Musings of Death, the World, and the Purpose of Life

Note: This is not Wizard101 related and deals with death. 

Well the past few days have been quite sudden and startling. Sometimes, one jolt can shake your view of life, death, and everything else. 

My friend's uncle passed away early this morning, having battled cancer for awhile. Myself, having experienced a similar happening, understood exactly how she felt. 

My own relative did die but it was a while ago and the wound has since then healed.  

It's really gotten me thinking. 

One thing I've noticed is that unless you have gone through something like this firsthand, it's hard to offer comfort and sympathy to someone else who is. 

Who really knows what lies behind the curtain? A burning hell or an eternal heaven? Or do you simply hang in limbo, strolling aimlessly forever? 

And by nature, we fear the unknown. We fear the dark because our sight is useless. We fear change-there are many examples of that in our society-a new technology, a new treatment. We fear death because there is simply no way to ready yourself for such a vast, mysterious experience.

Also, I've been thinking about this: what are we living for? Our lives are but a swift flash in the progression of time. We spend nearly a century achieving our goals, hopes, and dreams just to lose them to death. What's the point of even existing?

Sure, some people have made brilliant discoveries that have revolutionalized the world, but what does that matter? Within a few (ten or hundred) thousand years, humans will be gone and their footprints and achievements will be washed away by time. 

Now I realize this sounds like I'm trying to convince peope life isn't worth living for. I'm not. My point is that we choose what we want to do in the 80-odd years we live, but in the vast landscape of the universe, how does it matter?

No, this does not mean I'm going to run off and commit suicide. 

On a less morbid note: Death has always been the biggest cliffhanger in any tale. "And then he died." But what happens next? 

The concept of it is faraway. You can shove it in the closet and ignore the fact. But once it strikes so close to home (as was the case with myself and my friend), the giant unknown presence of it seems all the more real. You realize: you can't hide it in the closet and hope it doesn't get out because sooner or later, it will. And when the greatest mystery of life comes within arm's length of you, it makes you open your eyes and take a step back. 

There's hardly a better wake-up call than it. And though tragic, it really sparks a lot of new ideas too.

Okay. Done with the depressing stuff. Sorry if that was tedious or downright nonsense, I just felt like I needed to get my thoughts into writing. 

I also said I wasn't posting again until January but when life throws you a curveball, adapt right?

Happy almost holidays (just to end this on a happier note)
Jessica.  
 

Identity Crisis and an Announcement

Well I decided to dust off my Grandmaster Balance and take her through Celestia. 

As I PvPed with her, and did some questing, I came to a startling realization: I enjoyed playing my Sorcerer more than I did my Theurgist. 

I LIKED not being a healing machine who kept everyone alive. I LIKED helping out others but still having attack power of my own. I didn't want to be the weak one who everyone depended on, but rather someone who could match you in attacks and still be helpful. 

And PvP was *so* much more fun! When I was Life, I was the instant target from the start. Pelted with spells from start to finish and healing like a psycho. I didn't have fun with this tiring cycle. 

However, a Balance person in PvP is usually ignored; the common perception is that our power only lies in Judgement. I liked having free will to do my own thing for a while. I could help any teammate I was paired with. I could launch a surprise attack of my own, if needed. But most of all, I wasn't the bloody-red bull's eye for the entire match! It felt so amazing to have a change from that.

Another 'big relief' was that if we were to lose a fight, it couldn't be blamed on me, well at least not entirely. As Life, it is your job to keep everyone in as long as possible. A lost match could always be pinned on "You didn't heal soon enough" or "Why didn't you have the right heals in your hand?" and so on. 

But being Balance, you don't have to be the one being squished by all the pressure coming from your own side and the opponents. 

So I guess I'm in the middle of an identity crisis: am I really JessTheTheurge anymore? Or Jessica GreenRiver? Or am I now JessicaDreamriver?

Who am I? 

And now, onto the announcement: I probably won't be ITS or on Twitter or posting on this blog. At least, not until after New Years. I'm going to be out of the country during then. So for now, have a happy holidays everyone, and see you soon!

Bye for now,
Jessica

The Meaning of Life...And a Whole Lot of Gushing

The Meaning of Life...
---
Haha, sorry if the title was misleading. And sorry, I have *not* yet found the meaning of life.  

But I reached 100 followers on Twitter and it's got me thinking: I've managed to make an impression on a HUNDRED people's lives with 140-character updates. It blows my mind that so many people would *care* what I'm tweeting about. 

It's been quite an eye-opening realization.

Of course, compared to, say, the Friendly Necromancer or Diary of a Wizard, it's nothing but a drop in the river. Still, it makes me happy to know that that many people *don't* think I'm spouting nonsense on a daily basis. Thank you everyone :)

****I'm sorry if this came off as gloating. I really meant it to be anything but. 

Everyone I've met in the W101 community have been nothing short of wonderful. And I think it's awesome how easily a newcomer (like me) could become a part of it so fast. 

To date, this has got to be the friendliest, most splendiferous  gaming community I've seen. So, a big chunk o' chocolate to everyone who makes the W101 community so darn cool :)

Whew, now wasn't that just all mushy n' gushy?

Happy Monday,
Jessica     

The Spirit of the Arena

The Spirit of the Arena
-----
Whew, I haven't updated my blog in forever, it seems! I guess that mountain of ever-increasing schoolwork is really boggin' me down. Plus, I've been in kind of a 'blog-writin'-block.'

'Kay, time to de-dust this blog :D 

The other day, I started PvPing on my level 13 Fire wizard. 

In one match, I was against a Journeyman Necro. He started off with a Power Pip and a regular.

At first, I was thinking: this should be easy. He wasn't shielding at all and up went a Deathblade, a treasure Spirit Blade. And up went my Death shield. He, using a Storm wand, took off the Storm shield I had on. Well I figured that was okay. I was at full health and a Kraken wouldn't kill me. He completely caught me off guard with his next move: a Triton. I'm guessing it was an enchanted one, traded before that update. It hit me for 800+ (must have been Monstrous-enchanted). I was left with little more than 100 health. Then he used a 0-pip stun (another TC). 2 turns later, he used a Wild Bolt, which hit 1000 (TC #3). And that was that.

I had the Firezilla in my hand the whole duel. Why didn't I used it, easily killing him? For the same reason I don't go around killing Lost Souls: it's not *fun*.
 
The main point of PvP is not to WIN, it's the fun of pitting yourself against others, testing your skills, the thrill of a successful hit, or a well-placed shield. It's the thrill of the chase, the kill. It's the lessons you'll learn, the great times you'll have, and the amazing people you'll meet that makes PvP so fun.

However, such things are easier said than done. Especially when our egos are involved. The draw of feeling superior and powerful drive people to do negative things. Cursing. Taunting. Using unfair advantages to ensure a win.

Now, all of this has been said before. But ask yourself: if the purpose of the Arena is to have fun and learn new things, what am I learning just by cheap one-hit-KOs? Or by degrading someone with rude words?

Nothing. 

In the long term, this would actually be adverse for your PvPing career. Because you WILL meet people who shield intelligently. People who can counter your OHKO strategy. Lessons you should've been learning when you started PvPing.   

Just like a Sorcerer who only knows Judgement, you'll be getting a heck of a wake-up call in high-ranked PvP.

And it's not just aspects of the Arena itself. You could miss out on so many other things. Friendships you could've made. Good times you could've had.

So have fun; accept your failures as the world's greatest lessons and embrace them; offer a smile to your opponent. For that is the true spirit of the Arena.

Happy (early) Holidays, everyone.
JGR   

My First Ranked Match

Sorry I haven't updated this thing in forever. School, projects, all of that stuff. But....guess who won her first ever ranked match? 

Me!

Prior to this, I've only done PvP on Practice.

The matchup ended up being me and my Myth partner (Talon) against a Myth and Death. 

So me and my Myth teammate started the match going second. Immediately, I did a *heddesk* Going second usually prolongs a match for about half an hour. Annoying, no?

However, I got the feeling the other team didn't exactly know what they were doing. The opposing Myth passed twice and the opposing Death put up Elemental shields, which were no help against us.

In four turns flat, Talon whipped out a Medusa (and lucky for us, I had a Feint) and the Death was out. 

We thought we had it won, but neither of us had Infection and the opposing Myth Polymorphed into a Treant. However, with a very well-placed dispel, I managed to rid him of all his pips when he used Dryad ;)

Eventually, he used two Satyrs, but was knocked out by Talon's Medusa and my Forest Lord. The Myth followed soon after. 

I think we got lucky, too. I drew just the right treasure cards at the right time and we didn't fizzle. 

Good fight, it has really opened my eyes to the amazing world of Ranked PvP.

Whew, sorry you had to endure that super-long narration. I'll have my deck posted later; always opened to suggestions :)

My Review of Celestia

Well, the blogosphere and twittersphere(?) has been abuzz with the latest news: Celestia's much anticipate release into Live Realm. 

All in all, I am loving this new world. It offers a refreshing change of scenery from gloomy Dragonspyre, complete with mob animations that can rival a ninja pig's, a new level cap, more challenges, and new fashions. 

Difficulty level: Definitely met my expectations. It's nice to fight a cheating boss instead of the tedious routine we've aquired in Dragonspyre. Also, the mobs are every bit as capable as wizards are, which I think makes questing a whole lot more fun (my lazy side begs to differ).

Humor: Ever see a shark die? Yeah, I didn't know they could do ballet either.

Fashion: I am appalled. Taken aback. Horrified. Whatever. I am not feelin' the Celestian clothes. But hey, we've got time to get used to them and since I'm too cheap to stitch, I'm gonna have to.

Gear: Amazing. Before, we had incoming/outgoing heal, power pip %, health, and mana-giving athames and rings. But they were kinda scattered all around. Now, there's gear that combines them all together ( epicsauce) and you can get new gear that resists other schools (double epicsauce).

Crafting: New rank-grandmaster crafter. 
I used to think crafting was a waste of time and gold, since none of the crafted gear trumped the junk at the Bazaar. And when I came to Celestia....oh boy, was I wrong. Go see for yourself. I was especially taken by the craftable amulets. There's one with a Saytr AND Regenerate on it :D And one with a Triton (triple epicsauce). 

I give it 9.5 out of 10, only b/c of a few glitches in CL. Your thoughts?

PvP: Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned

PvP: Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned
---
     I started seriously PvPing (well, as serious as one gets in Practice) recently. It started with reading every guide on Central so I'd know how wizards of certain schools attacked. Then I took my new knowlege into the Arena and tried it for myself. 
     Within the first half hour, I lost three out of four matches. All the strategies in the world couldn't help me because I didn't know how to *apply* it.
     I always used my Theurgist for matches because I figured, "Hey, everyone loves a heal right?" Wrong. I was constantly bombarded with dispels, infections, and attacks. I didn't like how all of the agro was trained on me so I switched over to my Sorcerer. 
     And then there was the problem with my deck. I used to just throw in any and every card I had, with the philosophy, "It might come in handy." But when will you need seven Hydras, or five Reshuffles? I rearranged my deck with more advice from the guides on Central. I noticed all of them trained Tower Shield and they rarely had more than 4 copies of a card in their deck. I made adjustments accordingly.
     It worked. I won more and found the cards I needed faster. And learned some important lessons along the way:
     
1. Don't talk. 
It's a sure way for people to check your school, stats, gear and that gives your opponent important info. Some people will try to provoke or purposely taunt you into chatting. Don't give in. Meanwhile, you can check *their* info. Also, responding to taunts will just make matches more unfriendly and stressful to you. We're all here to have fun right? 
    
 2. Reshuffles. 
2 Reshuffles will be enough for any duel. They will keep reshuffling each other in so you'll have an unlimited supply of cards. But be careful not to discard one of them. Only pack more if you're in team matches. 
     
3. Minions are evil.
"What? That cute little Cyclops?" Yeah. They're the evilest things ever. Especially in 1v1, it's crucial to keep your opponent's minion out of play. I usually pack a few emergency Sandstorms in treasure for these cases. Each minion reflects their school's abilities and strength. The fire minion will keep up an endless stream of Fire Elves and the Myth minions rid shields. The Life minion, the Sprite, is a little healing factory. The Helpful Mander minion from Balance is indeed helpful, donating pips, buffing and shielding you, and trapping the opponent. If you're lucky, he may even use Sandstorm or Locust Swarm. 
See? Minions are like evil in 4 pips. 

4. As for shielding....
You've got a Tower Shield in the first round. Now what? Unless you're up against Storm (Bolt Alert!) you're not going to want to cast it. The opposing team can just wand it right off. 
Now say you're up against a Balance. They've got blades around their heads and traps around your feet. They're at full pips. That is the perfect time to Tower Shield/Weakness because you can bet your jellybeans, they're gonna use Judgement next turn. 
It's all about timing against your opponent's attacks. However, some people are like mind-readers. They don't attack when you think they will and catch you off guard. A lot of PvP is mental- analyzing, keeping track of cards, math. Be careful and consider wisely before clicking your cards. 
     
5. Which wand?
Depends on your school. I used to run around with a Balance wand on my Sorcerer. Now it's either a storm or Fire wand. Why? 
Storm is a strong part of Balance's spectral attacks (Hydra, Spectral Blast) so it could be helpful shieldbreaking for you. Before enchanted-treasure-cards were un-tradeable, people would carry Storm wands also to trick opponents to think they were bolters.
I only carry the Fire wand against Fire people because of Immolate. It's a deadly 4-pip spell that does about 700 to you and 250 to themselves. A lot of Fire wizards will put up a fire shield right before a huge Immolate to reduce damage to themselves. Carrying a Fire wand lets you get get rid of those shields.  
Unless you're Life or Storm (both have no damage over time spells), you probably don't want to carry a wand of your own school. Why not? What if you've got blades and traps on them and they put a weakness or Tower shield on? Having a different-school wand lets you rid of that without destroying your own buffs in the process.

6. And lastly:
Beware of these 3 types of Arena-goers:
-Bolters: Mostly Storm people. They carry a deck packed with Wild Bolts and stuns, a deadly combo. I suggest wearing the amulet that gives you the 3 Storm shields. 
-Chain stunning teams: Usually made up of Myth/Fire wizards who stun, then Earthquake to destroy Stun Blocks, and repeat. 
-The Meanie-Beanies: Rude people who don't take a loss without a few choice words. Best solution: turn off chat bubbles.           

Quirky Test Realm Quirks: Celestia

Today in the Test Realm, I noticed some weird things. I'm not sure if they were bugs or intentional changes.

1) Death shields disappeared.
Several people have already observed this on Twitter: Death shields have gone AWOL!
I was fighting Optio Agenor (?) today, Celestia boss, and he casts spirit shelds. However only the Myth and Life one appeared--but the death one was still there, hiding under its invisibility cloak! We discovered this when my friend tried to cast Wraith on Optio.
2) I can't draw treasure cards.
Not being hugely dependent on treasure cards, I didn't notice this until recently. When I discard a card, usually the "Draw" button turns yellow. But today...nothing. It seems that other people I was fighting with ATM *were* able to draw treasures. Computer's glitch? Anyone else have this issue?
3) No mana wisps in Celestia.
Maybe KI overlooked them? In any case, they aren't floating around in the CL Base Camp, or anywhere else.

And that's all so far. Thanks for reading!

Manners In the Spiral

Hey Spiralites. This is a little post about etiquette. Now, I know some of these have been said and I don't want to sound preachy, but bad manners can sometimes mess up your whole gaming experience. Weighty stuff.

So, my take on in-game etiquette:

1) Watch your language.
It's pretty inconsiderate when you're cursing your way around the chat filter and the wizard next to you turns out to be seven or eight. And it's just plain rude; anything a curse word can accomplish, is synonymous to another more appropriate word.
I especially have a bone to pick with the word, "Noob." I see Grandmasters throwin' it around like it's nothing. Yet, it's one of the worst insults that can go through the chat filter. Noob, deriving from the word 'Newbie' and 'Newb' means a new player unaccustomed to the game. However, over time it's becoming more like an insult. Nowadays, a 'Noob' is basically calling someone stupid, inferior.
IMHO, no one is a noob in this game. Or otherwise, we all are (or were), because every great wizard had to start somewhere. In the Spiral, it was in Unicorn Way, dying against Dark Fairies :)
2) In-game relationships.
You never know who the person on the other end of the screen is. That female necromancer who said she was twenty could turn out to be a teenage boy. And it just doesn't make sense to look at a computer-generated face (and there are only about ten options) and say, "You're cute." It's a computer game; how could you tell what they look like?
3) Joining battle circles without asking.
One of the biggest pet peeve of many players. Sure, we can all be forgiving when you're still in Krokotopia but from that point onwards, you should keep in mind: the other person may not always want you there. Maybe they got caught in the fight or had to log off soon. You being there would not always be a good thing to them. It's always better to ask before joining.
4)Begging and Scamming.
Passing through the Commons, I almost always come across a guy shouting "Mounts for Cards!" or "Can someone give me cards plz?" It's a nuisance to most wizards and creates an unpleasant atmosphere in the game. If you wouldn't beg in real life, don't do it in-game.
5)Friending.
Random friending-Usually this is why I turn off friend requests. I don't know you and you don't know me, so why are you friending me?
Teleporting to friends-Just like joining battle circles, it's always better to ask.
6)Lose the 'Tude.
Picking on some poor Novice in the middle of a crowded realm while all your GM friends are behind you--not cool. It's just like bullying in real life; you think it makes you look cool but in reality, you look like a jerk. A cowardly jerk since you have to have all your friends around you while you're doing it.
Same with Warlords. I've met a few Warlords who belittle anyone and everyone below them. Common symptoms: using insults like "treasure noob" or "epic fail" every time your spell fizzles. Or possibly the worst, they're hitting on you the whole time trying to get a reaction when in the end, you win. Endless satisfaction there :)
But to summerize: this is not a dating serive. Looking for a girlfriend/boyfriend? Try eHarmony, not Wizard101.

Celestia!

Why on Earth are you reading this? Head over to the Celestia Update notes!
https://www.wizard101.com/game/community/updatenotes

Grandmaster Number Deux!

Long time no see, Spiralites. It's school again. In fact, I've been juggling about, uh, four projects right now. Two due next week. Stressful? You could say that.

After ten hours of mad questing (JK, probably amore around 30 minutes), I present, Jessica DreamRiver...Grandmaster number two! I already have all of her gear, except for the Gurtok ring.

Picture of her posing in the Royal Museum:


I think I'm going to level my Storm next....or fire....
Decisions decisions.

Bye for now,
Jessica

Testing testing. Mobile post #1.

The Spiral Unbalanced??

Hey Spiralites. Been kinda scarce lately because of school and such. If perhaps you live under a rock, you may not have heard: the Selena Gomez quest has gone live and Celestia is coming out in the very very near future. And if you DON'T happen to live under a rock, you're probably saying "Duh! You're so late!" Am I right?

Anyway.

I've been questing with DreamRiver, the Balance wiz (just turned 36). And I bought a permanent Faithful Dragoness mount for about 62,000. And you know what? It was so easy to save up for because since all the Dye prices have been lowered, all the Bazaar sell and buy prices have been raised...and none of the buy-for-gold amounts have changed in the Crowns shop. Which means until KI realizes this, it'll be almost easy farming 60,000 or so to get that awesome mount ;)

Shh...

Excuses and Musings

Hey Spiralites. Sorry I haven't posted the past few days. Yeah, it's school. I've just been getting pile after pile of homework, not to mention the Science Fair as the cherry on top *shudder* I have yet to complete an experiment with good results. Then I had 2 quizzes. 
 
I've also been hard at work trying to produce a half-decent chapter for my FictionPress story. And the only other chapter is the Prologue :-/

So under this giant mound of excuses, I'm just trying to say, I'm still going to update this blog and go into the Spiral, but real life comes first, and TBH, real life is kind of overwhelming right now. So there may not be posts for a while, not that I have much to report nowadays. Sorry.

On a different note, I just re-read the book Uglies and as bad as it seems, I think their city has got something right. 

The thing is, technology advancements in medicine are made at a fast pace, meaning people will live longer and can have more children, but at what cost? 

At first glance, it seems like a good thing. More people can live longer, healthier lives. However, this just further serves to unbalance the Earth, because it had to work harder to support the increasing population and right now, we're literally suck our planet dry. 

A fellow classmate has pointed out: statistics show that some of the European countries are actually decreasing in population. However, the population in many other countries are increasing faster than the countries with a shrinking population are decreasing. So the scale is still wobbling to one side. 

Now in the world of the book Uglies, technology and medicine are extremely well-developed but the city enforces population control. They also preform an operation that keeps teenagers 16 and older in a permanently mellow state. Seems like horrible, mindless zombies? Well they are but the good thing is that there's no murders or robberies, nor are there wars. And no overpopulation. Just being happy and ignorant. 

There's a lot messed up with that world, but there's a lot right with it too. There might just be something we could learn from them.  

Thoughts? 

The Warehouse Slaughterhouse

Hey Spiralites! Exciting news today--at last, I, Jessica GreenRiver, have braved the dreaded warehouse and I finally have my own horror story to share (sorry, Paint was malfunctioning--so no screenshots today).

So first, we went into the Warehouse with a non-chat Diviner, 2 Theurgists, and 1 Sorcerer.

First 2 floors went without a hitch, except my deck wasn't very well-fitting, and the Diviner was kinda doin' his own thing, shielding and buffing only himself.

Then, the boss. What was his name again...? Anyway, we learned that AOEs weren't a good after 2 Tempests and Power Novas. The 3 of us just stopped and started to hit the Life and Storm skeleton minion, but Mr. Diviner never got the hint. He kept trapping (which doesn't work) and using Storm Lord. Then, I had to go after all the minions were dead. I wish you guys the best of luck facing the final boss /cue dramatic scary music.

And for anyone looking to try the Warehouse, here are some basic tips:

1st and 2nd floor-
Nothing really new here except all the monsters have 1,000+ health and über resist. The 1st floor has 2 Balance and 2 Life, and the 2nd floor is 2 Ice and 2 Life.

3rd floor-
Full of red health wisps. Use them wisely. Also, there's a book (it should read RIGHT LEFT LEFT RIGHT RIGHT) but I have no idea what that's for.

4th floor-
This is where I had to leave.
Keep in mind:
1. After you hit Boss (he's a crab dude) he summons a Life, Storm, and Ice minion.
2. They can use Rebirth, Storm Lord, Collossus, and other strong spells without having the pips.
3. After the minions are summoned, you must kill them before you hit the boss. The Life will use Rebirth every few turns and if you use a hit-all spell, the Storm will Storm Lord, regardless of pips.
4. The boss is Myth, and he uses a functioning Earthquake frequently. He can also Tower.
5. Take the minions out in this order: Life, Storm, then Ice.
6. Any trap put on will be immediately removed (unless it's a spirit/elemental trap, then only the one on the left is removed).

Annnnnd, that's about it. Happy questing and try not to die in the Warehouse, namely.
JGR :)

School

School is in session as of today, which means less Wizard101 and less bloggy time.

My first day went without a hitch, except for those dreaded speeches about expectations, procedures, and rules. I can't say the same for my sister though. She got on the bus home instead of going to the "afterschool-care" program. Luckily, some nice people in our neighborhood found her!

It turns out, the school messed up her file and they made her take the bus instead of staying in aftercare :-/

Mistakes happen but all I could think about is "What would've happened if no one found her?"

Goodbye summer. Hello school.

Hey guys. I'm in a bit of a blue mood today because, well...this is the last official day of summer vacation. Meaning:
1. No more Wizard101 all day.
2. Reconnecting with friends.
3. Mental effort (ugh.)
4. Less blog posts.

Besides being sunburned like toast today, I have nothing to share except melancholy moods and nostalgia of a summer past.

JGR

An Assortment of Updates

Firstly, Wizard101 is celebrating its 2nd birthday. So, if you log in today, you will be assaulted by hordes of Treants and Ninja Pigs (I saw some ninja pig smack downs in Golem Court ). You can get your transformations by clicking the gift box on the left side of the game screen.

Secondly, I've got a plethora of personal updates and screenshots (well, actually just two):


1. Yes, that's right, I made another alt. She's Fire and her arch nemesis is the Harvest Lord (converts+Fire Elf=Ridiculous). Just turned Level 8 today and saving her training points for Astral Magic. Her robe bugs me; it makes her look lumpy. Lumpy isn't stylish :-/


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



2. I want to poke MooShu with a rusty fork. Again, the robe. It's like a magic wand that goes, "POOF!" and then your neck is gone! I mean, look at her. Do you see a neck there?

If I had to list clothing styles from worst to best by world:
Worst- Krokotopia...I don't dig the whole Egyptian look.
.......MooShu.......See rant below screenshot.
.......Marleybone...Classy but a bit too formal for my taste.
.......Wizard City..Classically wizard, me likey.
Best- Dragonspyre..The awesomeness of armor mixed with fancy-ish robes.

I heard that last year, on W101's first b-day, they gave out hats. Can anyone link me to a picture of one? Fingers crossed for a hat this year (and a special pet *cough cough*).

Now Neckless,
Jessica

Computer Complaints

Well good news, Balance alt completed Marleybone.

Bad news: computer crashed first in the middle of a fight with Dr. Von Katzenstein, and then during the Meowiarty battle. I swear, the thing's out to get me. I took tons of pictures too, but they were lost during the crashes. So I can't go ITS until my parents figure out what's up wih the computer. Personally, I think it's time for a new one (it is like a senior citizen dinosaur!).

I also had a bit of a blonde moment. You know when you sell stuff in the Bazaar, it automatically skips over the item you have equiped? Well I bought a wand and forgot to unequip my old one so I ended up selling my new one /sad face

+= Jessica
GreenRiver =+

Deck Building Tips: For Beginners

Well, the worst of the sickness is over; all that's left is tons of bedrest. Also, I've been put on W101 probation for the rest of the day, for gamin' with a fever. Haha, sorry Mom.

So since I can't do anything else, I decided to make a (kinda) random blog post, my own lil' list of tips for all you aspiring wizards out there.

1. Fill your deck with only what you need.
I learned this one the hard way. I used to pack my deck with every card I had, so street battles took an insane amount of time. In fact, it never occured to me to take out the excess cards--until level 39. Yeah, common sense isn't so common in my head :)
So for example, if you had to fight Fire Elves on Firecat Alley, only put in fire shields and any 2nd rank spell so you can finish them with one hit (but also include Pixie, just in case). Don't bother with 3 pip spells because it's excess damage you don't need.

2. Don't include Infections, "Reduce threat on Target" spells, Taunt, and Stun Blocks.
Wizard City creatures don't heal or stun, Taunt will get you killed, and "Reducing Threat" doesn't do much at all.
Note: #2 doesn't apply to the Warehouse. But that's a different nightmare altogether ;)

3. Don't invest your Training Points in a different school just because they do more damage.
Take me, for example. I am Life, and used to have Myth as a 2nd to make up for Life's lack of power. At lower levels, when power pips are non-exsistant, that tactic works. But around level 30, it just isn't worth it because
1) No extra damage to your 2nd school from your equipement
And...
2) Why wait 5 turns to cast Minotaur when I can cast a Centaur in 4? (yes, I'm talking 'bout those power pips. BTW, power pips are the yellow pips that stand for 2 pips, but only for your school spells. By Magus level, your Power Pip percentage is pretty dependable).
By my level then, I could get my own school's spell out faster while doing more damage (from Blades and/or equipement boosts).

Hope those tips were helpful! Now I'm going to take a little nappy....
[][]JGR[][]

Malistaire's Revenge...or maybe just Karma

'Ello, fellow wizpeeps. Today I was eatin' my noodles when suddenly....erm, never mind. The point is I'm really sick and if I were a cartoon, I'd be green like a pea.

Now I think it was not my SISTER who got me sick (ignoring the fact that she sneezed in my milk) but rather the Wizard101 gods. I'm betting my Storm Snowman that they were really ticked off when I got nearly all my GM gear (yup, your conspiracy failed. Ha!) and decided to get revenge...and cursed me with death by -insert disgusting symptom here-.

Maybe my fever just needs to break. I'm probably not thinking straight. In fact, I'm going to put my iPod down right now before -insert disgusting symptom here- decides to make another appearence.

Quick question everyone-
Does Hyde Park in Marleybone lag horribly for you? Because it always seems to for me. Just Hyde Park and no other area....

A Frosty would really be nice right now,
Jessica GreenRiver   

Problemo here

I post from my iPod Touch and I accidently made this one and can't find how to delete it...so disregard this please.

Of Vampires and Mockingjays

Last night, two very exciting events happened IRL-
1. Saw Vampires Suck 
2. Stayed up past midnight to read Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Firstly, I'd rather not talk about Vampires Suck on my blog. It is VERY PG13 and I'm trying to keep this post G or PG. However, I have to say it had me rolling on the floor (not literally) for most of the one and a half hour. A warning, though, to any parents: if your children want to see this, beware of the innuendos aplenty. Also, the Edward-look-alike needs to lighten up on the mascara :)

And Mockingjay, oh dear Mockingjay. How lucky I am to hold you in my hand, espdcially after seeing how many holds were on it in my library. 

For those who don't know, Mockingjay is the final book of the Hunger Games trilogy (Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay). The trilogy is about a girl named Katniss who replaces her sister in a fight-to-the-death competition. Very sci-fi-y. 
 
Anyway, I stayed up most of the night and early morning reading under the covers. Wish I could say more but I'm pretty sure you guys would strangle me in my sleep, so no spoilers! But just so you know, it. Is. Epical. Very epical. So yup! Good luck getting a copy and if you can't try 4shared.com and search "Mockingjay."

And now for my ITS updates....
1. Made Storm alt. 
2. Storm alt. is lvl17
3. Storm alt. keeps dying. 

Nothing really special there, except this further proves the fact that I have to stop making alts. 

So....yeah. Happy questing!
Jessica GreenRiver 

The Demise of Mali Drake

Yup, he's down. However, I missed half of the battle because my computer crashed. /frowny-face

Also, I'm officially an Adept Crafter and I got the Dragonspyre crafting quest (an absolute nightmare). Tweny Black Lotuses, ten Diamonds, and nine Ghost Fires. /heddesk

Of Delays and Wands

Well I was originally going to post a pretty long-winded agrument against newbie discrimination, but I saw the sheer number of threads on Central that have already argued every aspect of the topic so, uh, what to write now......

Oh yeah! I had planned to do the Malistaire Mashie but Wizard101 was suffering from wizard-overload. So no dice.

On another note, I carry a Life wand, and I'm Life. For my play style, it works since Life has no DOT. But people tell me I should carry a Death wand instead. So what should I do? Keep, switch, or put a whole weapon rack's worth of wands in my pack?

Lack 'o Library

Hey Spiralites.....

How are you guys doing today? Me, not so well.

Today, I went over to my local library and this is the the sign that greeted me, "Due to budget cuts, library hours are as follows: Closed early on Saturdays.
Closed on Sundays."

Uh oh, the recession is really hitting home now....

The unhappy book-free Theurgist,
:( Jessica GreenRiver ):

Pictures at Last!

Yup, I finally have pictures (well, just one, actually.) This is my Life GM, Jessica GreenRiver (toldja she was blue). She's standing at the Dragon's Roost. Speaking of which, I need to beat Malistaire's dungeon. Help, anyone?

Wolf in Sheep's Clothes

Hello wizards!

Today, I was doing some practice in the Arena and in 4v4, I was tired of everyone killing me first (this is on my Life GM). Every match, someone was like, "Kill Jessica first" and Bam-Shalam, double-bladed Triton!

So I went down to the Dye shop and dyed my gear Blue and Black, because I have enough health to pass for a Ice person.....I think. And Voila, the next match, no one tried to slaughter me......until I used Rebirth twice in a row *cackle cackle*

I think the title is appropriate, no?

And that's all the news from my part of the Spiral!

The newly-makeover-ed wiz,
ه ه ه ه ه Jessica GreenRiver ه ه ه ه ه

Jessica DreamRiver: Trophy Room Pains

What is up, wizards? Sis here has challenged me to create this post with no apostrophes. So here we go!

I have put my Life GM on a temporary haitus ( a.k.a. hoping Kraysys will magically drop the hat while I am gone). That is why most of the posts will be of my Balance alt (previously introduced).

So today I got that quest to go into the Krok-Land Trophy Room, the one with the puzzle and the book that says, "Patience is a virtue." I got stuck in there with my friend, Blaze (sidenote: Why is Blaze such a popular name? Just wondering.) and he was running around for five minutes before I slapped myself on the forhead and thought of Wizard101 Wikia! Doh!

Combo is Sun, Moon, Crocodile, if anyone needed that.

I opened up the site and looked up the quest. However, when the chest appeared, I got to it first and it disappeared so Blaze did not get it. Poor guy, he had to spend another ten minutes re-doing the room because his computer crashed.

Also, Jess got the Inferno Cat in the Throne Room of Fire. The Inferno Cat looks just like a Firecat, but with a pedigree of 36 (instead of 28) and comes with a Firecat card. Eh, nothing special but better than the stray piggle.

Happy questing in the Spiral!
[[[ Jessica GreenRiver ]]]

Introducing Jessica DreamRiver!

Well, not exactly introducing, per se, since she's already an Adept (just turned 20 today, in fact!). She's the little Sorcerer I escape to whenever the going gets tedious on my Life GM, which seems to happen more often now. Did I mentiom, still no Life Hat from Kraysys? Gosh, I'm starting to drive everyone on my friends' list insane with my constant, "can you help me farm?"

Anyway, I had my Life GM buy her all the newest duds and Jessica DreamRiver is lookin' spiffy! (BTW, DreamRiver for lvl20 Balance. GreenRiver for lvl50 Life).

And since I get bored easily, I just went ahead and created four more little novices (every school except fire. Sorry Pyromancers.) and helped them through Unicorn Way.

Well that's all the newest stuffs in my sector of the Spiral.....Oh wait! I forgot: I bought my Life a 15,000 gold house from MooShu. Next step, getting to Master Artisan.....Darn you, elusive Black Lotus.

Of New Housing and Updates...I Think

So I'm making this quick and straight to the point; I really need to get some Z's.

1. Heard there's going to be a maintainence thing goin' on tonight. I'm praying to the MMO gods it's Celestia and level 60.
2. Bought a new house (the 15,000 one in MooShu). Decoratin' time!

'Kay, that's about it! Good night and good bye,
Jessica GreenRiver

My Luck has Turned :)

Short n' simp: I got my GM Life boots today. They're wonderful and all, but they don't match the rest of my gear. The inner fashionista in me is shaking her fists at the world.

Also, I accidently stitched a pair of GM Ice boots to a newbie boot. Whoops. It's a good thing I have two of them!

Also, one of my friends raised an interesting question: if you had 2 reshuffles in your deck,given that you didn't discard any, wouldn't you never run out of cards? Let me clarify:
So in this hypothetical situation, Player uses X cards, then a reshuffle. The cards get put in and the reshuffle goes out. Then, the player uses X cards again, and another reshuffle. The X cards returnto the deck and the reshuffle is removed. But what happens to the first reshuffle, sitting there in the discard pile? Wouldn't that get rehuffled back in as well? Then, couldn't the whole process repeat over and over again?

Actually, this is something I really want to know the answer to. Do the reshuffles get a special, separate discard pile of their own to prevent, as I'd call it, the Infinite Reshuffle?

Happy questing, Wizards!
-~=Jessica GreenRiver=~-

I'm finally getting on my Twitter again (JessTheTheurge--follow if you want).
And I'm discovering the wonders of HTML and RSS. Ah, dear Internet. And in the words of my much-loved sister, "Wow, you're such an Internet noob!" Love ya too, sis!


Happy questing in the Spiral!
.: JessicaGreenRiver :.

Of Reaching Grandmaster and Bad Farming Luck

I am on a ROLL--3 posts in a day!

So today, I got my very first GRANDMASTER! *sqee* She was the first character I had ever created, Life, and *sniff sniff* my lil Novice is all grown up. Bad news is, though, I hadn't even finished the Dragonspyre main quest line. Probably due to the fact that before I started paying, I got to level 13 in Wizard City, lotsa Scarecrows dead because of me :D

So, meaning, I can't go to Malistaire's Lair, and therefore--cannot get my GM robe. Darn.

Another bummer: I farmed Viktor Snowcrusher for two hours today. Nothing. No boots. Zip. Nada. I did, however, get the GM Balance hat, shoes, and athame. In the words of my ITS friend, "Geez, it must be a good day for Sorcerers everywhere!" And I got Malistaire's Storm robe and Snowcrusher's Ice boots.

Although my luck was bad (or regular--I don't have much farming experience) I did manage to get 2 Skeletal Warrior pets while the poor Pyromancers beside me got 3 pairs of GM Life boots. It's times like these that make me wish for an "Item-trade" button.

Happy questing in the Spiral!
-=||Jessica GreenRiver||=-

Question of the Day:
How long did it take you to get a full set of GM gear?
I look forward to hearing your answers!

First Post!

Hello everyone, even though-probably-no one's going to read this. Welcome to my blog. Since I didn't feel like writing a profile, I'll just introduce myself a bit now.

I am an avid player of an online MMO called Wizard101.
I have a bland personality and a mossy fishtank (sorry Goldy).
I....really have nothing else to say about myself.

Wow, looking back on what I wrote 20 seconds ago, this has been a major bust.

Anyway, a little info on my in-game character, Jessica GreenRiver:
She is a Theurgist (Life school kid).
She disguises herself behind a "Golem Tower Champion" badge.
She is of the 50th level.

I think maybe, I should have been more subtle about my intros....
Oh well, happy questing in the Spiral!

Under Construction

Welcome to my blog! Unfortunately, this is still under construction so tune in later (once I finally get arround to designing this...)