Today is Bat Appreciation Day! Since KingsIsle is located in Austin, Texas, home to the world’s largest urban bat colony, we had to take advantage of this fun holiday to tell players a little bit about the unique town we call home. One of the most interesting and unique attractions Austin has to offer is its very own bat colony!
While there are a few locations where the Austin bats live, the biggest population is right in downtown Austin, under the Congress Avenue Bridge. This bridge crosses over a reservoir of the Colorado River that runs through downtown, called Lady Bird Lake and named after former United States First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. Lady Bird Lake is a hotspot in the city for kayaking & paddle boarding, as well as running & walking the “hike and bike trail” that surrounds it, and watching the bats emerge on summer nights!
Photo by 365ThingsAustin
When the warmer months of the year roll around, 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats migrate from central Mexico to underneath the bridge, where they can be heard chattering during the day. Every night from March to November, just around dusk, the bats take flight by the thousands, providing the city with a unique and breathtaking tourist attraction.
Photo by Riny
When the bats first arrived to the Congress Bridge upon the completion of its renovations in 1980, the people of Austin were not pleased with their presence. Many citizens petitioned to have them removed, fearing the worst from the stereotypically dangerous animals. But with a little bit of research, it was clear that the bats were gentle creatures and did not pose a threat to humans if they didn’t try to touch them. So, they stayed! And since then, every summer night, the bats rid the city of up to 10,000 to 20,000 pounds of insects during their flight.
Photo taken by Leala of the bats in Round Rock!
Annually, more than 100,000 people head out to the Austin American Statesman Bat Observation center just off of the bridge to witness the bats’ nightly flight. Have you ever had the chance to see them? Tell us about some unique things in your town in the comments! 🙂
Ahoy! In case ye didn’t know,”Ahoy” means “Hello!” Much more Piratey than “Hello,” “Hi,” or “Hey,” wouldn’t ye say? At any rate, ye thinks ye’d like to learn proper Pirate talk, eh? Good on ye, Matey! Within the secret treasure trove of this here list, ye shall discover secret meanings to a true Pirate’s language – ye will find it is in many ways a communication code, so by the time ye finish reading this, ye will be well prepared to talk just like a Pirate – aarrr!
The Basics, Me Matey!
Aarrr!
Speaking of that, have ye ever wondered why it is that Pirates so often exclaim, mutter or growl the sound “Aarrr!”? Well, “Aarrr” is rather a magical Pirate word, to be sure. That’s because it is a great multipurpose or interchangeable type of exclamation.
Allow me to explain, me hearty. When a Pirate says “Aarrr,” he may be simply agreeing with something his captain or shipmate has just said, such as when Eye-Patch Pete says, “Let’s go ashore and seek the treasure!” To that, Stinky Sven (Pete’s shipmate Pirate) might enthusiastically respond:
“Aarrr!” Translation: “Right, let’s go!”
So it’s a kind of Pirate shorthand, ye see. Another meaning for “Aarrr” might be “I’m happy” or “This chocolate milk tastes positively delicious!” So while it might sometimes sound like a complaint or threat, by and large, “Aarrr” is a very agreeable sound!
Avast, me hearties!
No doubt ye’ve often heard “Avast, me hearties!” but may not have known exactly what the heck it means, is that right? Aarrr. Well, “Avast” by its lonesome means “Hey – listen up!” or “Stop what yer doin’ and pay attention!” As for “me hearties,” that’s sorta like sayin’ “my friends,” “buddies,” “pals,” or, as some like to say in these here modern times, “homies.” So, “Avast, me hearties” can be translated to mean “Hey, check this out, my friends!” Aarrr… now yer gettin’ the hang of the lingo, Matey! (“Matey” is just a nickname for a shipmate or a pal, by the by.)
Me Beauty!
When a Pirate is talkin’ of a fair lady, the phrase “Me Beauty” is one of the highest forms of a compliment. Of course, Pirates may also use this term when talkin’ about a beautiful ship or a chest full o’ gold doubloons!
Yo ho ho!
Pirates are fond of saying “Yo ho!” – usually within a song, like “Yo ho, a Pirate’s life for me.” Probably had that figgered out for yerself! Them thar be some o’ the basics. Now, let’s move on to other Pirate words used in that rollickin’ fun game Pirate101, shall we, Matey?
Now Fer Some Pirate101 Lingo
A “swashbuckler” is someone who’s an excellent swordsman, as Pirates tend to be! Legend has it that “swashbuckler” hearkens back to a time when fightin’ were done with a side-sword and a buckler in the other hand, and there was a lot of “swashing” (sweeping swordplay) and so forth. It’s sort o’ the Pirate equivalent for the Old Western term “gunslinger” – see the similarity? Aarrr!
A “henchman” is someone who carries out yer orders, dastardly as the work may be!
A “privateer” is a top-notch Pirate – a natural-born leader in the world of piracy!
A “musketeer” is an amazing marksman who uses his long-range, powder-charged firearm to wreak havoc!
“Buccaneers” wear the most effective body armor and tote the biggest weapons of any type of Pirate!
“Witchdoctors” are the masters of the arcane, using hoodoo powers to change the outcome of a battle. Though they are weak in direct fights, witchdoctors do not fight fair! Their hexes, blasts of fire, and summoned spirits all work against their enemies.
So practice yer Pirate lingo as much as possible and ye’ll be a full-fledged Pirate talker in no time flat! And ye must have FUN while doin’ so – that be an order! Aarrr!
Today is Encourage Young Writers Day! Because both Wizard101 and Pirate101 have strong ties to writing through the storytelling that has collectively captured the attention of over 50 million players, we had no choice but to celebrate. In fact, we asked one of our very own fan writers share a little bit about her process of creating great content! (After reading, you can check out even more of D.S. Devereaux’s work on her Soultamer blog and several of her Pirate101 Fan Fiction pieces on the Pirate101.com website!)
“On the day of this initial writing, it is the 29th of March. That means that I’ve put off writing this post for nine days. That equates to approximately eighteen cups of coffee, several handfuls of trail mix, and about six or seven hours of sitting at the computer desk, softly whispering to myself words of praise in the quest of getting myself going. It took me that long to trounce my ‘What if I can’t write this-es’ and get myself going by sitting down in this fancy little cafe with an equally fancy cup of fancy-sounding coffee and starting to type. Somewhere near the end of that process, I get these absolutely un-fancy words out, and then, “Oh, look – I’ve written a few sentences – time to go refill my cup again…”
Everyone sees writing differently. For me, writing is one of those Ettins over on Laestrygon, one of my favorite locations in Pirate101. Sure, they can be big and tough, but they’re also worthy opponents that pirates can and often do defeat. Writing can be described in the same way. There are good days, and there are bad days, both of which contribute to, and enrich the writing experience. Some days, I’m able to sit down and write like the wind, and others, I’m only able to sit down and check Twitter with a kind of velocity that I feel like I’ll ever be able reach when creating content.
Today, for example, is a Twitter day. I went into town and found myself easily distracted and self-entertained as I posted a few pictures of the fantastic burger I had just eaten, followed that up with the cup of coffee parked at my side, now only containing the orange peel left in the cup for flavor (Marvelous!). Mid-sleep-deprived-swashbuckler-y-sipping, a thought came to me besides stating that I really, really needed to get started writing. How did I end up defeating the Ettins when I had to? I didn’t sit at the tavern and think on it over a mug of Yum. No, I got up and fought the beasts! Sure, it took me a few tries, but once I got through the doldrums of poor companion choices and that one accidental heal when I needed to hit, I was well on my way through my questing! And my fingers aren’t Swashbucklers by themselves, that’s for sure, but if Dead-eye Destiny could whip through a few Ettins and emerge mighty, then for my part, I could go ahead and type up a post about it.
When faced with a writing opportunity or challenge, think about your own trials and efforts you have had in-game. Have you met a boss that took you a few tries to get past, or a mob that just wouldn’t drop what you needed? (Here’s looking at you, Fire Lion Ravagers.) Sure, it may have taken some time to fine-tune your strategy, but soon enough, you were the one victorious. The same idea can be applied to writing. I refer to the oldest of the old: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Wizards never stopped Malistaire Drake during their first encounter in Gamma’s Tower, and Pirates never stopped the Armada while in their clutches before meeting Boochbeard and Gandry, and good writing takes the same kind of patience and practice, except that this time, the real magic is in your fingertips.
Just like when you initially approach an Ettin, the task of writing up some fan-fiction, a short story, or even a poem may seem scary, but with every word written, the intimidation level of the threat gets smaller and smaller until you come out on top. And perhaps, for all the hard work you’ve done, you’ve come away with a few good lessons, whether that be correctly using Assassin’s Mist (one of my favorites!) or feeling just that more empowered and enlightened in the art of writing. With practice and patience you too, can size up that Ettin for what it really is, and turn a Twitter day into a writing one, or even turn a daunting task into a thrilling adventure.”
Brothers and sisters can be your best friends, but sometimes they can be a pain in the neck. The older ones sometimes want to boss you around while the younger ones often pester you about silly things. Now is the time to restore some order to the house and show your siblings who’s boss with a game challenge.
Create some healthy sibling rivalry and challenge your sibling or a close friend to some of these cool online games at FreeKI Games.
In this game, you take on the role of the dashing Diego. Enemies come at you from the side of the screen as you use your sword to take them down. Each defeated enemy earns points as you progress to your main goal: rescuing Francesca. You have to be quick, but with some practice, the toughest baddies will fall. What’s even better is that when you get a high score in Dueling Diego, you can earn cool in-game items for Pirate101. See if you can earn a higher score than your brother or sister!
Show off your spelling and vocabulary skills with The Wordies. Using different colored blocks, your goal is to make as many words as possible. Really good players can use the combo system to crush their opponents. Combos are scored when you use several blocks in your word that all share the same color as the first letter. What makes this game so much fun is that you can use it to compete with your brothers and sisters, or you can work together to make huge words that would make Mom proud.
The most rewarding victories are often those that come in games of pure skill, not just luck. Blinkz! is a puzzler that challenges you and your brother or sister to connect pink blocks by removing obstacles. Early levels of the game involve only a small number of blocks, but as your skills improve you will face significant challenges. You can take turns playing the same level, or compete to see who can go the farthest without failing. Maybe whoever loses has to do the other’s chores for a day?
This game will test your skills and your patience. Playing the role of a ninja, you must collect coins inside a spinning maze without being eaten or crushed. Each level awards stars based on how quickly you make it to the exit. Though the game looks easy, it takes a lot of planning to pick the right path. Whether you decide to compete with your siblings for the fastest time, challenge them to reach the highest level, or work together to solve the most complex puzzles, you’ll have hours of fun!
In this tower defense game, you must protect your base from skeletons and other tough enemies. Build cool defense towers like dragons to burn enemies or lightning bats to shock your foes. There are a ton of upgrades and tower setups that you can use, so the game is different every time you play. Grub Guardian also links to your Wizard101 account, so you can get experience for your pets pets or win cool Wizard101 game items. Challenge your brother or sister and make the loser treat the winner to ice cream!
These free online games are a blast to play, either by yourself or with your siblings. Head on over to FreeKI Games today and try all of the selections in our huge list of games, including those related to sports, puzzles, education and many more themes.
Once again Pirate101 players descended into the heat of Skull Island’s Jungle as they quested for a pile of pillows to call their own. As it turns out, it was the perfect day to have another Pillow Fight — April 4th is none other than National Pillow Fight Day! Who knew there was a national day for this crazy pastime?
First things first, if you don’t remember our last pillow fight, take a look back at this link. We had an even more interesting Pillow Fight this time with a very close race between our winner and a new Pillow Fighter on the scene, Silent Cedric Davenport! Cedric didn’t appear in our Top 50 List last Pillow Fight, but this time he made a strong showing with 130 Pillows. Had this been the same competition as our last, he would have won with that epic number of pillows, but Two-Faced Anne raised her game even more with a total of 141 Pillows!
Congratulations once again to our Pillow Fighting Champion! When it comes to collecting a mound of pillows, no doubt about it, Two-Faced Anne is one of a kind. Please enjoy your prize of 60,000 Crowns and the two-time bragging rights as being queen of the pillow hill in Pirate101.
Here are a few more interesting stats for you about this pillow fight event.
- 5,277 Pillows were found in total during this event.
- The spread was once again very evenly distributed between the four types of pillows with the most common pillow being the Embroidered Regal Pillow (1,374 of the 5,277).
- The Dark Jungle, Skull Mountain, and Xol Akmul were the top locations to find pillows.
A big congratulations also goes to all of our Top Ten winners, who walked away with 10,000 Crowns each! It’s good to see some new faces and some old familiar fighters as well:
- Silent Cedric Davenport
- Stubborn Duncan Freeman
- Tireless Talon Thatcher
- Katherine De Bouff
- Wolf Silver
- Fiery Samantha Moone
- Megan
- Maria
- Jack Nightingale
- Dead-eye Mark
And now here’s a list of our honorable mentions. Congrats on making it to our Top 50 list!
- Billy Kidd
- Reckless Seth
- Silver Katie West
- Unfair Richard
- Ginelle
- Spiffy Jenna Bosworth
- Belle Younger
- Clever Cedric Tolliver
- Obnoxious Sierra Mickleson
- Bloody Scarlet
- Stormy Scarlet Nightingale
- Bold Zane Grant
- Fiery Lily Lawson
- Dark Connor Underwood
- Madeline Mumford
- Daring John Parker
- Slick Haley Tiller
- Scott Maxwell
- Romantic Isabella Younger
- Perilous Paige
- Dark Wolf
- Crazy Natalie
- Reliable Timothy Strong
- Alejandro Devereaux
- Awkward Sam Parker
- Justin
- Wolf
- Clever Jacob Creighton
- Reliable Mark Vinter
- Husky Jack Pinkney
- Dark Calamity Dodger
- Stormy Seamus Ingham
- Friendly Antonio Xanderman
- Silly Blake Stern
- Bloody Charles
- Tireless Klaus Grant
- Eric
- Dark Julian Hawkins
- Quinn Quincy
Thanks again to the thousands of pirates that participated in the Pillow Fight Day fun, and we hope you had a great time hunting troggies for pillows.
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