Well, frankly, this sucks.

When I put up the thread in the ImaginatUr group discussion for the 15th issue, I had no way of knowing that it would be the last.

And so begins the 13th age... snap by FyodorD

I haven’t been in the game very much for the past week.  I go in and just stand there, wondering what I should do.  I always had plenty to do before the announcement, but now when I go in the world, I just sort of wander around aimlessly, talk to a few people, then leave.

I thought this was a great forum thread.  Lots of good info and links there.  If you want to check out other games, this is a good group.

I have a few things to say about the staff…

I can’t believe Kip joined in issue 5 – it feels like he’s always been involved.  Kip has never missed an issue since then. He’s been instrumental in editing, proofreading, and helping to get articles posted. By the time the rest of us got off our butts to write something, he already had his articles written and ready to go long before.  When my brain was paralyzed with the realization that Glitch was closing, he got us all rounded up again to talk about the last issue.

Soupie started by writing some articles but quickly became the go-to gal for the beautiful classified ads she made for towers and groups.  We developed a friendship over collaborating for this little paper.  I found myself going to her more and more to ask what she thought about this and that and she always had an honest and well-thought-out opinion.  The banner for this last issue was her idea and she executed it brilliantly.

le beebs has been gone for awhile, but her enthusiasm in the beginning was what kept me going.  Dear Beebs was one of the best columns and I was always delighted by her answers.  Artilect and Varaeth were also instrumental in the beginning.  As representative for the Sandbox group, Artilect sent me Mission Reports to publish, even made it a mission to contribute!  Varaeth is a snap-taking and screen-shotting machine and contributed a lot of snaps and photos to accompany various stories.  RobMagus was with us in the very beginning and wrote our mission statement.  Lara submitted such sweet original comics.  Those were fun days!

Raevyn Grovemother contributed to many issues writing about what she knows best – gardens and homes!  And food!  And animals!  Grovemother’s Corner covered such a wide variety of topics and the way she writes is so warm and inviting.  MoM4.6 wrote some of the most entertaining articles.  The Bog Spa Adventures is probably my favorite article – so creative!  Cheese Danish King joined us for the last couple of issues with her amusing tower reviews.  FyodorD only contributed to one issue, but it was one of the most imaginative stories we’ve ever published.

Miss Portinari innocently published a horoscope on the general forum one day and found herself near-stalked by a couple of us to join and write tarot readings.  She graciously agreed, and the Tarotscope was born.  She has been a regular contributor since then and we are so grateful she wasn’t totally creeped out by our gentle encouragement!  And Mocha Maid came up with the brilliant idea of actually creating the cards that go with – I am so sad that I’ll never have a full deck.

Did you ever wonder who Inari Deeps Throat was?  Inari was the one who slipped me the scoops about the foxes and toast (whatever happened to that??) and despite telling me she “couldn’t write,” ended up contributing this hilarious article about the moving box.  Working on those “breaking news” articles was the best fun and I’m grateful that she shared her info with me!  And who was it?  None other than ping.

Thanks to everyone who contributed articles, snaps, and ideas.  I appreciated those contributions so much and was always thrilled when someone emailed me or sent me an IM to talk about ideas for the paper.  Thanks to all the Glitchen that agreed to be interviewed.  Most of all, thanks to everyone who read the ImaginatUr and left comments and words of encouragement.  I will miss working on this so so very much.  I will miss seeing you all in the game.  I don’t know what direction theimaginatur.com will take now, if any.  I do plan on leaving it all up for a very long time.

Lovingly stitched together and edited by Soupie!

I wonder what the Glitchen in the first half of the word were having, and why they didn’t share with the back half….

Lastly – thank you to Tiny Speck, of course.  Without you, the ImaginatUr would have never been imagined.

I have nothing to say except that I love you guys and I will miss this for more reasons than you could ever know.

A view of uutif right after the announcement of closing. Players left hundreds of notes and tributes to the game.

by Raevyn Grovemother

What did you just say??

We’ve all read the various articles on, and interviews with, TS’ head honcho Stewart Butterfield, known to us as stoot barfield. We’ve seen the intelligent, insightful responses and admired the man who led the creation of this little world we call “home.”

A little over three months ago, we here at the ImaginatUr thought it was time that our readers had the chance to get inside stoot’s head a little bit more. I contacted him in-game and he was amenable. I made arrangements to email him my interview questions. And waited for a response.

And I waited. And I poked him. And he said “Soon.” And I waited some more. And Editor-in-Chief ennuienta poked him. And he made promises. And I waited.

With the world ending in a few days, there’s no time left. So, I decided to get my interview or die trying!

Before the most recent Feat (which released Stoot Dolls to all participants), there was only one prototype Stoot Doll, an item that existed in the hands of one lucky and mysterious person. Utilizing my secret agent skills and contacts, however, I managed to get my sticky little fingers on it.

I cracked open my Craftybot and replaced its subpar circuitry with the guts of the Stoot Doll prototype. The prototype Stoot Doll, much like those received by Feat participants, comes with a selection of statements made by stoot, recorded in real life (presumably, by TS staffers). But many of its recordings are different from those found on the now common Stoot Doll. Reader beware!

I sat down with my suddenly surprisingly responsive Stootybot and finally got that interview that we’ve all been waiting for. Enjoy!

Kip: Hi stoot! Thanks for joining me today and letting me ask you some questions.

Stootybot: Whuutever.

Kip: A lot has happened since I last spoke with you in game. The biggest thing is, of course, the announcement that TS is closing Glitch and moving on to other projects. Can you tell me what you hoped would happen with Glitch?

Stootybot: Sswarm-a-tron!

Kip: Obviously, you hoped millions of players would join. Is there anything you wanted to do to improve the game before the decision to close was made?

Stootybot: I wanted to make it bigger! How awesome would that be?!

Kip: Back in the beginning, the game faced a number of challenges. What would the worst be?

Stootybot: Right now people basically can’t play the game because it’s so f***in’ slow.

Kip: That was back in alpha, right?

Stootybot: Whuutever.

Kip: Since the announcement of the closure, I’ve read in the forums about people’s end-game goals. Many write about trying to reach level 60 before Dec. 9, about finishing big projects they’ve started, or about making tributes of one kind or another in-game. What response do you have for all these dreams?

Stootybot: Good luck!

Kip: In my original interview, I asked how your life has changed since you became something of a celebrity. You have stalkers in-game now and interviews with lots of important media outlets. How would you describe your life these days?

Stootybot: It’s f***in’ awesome!

Kip: What about stoot’s dreams? Do you dream of becoming a multi-billionaire like Bill Gates?

Stootybot: It’ll happen some day!

Kip: What do your plans for the future include these days?

Stootybot: Fun-fun-fun-fun! F***in’ love it. Fun-fun. More fun!

Kip: I have an idea for a variant of Glitch that would focus on mobile, with a less-important internet component. What do you think of it? *passes Stootybot a written description*

Stootybot: It’s f***in’ awesome! Good luck!

Kip: Thanks for the feedback. Are you interested in investing in it?

Stootybot: Whuutever.

Kip: You’re kind of surly, aren’t you, Stootybot?

Stootybot: That’s good!

Kip: Good?!

Stootybot: It’s f***in’ awesome!

Kip: Right. Okay. Lots of players are thrilled with the sudden release of so many new items and regions in Glitch with the impending closure. Can you tell me why the sudden out-pouring of new content?

Stootybot: I wanted to make it bigger!

Kip: I suppose that would let people squeeze as much fun out of the game as possible in the last weeks.

Stootybot: Whuutever.

Kip: I’m pretty fed up with your attitude, pal. What would you say to a kick in the metal parts?

Stootybot: Good luck!

Kip: Oh yeah? *kicks Stootybot* What do you think of that?

Stootybot: It’s f***in’ awesome!

Kip: Is it? What about this? *throws himself onto the Craftybot, fists and feet flying*

The interview quickly devolved into me pounding my Craftybot into the floor, destroying it. It’s funny how, even with the Stoot Doll brains in it, the Craftybot still requires abuse.

I hope you enjoyed our little chat with stoot!

Year 26, attributed to The Magus and The Emperor, was to be a year of wild energy and creativity. Instead, it marks the end of the 12th Age of Ur, when we will all burn up the last of our resources and our pixelated bodies will return to the Giants.

We were always visitors it this magic world, each of us chose to incarnate (indigitate?!) in Ur, despite knowing that it could not last forever. The only real shock is how soon it will be over.

So why bother with fortune telling at this late hour? The answer is simple: as far as the Tarot is concerned, Death is not the end.

The card for Death – Trump XII – is attributed to the Sign of the Squid, the most mysterious of the Signs. The Squid only appears during the intense visions of the Jethimadh Tower Quest, as part of the journey into the Inner Mind. There are three distinct aspects of the quest, which correspond to three aspects of Death itself.

First of all, there is the most common face of Death – that of simple destruction, or abandonment to deimagination, which is seen in the vision of Area 42. The inhospitable environment, the rooked butterflies, and the cactus who wants it all to go away, these all suggest surrender to death. This is the Sting of the Squid, which in Earthland is the Scorpion.

The next vision is of the Outer Mind, a bending of reality, and a departure from the regular world. This is Death as Change, a shift in perception, and an adaptation to new circumstances. The Squid is flexible, he can shift his shape and teleport through space; in Earthland this flexibility is represented by the Serpent.

The final vision is of the Inner Mind. The Squid is nowhere to be seen, but is there in spirit – for this is the vision where you must become like the Squid and float over the problems below. This is the aspect of Death whereby the immortal Spirit is released from the physical body, symbolized in Earthland by the Eagle.

Through the process of Death, something is destroyed, something changes, and yet something remains untouched. Glitch and Ur as we know it will cease to exist. We will all move onto other adventures, other experiences, and adapt ourselves to new worlds. But after all of this, something will remain unchanged. The friends we met, the experiences we had, the Glitchen we became – those will stay with us.

There are some proclaiming that this was, in fact, the Age of the Rook, and that the Rook has already won. But the Rook has not won, and will not win: its goal was to destroy imagination, and that will only happen after every one of us gives up on imagining.

The Fox: 20th of Bruise @ 12am – 45th of Bruise @ 3:59pm
Five of Drinks – Disappointment
The Sign of the Fox is the first in the cycle of the Zodiac, herald of Spring, and this card certainly captures the mood of the season. The suit of Drinks is normally calm and comfortable, but the Five represents a breakdown of this tranquility. Strong emotions and frustration may disturb your enjoyment. But the card is ruled by Gandlevery, which also rules the Fox – burning energy is in your nature. All of this chaos is an opportunity for growth. The key is balance: steady the flame and you will be able to regain your composure.

The Piggy: 45th of Bruise @ 4pm – 1st of Fever @ 7:59am
Eight of Quills – Interference
Oh Piggy, what will you do with the ground disappearing beneath you? So many thoughts, and they’re all jumbled up against each other. This will be a bad time to get things done – with so much going on, your efforts are bound to be frustrated by unforseen circumstances. Conserve your strength, and don’t allow others to take advantage of your good nature.

The Frogs: 1st of Fever @ 8am – 25th of Fever @ 11:59pm
Nine of Quills – Cruelty
This card represents the darker side of the intellect, when thoughts are disconnected from reality and no empathy is shown. Your mind may be a poisonous place these days, and the longer you stay inside your mind the worse it will get. Artistic expression is one way to remedy this vicious cycle of negativity, simple acceptance is another.

The Crab: 26th of Fever @ 12am – 51st of Fever @ 3:59pm
Prince of Swords
Thoughts are like Cosma’s butterflies – they go anywhere they please and are difficult to control. Now is an excellent time to try new things, be flexible, but beware of distractions and time-wasters. The mind is very good at making up convincing reasons to procrastinate.

II. The Priestess - by Mocha Maid

The Batterfly: 5th of Junuary @ 8am – 11th of Septa @ 11:59pm
Queen of Wands
These are sad times, but it will simply not do to fall prey to melancholy. Better to come out of the cave for a little while and be sociable – it will help to restore your vitality and imagination. You may run into drama, but even that can have creative potential.

VI. The Lovers - by Mocha Maid

The Squid: 24th of Remember @ 4pm – 8th of Widdershins @ 7:59am
Seven of Planks – Valour
You can’t save everything, you but can keep the most important memories alive. Don’t get distracted by parties and socializing until you’ve archived everything that you really want. You will be able, as usual, to muster the strength you need, but will have to give yourself time to rest when this is over.

The Firefly: 8th of Widdershins @ 8am – 33rd of Widdershins @ 11:59pm
X. Fortune
Were you just getting comfortable again, and now the world is crumbling around you? Unfortunately this feeling is not going to go away any time soon, for it is our dreams and desires which keep the Wheel moving. Destruction brings opportunity for new creation, and to meet new friends. The eye of the storm is in your own heart – create peace there and you will weather the changes ahead.

The Sloth: 34th of Widdershins @ 12am – Recurse @ 3:59pm
XI. Lust
Lust is not a controlled passion, it is not a comfortable fireplace – rather it is a violent volcano eruption, a flaming smelter where metal gives up its form and melts with joy. Your creativity knows no bounds, and desires no restrictions. Seek out places where you are able to create and collaborate freely, and above all else, follow your heart.

The Butterfly: 1st of Recurse @ 4pm – 26th of Primuary @ 7:59pm
Eight of Quoins – Prudence
So much has happened, and so quickly, and now we’re nearing the end, a very heavy point in Ur history. This card is one of the last in the deck, and represents a retreat from action to a place of quiet stability. Here you will be able to digest and reflect on all that you’ve experienced, and will emerge a wiser Butterfly.

The Salmon/The Ghost: 26th of Primuary @ 8pm – 19th of Bruise @ 11:59pm
Two of Quoins – Change
The Sign of the Salmon/Ghost concludes the cycle of the Glitchian Zodiac, its mysterious and elusive nature contrasting perfectly with the bright energy of the Fox. Where the Fox’s card (Disappointment) certainly speaks to everyone’s initial reactions to End-of-World, this card is an even more appropriate end point for all of us. Change is the one certain thing in life, indeed life is only possible because living things are able to change and grow. This card is ruled by Silvertongue, which also rules the Sign of the Salmon/Ghost. Accordingly, this spells good luck for you, so long as you keep moving. Embrace the change, and use it to renew yourself.

*more information about the Signs of the Glitchian Zodiac can be found in this forum post, and in Miss Portinari’s Tower. Find your Glitch’s ImaginedDay here. Miss Portinari is also building a website which will persist after the forum and Tower are gone.

Traditional Astrological Symbols - compiled by Miss Portinari

[If you haven't already, please see Chap. 1.]
Upon returning from her letter-delivery errand, Mimsy found her mistress’ home strangely vacant. Miss Ivy Hibbledy-Pibbledy was gone, as were her Cubimal collection, her other outfit, some food, and a few other items.

As a Butler (although Miss Ivy always referred to her as a maid), Mimsy was responsible for the whole home and everything in it. She had a gift, a knack, as it were: she knew where everything was. Therefore, it was no surprise that she immediately noticed that things were missing.

After cataloguing what was gone, she deduced that the home hadn’t been robbed, as she had originally feared, but that her mistress had suddenly departed on a journey of some length. It was only after she had finished her search and gone to the lounge to clean up the tea that she discovered the letter. It lay open amongst the tea things on the table beside Miss Ivy’s favorite armchair.

Any Butler worth the name would never dare to read her mistress’ personal correspondence. But there was a mystery here and this letter might prove to be a clue.

Twoday, 2nd Widdershins, Year 23

The Outside

Dear Miss Hibbledy-Pibbledy,

It is with regret that we inform you that you have been chosen for a campaign of senseless harassment that will likely culminate in your demise. Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience as we track you down across all of Ur, make your existence unbearable, and, ultimately, kill you without prejudice or recourse.

Run, little Glitch, run!

Yours sincerely,

The Rook

Mimsy was shocked at the open threat. How could anyone, even The Rook, dare to threaten her mistress? Miss Ivy was such a charming, gentle soul!

This unexpected threat engaged a little-known and less-used Butler feature: Protection. In the gentle world of Ur, it was rarely necessary for a Butler to protect her mistress but the feature had been built into them as a precaution. It suddenly took precedence over any of Mimsy’s other functions. She must protect Miss Ivy!

But Mimsy had to find her first! Miss Ivy had dashed off without leaving any other clue behind. She could be anywhere in Ur! [Defenseless, frightened, in need of her Butler!] Mimsy would have to rely on the Butler callnet. Another secret feature, it allowed her to communicate with any other Butler in Ur, singly or all at once. It was designed to let Butlers keep tabs on their employers and anticipate their return so that Butlers always appeared to be waiting at the door.

Mimsy sent a comprehensive call. “Attention all Butlers. Missing Glitch: Miss Ivy Hibbledy-Pibbledy. If seen, contact Butler Mimsy directly and do not alert Miss Hibbledy-Pibbledy. That is all.” A detailed description was transmitted automatically, residing in Mimsy’s use of her mistress’ full name.

She waited a few moments to see if there were any immediate responses but she was disappointed by silence and the usual calls of “Master en route, Jeeves.” Her announcement would do little good if Miss Ivy avoided home streets. Butlers rarely left their employers’ homes, their duties keeping them busy enough. In fact, a myth existed among the Glitchen that Butlers were unable to leave the home streets. The Butlers liked to support this myth because it let them do their jobs in the background more efficiently. Mimsy would have to brave the common streets of Ur to search for her mistress, while avoiding being seen herself.

Shutting up the house took only a few moments, as she always kept it clean and tidy anyway. She had to shut down the distillery and harvest the herbs that were ready, storing them in the workroom. She need take nothing with her and, in fact, owned nothing, being well-equipped for her own survival by virtue of her in-built systems. Mimsy locked the door, asked the Magic Rock to alert her if Miss Ivy appeared (the Magic Rocks could send messages through the callnet by passing them to local butlers), and teleported out of there.

*     *     *

When Ivy’s teleportation deposited her in Gregarious Grange, she found herself practically alone on the street. She had hoped that there would be plenty of people about to keep the Rook from singling her out. That’s why it was called Gregarious Grange after all, wasn’t it? But there was only one other Glitch in sight, far down the opposite end of the street. Ivy, suddenly even more fearful, darted into the derelict Gregarious Grange Towers. If she couldn’t blend into crowds, she shouldn’t be seen by anyone.

The lobby of the Towers was shabby and depressing. The staff had obviously relinquished their cleaning duties years before. She wandered desultorily around the lobby, looking into nooks and crannies for anything to suggest a plan of action. The notice board held nothing of interest and the basement stairs looked far too dark and forbidding for her to brave them at this point. She pressed the button for the elevator almost as a joke; she hadn’t expected it to be working. But down the elevator came, pinging upon arrival, and Ivy got in, having decided on the moment to explore the upper levels of the Towers. Perhaps she could hide in one of the disused apartments.

She pressed the button for the top floor, thinking she would explore from the top down. The elevator arrived, the doors opened, and Ivy stepped out. There was nothing much to see in the half-lit hallway, either of interest or of help. The light from chinks in the walls sliced across the dark space, sparking the dust in the air. She took a turn around the top floor, quietly poking into disused packing crates and trying to keep the ubiquitous dust from accumulating on her hair and dress. Finding nothing of interest, she boarded the elevator and descended a floor.

In the semi-dark of the second floor, Ivy wandered around again. She kept her eyes open for anything she might use as a weapon and any place she might hide in. But the dismantled apartments offered no assistance. Their doors were mostly boarded up. The previous tenants had left only trash and the occasional piece of broken furniture behind. The whole building was a disheartening mess.

As Ivy came out of one of the abandoned apartments, she noticed a shape standing among the shadows at the opposite end of the hallway. She couldn’t make the other person out in the darkness but he seemed to be wearing a top hat. A top hat in such a dreary place. How very strange! she thought.

“Hello, Miss Hibbledy-Pibbledy,” the shadow purred as it detached itself from the darkness of the wall and slowly approached her.

Ivy’s throat closed as she felt a rush of nameless fear. Who could this shadow be and how could it know her name?

“Welcome to the Towers.” The shadow’s voice was like honeyed lead; sweet, but dark and heavy. As it spoke, the shadow slowly moved into one of the beams of light that cut the darkness. Briefly, Ivy saw a young man with black, crossed-out eyes and skin of a dark gray, nearly black. He had violently red hair, wore a red and black top hat and a red bow tie over his black tuxedo jacket. He carried a silver-headed ebony walking stick. Clearly, he was a gentleman of some wealth and position or wished to appear so.

Ivy’s sense of propriety overcame her fear enough for her to speak. “Sir, I fear you have me at a disadvantage. Please be so kind as to identify yourself.”

This little speech seemed to shock the young man for he paused in his approach. He stood and watched her as he introduced himself.

“We are the Rook, Miss Hibbledy-Pibbledy. Didn’t you receive our letter?” Ivy, now terrified, could only stammer and nod.

“Oh good,” the Rook continued. “Then, we can dispense with lengthy explanations.” Assuming a pose of calculated nonchalance, he carried on in the face of Ivy’s apparent speech impediment. “This is just a short visit. A brief consultation, if you will. We just dropped by to show you that you can’t hide, little Glitch. The Rook will always find you.” Smiling, the man turned aside and continued his slow walk, wandering about the hallway as if more intrigued by the dust and trash than the conversation, occasionally poking or moving things aside with his walking stick. “Run where you will, we will hunt you down and eventually destroy you. Not kill, mind you. Sending you on a vacation trip to Naraka wouldn’t suit our plans at all. No, indeed. We intend to deimaginate you, down to the smallest fiber of your adorable pink slippers.”

The horror of his suggestion pushed Ivy past the sputtering stage of fear and she regained the use of her voice. “May I ask one question,” she squeeked tremulously.

The Rook paused in his perambulations to turn and look at her. “Of course,” he replied with a smile and turned, walking on.

Ivy, beginning to master her fear, straightened into her best posture as she asked: “Why?”

“May we call you Ivy, Miss Hibbledy-Pibbledy?” Her chin dropped a couple degrees of arc to indicate her reluctant assent. “Thank you. You ask us why, Ivy. Sadly, we doubt that the answer will satisfy you.” He paused again in his stroll about the hall to cast her a sidelong glance. “We want it all gone, you see. All of it. We will eventually deimaginate all of Ur and everything in it. You’re simply one of the easier bits. And, like the cat that plays with the mouse before eating it, we like the chase, Ivy. We most often manifest as predatory birds, after all. It amuses us when you little Glitchen try to escape.”

The man turned to Ivy and smiled a horrible, fang-filled leer. “So run, little Glitch, run!” And with that, he stepped out of the light, merged with the shadows, and was gone.

Ivy has survived her first encounter with the Rook but what will happen next? Will Mimsy find Ivy in time? Check Billyplus.com to find out!

Greetings, my fellow Glitchen! I’m Kip Konner with this issue’s Snaps Chap!

So many wonderful new things have been released since my last Snaps Chap that I had a hard time narrowing the field this time. I wanted to include all the beautiful new regions but I didn’t want to bog you down with dozens of Snaps. Instead, I looked for a few that really stood out visually or really amused me.

This first Snap is by Post Impressionism. If you haven’t seen her Snaps before, this one is a good introduction. Most of Post’s Snaps are beautiful, professional-quality images using a variety of filters. This one was taken using the Chilliwack filter in Brhaspati Bay, in Jal, the new underwater region.

This Snap does an amazing job of capturing the overall feel of the new region. It’s soothing, calm, and mysterious. The Chilliwack filter tweaks the base photo just enough to make what could be a rather static image seem more vibrant, more mysterious, more magical. Love it! (Using it as my desktop!)

Our next image is a superb rendering of Pintura Prosa, the street accessed through the “Join the Club” quest.

This Snap, by Salix using the Holga filter, really captures the ethereal beauty of Pintura Prosa, with its standing jumbo lily pads and mystical floating lights. The Holga filter adds another level of mystery by removing the edges of the image so that it appears to float in the frame, like a hallucination or a memory of long ago. Bravo Salix! Her Snaps collection is also very impressive and well worth a peek.

My next selection didn’t come from a new region or feature any new items. Instead, I chose this one for its humor and for the labor and timing it took to get the shot.

Clareis took this shot with the Boost filter in Hell’s Bar. The caption reads: “Bar tenders are always good at keeping secrets….” I was amused by the caption and then looked closer and realized she had managed to jump into such a position that she appeared to be whispering in the Bartender’s ear. How many jumps did that shot require? Great timing on the keyboard and an hilarious Snap! Kudos to Clareis!

My last Snap was actually taken by a friend of mine, Piece of Serenity. It showed up in my Updates and I decided it was worthy of sharing with my readers. Among all the hundreds (already!) of shots taken in the new snowbound region Nottis, this one stands out as being not only well-composed but also poignant, even sad.

A lonely Glitch appears to have died in the middle of the amazing heart formation in Lotha Harte. Among the dozens of shots taken here of happy Glitchen playing and loving, this sad little image stood out to me. It’s beautifully centered, both the gravestone and the overall image, and it’s zoomed out enough to capture the whole formation, including the shooting star and the crescent moon. Lovely! Thank you, Piece!

As always, if you take a Snap that you’d like to have included in Snaps Chap, please email us with your Snap’s link: theimaginatur@gmail.com

Looking forward to your Snaps!

Over the past 15 issues, we have had the pleasure to work with a large number of artists and authors, Glitchen who have contributed their time, energy, and talents to making the ImaginatUr what it is today.  A few of them were willing to offer us profiles for your admiration. Enjoy!

Editor-in-Chief: ennuienta (aka Gina Rybolt)

I’ve already explained how The ImaginatUr came to be.  As editor-in-chief, I have been involved in every issue from the beginning.  I hoped to provide a place for Glitchen who like writing to write about whatever they liked…  and provide some entertainment to everyone in the process. I hope I achieved that.  I wrote the editorials and a column or two, proofread, copied, pasted, downloaded, uploaded, formatted, and kept most of it organized.  I think I even made an ad once or twice (sorry to the people who got those!).  I started Better Homes & Glitchen but always secretly hoped someone else would take it over for me!  I also did GlUrb and a few random articles.

When not channeling ennuienta and wishing I could pull off printer-unfriendly blue dreadlocks in real life, I am a hospice nurse.  I live in Silicon Valley with my husband and 2 kids.  I author the oldest nursing blog.  Writing codeblog is great and all, but the ImaginatUr was a true creative writing experience and I loved it.  I’m immensely proud of what I created with the other writers, and plan to leave it up for a very long time.

Columnist: Kip Konner (aka Billy Priest)

Kip came to the ImaginatUr as a secret agent, infiltrating for the Sandbox Group. Starting with his Operation Full Moon mission report in Issue 5, Kip has contributed to 10 out of our 15 total issues. Those contributions include his short-lived Gnome Critic column, several more Mission Reports, the Glitch on the Go interview series, and the Snaps Chap column. His most recent effort included the start of a Victorian romance/thriller set in Ur, called Ivy & the Rook. ["But Ivy is just getting started," he wailed when he heard the news of Glitch's closure.]

IRL, Billy is a retired hairstylist (20 years in the business was long enough) and apartment building manager who lives in San Francisco with his husband and dog. He has a blog that contains current work and his journals since the age of 15. He’s very proud of the work he was able to do for the ImaginatUr and inspired by it to continue writing.

Kip and Billy (yes, that’s a Focusing Orb tattoo).

Columnist/Designer: Soupie (aka Christine Campbell)

Soupie’s journey with The Glitchen ImaginatUr began with issue 8.  Prompted by a forum post looking for submissions, she covered topics such as the release of new housing and the mysteries of Ix.  Before long, her true love of graphic arts came to light and her contributions evolved from written articles to the creation of ads/site images and her beloved column, Passing Notes.

In her real life, Christine is a married mother of 2 dogs and 3 cats.  When she isn’t at her day job in call center management, she likes to fancy herself an artsy craftsy gal who watches all together too much reality TV.  Friends know her to have a bitingly sarcastic sense of humor with a foil of whimsy.  Whether it’s turning her wedding gown into a majestic butterfly costume or dressing in public like her Glitch character, this woman of ever-changing hair color is rarely predictable.

Raevyn Grovemother

Rae wanders Ur in search of new trees to pet and new plants to talk to. She just happened to bumble into the ImaginatUr office one day and decided to start writing about her adventures, too. Her writing has included the on-again off-again column Grovemother’s Corner and numerous articles where she convinced someone to stop playing the game long enough to talk to her about more serious stuff. That’s the hard part, actually, getting them to stop playing.

Columnist – Horoscope/Tarotscope: Miss Portinari

Miss Portinari ran away from her wealthy Italian family at the tender age of 14 to live on a golden submarine; it was here that she first began to study the ancient arts of Tarot and Astrology. While adventuring through Ur, she occasionally came across interesting notes, which sparked her creative desire to contribute some of her own writing. This led to the development of the Glitch Tarot and Zodiac, and her eventual recruitment by the wonderful staff of the ImaginatUr. Her most recent work, a series of fortunes based on the Glitch Tarot, can be seen at her new website.

Miss P.’s human counterpart is known as online as miahalf. Office gal by day, hippie by night, her passions include arts and crafts, gardening, and wandering through the forest. She lives in a tiny condo by Stanley Park with a magical tree-elf boyfriend who likes to cook bacon and mushrooms.

by cheese danish king

For my last tower review I’ll be showing you some great towers, only two this time because for the last one I’ll be explaining why I did this.

First we have Biofellis‘ Newbtopia, this tower has a great cause, he takes the proceeds he gets from it and helps newbies with whatever they may need but can’t afford.  But it’s also beautiful. It shows everything in the game (pretty much) and it’s very organized, but this tower isn’t just for newbies!  It’s for us old timers too – we can donate money, take a look and have some fun.

There might not be a lot of new stuff for level 60s to see but tons of fun seeing everything for level 1-10, you get to see a ton of key items in this wounderful game.  He has regular furniture, tools and much more.  So make a difference before you leave and drop by and donate!  This tower is diverse!   4/5 zombies

Next is Voluptua Sneezelips’ tower, “No Candy — Only Regret,”  it mostly is fairy tale based with beautiful scenery, she brings us back to when we pretended to be princesses but brings both a Glitch and adult twist to it.

We all remember when we were snuggling up to our mom watching the princess movies and watching the bad examples they set for us.  Her tower takes us back to that.  This tower is definitely a must-see which means 5/5 zombie heads!

Today I will explain why I did this, I did this because people made towers like nothing I thought they would, they made visions come true.  They where out of the ordinary, they had pizzazz. And I wanted to tell you about some of the best ones, about some of the most visionary things I’ve ever seen. Which is what this game is about after all – imagination!  I hope you all liked reading about these wonderful towers.

by cheese danish king

As the end comes we have the privilege to go out not only with style, but also sweet rides. But how the heck do you decide which one’s the best? I’ll never know but why not spend some time reading about them??  I mean you only have  to turn in that report to your boss……

AHHH! It’s a rook!! These outfits allow us to dress like the worst bird we know, they where only free for subscribers for a while but they are perfect! That same day, we got flapper dresses – we’ll be looking dapper for a while!!  Now that we may shake our booties and save streets from our own kind, everyone will be staring with envy!  Who wouldn’t what to leave the word like that? Well, what if I told you we got to go all steam punk on you??  Well, thats the word, those beautiful dresses, mechanic suits and much more!!

Now after that new feat we got trains, so now we can ride thorough dino-butts with our cool rides!  With our cool train coats (which we got a nice look at from stoot and other devs from snaps)!  That feat might have been some craziness but some of us believe it was worth it (like me) but do you?

Now as a gift from our still hard-working devs, we got  some other cool new rides along with tiaras, now you can be a cowboy princess riding a piggy corn into the sunset and burger cars that remind me of the unhappy McDonalds employees, anyway people just can’t get enough!  I mean who wouldn’t want to be one for Zilloween anyway?  Most devs gave us a sneak peek at this so we were all waiting for it!

Thanks to awesome sauce01 and Soupie for modeling the lovely new coats