#w101 arc 3 spoilers

[wizzycore]

helo fellow spider enjoyer :]] a tuppence for any spider headcanons ? or any thoughts u had abt him lol

thank u for the interactions on the internet btw it gives me serotonin <3 happy to have someone to cobpost with

HIIII!!! my fic is totally my dump for spider related headcanons but here are a couple off the top of my head!

- spider saw mellori as a child not knowing she was the daughter of raven. one way or another thru prophecy or vision or just showing up thru somebody else (#posession)...i have a sillier differenter fic abt this interpretation of his mirage battle dialogue but its very sweet to think about hahahaha.

- ive always had underdeveloped thoughts abt how spider sees spiral peoples, especially as some of them (such as aztecans) descend directly from first world peoples rather than having been created theoretically after the titan war. but somehow spider's attitude (if he is to be believed) toward the yw i think indicates smth abt how he sees mortals in the spiral. he talks a lot of shop about how he doesn't care for any of the spiral or its peoples because his ex made it, that they're all weak or fodder but he is still grateful for what the yw had done for him even if it were prophesized. even if it were essentially "fate" at that point - spider recognizes that even if the yws actions to help him were done under coercion (from himself or others) they were still kind actions to him - they made him say that the yw was "one of their favorite things the spiral made" bc of that act. you wouldn't necessarily tell that to somebody you regard as a puppet that was bound to do those things anyway. (ofc he could've been sweet talking us but i choose the belief that theres part truth in it-) TLDR: spider ascribes a very interesting free will to certain spiral beings despite manipulating their fates massively over the years -- and i think that indicates more of a kind opinion toward the spiral than he lets on.

- my funniest spider hc is that he loves knitting and like fabric-related arts because he's good at it and better than raven. you just know the motherfucker is making sweaters in the husk

- his blood contains the purest form of shadow magic. a reason among other things that the chaos heart is one of the most powerful shadow artefacts in the spiral. theoretically other body parts of his are up there as well in terms of power. but luckily for him they arent removable.... as far as we know

- another reason why spider is fond of the yw is because spider himself was essentially the first wizard/first teacher of wizards - bartleby doesn't betray either witchiness or wizardry honestly i think "druid" is a legitimate camp to be in and bartleby is there -- raven is overtly witchy -- i think spider is in his own way incredibly wizard-y and mage-like. i always like to think he gave nuggets of his knowledge to the spider mages and guided their studies for a time...and the reason why people dont speak abt wizardrys root in spider is bc of raven's casting of him as ultimate evil in spiral mythologies. the role of guide to wizards is given rather ambiguously to bartleby instead...

- this hc is silly but. the divinities eat azoth. spider subsisted on that shit even in the black hole. idc that immortals don't need to eat i think it'd be funny if they ate azoth. consume ancient magics my boy

- tho raven and apider settled down in the husk, they still watch the yw but dont say nothin. spider COULD step in and narrate but why would he. all of arc 4 is so literally not his business at all ur on ur own wizard. however spider gossips about the yws goings on in lieu of being helpful literally at all.

- spiders favorite non-shadow schools of magic r storm and myth bc they're the most chaotic ::::)

- spider isn't taking to divorce therapy very well at all. 💋

[enderscribbles]

playing totk and getting major vibe recognition

[stormbreaker101]

i love wallaru so much, especially its ending...

except for the Schismists' redemption "arc." blind mew please shut the fuck up and pay me reparations.

[extravalgant]

snipped and highlighted some interesting things from the novus roundtable from the atmoplex +_+ which u can read for urself here

SPOILERS BELOW AND IN THE SCREENSHOTS as i talk about some novus story points <3 peace and love etc

I FOUND IT SO INTERESTING HOW MUCH PIRATE WAS MENTIONED COMPARED TO BEFORE... they mentioned it a lot here in this round table but i guess we kinda have some sort of confirmation that both 101 games were kind of happening at once, just in different places and times..???

BUT FIRST BAT AND MELLORI (POTENTIAL) COME BACK LETS FUCKING GOOOOO!!!!!!

anywayz i kinda went into both games knowing that they were trying to line up the timelines.. and everyone on the reddits were trying to figure out ways that the pirate and wizard were both doing things in the same world without having it cross together

THE BIT ABOUT THE ARMADA IS INTERESTING THOUGH... *spoilers* but they mention the armada ONCE when the spiral power meetings get a bit too heated and iirc a valencian says something along the lines of ''do you think were weak because of the lack of the armada?" etc etc WHICH IS LIKE !!!! WOJAK POINTING MEME.PNG THEY SAID SOMETHING ABOUT PIRATE!!! AND THE ARMADA... which also kind of confirms that arc 4 (and possibly arc 3?) takes place after valencia part 2 happens... which . also makes sense once you think about it

ALSO LIKE... the off chance that the armada has a chance to come back if situation calls for it (greed) is both funny and worrying . but also very 👁👁

OK I KINDA LOVE THAT WERE THE "BIG BAD" NOW... everyone who wanted a wizard villain arc . there ya go

I ACTUALLY REALLY LIKE THIS BIT... i think the fact that we are acknowledged as someone powerful here -- whereas we are seen as a very "neutral" party in the game. i like how we are seen as ''running away'' and not taking full responsibility when like... the spiral powers have not taken any responsibility at all lmaooo

ANYONE ELSE WHOS COMPLETED OR GONE THROUGH NOVUS DIALOGUE... what do we thiiiiink

star gator though . interesting thing to point out

[khrysalis-best-world]

arc 4: a poorly written retrospective

(cw for spoilers for the entirety of arc 4)

welp, just finished wallaru and completed the pax arcana quest. while its still fresh in my mind, i thought i'd leave my notes here.

dasein's final speech to the schismists + arcanum did make me cry. i don't think wiz has made me cry since the end of khrysalis, so this was a very welcome cathartic moment

i think arc 4 was w101's first step into testing the maturation of the storyline, to see how they could execute it in such a way where it stayed true to the plot of the game while exploring more real-life conflicts (colonialism, capitalism/greed, oppression of indigenous people, etc) and while some people may have conflicting views, I feel it was done very well for a kids mmorpg.

the schismist storyline was weak overall, and id say that was my least favorite part about arc 4 in general. there are a lot of loose ends (i.e. why they even want to bring back the first world, why it was so good to schismists, etc) that still are not tied up, but i feel for the entirety of the arc, i just ignored it and focused on the message of each world for the sake of enjoyment.

wallaru was a little too quick for my enjoyment. where novus took a solid week if not a little more, wallaru was... very short. didnt feel like a finale world.

this was definitely an arc to conclude some prior mysteries and start anew completely for arc 5. i feel it still leaves enough loose ends and questions for us to ponder, but also allows a completely new story to emerge from a clean slate.

im a dasein kinnie now. nothing turning into something, the wizard helping him find who he truly is and what he truly wants is important to me. that also leaves room for the wizard to follow something similar, considering we are not 100% out of hot water with the rest of the spiral just yet. what is our end game? what will make us snap? where does the selfless wizard end and the human desire begin? we know we are powerful, almost too powerful. knowing there are so many people who still do not trust us, or resent us, how will that manifest our goals in arc 5?

while arc 4 overall is not my favorite out of them all (still arc 2), ive learned to appreciate it as someone who has grown with the game. i'd say my current ranking is arc 2 -> arc 1 -> arc 4 -> arc 3.

on the more personal side: this was emotional for me overall. ive been playing for 13 years and never in my time of being a player did i think id finally be caught up with the game. its bittersweet, in a way; this game was always a constant id return to and chip away at when life got boring. locking in for 2 months really helped pass the time and deal with some hard stuff in my life, as well as help me actually enjoy a game again.

ive never been more excited for what the future of wiz has in store. this conclusion was a good, fresh start. it can go anywhere at this point, and im looking forward to everything that comes next.

now, i shall theorize on here until we get crumbs for winter update + sit patiently for arc 5 hints :) if you read this far, thank you!

[dani-luminae]

regarding w101 act 3: imo the overall arc is pretty weak BUT the character writing itself takes a huge step up, especially once you reach mirage. the characters that are one offs' for each world become more engaging and have more personality, and two of the reoccurring major characters in the arc are fan favorites! (not spoiling who unless you ask though lol)

LOL - spoilers are fine, I'm not adverse to them, one of my friends already spoiled Old Cob before I had any idea about him and I was like "Who?"

Though construing from the "marked by the Raven and the Spider" comment and Cob's glowing multiple eyes, I have my own guesses.

I'm glad character writing gets a step up! In my opinion it was already a step up in Khrysalis esp when characters can now "accompany" us into battle (and I wanna hug Dyvim Whitehart!) so I look forward to it getting better.

For now, though I'm stuck battling French Penguins in old Russia though, so we'll see where it goes.

Thanks for dropping by!

[ghostingbrightly]

i hope yall will forgive me for committing the sin of bad art photography (lol) anyway, here's a traditional project ive been working on for WAYYY too long (and the last of my Ancient Kalamar Secrets related arts).

anywho, click for better quality!

[thatsmimi]

@wizzycore "spider is ur weird primeval wizard dad" agenda based on this post

[thatgaycatfrompirate101]

W101 Arc 3 spoilers

Bonus:

[wizzycore]

your universe was my prison aeons before it held you.

your seas were my blood, once - your worlds were my body.

your primitive, squirming-blind star charts map my shadow valves.

my iron cage and your fragile hearts flutter together like one.

[wizzycore]

Here’s an ask! You’ve talked about how different Raven and Spider would be in your Godswap AU. But how differently would you envision things if Raven and Spider had the same domains, but switched roles. Raven is still the God of Light but is the “main antagonist” after escaping her prison. On the other hand Spider would still be the God of Shadow, but have the role of the Spiral’s “benevolent god.” And how would Bartleby factor into this?

Also I imagine each of these gods creating multiple children lol.

ohhhh... this is so spicy.

i got this ask yesterday[queue update: i think this will post in like... a week?] and im literally still tickled about it....

ok, so.

ohhh man, no, this is juicy. because the young wizard is responsible for freeing raven AND spider, so even when raven and spider's narrative roles reverse yw is still left w the shame and the short end of the stick....

so, the obvious answer would be that spider becomes the narrator. the nature of wizard101 is that supposed benevolence is your guide -- that goodness is the voice in your head that you listen to.

but i think it'd be more satisfying and more horrifying if the betrayal we feel in arc 3 with raven is more than just 'desisting' from light -- but that light itself was never goodness, and the shadow abilities that the yw so dreaded learning were instead the only moral path forward.

so, then, raven is still the narrator. but she only masquerades as a gentle guide in order to bring the yw closer to uncaging her.

as for why the yw in this scenario? in wintertusk, all who live there know raven as a scheming witch, and no matter raven's power, it would be in her better interests to find somebody illiterate in spiral lore to help her....

but as for what she'll do once she's out?...

😳

as a more serious answer, i think raven's antagonism wouldn't really kick in until arc 3 proper. she'd only start antagonizing the yw once she could confirm they're in cahoots w/ spider. and yw wouldn't be able to convince anybody that shadow isn't evil, that the casting out of morganthe was all in vain, that the council of light is backing somebody who becomes actively hostile to the spiral when pushed into a corner and loosed of her order....

spider, on the flipside, probably wouldn't necessarily be a GOOD guy, but i like to imagine in this scenario spider's presence as a benevolent god is centered in pity that turns to genuine admiration for spiral creatures, a shift from looking out through the pit to interacting often w the young wizard and people other than his children. i think that a universe that contains his essence, even if stolen, if he can see his own roots in it, he would be able to find love for it. in a kind of sad way. and so his aim would be to preserve at the very least his parts, if not the entire thing if forced to do so (while raven would seek to destroy it all and try again, shamed and panicked by the constant calamity the spiral brings itself)....

it definitely wouldn't be as quick story beats as regular arc 3. i think it would be more contemplative.

bartelby's task, i think, would be widely the same, and so would mellori and bat's. they form the paradox that the yw encapsulates coming together as allies, so no matter how and why spider and raven are opposed i think the task of the gang stays the same, with only their tensions and dynamics changed.

ahh idk 😭 its very abstract to me

[ghostingbrightly]

I find, looking upon this Child, that I am moved to help her. And help you.

(closeup under the cut! -- click for better quality)

[wizzycore]

porkbeans for the ship meme :)

YESSSS

What made you ship it?

sooooo ok. um.... i think it was from the first time i was streaming empyrea and i (do not know star trek) (was only aware pork and sparck were star trek references) saw dialogue that made me go uh beans my dude that was kinda gay.

idk tho. theyre just cute. theyre insane. theyre stupid. theyre melloris gay uncles like in the lion king. theyre intelligent. theyre pigs. theyre both individually a little sexy in a stupid dumbass way. what else can you ask for.

2) What are your favorite things about the ship?

i can imagine them doing whatever shit in whatever corner of the spiral. with the pirate. sure. with the wizard? of course .

mellori gay uncles

beans is kinda............................

3) Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

everybody on gods green earth will ship themselves with bat but nobody ever thinks about the true empryea mvps (gay pigs).......

[wizzycore]

i know this specific part of empryea where all of the nimbari act like you're some freak monster even though you're just an oddly shaped human wizard trying to do good for them was just to parallel to bat and to make bat's predicament even more sympathetic . but im just mad that it worked. this entire thing was really fucked up . :( im so sorry king

(anyway, click for better quality !!)

[wizzycore]

honestly, after the horror wears off, i could definitely see the reverie being used as speedrun fodder for the semi-divine. how many things can u do before the shadow in ur heart starts to stir and alert the darkly eldritch creator-god stalking the line between life and death like its his job. and more importantly. how can u get out w/o getting caught.

[wizzycore]

strike three ,,, arc 3 grandma raven vibes i will not elaborate

YOU ARE ALL SO INTELLIGENT. I LOVE YOU ALL MY FOLLOWERS MWAH KISS MWAH KISS! MWAH KISS!!!!!!!!!!! (note, if my analysis seems lacking: i just finished empryea part one!)

lets BREAK it down!!!!!!!!!!!!!

raven's narration of mellori's childhood! "sinful thoughts" -- of chaos, of boredom, of the squirm of wanting to do things!! raven is OBVIOUSLY involved in mellori's life, almost as much as baba is -- her divine and mortal selves hold their parents hands just as tenderly as one another. and raven's voice, unlike baba's, is all about guiding. guiding her into order and duty. guiding her into her "destiny".

raven AND baba yaga -- raven is the one who gave baba yaga the instructions to shelter mellori, and so she obeys. mellori complains, wah, wah, im so bored, when will you let me go to the arcanum, (mellori voice) when can i see the world!!!! but. but theyre RIGHT. THEYRE RIGHT. THE WORLD DOES WANT TO PLAY AND BREAK HER LIKE A TOY SNIFF SNIFF SNIFF (<-- STARTS CRYING PROFUSELY)

:(. torn apart by your barbarian peers -- the bat :(. :(. the semi-divine working under spider to use her, to tear her open to break the chains. even as mellori is captured shes still as bored as she ever was. :(

RAVEN, TELLING MELLORI ABOUT SPIDER AND HIS SONS !!!!!!!! FIRING HER UP AGAINST THEM!!! THEY WANT TO TRAMPLE EVERYTHING WE LOVE (THE SPIRAL) BECAUSE OF """REASON""" (OH BOO HOO I STOLE SOME HEART) !!!

speaking of the heart -- a thousand is more like a billion, depending on how you believe in chronomancy, but -- you could take the first pair of lines a couple of ways, maybe about the first world, maybe about the making of the phrophecies?

most importantly in the latter pair -- the rush for the chaos heart, suddenly unlocked by the ability to send the semi-divine through the aethyr to chase it.

ALSO -- the chronocle! a lock has sealed this tower where i keep my time oracle! but no more! now mortals know the secrets of how i made the spiral! etc.

MELLORI GETTING CAPTURED. THE SUN IN MIRAGE. THE "FULLY-LOADED GUN"-- THE SECRET OF HER SEMI-DIVINITY.

okay, i think of this as both about yw AND mellori. i think that theyre alike in a lot of ways -- but the latter set of lyrics belongs to mellori. and the spiral too. (at least... until the end of empryea part one....). raven is trying as hard as she can to keep the spiral afloat against the chaos, against having some fun (derogatory).

gestures nonsensically. the vision in the astral plane

GESTURES NONSENSICALLY. THE VISION IN THE ASTRAL PLANE.

OK NOW IT SHIFTS. INSTEAD OF SPEAKING TO MELLORI NOW RAVEN SPEAKS TO YW. "YOU GOT OFF THE HOOK" WITH SPIDER -- AND YET YOU STILL PRACTICE SHADOW MAGIC, YOU STILL ACTIVELY WORK AGAINST ME BY DARING TO BE TAINTED. BUT YOU KEEP WAFFLING BETWEEN US... YOU KEEP NOT COMMITTING TO KILL SPIDER... SHADOW ...... YOU PLAYING BUDDIES WITH A MONSTER... SPIDER.... AND BAT!!!!! WHINEEEE AHEEM heem

okay im continuing this in a reblog. #girl.