Please don't forget to read the bulletin board. Enter +read from anywhere.

Several members of the SED offered a challenge to win the shiniest shiny ever earlier this week. Argon, who had just been "raccooned" by Nikon, local raccoon, and was in his raccoontaur form, took the challenge. He was then tested by Morticon, Daemonnuit, Lilahfae, and Darius.

The Rose Garden was buzzing with Interest,as the challenge started with a simple question from Morticon. His question was, "What is the Capital of Spindizzy?" Argon first guessed Charter park, but then realized, it was a trick! He quickly changed his answer to S and D, because there are TWO capitals in SpinDizzy!

With Morticon Defeated, Argon had only three more challenges to go. Daemonnuit stepped up to the plate, and asked, "What tastes like chicken?"

Argon first guessed chicken, which wasn't what Daemonnuit was looking for. After some deliberations, Argon was able to answer, partially by accident it seemed. "Everything tastes like chicken," He said. Daemonnuit was crushed, and with a second opponent defeated, Argon took one more step towards aquiring the ultimate shiny.

Morticon put the pressure on Lilahfae and Darius, as it appeared that the possibility of losing the ultimate shiny was indead, a possibility.

Lilahfae stepped up, ready to ask a question as well, but at the last moment, hid in Morticon's pouch.

The wallaby, clever as always, was able to quickly come up with a challenge. Obtaining three cups, and another shiny, he placed the shiny under one cup, and moved the cups around, then prompted Argon to pick the correct cup.

Argon was able to utilize a trick that you can only use on a muck, vagueness. "It's that one." He said. Morticon, confused, asked Argon to repeat his answer, several times. Each time getting the same answer. "That one," or, "The one I am tapping." Morticon was forced to allow Argon to win his challenge, and suddenly, it was all up to Darius.

The ferret didn't seem worried at all. He sat down, with a look of calmness on his features, and stared at Argon. Argon seemed puzzled, and several garden goers though that Darius did not have a challenge ready. Argon stared back blankly at The ferret. Darius soon raised his watch and said "5 seconds". Argon waited, and then replied. "So, where's my shiny?"

Darius looked up at Argon and told him: "You failed my challenge." Everyone seemed puzzled at this, because it seemed that Darius had done nothing. However,Argon was in for a shock, because he had lost by doing something. After much arguing between Darius, Argon and several of the Rose garden bystanders, the Judges decided that Darius was indeed, the winner, and Argonwas stopped short on the road to victory.

Darius, had initiated a Zen challenge, which was to win by doing nothing. However, Argon did do something, so he lost. SED was triumphant, again.

So, I was watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail yesterday (for the millionth time!), and I got a great idea for a quest RP.

Various Spindizzians would set out to find something that was taken from Spindizzy, or was necessary for it to survive. This would be a HUGE rp, taking place for about three hours in the evening over three days. It will also take a LONG time to plan, and we'd need a group of people who were willing to meet once or twice a week to organize the thing.

In order to discover the public's interest in this possible event, I've created a vote topic about it. Please check it out by typing 'vote' from anywhere on the MUCK. A vote for choice A means you are interested in being a direct participant that goes on the RP quest. Voting for choice B means you are interested in being an indirect participant, and would play some kind of obsticle or "bad guy" that the quest group would meet on the way, and would only play for a half-hour or hour for one night unless you wanted to play more (you'd probably be an alt or a puppet, unless your character is naturally bad!) Being a part of the Planning group means you would meet with a few others once or twice a week to plan the event. So PLEASE VOTE if you can!

Thanks for your time, everyone.

Dateline: 1040626

The Grand Council of the Republic, in regards to the current monarchy, has made an official press report public. In this issue we cover the status of the current Queen of the Neo Republic who has been found on a remote island planet and is apparently doing well.

As you may know our Queen, Alicia S.A. Vulpnine, has founded the Neo Republic after a bloody war between our former enemies and the old Colony Republic. It was some time after her last return to check the status of the Colony Republic that the military branch of the Zancaster militia disarmed its elite force, the Black Vanguard, and joined the Colony Republic as one of the major members. Soon after the Neo Republic was born with the interest of both the older Republic and the Zancaster. Alicia retired afterward but was never seen since.

A new report has been reached by the young Crown Price, Alexander Vulpnine, that her grandmother, our beloved Queen, is alive and well. The public report by the Council states that, “It was the Crown Prince that used the power of his Chaos Pendant through his fiancée, that the old Queen was resurrected alive and well. However at this point in time we do not know who assassinated her. We do believe it may be a lone fighter from the Black Vanguard squadron, which is now assimilated into the Republic’s military. Currently we do not have any contact with the Black Vanguard commander herself. Alicia reports herself well and does not wish to return to the capital. For the time being, she leaves her power within the hands of the Grand Council.” As we write this, we have plans soon to personally visit our beloved Queen to interview her. We are still getting the proper permits to enter the protected area she is currently dwelling.

Findra the bunny-coati lead the ceremony and said to start, "We're all here because Butterfluff touched our lives in some way. For most of us, our online lives, and for some the Fluff was a friend in real life, too. But wherever we knew Butterfluff, and whether we knew the Fluff as an it, he, she, or sie, I believe none of us went away without feeling that we'd encountered someone very special, who'd made our lives brighter and more interesting."

Iejasu the wolf was the first person to speak and she said, "I am proud to say that the fluff has been my friend, and even in the face of this pain I would never want to not have met the fluff. The fluff dried my tears when I was sitting in front of the computer, my mom in intensive care and I working on my final exams. The fluff kept me going, the fluff told me I survive. And I did. And I will also survive this. The fluff is not truly gone. Not really. Not if we remember the fluff and mind what the fluff told us."

Chanspot the coffee fossa said, "I regret that in the time I'd known hir, I'd only begun to learn some of what made hir special: those personal secrets that make us unique and complex, which more of you here doubtless know more of than I: why sie was the way sie was, and just how wonderful sie was, because who can deny: the more you know a wonderful person, the more special and more wonderful to you they become?"

Findra said, "Butterfluff seemed to epitomise what we strive for on SpinDizzy; always trying to help others when they wished for it, and making up such wonderful impromptu role plays out in the Rose Garden. One day, Ricky, Butterfluff's sea lion pup puppet, came bounding up to me, full of excitement that he'd seen a Sea Wolf out in the ocean when he'd been swimming. His description had me laughing out loud at such enthusiasm.

"The Fluff put huge amounts of effort into each of its characters, making them all feel so real, so believable. And always there was the core of itself in there. The caring, loving, Fluff, who always wanted to help people see how they could be the best they could possible be, who wanted to leave the world a better place by having been there."

Elizabeth the panther said, "Sie taught me to think more highly of myself, and I think that was hir best gift to me. We all fight with feelings of inadequacy, and sie wouldn't allow me to put myself down, always encouraging me. Yes, sometimes, sie was a little impatient..but I got used to hir." And she shared a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

Suri the lemur said, "Every so often there arises a MU* that's more than just a place for roleplay. Such a place exists because the people that one meets there are people worth knowing. Butterfluff helped to make Spindizzy that sort of place. My life is better for having known Butterfluff. I wish I'd had more time with her."

Yau_Ling shared a song Butterfluff taught her, "Heartwarming":

I'm falling in love with all of you a little more every day
I'm learning to see a special meaning in every sweet thing you say
I've come to believe our lives are twined far tighter than we had planned
And love overflows the cup of my heart whenever I touch your hand
So any time I'm tempted to pack up my songs and roam
I look into your eyes and see I'm home
I've waited for people just like you, I've waited for just this place
And each time before when I opened the door, the world closed it in my face
But all of you've made me welcome in the hearth of your gentle hearts
And all of my endings now have become a universe of fresh starts
So any time I'm tempted to pack up my songs and roam
I look into your eyes and see I'm home.

Ray the man-cheetah said, "I was granted the opportunity to share something special with a kindred spirit, and to know Butterfluff's appreciation for, and belief in, what Brigid's Well could be. And, thanks to Butterfluff, I have also met many new friends, even in these circumstances, for which I am also very grateful, and found my way to this new world, as well," and read three poems, called "Voice upon the wind," "The Journey," and "Never Again, Forever." Konstantin the bear said, "The fluff's typest was my friend and companion of 30 +years ... there is not much I can cay but that there is a large hole in my soul that will never fill in. I did not get on the muck much but saw a lot of the fluffs activities over the shoulder so to speak ... there is so much to say but I can no longer type ... "

Millicent the skunk shared a story about going diving with Butterfluff and Lilahfae and Butterfluff thinking to remember fairies may have to decompress and compress for different times than human-size creatures do. "In this way she epitomised the essence of Spindizzy. Creative silliness with a logic of its own. We did what Butterfluff wanted because we knew we were going to enjoy it, and enjoy the Fluff's attention to detail about it, the Fluff's adventure, the way things were not going to be as they seemed... This is why we continue at Spindizzy. We find things here that are nowhere else, the friends that have special meaning that no other MUCK has. We continue to find the Fluff's message special because we became special to the Fluff, and in turn the Fluff was special to us."

Stormsong the cheetah said, "I had a lot of things I wanted to say, most of them are recaps, so I'll skip them for now... first time I met the 'fluff was when I saw someone sitting alone in 'the golden fluff' on SPR. I was down, I wandered in, and found someone full of whimsy and knowledge, who first introduced me to filking, and to filking of space." I wanted to say all sorts of neat and special things about Butterfluff, decided the accent wasn't appropriate and too obscure, so I'll talk, or rather sing, in my own language." And then she told a long poem "For the giant we knew ... as Butterfluff." RedLady, who's Butterfluff's real-life sister, said, "I'll miss her more than I have words to say ... Thank you for the joy you put in her life."

Austin the coati-bunny said, I'm honoured that in its last months the character Butterfluff became part of my family here, by Aishae's adoption. But it was part of my family for a lot longer than that, in all the ways that count. I know we'll build a fine and proud memorial to Butterfluff for anyone to see. I would hope we can also remember it by our actions, by sharing more of our imaginations, our joy, our attentions, our capacity to surprise one another in wonderful ways, and paying more attention to what is wonderful about us all. We've all lost a lot, but we still have so much left."

And then Findra unveiled the monument to Butterfluff, a round marble base with a gold plaque. Above it there's a hologram of Butterfluff, in the sea lion form or in the fluff form. Which one people can pick by pressing a button. The monument also has a teleporter to bring people to Butterfluff's home, and everyone went there to share some more stories and to eat from the festival Butterfluff created and catered a couple months ago.

Nightshade the hedgehog said "Butterfluff is one of the luckiest people in the world to have friends like you who care so much and everyone here is lucky to know such a person like her so to honor her I'm going to do what I do best." And he promised to write a story called "In memory of a friend" for hir.

Logan the porcupine made a toast to Butterfluff and Ray said the difference between Spindizzy and other places was the sense of community. NeverNever the demon was sad that she couldn't eat in her true form, but Aishae the dragonness gave her the feeling of a chocolate toast anyway.

Ba'ar the bear said, "I don't know if The Fluff was a fan of Spider Robinson, but I think this quote from his books served the fluff well. Shared pain is lessened, while shared joy is increased, thus do we refute entropy... May we all do our best to brighten each other's days and 'tilt at windmills' like the Fluff of LaMancha did.

Jac the rat wrote a poem, too, and said, "The Fluff had a dream that it shared with us all, and I am sure that it has crossed over that threshold now and is in a far better place. Until the day that all ride again under Tengri's blue sky, ride well Fluff."

Spikey the pegadonkey said, ""We are often so busy with what we thought were the important details of life, money, jobs, school, and such, that we forget life itself and what a precious thing it is... What a precious thing it is to get to know someone, to share moments, to share life, even here, separated by monitors, servers and lines of internet connections ... Butterfluff was a fountain of imagination, a wellspring to cherish. We should honor the memory of the Fluff by living more, getting to know others better, share dreams with them and play."

Scandal the fox said, "In only a few hours Butterfluff made a lasting impression on me. And it saddens me that there won't be many more... I'd been away from MUDs and MUCKs for ten years, when I did some web browsing and stumbled across Spindizzy. People seemed friendly so I signed up. I stayed because of Butterfluff." And he talked about how much Butterfluff helped. Kefan the centaur said, "I regret that I was never able to sit down in a filk circle with the Fluff, face to face. I don't know what Fluff's voice was like, but I don't think it's a hard guess that it would be strong, full of life and laughter. I would have liked to have heard that."

Beltrami the balloon dragon-human didn't talk but did write down that Butterfluff was kind and sweet and balanced her on hir nose a couple times. She was happy Butterfluff became her sister, and told about Butterfluff figuring out how to groom her.

Sunshine, who's usually a porcupine but traded bodies with Logan the bunny-pawed dog, said, "Gods! Am I the only one here who loved the fluff to pieces, but at the same time felt incredibly intimidated by it? You know that feeling, when you realize you're talking to someone who's twice as smart as you are?" He wasn't. "Butterfluff was always kind enough to let me know that it loved me. Which is great, because I would barely have believed it otherwise. I mean, the Fluff was a great soul and mind! What could I possibly give back to it that it doesn't already have?

"As you may be aware, maybe, if you've been with me, like ten seconds, I like to joke a lot. I don't remember the Fluff ever so much as cracking a smile once. I used to think 'The minute I make the Fluff laugh at a joke will be the minute I think of myself as a funny person." It never happened. :P But the Fluff always let me know sie loved me, and liked me for who I really was. That was worth more to me that I can fully comprehend."

Mouser the fursnake wanted to share an anecdote he thought shared a lot of Butterfluff's personality. "Butterfluff's and my players were near-neighbors, though I never met her in person. The Fluff hailed from near Baltimore, and I'm from near DC. My favorite recollection about that was the time the hurricane ripped through the Mid-Atlantic seaboard last fall, and both Butterfluff and I stayed online during the storm to give folks weather reports... Anyways, I asked Butterfluff how the winds were going, and her comment was that 'the ents are knocking on my door. They say they want inside.' That simply cracked me up--what a terrific mental image wrapped up in two sentences. To be sitting in the middle of a terrific windstorm and think of ents tells you worlds about a person's imagination. It's a rare commodity that I'll miss..." (Ents are tree creatured from "Lord of the Rings.")

Leslie talked about how Butterfluff was going to show how to make a movie someday, and how sad it is we're not going to be able to...also how Butterfluff tried explaining how to make a square root of a negative number, which Stormsong said wasn't just a joke even if it was funny.

Tarka the otter said, "Butterfluff... was a worthy advasary of evil doom otters like me. So I salute her!" And she saluted.

Argon the centaur said, "For reasons we've all heard and told, it "got" what SpinDizzy was all about. In ways most of us hadn't thought of, or imagined. As we've heard, everyone loved the fluff, and I owe it special appreciation for its help with the paper. Butterfluff's proofreading skills, and patience with the paper's editor's poor typing and spelling skills were invaluble and deeply appreciated. ... Like all of us, I too will miss it."

And Aishae the dragon talked about meeting Butterfluff. "Within a few minutes of talking to it, I found out it loved Sci- Fi, and knew Heinlein like I did... and as I offered my services to all of SD as a lifeweaver, she asked me to help her with a sealion form, to bring her a little closer to Ricky, who I did not even know until tonight..."

"So, in a decently spent evening talking to it, as I gentled its form into that of the agouti- furred sealion we knew far too shortly as our new Butterfluff, I began to learn some more of her kindness, a little of her humor, and a little of her imagination as she could follow along with how I was 'weaving' her new form..."

"Sie chose to be herm, mainly because sie didn't particularly wish to choose, or to be cast in either particular role, but to be hirself... I had no idea of any illness on hir part... sie did not speak of it, nor did sie show it in hir manner, only sometimes saying sie was tired and had to rest for a few..." "I think that was what sie truely wanted... to be hirself, not hir illness, nor any other perceived image but what sie showed us... And, in that way, taught us all a few lessons about being ourselves... and even now, sie teaches us... that none of us know when our moment comes... but that we should try to savor each together, as they come, not at some future time we may set aside..."

"Sie will always be in part with me, no matter what I do, or where I go... as I am sure that sie is part of all of you sie's touched... My only lasting regret is that I did not get to know her as well, or as long, as many of you have..."

Though everybody still hung around for a long while and talked there weren't more speeches. It was just everybody talking and maybe feeling a bit better for seeing each other. A lot of people came and went over the night but at the maximum there were 47 people connected all at once, and everybody was there to visit and think of Butterfluff.

Gilead, who's right now a female co-otter-mundi, was looking pretty sad this week. So Leslie the fairy-bunny and Roofus_roo the kangaroo helped out by lending her a pair of fairy antennas. They were little insect-like things that fit between her ears and tickled only a little bit when they were being put on. When she's swimming just under the water they'd even poke up like a periscope, and though Gilead didn't get the hang of seeing and smelling through them she did learn how to get and send out warm huggy feelings through them. Roofus said if Gilead wants to keep them she's welcome to them. Gilead hasn't said yet what she'll do.

You see a TikTak, a somewhat smallish mousemorph. He appears to be around ten years of age. One odd thing about TikTak is his appearence- he's not oddly colored, but oddly made. TikTak's entire body appears to be made of some sort of metallic substance. TikTak was once organic in full, but then something happened.

As you examine TikTak more closely, you can see that, though his form APPEARS to be seamless, it does, in fact, have some small gaps, through which you can see an array of gears and wires. Looking to his face, you see that TikTak is even robotic here, his eyes look to be like cameras, and his ears are large gears!

Adara takes out her pad of paper and a pen, "Hi TikTak. Thanks for agreeing to do an interview with me."

TikTak, "No problem."

Adara purrs, "So TikTak, if you don't mind my asking, about how old are you?"

TikTak squeaks, "Well, that depends on what you mean."

TikTak squeaks, "Mentally, I am around 16. But physically, 10."

Adara purrs, "Ahh, I see. How long have you been here at Spindizzy?"

TikTak squeaks, "Just over a week."

Adara purrs, "How did you come across Spindizzy, and what made you decide to stay here?"

TikTak squeaks, "Well, I came across SpinDizzy by a Yahoo search, and I decided to stay because this place seemed so, nice. "

Adara smiles, "That's always good to here. What do you spend your days on Spindizzy doing?"

TikTak "Mostly I just hang around."

Adara purrs, "What is your favorite place to visit?" TikTak hmms, "The Rose Garden. It's pretty much the only place I go."

Adara hmms, "Are you interested in roleplaying? It's a great way to get to know others, and explore other places on Spindizzy."

TikTak squeaks, "Well, I've never roleplayed before, other than being IC, so I'm not really sure. "

Adara purrs, "Perhaps a result of this interview will be that others will see take time to show you the joys of RP."

Adara smiles.

Adara purrs, "Finally, who on Spindizzy do you admire the most, and why?"

TikTak hmms, "That is a tricky question."

TikTak squeaks, "One which I do not have an answer to, unfortunately. "

Adara purrs, "Ahh, too new, I guess. Well, that's OK."

Adara purrs, "Hopefully, you will get to know more people soon." TikTak nods.

Adara purrs, "Well, I thank you again for taking time out to do this interview. It was fun!"

Dear Bearing Up,
How come companies are putting things in those plastic containers that are impossible to open? And why do they have to put three stickers on a DVD or CD before you can open it?
-- Frustrated Consumer

Dear Frustrated Consumer:
Very simple. It's part of a worldwide plot to drive us consumers crazy. The reason why they put those stickers on DVDs and CDs is to seal them for your protection.

Dear Bearing Up,
Is it hard writing a column each week? How do you do it? I can't write very good at all.
-- F. Scott

Dear F. Scott:
It's not hard writing a column. There are always problems to solve and plenty of time for me to solve them in.

Dear Bearing Up.
I went to the movies and as usual, I laid in the handicapped spaces to watch. A fellow in a wheelchair came in, so I got up and just stood in the back. I can lock my legs so it wasn't a big deal, but this lady in front of me kept looking back at me and making comments about "animals in the theater." I sort of lost my cool and at the end of the movie, I "accidentally" dropped my soda in her lap. Was I wrong?
-- Argon

Dear Argon:
No. Don't suffer fools, let fools suffer.

Dear Bearing Up,
I want Bob Barker's job. What should I do?
-- Bill Cullen

Dear Bill Cullen:
Wait till he dies (which won't be long-he's getting up there in years) and audition.

Remember possums (to steal a term from Dame Edna, if you have any questions,please page mail me (Ba'ar) online or send mail to big_bear@operamail.com. Thanks.

@Action News, SpinDizzy's weekly paper, apparently has a fairly healthy circulation, so we figured we'd show just how healthy it is.

Each week, as long as there's room. I'll show the 'hit graph' for the @Action News website.

This week, Argon asked, "I'm doing a survey for @Action News, the question this week, suggested by Adara, is, 'If you could invent anything in the world, what would it be?"

• Kinsor -- "I would invent banana in a can, for the bat on the go." to you.
• KevMan -- My awnder to the Servey is ' I'd have to say I'd invent something that would make people furs. ^_^
• PatchO'Black mews, "A new, really good treat."
• Minx whyspers, "my current idea an totally interfaceable vr game."
• Gilead chirps, "A serum to make otters invulnerable to physical damage."
• Mouser hisses, "Hands-free dental floss."
• Becky says, "I'd invent a way to solve the meaning of life."
• Leslie pips, "Oh...Mr Argon I'd like to invent something so you had more time when you were really busy."
• Ba'ar growls, "I'd have a time machine so I could go back in time and correct some very bad choices I've made."
• Spikey sighs "An endleth bag of Oreoth and an endleth glath of milk to go with it. (For the lisping impared that is: 'An endless bag of oreos and an endless glass of milk to to with it...' )
• Morticon can't think of anything. He has it all, "And what I don't have is currently being developed!"
• Mavra says, "If I could invent anything, I would want to invent the first pratical faster-than-light warp drive."
• Darius says, "Ok, pardon my hideious fan obsession, but I would have to say, The Matrix."
• DaemonNuit would create a DreamCatcher that worked.

Help Wanted

Hi all, Firewind here. I'm looking for someone to come and help out with the remodeling and building of a few rooms. Payment will be based mainly on how good of a job you do (And I'll be nice on that part since I'm not good at making stuff anyway). Materials and such will be provided, as will be refreshments.

Anyone whom is interested can either page-mail me, or send an e-mail to me (Supplied in my pinfo). Thanks all.

The Society of Evil Doers annual dinner is tentativly set for this Friday July 2nd.

As has been true in years past, the dinner is sure to include fine food, good company and surprizes! Watch the Events List (Enter Eventlist) and the Bulletin Board (Enter +read) for more information.

Submitting a story or artwork for @Action News is easy! Just send it to newspaper@spindizzy.org or qmail or page @Action or sdnews about it.
@Action News is published weekly on or after 12:01 AM Eastern Time on Sunday. Most any type of story or article will be accepted. Generally, we'd prefer things that aren" t out and out lies or flames about other folks, and have a basis in the reality of SpinDizzy. Things that occur in public areas are fair game. The things reported dont have to have actually happened, (any more than anything that happens here does) but make sure you don't overstep the social boundaries and rules of interaction that we have. These are pretty broad guidelines, but we expect good sense to apply.

Thanks! Argon, Editor @Action News