Can You Bear the News?

I've decided that a Grizzleheim/Wintertusk review will be coming next. Bear in mind that votes for another option will not change my mind, as I have already started making graphics for this particular post. I don't really have much more to say now, so here's a picture of a bear.

- Sophia E

Stalling?

Is KI stalling the release of Khrysalis Part 2? I think they just might be.

Although, they might have good reasons for it. They promised early 2014, which is quickly waning away, and they might not be ready quite yet; after all, we don't want another glitchy Azteca, do we? I'm willing to wait, but I feel this update might have been better kept under wraps.

There's practically nothing here; although the dungeon recall teleport may be useful to wizards who are stilling leveling up (as most high-level dungeons don't allow teleportation) the new "Team Up" function is, in my opinion, quite useless.

Do you know how Ranked Team PvP works, if you haven't formed a team with your friends? You're teamed up with random players and no concrete strategy; the intricate battle plans necessary to succeed in this area are nonexistent. Talk to anyone familiar with team gameplay and they'll tell you that a defined strategy is necessary in PvP.

The same goes for PvE; at least, the cheat dungeons. Although the Team Up feature may be somewhat useful for lower-leveled wizards leery of going into a dungeon on their own, the more crowded places, for which I believe this feature was initially intended, also require a knowledge of the cheats and how to circumvent them.

Team Up is basically Quick Join for dungeons. I had hoped for a way for group members to instantly teleport into a dungeon without sigil jumpers invading, but sadly, this is not the case. I hope such a feature will be added soon, and I'll continue to sit tight for Khrysalis. The promise of plot twists are one of the only reasons I'm still excited. (Although: KI says that "Khrysalis will bring an end to the Morganthe story arc - or will it?" If Morganthe the cardboard power-hungry villain is here for yet another arc, I'll probably quit or something. Just saying.)

- Sophia E

In Stasis

Still not often in the game

Taking breaks now, all the same

And enthusiasm's waning

Soon, will any be remaining?

Is any wizard bored as me?

Should I find a change of scenery?

(That's an acrostic - read down the left column and it spells stasis.)

Seriously, I think I do need a change of scenery. Wizard101 is feeling pretty flat just now.

(Hmm...Pirate101?)

- Sophia E

New Post Series

I plan to start a new post series, where I review the various worlds of the Spiral based on their setting (music, graphics, and themes), story (self-explanatory), and gameplay (difficulty, pacing, etc.). However, I was unsure which world to do first, so I've decided to let you, the readers, decide!

Simply vote on the poll in the sidebar; it will close at the end of the month!

Note: I will not be doing Khrysalis until the rest of it comes out and I finish playing through it.

(Basically, if you want to see me bash Azteca, vote Azteca - if you want a more, shall we say, rational review...don't.)

Thanks! :)

- Sophia E

Questing Burnout

Okay. I know it's really late, but it's vacation week so I can stay up. Right. Normally I'd be doing quests in Azteca, but it's Azteca. For those of you who have done this world already, you should understand my pain by now. For those of you who haven't: this world is @#$%@&%%$@$#%!

Seriously. Ouch.

So you could say I'm in some sort of questing burnout phase. Let's put it this way: I'd love for Khrysalis Part 2 to come out so I'd have some other quests to do besides dragging stuff. I can sense incoming epicness.

Right. Do I have anything else to say at this late hour? I don't think so, but I'll probably wake up and think of some other things I would have mentioned, but that's okay.

See you...tomorrow? Or maybe just soon?

- Sophia E

The Scoop on Legends of Light

If you've been reading for a while, you know what this is - in case you haven't I'll fill you in right now.

Legends of Light is the name of a fantasy novel I've been working on for about a year now. It has absolutely nothing to do with Wizard101, so you might not be interested at all.

Either way, I have some really major news on the novel writing. Click here to see it.

- Sophia E

Mansion Splendiferous

Hey, all - I've been working on my own special house for the past...I don't know. But it's specially tailored to my own interests and tastes. It's coming along so awesomely, I shall call it...Mansion Splendiferous!

So far, I have the obligatory wizard study that at least has crafting stations, a beautifully icy dining room, and a wizard kitchen with an EPICLY SPLENDIFEROUS GLOWY WIZARD STOVE! How awesome is this? Is it not functional? Is it not beautiful? Does it not make you wish you had one just like it?

Come on...you know you want one and it's absolutely splendiferous.
Note from Sophia: When I glitched this stove, I realized two late that I should probably have used candles under the dinner plate burners instead of campfires. It glows a bit too much. Also, the dinner plates were the only round, flat, and dark housing item I could find.

Soon, I'm also going to make my super ultra-deluxe thaumaturge bedroom, and a luxury bathroom - the plumbing draws straight from the water outside, so baths might be a bit...chilly. There will be a super awesome game room, sitting room, and place for hanging out all in one ginormous space! Can anyone say splendiferous? That's why I'm calling it Mansion Splendiferous!

Oh, and I guess I'll have to make a guest room too, in case anyone wants to stay with me at Mansion Splendiferous. But I'll attend to that issue later, I suppose.

The landscaping will be gorgeous, too! I'll be sure to post again later with the latest design info! (Isn't my glowy wizard stove just AMAZINGLY SPLENDIFEROUS?!)

- Emma I

Explode: A Poem about Azteca

Ambrose sent me to a new world

Full of prehistoric life

After despair was unfurled

From a quetzal from their strife.

(Oh, Kingsisle, don't you know that

Quetzal is a tropic bird?

Your "quetzal" winged snake shows that

You did not research the word.)

Anyway, this desperate letter showed

That soon Azteca would explode.

Despite the one quetzal mistake

I was ready to forget

All of Azteca seemed to shake

From Xibalba, the comet.

(Oh, Kingsisle, don't you know that

Your players need to care?

Your thinning characters show that

The dinosaurs miss that flair.)

As I through buggy jungle strode:

"I wonder when it will explode?"

After weeks and weeks of grinding

All to stop that deadly rock

I was panting, groaning, finding

That I'd gotten quester's block.

(Oh, Kingsisle, don't you know that

Tedious does not mean hard?

Your crawling pacing shows that

Players' excitement's marred.)

All I could think was of this mode:

"When will Azteca just explode?"

After solving every small whim 

Always feeling just the same

My rage finally did me in

"Is this dratted thing a game?"

(Oh, Kingsisle, don't you know that

Rage inspires mutiny?

Your painful "game" quests show that

There is not much left in me.)

From one thought my mind would implode:

"I wish Azteca would explode!"

Contest Cancellation

I've decided to cancel the contest. It just didn't go as well as I'd hoped, and if only one person enters each task, it's not even a contest, really. So this contest is over. I might adapt the story into a short post series, because I feel like it had some good things going for it, but otherwise...it's over.

Thanks for reading.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hey everyone - I thought I should probably post today, with it being Valentine's Day and all! The Spiral is clearly in a festive mood, and I must say, I don't feel so bad myself, at least for being alone with Emma for such a long time. Maybe I can do something to fix that soon...but anyway, how are your days all going? Have you eaten any chocolate? I haven't...

But I can fix that problem! :D *extends bright red box of chocolates*

Emma...what's this all about? Are those supposed to be for me?

All for you! *opens box* See? There are a dozen of them, and they each have different fillings...only I ate this one here because it was hazelnut and I just love hazelnut and chocolate. But you can have all the others! :)

No. No no no no no. I'm not going to touch these chocolates - there's probably something wrong with them if you'd just give them to me like that. They might even be poisoned!

But it's Valentine's Day, and you just said you haven't had any chocolate yet! You can't have Valentine's Day without chocolate - it's an abomination, and completely not splendiferous!

I don't care whether it's splendiferous to you or not, but I'm not going to touch those chocolates! You can eat them all, for all I care! *stomps off*

*sigh* I only wanted her on my side...

- Emma I

My Sword is Pointy.

Pointy things are splendiferous, you know. 

They're just dangerous. I can't believe some of the interests you've developed over the past year. Some of them can only be called barbaric.

Poetry isn't barbaric. See? That's one of my interests.

Snow is good
Snow storms mean
'Sno more school
And coffee bean! :D

...remember? That reminds me - it just happens to be another SNOW DDDAAAAAAYYYY!!

I had hoped to forget that phonetic torture. Your poetry is barbaric, even though poetry in general isn't. Can you please just stop pressing the point and leave me alone?

Ha! The POINT! You brought up pointy things yourself! (Actually, "pressing a point" sounds really painful.) Back to my own POINT; pointy things, especially my epic new sword from finishing Avalon, are awesomely splendiferous! With them, I can kill lots of things!

(I'd better go. She's starting to sound dangerous. Maybe she's a serial killer in disguise?) Okay...I have other things to work on right now. Goodbye, blog!

- Grace S

Chase #3

Rendezvous Point K is in the Krokosphinx. That actually makes a lot of sense. You shove the scraps of paper into your backpack and begin walking. You lost a good bit of time working on that tedious puzzle, so now, you need to go even faster than before, if that’s possible. It’s a disappointing and stressful feeling, being far behind.

The blue mander captain who mans the boat is gone for the night, but you know how to launch it. You clamber on and set it loose, and soon, you’ve docked at the second island. You jump out of the boat and walk over to Niles. “Have you seen…” You proceed to describe Corwin and Amy.

The tree rustles his fronds in a gesture of assent. “They ran into the tombs, but it was a long time ago. It looked like dirty business to me.”

You thank Niles and run down the steps into the tombs, your wand at the ready. When the drafty cold air wafts across your face and you see the glimmer of the blue lanterns, you walk a few more steps, then jump behind a pillar to listen. A small crack between the pillar and the wall gives you a decent view of the activity in the main hall. To your horror, you find not just Corwin, Amy, and the assistant who mailed the intercepted letter, but several wizards, none of whom you recognize and all of whom are cloaked completely in black. They seem to be surrounding a wizard, with long black hair and a winged commander robe…Emmaline FairySlinger.

You slouch back against the wall, barely able to hold back a defeated sigh. There’s no way you can overpower all those wizards, who most likely have powers similar to Corwin’s. Worst of all, you can’t see Amy anywhere. You can only hope she escaped, but somehow…you can’t help but fear the worst.

Suddenly, someone speaks loudly enough for you to overhear. “Dratted dogs,” says Corwin, clearly not caring about the volume of his complaint. “Can’t keep their panting little noses out of anyone’s business…they’re in almost every world on the Spiral, not just content with their own. But –” He let out a great sigh. “– to Marleybone I must go, for the fulfillment of my grand plan. I will meet with SkullBringer there…he claims to have captured BattleSpear.”

With a jolt, you realize Corwin’s about ready to go. If you hurry, you might be able to escape unnoticed, and possibly even head him off for once. Marleybone – finally he’s making it easy. Why, even his complaint sounds familiar…

(The location of his minion is somewhere on this blog. Look for the Mark of the Mordromancers, and go where it leads you. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to comment.)

Last Week's Champion

The winner of the previous task was, once again, Roslyn SilverTalon/April! She will receive her hoard packs shortly. She was also the only person who entered again; I will try again one more time in case anyone decides they want to unseat her from her record. Remember, whoever wins the most of these tasks will get the grand prize, and if she wins four tasks, that will automatically be her.

Good luck. The next task will be posted later today.

Emma's Big Secret

Hey - I just have to post, because I was digging through Emma's bank a few minutes ago for something she stole from me, and I found several bags of fresh Aztecan coffee. That actually explains a lot of things.

Wha-wha?! I never stole anything from you, and anyway, I wasn't drinking the coffee. It was just a drop, I promise you! I was going to sell them at my next trip to the Bazaar!

Ha, nice try. You're still in Avalon. I think I should put you on a restricted diet. No more coffee for you! *triumphantly leaves to confiscate coffee*

Hmph. Grace StormRider is the meanest person in the Spiral. I've been practically living on that coffee since I was born, and now she'd take it away just like that? I think she's going to be the next big villain once we defeat Morganthe, and - OW! *clutches head* I need my coffee!

- Emma I

Snow Daaaayy!

Snow is fun
Snow is great
Snow reminds me
Of what I just ate!

Snow I love
Snow snow snow
Snow is deep
And cold I know!

Snow is good
Snow storms mean
'Sno more school
And coffee bean! :D

SNOW DDDAAAAAAYYYY!!

What IN THE SPIRAL is all this?!

SNOW DDDAAAAAAYYYY!!

No, Emma, this is absolutely ridiculous and you are not going to post this on the blog because I know that's what you were thinking of when you wrote it!

SNOW DDDAAAAAAYYYY!! *clicks "publish" button and runs away*

Grrrr. Well, since I'm the only person left and this post exists whether I like it or not, I guess I'll sign it off. See you later. And remember, Sophia could still use your help against the Mordromancers, so please try to enter the contest if you haven't yet!

- Grace S

Chase #2

You let out a sigh of relief as you sit up from being hunched over the page. It took some thought, but you feel fairly certain about the incantation, even though you have no idea what it does. Lestil slemran. It doesn’t sound too intimidating, but if a mordromancer wants it, it must be bad.

Clutching your wand again, you stand up and exit the Necromantic Archives at a brisk walk. It looks like Corwin’s already been here and may be at his Rendezvous point K, wherever that may be. If you don’t want him to pull off his plan, you’d better hurry.

“Hello.” A voice, smooth and mature yet somehow not quite adult, sounds behind you. You turn, staring at the dark figure standing in the doorway to the Theurgic Archives. It looks like he’s been waiting for you, crouching behind the doorframe until you revealed yourself. He’s wearing a pointed hat with a feather and a robe with an elegant, spotless cape, all jet black.

You find yourself stiffening, and your knuckles whiten around your wand. This looks exactly like the picture of Corwin DarkHammer that Sophia showed you, even down to the outfit. He continues, “It was awfully sloppy of me to leave my notes on important historical records. I hope you didn’t…ahem…inconvenience yourself in trying to decipher them. I’m afraid I tend to be somewhat cryptic in talking to myself.”

After a short period of stuttering, you manage to find your voice as you reply, “It was no trouble at all. You’re not quite as confusing as you think.”

For a moment, you see Corwin’s eyes narrow, but then he returns to normal with a silky laugh. He leans back into the hallway and pulls something out. You see the bound form of a wizard with long, violet hair tied back into a ponytail. Unless you’re very much mistaken, this is Amy ThunderBrand, notorious diviner of the White Legion.

“I appreciate your taking the time to delve into my notes, but unfortunately, time is something I don’t have much of tonight. I’m afraid I must run – places to go, people to see!” He points his wand at you and shouts some unintelligible words.

Soon, you find yourself surrounded by a thick black mist. You can see through it, but you know there’s no chance of walking when you try to move your legs but find them stuck. You can’t do anything as Corwin hauls Amy out the door.

Eventually, the mist dissipates, but you know they’re long gone, to that place…Rendezvous Point K. After your epic forgetting-to-dodge fail, you might not stand much of a chance, but it’s worth a try. The memory is pretty far back, but you think you might just know where to look…

(The key to the rendezvous is somewhere on this blog. Look for the Mark of the Mordromancers, and go where it leads you. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to comment.)