The Comet

The Comet could be observed from The LAAAAME Observatory's telescope. It was first spotted on May 25, 2006, and first hit Grimace and then Seaside Town on June 3, 2006.

The comet's journey towards the Kingdom of Loathing

The comet that appeared on May 25th was viewable through the telescope. It could also be seen on the top menu, near the moons, and appeared to be headed for Grimace. The comet on the top pane looked like this: and looked like this on compact mode: , and moved closer to Grimace every day.

Observatory observation texts:

• "Ah yes," says one of the astronomers. "Isn't that pretty? It was discovered by the Gift Shop Guy. We figure we'll name it after him, as soon as we find out what his name actually is."
• Note: On May 30, "Isn't that pretty?" instead read as "The comet."
• Note: Since May 31, the above text was completely missing.
• May 27: You comment that it looks a little bit larger today, and he replies cheerfully, "Yes, it's moved a bit closer to us. Hopefully, it'll get close enough for us to observe it in greater detail! Isn't it fascinating?"
• May 28: You point out that it appears to have gotten even closer, and the astronomer looks a little nervous. "Yes. Well. Nothing to worry about, I'm sure! Nothing to worry about at all!"
• May 29: You point out that it appears to have gotten even closer, but the astronomer doesn't respond. He just kind of stands there, chewing on his fingernails.
• May 30: One of the astronomers runs up, saying "Aha! I worked out the math, and there's no need to worry about the comet hitting us at all!" You look at his notes, and point out that he forgot to carry the one. He starts biting his fingernails again.
• May 31: You notice that the comet is still getting closer. You turn to mention it to one of the astronomers, but they're all huddled in the corner muttering to each other.
• June 01: You notice that the comet is still getting closer. You turn to mention it to one of the astronomers, but they seem pretty busy. They appear to have covered every available scrap of paper with mathematical calculations. As well as the walls.
• June 02:The comet looks pretty big now. It's a bit worrysome, really.
  Suddenly, all the astronomers rush into the room cheering and popping champagne corks. "We did it! We're safe!"
  "What's all this brou-ha-ha?" you ask.
  "We finally got the calculations to come out right," says one, a wide grin plastered across his face. "It turns out that Grimace will pass through the path of the comet just before it hits us! The comet will be deflected off the moon! Woo-hoo!"

The collision

• June 03, 2006, approximately 11:25 PM:
  • People knew the time of the impact had come when a big, red KABOOOM! appeared in chat and people were logged off. screenshot
  • First, the comet hit the moon Grimace, which now has another moon orbiting around it from the impact.
  • A chunk of Grimace came down in Desert Beach and formed The Grim Grimacite Site.
  • The comet itself hit The LAAAAME Observatory, leaving only The Remains of A Comet and an Observatory.
  • Another chunk of the comet hit nearby Hagnk's Ancestral Mini-Storage, which was mostly burnt down already since White Wednesday, and became Hagnk's Mostly-Burned-Down-then-Hit-By-a-Chunk-of-Comet Ancestral Mini-Storage.
  • In The Cannon Museum, The LAAAAME Observatory Memorial plaque was installed which indicates that The LAAAAME Observatory will not be rebuilt.
• During the following rollover, the following was added to the KoL maintenance screen:

The system is currently down for comet-related emergency maintenance.

Why not check out one of the following things in the meantime:

Duck and Cover!

How to Survive A Collision With An Earth-Shattering Asteroid

The Red Cross's Disaster Tips

After the collision

• June 04, 2006:
  • At The Grim Grimacite Site, some tents appeared.
  • The remains of the comet on top of the former observatory melted overnight and left The Wet Remains of an Observatory.
  • Hagnk's Mostly-Burned-Down-then-Hit-By-a-Chunk-of-a-Comet Ancestral Mini-Storage turned into Hagnk's Mostly-Burned-Down-then-Hit-By-a-Chunk-of-a-Comet-then-Flooded-by-the-Melting-Comet Ancestral Mini-Storage.

• June 05, 2006:
  • At The Grim Grimacite Site, the tents were replaced with prefabricated houses.

• June 06, 2006:
  • At The Grim Grimacite Site, a large crane appeared in the crater.

• June 07, 2006:
  • At The Grim Grimacite Site, another crane appeared.

• June 13, 2006:
  • The Penguin Mafia opened up The Raffle House and started selling raffle tickets - the prizes to be won being made out of mined Grimacite.

• June 18, 2007:
  • The The Grim Grimacite Site opened to adventurers.

• June 25, 2007:
  • The The Grim Grimacite Site closed to adventurers.

Notes

• An idea Jick once had on a radio show was to have a comet collide with it and change its orbit, making the moon phases less predictable.
• Also, Jick mentioned in another radio show that he needed a way to put out the fire at Hagnk's Ancestral Mini-Storage. This chunk of ice seems to fit in quite conveniently.