muskrat_john ([info]muskrat_john) wrote,
@ 2008-09-19 14:12:00
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Current location:Muskrat Central
Current mood: busy
Current music:"Free Ride" - Nick Drake
Entry tags:dork tower, munchkin, munchkin quest, pirates

Dork Tower, Friday, Sept. 19
Today's Dork Tower is up:



Click here, there or anywhere to see it.


****

In honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day, we're proud to announce the winner of the "Win This Booty-Ful Art" contest.



Almost 300 entries came in, which blew me away a little. Many of them were VERY, very good. Some of them got me to laugh out loud, and were all kinds of brilliant and original and snit.

A few were a bit obvious, and several were sent in by over a dozen folks each. There were LOTS of variations on Ratite ("RAT-ite," getddit? Geddit?), which is bloody clever, since I didn't even know that a Ratite was the family of flightless birds Kiwis belong to! So a consolation prize goes out to Kiwi Carlisle, of St. Louis, for being the first person to make the connection, thus learning me a new word.

There were also many, many pairings of the words "Plunder" and "Down Under." The most succinct was "The Plunder from Down Under," but Dartanyan Hetrick's (Dallas, TX) "Rats of Plunder from Down Under" was the first such to come in, so a consolation prize goes to him, as well.

The SECOND RUNNER UP, Christian Peters from Cologn, Germany, certainly knows his way around an English language pun, with the dreadful but tasty "New Sea Landrat," artfully stuffing all elements of the drawing into one very ridiculous card.

The FIRST RUNNER-UP, who will be expected to fulfill the duties of the winner should he or she be caught in a naked Penthouse spread, is Beth Reiten, with "Mutiny on the Barbie," which doesn't really explain what the rat is doing there, but was very silly nevertheless.

The GRAND PRIZE WINNER, however, is Kelly MacDougal, whose "G'Day Matey" again never really explained why there was a rat there in the first place, but just made me laugh. A lot.

(Steve Jackson himself suggested "Yarrrrr! They Wuz Outta Parrots," so I guess I should send HIM something, as well, since he's kinda sorta my boss and all...)

Congratulations to all the winners, and I now hereby publicly challenge Mr. Steve Jackson to fit the "G'Day, Matey" card into the game.

Yarrrrr!

****

Munchkin Quest 2 has been announced, so I can now speak of it openly.

When Steve first brought the idea to me for cover suggestions, I asked for more information about it.

"It's called "Munchkin Quest 2: Looking For Trouble," he said.

"OK," I said, a little later. "How about something like THIS:"



Now, I can absolutely respect and support Steve's decision NOT to put a toilet bowl on the cover of a major release, instead going with THIS cover:



...and yet, I can't help but think that somewhere, the Baby Jesus is crying just a little.

****

Speaking of toilets, a while back I asked if folks could guess what this Munchkin Quest monster could possibly be:



This wan't a competition: there were no prizes. Still, surprising few people guessed that it would actually be called (wait for it....)

The Komodo Dragon.

Thank you! Thank you! We're here all week. Try the liver.




(32 comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]dalisair
2008-09-19 07:48 pm UTC (link)
John, why do you hurt us so?

MIB 0121 - CL Los Angeles

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]muskrat_john
2008-09-20 03:37 am UTC (link)
There is no hurt...

There is only LURVE!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Oooh! I get a consolation prize?
[info]dakiwiboid
2008-09-19 08:18 pm UTC (link)
What do I get? I'm so excited! In fact, I am excited on behalf of the entire far-flung ratite family!

(Reply to this) (Thread)

Re: Oooh! I get a consolation prize?
[info]muskrat_john
2008-09-20 03:38 am UTC (link)
Of "in St. Louis fame"?

Send me your address, and something will be in the mail. :-)

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]wombattery
2008-09-19 08:19 pm UTC (link)
My lovely and talented spouse grew up in western Pennyslvania and has been a lifetime Pirates fan. Which allows me to observe that, in the words of the sage, it's funny because it's true.

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[info]muskrat_john
2008-09-20 03:41 am UTC (link)
Where in Western PA?

My family's from Johnstown.

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[info]wombattery
2008-09-20 04:14 am UTC (link)
The bustling metropolis of St. Marys, which looks to be two hours almost due north of Johnstown.

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]arashink
2008-09-20 03:44 am UTC (link)
Ha! As a low-level Pirates fan (and getting lower) I'm glad someone understands our pain.

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]springreleased1
2008-09-19 08:25 pm UTC (link)
I'm just commenting to leave Nick Drake love. Hooray for listening to Nick Drake!

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[info]muskrat_john
2008-09-20 03:39 am UTC (link)
Hey, kiddo!

How's it going?

Drop me a line!

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]springreleased1
2008-09-20 04:13 pm UTC (link)
It's going well! I moved to a new city! Also it's my birthday tomorrow!

If the number I have in my phonebook is still your number, I'll drop you a line sometime this week!

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]muskrat_john
2008-09-22 02:27 pm UTC (link)
Yup! Same number, I think...

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[info]faerchylde
2008-09-19 08:29 pm UTC (link)
Okay so.. I made the mistake of showing this entry to my hubby while he was in the middle of eating... The first cover for Looking for Trouble had him laughing so hard he almost died.

Good times.

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[info]tjfoxx
2008-09-19 08:37 pm UTC (link)
I have to say, I like the original cover better.

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[info]muskrat_john
2008-09-20 03:40 am UTC (link)
You do. Millions of Store Owners Who Have To Deal With Parents wouldn't.

Go figure. :-)

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[info]kobold_8769
2008-09-19 09:28 pm UTC (link)
Arrr, that do be why I am a fan of Twins.

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[info]ashtalet
2008-09-19 09:58 pm UTC (link)
Arr, ye be expectin' me to believe that there be baseball still? Only a landlubber not be knowin' that baseball be goin' from the end of the Penguins playoffs to the beginnin' of Steelers training camp. Arr!

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[info]midnightpeapod
2008-09-19 10:54 pm UTC (link)
Arr! Me be likin' the coverrr featurrring the loo bettarrrr!

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[info]muskrat_john
2008-09-20 03:40 am UTC (link)
You can deal with the feedback from angry retailers and parents, then. :-)

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)


[info]teflonton
2008-09-20 06:34 pm UTC (link)
Speaking as a parent, let me just say that I'm indeed angry at this whole toilet cover thing. Nay, outraged!

That the original cover didn't make it is a travesty, it was much better. I'm sure my daughter would agree :)

On an unrelated note, while I (like everyone else) was hoping for at least a consolation prize on the Pirate Rat card contest, I must admit that G'Day Matey would have been have gotten my vote as well. Although isn't it more of an Australian Pirate Rat card pun?

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[info]ajdavid59
2008-09-23 04:58 am UTC (link)
Although isn't it more of an Australian Pirate Rat card pun?

Sure is. Most Kiwis like to make fun of Australian idioms like "G'day", "Strewth" and "Beaudy". Aussies also turn it on to annoy the Kiwis. Australians and Kiwis crack up when they hear each other say "fish and chips" as well.

"Throw another Prawn on the Barbie" is a Paul Hogan line from Australia's most successful tourism advert.

And more trivia:

New Zealanders also gets annoyed when people refer to Split Enz, Russell Crowe, Sam Neil and anyone else who makes a name for themselves as Australian.

Next New Zealander you meet, tell them how much you admire Greg and Trevor Chappell.

Think of New Zealand as Australia's Canada.

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[info]teflonton
2008-09-23 07:19 am UTC (link)
> Sure is. Most Kiwis like to make fun of Australian idioms like "G'day"

AHA! John, I'm afraid you need to disqualify the winner.

But seriously :) Thanks for enlightening me, I especially love the 'Australia's Canada' part, never thought of it like that.

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[info]paulsoth
2008-09-20 02:08 am UTC (link)
I'll wait for December 5th.

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[info]muskrat_john
2008-09-20 03:40 am UTC (link)
Who said what now?

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[info]paulsoth
2008-09-20 08:56 am UTC (link)
http://www.dayoftheninja.com/

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[info]eatenmyeyes
2008-09-20 06:14 pm UTC (link)
Is that kiwi an homage to the short film?

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[info]muskrat_john
2008-09-21 04:12 pm UTC (link)
Who said what now?

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[info]eatenmyeyes
2008-09-21 06:42 pm UTC (link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUUx5FdySs

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[info]zenfrodo
2008-09-21 02:02 am UTC (link)
head hurt from all puns.

Need nap.

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[info]captaingeek
2008-09-22 05:42 pm UTC (link)
Put him in a gren derby with a four-leaf clover and he could be a commode o'dragon. 8-)

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[info]linxan_terrano
2008-09-22 07:53 pm UTC (link)
For proper cringability, I vote for the spelling to be "Commode o' Dragon". But I'm sure it'll work out one way or the other.

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[info]kestralyn
2008-09-23 02:36 pm UTC (link)
I'm so glad you liked Mutiny on the Barby! So now, I just need to find the negatives of that photo shoot I did with Kelly so I can take over her duties :-)

Thanks for the fun!

Beth Reiten

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