A Farewell to J. Todd Coleman

As I got home from an early release day (yay for imminent snow showers), I perused Twitter and found some sad news. J. Todd Coleman, co-founder of Kingsisle, will be moving on from his current job to other business. So, I offer my best wishes to Mr. Coleman's future endeavors. Our community appreciates the work you've done very much (as I'll again be able to tell later by seeing other thank-you posts). Behind the scenes in a gaming company is no picnic - it's hard to appreciate how the employees at Kingsisle run Wizard101 and Pirate101, but it takes a lot of manpower at their facilities in Austin to keep things moving along. While we gather quests from our virtual teachers, behind every one is a persona - such as the Producer, Ms. Leah Ruben, aka Professor Falmea, who just helped my fire character get her Phoenix spell. Behind J. Todd Coleman is Headmaster Ambrose - who won't be leaving, obviously, but it will still be different. Behind Ambrose's face, someone will have to replace J. Todd Coleman. That in itself speaks to the magnitude of Mr. Coleman's efforts for Wizard101, and most recently, Pirate101.

On a lighter note, the following video is quite appropriate for this occasion.



(We'll miss you so much, can't help it, we're newbies)

Thank you, J. Todd Coleman, and remember -
Goodbye, good luck and Happy Dueling! (if I may borrow Friendly's phrase :P)

Azteca - In The Forest

Happy Thanksgiginv!

With a half-week at school, I had more time than usual to advance further into Azteca.

With that, Arlen is now bordering on level 87 - maybe I'll  have my next spell by the next post!

We - er, I - arrive at on the island of Zultun. Looks like a friendly little place with more Shadow-weavers. 

Caught this bird flying around on a downed branch for no apparent reason. Having fun?

The left portion of the map looks really awesome.

..You sure?

 = Hungry Caiman

Up in the treetops - sadly, I can't see the waterfall anymore.

It was time to take another shot at the level 64 spell-stone quest, after several defeats to Wanadi. This time, I beat that strange skeletal turtle-thing. Time to leave indeed.

No more need for Amplify, thank goodness.

aaand the level 66 quest to activate the sun trainer. No Spanish conquistador reference immediately detected, though the Spanish minion names could mean something. Too lazy to check into that :P

Revisiting an old favorite - those indescribable slimy fish-people that somehow have hair. Lots of health, too. Quite enjoyable fighting under a waterfall.

King Neza's secret library passageway.. how did they grow all this?

..What?

You tell her!
Wait, "our tomb"?

Ohhh wow. So I just witnessed the King die and have no idea if Morganthe did too. The drama builds.

Now to stop and talk with some statues...

This is eerily familiar o_O
(think first quests of Avalon)

So this is the ice-ephant I've encountered.. interesting.

Now .. imagine a pair of avid gardeners and a wicked witch.

Not exactly a witch... actually, I have no idea what that is. Feels like I'm in a horror movie.

This is what I get for driving the Shadow Queen out of the rainforest? What?

Now it's time for Tierra De Brea.. next week. I'll be away for the short Thanksgiving break, so a new post may not come till at least a week, possibly the beginning of December.

On that note, have a great Thanksgiving!

Omnomnomnom.

Happy Eating!

Azteca - The Marshes

Azteca, Part 2!
I personally thought this series of quests was quite boring, but it looked to be picking up by the end. Nevertheless, I encountered lots of birds, quetzals, dead things.. and even monkeys?

The Marsh was pretty entertaining, but I ended up not really taking any pictures. Maybe toucans are just too scary.

A little fun with Philosoraptor... wait what?

LOL. Illiterate. Right.

Fountain of Youth reference.. nice. Since when did the Monquistans take port in Polaris?

After a battle with that stupid monkey, I got to try out his cannons. Hope I didn't hit anybody.

Nice time to decide to come to Azteca for an expedition..

I have to cross this? Seriously?! Eck

Dueling in the rain again! If they're playing Ra then where's the rainbow?

Exploring my inner-bug self. Meh. Not very attractive.

A Shadow-Weaver doing some gardening?

Okayyy, do you know where your CAPS LOCK is?

The narrator empathizes with me. Sigh.

Definitely looks like Malistaire to me.... (sh, don't tell)

and now to rescue the King from a fire..

Eww. What..?

Since when did animated orbs have feelings?

Sophia decides to help out a little bit and promptly gets stuck again. (facevirtualpalm)

Now at level 84, I have reached the far away island of Zultun and into the Cloudburst Forest. Be back to post on Wednesday - have a great Thanksgiving break! (for those who do have it week-long *jealous*)

Happy Adventuring!