Completed with lively harp tunes in the background, my dragon islands succeed once again, crowded with over 200 eager visitors. The visitors stand in awe next to the islands’ dragon habitats, each habitat uniquely specialized for different breeds. On one island, Rainbow dragons fly across the skies, breathing multi-colored stars, while on another, dragons are going head to head in a race for artifacts.

I smile contently at my pet dragons as I peer down at my iPhone, only to later look up and be greeted by my concerned friends shaking their heads and saying, “Playing DragonVale, again?”

Call me childish or just plain odd, but I will never lose my love for DragonVale, an iOS and Android game. DragonVale allows me to immerse myself in a magical world where I can build islands, decorate them with habitats and breed dragons — my quest for the Limited Edition ones is neverending.

I admittedly spend an excessive amount of time perfecting my islands. Last semester, I always came home right after seventh period, telling myself that I would finish my homework as quickly as possible, but often found myself entering dragons in races until falling asleep.

To make matters worse, last September, my older sister Allison and I found out that we both loved DragonVale and began texting each other nonstop, obsessing over our dragons.

But when I was asked give up DragonVale for my New Year’s resolution, I laughed and agreed immediately, confident that a life without DragonVale wouldn’t hurt me. After all, it’s only a game, right?

But I couldn’t be more wrong. To get a head start on my resolution, on Nov. 29, the first day of my challenge, I went to Starbucks to study for an AP Chemistry quiz. After 30 minutes of Lewis dot structures, a blaring noise rang from my phone. I had received three notifications about my dragons, but I mustered up my will power and continued studying.

Before I knew it, my hands started shaking uncontrollably. Lewis dot structures started to look like awkward snowflakes, and I couldn’t stop thinking about dragons. I paced around Starbucks as the baristas stared at me.

From that day forward, I have come home after school and stashed my phone under my desk, ready to plow through that day’s homework. Occasionally, I have messaged Falcon staff member Spring Ma and told her how much I hated her for making me take on this challenge, only to receive obnoxious LOOOL or HAHAHAs in return. I felt humiliated. Unwillingly, I began adjusting to this upsetting non-dragon lifestyle.

Heartbroken without my dragons, I trudged through the following weeks of cramming for last-minute projects and final exams. Turns out, surprisingly, living without DragonVale increased my productivity. I was able to finish my “Hamlet” final essay quickly, and during winter break, I busied myself with work in an attempt to avoid my sister’s taunts about her oh-so-wonderful dragons.

But unfortunately, unbeknownst to me, DragonVale happened to host a Winter Frostival, in which the gamemakers gave players free exclusive dragons. When Allison woke me up screaming about her new Dazzling Dragon, the rarest dragon to breed, I grabbed my phone without thinking.

Even though my five weeks of no DragonVale has come to an end, and the game is back into my life, I now better balance my school work and my dragon-breeding side job. My productivity level remains at an all-time high, but I must say that after days of homework and tests, I will always be excited to be welcomed back into the magical world of DragonVale.