To Sleep Perchance to Dream!

Good afternoon fellow wizards.  You’re probably wondering why I used a Shakespeare quote as a title?  My brain has a hard time shutting off, so if I wake up during the night, I am usually up for a few hours.  For that reason, I am also a morning person, but I am sure you don’t want to hear about my sleep habits.    I am going to post an idea that came to me this morning immediately when I woke up.  I thought of a new world for The Spiral.  I even have some of the storyline.  Hope you like it.

World name:  Somnium – The Dream World (Somnium is Latin for Dream)

Like most Wizard Worlds, there are three areas.  The first one is “The Isle of Elements”.  As the name states, it is a series of islands where element enemies (Fire, Ice, Storm) roam.  I don’t yet have an idea as to what the enemies could be.  Maybe they will come to me in a dream.

The next area is the “Forest of Spirits”.  You have probably guessed by now, that is where the three Spirit school (Death, Life, Myth) enemies are.

The final area is called “Harmony Lane”.  It has some Balance school enemies, but it also has something unique.  It has enemies with hidden schools.  Instead of a school symbol next to their names, the enemies will have a grey cloud instead of a school.  You won’t know the enemy’s school until you engage it.  All of these enemies look alike, so you may encounter 3 clouded monsters and have to deal with 3 different schools (any of the Wizard schools, including Balance).  It will take a very “Balanced” deck to deal with the unknown.  Ooh!  They could be called, “The Uknown”.  

Storyline:

We are summoned by Ambrose, but something is wrong, his words are mumbled, “Help…my office..must stay awake.”

We get there to find Ambrose and Gamma sound asleep.  Nothing will wake them.  On Merle’s desk we find a note where he was able to give us a small clue before succumbing to the spell cast on him.  The note could say something like, “Somnium – World of Dreams…all of Sprial in danger…young not affected by sleep spell….Bough of Bartleby….door”.  Since the last word is the name of the Great Tree, we head there. 

All of the professors in Ravenwood, as well as the trees, are asleep.  This includes Bartleby.  We are looking for a way to get in and up to his bough when we’re approached by a Storm student, Cameron Drake, Cyrus’ son.  Cyrus had told Cameron the day before that Somnium’s king, Old Luk-Oie, has been corrupted by an evil spirit that wants all adults of The Spiral to sleep forever so he can rule them through their dreams.  The spirit has no use for children since they are weak, helpless, and cannot stop him.  (He underestimates us Wizards, doesn’t he?).  

Cameron says Professor Baelstrom’s daughter, Gale, is already working on a potion that will wake Bartelby up long enough for us to get inside and to the door.  He takes us to the Storm school where Gale (who still has a tail from being a tadpole), is working diligently on the potion, but she needs a few more ingredients, which we have to obtain.  The last four ingredients are found on Firecat Alley, Cyclops Lane, Triton Avenue, and Colossus Boulevard.  

We get the ingredients, Gale finishes the potion, it works, and we go inside the Great Tree to discover a spiral staircase that circles along the edge of the inner tree and up to a door on a large branch.  We’ve found the door to Somnium. 

That’s all I’ve thought of so far except that Cameron will introduce us to his twin cousins (I will let you think on that for a moment).  Also, when we finish a certain series of quests, we get another school pet…only, we get to choose which pet we want instead of it being our default school.  If we choose our own school, the hatching time is only 12 hours, if we choose a different school, the hatching time doubles.  I thought the pets could be mini horses, maybe even pegasi or unicorns that have the school colors.  For example:  The Ice pegasus could be light blue with white mane and tail.  The fire one could look exactly like the black and red pegasus mount, and Storm’s could be this wicked looking purple pegasus with lightning bolts for mane and tail.  Balance would get a Pegacorn (unicorn and pegasus mixed).  That would leave Spirit schools with unicorns.  Though we could reverse the pets and make spirits get Pegasus, I’m just throwing out ideas here.

Well, that’s my idea.  I hope you enjoyed your trip into the mind of an insomniac.  May your day be filled with blessings and magic.

~Heather

Changes

Wow!  It certainly has been a while.  So much has changed since my last update. 
If you want to know where I have been, read the first word in this post.  That's right, World of Warcraft. (WoW)  I really do love that game.  It is more expensive, but I do not have to keep spending money for Crowns for the best gear or all the pretty mounts.  You can get over 200 mounts in WoW without even visiting their shop.

However, I have returned to Wizard101 under a new identity and I forgot how much fun it can be.  I still do not like having to use Crowns for all the good stuff, but I missed the gameplay and am loving the memories replaying it is bringing back.

My new Pyromancer's name is Heather Winterblade.  I am also on Twitter again under @H_Winterblade.  I still have Autumn, Tristan, Destiny, etc..., but, to be honest, I have forgotten how to play.  So I created a few new toons to learn from.  I usually hang around in Troll realm (It's a Horde thing.)  

That is it from me for now.  My new characters will have their own tales to tell, I am sure.  Keep an eye out for us on Central.  Heather Winterblade is my username.

May your days be filled with blessings and magic.
~Heather Winterblade

A Mother's Magic

This post is dedicated to all mothers.  Whether they are in the Spiral, behind the scenes paying for subscriptions and/or gift cards, or just giving support.  Though they have no magic wands or pretty starry hats, mothers, in their own way, are magical.

Who else but a mom can appear seemingly from nowhere with a bandage or medicine when you get hurt or sick?  If you've had a bad day at school or work, mom will almost always listen, sometimes even buy you ice cream or cook a favorite meal. (Mmmm Red Velvet Cake). what was I talking about?...Oh yeah, moms.

If you think about it, a mom has many jobs she never gets paid for.  She is a cook, doctor, bank, teacher, taxi driver, maid, phsychiatrist, storyteller, and if you've ever been grounded, she's a warden. ;)  Just to name a few.

So here's to all the mothers in the world and their amazing magical powers of multitasking.  Thank you so much for all of your hard work.  I wish I could send everyone one of you flowers, but since I cannot, I can post this picture of how many flowers I would like to send youl.  Happy Mother's day.

Picture obtained from: lavera-photo-stories.com

Winners of the Laughter is the Best Medicine contest

Oh boy, what a tough decision. Thank you so much everyone for your stories. It came down to a random.org drawing for the winners, after I called in a couple of extra judges. (Thank you judges ;) ) The winners are.....drumrollll

Ian and Elder_Wizard. I will be DM'ing you both your gift card codes. Congratulations and I would like to give an applause to all of you for truly great and comical stories.

Since you were all so wonderful and shared yours, I will share one of my personal favorites about me. I don't know how many of you know how much I like Red Velvet Cake but here is a story I wrote on my other blog about my favorite dessert. Hope you enjoy the story.

It's titled CSI (Cake Scene Investigators)

During its first 4 seasons, my favorite show was CSI. This was before Miami (maybe Miami had one season) and New York. It was just Grissom and his team doing what they did best. Solving murders in an hour that would take a real team of Forensic Scientists weeks or years but I digress.

Another fact about me that some may or may not know, I absolutely LOVE Red Velvet cake. Have you ever looked at the recipe for it though? The recipe takes about 2 hours to prepare, not including baking time if you make it from scratch. I’m not even sure that includes the homemade Cream Cheese icing but man is it worth it. (Pause for drooling) You have no idea how excited I was to walk into a grocery store one day and discover Red Velvet Cake mix. It was like a sign from heaven and I swear the fluorescent lights of the grocery store all faded except the one over that box. I bought the cake mix and was in for another surprise when I got home. There was a marathon of CSI on one of the TV channels. Could the day get any better?

I get into some comfortable clothes (White T-shirt and jeans), turn the TV up so I can hear it in the kitchen, and start to read the instructions on the cake box which are easy enough. Take some water, oil, the mix, and eggs and blend them together with a mixer. Yay,10 minute prep time. I do not own one of those fancy mixers with the bowl where you can just toss your ingredients in and let it go. All I own is a simple hand mixer but it works so I’m not complaining. I wait for a commercial and commence with the beating and blending. I think the box said to mix for 5 minutes but can’t remember.

As I am mixing, I suddenly notice the cord from my hand mixer has fallen into the bowl. (I am left handed and have the classic left hander hook) Oops! I pick it up, wipe it off with my hand, put the excess batter in the bowl and since I am at home, just clean my hand with my T-shirt. Not sanitary but hey, it’s not a restaurant and I am the only one eating the cake. My cake, my germs. I keep mixing and something hits my sock. I look down to discover a bright red splotch on my toe. Confused, I look up to discover the cord had fallen into the mixer again and as I moved, the cord corrected itself but of course, batter was all over the cord and that is what caused the splatter. By this time, my mind finally registered the fact that the batter was red…RED, oh heavens.

I looked at the counter and the batter from the cord had not only dripped on my sock, but the counter, there was a red streak from the dishwasher to the floor, and of course, the floor itself, which I had stepped in by now. I then remembered how I cleaned the batter. My white T-shirt was covered in red and I looked like one of the suspects on the TV in the next room. I was half expecting the Police to come knocking on my door for no reason and discover me in red stained clothes holding a lethal mixer. You know, I lost interest in the show shortly afterwards. Wonder why?

Laughter! The Best Medicine Contest

(Sponsored by Ravenwood Radio and Petnome)

I have noticed a lot of Twizards (Twitter wizards) have a case of the Winter Blues. Christmas Break is over, school and work are back to normal schedule, and germs have infested many of us. This has made for some very stressful and very sad tweets. It drives me crazy to see so many friends stressed out. There's an old cliche that states, "Laughter is the best medicine" and I have decided to test that theory out. That's where the contest part comes in at. I need your help.

I would like for you to post a funny short story in my comments section.

Rules:

Keep it PG rated. If there is any foul language, or filthy talk, it will be immediately removed and you will be banned from any other contest I sponsor/hold.

Be nice and respectful: I should not have to add this but I do not tolerate rudeness or bullying. (This includes both your story and if you write something bad about someone else's story.) This will also get you banned from any other contest I sponsor/hold.

I would like to see something funny that you experienced, saw, or heard about. (I will be posting an example). It does NOT have to be Wizard101 related although there are plenty of funny experiences I have had in game.

Keep it short: A little blog is no place for a "Gone with the Wind" sized story. Try to keep it at the very MOST, 3 small paragraphs long.

Have fun: I think this one is self-explanatory

Include Twitter name: If you do not have a Twitter name, let me know and I will see if we can work something out.

Deadline for entries is Sunday, January 29th, at 6pm ET.(For those on the West Coast that is 3pm your time) Late entries will not be accepted. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!

I will be choosing 2 stories I think are the funniest and give the writers of those stories a $10 Wizard101 Gift Certificate. Not only will you be getting 1,000 Crowns, but the Certificates also come with your very own Ice Elf pet. ( Winner announcement is TBA.)


Hmm, what am I missing? Oh yes. You need an example. Here is a funny story of my own to help get your creative juices flowing.

A few nights ago, I was playing another MMO game and had my headset on so I could listen to sounds and music from that game. This particular game is a bit more intense than Wizard101 and enemies can come out of nowhere and attack you. I was just running my little character around doing various quests, feeling pretty relaxed, yet ever vigilant. Ever have one of those moments where you are relaxed and tense at the same time? I must have been having one of those moments because someone tweeted something, (in my defense no one had tweeted in about an hour) my Tweetdeck made its little "Bloop" sound, and it startled me so much I jumped and my mouse flew out of my hand.

Now it's your turn. Let's see if we can laugh the blues away.

I would like to thank Petnome and Ravenwood Radio for sponsoring this contest. Thank you. :D

Change and a Challenge

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.
C. S. Lewis

The above quote by the renowned author of "The Chronicles of Narnia" is a great example that everything changes. Without change, we cannot grow and learn. Every experience in our life changes us, good or bad, and whether we are aware of it or not. That being said, there are a few times in my own life that have profoundly changed me and I was well aware of it. Two of my greatest changes in life occurred because of the game Wizard101. I will never forget those who have helped me change for the better because of that game. Thank you Kings Isle for making the game.

The first occurred around May of 2010 I believe. (I said I would never forget the experinces, dates are another matter.) I had requested a run with my favorite team of helpers, Mercenaries for Hire. I had ran with just about all of them on various quests and more than their help, I just enjoyed their company. It was only me and one other Mercenary, the leader at the time, Christo Deathgiver. We had just finished pounding the smoke out of Smogger when he stopped me before I ported back to Reagents Square. We talked for a bit and then he said that it had been decided unanimously amongst the other Mercenaries that I be asked to become a member. I think I played it cool and said, "Sure." but behind the pixels I was thrilled beyond belief. From the Mercenaries I learned not only game tips, but confidence, the importance of teamwork, and that I don't need to apologize for being me. (Still get fussed at for doing that a little..)

Perhaps the most important change I learned from my time with the Mercenaries was the friends I made and the friendships that have developed from my time there. It started with my two best friends, Cassandra Dragonheart and SorceressMiklai. From just those two, I met enough people to fill up my friends list on the game with nothing but purple names. Although I am no longer a member of M4H, it is a part of me and of who I am. I still speak frequently with the current Mercenaries too. They are still the best on Central for help with quests. Always will be.

The second change happened just a few weeks ago when some of those purple names needed help. One of them had some things IRL to take care of and she was a moderator for the podcast Ravenwood Radio. *Waves to Miss Icywiz* She consulted with the rest of the crew and they decided to ask me to sit in for her. I said "Sure." again (hehe). Icy is now back in action and ready to roll. I was grateful for the opportunity to assist the Ravenwood Radio crew but I was also in for a surprise. I was asked to stay on and assist with episode 50 and beyond. You see, Ravenwood Radio is being remodeled and moving to a new location. On iTunes, it is now known as Ravenwood Radio LIVE. Still the same great show, just with a new name and location. I can't wait to see what other surprises Steve, Fallon, Icy, Ditto, and the rest of the crew have in store.

I don't ever plan on being as well known as the rest of the crew, (I am extremely shy) but because of them and what they have given me, I will be proud to be just me. Once again, I want to thank Kings Isle for Wizard101. It has given me so much.


A Challenge

Here is a challenge for everyone. I am sure everyone has friends like mine who give so much joy in life that it is immeasurable. No amount of kindness can ever repay them so I would like to challenge all my readers to pay it forward. Do something nice for a total stranger this week. It doesn't have to be monetary. It can be anything from telling someone they look nice to giving a treasure or card or two if you have extra. It doesn't even have to be limited to the Spiral. Let someone go ahead of you in a grocery line or at a restaurant or help your mom with dishes. (Sometimes her face is worth the work on that one.)

For those of you who are thinking, "What's in it for me?" Let me tell you, it is so so much fun to see someone's reaction to an unexpected gift. I have been called twit by my sister so many times I lost count. Tee hee.

Since I started with a quote about change, I will finish with a quote about giving:

“No person was ever honored for what he/she received. He/she was honored for what they gave.”

– Calvin Coolidge

Angel and the Egg. A short story

I wrote a short story for a friend of mine, Angel Winterbreeze. I wondered what his Wizard, Angel Winterbreeze, would have been like as a child. So I decided to use my imagination and create one. Here it is, I hope you enjoy it.

Angel and the Egg

The snow had just started falling as the two figures came to the gate of the old house. It was in good shape but there were a few pieces of chipped paint and it was clear that the once grand estate had long bypassed its glory days. The only reminder of those proud days was a sign that hung from an arched walkway that, when cleared of snow, read “Winterbreeze”. As the two figures walked under the sign, it seemed to creak and whine about the snowy conditions.

Joining in with the sign, one of the figures, a small boy, whined to the other figure. “This is it momma? This is where Grandma lives?” The questions were followed by two quick puffs of breath, clearly visible in the cold air, as the unhappy little boy blew his untamed platinum hair from his face.

“Yes Angel.” Jolie Winterbreeze sighed as she explained to her son for the sixth time. “This is where Grandma lives. And young man,” she added in a stern, motherly voice. “This is also the house I grew up in and look how great I turned out. Now stop your pouting and help me get our bags so we can go greet Grandma.” She ruffled the boy’s hair which did nothing but create two more puffs of breath as Angel tried to blow the feather-like strands from his face again.

Ever curious, Angel could not keep from asking more questions. “Why do we have to move here again? Is it always snowing here? Are there any weird animals? Are we close to Wizard City?”

“Why do you ask so many questions my little one?” Jolie interrupted him.
“That’s easy momma,” the boy answered with a sliver of a grin. “I’m random.”

Jolie laughed out loud at her little Angel. “I can’t argue with that one.” She grinned back then tickled under Angel’s arms, making the 5 year old squeal. “To answer your questions in order, we moved here because your dad got a job helping Headmaster Ambrose at Ravenwood and grandma is old and needs help sometimes. It snows here sometimes but not always. I never saw any weird animals. And finally, yes we are close to Wizard City.
“Momma,” Angel suddenly became serious, his clover green eyes showing worry. “Do you think I will make any friends?”

The final question made Jolie stop in her tracks. She set her bags down and hugged her child tightly. “Is that what all this pouting is about? You’re afraid you won’t make any friends?” Angel stared at the ground and shook his head. “You have nothing to worry about. You are adventurous, brave, and have a wonderful sense of humor. In fact, I bet the entire town absolutely adores you before the week is through.”

This seemed to cheer the child up considerably as he and his mother reached the stairs. Angel’s grandmother, Adelina, opened the door and a wonderful smell warmed the cold outside. “There you two are,” She smiled brightly. “I just finished making popcorn. Come inside and get warm.”

“Momma you didn’t say she could make popcorn. You know, this place is growing on me.” He practically ran in the house as his mother and grandmother giggled on the front porch.

Once everyone was inside and Angel had an oversized bowl of popcorn in front of him, he munched happily and looked around. The kitchen was almost completely white and complimented the snow outside the large sliding doors. There was a small stain glass window above the doors that made rainbow patterns on the table. In the back yard sat an old barn. Its weathered roof had a few holes in it but there was still hay in the loft and a horse was braving the cold to nibble on whatever grass it could find. Adelina sat beside her grandson and asked him. “Would you like to see the animals in the barn when you are done eating?”

“Yeth mmm,” he said with a mouth full of popcorn.

This made his grandmother giggle again but Jolie was not impressed. “Angel Cristopher Winterbreeze! You know better than to reply with your mouth full.” Her son looked remorseful but also had a mischievous twinkle in his eye when he looked at his grandmother.

When the entire bowl of popcorn had been eaten, Jolie went to unpack as Angel and Adelina headed out to the barn. The old door creaked and resisted but finally opened. Angel was greeted by the horse, who had retreated back to the warmth of the barn. He noticed several hens dozing close together and a ladder leading to the hay loft. “Is anything other than hay up there?” He asked as he pointed to the loft.

“Nothing but hay little one.” Adelina said. “Come over here though. I have something very special to show you.” She guided him to a small corner where a large nest sat. In it, was the largest egg Angel had seen.

“WOW!” his eyes were as wide as they could go. “What kind of egg is it Grandma?”

“I have had it for over 4 years now. He is very shy and will not come out of his shell.”

With one eyebrow raised Angel said to his grandmother. “Umm, Grandma, I don’t mean to be rude or anything but if there has been an unhatched egg in the barn for over 4 years then I‘d say it’s very very rotten and needs to be thrown out."

Adelina laughed heartily which just seemed to confuse the youngster more. When she was able to speak again she explained. “Normally that would be true but you see this is no ordinary egg. This egg walks, eats, dances, and even knows a spell or two. I have seen him out in the yard a couple of times but he always runs when anyone gets too close.”

Angel bent down and knocked on the egg. “I don’t see how that’s possible. It’s just an-.” He never completed his sentence because the egg decided to knock back against Angel’s forehead. “Ow, ow, ow!” He stared in disbelief for a second or two as he rubbed his sore forehead. “Guess he doesn’t like being knocked on.” He finally said with a mischievous grin. “Okay okay little egg. I won’t knock on you anymore but how do you expect to make friends hiding in the barn all day? Come out and play in the snow some.” The egg didn’t move for a second or two then its whole body twisted back and forth like someone shakes their head no. “Why not silly.” Angel asked and the egg responded by scooting closer to the wall. “I see. You’re shy and afraid no one will like you. Is that it?” The egg stood up on webbed feet that poked out of the shell at the bottom and did a couple of short bows as if nodding. “Well you will never know if you don’t come out and say hi first. How about if I give you a name? Will that help? The egg jumped up and down excitedly and did a little dance. He had never had a name before. “Great!” Angel exclaimed. “I already have the perfect name for you too. I am going to call you Chico.” Chico, thrilled with his new name, jumped up and down and danced all around the barn.

“I think he likes his name Angel,” Adelina chuckled as she watched Angel join in on the dancing.

“I think he does too Grandma,” Angel laughed. “Can I keep him and raise him? I plan on being a Legendary Thaumaturge one day and I need a good partner.”

“After what I just saw, I don’t think a pack of Wildclaws could tear you apart.” Adelina said with a grin. “Looks like you have yourself a pet egg.”

From that day forward, Angel became known all about town as the kid with pet egg. He grew up, went off to Wizard City, and became a Legendary Thaumaturge just as he told his grandmother he would and Chico never left his side.

The end