A Fond Farewell

There's not much point in beating around the bush. I might as well just break the news. The spiral has completely lost its magic for me. I'm going on hiatus...perhaps permanently. This might very well be the last post on this blog, and I'll no longer be found in the spiral, wizard or pirate.

I always find it really depressing when bloggers quit. It's very sad, but all good things must come to an end, and this blog is no exception. What's even worse than quitting is when people take their blogs down so nobody can ever view them again. I'm not going to do this. As long as blogger continues running, the Artsy Theurgist will remain available for viewing.

Also, I may be leaving this blog, but I'm transferring my attention to the Treehouse, which will now be posted on year round. You can also contact me at my new address, sophiarose580 at gmail dot com. If you're just dying to know what happens in the rest of the Greatest Treasure, just send me an email and I'll see what I can do. UPDATE: I've decided to keep the fanfiction going. I'll be posting when this happens on the Treehouse, not here.

This time on Wizard/Pirate101 has been really enjoyable. I've made some friends and had lots of fun, but it's just a game and I think it's time to move on with my life. Thanks, everyone, for the great time I've had. I won't forget this.

This may be a short post, but I think that's all that needs to be said. I'll see you over on the Treehouse.

- Sophia E

Players vs. Developer: Who Made the Armada?

Every pirate hates the Armada. Those nasty, heartless clockworks never seem to stop trying to take over the spiral. However, you have to admit that their design is quite ingenious. Who made those clockworks, anyway? Welcome to the first post of Players vs. Developer! Our topic? The creation of the Armada.

The game doesn't give us much information about it. Our clues are restricted to the puppet show Captain Avery showed us, which doesn't tell us much.

Who was this Valencian genius?

It turns out that other pirates wonder, too. Who better to ask than the man who wrote the pirate story? He goes by Blind Mew. On a thread for players to ask him questions, some came up with all sorts of interesting theories. One of my favorites was written by baronzemo123. It was written in one long sentence, so I'll paraphrase it as I understood it. He guesses that Kane was once human and had a wife who he loved very much, but was killed by Polaris in the war. He wanted revenge, so he changed himself into a clockwork to help fight Polaris. He also recreated his wife (the mysterious queen) and his family (the other elites) and made a whole army to serve them. Over time, he began to lose his humanity and became completely machine and ruthless, and now he wants to take over the spiral and make everyone a clockwork.

In response, Blind Mew only said: "I'm afraid I won't confirm or deny your theory about their origin, not at this stage." Interesting! We'll just have to see how this plays out.

On a lighter note, jake344 asked if Kane was our pirate's mother, to which Blind Mew gave this amusing response:

"I'm not clear what you're asking. I think I can read this question 3 ways:

• Is Kane, the clockwork leader of the Armada, an artificial being technically without gender, the pirate's mother? I'd have to say no (a line from Monty Python's Life of Brian leaps to mind). Or is that not what you meant - are you asking...
• Is your pirate is secretly a Clockwork, built by Kane, and just doesn't know it? Again, I'd say no - somebody would have noticed by now, and I'm presuming the player pirate eats, drinks, sleeps, etc. An interesting idea, but that's not the kind of plot twist I'd go for here - it's much more of a horror trope than high adventure. Was that what you meant, or...
• Is Kane actually the pirate's mother in disguise? Again, I figure someone would have noticed by now. Besides, the whole "No <insert hero name here>... I am your <parent> has been done, and I don't think we could top the most famous example. 

So, no matter which way you're asking, it feels reeeeeeeally farfetched." I found that quite funny.

Other theories on the clockwork's creator were Marco Pollo (hmm) and Steed (interesting!). Blind Mew did say that we'd definitely find out eventually, so we'll just have to wait and see. I hope you enjoyed this installment of Players vs. Developer, and next time, we'll be talking about betrayal...

(By the way, this is my 100th post! Hooray!)

- SSS

5.9.13 Captain's Log

Note to self: although the buffaloons and their bumbaloon cousins may look cute from the windlane, up close they certainly aren't. I should know. I had to fight at least thirty of them on end, to get meat to attract the attention of Brother Wolf. I did eventually, and I still have my doubts about whether it was worth the trouble. It was tough. The striped ones in particular had several nasty tricks, and Bonnie Anne saved everyone with her gun. I still need to thank her, since I forgot in the business that followed. To appease Brother Wolf, we had to make some sort of healing balm to cure Sister Snake's venom, and after a few quick scrapes in Skull Island, we had everything set. Then, it was time to get down to business, to defeat Three Scars and finally return to Thunderbird for news on the so-called Duck of Death. Three Scars was in a very foreboding vortex, and soon he'd boarded my bison skiff, Silver Tree, and we were in thick battle. Sometimes I wish the bison were smaller, and it was hard to see. If nothing else, they were easy targets! After we brought Three Scars down, a lone Black Storm archer jumped ship and asked to join my crew. I was a bit skeptical, especially once he told me his name was Mighty Hair. What kind of a name is that? I let him come along anyway, and I eagerly await seeing him prove himself in battle. This brings me back to the present moment. As I write, I'm sitting on deck, relaxing at Gold Creek. Very soon, we'll have to leave for the Bison Village and inform Raven Eyes of our progress. In fact, I hear Lieutenant Emmett calling for me right now. I need to set sail. I'll write more soon!

- SSS

A Leap into Pirate101

I decided to try Pirate101 for a month and see how I liked it. The verdict? I'm liking it quite a bit, so far. Right now, I'm level 15 and just starting Valencia. I'm collecting ships and loving them all, and their names. First I had my pirate death trap raft named the Twitchy Turtle. Any ship with Twitchy in its name makes me laugh. Then came my pirate skiff, automatically named the Red Venture. I knew I wouldn't be having it for long, so I left it alone. Soon afterward, I bought myself a pirate frigate and named it the Silver Rose, after my pirate's last name, my pen name, and also the Knights of the Silver Rose in Avalon, my favorite world. Just recently, I got myself a monquistador skiff, and it came named Furiosa Angela. I wasn't a fan, so I decided to rename it to something. I went to the rename person and saw that Rosa Sophia was an option. I did it. (Yup, I named my ship after myself.) The bad news? I'm now gold-starved. Uh-oh. Okay, ship ramble? Over.

Speaking of ship names, I found an epic wharf rat one. I forgot to take a picture, but it was the Lost Clownfish. Nemo! :D So, anyway, I really like Pirate101 so far, and I'm wondering what I'll do when my membership runs out.

I'll see you in the skyways! If you see Smiling Sophia Silver or the Rosa Sophia, don't be afraid to say hi!

- SSS