contributors Breathe Disaster Akoodles Drake852456
Writers
Overlord Aemsy Love Smutty Cannibal Prince Glenn Ree Now Hiring
Graphics
Caimbrie SodaPop DR3AMS Now Hiring
Editors
W00FlE Morsuaile Seilde RainbowRakun Now Hiring
Advertising Now Hiring
Listed respectively per the crew list.
Promotions Now Hiring
GAIA
YOUR MAGAZINE
Check out our hiring thread for more information!
TABLE OF contents:
behind the scenes l pg2-3 meet the crew l pg4-6 working for that money, money, money l pg9 on the spot l pg14 ‘tossing gold and lookin’ good l pg16 on the spot l pg16-18 what now? l pg20 now showing: the walking dead l pg24 invasion of the zurg l pg27 now playing: pokemon sun and moon l pg30 buy low, sell outrageous l pg32 speaking with: hatter coon l pg36 reminiscing gaia l pg38
GAIA
cover
art by tessart
YOUR MAGAZINE
Check out our hiring thread for more information!
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Staff Member
saffrons curse ar t is t fo r Yo u r G ai a [M agazi n e]
S af f y h a s b e e n award e d staf f me mb e r o f th e mo nth fo r h i s unfl i nchi ng w i l l i n g n e ss to go t h e ex tra mile . Th e n u mb e r o f time s he was asked to m a ke a r t l a st m in u te is in n u mb e rab le , b u t h e always di d i t w i t hout h e si tat i on a n d w i t h o u t co mp laint! Wo rkin g with h im over t he course of t h ese two issu e s h as b e e n a p le asu re ! 8
drowning in items:
A Super SWEET (and CREEPY) Charity!
How do you get a donation?
Simple- just post in the thread answering a few questions! (link on the life-saver)
-Girl, boy, or paw? -Creepy, cute, or a mix? -Do you like companions, animals, or sdplus dolls for your avi? *Creepy stuff is bloody, weird, Halloween, creepy cute, warriors, and demonic. *Cute stuff is casual wear, flowers, rainbows..pretty much anything that isn’t creepy.
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written by: Overlord Aemsy Love
Have you ever been mindlessly scrolling through various
pages of Gaia chatter or roleplays and found an avatar you absolutely fell in love with? Or maybe while voting for your favorite contestant on the Gaia Runway you found an item you absolutely had to have? Obviously the very next button you click will be the one directing you to the Gaia Shops or Marketplace, depending on where you like to do most of your shopping. After a bit of searching you are finally able to find that lovely item, but you cannot do anything but stare at your screen for a moment. Once the sticker shock wears off, one might try to do a little digging and check out the graphs of sales in the Marketplace trying to predict when prices might drop again, but most often you find that inflation has simply made your dream item far beyond your current price range. All too often Gaians are finding the prices of items and offered services out of their price range. Never fear though, for where there are places to click there is gold to be made, and occasionally some Gaia Cash, also known as GC, as well. With the current inflation hitting the Marketplace, everyone could use a bit more gold and so below you’ll find some tips and tricks on how to do get some.
Currently one of the best ways to make Gaia gold is to spend some GC on items in the Cash Shop and turn around and offer those items on the open Marketplace. If you are like most of your fellow Gaian’s though, you don’t want to spend real world money just to make some gold. However, there is a way to make GC without spending any of your hard earned real life dollars. Gaia Online has partnered with many other sites to give you opportunities to earn GC by watching videos, taking surveys, and a variety of other offers. This can often be time consuming with the payout only being between 3-5 GC for each commercial you watch. An easier way to start making gold in the Marketplace is to start converting some of the raw materials. One of the bigger turn arounds that doesn’t require a whole lot of gold to begin with is to buy tokens in the Marketplace and spend time playing the slots or even better, blackjack tables turning those tokens into tickets. Quick tip if you are playing the blackjack tables to earn more tickets: if your card combo is 16 or higher always hold, 15 or below add another card. This is the best way to break even, if not gain some extra, on your token to ticket ratio. Often you will find yourself spending roughly 20 gold for a token and gaining 250k gold for selling a ticket. If you are
new black friday items o1. Breeze Baebie Girl o2. Frankly My Bubblegum Dear o3. Flashy Doll Drunk o4. Rainbow Sticker o5. Toy Box Sweet Bundle o6. ZOOpendous
spending an evening watching tv or just have a few minutes to play a few hands of blackjack this is a great way to earn some gold and use that inflation to your advantage. Another great way to make some daily gold is to make sure you are getting each of the vending machine grabs from the main tabs of Gaia everyday. Often you will find the machines giving you a fair bit of cash as well as items that are highly sought after. Also with each consecutive day of the week you login, your prizes get better. Especially keep an eye out for the charms that are used in GoFusion. You are likely to get two or even three of these each day and with the gold prices for them often starting out at a minimum of 15 million gold for Heart Charms your income will keep growing. If you have time, keeping an eye on the items up for bidding in the Gaian Marketplace can pay off. Watching the ‘Auctions Ending Now’ tab you can often find items marked a lot less
than the current average price and get a good enough deal on them to turn around and sell them for a profit. A word of caution on following this method though; there is plenty of competition out there for those items so make sure you do not start bidding so high that you won’t be able to make a decent amount of gold off the item. After all ,spending 100 million gold on an item with an average market value of 115 million gold isn’t going to net you much of a profit. Often a steep rise in price will not stay there for too long and you do not want to get stuck paying more for an item when the price will drop in a few days. Looking to have more fun while building up your bank of Gaia Gold? Lake Kindred could be a good option for you. As you play the game and level up your little Kindred through battling you are rewarded with a wide variety of goodies including RIGs, which often sell for billions of gold in the Marketplace. This can take some time to build up to however, as it isn’t until you have higher level Kindred that you start getting the better prizes. Often it is at level ten and above that Gaians start making decent amounts of gold from the game. If you enjoy looking at the avatar’s your fellow gaians put together make sure you head over to the Runway
do you have some tips about earning and saving gold? send them to our mule, ‘YGMag’ and let us know!!
“after a bit of searching you are finally able to find that lovely item, but you cannot do anything but stare at your screen for a moment as the sticker shock wears off.”
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tab and vote. By casting your vote for avatars that you get paid for expressing your opinion. What better way to get paid? Of course the age old option of selling yourself holds true to making gold. There are many different markets within Gaia for a wide variety of skills. Specialty shops have been popping up within Gaia for years. Were you really good in your English class? Set up or join an editing shop. Gaia has a very active roleplay community and many, many writers that are willing to pay gold to have their work looked over. There are several very popular shops for graphics that often have more customers then they can keep up with so if you have any sort of skill with GIMP, Photoshop, or the like, you are often hirable. Yet another profitable way to spend your time on Gaia is art commissions. Gaians love art in all shapes and sizes from cChibi’s of their avatars to commissions of favorite characters from books and movies. Artists of almost any skill level are able to find opportunities for repeat customers in places like the breedable/changeable area of
“Another great way to make some daily gold is to make sure you are getting each of the vending machine grabs from the main tabs of gaia everyday.” the minishops. Some shops even have set templates to follow rather than each pet having to be drawn free style giving more artists opportunity to show off their skills in design and editing. Don’t think you have any marketable creative skill? Well there are still jobs to be had! Bump shops can often be found offering services to gaian’s trying to keep their threads up in the lists. Literally all you have to do is go post in threads and get paid. Often there are requests for certain amounts of bumps per day or a limited amount within an hour, but a very easy and lucrative job to have. Needless to say there are many ways and chances to make gold in the Gaia economy even with inflation running wild. One simply needs to find what fits their time and talents best. Now take these tips and go make your gold to build that dream avatar.
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written by Feigning Innocence Your Gaia [Magazine] is a webzine designed by gaians, for gaians. Every month we’ll feature an “On the Spot” feature that asks random gaians really random questions. Some will relate to our themed issues, some will be general opinion and some will be just plain fun! We hope you enjoy hearing from your fellow gaians and if you’re interested in answering our monthly questions, keep an eye out in the forums for our threads!
The questions: o1. What is your favorite thing about Gaia? o2. If you could change one thing about Gaia, what would it be? o3. How are you celebrating the holiday season? Christmas? Hanukkah? Kwanza? Something else entirely? o4. What world wide political issue do you think is the most pressing? The U.S Presidential election? Brexit? Others?
LovelyOverdrive says: 1. Making avis and posting in forums 2. Bring back zOMG or make lK better, update crystal boxes, make avatar builder better, fix runway, basically update everything. 3.Eating lots of food 4. Any issue that is not about the election is fine
ll Aigoo ll says:
1. Being able to decorate avis/profiles/post styles 2. Gaia needs more ‘fun’ games 3. We don’t celebrate holidays hardcore tbh rip 4. The u.s. presidential election RIP
interested in sharing your opinions? Send your opinions or qeustions you’d like to see answered to our mule, ‘YGMag,’ and we’ll ask them in the forums. Alternately, keep an eye out in the forums for our random questions posts!
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dem bara tiddies says:
1. To be honest, it’s the chatterbox, eheheh 2. The ceo; Gaia’s economy has gone to shit since he arrived and the site’s value as a forum and a community went to null. Now it’s basically a farm for them to try to milk money out of us. Hell, 99.9% of the announcements are about RIGs and cash flash sales or whatever they’re called. I feel bad for the admins and mods too, because they can’t say shit or they’ll get fired 3. Me and the squad are planning on pimping out a gingerbread house and making ornaments 4. Politics are a sham
baby coffin says: 1. Cute items, let’s be real 2. Bring back zOMG 3. Christmas with the wife and and her family 4. Ugggh everything is terrible, just, all of it, but I really wish us Americans would stop being so terrible to Syrian refugees and just Muslims all together
Captain Spudgy says:
1. Drama (a.k.a. Chatterbox) it used to be Barton Town, but they became elitists and nepotists in recent years. 2. Updates to the guild system, tbh. they’ve been hella ignored. 3. CHRISTMAS. I’m in america, but my family celebrates hella German/Austrian style. Sankt Nikolaus Tag is coming up soon, so we’ll be making stollen and lebkuchen and plätzchen. People say the holiday is too commercialized, but it’s all about how you celebrate it. 4. I’ll refrain from answering this; the easiest way to make enemies is by sharing political views. But, I don’t think the election is as big of a deal as people are making it out to be.
Chaotic Cynical says:
1. The new friends I’ve made are good people. 2. Fix the inflation. 3. I’m going to play games with my family and friends. 4. This whole year’s been horrible. I’m hoping things will get slightly better next year.
Gaia has released some interesting items over the years and it can easily be said that the items being released now are completely different from back then. In this issue we’ll talk about some items that have come out in the last month!
Lil Harlequin Monster Yup, you can already tell by the name it’s a Harley Quinn item! And not just any kind, it’s the direct spoof of THAT Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad (The modern sexy Harlequin played finely by Margot Robbie). It’s got some nice poses so you can dress as your favourite character!
Little Doom Slugger Another item worth mentioning. It’s pretty gosh darn expensive now in the Marketplace but it has some nice poses that will help your avatar look cute and badass! No one will mess with you with that giant club in hand.
Drowsy Etoile Looking for some adorableness? Then look no further as this item covers your need to be as cute as a button! With a lower body star sit pose and a nice arm mod, you are sure to love this item. The face is pretty nice as well. Fun fact; etoile means star in French.
Daughter Nili
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With this item, you can dress up as the leader of the resistance of the Halloween event, Nili. However it’s a little hard to find and is currently rather expensive for a 4 pose item.
and written by Glenn Ree
Mr. Snail Apparently being a snail is trendy nowadays? This item raised a new type of species on Gaia online and they are...Snail people! It’s been a popular since it’s releas and it’s relatively cheap on the market place. This item basically just turns your avatar into a cute pink or green snail that you can layer your waist up clothing on. So get it if you want to feel slimy!
AxolOTL Axolotls hold a special place in the realm of cute animals on the internet and now people can show their love with this new axolotl item. Users can either wear a mouth mod inspired by the constant pleased expression on an axolotl face to look like an axolotls or simply hold an axolotl in their arms Overall, it is super cute and you can definitely make some good avatars with the arm mod.
Fabella Genesis
If you like to look fashionable while showing you like nature, then this item is for you. Poses include a mask, floral clown, a long hair style with plants weaved in, clothing for both male and female avatars, a transform pose to become a whimsical deer, and a background rich in greenery and trees to suit your nature hugger needs.
Seductive Hot Springs Hottie Have you ever wanted to look steaming hot? Well, this item could help you achieve that. It’s an item that will dress (or rather undress) your avatar to hot springs appropriate poses according to your avatar’s gender. Be sure to buy a genderswap position according to what you want with this item.
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1. One single-serving packet of hot chocolate (your preference) 2. One clear, plastic fillable ornament (food safe) 3. Toppings (i.e., sprinkles, chocolate chips, marshmallows, peppermint chips, etc.) 4. tag or note how to make the hot chocolate (mix with 8oz hot water or milk in mug)
Make sure to clean your
ornament thoroughly, just to be safe. It needs to be completely dry before use. Fill each ingredient into the ornament using a funnel. Start with hot chocolate mix and end with the marshmallows, if applicable. Put top back on and deliver upright, so nothing spills. Wrap and deliver, then enjoy! Recipe and ingredients adapted from sprinklesomefun.com
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is an even that happens once a year in novemeber, off Gaia. Authos dedicate themselves to writing 50,000 words in 30 days for no other reason than to say they did it.
Y
ou’ve slain the beast and written your fifty thousand words. Congratulations! Even if you didn’t accomplish that many words, you made a valiant effort and furthered your manuscript. You have more now than you started with, which is something to be proud of! Congratulations to you as well! Now though, your head may be swarming with the possibilities and thoughts of where to go now and what to do with it all. Fret not! There are plenty of resources to help you with this process, depending on your goals. There is editing. There is simply continuing to write. There is filing it away to never be seen again. The last option is the simplest if you were doing National Novel Writing Month just to see if you could or to do some serious word vomit. This does say file it away though. Do not throw it away. It may be the worst thing you have ever written, but there are hidden gems in there everywhere and you might find the desire to go back to it sometime years later. The other two options are more difficult, but equally rewarding. If you wish to just keep writing at a pace equal to or just under the sixteen hundred and sixty-seven words a day that you just went through, you have two options. The first is being sure that your manuscript is complete and not just hanging in the middle or end since you hit your goal. If it is, you have an easy way to just keep writing. Make it a goal to finish the manuscript before next October! You will have some time to plan for next years National Novel Writing Month during the entire month of October and still have your completed manuscript in hand. The second option 20
Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.
to a week, pull out a good book, and if you really want to continue writing do light drabbles. This break is probably the most important part of the process because it allows you to disassociate from the story to be able to more clearly approach it with an analytical eye. You just worked really hard on completing the text, so you’ll want to give yourself a break before going into it and tearing it apart. And trust me, you’ll want to tear it apart because word vomit, while useful, is not pretty. Second, do a full read through noting little things you liked or didn’t like but keep your editor locked away. This will give you a new perspective of what you have written. Lastly, keep your inner editor in check and don’t edit phrasing or punctuation and the like because as Many authors say writing daily, even if they have nothing you go through the story you will be changing chunks of it, to write or the writing is terrible, is the key to success. Don’t from the characters to the continuity. Making minor phrase give up or despair! You will get there. comes if you already completed the manuscript and are at a loss for the next step in order to keep writing and not fall into a slump. This is the harder of the two options, because you just completed something substantial. My advice is don’t let your momentum go to waste no matter what! Either pull an idea out of the never ending list you have stashed away somewhere, use prompt generators, or lurk through the stickies in the Writer’s Forum here on Gaia! You’re bound to spark an idea as you browse or you can just force yourself to write from the first prompt you see so you stay in the habit of writing. Daily.
• don’t immedieatly edit; give it a week or two and allow your brain, and creative juices, to take a breath • edit from the bottom up, as in read from the very last sentence all the way to the very first. you’ve been working on this project for a month now, so your eyes and brain have adjust and will process what you want them to process rather than what you actually wrote. edting from the bottom forces your brain to pause and actually read whats there. • edit off the screen. print out (either all at once or in bits and pieces) the parts you want to edit and go over them the old fashioned way, with a good ol’ red pen. In the same way your brain adjust to seeing something over and over again, your eyes adjust to reading on a screen. Not only does it force your eyes to adjust, the tactile sensation of moving your hand over the paper can do wonder for your concentration.
changes and fretting over words is only going to create more work in the long run and potentially get you stalled up on the part of editing that doesn’t matter right now. Get a cohesive story that doesn’t have any plot holes the size of Jupiter and characters that stay in character before you fine tune the mechanics.
Editing is the option that the official National Novel Writing site promotes. Once November is over they have a small series through December called “Now What?” Through this series they provide useful tools for editing your manuscript and publishing routes if you choose. There are some small contests hosted by their sponsors and Don’t forget that Your Gaia Magazine is doing a contest for they make sure you know that as a winner you can collect some pretty interesting rewards. The main focus is editing all winners! Just send a screenshot of your winners badge though. You’ll have to log in for those perks and be sure that and an excerpt of 500 words or less to smutty cannibal prince by December 15th 2016 for a chance at being featured in you validated your word count. the January issue! The members of the magazine will then There are a few editing tips that would be useful to vote on the winning excerpt. Please note all excerpts will impart on those taking this route that don’t come from the be kept anonymous during the voting stages and only the official site. First, put your manuscript away for a few days winner will be announced and known. 21
I have SUPER SWEET FREEBIES and FREE KINS. Also will post some links to other helpful places (threads and whatnot). Want to be listed in the helpful places? Drop me a PM! I have so much crap to get rid of from these LK events...and all the grinding. SO. MUCH. CRAP. Oodles o’ crap! Massive pools that hit the center of the earth filled with this crap! Yes, that much. And even more than that! Can you dig it? Well, here’s your shovel. Get some freebies and have a chat...
written by: breathe disaster
Whether you are a fan or not, almost everyone around
the world knows ‘The Walking Dead’. You’ve probably heard about in the news, from a friend or even on twitter with the hashtag #TWD which either has a zombie head or a baseball bat. ‘The Walking Dead’ TV series is based around the comics by Robert Kirkman. I’m here to give a brief run down on the series through the current season (Season 7). I’m going to talk about the good, the bad, theories and speculations. I admit that I watched Season 1 and 2 as it aired on TV and I decided to stop watching it because it was just another ‘lame’ zombie series. However, during Season 4 I briefly tuned into the show and was immediately suckered back into it. I had to binge watch the seasons I had missed so I could catch up. Now I spend my Sundays curled up on the couch watching both ‘The Walking Dead’ and ‘The Talking Dead’ (which is pretty cool and funny to watch). For those of you that don’t know what ‘The Talking Dead’ is, it’s a talk show that airs after the episode and they discuss things that happened during the episode with special guests or actors. Plus, it gives you sneak peeks for the next episode.
Season 1: We learn that our main character Rick, a former sheriff, had fallen into a coma after getting injured on patrol with his partner Shane. When Rick awakens it has been some time after the apocalypse. Rick is waking up to an entirely different world and it’s interesting to watch him adapt to the circumstances around him. Rick ends up meeting Morgan. We see Morgan come and go a lot but in the last few seasons he has stuck around. (Don’t forget about him, because you’ll be glad to see him later!) Rick ends up traveling to Atlanta, in search of his family Lori and Carl. When he arrives, the city is completely overrun by walkers (you know the zombies). This is when you meet some of the more favourable characters such as Glenn. Glenn rescues Rick (Go Glenn!) and brings him back to his group. Rick is reunited with his family, but learns that they have been living with Shane and Rick’s wife Lori had gotten awfully close to Rick’s former partner. Rick also becomes acquaintances with several key characters such as Daryl, Carol, Merle (Daryl’s brother). Season 1 ends with Rick and Shane going to the Centers of Disease and Control where the only remaining CDC member is unable to develop a cure. This is when viewers get the sense of feeling that there is no hope and that everyone is going to have to ride this out if possible.
Hopefully me going off about how slow the first few seasons are doesn’t turn you away, because honestly, it Season 2: This season begins with the group scavenging gets 100 times better. After Season 2, the zombies become supplies. You get to know a lot of the characters and ways more realistic and budget increases enhanced the entire they adapted to their new survival lifestyle. Carol’s daughter, production. Sophia is separated from the group and Carl is accidentally
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shot (this becomes a habit for Rick’s boy). Although it’s incredibly sad that Sophia has gone missing, I think this played a huge role in the character that Carol has become (which is pretty badass). The survivors are forced to stay on a nearby farm where a vet by the name of Hershal saves Carl’s life. We get to meet Beth and Maggie, two characters whom viewers will come to love dearly. While the group learns to co-exist with Hershel’s family, tensions rise between members. Rick learns of Lori’s former affair with his partner Shane and also learns that she is pregnant. Although Rick wants to believe it is his, it puts a huge strain on his and Shane’s relationship. We later learn in Season 7 that Rick knew very well that Judith (Lori’s child) is indeed Shane’s. The biggest secret that is revealed is that Hershel’s family had a hoard of walkers chilling out in their barn. Yup, they were keeping them there. And guess who was one of those walkers, poor Sophia. This is where Carol completely breaks but we see the rise of the Carol a lot of viewers have come to love. Now, we gotta focus on Shane. He starts to become a rather aggressive individual and is seeking others to turn against Rick. Shane becomes quite the character that kills a hostage and then makes the decision that he has to kill Rick. Shane leads Rick away but ends up dying himself.
Rick is forced to shoot his best friend. After this happens, Rick doesn’t speak of Shane at all until Season 7. That’s a lot to bottle in for a long time. Oh but of course, killing Shane wasn’t torture enough for Rick. The shots that rang through the air when he was forced to kill his best friend, also attracted a huge hoard of zombies. Thus begins the never ending
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fight for life of Rick’s group. The group is briefly separated and when they reform Rick’s leadership is questioned (get used to it) but is solidified shortly after. At the end of the season, Rick reveals that everyone is infected already and will become a zombie in death even if they are not bitten.
Season 3: This season gets a little intense and fast paced. The group ends up at a prison that is overrun by walkers. They meet a few prisoners there that end up betraying the group and causing havoc. The group is forced to clear out the prison. During this time, Maggie is forced to give Lori an emergency c-section. Lori does not make it after the birth of her baby girl Judith. This causes Rick to have hallucinations of those that have died around him thus far. In this season we also get to meet Michonne, who is the badass lady with the samurai swords as well as the Governor whom is the first legitimate ‘bad guy’ in the show. There are a lot of side stories that happen that are interesting but I don’t want to tell you every single detail as you should just watch it and enjoy. Eventually the Governor deems Rick’s group terrorist and wants to kill them all. He leads them to an ambush where Merle, Daryl’s brother whom Rick was supposed to kill, saves the day but ends up dead in the rescue attempt of Daryl and Rick’s group. In the end the Governor ends up killing his own people for refusing to fight. The Governor escapes when Rick’s group goes to retaliate. Check back in our next issue for a summary of seasons 4 through 6!
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he Halloween event was a fierce and hard battle between the Resistance and Zurg invaders. The Zurg legion, led by Flarn, attacked after they became aware of a threat which they soon assessed as a declaration of war from Gaia. Flarn came into power with the invention of a helmet the Zurg could wear that would help them feel more powerful and less afraid however, this helmet caused them to relinquish their will and self-control. With the help of the willing Zurg, Flarn overtook their home planet and set his sights on Gaia. The former heir in line to lead the Zurg had been hiding out on Gaia for some time and, in light of the attack, chose to defend Gaia alongside her followers. Gaians were forced to choose whether to follow Flarn or join the Resistance and fight back against oppressors in this event. A new feature for this event was being resurrected as a part of the other team if you died. This caused mixed feedback from the Gaian community. Some thought it was a great new addition since it allowed for Gaians to get the items and achievements from both sides of the battle. A hope was that it would also cut down on the trash talking and the divide between Gaians of opposing sides. However, others thought this change trivial, unfair, and that it took away from the event. One view was that gaians chose the side they wanted to be on at the beginning and should not have to change just to spare the feelings of some. Another point was that as one side dominated it became increasingly difficult to enjoy the event because deaths occurred too quickly and there
weren’t enough people on their original side to heal them. Another complaint from many gaians early on was that the in the event it was too difficult to score, kill, and heal. This was rectified by Gaia releasing an EXP event on October 31st that offered a significant increase in experience for everyone against other users, mods, and NPCs. This increase in EXP allowed most Gaians to successfully achieve all the goodies the event had to offer. The only other major hiccup in the event was that shortly after the event and Hot Topic subforum opened, the event crashed and only a handful of people could post and play. This was quickly fixed by the Gaian staff and the event was reopened the next day. As with most Halloween events, Jack made his appearance by trading candy with Gaians for gift bags. The shops allowed for trickor-treating to obtain candy and the shopkeepers dressed in a variety of outfits ranging from GhostBusters to Frankenstein! Overall this event went well and with its closure it was announced that the Resistance had defeated the Zurg Legion. Check out the full comic recap: here.
Image courtesy of gaiaonline.com
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Holiday Shortbread Bites! Ingredients
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour 3 tbsp. powdered sugar 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 c. unsalted butter 1 tbsp. red and green nonpareils or sprinkles
Directions • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. • In food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, and butter until combined. Place dough in bowl and knead until it comes together. Add nonpareils and knead to combine. • On waxed paper, roll dough into a ½”-thick square. Freeze 15 minutes. Cut dough into 1/2-inch squares. Place dough onto large cookie sheet. • Bake until cookies are light brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Recipe can be found here: click me!
Have some suggestions for easy, fun recipes you’d like to share with your fellow gaians? Private message our mule, YGMag, with links and we’ll see if we can’t share them for you! 29
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entirely new world by taking a sharp turn away from the classic styles the games have previously gone t’s a whole new world of Pokémon. As with with. Perhaps an even more tantalizing upgrade most new games in the Pokémon series, you expect is the chance to customize your trainer to a level the joy of a new region to unfold before you. With previously unseen even in Pokémon X and Y. Pokémon Sun and Moon, the new setting has been taken one step further. Sun and Moon brings new Many new Pokémon are introduced in Sun and life to the classic formula of capturing Pokémon and Moon, and several different attacks to go with battling your way to the Elite Four; one could almost them. Interesting and sometimes challenging, these believe they were playing an entirely new game. new Pokémon are a good addition to the realm of With stunning graphics and beautifully original Pokémon. Even more interesting, along with the music, Sun and Moon leaves no grounds for avid introduction of 80 new Pokémon, many classic Pokémon lovers to be disappointed. Pokémon are getting a make-over in the Alola region, The graphics have once again been given a boost, keeping up with competitive games on the market while keeping a similar theme to the previous 3DS Pokémon game. Trainers are able to move freely in any direction, exploring cities and wilderness with few limitations. There is a high level of detail to the scenery of the games and fitting music to go along with it. The tracks put together for the game give the player a great sensation of stepping into an
bringing back fan favourites in a whole new way, changing appearances as well as types and moves. An ice-type Vulpix for instance? A longer than average introduction pulls the player into the new world of Alola which showcases a brand new setting and a Pokémon regional culture quite different than anything seen in previous games. Based off of Hawaiian island culture, Alola is
a different, thrilling world. The map changes make traveling around both easy and more challenging as the player sets out to catch them all on their adventure. A beautiful new setting isn’t the only change introduced in the newest game of Pokémon adventure. The standard fare of challenging gyms is also thrown out the window, replaced with something to freshen interest in experienced Trainers. Trials, each with their own unique bosses and challenges, are what the player faces with their team on each of the islands. Every new location brings more
challenging tasks in the trials, and a change of pace that eliminates the sense of repetition some Pokémon games tend to have. If that’s not enough to hold your attention, the classic need for HMs has been left behind in the other regions. Instead, you get Ride Pokémon, a new unique feature to the Alola region. These and many more surprises are waiting to be experienced in Sun and Moon. So many new gameplay aspects make Pokémon Sun and Moon one of the best released set of Pokémon games to date. Every game needs something to breathe new life into it no matter how much of a well-loved classic it is and Sun and Moon hit that mark perfectly. These new features and more twists to be experienced will enliven the game for both the Veterans and the Youngsters venturing to the Alola region. It isn’t hard to lose yourself in the world of Pokémon, and Sun and Moon just make it all the more enticing.
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a crash course guide to navigating the gaia marketplace, with Durem Depot’s Moira The life of a Gaian can be a real struggle. It is a great pain to see an awesome new item you want, only to find the pricetag has more zeros than a box of Cheerios. You can browse the site, play little games, and post in the forums and see your gold amount raise painfully slow. “There must be a better way,” you might say. Indeed, you would be right. The answer: playing the Marketplace. Finding success in the Gaian Marketplace is a result of trial and error until you find out what specifically works for you. However, here are some pieces of wisdom that might help you figure out what ways work for you.
written by: d r a k e 8 5 2 4 5 6
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it takes money to make mony! This can be the most difficult part of the process. Due to the mediocre gold rewarded for playing games, browsing the site, posting, and other actions, getting enough gold to actually start playing the market can be a challenge. Playing Kindred, dumpster diving, and getting items from friends can get you the stock you need to sell stuff and make a foundation for your marketplace success. The same tactic can even make the bulk of your inventory acquisition.
kindred Kindred can be a valuable tool for getting inventory to sell in your store. Because minimal to no gold investment is needed to obtain items from the game, all profit made from selling things is purely profit (though getting a better kindred can help increase how quickly you get items). Items are rewarded as drops for defeating enemies and as prizes for levelling the kindred. Waiting for a Kindred event to sell a number of experience potions and other valuable consumables can be another method for increasing your gold supply, as the demand of such items spikes as people renew interest in the game for the duration of the event.
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keep track of your marketplace actions Gaia will keep track of your purchases and sales to an extent, but keeping your own records can be far more effective. When you buy an item to sell, record what you bought it for. Doing this will ensure that each time you make a sale, you are accruing a net profit. Speaking of buying and selling…
One solution: Sell a stack of 5 and a single one, each beating your competitor!
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buy low, sell outrageous! In less flamboyant terms, the cliche advice you learn from anyone thinking themselves economically savvy. In the Gaian world, this is done with a few strategies:
check the graphs : In the marketplace, when looking at an item, make sure to check the Market Price and Sales Volume graphs, both for the month and year. An item that has been around a while often has valuable trends to reveal. If the item sells many per day, it is one you can likely turn over for a profit quickly. If it sells fewer per day, or less than one per day, you might take longer to sell it for a profit. In this case, your records will be valuable for remembering if selling that ‘bloody fox of doom’ for 400k is a good idea or not. Checking the graphs will also tell you when the current sellers are being boneheads and asking more than anyone is willing to buy. Do note, however, that new items don’t have enough data for the graph to tell you anything.
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hold on to some things: Gaia has a tendency to inflate quicker than a balloon on steroids. What is a large sum today can be small six months from now. In that case, items that still have demand often have price-tags to match that inflation. Having a stagnant quantity of gold basically means your buying power depletes as time goes on. A warehouse of nice things can mean the difference between poverty and opulence.
watch your competition You should always be aware of others selling the same items as you. Consider their per-unit price and the bulk price. A person selling 3000 red inks at 50% off typical price is no threat, unless someone happens to be buying a massive amount. However, a person selling a stack of 5 red ink at for 470 gold against your 1 red ink for 90 gold could end up beating you in the game if the customer wants multiple anyway. It takes practice and study to figure out the best strategy.
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stalk the marketplace. pounce when opportunity presents itself! The marketplace has hundreds of opportunities a day that come and go before you know it if you aren’t watchful. Search auctions ending soon frequently, as sometimes only a few people notice a good deal about to end, so bidding wars can remain reasonable. Also, seek out “buy now” opportunities that are unusually low. If the graphs say you can likely flip it to make a profit, go for it. Also, depending on how many scruples you have, there are times one can make a killing off of a forgotten digit in the listing price.
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6 paradoxically, considering number 6, consider selling builk
To get the most gold for your items, selling high and in small increments is best. However, when you find that you have more inventory you wish to sell than slots to sell in, it can be a good idea to give a small discount for a bulk sale.
tend your store often!
The more often you restock your store slots, compare your prices to the competition, buy up good deals, and generally do your duty as a savvy business person, the more success you will have. Sometimes the difference between making a sale or losing out is a matter of editing your prices a minute earlier. Competitors work hard to ensure their prices are superior to yours, and they are many. Diligence is the only counter to the disadvantage!
retailers buy bulk and sell piecemeal. so should you! Certain Gaia items are stackable and can be sold in bulk sets. The seller wants to make a large chunk of cash and doesn’t mind saving you 30% per item when you’re buying so many off them.
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be a tycoon! The achievement description reads “Given to anyone whose total marketplace sales exceed 1,000,000 Gold.” If you don’t see tycoon under “available achievements” then you must tend to other prerequisite achievements before you can be awarded the tycoon achievement. However, sales earned still count towards it, so sell early! The achievement grants 10 more store slots to fill with your goods, so it is an important achievement to complete.
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written by: f e i g n i n g i n n o c e n c e I’m gonna be honest, I could not find anyone I particularly wanted to interview this month. There were a few users I asked and I was summarily turned down by each and every one of them. It’s pure happenstance that I asked Hatter, on a lark, a friend whom I role play with, if she would let me interview her for the magazine. She agreed! So, check out her answers below! When did you join gaia? Why?
Nearly ten years ago, in 2007. I don’t exactly remember, but it might have had something to do with the avatar building option.
What made you stay so long as you have? As a preteen, I enjoyed the little games and dressing up my avatar. After the brief span of a couple of years where I didn’t log in, I came back to giving forum roleplaying a try and found several friends within the community. What did you think of Gaia when you first joined? What do you think of Gaia now? I found it great! I remember waiting eagerly for the holiday events and comics. Now, my feelings are a bit more mixed about the events, but I still get on daily to check forums. A lot has changed from 2007. If there was anything you could change back, or improve about the site, what would it be?
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There’s a list, but I doubt we need to go into it. I do wish that there was a more mature area where adult members of the site could roleplay and discuss topics without being reported. I know it’s unfair to younger users, but so is having a roleplay you’ve been working hard on be taken down because someone’s parent saw vague mentions of sex. There’s also the issue of your ideas or work being stolen by people, which is a problem that exists everywhere.
HATTER COON
a member of gaia since 2007
I know you spend a lot of time role playing, so what draws you to a new role play? There’s quite a few. Some of the more superficial ones are the graphics, avatar of the thread host, and names. You’d be surprised on how many roleplays die out because they were visibly unappealing or named something so cliche/unoriginal that people don’t even bother clicking on them. Next would be the subject matter, rules, and characters. Do they have a story that can be carried by the players? Do they have fair rules? All these are really important to me. What would you say makes a good role play, other than the fact that you have friends in it? :’D The dreaded C word. I cannot stress how important it is to COMMUNICATE with your fellow roleplayers. Another is making room for everyone to have their chance in the spotlight. Your characters aren’t the only main protagonists (or antagonists. Shout out to my fellow villans!) . This isn’t just your story. What was your favorite role play when you first started? What is your favorite role play now? Why? Ahh, I think that spot belongs to A Wild Bond, hosted by Llsia_Rose. It was admittedly short lived, but i still go back sometimes to reread my character Abella’s antics. My favorite roleplay currently is Hale, which I’ve been in for more than a year. I simply love most of the characters and how they react to the world around them. If Gaia staff/mods ran an event to bring back one piece of Gaian history and revamp it for the more modern site, what do you wish they’d bring back? Alternately, if they were to make a brand new event, what would you like to see done. Why?
I wish they’d bring back virtual trick or treating and carolling. Having to click through all the shops several times to get the event items is quite frustrating. If they made a new event, I would suggest something that doesn’t involve digging through forums. Remember what I said about the shops? Having to crawl through spam is so much worse.
interview is continued on pg 42
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The holidays are always filled with joy, cheer, and,
written by: s m u t t y c a n n i b a l p r i n c e
of course, events on Gaia. These events encourage thousands of Gaians participate in to bring even more fun to the holiday season. The Christmas event has had multiple changes and evolutions over a thirteen year span. Thus far, there has been little speculation on what the 2k16 event will provide, but while we wait in anticipation of the new event, we can reminisce on the fun memories of events past.
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2003 was the first Christmas event in Gaian history and it was quite a success. For a while, there was a huge influx of “Jolly Slippers” as many Gaians attempted to get the item “Fairy Wings.” At the time, this was the most expensive shop item on Gaia, coming in at a solid 40k and Gaians needed to be creative to obtain it. In the middle of Barton Square stood the Charity Tree. Gaians could donate a shop item of at least 500 gold and receive items in return. Usually this item was “Jolly Slippers,” but not always. This chance at better items caused Gaians to continuously donate in hopes they may hit a jack-pot and receive the “Fairy Wings.” On the 25th, after receiving an unprecedented number of donations to
the Charity Tree, Santa left a gift for everyone that logged in as ”jolly hat.” The next two years done differently. Gaians caroled to shopkeepers and around the Towns. In 2004, it was the shops and shopkeepers whom offered praise for Gaians caroling. In 2005, Gains were encouraged to find NPCs in the Towns to carol to instead. Gaians were rewarded for caroling with items and gifts. Aside from the caroling these two years, Gambino was searching for his son during 2004 and Gaians could wish him luck on his journey until Gino was finally found. While not officially part of the Christmas event, in 2005 Jack and Santa fought tirelessly during the month of November over the holidays. In 2006, the Zurg invaded the holiday season. The Zurg attempted to kidnap Santa and, through a reckless mishap,
Gaia was introduced to Santa Cow as well. Soon after, the Zurg apologized and wanted to set things right even though Santa was distrustful. This led to the 2k6 event. Gaians were able to collect presents from either of the two Santas and give them to other Gaians in order to earn gifts from either the Zurg or Resistance (Santa’s side) depending on which santa the Gaian helped. Caroling continued to be a prominent part of the holiday season during this year as well. 2007 gave a heart wrenching tale of orphans that pleaded to as many Gaians as possible for help. Cindy Donovinh spoke with an orphan from Shabby Meadows Orphanage named
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Monia ( s h o r t for Pneumonia) in which the child described the hardships of living in the filthiest orphanage in Gaia. It was a story that pulled at the heartstrings of many Gaians as they rushed to help the orphans clean up and become presentable for adoption by picking them out from the agency. The hapless and dingy children would follow the Gaian around and occasionally ask for things. By making the children happy and clean, there were four items that could be earned. Meanwhile in Towns, Gaians could ice skate and have snowball fights during the holiday season when they were not busy with their orphans.
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new purpose in striving to save Xmas after Santa’s mysterious disappearance. Gaians had to help them find Santa in time to save the holiday. While they were lifted in an airship overflowing with cheer it was discovered that Gino had also stowed away and was declared their navigator. It was in a cold environment that Santa, the Easter Bunny, and even Jack were found. Christmas was once again saved by the teamwork of Gaians. Just in the nick of time too! Caroling and zOMG returned to disperse items to Gaians along with the event.
The following year, the Christmas 2k10 event was little more than carolling. Gaians were entrusted with an important job however: keep Santa from mutilating himself or worse. Santa Gaians had to save Santa in 2008 from set out to accomplish some tasks in order to make this year the the Zurg again by creating Chrismas cheer best yet! Although, safety doesn’t come first with the jolly fellow in exchange for items. In addition to this and Gaians were tasked to stop him from falling off cliffs and or development, Gaians received items by worse. carolling again this year and by helping The Carol of Old Pete was the name of the event in 2k11. During elves build toys. This year was also the first year that zOMG was around the holiday season, Old Pete, the most famous hobo on Gaia, was during Christmas and users could given a heartwarming sweater by a stranger which overwhelmed obtain holiday recipes for that him with holiday spirit. He had a dream to return every act of kindness he had ever received by giving gifts to people. Though, game as well. he was unable to do so alone because of his lack of items to Sentinel and Overseer, give. Santa soon announced that Gaians should help Pete out by characters Gaians had seen donating items so that he could regift them. Gaians were assured before, returned for the 2009 that it would be worth their time as he would reward them for Christmas event. They found their kindness. This was also the first event to release an evolving item. In 2007, Pete mentioned an item that didn’t exist and this
event brought that item into existence: “Gary’s Island Adventure.” Apocalypsmas occurred in 2012 as a play with the Mayan calendar ending and the superstition the world was going to end. In fun, Gaia decided the holiday event, also held in December, should feature a theme that mirrored the theme of the Mayan calendar’s end. Gaians could choose to fight against the impending apocalypse and darkness by doing good deeds to earn ornaments that would light up a giant tree or smash ornaments and accept the end of the world. In 2013, Gaians were treated to a forum based snowball fight in X-Mas: Resolution. Gaians could throw snowballs at their friends or enemies and have snowballs thrown at them in return. This was along with the traditional events of carolling and Gaia’s 12 days of Christmas giveaway that had become all too familiar with the season. Gaians had to defeat Fafnir, a greedy dragon, to keep the holiday spirit alive in the 2014 X-Mas event. First they had to summon him! It was all in good fun and accompanied by carolling and the twelve days of X-Mas mini event. Moderators also contributed some freebies and fun time to this event and hosted the 2015 Modmas event during the holiday season. Christmas on Gaia is generally about giving and receiving as Gaians spread cheer and goodwill.. Most events have not been battle based as other holiday events and brings a sense of community to the Gaian people. With excitement brewing, we all wait to see what 2k16 has in store for us. Enjoy your holiday this season and don’t forget to participate in the event this year!
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continued What are your top three favorite items? Least favorite?
Oh god, there’s so many. Let’s see.. I’d have to say Queen Stance, Fabella Genesis, and Apage’s Cut are my favorites. My least favorites... Well, let’s just say I’m tired of having stick-legged avatars when we can’t change the rest of the body to match. What is your opinion on the inflation on items and the marketplace? Do you think it’s possible to fix it, and if so, how? I’m obviously not the best person to talk to about inflation, but I do have to admit that it reeks, especially if someone doesn’t want to spend real money to get items. It might be possible to fix it, but it would require focus to be skewed away from gcash and I don’t see that happening at the present time. When you’re writing, how do you get into character? Do you have any tricks that work well for you? Music is a big inspiration. It’s easy to get jazzed for a fight scene when Coheed and Cambria is roaring in your ear. Sometimes, if I’m having trouble, I’ll bounce ideas off my fellow roleplayers or research something related to what I’m writing on. What is your #1 pet peeve when role playing? PEOPLE NOT READING. I’m salter than a dried herring when people don’t read my posts and thus miss vital information. It’s okay to make mistakes, but for the love of all things wicked, we’re in a text based roleplay. What is your favorite aspect of role playing? Getting to watch characters grow as a person. Not gonna lie, it’s addicting when you reach a turning point in a story and everything just.. falls into place.
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Thanks for reading, everyone! If you’re interested in being interviewed, or no someone who you think might be interested, please send a private message to our magazine mule, ‘YGMag’!
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