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Your private board awaits!
This is a subforum under NaNoWriMo 2012. You must follow all the same rules and formatting that apply to public threads.
We tweaked it so that your titles shouldn't appear on the Welcome Back page or anything like that either. :3
Enjoy!
- Eri
Posted by Eri & --
(#17) on Sun Nov 4, 2012 11:15am
Reminders!
Site Update

The art gallery has.. NOT been judged!
Due to lack of entries, I will extend the deadline to November 5th at 11:59 P.M.
Remember, the theme is Too Much Halloween Candy, which I'm sure a lot of you can relate to right now!
Story Game

The Story Game has also been extended due to lack of entries.
You have until November 9th at 11:59 P.M. to submit yours!

Don't forget that the Story Writing Contest also ends on November 9th at 11:59 P.M.
I know it's been a busy time, but if you have a moment to enter one of these contests, go for it!
Giant Cauldron

The Giant Cauldron has been cookin' since very early this morning/last night. Once you see the cauldron go quiet, that's it!
Remember, after the cauldron dries up, I will be drawing a few raffles for cool prizes and your leftover Shiny Cauldron is your ticket! Simply have it in your inventory to enter. :3
Don't forget that ALL Halloween features are closing up tonight at 11:59 P.M.
The Seasonal Shop is open through Tuesday November 6th at 11:59 p.m.
- Eri
Posted by Eri & --
(#17) on Sun Nov 4, 2012 9:45am
NaNo Update
Contests

If at the end of the month you would like your content removed from the site, staff will happily delete your thread/posts once prizes have been distributed.
For those of you who have anxiety about posting content publicly or don't want it visible for another reason, we'll be working on a private thread option tonight during the site's slower time. Private threads will only be viewable by you and staff for vetting purposes and prize distribution.
I'll let you know when that option is ready to go!
- Eri
Posted by Eri & --
(#17) on Sat Nov 3, 2012 3:50pm
Welcome to November!
Site Update

November is upon us!
Let's bring in the 11th month of the year by first taking a look at the new monthly pets!
Ripe for season turnover, nature takes a sentient form in the GP Shop pets!















The cold, crisp air of autumn has descended upon the BP Shop, which has filled its pet corridors with pets toting everything from leaves to ice to jewels!















If you colored one of these stunning pets, please contact Visark (#185) for your payment!
Make sure to send the PSDs for these pets in to [email protected] right away! Or I will roast your crayons over an open flame. Slowly.

Embrace the shinier side of things with the Essence of November 2012. Like all our monthly potions, it will change your pet into one of the colorations above!

It seems our monthly Lunaris still thinks it's October and will be flying in as soon as it can!
(Read: I'll update you when the Lunaris is added. If you have an early November birthday, feel free to collect your birthday goodies; you can exchange the Lunaris when the new one is released. No worries!)

The premium monthly item for November is a Magic Journal.
Before I come out and tell you exactly what it does, here's a little hint:


Notice anything different? :3
Based on a user suggestion, the Magic Journal will enable you to choose a CUSTOM forum title and has 3 charges.
The item doesn't have a "use" option. Instead, to activate it, simply have the item in your inventory and go to Account - Settings - My Achievements. Under "Change Forum Title & Badge," hit the dropdown and scroll all the way to the bottom and choose Custom Title.

Once you enter in your title of choice and hit save, you will be redirected to a confirmation screen (in case you make any typos). After you finalize your title, it will display on the forums and one of your charges will be used.
One thing that differentiates custom titles from normal achievements is that they appear in black text instead of our default color, just as an FYI. I also want to remind you to NOT put any [M] content in this field because there's no way to designate your individual posts as Mature, only threads. Of course, the text in this field must also abide by the rest of the ToS.
We will be adding similar items that have more or less charges, etc., and distribute them in different ways. If you're premium, this should be a fun little perk, but if you're not, you will have the opportunity to enjoy this forum feature in the future. :3



In honor of the season, the Annoying Item Bazaar is featuring two new pets that you can create by amassing Autumn and Dead Leaves!


The Fireplace Shisa and Stormy Willow Orimi are permanent additions to the shop. Enjoy!

We also have our usual assortment of monthly contests!
December Monthly Pets - BP Shop
December Monthly Pets - GP Shop
December Monthly Customs
Theme: Bells

As many of you know, November is National Novel Writing Month--a project that challenges you to write a 50,000-word novel within the 30 days of the month!
Aywas has always sort of sponsored this creative event because it's great to see people writing, doing something creative, and committing themselves to a task. However, this event is pretty difficult to vet because it exists outside of the site and as evidenced by the weekly story game and the new short story contests, we're trying to move writing-focused contests within our own perimeter.
With that in mind, we are still offering incentives this year, because we think it's important to encourage creativity and hard work in a variety of mediums.
NaNoWriMo 2012 Prize Tiers:
1,000 - participation token.
5,000 - mysterious pet potion.
10,000 - HA writer wardrobe.
25,000 - Quil Sword + Pen Blade.
50,000 - Literature Shield + special forum title.
Here's some important links you'll want to have if you are a NaNo participant this year:
NaNoWriMo 2012
The board for your novel threads!
NaNo Instructions
2012 rules and format requirements.
NaNo FAQs
A place for you to see frequently asked questions and post questions of your own.
We made a few adjustments to the rules from last year. For one, you do NOT have to post an update on your thread every day, just as you complete blocks of writing. However, you DO have to post the full-text version of your story. No linking or screenshotting. If you don't want to share your story with Aywas, you forfeit Aywas prizes.
Give everything a read and if you have any questions, please post them on the FAQ thread. My inbox is atrocious and it's MUCH easier for me to answer NaNo questions on a public thread. Thanks!
And good luck, you crazy people!

Coding Corner
We have a TON of things going on in the background. Not only do we have to start prepping for Christmas on the heels of a huge month, but we're also trying to make headway on fixes and user suggestions. So if there's something you want to see, make sure your voice is heard.
As a teaser, Yasu is about halfway done with Quick Stock! :3
I think we've been doing really well, so we're just gonna keep on truckin'!
We will also be putting out the call for new mods soon, so keep an eye out for that if you're interested.

Don't forget that we have Kat's (#80) Devil Day coming up this month!
Get your submissions in soon.

Phew, I think that's all for now. :3 Let's have a great November!
- Eri
Posted by Eri & --
(#17) on Sat Nov 3, 2012 1:29pm
Trivia & Weekly Raffle!
Site Update

This week's raffle winner is:
Thasso (#36413)
Who had 46 crystals out of 18,954 total and won a Silver Custom Crystal!

Congratulations!
Next week's prize will be an Evil Breeding Coin to commemorate the end of our Halloween celebrations. :3
Trivia

The trivia has been updated!
Last week's questions and answers revealed!
The following users were all selected as moderators in March 2010 except...
Skitty (#543)
In an October 2010 news post about maned lions, which of the following acronyms of LION made it into the winning list?
Lunatics Insist On Nudity
All of the following pets can be obtained via the essence of June 2012 except...
Gastonia kaba
Which user created the custom item 'Mega'?
Griffinsong (#1242)
Custom designs can be denied for any of the following reason except:
They have garishly clashing colours.
Aywas' official referral banners do not include a ... coloration.
Melo
How many SCC artists actively work for Aywas?
19
What was announced with newspost #1313?
A raffle winner
Who manages the copyright panel?
Duchess Aeth & rage (#46)
When first released, how much was the Circuit Board Charm?
250 Gold Pieces

Much like a vampire, October sucked all the life and energy from me. ;~;
I'm hoping to have November's big monthly post up tomorrow. Thanks for bearing with me!
- Eri
Posted by Eri & --
(#17) on Thu Nov 1, 2012 9:13pm
Pet Shop Restocked!
Pets
As some of you may have noticed, the Little Pet Shop of Horrors has received a new stock of pets! They're eager and awaiting new loving owners!
In case you weren't aware, the Pet Shop is on a stock rotation schedule with the stock changing every 3 months. That means the pets from the last stock were removed and retired, so you can no longer get them. So make sure to grab the pets from the current stock while you can!
If you want to have the chance of getting a design of yours into the pet shop, go ahead and submit them to the Pet Coloration Submissions forum. Most of the submitted designs will be put into Adventure, but some random designs will be kept to go into the pet shop!
If your design is now in the pet shop please contact Kyu (#1010) for your free copy. That's right, if your design is accepted and put in the shop you get a free copy. That could save you a good amount of BP!
- Mauri
Posted by Kyu & Mauri
(#1010) on Thu Nov 1, 2012 6:03pm
Happy Halloween!
Site Update

You survived 31 days of October on Aywas, congratulations!
Halloween is silly this year--what kind of holiday falls on a Wednesday? Here on Aywas, we will be celebrating Halloween through the weekend, so lets kick it off right!





The Seasonal Shop is now open for business!




What is Halloween without awesome treats? From Spooky Treebark Jerky to Hard Cider, we have your energy and hunger needs deliciously covered!
And there's even a goodie bag to grab!

Inside you'll find 1000 BP, a Melo Pumpkin, and Candycorn Fortune Cookies.


Take a part of Halloween 2012 with you through the Moonlit Tree Wallpaper and Moonlit Night site theme! The wallpaper is equippable through your wardrobe and the site theme is accessible through your account settings once you activate it.




To battle things that go "bump" in the night, we have this creepy lineup of weaponry and armor!


Or, if you'd rather stay cuddled up in bed hiding from the dark and the monsters under your bed, you might want to take one of these fauna with you for some company.



Looks like someone went digging in the Witch's Garden for these three items. Each unlocks a different forum title achievement!
Voodoo Pin - Spooked!
Black Widow - Creepy Crawly
Broken Greenhouse Glass - Witchy
Thankfully, she didn't notice, but it was probably because she was too busy brewing all of these potions:




Here's a rundown of what each one does, along with a pet example. You can find the rest in the Aywapedia. :3

Evil Star Vial - Turns your pet into 1 of 3 Lunarises.

Fading Potion - Turns your pet into 1 of 6 Hybrids.

Hallowed Bottle - Turns your pet into 1 of 4 exclusive colorations.

Poison Berry Potion - Turns your pet into 1 of 3 Vions.
We're also bringing back some old favorites!



The Evil Breeding Coin is returning alongside fan-favorites, OCCs and OCOs.
I was told I'd be burned at the stake if OCCs and OCOs were made findable in Adventure, so they are in the shop for 10 Halloween Pumpkins each.
OCOs and OCCs are still /flooding/ the market from last year and their going rate reflects this surplus.
So, instead of dumping thousands more into the economy through Adventure, we're making them buyable for findable currency. They're still obtainable for old and new players alike, but not to the extreme.
But we also have some more brand new items!
I am particularly excited about this next one.

The Ghostly Book is a BC add-on that will tell the artist to add ghostly wisps/spirits to your offspring!
If you're somehow not in the Halloween mood yet, maybe these HA clothes will help. c:



The ghost is achieved by a standalone item, Draped Ghost Sheet.
In the middle is the Scarecrow set, which has 10 pieces.
And lastly is the Spider Witch set, with 5 pieces.
You can see all of the items in these three previews. :3 Enjoy!
What am I forgetting?
Oh yeah, the shopkeepers!

This is the Spellcast Potion, and it is very special. If you like customs and alternate lines, you will want to have one or twelve of these in your inventory.
Introducing the 2012 Halloween Shopkeepers!



The Spellcast Potion allows you to make a Garu, Woolith or Insi custom with up to 30% edits!
Like all shopkeepers, if you like the above colorations, you can use your potion to submit one of those, but we encourage you to customize yours! The PSDs currently available are the raw PSDs Krista worked with to make each of these specific colorations, so we'll probably offer simplified versions in a few days. :3
And, of course, we have creepy pets galore for sale as standalones in the seasonal shop.



Need some help snagging these pets? You might like the Blood Brain Potion

This potion will turn your active pet into a random coloration from the Seasonal Shop. You can pick this one up in the Trash Shop.

Along side the Blood Brain Potion, you will find the Spooky Forest Potion. This will turn your active pet into one from the Spooky Forest!
Speaking of the Spooky Forest, we will be leaving that open through Sunday November 4th at 11:59 p.m., at which time the Pumpkin Patch, Famine's Potion Brewing, the Garden, and the Lab will also be shut down. I will also be adding small batches of customs to the Giant Cauldron this weekend at all different times to try and hit as many timezones as possible. (read: You can stop madly refreshing until then. XD)
The Seasonal Shop will be open through Tuesday November 6th at 11:59 p.m. to give you a week to grab all the goodies!

In case you're curious what's inside this lovely bag (today's Advent prize), here are the contents:



Happy Halloween!
We will return to our regularly scheduled updates tomorrow. :3
(aka, trivia, raffle crystals, etc. I took a wild guess and figured you guys might want the Seasonal Shop first!)
- Eri
Posted by Eri & --
(#17) on Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:53pm
Seasonal Shop FYI
Site Update

Good evening!
Just wanted to toss up a little note here that Yasu and I both miraculously have power. :3 I will be setting up the Seasonal Shop momentarily, which will take a few hours to completely roll out.
As always, we will NOT issue any refunds for purchases made prior to the shop being officially released via the news. So keep your pants on!
Thanks. :D
- Eri
Posted by Eri & --
(#17) on Wed Oct 31, 2012 6:42pm
Stormy Monday Gettin' Me Down
Site Update

Hello, folks! Happy Monday!
Though, if you're in the path of "Frankenstorm," it's probably not so happy.
I wanted to let everyone know that we plan on doing business as usual here in the world of Aywas--power and safety permitting. Yasu lives on the eastern coast of the States and I have not heard from him since yesterday evening, and there's a couple crucial things he has to take care of in order for the Seasonal Shop and its prizes to work as planned.
His well-being, of course, comes first. If we are to experience any delays, I will keep you posted and compensate for any issues.
Rumor has it my area might lose power, so I will be leaving the staff notes on what to do if that does happen for an extended period, but even with instructions there's still some things I need to be around for.
So! Plan is to move forward as normal, but we'll play it by ear depending on the developments.
Thanks for your understanding, and stay safe! <3
- Eri
Posted by Eri & --
(#17) on Mon Oct 29, 2012 7:42pm
Adventure Pets!
Pets
Water and flames... hmm. Best hope those two pets don't meet up.
Here are some new adventure pets!
If you want to design some Adventure pets, go and post them in their respective threads here! Remember, you can earn SP!
Be sure to check the post below for important reminders!
- Mauri
Posted by Kyu & Mauri
(#1010) on Sun Oct 28, 2012 10:54pm