Art:December Daily Doodles 2008

The "December Daily Doodles" is an event begun by Apollo with a new contest every weekday for the entire month. Four days a week are forum events, one day is dedicated to a familiar tournament. Sometimes the weekend is covered by a guest host. December 2008, the fourth annual DDD, saw a change in hosts with different Ocean Masters taking turns.

Doodle December (1st)
''It's tradition! Even without our faithful leader at the helm, it's only fitting that we dive right into the doodles with ArtPad. Draw a picture showing a piratey winter. So it could be festive holidays, the weather, school, other events - anything that comes to mind.''

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 106; Winners received a maroon orchid.

Winners
 * Bisquick of Midnight (Artpad link)
 * Phillite of Sage (Artpad link)

Honorable mentions: Domokun, Jennygalaxy, Merethif, Sharkiez, Sundancer, Xeitgeist

Entry of Note: Mobutu

Doodle Ransom (2nd)
''I'm sure you've all noticed that Apollo isn't running these doodles. Many of you may be wondering why. Well, it's simple, he's been godnapped. I've taken him for the holidays and will not give him back unless a few demands are met. What are my demands? I don't know, you tell me. Your task doodlers, is to write my ransom note for me.'' Apollo's plea for help.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 89; Winners received maroon lilies.

Winners
 * Sundancer of Midnight.
 * Dear Demeter
 * Dear Demeter, Mom and Eury
 * Dear Oshun Masters
 * I have taken ur prshsus ALpolo! While he is very entret  entertaini fun with all his giggling and dancing, he is NOT a gud cook.  I am STARVING to DEATH stuck here drooling guarding him!  If you want to ever see him again I have some rewes  reqest things i wantz.  First, I want Demeters pony!  Oh and with some spieces and Artemisis big cat  caudra pot.  I am 2 hungry 2 wait though, so in the meantime, send Eurydeces cat by way of cannon, for a toasty snack.  Then 4 dissert Cleavur must send out an oshun wide broadcast to all those patetec  pathite stupid ALpo worshipin doodlers.  I want them all to mak me cookiez!  They hav 2 be delivured by small children, or cute pets/familiars.  I want all this by the end of the week or U will never see the ugly blond sun god again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 * Cronus
 * PS When this is over, i want mom to start making me REAL dinner instead of trying to feed me rabbit food all the time!


 * Taelac of Malachite.
 * Dear Tasty Morsels Pasty Mortals,


 * I have godnapped your Sun. I can't help it, really, I'm just so hungry. If you wish to see Apollo again, you will deliver the following by midnight tonight:


 * 1 Child Roasting on a Spit


 * By midnight the night after, you will all bring to me:


 * 2 Chocolate Coins, and
 * 1 Child Roasting on a Spit


 * By midnight the night after, you will all bring to me:


 * 3 Crew Flirts
 * 2 Chocolate Coins, and
 * 1 Child Roasting on a Spit


 * By midnight the night after, you will all bring to me:


 * 4 Apple Pies
 * 3 Crew Flirts
 * 2 Chocolate Coins, and
 * 1 Child Roasting on a Spit


 * By midnight the night after, you will all bring to me:


 * 5 Gravy Boats
 * 4 Apple Pies
 * 3 Crew Flirts
 * 2 Chocolate Coins, and
 * 1 Child Roasting on a Spit


 * I trust we have the pattern now? The rest of the demands are as follows, lasting twelve nights total, after which, you may see your precious Apollo again. Deny me, and I'll just have to take my hunger out on him!


 * 12 Cabin People
 * 11 Royals Roasting
 * 10 First Mates Frying
 * 9 Pirates Poaching
 * 8 Wenches Baking
 * 7 Turtles sleeping
 * 6 Pigs a-snoring
 * 5 Gravy Boats
 * 4 Apple Pies
 * 3 Crew Flirts
 * 2 Chocolate Coins, and
 * 1 Child Roasting on a Spit


 * Love Warm regards Famished as always,
 * Cronus

Honorable Mentions: Castawayjoe, Daynarius, Leif, Queasy

Entry of Note: Digbads

Pirate LolDoodle (3rd)
''Your task my doodlers is to go into the game and grab an image. Then you must give it some witty caption.''

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 92; Winners received navy lilies.

Winners:
 * Pipeline of Viridian

Honorable Mentions: Bisquick, Phillite, Sharktail, Shazbot

Doodle Duels - Familiar Swordfighting Tournament (4th)
Swordfighting tournament, 6 pm PST
 * 1st: Red/green parrot and a red potted tropical plant.
 * 2nd: Ancient calendar and a red potted tropical plant.
 * 3rd: White big cat and a red potted tropical plant.
 * 4th: Red nautilus shell and a red potted tropical plant.



Hullmark Carrrds (5th)
I've gotten a new job, and am now the CEO (Chief Eating Officer) of a brand new pirate greeting card company. Hullmark Carrrrds strives to bring pirate cheer for all occasions no matter how big or how obscure. Unfortunately, we have grossly underestimated the number of holidays and observances this month. We need your help doodlers! Help us create cards for the other holidays and observances this month other than Christmas.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 59; Winners received a navy orchid.

Winners:
 * Sadiekate of Midnight

Honorable Mentions: Aisso, Cambiata, Kingpriam, Llama, Merethif

Weekend Doodle: Noodle Doodle (6-7th)
I've been told several times since I became an OM that I've lost my noodle. This is true, I got hungry a nefarious art thief has absconded with my noodle art collection! As any child could tell you, there is no higher form of art than macaroni. I used to have several works by some of the greatest artists of our time including Bertolli, Kraft, and Boyardee. These works were tragically lost in one unfortunate sleepwalk snacking incident visit from a cat burglar. I need you, my doodlers, to create some works of piraty art out of noodles. Show us the beauty that is food and paste!

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 27; Winners received a tan/maroon ribbon and honorable mentions received a winter ornament.

Winners:
 * Bisquick of Midnight

Honorable Mentions: Deedeeiam, Domokun, Ellenya, Herowena

Arr Birthday (8th)
It's Arr Birthday! Five years ago today, Puzzle Pirates waved goodbye to Beta testing and launched live to the public. Many changes have come along since then; we've even expended to new oceans. You did so well with Cronus' Hullmark Carrrds on Friday, I thought I'd give ye another opportunity to demonstrate yarrr skills!

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 33; Winners received a "birthday" ornament.

Winners:
 * Jolyma of Malachite

Honorable Mentions: Fizz, Zandia, Sallymae, Queasy, Greylady

Entries of Note: Poppins, Saruka

Watch out for that... (9th)
After our recent expedition into Cursed Isles, where Cronus ran us into the rocks, a particular jungle song about trees was stuck in my head. I'd like you to come up with a proposal for a new type of hazard for our battle navigation board. It's up to you if it's specific to one environment or available in them all. I'd like to see some type of concept art, as well as a write-up explaining the proposal. DO NOT spend too much time on your art today! For judging purposes, your score will be 25% concept art, 25% write-up of your proposal (how well you get your idea across), and 50% just on how much I like the idea itself and how much thought it looks like you've put into the details.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 53; Winners received a sloop.

Winners: Proposal: The Leviathan's (Hunting) Territory
 * Merethif of Viridian
 * Environment: It would be suitable for Atlantis Outpost. Also it is good option for Admiral Finius' Flotillas and Blockades.
 * Description: The Leviathan's Territory may take size from 3 x 3 squares up to 9 x 9 squares. It is marked by four bubbles that are always placed in four corner squares, but apart from this, it doesn't differ from ordinary sea squares. When the vessel ends its move on one of the squares within the Leviathan Territory AND its damage meter is filled in 75% or more at the end of the round the vessel risks being devoured. The risk is 3% for the first round and additional 3% for any consecutive round spent on this LT. Sailing off the territory cancel all accumulated risk (even if a vessel comes back and ends its move on the same LT the same round). There can be more then one Leviathan Territory on one board. If the two LTs overlapping the risk of being devoured cumulates (ex. Vessel goes into LT A - risk of being devoured comes to 3%. Next turn this sloop moves into overlapping area and the risk comes to 9% (6% for being for the second turn on LT A plus 3% of being for the first round on LT B)
 * Damage: Permanent vessel lost. Just like with ordinary sinking you can get bludgeon or injury (maybe new bludgeon option: Leviathan Tooth?!).

Picture below shows the hazardous squares - all Whirlpools and Winds are unaffected even if situated within the LT:

Honorable Mention: Hornitoad, Silverstache, Phillite, Cinquains, Hippo, Greyhawk, Asheme, Fewmets, Alethia, Feylind, Deedeeiam, Faeree, Adrielle

Entries of Note: Bisquick, Domokun, Pletoo

Doodle Doubloon Drop - Familiar Treasure Drop Tournament (10th)
Treasure drop tournament, 9 pm PST
 * 1st: Maroon octopus and a festive fir.
 * 2nd: Ancient Calendar and a festive fir.
 * 3rd: White big cat and a festive fir.
 * 4th: Maroon/rose heart-shaped winter ornament and a festive fir.



Uncharted Waters (11th)
Initially, I was going to have you take an existing book cover and redesign it with a pirate theme. This felt a bit too much like previous doodles (movie poster/record jacket), and I realized I had too much art this week! Instead, I have designed a book cover (did I mention I'm no Arrrtist?). Your task today is to write the blurb that goes on the back of the book jacket!

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 44; Winners received a sloop.

Winners:
 * Feylind of Midnight
 * "The island's name is Gloriana."


 * From a grizzled old salt drunk on grog, Captain Seahawk hears the tale of the secret island home of the Ocean Masters. Situated in the uncharted sea south of the Diamond Archipeligo, no pirate ship has ever sailed there and survived.


 * Eager to make a name for himself, Seahawk assembles a crew off the notice board and sets sails in search of the fabled island. He soon finds hardest part of the trip may dealing with his new crew.


 * Brucex, the curmudgeonly first mate is sneaking extra grog. Sarasara, carpenter extraordinare, throws an tantrum any time she's asked to do any other duty. Or when she has to deal with Lovesick Jack, who seranades her constantly from his bilge pump. And no one has patience with the cabin boy, charles, who has yet to learn how to use the shift key.


 * But the search for Gloriana holds external challenges as well. The crew encounters sea monsters, storms, and a cackling Ocean Master who periodically whisks aboard to taunt them with the futility of their quest.


 * Somehow Seahawk must unify his crew and lead them through danger into the unknown heart of the Ocean Master's power.


 * The first book in the "Isle of the Masters" Trilogy.


 * A magnificent read from an exciting new voice in pirate fiction. -- OM Times


 * Sharktail of Sage
 * With their vessel sunken, a handful of pirates find themselves marooned on a strange shore. Seeking shelter in an abandoned shack on the outskirts of the jungle, all seems rather perfect on their island of paradise. White sand beaches, crystal clear water, lush green vegetation... what could be better?


 * It is not until the moon reigns upon the horizon that the spit-of-land's appealing aura collapses, for a toxic cloud transcends upon the isle. Groans and whispers held by an untold terror echoes through the dark. Chantings of a long-lost language leaks from inland. Members of the castaway crew disappear one by one in their sleep.


 * As the group happens upon a deserted dingy, they realize at this time they must face their worst fear of all; choosing whether they shall stay on the curse'd island and risk waiting to be rescued or set sail into the green fog that lurks off the tide and lead themselves into uncharted waters...

Honorable Mentions: Rhodin, Fizz, Budclare, Boysintime, Sandiibottom, Sallymae, Mokume, Alvan

Oceanterpiece (12th)
Your task for my last day? I'm planning on having a large number of hungry pirates over for meals during the holidays, but my table looks so...boring and bland. What I really need, is something to jazz it up a little. A good centerpiece should do the trick! Of course, to fit my decor, it really needs to be fashioned out of things from the sea.

Your task today is to design a table-top furniture item for use in game. It has to be made completely from things you would find in the sea, and be suitable for use as a table holiday centerpiece. Once again, you're welcome to use in-game images, pictures you find on the web, or your own drawings, or anything else you can think of.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 34; Winners received a knobby coral.

Winners:
 * Alvan of Midnight

Entries of Note: Therunt, Merethif, Sharktail

Honorable Mentions: Queasy, Pletoo, Herowena, Greylady, Alethia, Jinxplus

Weekend Doodle: Ornament Adornment (13-14th)
My family has a lovely tradition; every year we make one new Christmas tree ornament for each child so that when they grow up and leave home they will have a set of ornaments to start decorating their own Christmas tree. This year I'm after inspiration and I'm hoping that you fine Doodlers will give me some!

Your weekend doodle task is to make a Christmas ornament that can be hung on a Christmas tree. The ornament you create must relate in some way to Puzzle Pirates. How you make your ornament is completely up to you. It can be sewn, molded, drawn, sculpted, carved, stuffed, baked, glued - anything! You just need to be able to hang it on a Christmas tree once you have finished.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 26; Winners received a wreath, festive fir, and winter ornament and honorable mentions received a winter ornament.

Winners:
 * Yetidave of Midnight

Honorable Mentions: Deedeeiam, Ellenya, Asheme, Copperkatie, Queasy

OM for a Day Doodle (15th)
I have a terrible conundrum, and was hoping you could all help me out. One day, a forlorn young pirate will petition, asking: "Gaea, life seems remarkably similar to what it was in September. Woe! How can I make my piratey experience more seasonal and festive?" What will I do?

I plan to be prepared!

I am asking you all to pretend you are Oceanmasters for the next 24 hours. A pirate has petitioned, as above, and it's up to you to make sure his piratey life becomes full of seasonally-appropriate fun and merriment, using a two-hundred-word petition answer.

You may use links to helpful reference pages in your answer, provided they're ones I wouldn't worry about linking someone to! Be as silly and playful or as serious and explanatory as you like. Since you're representing the company today, spelling will count, so make sure you check for typos!

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 24; Winners received a maroon daisy.

Winners:
 * Merethif of Viridian
 * Mate,
 * It's not easy to experience the spirit of winter holiday when you are acting in the same manner as usual. Try to forget about voyages to sunken temples of the ancients and foresaken isles of unspeakable horrors. Do not ponder about blockades and pillages. Avoid packed and busy town centres - it's dubious that you will find true winter bliss there.


 * Instead set sails and chart your vessel to some distant, uncolonized island. You can take a hearty for this journey - someone most precious for you - but try to withdraw from buzzling social life for a while. I'm sure that picturesque winter landscapes on Kuhio or snowy peaks of Nova will take your breath away. The spirit of winter holiday will surely appear after a walk along the cost of Yax Mutal, with snow crunching below your feets and your hearty beside you.


 * Also You can try to evoke the spirit of winter holiday by giving gifts to your hearties. Sharing with others is one of the main idea of this joyful time. You can already find many marvelous gifts in Palace Shop, and rumour has it that there are more to come.


 * Gaea


 * If all fails try this.


 * Marcyss of Sage
 * Greetings, young pirate.


 * Seasonal things can be helped along by dressing in style. In October, wear orange, November wear brown, and December red and/or green.


 * Another thing is that there are some special things that happen during these times, if you notice an update you might be able to access these.


 * Go to the "Ye" panel on the right side of your screen when logging on. Click the button called "Options", which will bring up a screen. Click the 2nd tab labeled "General", then look for the box next to "Enable special even effects" and click it on. During December, for example, snow will show up. Only problem with Special event effects is that it may slow down your system.


 * Another thing that may add to seasonal things is when logging on you get a notice board, and check the Events tab for monthly fun, and keep an eye out for seasonal competitions, which often show up near Halloween & Christmas, to name a couple.


 * Hope that helps, and good luck expanding your piratey experience!

Honorable Mentions: Hawkings, Clarielle, Mokume, Jolyma, Sallymae

Unusually Festive (16th)
Much like Hera, I love decorations. I think there is nothing better than to see a house all covered in sparkly lights, and to leave the tinsel to someone else to sweep up in January. Paper decorations, plastic ones, glass ones, metal ones, everything shiny brings me pleasure.

I've noticed, though, that trees and windows and whatnot seem to get all the attention. Other parts of the house are sadly neglected, poor things! *sniff* I think we should bring cheer to otherwise cheerless places this year. Let 2008 be the Year of the Weird Decorated Thing!

Your task today is to decorate something in your home which would not ordinarily be decorated. It can be anything at all - decorate the hamster, if you can get it to sit still long enough! You may decorate it any way you like.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 20; Winners received a white daisy.

Winners:
 * Hawkings of Viridian

Honorable Mentions and Entries of Note: Guppygurl, Rhodin, Herowena, Framling, Missjessica, Jolyma, Bisquick, Therunt

A Well-Ordered Tale (17th)
Today's task is deceptively simple: write a short story about winter at sea, with at least twelve sentences, and no more than three hundred words.

No problem, right? But because the holidays are a time to be Evil (no?), there is a catch! No two sentences may start with the same letter, and all sentences must be in alphabetical order by first letter. They do not need to start with the same letter, and you may skip letters, but you cannot have, for instance, a sentence starting with C before a sentence starting with A. Bonus points for using Q, X, or Z.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 34; Winners received a gold daisy.

Winners:


 * Jolyma of Malachite (whose adorable tale of the redemption of piratekind warmed the icy cockles of my heart.)


 * A long time ago there lived an old pirate. Because pirates were considered 'bad' he noticed that each Christmas the piratey children were given coal in their stockings. "Coal is unacceptable!" he exclaimed. During the early winter, he fashioned toys in the hold of his ship. Eagerly he awaited Christmas Eve, when he would surprise everyone. For two months he laid his plans. "Gather as many charts as you can find," he told his crew.


 * He set back stores of rum, and decided to leave the cannonballs at home. "I will have to trust to luck this time," he thought to himself. Jack, his First Mate, took matters into his own hands, and spread word about the docks to some pirates, who would run interference if needed. Keeping in the spirit of things, his crew started calling themselves elves.


 * Looking through his hold one last time, the old pirate was happy. Mounds of toys were in every available space. Nighttime would see him setting sail under a full moon and clear skies. Only a terrible disaster could stop him now.


 * Port was calm that night. Quietly, his crew readied for anchors away. Running his hand over the wheel of his ship, the old pirate heard a step, and he turned. "Santa!" he cried out.


 * The jolly old elf himself stood there on the pirate ship. "Until this year," Santa said, "I've always thought pirates should be on the naughty list. Very good, my boy, very good. Why don't you let me help out?"


 * "Xebec away!" shouted the old pirate, starting the trip of a lifetime.


 * Yawning with the dawn, he was still amazed at the night he had. "Zebras flying wouldn't even have beaten it." he thought as he laid down, already planning for next year.


 * Sarahsparrow of Midnight (My heart, now warmed up, had itself a good race at your tale of peril on the high seas.)


 * A gale of a snowstorm had come out of nowhere. Barking orders at the crew, Captain Hawke attempted to ride out the storm. "Cockroaches, the lot of you!" the captain yelled, as yet another mast threatened to break under the strain of the wind.


 * "Don't blame us captain!" a sailor cried. "Even Poseidon would fear taking a dive in this weather!"


 * Finally, the winds and hail died down enough for the sailors to climb the lines. Great navigator he may be, but Hawke knew he couldn't reach port before the storm finished them all. "Heave to and take in sails! I want that that anchor in the water now!"


 * Jack-a-napes they may be, but the crew knew when the captain meant business. Kicking the anchor when it refused to budge, the boson yelped. Low temperatures had frozen the anchor in place. "Methinks Fortune has forsaken us Captain: the anchor be solid ice!"


 * "Ne'ertheless, we'll get through the storm!" Hawke proclaimed. On the horizon, all was grey. Passing on the current was their own flotsam. Quaking, the ship still managed to stay afloat.


 * Relaxing somewhat now that they had escaped death, the crew watched the scene surrounding them. Snow and hail everywhere, forming a layer of white on the deck. Tossing in the wind, the frigate seemed much tinier than it had that morning. Underneath the deck, gunners lashed down anything that wasn't bolted. Vessels sunk often from cannons exploding against the hulk with enough force to crash through to the waiting sea. Waves forced their way onto the deck trying their utmost to sweep men overboard. Xavier Hawke was in his element. "Ye'll never have me Davy Jones!" he hollered. Zealous to the end, as the war between Mother Nature and his own defiance waged on.

Honorable Mentions:

- Alethia of Midnight for making me giggle more than was probably appropriate. Revenge upon Cronus is sweet.

- Aubrey on Malachite, whose story was very poetic.

- Kmf of Midnight - I wasn't expecting that ending! Oh my. Shame about the X.

- Sallymae of Viridian, for the guts to start off with the letter O! Braver woman than I, Sallymae.

- Kalvyn of Cobalt - oooh, atmospheric. *shiver*

- Hawkings, of Viridian - I do have a weakness for swashbuckling!

- Bisquick, Midnight - I have this funny little picture of zombies with more parts falling off than usual. BrrrRRRrrR. You win the Gaea's Delight trophy!

- Marcyss, Sage - aww, poor New Guy. Bless his little cotton bandana.

- Deedeeiam - lag fairies? That explains it!

More Than The Sum Of Its Parts (18th)
We have an art challenge for you today, but it's a bit different. Instead of drawing or sculpting something, I'm asking you to stick together images items which can be found in the game to make something else, with a winter theme. A collage, if you will. The only rule here is that you cannot use an item to be part of a bigger version of that item - no big boots made of little boots!

You're welcome to use screenshots and crop the items yourself, but you may find it easier to look up the item on the YPPedia, which contains many handy pre-cropped images, such as on this list of floor furniture. Any items from the game may be used, including pirates.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 28; Winners received a light green daisy.

Winners:


 * Queasy of Viridian

Honorable Mentions:

- Padmemaster - I love the simplicity of your ship. It was exactly as it needed to be!!

- Greylady of Malachite. Fish skeletons mean this should be the second creepiest tree I've ever seen (the creepiest ever involved anthropomorphic poodles dressed in Victorian wedding clothes). Creepy in concept, but very pretty in execution.

- Jolyma - I love how cut-and-paste this is. It's something I can see having done by cutting things out and using a gluestick, getting all sticky myself. It made me cheerfully nostalgic.

- TheRunt of Cobalt - something about the flag monument trees is very original. I liked that.

- Flutie, Midnight - goodness! The detail in that. It must have taken a long time. I hope you didn't strain your eyes?

- Kaidi of Sage. Your husband is entirely right about you being nuts, but on the other hand, how cool is that?

- Hawkings, Viridian - such a classic winter scene. I love it.

- Forsakn, Cobalt - So pretty and detailed!

- Missjessica, Sage. 3D Rudolph! So cool! You win the Gaea's Delight award today.

Doodle Drinking - Familiar Drinking Tournament (19th)
Drinking tournament, 4am PST.
 * 1st:
 * 2nd:
 * 3rd:
 * 4th:



Weekend Doodle: Corsair Caroling (20th-21st)
With hope everyone has finished all of their necessary holiday preparations, so now they can settle down to enjoy the festivities. And what better way to do so than to sing about your enjoyment.

To take part in the weekend doodle, you merely need to perform a piratey holiday carol. This may be a variation on a classic tune or something entirely original.

Then you must upload your performance to the Puzzle Pirates YouTube group.

Post a link to your performance here. Include your pirate and ocean with your post.

Seasonally and thematically appropriate costumes, accouterments, and other props are encouraged. Choreography will be greatly enjoyed. I will allow a lot of leeway for the definition of a 'performance'.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Winners:
 * Best Expended Effort to Upload the Video: Kaidi of Sage (YouTube Link)
 * Best Drawing Choreography: Paean of Viridian (YouTube Link)
 * Best Pirate Accent in a Video: Asheme of Malachite (YouTube Link)
 * Best Original Carol: Therunt of Cobalt (YouTube Link)
 * Best Use of Photos in a Video: Tonyanator of Sage (YouTube Link)

Entries: 13; Winners received a.

Uncyclopedia (22nd)
Sometimes it's important to know what something isn't, as much as what it is. So, today, I would like you to write an encyclopedia article on the subject "Hephaestus" which is as far from the truth as it is possible to be, For instance, if I were to write an article which began "Hephaestus is a liqueur brewed by the Inuit of Greenland, made out of penguins..." then that would be a good start.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 32; Winners received a maroon orchids.

Winners:
 * Kalvyn of Cobalt
 * Hephaestus is a term for an esoteric type of glassware used by post-modern cultural groups on the North American continent. Glass vessels in this style have noteworthy shards rimming the cup haphazardly, and are often composed of various other broken and reused glassware. Beverages consumed from these cups often have a slightly chemical taste, due to the glue used to fashion them. The style was named after Salvador "Hephaestus" Dali, a notable expert on beer glass manufacturing, and the man who first adopted it.


 * Historically, use of Hephaestus Glassware developed out of necessity. The 1985 trade embargo between the United States of America and Vanuatu was followed by the America-Vanuatu War, having catastrophic consequences on the price of quality glassware in North America. The Third Annual Vanatuan Glazz for Life Festival of 1986 drew over 90% of the registered glass artisans from the United States, making it one of the most popular events ever hosted in the Vanuatuan capital. During the second week of festival on May 1, 1986, the military junta of Vanuatu declared war against the United States of America due to increased tensions over the previous trade embargo. In an attempt to cripple the economy of the USA in a pre-emptive strike, all American glass artisans within Vanuatu's borders were detained and executed. There are no known survivors to this date.


 * Unable to cope with the strain on quality artisan labour, glassware production factories were shut down across the United States. The result for alcoholic beverage consumption across the country was devastating. Wine makers were hit especially hard by a bottle deficit, leading to the adoption "wine in a box", albeit reluctantly. Pubs, night clubs and trendy French restaraunts all reported irreparable losses. Salvador "Hephaestus" Dali, a French-Canadian living in San Francisco, owned a local brewery and beer glass factory during these troubled times. With a deficit of broken glasses to those produced, he adopted a creative solution. Noticing that the esoteric shapes of broken shards of glass could be super glued together in a makeshift style to create new glassware, he was able to opt for artistic, and still quasi-efficient vessels for beverage consumption. Drinking establishments across the country adopted "Hephaestus" immediately, and recouped losses even against a rising legal and medical expense. The American economy quickly recovered to pre America-Vanuatu War levels.


 * In 1989, Salvador "Hephaestus" Dali was nominated for the Noble Prize for Alcohol.

Honorable Mentions: Calamarie, Shazbot, Asheme, Boysintime, Lamoxlamae

Have Yourself An Abstract Little Christmas (23rd)
Wikipedia's article on abstract art says "Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which exists independently of visual references to the world." And that's what we're going to do today. I would like you to create a piece of abstract art, in the style of one of the great abstract artists, such as Piet Mondrian, Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock or Wassily Kandinsky. (You shouldn't feel constrained by this small list, nor should you feel constrained to find a different artist *not* on this list). The objective of the piece is to evoke the spirit of Christmas.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 35; Winners received a maroon orchids.

Winners:
 * Kaidi of Sage

Honorable Mentions: Dexla, Sallymae, Stabatha, Happyharlot, Xeitgeist

It's Not Christmas Until Noddy Says It Is (24th)
There is a saying around here*, "It's Not Christmas Until Noddy Says It Is." That is, you can't say it's Christmas until you've heard Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody", and heard Noddy Holder scream "IT'S CHRIIIIIIISTMAAAAAAAS!!!" The Brits among you will be nodding along in sage agreement. Others may not be so sure what I'm talking about, and may therefore not realise that they've never, truly, experienced Christmas. But that's OK, because we're going to put that right, right now.

This is Slade, singing "Merry Xmas Everybody" on the British chart show Top Of The Pops, back in 1983.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=6OAUs0rcsA4

This is an online Karaoke site on which you can record a copy yourself:

http://www.yoosing.com/index.php?task=karaoke&action=search&searchby=title&title=Merry%20Xmas%20Everybody

I think you know what's coming next. I'd like you to record your own version of "Merry Xmas Everyone", and let everyone around you know that it's Christmas. Pay special attention to the point near the end of the YouTube video, where Noddy tells us all it's Christmas, because I'll be paying special attention to that part of *your* recording.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 12; Winners received a maroon orchids.

Winners:
 * Tonyanator
 * Xeitgeist of Sage

Honorable Mentions: Sallymae, Greylady, Sundancer and Ferus.

Build Your Own Festive Familiar (25th)
Today, I'd like you to build, using festive materials, your own familiar! Primarily, I'm expecting, predominantly, to see wrapping paper used here, but feel free to throw in the odd christmas card or decoration, sprig of holly, or anything else that says Christmas to you. Tape and glue are permitted, but let's not have any tape-and-glue familiars with a little Christmas bow on top :)

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 16; Winners received a maroon orchids.

Winners:
 * Yetidave of Midnight

Honorable Mentions: Mokume, Sallymae, Crystalclaws, TheRunt and Sundancer.

Boxing Day Boxing - Familiar Rumbling Tournament (26th)
Rumbling tournament, 12 pm PST
 * 1st: Purple Octopus and white/red heart shaped bauble
 * 2nd: white/red spherical bauble
 * 3rd: white/red heart shaped bauble
 * 4th: white/red spherical bauble



Doodle Duo Doozy (27th-28th)
Doodle Number 1 - Trivial Details Part Deux Thanks to the help of many other OMs; we've brought back the "Trivial Details" Doodle with all new questions. We've kept it to 20, plus your pirate name and ocean at the end. You don't need to post anything here in this thread to enter this part of the weekend doodle, just complete the quiz. Please do not discuss the questions or answers in this (or any other) thread. If you run into major problems, do post about those, and we'll do our best to get them straightened out.

You can find this year's Trivial Details here: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228N2Q37CJZ

Winner posted Daleen from Midnight wins One Glaucus egg & some baked goods for being a smart cookie.

Doodle Number 2 - Drop It! One of the seasonal traditions in the US is to drop a time ball to mark the start of the New Year. The most well-known drop takes place in Times Square, New York City, with as many as 1 million revelers watching its sparkly descent. Many other locations do their own version of "the drop" with things like fruit, cheese, fish, and more balls. So if you haven't guessed yet, your job this weekend is to come up with your own version of a New Year's Drop.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 11; Winners received various prizes.

Winners:


 * Lamoxlamae wins a Glaucus Egg for using her noggin to create the Rube-Goldberg New Year's machine.


 * Yetidave wins a fruitcake for being nuts and creating the most unusual drop, and a watery blue plant just in case the fruitcake can't be destroyed.


 * Queasy wins a snowy-gingerbread swirl ornament and matching plant for planking a tasty-looking ship and making quite the impression on the snow.


 * Fizz wins a citrus-swirled ornament and matching plant for the wordplay and the octopus that refused to let go.

Honorable Mentions:

Elyzabeth who gets a fuzzy kitty ball for the cutest carnage.

Faeree who gets a duck duck ball for the best sound effects.

Asheme who gets a water-soaked ball for a splashtastic grand finale.

Hawkings who gets the ex-poinsettia ball for a clever drop rig and suspenseful build-up.

Sallymae who gets the toasty jello ball for best attempt to bribe the judge, and giving the neighbors a reason to wonder what that creepy red snow is.

Greylady who gets a fuzzy wuzzy ball for an adorable plankdown and silly sound effects.

Bisquick who gets an I-don't-know-what-apples-have-to-do-with-bunnies-but-I-liked-the-twist-at-the-end ball.

Sign of the Times (29th)
The aim is to draw a scene from the game. You can draw any scene you wish, and it must have one addition to the normal game art - a sign. I've decided that we don't have enough safety or information signage in the game; we should be warned about potential hazards, local rules, told about useful information or interesting locations. So, your picture should feature a relevant sign to your scene. The sign might be affixed to a wall, attached to a pole, a sticker... whatever is appropriate; you can create a sign completely from your imagination or you can use or parody a real-life sign.

Judging will be based not just on the quality of the artwork, but also on the humor and relevance (to the game and to the scene) of the sign included.

If you feel unequal to the task of creating a piece of artwork from scratch, you may use game art and doctor it if you wish - doing your own art will score more highly on the artwork quality criterion, of course!

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 13; Winners received a orange orchid.

Winners:


 * Falmari of Malachite

Honorable Mentions: Therunt, Happyharlot, Oceanrose, Sallymae and Pareia.

Snow, PoE, or YoHoHo!(30th)
My dear doodlers, you have reached nearly the end of the month without being asked to produce a limerick. We can't have this! There must be limericks! So today, your task is to write a single Limerick. The Limerick must mention one of the following items: snow (or wintery weather of some kind), PoE (or some other form of currency) or YoHoHo (or something else from a piratey song). You may include more than one of these elements if you wish, but you only need to include one to meet the requirements.

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 28; Winners received a lime rose.

Winners:


 * Aubrey of Malachite


 * A pirate went out in the snow.
 * To fill up his pockets with poe.
 * He slipped on the ice.
 * And cut his ear thrice.
 * And now his friends call him Van Gogh.


 * Siah of Viridian
 * An old gambling pirate of note
 * 'Oft bet all the Poe in his coat
 * The silly old coot
 * Lost all of his loot
 * With 'Lucker!' his final /emote

Close runners-up: Kargach and Greylady.

Honorable mentions: Sarahsparrow, Happyharlot, Sallymae, Mabelann, Styrian, Sundancer, Alethia and Herowena.

The Doodle Reloaded (31st)
For the last Doodle of the month, I'd like you to look back over the month of Doodles and choose a contest from earlier in the month to post an entry for. It might be one that you missed at the time and wanted to have a go at. It might be one that you did, and then had a much better idea 24 hours later! It might be one that you had a lot of fun doing, and wouldn't mind doing again with a second idea! Above all, have fun!

There are only two caveats:
 * Don't do an entry for a Doodle that you previously won (honorable mentions are fine, though)
 * You can do most of the weekend Doodles, but not the trivia quiz!

Contest announcement, Winners posted

Entries: 13; Winners received a magenta daisy.

Winners:


 * Sundancer reloaded Uncyclopedia

Hephaestus

Hephaestus is a colloquialism from the Victorian era. It referenced the tightening of a corset, and could be used either as a noun or a verb. It was most popular among young women, and was considered to be slightly scandalous when used in public, as was any discussion of ladies undergarments.

The exact origin of the word has been in much debate with scholars, but the most universal theory is that it derived from an expression commonly used during the actual corset tightening process. The corset wearer would take a deep breath, and then call out - "Pull stays!". As the corset got tighter and tighter, the breathing and the call came out in gasps, sounding something like: "hai! - pustas!"

Honorable Mentions: Herowena, Hawkings and Greylady.

End of Doodles party invitation
This will be held between 12 noon and 4pm game time on Wednesday 31st December at Zeus's Estate on Sage Ocean. A noticeboard whisk will be up on the noticeboard for the whole party, on the events tab of the noticeboard.

There will be local tournaments, chat, random questions, prize challenges (both carousing and creative) and portrait easels for anyone who wants to make use of them. I'll be there throughout, and several other OceanMasters are going to be there for some of the time! It's also a great opportunity to meet in-game with people who you've been sharing these contest threads with all month!

Just for this event, as I'm only hosting it on one ocean - if you win a trinket in a challenge from me during this party, you can request for it to be delivered to the pirate/ocean of your choice, and I will do so after the party.

Please come and play!

Random prizes
Deliciously random prizes go to the following Doodlers, in celebration of taking part!

Rowyerboat of Hunter magenta orchid

Delores of Sage magenta orchid

Boysintime of Viridian magenta orchid

Tilinka of Sage magenta orchid

Queasy of Viridian magenta orchid

Duelmaster of Sage magenta/gold winter ornament

Sisqi of Midnight magenta/gold winter ornament

Clarielle of Hunter magenta/gold winter ornament

Guppyzra of Hunter magenta/gold winter ornament

Happyharlot of Viridian magenta/gold winter ornament

Dedicated Doodlers
Four players participated in every Doodle:

Fizz received an Apollo doll and gold/gold cat

Greylady received a Hephaestus doll and gold/gold cat

Hawkings received a Gaea doll and gold/gold cat

Sallymae received a Galene doll and gold/gold cat

Other links
December Daily Doodles forum discussion thread

Tournament schedule thread

Artpad

Event Articles

 * December Doodles: 2012
 * December Daily Doodles: 2011
 * December Daily Doodles: 2010
 * December Daily Doodles: 2009
 * December Daily Doodles: 2007