5/8 – Ahoy matey! Ya come seeking virtual adventure and looking for Yavn? He's back and with a few VMK tales to tell!

Where is Yavn?

Hello! Is it me you're looking for? I know, I know, many of you have been asking where have I been (a close second was why was there no column last week)? Well, since our trip to Walt Disney World it's been incredibly busy and I took a little time off.

Our visits to WDW are always filled with lots of meetings to discuss what will happen next in the game, and this trip kept us very busy! We have something very special planned for you - but I can't say anymore until what we have planned is a little bit closer to launch. But trust me, your patience will be rewarded!

Wishes Do Come True (Must Read)

A few months ago it came to our attention that one of our players had been sick. We were told by his friends in the game that some days he felt good, while other days he didn't feel so well. Soon we would find out the truth about what his friends meant by being "sick":

Last year CL_Slinkyman, a long time player of VMK found out he had Hodgkins Lymphoma, a cancer that attacks mostly boys as they enter adolescent. Slinkyman was lucky; he has a wonderful support team both at home and with his friends on VMK. In fact, VMK was key to keeping his moral up. During all his chemo treatments Slinkyman would log into VMK via a laptop at the hospital and forget his real life - because in VMK there is no cancer.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation was kind enough to grant Slinkyman his wish of a Disney Cruise, but when I learned his true wish was to meet me, I discovered a little pixie dust can go a long way.

Words can not describe our trip (although life changing event is more appropriate) to meet CL_Slinkyman and his family. Needless to say our day together was amazing and proves that dreams really do come true! Get better CL_Slinkyman!

Now let's turn our attention back to the game and talk about some of the really cool stuff happening now:

Make Tracks for Alice!

This week we started selling some of the Alice in Wonderland Dark Ride items – check out the Fantasyland Specials where you can pick up some of the Alice tracks and well as the first released pieces of Alice furniture! And before you ask, we'll have Ramp Tracks available but you will have to wait a bit longer for them. ;-)

Quest-A-Plenty

In honor of Pirates month, this past weekend we launched our updated Pirates of the Caribbean in-Park Quest at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The new Quest offers up to 8 questions (if you play at Disneyland) to test your Pirates knowledge - and for your efforts you can win the awesome Pirates of the Caribbean Fortress Room card. Sorry, the Pirate Well Chair is no longer part of the Quest - it's gone for now, but not forever.

Another Quest we also launched was the new Print-From-Home Tomorrowland Quest! The reward for that Quest is the Inner-Space Suit Magic Spell.

M-I-C… See, it's our pal Mickey Mouse!

Finally, this past weekend we also launched was the Limited Edition Mickey Mouse Television card. Now when you complete 3 or more in-Park Quests your reward will be this beautiful foil card (and the virtual in-game item that goes with it)!

So get to the park and get Questing - as the Mickey Mouse Television cards won't be around forever and how you can get the card is also subject to change! The real question though is what do you think of this cool new reward? Do you want to see more Mickey stuff? How about some Donald or Goofy furniture? Let us know!

The Great Big Pirate Quest

Arrgh! So you think you're a Pirates of the Caribbean expert? Then why not try our Great Big Pirate Quest? Aye, need some incentive? How about a Cursed Strom Pin? The Quest runs from Monday May 21st until Thursday May 31st – so be sure to play!

To Terebethia!

Did you catch Bridge To Terabithia at the movies? What did you think of that tree house? Why not play the new Bridge To Terabithia Trivia Game and win this very cool VMK Terabithia Tree House Chair? It goes well with almost any room and is a great way to get a bird's eye view of the Kingdom. Just stop by www.bridgetoterabithiadvd.com later this week and play. There's no limit to how many Tree Houses you can win so play as much as you like - now we just need ropes to connect them and we can make an Ewok village!!! Uh, sorry, wrong movie!

One more note I'd like to mention, there are some changes on the way to the VMK Staff, with some new faces joining the team - as well as others who are moving on. We're also in the process of revamping our moderation program and over time we're planning many changes to help make VMK even better.

Finally, don't forget this Friday both the boys and girls Pirate Tops go on sale and ye best be buying them before they disappear! That's all for now, be sure to check back next week for more news on what I've been up to...

See you in VMK!
Yavn