Too tired to be clever.

"Meh", I ask your forgiveness, in advance, because I'm dog tired, so my 'cleverness' rating is pretty low.

Went to Kevin Battleblood's PvP party last night (no, did NOT participate). Just there to watch. It was hosted at Alric Ravensinger's "Great Library", which was perfectly named, because Alric did a fantastic job, imo.
Unfortunately had to leave early for work, but was able to watch the Livestream. I love the "running commentary" of Kevin's videos, both "live" and at his YouTube page. It's like watching (insert your televised sport here), and listening to the announcers,and actually *caring* what they're talking about!  Kevin&Co. make a good announce team.

Also, I was honored by Spiral Fashonista Cassandra Hexthorn at A Life of Fire :

Oh, yeah, I'd be rocking this, like a Raven

Funny thing is, with Cassandra's "Eye" (Uh, Bartleby wants it back, Cass), she picked out an outfit that more "Rocking" than the Crab Alley questline reward. Be sure to check out the other sets she's done. Some of them are downright hilarious. Ru Paul got nothing on some of our ,um, 're-costumed', friends.

Thirdly, our other art-inspired Cassandra, Cassandra Griffindreamer has posted Pages 3-8 (since my last report) of Poison Ivy at WitchWarrior101, and I gotta tell ya, each new post throws me a curve ball:

Poison Ivy #8. Severe Lee gets Calamine's "attention".

And ,uh, well, without "Severe Lee Scratchy" here to defend himself, I guess he's gonna be "fair game".

And Edward Lifegem is going to go on a Photo Spree Around The Spiral in Test, so he's given a "pre-spoiler" warning. I, myself, still have stained glass blizzards in Test, so I look forward to actually "seeing" beyond the Frost Bones in the Fjord. "Hey, Edward, some shots of Grandmother Raven, please?" Oh, and anything on the new Shadow Phoenix hybrids...gosh those look so sweet.


Mmm..(*yawn*)..Be...Well...

My $0.02 : Plagiarism

There's a bit of a storm among the Twizards lately, and it's understandable. It doesn't affect me, directly (that I'm aware of), but still evokes the need for me to state my position on it.

Copy/Paste: Cute for Twins, ugly for bloggers

Plagiarism: The re-posting of another's content without permission, quotation, or link-back referencing. A definite "No-no" among bloggers, in general, and in the W101 blogosphere, especially.

I've only had to deal with this once, long ago, when a blogger mistakenly took one of my pics for the "Great Gobbler Giveaway" as KI stock art. (A bit of a compliment, actually). Once that blogger discovered it was a HiaG "original" derivitave work, they were quick to edit their blog with an attribution link. "no harm, no foul", there.

Not so, currently, where I have witnessed point-blank copy/paste of a Community Leader's recent post, (one of several examples, I've been told). I'm not here to point out the perpetrator(s) nor the victim(s), merely to highlight the action, itself.

Any long-time blogger can tell you that "content creation" is the hardest part of blogging, really. When you're first starting out, your head is swimming with all the ideas of things you're going to write about. Over time, that pool of inspiration gets depleted, and has to be replenished. Ever-changing conditions help keep "ideas fresh", (such as the explosion of content with WinterTusk), and there's plenty of room for everyone to write their views. The idea that someone would routinely cut/paste someone else's content (KI press releases, excepted), is just plain wrong, and to me, a violation of Oath Keeping. W101 bloggers who persist in taking the "easy road" in blogging will fast find out they've lost their seat on the Community Bus.

Did a fellow blogger write something you liked? Exellent! You want to forward it, on your blog? Quote, and attribute it:

Fallon Shadowblade knows how it's done.

Why, DoaW had a "field day" with the "Mystery Composer tRick-roll", and Fallon Shadowblade followed every proper step (Thanks, Fallon!). Everybody wins, everybody is happy. (And I promise, no more 'tRick-rolls', for the rest of 2011). So, as you can see from this example, even reporting another's blogger's posts can be content, itself, if done properly.

Keeping in mind that a "truly, truly original idea" is about as rare as Unicorns (outside The Spir@l ), there are as many ways to "say" the same thing as there are people to say them. That being said, pasting someone else's words in your blog, without attribution, is akin to saying "I have no ability to speak for myself". If that's truly the case, perhaps it's time to re-examine why you want to be a blogger.

"Where have I seen this before?"

Be Original, and Be Well.

For John Lifeglen

My "Slaying Buddy" John Lifeglen and I have many, many conversations, and this twisted idea is the result of one of them. I promised/threatened I'd do this, and well, it's about time, "Just because".

Once Wintertusk, and the Level 58 pets go LIVE, I've made arrangements that all Balance wizards will still get their Judgement pets..except John. He gets an uber-rare  uh, "hybrid" pet, right off the bat:

Muah-ha-ha-ha!

Headdesk Well!

OMG! OMG! OMG! I stumbled across the answer!

One of the perks of being an Official Fansite, is I have access to the KI Media folder. It's usually a place for news outlets, when reporting on KI.

Someone at KingIsle planned too far in advance, and they mistakenly already added the big reveal video for the "Mystery Composer"! Maybe KI is preparing for a multi-media news outlet reveal, because (having seen it) , I can agree that yes, this is newsworthy. Maybe it's just too "crazy busy", at KI, with all the stuff they're working on. I pride myself on being to ferret hidden things out of obscurity.

I think heads at KI are gonna roll, (and probably mine, too for posting this too soon), but I believe in "Journalistic Integrity", and believe you, the readers have "a right to know". So, accepting full responsibility for my actions, I will post, what could end up being HiaG's "Swan Song". "Better to go out with a bang", says I.

Having seen this video, I can tell you, it's *definitely* a "kid-friendly" performer, someone I would have *never* guessed in a million years, it hit me so out of the blue! I went through all the "logical" choices, and the video hit me like a ton of bricks, I believe even our beloved DittoMonster will be excited over this:

WARNING! MAJOR SPOILERS!

DO NOT WATCH, IF YOU WANT IT TO BE A SURPRISE!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Can't wait for the comments on *this* one! Let's discuss this exciting news!

Shot in the Dark after the 'mystery composer'

Well, with KI's history of kid friendly demographics, and business history with Disney Artists, my initial "best guess" is Miley Cyrus, (a.k.a. "Hannah Montana".). MIley's a composer, she's been on Saturday Night Live, and does not have the initials "J.B." (insert sigh of relief).

 

Miley is currently on tour, and has the "Get Ur Good on" campaign , as well. Both of which are viable for cross-promotion.

Now, my initial premise of it even *being* a Disney Artist may be flawed, (but I'm playing statistical probability, here), and we only have the one (updated) clue. I don't claim to have the Perfect Magic 8 Ball, and my guess is subject to change with the very next hint.

Grandmother Raven much, Miley?

"Avis Cyrus" from "Can't be tamed" Rare black bird in a cage.

Just a glimpse into the thought process, is all. Having fun with it, actually.

And, btw, Yes, I *do* like "Can't be tamed". Funny it's on the same playlist as "Year without rain", huh?

Be Well!

Mysterious Musical Artist Composes Soundtrack for New Wizard101 World PLANO, TEXAS (APRIL 28, 2011) – KingsIsle Entertainment, creators of the award-winning online game Wizard101, announced today that the soundtrack for its upcoming expansion world, Wintertusk, was composed by one of the hottest young musical talents in the entertainment industry. Over the course of several weeks the company plans to provide hints about the composer’s identity, culminating in a final reveal timed to Wintertusk’s launch later this spring. "This is a cool idea, because our mystery composer has a huge name in the music business but has never created music for a video game,” said J. Todd Coleman, vice president and creative director of Wizard101. “I’m really impressed by this artist's adaptability and talent. I think our players are going to be very surprised and totally blown-away." To create the soundtrack for Wintertusk, the mystery artist composed seven original pieces of music, each representing a different facet of the upcoming epic storyline. Additional information about the world of Wintertusk can be found at  "https://www.wizard101.com/game/april2011" Wintertusk continues the storyline that began in the icy world of Grizzlehiem, offering a variety of challenges for accomplished Wizards and fantastic rewards such as new spells, high-level pets and exclusive loot. For lower-level players the expansion brings back the underwater realm of Crab Alley, continuing the story of the Crab King, newly returned from his musical world tour. Wizard101 is one of the most popular online games in the United States, "https://www.wizard101.com/game/announcements/2011january24" attracting more than 15 million registered users since its launch in 2009. Designed to provide safe and fun online entertainment for the entire family, Wizard101 continues to experience extraordinary growth and  receive industry acclaim               Check HERE for more on the Facebook Guessing game hints. If "Beiber Fever" hits The Spir@l, I'm gonna cry.

Mad Science in Theorycrafting

(since my keyboard and mouse came as a bundle, I thought I'd "bundle" 2 posts, today)

Yes, I know, I know. The stitching of wands isn't even "LIVE" yet, but I'm a Greedymancer, and I know what I wanna see see next: Mad Science!

If Kevin Battleblood could PvP me right now, he probably would. :)

If you think about it, it kinda makes sense, doesn't it? It's sorta the "Next logical step" in W101 customization. Say, for instance, I want the appearance of my Ghost Hound (Jasmine), but all the stats of Ginger, ('Snaps'), my Fierce hound with Spritely. Any of you 'hard core' breeders out there know that such a combination is highly unlikely, atm. Well nigh impossible, you might claim.

You would still have to train, and train, and train some more, to get the 'stats' you want, but once you have them, you could apply them to the 'skin' of any pet in your possession. Just think of all the 'expensive house decorations' wandering around- a chance for "A New Life". That, or we can start "recycling" pets, in return for reagents. 'Stitching' seems the more (virtually) humane thing to do. A Krokomummy that's really a Sea Dragon, a Skeletal Warrior that's really an Ice Colossus: oh, the possibilities are endless!

Just think of the beautiful chaos it would create! Just like stitched wands, you'd never really know what to expect in PvP. "What?!? Their staff is really a Lifeforce Blade, and their Piggle is really a Helephant! ". Looking up your opponent's stats in PvP would likely get a bit more interesting, Muah-ha-ha-ha!

And, just for record's sake, such a cosmetic change wouldn't (or should I say "shouldn't" ), affect the fine database of The Petnome Project, where 'base stats are still base stats'. Hopefully, this spares me the Wrath of KBB and Team TPC, lol. "Gee, Autumn, wish you hadn't delved into PvP, already".

Just know this: Should 'Pet Stitching' ever become a reality- in your head, and around The Spir@l, a single cry will be heard:

Muah-ha-ha-ha!

Be Well!

Updates

Well, first and foremost, guess who *finally* got a new keyboard? Yup, I can now talk/type more, (Oh, joy. "Lucky" you. :| )

Logitech MK320 Wireless keyboard/mouse bundle- "I LIVE!"

Took "R" and our mutual friend, Corwin on a "Fun Run" of Malistaire last night. It was a nail biter. Not that it was "hard" (Corwin and I are both Lvl 60), but we unintentionally ended up "racing the clock" to last night's Server Maintenance. When I say we "cut it close", I mean we seriously had less than one minute left before Old Mali fell. The tension of fighting, with the server countdown messages ticking away, felt like a Bomb Disposal mission: "Red wire or blue? RED WIRE OR BLUE!?!". If Corwin hadn't saved the day, that run would've been 'fail', not something my ego would have accepted, lightly. That unintentional tension of beating the clock really added something:  perhaps, in the future, KI could add 'countdown timers' to certain 'high risk' missions, because it *really* added something to the gameplay.

I logged in today, in both Test and Live, and saw both had patching going on. Checking Test to see if the graphics problems *automagically* disappeared, I found they did not. My new description of me trying to play Wintertusk is "Open-eyed, in a blizzard of stained glass shards". I can tell by local conversations that I'm not the only one experienceing this, and have every faith KI will have all made right.
Conversely, I found that my graphics client has now "hard crashed" on LIVE , several times, in Ravenwood, (in front of Bartleby), in the Shopping District, (that's new), and with *something* in Gardening (Finally made Grandmaster Gardener.). Now, I've always had some 'black hole' glitching in Ravenwood, and have had the occasional "Mothra" butterfly, but never to the point of crashing, and locking my computer up.

The Butterfly of Doom strikes The Commons

I can't say for sure whether it's my antiquated laptop, (which has every update available), or something in the game code. All I do know is this is a bad harbinger, for me. If unresolved, I'm gonna need a new computer, an investment that will be a difficult pill to swallow. If KingsIsle ever came out with a branded laptop, optimized for W101, I would *so* be "in the market". Just think, a pseudo-"spellbook" design, that ran W101 with all the "bells and whistles", wherever you went! Ah, one can dream, right?

Don't forget, tonight is Ravenwood Radio:

Wednesday, April 27th at 8:30pm Central time for the live recording of episode 39

And, you may have (or have not) noticed the updated banner, plugging Cassandra Griffindreamer's Poison Ivy, because I don't want it to get lost in the noise of Wintertusk and Test Realm. Seems that Cassandra and Luke Goldhorn have already completed Wintertusk. (*sigh*). At least I can *see*, without the stained glass blizzards.

Kevin Battleblood and Team TPC beat Waterworks, and it looks like It's gonna be THE "Go to" place, for gear, when it goes live. Also, check out the Talents of the Spirit of Nature pet, seems it's gonna be a "must have", be sure to give Kevin a 'thanks' for all his hard work on the Petnome Project.


I think that's enough updates about updates, for now.

Be Well!

Putting the "test" in Test Realm

Keep in mind test realm is just that. It's not the finished product. Testing is all about making sure it's ready. Many, many wizards on Test are having a wonderful time with the new content that KI is gonna give us on live, once it's ready. Sadly, I am not one of them. It's not that the new content is *bad* (well, except maybe "Dark Pact", which Stephen Spiritcaller agrees with. Even that is still *test*.

I have been a beta tester for many, many games. In that time, you develop a certain 'mindset' when testing the unfinished product. Patience is a definite virtue, because that little elusive 'bug' could be a single alphanumeric character hidden in a haystack of game code. So, to help visualize what *this* tester is encountering, I offer this post, for review, in hopes of helping find the hidden needles in the code. I have found that the problems I encounter aren't gameplay related , so much as graphic related. My problems arise (and are repeatable) with certain NPC's/mobs, while others run "as intended"

The  new Crab Alley. Beautiful place.

 

Catherine's Room

"Catherine", herself.

First off is "Catherine", in Crab Alley. She  is the only issue I run across. It's the same with all the examples listed. I can look/see fine, until certain NPC's come into camera view. Catherine is one of them. Her room renders just fine, until I swing my viewpoint to her.

The rest of Crab Alley is just visually appealing.

Catherine is my only "issue" in the Crab Alley zone. Crab Alley, overall, is beautifully rendered.

Deep Warren

So, we move on to Deep Warren MOST of it is 100% fine, except for 2 NPC's/mobs

This "Modern Art" is called "Glowfish in a tunnel"

Glowfish, both "in the wild", and captured in the tunnel, present graphic chaos, and so Does Dr. Zigmund.
Dr. Zigmund is (initially) as bad as "Catherine". Again, only a problem when the NPC is in view. Upon re-entering, for a repeat battle, the Dr.Z issue is 'different', but noticeable:

Dr. Zigmund. Notice the Eel is unaffected.

Anyways,, on a minor note, the "Rocking Outfit" you get as a reward, for me, may as well be "The Emperor's New Clothes", or better yet, Predator Cloaking Robes:

Rocking like Predator

And it's not just mine, it's other's "Rocking Outfits", as well. (from my camera). Others can see them just fine, but I can't see any. John and I had a good laugh over this. Hmmm... maybe I can 'Cloak' in the Arena, Muah-ha-ha-ha!

Each dark gray line points to another Frost Bones

The final stop on my test the Frost Bones. Singularly, a flawed NPC is problematic. Put several in a field, and it becomes a graphic-crashing nightmare. Again it's not the environments, only when certain NPC/Mobs are in camera view. For instance, I can see the gates clearly, so long as no Frost Bones are in my camera view.

A Beta Tester's old friend, DxDiag

Like I said, I'm an old Beta Tester, and more often than not, a graphics issue report required an attatched "DxDiag". In the spirit of that same "hoping to help", I've posted my DxDiag, from "Toshiba-san". It's long, and technical, so I'll bid you a "be well", in advance.

I have every faith that these issues are minor, and KI will squash 'em , in no time. KI has a great track record of making W101 accessible to even low-end PC's. I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of testing the Test Realm, and hope that, together, we can make and ever-expanding Spir@l even better.

Be well.

Test Realm Observations, Day One

Well, first thing I did was run straight to Eloise to try what The whole Spiral has asked for: stitching of wands and staffs! You know what? "Works as Advertised", wizards. Went and tested my (near antique) Amarinthine Staff with the (Crowns) Lifeforce Blade, as illustrated:

KI listens to us. Thank you, KI

Now PvP will get even *more* confusing, as you can't tell "for sure" what your opponent has. What if, *gasp*, you could 'stitch' pets? Pure chaos!

Next, off to the Crowns Shop. There are Ram Mounts, (several varieties), and a Spirit of Nature Pet. Think "Ghost Hound meets Colossus":

Sweet Pet. Life AND Death. Wonder what talents...?

And I did the Crab Alley (low level) quest line. My laptop started having extreme graphics issues, particularly with Catherine, the Glowfish, and Dr. Zigmund. The "Rocking Outfit", (which I'm told looks good), showed as completely invisible, to me. Head, hands, and feet- no torso. I'm gonna write this up as "my end", given the battered history of my laptop. Even in Ravenwood, my graphical client crashed/reset several times. I can't wait to see my outfit, lol.

Here's where your quest starts and ends.

I also picked up the Waterworks quest: Level? Bring Legendary Friends. Your*first* battle is against 4 Level 10 Elites. I can't say what's beyond them, *wobble*

Got my "35" Death Spell upgrade, and really don't care for it: "Dark Pact" a 500health self-hit, in exchange for a +30%, 'next attack' blade. And don't try it if you already have a Death Blade on you, because it *will* trigger. Have to test it more, but forget using it with Crit Gear, atm. Like Sacrifice, and Empower, unless you have heavy, heavy Death Resist, Dark Pact simply costs too much, for what it offers, imo.

I'll certainly do the quest again, when it goes live, "just in case".

Crafted items are now marked with the crafting 'beaker' icon, in your inventory,and at Bazaar:

Which makes me wonder: will we be able to eventually *decompose* items into reagents? Magic 8 Ball says "Ask again later". Would make sense, though.

Also, new badges to be earned, both in Crab Alley, and in the Spiral:

Raven Badge(s)!

More later, as the situation develops. Be sure to read the April Update Notes!

Be well!

Test Realm ONLINE! *SO* much is coming MUST SEE!

Must go.

You *HAVE* to read the April Update Notes.

This is only *partial*! So much to digest!

Theorycrafting: A question of floating towers

*cracks knuckles*, stretches, and wiggles fingers...

Well, it's about time to get some Theorycrafting in, and this is what's 'floating' around in my mind. Keep in mind, while reading this, the following two things.

1) I do not claim this as 100% "original".Probably not even 50%. It *has* to have been thought of, before: I'm just too much of a Lazymancer to go look for it. No idea, nowadays, is ever *truly* original, and there are too many clever wizards out there, and it just seems so *obvious*, to me. This is just my own peculiar take on the subject.

2) It's posted "as if" KingsIsle didn't already have enough to work on, atm. With Roaming Mounts, Wintertusk, (and who knows what else?), this'd probably be pretty low on their scale of "oh, we gotta do this!"-probaby just above "turn off servers". This is just a "what if", to get it out of my cranium.

That being said, let's carry on, shall we?

Well, Easter is now past, and Eggbert will be saying goodbye, (whenever), and I'm at a bit of a loss. KingsIsle puts on "a really good show", and this isn't meant to besmirch them, it's only my greedy little viewpoint. Of course , it's easy to "think something up" (my job), as opposed to actually *making* it happen, (their job). I can theorycraft the day away, and never have to worry about a single line of game code. Ah, the joys of being a blogger! But, I digress..

Now, it will come as no surprise to anyone who reads HiaG that Halloween is my most favorite-est holiday, bar none. Being a Necromancer, I believe Halloween ought be 365 days a year, in the Spiral. However, others would readily disagree, as is their right. One of the great things about Halloween ITS is The Towers. You know the ones I'm talking about: "Easy, Medium, and Bring Some Friends". It's pretty much an annual event. Farming season for the elusive Wraith Statue. *poof*, the Towers are there, as if they always had been, and when the time is past, *poof*, they're gone. All very 'wizardy', in it's own way. Wouldn't change a thing.

But what about the "other" holidays? "Events" in Wizards City are few, and far between, many of them "one time completions". I love in-game events, myself, and we have a lot of Holidays that could use some "Event Treatment".Shouldn't they have quests and towers as well? And holiday-themed Bosses with holiday-drops?
The annual appearance of our Holiday NPC's, as welcome as they are, sometimes represent only a "shopping opportunity", which is all well and good, but like I said, I'm greedy. "Do want game".
Yes, it's true that W101 does have "events", but I just can't help but feel that, (unless it's a game engine limitation), that a "process" could be put in place for KI to customize to a particular calendar season or event. (Like I said, I have the easy job).

It's simple to just say "Make it so!", but how would the mechanics of that play out?

I have an idea.(This is where you roll your eyes and sigh, "Here we go, again!")

Good old Elik's Edge. It doesn't really *do* much, right? I'm not even entirely certain of the backstory of why the cliff in The Shopping District rates it's own name. What if, just *if*, it was actually a "Port of Call" for a myriad set of "Holiday Towers", to routinely "make berth", at calendar-appropriate times? Think of the Spiral Chamber in Merle Ambrose's place as a sort of "Air Traffic Control Radar Room".

"Roger that, Holiday Tower, you are cleared for approach to Elik's Edge, over."

 Just like the Halloween Towers, (which should stay where they are), Eggbert could have his own annual quest line, requiring some brave young wizards to "storm the tower". "Oh, noes! Esther Rabid stole my eggs! Can you get them back?" kind of a thing. Float a Holiday-painted tower on a chunk of rock, add some sigils, and Presto! Or, add 3 floating towers, ( "Easy, Medium, and Bring Some Friends"). Same concept, really.

Elik's Edge. Not just for 'glitch flying', anymore

And of course, as a 'Professional Nemesis', I couldn't suggest a Boss Tower, without Bosses, right? I believe every Holiday NPC deserves equal-opportunity adversity in the nemesis department. And with Gardening so well-entrenched, why not Theorycraft Holiday Bosses, *and* Holiday Seed drops, while we're at it? It just makes sense, (even though I may not).Warning: Horrific concept 'art' and wordplay ahead!

New Year's Boss "Lazarus Anno" (Wraith)
Quest "That's so Last Year"
Objective: Retrieve the Eternal Hourglass, and enforce Lazarus's "retirement"..
Holiday Plant: Owlglass Plant

Christmas: Grunk (a green 'Cablooey' with a Red Jingle hat)
Quest "The Grunk who swiped Feliz Navidad"
Objective: Retrieve the "nice" list from the Tower of Maladjusted toys.
Holiday Plant: Spearmint Canes

Thanksgiving: Tom Gobbler (A Gobbler, of course, give him a feathered hat, or something)
Quest "Knock the stuffing out of him"
Objective: Retrieve the Enchanted Gravy Ladle, for the Feast
Holiday Plant: Drumstick Flower, with gravy.

Easter: Esther Rabid (Yeah, put a BOSS in a Bunny suit!)
Quest "Who framed Esther Rabid?"
Objective: Tame a crazed rabbit Boss who lost her job painting eggs.
Holiday Plant: Eggplant, of course.



And of course, the list goes on, but you get the idea. I won't insult your intelligence with more bad wordplay, and such low-quality graphics.



But I couldn't resist a Halloween plant, before you go: Vampire Glucose Corn:

Never trust a candy that doesn't expire.

 (This is what happens when you blog a 2:30 a.m.)

But the question remains: will we (or should we) have more in-game seasonal events? Float me a comment, will ya? Let me know what you think.

Yes? No? or "Take a flying leap off Elik's Edge"?


Be Well!

Happy Spring Renewal

A message from my pet egg, this day:

As close to a "Death Egg" as one can expect.

In the spirit of renewal and rebirth, I spent the day not killing, but creating. I crafted not one, not two, but THREE statues today. One for the Garden, and two for The Statuary.

Functional, and pretty cool looking, too. win/win.

The "caft-a-palooza" started with the Crab Claw Statue to help appease my Flytraps. I have the Oni Gong for my Trumpet Vines, and the  Regal Dragon Statue and Celestia Power Converters for for my Malestorm Snapdragons. I also *finally* found about about the "Secret Boss" (Knowledgekeeper'sTower) in Dragonspyre, who dropped my "liked" Dragon Skull.

It's funny, you know how it says "DSPRE" in the tower? Well, add "Agony", and you have DAGONSPYRE. I just found that amusing, in a "gallows humor" kind of way.

My plot is a bit too ambitious, I think. My energy can't keep up with the vast expanse of plant needs.

Hail a renewed day in The Spir@l

Once that was done, I couldn't help but notice the other 2 recipes available, ones that *didn't* require any blasted sunstones, (like the Crab Claw did). Why, aside from the high cost of the recipies themselves, the reagent list was positively pleasant. A few runs through The Chancel provided all the funding I needed to etch today's progress in virtual stone.

I've really been on a "statue kick", lately, and my Pet Farming has been put on hiatus.

"Behold, the Magic of Blossoms, in bloom"

So, once the first 'decorative' statue was completed, I couldn't help but "complete the set", as it were. Another Chancel run, and the non-sunstone reagents were easily accquired.

I mean, really, KI, the whole "sunstone" thing is a bit out of balance, in my opinion. Not that they should necessarily be any *easier* to get, (the majority of mine get sniped at The Bazaar), but the exceptional number of items requiring sunstones (hats, boots, robes, rings, athames, statues) makes them seem a bit rarer than they should be.  Even the sandstone for transmutaion is 'rare', which seem counter-intuitive to me. If you need 15x sandstone to get 1 sunstone, and a recipe calls for 10 sunstones, that's a whole lot of sandstone that "ought" be a little more available to farm. Golden Pearls are "rare", but much more accessible via transmutation with repetitive farming runs of The Portico. The rarity of sunstones, and their trans-mutational reagents factored against their demand, just seems "off", to me.  I know it's not supposed to be easy, but it shouldn't be quite so farminantion-tastic, either, imo.

Anyways, sunstones are not my friend. Enough of that, we're talking cration, growth, and renewal.

Speaking of growth and renewal, Cassandra Griffindreamer *already* has the next pages (Pages 2 AND 3) for "Poison Ivy" out, and the story is growing quite nicely, by my estimation. Some proper back story, and the subtle building of tension makes me ever more curious how this drama will play out.

Poison Ivy, Page 2

Poison Ivy, Page 3

Cassandra is definitely going "full tilt", and putting a lot of effort into this project, so why not drop by WitchWarrior101 and drop her a 'thanks', or "good job'. I know *I*  appreciate her efforts. Any blogger looks forward to comments, to let them know their work is not in vain, and it's a good way to make friends.

Anyways, hope your Day of Renewal finds you in good health, and happy.

Be Well!

Seeing things

Promises made, are promises kept.

Let's see, nothing major to report, here, except that at the behest of my Sparring Partner and "Slaying Buddy", John Lifeglen, I crafted my "Undead Deck" from Flotating Land, so now I positively 'emphatically dislike' sunstones. I have so much room in my spell deck now, that I'm positively *guaranteed* that the *one* card I need in battle will be completely lost in the shuffle. I can see it now.

My Gardening is 3/4 to rank 10, and those pesky Garden Imps are attacking en masse. Energy is at a premium, atm. It seems whenever I dispatch one, another pops in to fill the void not a hour later. I wish I could figure their 'attack pattern', ahead of time.

No Farmination today, but I still owe "R" machine-like grinding of General Akilles for her Blue Ghost. Promises are meant to be kept, after all. I will see to it.

In other blogger's news, we have Cassandra Griffindreamer, famed artist of The Spir@l with her first installment of "Poison Ivy", and in typical Cassandra fashion, Thomas Lionblood "gets it", right off the bat. Ah, even when he's not here, it's just *fun* to poke at The GreatFather. Fortunately, he's got a sense of humor, or I'd be toast.

I just love the unbridled creativity that Cassandra shows.

I am just positively bemused that Cassandra can take an "one off" idea, and elaborate it to it's full potential.
Looking forward to more, Cassandra!

Sometimes, Ginger refuses to cast Sprite.

Also, we want to wish Kestrel Shadowthistle a big "Get Well"...."Lifer, heal thyself!". I'd cast Satyr on thee, but it's lost in my Undead Deck. Yeah, saw that coming.

Ability to see the Future simulated.

And, welcoming to the Graveyard blogroll, The Elementalists, who seem, in my opinion, to have great potential, (should they persevere), and are currently ruminating on the plethora of 'new/unlisted' items in The Bazaar. I for one, would like to know where my Raven Brazier came from...(from Eitri Shadowmirk , actually). I'm, of course hoping to see more "Raven-inspired" pieces as Wintertusk opens up, you know, with Grandmother Raven, and all.


And speaking of things I'd like to know more about, one thing for sure is "Nighttime Mode" (Buh!?!) , as depicted by Maniac Magic. A dark, 'always night' Spir@l? Oh, yes, sign me up! First we get rid of the "Sunshine", then the Unicorns, then.. well, "one step at a time", right?

Spir@l Weather Forecast: 100% chance of Darkness.

Well, sorry, that's all I got for you, atm. I'll see if I can find more for the future.

Be Well!