January appears to be leaving with a bang, just as it came in.  As January draws to a close, everybody's uncle CDMoyer gave us another update, this time in the form of drag-and-drop trophy arranging.  The general consensus has been joy mixed with a clambering for more drag-and-drop options, particularly for the Display Case.

Following the great trophy update was a the year's second visit from that great interpretive dancer, the Traveling Trader.  This time, he was offering colorful plastic balls for twinkly wads (a 1 for 1 trade).  When used, the colorful plastic balls create that favorite of McDonalds and Chuck E. Cheese play areas, the Awesome Ball Pit.  Found in the Clan Rumpus Room, the intrepid--or childlike--adventurer can jump in the Awesome Ball Pit once a day for a 20 turn buff.  The Having a Ball buff grants Muscle +X%, Mysticality +X%, and Moxie +X%.  X will never be less than 1%, and no greater than 100%.  Every 100 balls added to the pit adds 1%, with 10,000 balls being the maximum the pit can hold.

 Lastly, the most recent appearance of Arrrbor Day has given adventurers with an Underworld Acorn (a free pull from Hagnk's) something else to plant besides the usual saplings.  Speculation is still rampant, as it appears that we won't know exactly what come from planting the acorn until the next Arrrbor Day.  The current thought is that all those who planted their acorns will be blessed with a new friend for their Terrarium, but of course only Jick and Company know for certain.  The forum discussion can be found here.

When the Crimbo Tree VIP furniture was implemented, one of the gifts that was introduced was a new familiar -- the Jack in the Box.  However, nobody was quite sure what the familiar did, and spading commenced.

Now the Jack-in-the-Box has been cracked, and its secrets revealed -- every three adventures, it acts as a x2 volleyball-fairy.  Is it optimal for speed ascending?  So they say.  Is it micromanagy?  Perhaps.  

For all the in-depth spade-y goodness and ensuing discussion, check out the forum topic HERE!

With a whopping 5% of 2010 behind us, The Powers That Be have already blessed the playerbase with a handful of updates, some trivial, some not.  In the realm of triviality, there was some interface cleanup on the skills page on January 8th.  In a move that makes this reporter very happy, all the squeezable Items-of-the-Month (stinky cheese ball, container of Spooky Putty, naughty origami kit, Great Ball of Frozen Fire, and the iceberglet) now change in sequence, instead of randomly.  In short, this takes the randomness out of squishing and squeezing, potentially saving valuable hit points--or at the very least, cutting down the frustration of alternating between the origami riding crop and the origami pasties, never to see the naughty fortune teller.

The biggest update so far is also--ironically--the most controversial in some ways.  Taking a cue from a Greasemonkey script, CDMoyer created a "favorite" functionality for the Terrarium, allowing adventurers to set favorite familiars in their Terrariums, then choose amongst those favorites via a right-click menu in the character pane (shift-click for those adventurers who prefer Macs).  Though this should not sound controversial, a rather heated discussion arose in the forum thread over the nature of Greasemonkey scripts vs. direct interface changes.  Overall, though, the change was met with great acclaim, especially after CDMoyer added the ability to examine your favorites by name, type, or image.

The most recent game announcements can be found on the log-in page, while past announcements can be found here, and trivial updates here.

January and 2010 are off to a whizz-bang start.  For exciting in-game developments, the Traveling Trader returned to Market Square.  This time his interpretive dance let buyers know that he was seeking 100 Twinkly Wads in return for a cookbook called Zu Mannkäse Dienen.  When used, this cookbook grants Saucerors the skill Käsesoßesturm, allowing the lucky Sauceror to summon a storm of pungent cheese sauce for 10 MP.  Do note, however, that when this skill is used, it is not automatically marked Hardcore Permanent.  The good news is that the Traveling Trader now takes wads from Hagnk's, and gives you a foreign package in return.  The forum discussion can be found here.

Also, the official Store of Loathing has introduced a new, limited time item, in the form of real-world valentines.  Based on the in-game valentines, they are suitable for sending to loved ones, assuming said loved ones understand that you're a little bit...different.  The Powers That Be would also like to point out that the valentines are not "precisely kid-friendly," so perhaps you should think twice before sending them to an elementary school to be handed out.  Unless, you know, you like extensive parent-teacher conferences.

With rollover on New Year's Eve, Crimbo Town faded back into the mists for another year, but Mr. Shopkeeper put out a new Item of the Month for our perusal.  The Stinky Cheese Ball is the fifth in the series of elemental "squeezables," and is, appropriate to the name, stench aligned.  As with the other squeezables, when the form is changed, you’ll lose 5% of your maximum hit points, but—depending on your play style—that’s a small price to pay for the various benefits.  Unlike the other squeezables however, it grows in strength through use.  Not a bad deal!

 The forum discussion is here, and read on for information about the different forms the ball can be squished into.