You say it's your rez-day?

Well, it's my rez-day too, yeah! Yup, today marks two whole years that I've been in SL. Hard to believe, but time does fly. So much has happened in the past year, lots of ups and downs, and a bunch of changes as well. Currently I find myself spending less time in-world than I used to, which is actually a good thing for the most part. My RL is going very well, and I have more of a social life than I did a year ago, but at the same time I do miss certain parts of being in SL frequently. However, I do try to pop in a couple of times a week, mainly to roleplay in Midian City and of course to DJ there on Tuesdays.

You may have noticed that I stopped writing my diary entries. The main reason for this is that I was hopelessly behind when I first started writing them, and it only got worse as time went on. I've considered picking things up with what's going on currently, but I'm not sure if I want to devote time to that just yet. I may pick it up again, who knows?

Anyway, here's to another year gone by, and to the possibilities of the future. Thanks everyone for experiencing it with me.

DJ Tober's Rain of Ruin for September 30, 2008

Here's my dj set for KAOS radio in Midian City from last Tuesday. It's an entire set of only cover songs, and the recording is about 2 hours and 15 minutes long. Songlist is below. Download link is in the post title or here.

Artist: Title (Original Artist)
1. Harry Roche Constellation: Pinball Wizard (The Who)
2. KAOS Promo
3. Sex Pistols: Johnny B. Goode/Road Runner (Chuck Berry/The Modern Lovers)
4. Mudhoney: Hate the Police (The Dicks)
5. R.E.M: First We Take Manhattan (Leonard Cohen)
6. Tom Waits: The Return of Jackie and Judy (Ramones)
7. Ramones: I Don't Want to Grow Up (Tom Waits)
8. Dead Kennedys: I Fought the Law (Sonny Curtis & The Crickets, arguably made famous by The Clash)
9. Suicide: 96 Tears (? and The Mysterions)
10. Animal Collective: I'm on a Plain (Nirvana)
11. Pixies: In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song) (David Lynch, from the film Eraserhead)
12. Black Flag: Louie Louie (Richard Berry, made famous by The Kingsmen)
13. Black Flag: Louie Louie (Richard Berry, made famous by The Kingsmen)
14. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: All Tomorrow's Parties (The Velvet Underground)
15. Bauhaus: Third Uncle (Brian Eno)
16. Dinosaur Jr.: Just Like Heaven (The Cure)
17. Lords of Acid: Lady Marmalade (Labelle)
18. Rammstein: Stripped (Depeche Mode)
19. KAOS Promo
20. Nirvana: The Man Who Sold The World (David Bowie)
21. Ministry: Radar Love (Golden Earring)
22. Placebo: Running up That Hill (Kate Bush)
23. Tricky: The Lovecats (The Cure)
24. Lovage: Sex (I'm a) (Berlin)
25. Senor Coconut: Showroom Dummies (Kraftwerk)
26. Buck 65: Singapore (Tom Waits)
27. Joy Division: Sister Ray (The Velvet Underground)
28. 1000 Homo DJs: Supernaut (Black Sabbath)
29. Soil: Black Betty (Traditional, first recorded by the blues artist Ledbelly)
30. Bauhaus: Telegram Sam (T-Rex)
31. The 145's: That Ain't No Rock (originally titled "409" by The Beach Boys)
32. Scratch Massive: Three Imaginary Boys (The Cure)
33. Angry Samoans: Time Has Come Today (The Chambers Brothers)
34. The Fall: White Lightning (George Jones)
35. Chicks on Speed: Warm Leatherette (The Normal)
36. Coil: Tainted Love (Gloria Jones, also made famous by Soft Cell)
37. Gustavo Santolalla (with Benicio DelToro): Shake Rattle and Roll (Big Joe Turner)
38. Rasputina: Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd)
39. Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules: Mad World (Tears For Fears)

DJ Tober's Rain of Ruin, September 9, 2008

Hi everyone! I've decided to post my Midian City DJ sets online. Kind of like a podcast, but manual. Here's the tracklist for this set:

Artist: Track Name
1. Woven Hand: Horsetail
2. Beck: Rowboat
3. Myssouri: Muscle Car on a Dead End Road
4. Alejandro Escovedo: Sex Beat (cover of The Gun Club)
5. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Stagger Lee
6. Angels of Light: Star Chaser
7. Elliot Smith: Needle in the Hay
8. Neil Young: The Needle and the Damage Done
9. The Black Heart Procession: The Letter
10. Trailer Bride: Ghost on the Highway
11. KAOS PROMO
12. Animal Collective: Happy Singing Band
13. Tom Waits: Bottom of the World
14. A Silver Mt. Zion: 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
15. 16 Horsepower: Shametown
16. Elliott Brood: Twill
17. Blackgrass: Station 18
18. Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots: River Forktine Tippecanoe
19. Old 97's: Four Leaf Clover (Featuring X)
20. Micah P. Hinson: You Will Find Me
21. Djali Zwan: Number of the Beast (cover of Iron Maiden)
22. Hrsta: Holiday
23. Elliott Brood: Write it All Down for You
24. The Handsome Family: Passenger Pigeons

Download link is here or in this post's title. The recording is a little over two hours long. Enjoy!

Midian City Tober's Diary #31

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

Now that Linds and I are officially together, I have to tell Anna that things are over between us. Not that there was ever really much there, but she had much stronger feelings for me than I ever did for her. I hate to break her heart, but I know I will. I'm going to find her right now to talk to her, and I will write about my meeting with her after it happens.

Tober and Anna
Ok, I don't know how to begin. I talked to Anna, but there's something horrible (the rest of the page is torn away at this point, as well as the next page.)

Midian City Tober's Diary #30

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

Well, this is an entry I never really expected to make...

I hadn't seen Lindsay around for a couple of days, so I decided to ask around to find out if anyone knew where she was. As it turns out, she went into some kind of crazy surgery with Aiven to have that weasel thing removed from her! And she didn't even tell me! Right after I find this out, who should appear up on the roof, but Lindsay herself. Of course I was overjoyed to see her, but also kind of annoyed that she didn't mention anything to me before she got it done. I told her this, and she told me she didn't want me to worry about her, so she didn't tell me. I approached her, and reached out to her nervously to give her a hug...the first time we have ever been able to hug!

Lindsay & Tober's First Hug
When we hugged, she told me that she now felt she could trust herself enough to be able to leave the city without harming others. I think the disappointment in my eyes was clear, because then she said "...unless you want me to stay." She then nervously leaned in and gave me the gentlest kiss on my lips. I knew then that what I had been feeling for Linds, she had been feeling for me too, but we just couldn't express it to one another. Not without me getting hurt.

I don't remember what I said next, but I lead her to the Kittenwalker cuddle area of the rooftop, and she and I curled up together. I have never seen her relax like this before. She began to doze and was grooming me as she was dozing off. It was such an amazing and special moment for both of us. Now...our relationship is something more than mentor and student, more than friends. We have love.


Lindsay & Tober Cuddle for the First Time

Midian City Tober's Diary #29

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

Tober & Seddie

There's a new member of the pride, her name is Sedira...we all call her Seddie. She's really awesome! Her fur is red, she's very funny, and has a background similar to Lindsay's. Of course, that means she didn't really have a good past, but I think things are much better for her now in the Catwalkers. She seems to have a special trait; when she sings, it affects those around her. I realize that doesn't sound like a special talent, but it's more than that...I swear her singing can even affect things like plants. It's really strange and difficult to describe, though. Seddie and I have become fast friends. She's very fun to be around, and likes to do cute jokes and pranks like I used to do when I was in high school. I miss times like that.

Things have been pretty calm in the pride lately, which is good. Well, it's good while it lasts, I should say. Things never stay calm for very long, but having a family here makes things so much easier to deal with. I don't know how I was getting by on my own on the streets when I first came here. Now, I feel like I'm at home. Funny how that's worked out.

Midian City Tober's Diary #28

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

Duke has been missing for a few weeks now. Nobody seems to know where he's gone or if he'll be back at all. I guess I really shouldn't let myself get very close to anyone here because one day they just might be gone. Left...dead...whatever. I don't even know how to really feel about it anymore, either. I just feel kind of blank.

And then there's Anna...I want to trust her, but it's like there's a barrier between us that won't let that happen. She's elusive, difficult to read, and doesn't like to speak much about her past or her present. It's obvious she has something to hide; something tragic, and I have no idea what it is.

In better news, I've been promoted! I'm now the "Stitcher" for the pride. It simply means I'm a medic. I share my title with two other cats, Landen and Osoth. They both have much more experience than me, but I know my post-war relief background will come in handy. I've treated everything from cuts and scrapes to broken bones and gunshot wounds back then; hopefully I won't have to do anything worse than that with the Catwalkers. I'm really happy with my new role! I'm not really a fighter, and I like to help others, so this is an ideal role for me. I just hope my efforts are satisfactory to Rith and Chai. I'll try my best.

Since I've been in the pride, I've also made quite a few new friends...cats like Myca, Scytale, Dui, Sarika, Tora...they're all really cool. I feel like I have a real family again.

Well, that's about it for now, I guess.

Left to right: Scytale, Myca and Tober

Midian City Tober's Diary #27

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

I've noticed that I've been letting a lot of time go in-between my diary entries. Sometimes it's just too much to write about, or I'm so busy and have so little time to myself that I really don't have the time to get into it. I don't like neglecting my diary because it really helps for me to get everything out, even if it is just on these pages.

So, I've been with Duke for a bit, and that's been going ok...until I met Anna one night. I don't know why I can't simply be happy with one person...I guess I just crave affection...and there always seems to be someone willing to give me it, especially when I'm in one of my vulnerable moments. My drives are more those of a cat than a human. My dad knew I was like this...that I thrive on the affection...which is one of the reasons why he told me to never become anyone's pet. He didn't want to see me become a slave to my thirst for affection. The thing is, I just can't help myself sometimes.

When I met Anna, I was completely drunk and nipped to boot. She found me at the Four Horsemen, flirted with me, then offered to take me home. We took a walk through the park, and she lead me to a secluded spot. Even though I was fucked up, I knew what was happening the moment she started talking to me back at the bar, and I didn't care about the consequences. When we went to the park, I let her do whatever she wanted to me. I don't remember much of what happened, but I was left with a bruise on my inner thigh and a headache from all the booze.

Anna. I don't even know her, but there's something about her that...I don't know...I don't know what it is. It's strange. She seems dangerous, and tragic, but I want to know more about her...even though my instincts are telling me to leave this one alone.

Tober and Anna

Midian City Tober's Diary #26

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

Well, Duke and I are officially "dating"...as much as it's possible to "date" someone here. I like him...he's very sweet and really cute, but I'm a bit worried about his history with the Pack. I know that they still hassle him about leaving the Pack, and I got to witness it first-hand.

Speaking of the Pack, I guess we lost the "war" with them, because they're now allowed back in Midian, though still not allowed on our territory: the catwalks and roofs. What really bothers me is not that the Pack is back in Midian, or even that we lost, but the fact that there was a "war" at all. I have a unique perspective, having been both a member of the Pack and now a member of the Catwalkers, and I honestly think all the animosity started with some kind of minor misunderstanding and escalated from there. But, I guess it doesn't matter now. Hopefully we can put all this behind us.

Duke and Tober at The Twilight Zone, where Duke works

Help!

In surprise whirlwind decision, I have been made Matron of the Catwalkers of Midian City as of today. Unfortunately, one of the things I have to do right away is replace a lot of Catwalker furniture, props, decorations, etc, which belonged to the previous matron, Rith. Since they belong to her, they're leaving with her.

The most important thing I need right now is a security door. One that is easily configurable and will only open for groups and/or individual avatars of my choosing. I actually need two, but I'll probably just use the same door for both. If someone can direct me to a place that has one that's relatively inexpensive and easy to use, I would be greatly appreciative! I can take care of furnishing the den and stuff without too much fuss (or money...hopefully)

Thanks in advance for any suggestions! =)

DJing again tonight! December 20, 2007

Hey all!

Today is very special, because it's Midian City's birthday. To celebrate, we are throwing a "rave" (more like an outdoor party than a true rave) on the boardwalk between the poolhall and the Twilight Zone. The party is open to anyone, but it is an in-character event, of course. I will be playing from 5-7pm SLT tonight. You can listen to my set through the Midian City or Apocalypse main streams, or by using this url:

http://aegyptia.serverroom.us:6848/listen.pls

My set will feature dance-oriented genres, such as electro, electroclash, techno, acid, industrial, idm, etc. I'm also going to attempt to record this set for podcasting purposes.

Thanks, and I hope you'll check it out. =)

DJ Tober's Rain of Ruin from December 9, 2007

This set was for a "rave" held at the newly abandoned (or so we though) Four Horsemen Bar. It wasn't a "rave" in the traditional sense (aka: lots of techno), so I played a punk/post-punk & related set to get things started off on a rowdy note.

You can download the set here:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/cryk3x

I um...don't have a tracklist for you at the moment, but I can post one later. If you download my set, please leave a comment to let me know, so I know if this is worthwhile for me to do or not. Thanks!

DJing Tonight!

Hey all!

I am part of a group of people that operate a pirate radio station in Midian City, called KAOS Radio. When I dj, I do so completely in-character, and I even speak (yes, you get to hear Tober's voice!). My show, Tober's Rain of Ruin, is scheduled for every Tuesday from 5-8pm SLT. Yes, that means tonight! I also play other days of the week around the same time, but Tuesday is my only firmly scheduled day. You can listen to my set through the Midian City or Apocalypse main streams, or by using this url:

http://aegyptia.serverroom.us:6848/listen.pls

I play all sorts of music, such as punk, post-punk, hip hop, post-rock, shoegaze, techno, electro, idm, freak folk, etc. You get the idea. Tonight's set will also feature interesting instrumental songs of different genres.

Thanks, and I hope you'll check it out. =)

Midian City Tober's Diary #25

((Sorry for taking so long to write a new entry! I've been very busy lately.))

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

A lot has happened in the past three days. I'm writing this right now while resting in the den...because I was almost killed a couple of days ago.

Things with The Pack finally came to a head, and I found myself in the middle of a gunfight with only my throwing knives to defend myself. I didn't do so well, and was shot several times. All of the Catwalker kittens had been ordered to take cover in the church during this battle, so I made my way from the area of the fight to there. I barely made it inside the church before collapsing to the ground, much to the horror of the poor kittens inside. Luckily for me, a couple of them have medical experience, so they were able to perform first aid on me until they could get me back to our Gore Room.

I don't remember much of what happened in the church, but according to some reports, Kohji came in and either refused to help me, or just ignored me, or didn't offer to help. I honestly don't know what happened, but everyone's reports about the incident are at least plausible. Supposedly, something happened to Sarika and he refused to help her as well...so anything is possible.

Rith is not pleased

I vaguely recall being carried back to the gore room by Dui. That kitten is a real trooper. Once they got some blood back in me and gave me something for the pain, I was a bit more lucid. There was a lot of arguing...between Dui and Kohji and Lindsay and Kohji. I recall Kohji trying to choke Dui. Soon afterwards Rith showed up and put an end to the fighting. I think Lindsay was ready to rip Kohji into tiny pieces...and it wasn't just because he didn't help two nekos of the pride...it was because one of them was me...and Lindsay cares about me a great deal.

After I had the bullets removed and was bandaged up and stabilized, Lindsay carried me back to the den and made sure I was comfortable. I'm not sure what happened right after that. I could hear a lot of yelling through the walls of the den, but I ended up passing out. I was woken up gently by Rith so she could ask me what happened in the church, but I couldn't really give her much information...it was all a blur to me. She then let me go back to sleep.

I found out the next day that Kohji was kicked out of the Catwalkers by Rith. He probably thinks I had something to do with it, but honestly, I didn't. I didn't like him, but I never lied about what he did, because I still don't know exactly what he did. I can't really say I'm sad he's gone, though. Anyway, Linds has been taking care of me the past couple of days, which I really appreciate. I'm doing ok now...I can get up and walk around a bit, but jumping is out of the question. Of course, I'm going to have scars on my body, but they shouldn't be too visible under my fuzz.

Linds is coming by in a little bit with some sushi for me. I have to admit, I think Linds and I are beginning to have a mutual crush on each other. Unfortunately...a relationship with her would never work. Not with all her "defenses". Besides, I'm probably reading too much into her care and affection anyway. I've been known to do that before. Gotta go. She'll be here soon.


Poor wounded Tober

Midian City in New World Notes

The Storytellers of Midian: How Collaborative Fiction Strengthen Roleplaying Communities

Wagner James Au has written a very nice, accurate article about Midian City on his blog. I highly recommend reading it!

About my DJing

Hey all!

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I've been djing the past few weeks in Midian City. I am part of a group of people that operate a pirate radio station in the city, called KAOS Radio. When I dj, I do so completely in-character, and I even speak (yes, you get to hear Tober's voice!). My show is scheduled for every Tuesday from 5-8pm SLT. Yes, that means tonight! I also play other days of the week around the same time, but Tuesday is my only firmly scheduled day. You can listen to my set through the Midian City or Apocalypse main streams, or by using this url:

http://aegyptia.serverroom.us:6848/listen.pls

I play all sorts of music, such as punk, post-punk, hip hop, post-rock, shoegaze, techno, electro, idm, freak folk, etc. You get the idea. Thanks, and I hope you'll check it out. =)

Midian City Tober's Diary #24

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

Tober perched on a ledge near the Catwalker den
Well, the rumors about the Pack moving turned out to be true. They abandoned and demolished their underground den and have moved into the Apocalypse ruins. In response, we've been ordered by Rith to keep the Pack out of Midian City...the rooftops, the catwalks, and even the streets. I question this move on Rith's part, but I have no authority to express my displeasure over it. So, I write about it in here.

To make matters worse, certain members of the Pack have taken it upon themselves to go after me for being a spy. I don't know how it happened, but apparently the word is out that that was my role in the Pack. This was something that I just knew was going to happen, but I hoped wouldn't. So far, I've been able to fend for myself since the Pack members like to confront me face-to-face, which gives me time to talk my way out of it or jump to the rooftops and call for backup. Thankfully, nobody has thought of actually sneaking up on me and attacking me...probably because they want to make an example out of me. Lindsay has assured me she will do everything in her power to help keep me safe. In fact, we spend a lot of time together, her and I...and I always feel safer when I'm with her.

I've run into Duke a few times, but I'm sort of trying to keep him at arm's length for now until I'm sure he's someone that's safe to be with. I do like him, though. He's nice, fun to be around, and very cute. He could be my first neko boyfriend...and that's sort of intimidating for me. Are they different from human males when it comes to relationships? Probably. Hopefully! I think it's safe to say that he doesn't want me for a pet, at the very least. Ugh, I'm getting way ahead of myself here. We're not even dating...yet.

Other than all that, I've been enjoying the benefits of being a Catwalker, especially the den! It's always stocked with yummy food and drinks, cozy beds and places to curl up and read, or meditate by the fire. Plus, we get as much nip as we want from Linds (as long as we don't go overboard on it). I'm really happy here. It's definitely my new home.


Tober getting cozy on her bed in the Catwalker den

Midian City Tober's Diary #23

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

I have some good news and some bad news. Ok, good news first! I met a really cute neko boy the other day named Duke. He seems to really like me. The bad news is, he's in the Pack. This makes Tober a sad kitty. To make matters worse, when I met Duke, he was with his adopted kid, Blake, who kept trying to tell Duke that I was a spy for the Catwalkers. Duke seemed a little lovestruck though and wasn't really listening to her. Hee hee.

Seriously though, things are really becoming tense between us and the Pack. There's talk about the Pack moving from their underground den to a new place in the Apocalypse ruins. I don't know if that's good or bad just yet. I guess if they're planning on expanding and recruiting more people, then it could be bad...not just for us Catwalkers, but for Midian in general. The Pack are predators, and I know firsthand that Angela seems to be a bit bent on taking over.

I really don't want any part of this conflict, but unfortunately I've been stuck in the middle of it ever since I agreed to be a spy for the Catwalkers. I had a feeling this was going to happen. That's about all I wanted to write about right now. More later.

Midian City Tober's Diary #22

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

Something is definitely brewing between the Catwalkers and the Pack, and it's not good at all. I ran into Shem on the street near the Bridge to Nowhere. She's very friendly, and we sat down and talked while giving each other pets and scratches. While we were talking, I told her that I left the Pack and was now with the Catwalkers, but that didn't mean we couldn't still be friends. She then shocked the hell out of me by coming right out and saying that she was planning to kill the Catwalker Matron. She just said it so calmly and cheerfully, as if she were saying "Oh, it's a lovely day today!" that I think I couldn't even reply for a couple of seconds.

I asked her if she was serious, and she said she was. I tried to remain calm and asked her why she was doing this, and she said she was doing it because Rith (the Matron) is evil, and Angela wanted her dead. Obviously, I couldn't allow this to happen. We talked a little more, then I left her as soon as I was able. I reported directly to Lindsay about this, and she of course passed on the info on to Chai and Rith. Chai told me himself that the Pack was in for "a big surprise." I don't know what that means, but I'm sure it doesn't involve someone popping out of a cake. I think we may be at war soon.

After I told Linds about the situation with Shem, she and I were talking more. I found out today that Linds essentially cannot be romantic with another person. She was fitted with a device that resembles a metal snake that sits inside her throat. She calls this thing the "weasel." It controls her breathing and heart rate, and it's designed to do something else as well: kill. This thing is activated by arousal and deployed - through Lindsay's mouth - upon sensing pressure on her lips. It enters the victim and essentially devours their insides, then returns to Linds' body. While the weasel is outside of her, her breathing and heart stops. She says the action of the weasel is so fast that it only stays outside of her body for a moment. However, without the weasel, she would die. I asked her if there were any way it could be removed and she told me there wasn't. I didn't quite know what to say to her. I'm not sure I said anything...I think I just hugged her.

The closer I get to Lindsay, the more in awe of her I am. She's so brave and strong in many ways, and somehow just keeps soldiering on. She is something she doesn't want to be, and it clearly haunts her every day. If I were in her position, I don't know how I could carry on like that.

(Note: The concept of "The Weasel" is originally from the novel Hardwired, by Walter Jon Williams. An excerpt from the novel can be read here.)

Midian City Tober's Diary #21

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

Rith (L) and Lindsay (R) unmasked
Lindsay called me this morning and said "Rith wants to meet with you today. What's it going to be? Are you staying with the Pack or are you coming to us?" I told her I was coming to the Catwalkers. Chai, who is the second in command of the Catwalkers, contacted me and gave me a meeting place and time. I killed time by leaving the Pack den and wandering around on rooftops to help work out my nervousness. When it got close to the meeting time, I went near the Bridge to Nowhere, which was our meeting spot.

I slowly approached the group, which was Rith, Chai, and one other neko I didn't know, and stood rather far away from them. Chai called out to me and assured me it was ok and to come, so I did. I hadn't had direct contact with Rith up until now. I found her friendly and warm, and kind of motherly. The other neko who was there that I didn't know was also being brought into the Catwalker fold. Without much ceremony, we were made "Kittens", and that was that. I now had a new family, and was out of the Pack. Chai even bought us sushi to celebrate.

Shortly after that, I met up with Lindsay again to tell her how it went and also to give her the update on Shem. She told me that this was something to keep an eye on, and I told her I would probably still be able to do that for a little bit before the Pack realizes that I'm no longer with them.

Lindsay and I also just talked for a little bit. She and I have seemed to develop a rapport, which I would have never guessed would happen given the circumstances in which I met her. I finally felt comfortable enough to ask her why she wears a mask, and she told me a little history about her life. It turns out that she wears the mask to help dampen the scent of everything. She was modified to have a hyper-sensitive sense of smell, amongst other things, and the mask was usually a necessity in the sensory overload that is Midian. However, for the first time, I got her to take her mask off for me. I had a hunch she was beautiful, judging by just her eyes, which was all I could see until now, and I was right. She's model-beautiful...something I wouldn't have expected given the fact that she was basically "engineered" to be a living weapon.

While she had her mask off, we compared our sense of smell. Not only can she smell more, but she can basically "pick apart" smells and sense their individual components. For example, where I would smell just garbage, she would smell decaying fish, moldy noodles, etc. It's pretty amazing. And it makes me feel very...ordinary. Which, I guess I am, compared to many of the citizens of Midian. But, ordinary or not, I'm getting by and finally starting to get ahead here, so I guess I'm doing something right.