That Darn Celestia Wallpaper (And Back to Normal)

Hi, everybody! It's good to see you again!

So, as you all know, it's been a good two weeks now since I've posted, and a week and a half since I've tweeted, or even played Wizard101. Sorry about that. The past two weeks have been incredibly hectic for me, between finishing summer assignments which I procrastinated on a bit too much, starting my Junior year of high school the day after Labor Day, and adjusting to all my new classes (three of which are AP). Today is the first time in a little while where I feel truly relaxed; I have finally made sense of my world once more and am ready to reintroduce more leisurely and/or recreational activities such as blogging. Things are slowly getting back to normal :)

Anyway, a few weeks ago, as you may or may not recall, I mentioned something about a "wallpaper review." I didn't care to be particularly clear in that post about what I really meant by that, but in fact my meaning was this: a one-off criticism of one particular world wallpaper about which there was quite a bit of hubbub last year, but which ultimately, in my opinion, was somewhat of a disappointment at the point of its final reveal. You guessed it (or you read the post title). It's the Celestia wallpaper.

Was awesome when we didn't really know anything about CL. Not so good now.

It occurs to me that the people at KI, wonderful and clever people though they are (Happy 3rd Birthday, Wizard101!), didn't quite think the whole wallpaper reveal gimic through. The gradual reveal of each character present in the wallpaper from silhouettes lasted over several months- six, to be exact- from April to October, when Celestia was released. This means that Kingsisle was likely still working on much of the world as they conducted the reveal, with detrimental effects. Okay, maybe not detrimental, but I am a little worn out from the past two weeks and don't want to bother to think of a better word.

/shrug

Anyway, allow me to go over some of my grievances with this wallpaper, which in many ways does not at all accurately reflect Celestia. We'll start with the most obvious one: Thurston Plunkett is not even present. Well, not exactly. As many of you may remember, Plunkett started out in the Test Realm looking like the droopy-faced prospector beagle in front of the mechanical man Praxis and the robot fish. Not a very flattering look; I was quite relieved when they changed him to a Balestrom-style frog. Granted, this was after Celestia went live, so a part of me can pardon KI for never making the change, although seeing the frog version of Plunkett standing proudly in front where the lantern-holder is would have been nice. Even better would be Edith Benchly, who is standing a little too un-prominently behind the lantern holder on the right. After all, it is Edith who first greets you when you enter Celestia Base Camp for the first time, and sends to you on your adventures in all the various areas of Celestia. I'd even go for Thornton Lewis (who can be found in the District of the Stars) in front; he was one of my favorite characters, and he did seem to have a slightly larger role than most of the Marleybonian NPC's. But what is with the lantern holder? The only NPC is Celestia of that design is Captain Fogg- who, as his title suggests- is captain of the airship SGS Explorer which the Marleybonians reached Celestia by. He is found at the back of the wrecked airship in the Floating Land; his role does not extend beyond Pierce Stanson needing to know he is safe and sound, and giving you permission to take submarine parts. He does give a single side quest, but it is nothing more than defeating a few mobs. Early on during Celestia's time in the Test Realm, Pierce Stanson, the main character for the Floating Land was also a lantern holder, but his design was changed within the first week or so to a more generic design which actually comes from Marleybone as opposed to being unique to Celestia. I don't know if one of these two guys had role that was rather significant to the CL storyline as a whole back in April 2010 (the lantern holder silhouette was obvious from the beginning), but they obviously don't now. I have a feeling there were a few members of KI who were secretly cringing as Fogg was filled in in the weeks after Celestia's release.

The background with the wooden platform isn't very accurate, either, but that's insignificant enough that it doesn't bother me. I did, however, expect to see a little more done with the submarine to Stormriven, given its prominence in the background. Whatever happened to the "Boat Ride to the Krokosphinx" instance concept? The submarine was a perfect opportunity to create something like that; I was a little disappointed when I went through to Stormriven the first time and realized there was nothing. That should be a patch the next time the Test Realm comes out; if they can create Grandmother Raven and Malistaire cutscenes, and Krokotopian Boat and Marleybonian Balloon Car ride instances, they can do one for the Submarine to Stormriven.

But I'm getting off topic. That has little to do with the wallpaper.

There are a few other things that bother me; all having to do with character placement and prominence. First off, what is with all the little critters surrounding the characters? I know they are all Celestia pets (aside from the Red Gobbler), but what is the point of including them in the wallpaper? All they do is take up space, but they were included because they were a good way for KI to keep the reveal going after they realized Celestia would not be out in August like they had thought and had to add in some characters. Then there is the fact that you have three different types of crabs, which do represent that aspect of the Celestia story well, but where are actual Celestians, or even the Morgantine soldiers and Shadow Weavers? I don't see Alaric Moonsunder, Karolack Nightspinner, or Vassek Shadowspike anywhere. Instead, the wallpaper is inundated with underwater mob creatures who have little significance to the storyline- a Water-Lurker, a Crustacean Clawcutter, a Water-Maton, Blue Bart. I like the Piscean, although he could stand to be a little closer to the front, and I like Praxis, because he is a good representation of Celestia's steampunk theme, and I admittedly became twice as excited about the world when he was revealed. The prospector Marleybonian works too, because the divers in the Grotto have that design, and Queen Calypso works. As I said earlier, I would have really liked to have seen Thornton Lewis, though, even if he was not at the front. And one of the two orange crabs could go; they are both obviously crabs of noble standing- the only difference between them is their outfits. Pierce Stanson would be nice to see, as would a water-mole such as Tupa Taua. A steam-trowler wouldn't be bad, either, but only if there was room. More necessary would be a Stellar Protector like Thule Landshaper. One of the great things about Celestia is the seamless combination of four more or less unrelated themes: Underwater, Steampunk, Astrological, and Tropical. But when two of these themes (the latter two) are completely absent from the wallpaper, there is no way it can be considered a good representation of the world. Okay, I suppose you could pass on the Tropical and still be good; I did like the surprise associated with discovering that there actually was an above-water area in Celestia. But the total absence of anything relating to Celestia's legacy, to the grand and intelligent world that it was before the Storm Titan flooded just doesn't work.

I know I must seem awfully picky to have written so much in the course of criticizing a wallpaper of all things, but you must understand: a wallpaper like this, which is designed to promote somthing, in this case, Celestia, is more like a movie poster than a picture for your computer desktop. It embraces that which is Celestia and tries to generate interest and excitement about it. It does this, but it is not accurate, and, as a result, one if left feeling confused when that dog in the captain's uniform, standing grandly and prominently at the front of the group, lantern in hand, seemed so cool and epic, but ultimately has barely anything to do with the story. Also, a quirk of mine is that I have this imagined scenario which I like to entertain, in which, following my putting the wallpaper up on my computer, the other members of my family (none of whom play Wizard101; I am the only one), walking by, look up and notice the wallpaper, and briefly wonder what it is all about. Not that this would generate enough interest that they would start playing or something, but it would at least get them to stop and use their imaginations for a moment :)

Is there anybody else out there who feels like I do about the Celestia wallpaper? I've always been curious to know!

Thanks for reading! It's good to be back!

Until next time, Ponder on!

P.S. I may have a little surprise coming up for you sometime this week. I'm still deciding if it is ready to be released, or if it needs a little more work first. Regardless of when it comes out, I think you'll all greatly enjoy it!            

Music of the Day: That Which Is Marleybone

Hey all!
So this is the first in a series of reviews/celebrations of the many amazing music tracks that Nelson Everhart has composed for us to enjoy as we play Wizard101. I've mentioned before my grand appreciation of fine instrumental music, including the music of Wizard101. Music of the Day is my way of giving readers some insight into the way I view the "universal language."

The honor of being the first Music of the Day goes to a particular favorite of mine from Marleybone. And if you're wondering, I came up with the title :)
(Thanks to Youtube's Deathshard for the video)



Ah, yes. Few tracks, even within Wizard101, seamlessly combine such a range of vibes or feelings, easily flowing from one to the next to the next. The piece starts off with a quick transition from high to low, as if something heavy is falling. It lands, hard, and right away you wonder, "What have I gotten myself into?" In the next instant, everything is very slow and quiet, but not in a nice way. No, this slowness and quietness is rather unnerving. You feel lost and uneasy. Something isn't right. And yet, something about the piece seems very easy and happy. As the music picks up tempo, and undulates in a rather wispy fashion between high and low pitches, you wonder if it is you, and not the environment, that isn't right. After all, you've been in dangerous situations before, and it's been a long time since you've felt this on-edge. It's as if someone is telling you, "I know something you don't know." And they are laughing at you, because of it.
The music suddenly becomes very low, loud, and ominous, like a thunderbolt. And with that bolt, suddenly everything seems to make sense. The piece slows down again momentarily, then picks up and flows, nice and easy, for a few moments. But that someone is still laughing, and although you understand now what is going on, half of you still feels tense. The other half, however, is excited and intrigued at the realization of your peril. It is laughing as well.  Then it occurs to you, this easiness can only last so long. And you are right. The chords break, the fluency ends, and for a moment, everything is mysterious again. Then the Marleybone anthem kicks in, and you smile, for you know that you are no longer in the dark about things. You know that this is Marleybone. And in Marleybone, there is a certain veneer of nobility and easiness which often hides the mystery, peril, intrigue, and high adventure that exists within the world. The thunderbolt strikes again. This time, there is no momentary slow-down. Almost immediately, the fluency from earlier plays again; however, it is not so nice and easy this time. In fact, it quite dark and ominous, proof of the peril beneath Marleybone's veneer. But you don't care. You can handle it. For you have had this adventure before, and you are quite looking forward to having it again.

Each of the themes described above- mystery, peril, intrigue, adventure, uneasiness, easiness, nobility- is almost constantly present in the general atmosphere of Marleybone. Hence, my title. For although this does not necessarily emulate Marleybone as a whole, like the anthem, it does succeed in recreating each of the individual aspects that make Marleybone magical. It is that which is Marleybone.

The piece is also a great example of how instrumental pieces (good ones, anyway) can tell a story. And although I have given you my interpretation of that story, the best part about the piece is that you can interpret it in whichever way you wish. You may or may not use my view of it as a springboard, but whatever you do, you are nevertheless correct in your interpretation.

Thanks for reading :)

Until next time, Ponder on!

Hello, One and All!

Hello! My name is Duncan Daystone. After much deliberation, I have finally decided that maintaining a blog would be a fun and healthy activity to engage in. The page you are now viewing is the result (for now) of that deliberation. In this, my first post, I would like to begin by saying a little bit about myself.

First off, I am a nerd. And that's fine. I couldn't care less. I believe that the majority of what we, as humans, concern ourselves with are in fact extremely unimportant in the grand scheme of life. And there is nothing wrong with that, for that is what makes us human. I believe what best exemplifies my nerdiness is my passion for difficult scientific subjects, such as chemistry and physics. At my high school, I am part of a special program where I am studying to become an engineer, so it is my hope that I may be greatly involved with one of these fields someday.

Second, a major passion of mine, and the one which I am using as my platform for this blog, is Wizard101, an immensely popular MMO from Kingsisle Entertainment. I will talk about this the most. If you are unfamiliar with the game, then take my word for it- it is absolutely fantastic! Check it out here.

I enjoy other PC games as well, most of which are disc games as opposed to online ones. From time to time, I may talk about some of the other games I enjoy, such as Trainz or The Clockwork Man.

As you may have noticed from the two links above, two other major passions that I have include Railroading and Steampunk, both of which I may also talk about from time to time.

I also love to write. I have always wanted to create fiction, but I have not until recently actually honed my talent. I may put some of my pieces up on here; however, much of what I write is not necessarily appropiate for some of the younger people who may be viewing the blog.

Finally, I love to think, and I love to develop opinions on as much as possible. It is mainly for this reason that I came to the decision to create a blog. Thinking and pondering is just as much a passion of mine as Wizard101. I am a philosopher. (A term which translates from Greek as "lover of thought.") Much of what I post will be devoted to sharing my thoughts with the world, something I have always wanted to do.

I also wish to be part of a growing, thriving community, and there is no better community on the Internet than that of Wizard101, as evidenced recently by Autumn Duskhunter's "8-bit Trials" on Homework in a Graveyard.

It is my hope that my thoughts and experiences will be a springboard of sorts for those who read my blog to conduct their own pondering, and do a bit of philosophizing themselves.

As such, I end my first post by presenting readers with a question: Have you thought today?

Until next time, Ponder On!

                                                                        Me, Duncan Daystone