**EDIT**: I apologize — the service I used to host the wallpaper instead shrunk it. I have replaced that link with a link to the full sized, 1280×1024 version.

I got a shocking letter from Fernando Blanco of KingsIsle today. As a thank you gift for all the Wizard 101 players who read my blog, the artists have drawn up a “cast list” of all the faculty and staff at the Ravenwood School for the Magical Arts… look closely, because if I’m guessing right, Wizard 101 Director J. Todd Coleman himself (or someone who looks a lot like him) sneaked in while they were gathering for the photograph (see if you can pick him out)!

Click on the smaller picture above to view or download it at its full 1280×1024 size.

And yes, this is my desktop wallpaper now :)

Enjoy!

Welcome to my island!

This was truly LATE breaking news! After midnight my time, checked my email one last time before bed and read this:

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To our Subscribers and players who have made a Crowns purchase in the last 30 days, we invite you to test out some of our new features on the Wizard101 Test Realm.

We will be looking to you to test out the following additions to Wizard101:

• Housing – Housing and housing item vendors can be found in all the worlds of the Spiral. Decorate your house or your Dorm room!
• Voiceovers have been added for Marleybone, MooShu and Dragonspyre
• Tips will appear to alert you to any items you have received as a reward.
• Run Speed modifiers can be found on Crowns items and as boss drops.
• Markers can now be placed that will allow you to recall back to a marked location.
• New messaging for Dungeons when you enter and if you log out while inside.
• New messaging for Quest drops such as ‘Collect Armor’.
• Boat and Balloon rides are now optional.
• Friend Requests show more information about the character.
• The ghosts have fled from Firecat Alley and Triton Avenue to be replaced with different creatures.

Naturally, I went right for the housing, though I’ll be sure to check out the other changes soon. I’m sorry this has to be pretty much just pictures, but I’m dog tired so it will have to do for now.

I started off with 99,999 gold; I ended with under 15,000 after buying up everything I could find for the biggest islands in Wizard City and Marleybone. Additional items are available for purchase with Crowns. The turtle names are NOT the final names, they are just placeholders.

Any questions about any of the pictures, let me know. All the furnishings inside and out were bought with gold from the furniture vendors in the house/furniture shops. You can buy floor and wall designs as well as more standard fare.

I didn’t intend to spend all night playing Wizard 101, but after I finished the Hallowe’en quests and finished the Krokotopia quests I’d ignored to get to Marleybone, I met up with a couple of friends and we spent the night working on Hyde Park quests.

So this is going to be kind of a long post.

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