To Much Love

When is there to much love? When are there to many people following your blog? When do you have to much interaction?

I think about this question because someone that I’ve come to enjoy interacting with has said, “Enough!”

Granted, it wasn’t said to me specifically, but this wonderful person put up a blog post about how she is disengaging from the WoW Twitter community. She has had so much interaction, both positive and negative, that she hasn’t had the space necessary to do what she wants to do with her blog. She wants to delve more deeply into every aspect of her life, and it seems that WoW has come to take up to much space.

Not that she is quitting WoW, thank goodness. She is limiting her interactions, so that she has the space to be fully herself. Hopefully, this will lead to more productive blogging about the things she cares about most (WoW included).

At least, this is my interpretation of her post.

I’ve come to similar situations before. These are times when I need to go isolate myself in my man-cave. It is supposed to be one of those stereotypical, maybe even archetypal, man traits.

I’m saying this blogger is overly Manly! Oh my gosh, don’t be a noob.

What I’m saying is that I understand the perceived need to disconnect to be fully whole.

To my (dare I say) friend:

I’m so sorry if my own interaction has driven you to this. I’m so sorry if my actions have brought any discomfort in your life. I appreciate you and your hubby bear, and I wish you the best.

Count me in as one of those that have subscribed to your blog, just hoping for the day that it pops up again in my reader.

I’m not going to email/IM/contact you in any other way outside of the game. Just know that I care for you and your family. May you get the space you need, to be who you were created to be.

Your friend, and part-time pocket meat-shield…

Caligan/Zwingli

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Finding

He flew up and down the coast, scanning in every direction.

He had to find her, he just had to.

The Priestess said that the destruction took them all by surprise. They had made it to the old hunter’s layover camping location, and set up a base. People were slowly making their way to the camp as word spread of it’s existence.

Great fissures clawed through the forest floor. It looked like a giant beast had used the area as his own personal scratching post. This made it hard for overland travel, and it was said that most refugees were found traveling up the coastline.

So this is where Zwingli found himself, flying back and forth from the ruins of Auberdine. Desperately looking for his lost love, his wife of multiple human generations.

Then, where the sand met the tall saltgrass, he saw a glint. It was the setting sun, shimmering off of the crescent moon hair pendent he had given her at the last Lunar Festival.

He brought his mount down beside her, tears streaming down his face. He gently lifted her up, placing his ear to her chest…he heard it! The soft flutter of her heart.

She was alive!

He gently cradled her in his arms after mounting the war hipogryph.

"Fly fast my friend. My heart, the light of my life depends upon it."

Snorting in response, the hipogryph launched into the sky with both strength and care. Making a beeline to the Priestess in the camp.

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Day 16, Things I Miss Post Cataclysm

This is Day 16 of our WoW Blogging Experience, per our esteemed Warlock colleague ~ Spellbound.

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Day 16 is about: Things you miss (post Cataclysm).

To be honest, there isn’t much I miss “post Cataclysm.”

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’ve been all nostalgic at times. Remember, I started at the end of Vanilla WoW. I remember the days of not getting a mount until much later in game (40 I think. Gah, it’s been so long!), and having to actually grind the gold for the (at that time) obscene purchase price of training. Seriously, gold practically grows on trees in Outland and Northrend!

I remember having to wait all freakin’ day long in the LFG channel, just hoping to get into an instance during Burning Crusade. People gripe at a 30 minute wait (as dps) using the LFD tool?

What a bunch of freakin’ babies!

Please, I was there when the term Huntard came to epitomize everything wrong with a player. Heck, I helped cement the stereotype in WoW lore. I did the hellacious Wintersaber Mount Grind; when it was the hardest grind in the game. I remember when you 1) had to use CC, strafing/kiting, and other huntery tricks; and if you screwed up you could wipe your group.

That the Wintersaber Grind has been turned into a 20(ish) day daily quest, that CC doesn’t cause aggro, and Kiting seems to be a non-existent need; I can’t really complain. Sure, there is the old man part of me that wants everyone else to suffer the same way I did; but that is just me being stupid.

This is a game, and it’s supposed to be fun. If I wanted more of a challenge, then I would attempt to be a hard core, progression focused raider. But, I don’t want that; and I’m enjoying what I’m doing. I’m exploring new aspects of the game, checking out the new zones, and reveling in the Azeroth Flying License.

I guess, if there is one thing that I miss, it is the perceived accountability before the LFD tool was introduced. I’m not sure there was that much actual accountability back in those days. Jerks were still jerks, and the good guys were still the good guys. If I run with a jerk in LFD, I’ll probably never have to see him or her again. Which, I tend to be happy about now.

But(!), one thing about running a PuG with people from your own server is that you have an opportunity to develop a relationship with people you didn’t know previously. This is how I started raiding in Wrath. I got into a PuG with a couple of people from Phoenix Rising. I wasn’t trying to impress anyone, I was just trying to do my job as a dps. But, it was enough to impress the two members, one who was their raid leader. This lead to an invite as an alt-raider, which lead to other members of my guild getting a chance to raid, and eventually everyone joining Phoenix Rising and raiding together.

That wouldn’t have happened if LFD was active at that time.

I understand that Blizzard is trying to make it that you group with people from your own server first in LFD, but I’ve not really experienced that yet.  The only place I’ve seen actually server wide community is on the active RP servers like Moon Guard, The Venture Co., and a few others.

So, what do you miss?

Z

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Because Tanks R Fun

Say hello to Caligan, my baby tankadin on Azuremist Server.

Granted, he’s not my first paladin. I have another level 85 Paladin, named Caligan on Sentinels Server. The difference is this: I’ve leveled Caligan@Azuremist almost exclusively as a Tank, using only the items he can get via questing and instancing.  Caligan@Sentinels was leveled using Heirloom Items and almost exclusively via questing.

I have to say, it is both fun and nerve wracking. As you know, I’m a hunter at heart. I’ve played a ranged class since 2006. I’ve definitely seen a learning curve. Ranged classes don’t have to worry about cleave, and other close in mob AoE. Also, as a hunter (in the days when we didn’t have much AoE to think of), if we broke CC it was because we were being stupid. As a Paladin Melee DPS and a Tank, it becomes incredibly easy to accidentally break CC.

It is especially nerve wracking to tank using the LFD tool. I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I’ve had the “go, go, go(s)” from both dps and healers. I would like to try and practice marking, using CC, and just strategy in general. But, so many people are in a hurry to zerg through the instance, that it becomes disheartening. One thing for sure, and I’ve read it on other tank blogs, going through that will make you a better tank. If you are a baby tankadin, read this for a good overall view.

My weakest part has been doing the research. As the instances get harder, tanks need to be aware of new boss mechanics. If you aren’t aware of something, it can wipe your group. We may need to interrupt a cast, gain threat back after an aggro wipe so the boss doesn’t nomnomnom the face of our healer. These things can either be learned the hard way, by wipe after infuriating wipe; or we can take some time out of game to read up on the instances. My problem is that I would rather play! I don’t want to take the time to go read up on an instance that I’ll only que into maybe 3-4 times, and then I’ll be leveled past it. (On a side note, that is why I’ve not posted much. I’ve been playing. ) However, good (and bad) habits start early. If someone isn’t willing to do their research early on, it isn’t likely that they’ll be willing to do it later.

I’ve really enjoyed doing this. Eff the Ineffable(s) has been kind enough to take my alt in. They are a great group of people, a lot of fun, and are ready to include individuals who come their way. I’ve become somewhat burned out by the grind to gear up for raiding, and this has been a good release for me.

Ok, disclaimer (So Nymphy doesn’t pyroblast me into nonexistence) D/E the Tank! is not a “tank blog” perse. It is just that one of the co-authors is a raid tank, and gives good advice.

Ok, is there a point to this?

No, not really. However, if I want to make one up off the cuff: “Go try something different. It might be a little nerve wracking, but it can be well worth it in the end.”

What are you going to do differently?

Z

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Day 15, What’s My Computer Screen Background?

This is Day 15 of our WoW Blogging Experience, per our esteemed Warlock colleague ~ Spellbound.

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Day 15 is about my desktop background (on my computer) and why I chose it.

Ok, here it is. It is the stock background that came on the computer when I bought it. I haven’t changed it because: 1) I’m lazy, and 2) I don’t care what it is.

Yes, I know. I’m boring.

But, I still like myself!

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