Tag Archives: gaming
Pursuing the Black Harvest
{CONTINUED SOON…}
* * *
[Two quick notes! First, after more than a little cajoling from certain individuals who know who they are, I’ve set up a DeviantArt account under the GarroshHllscream name (same as the Garrosh Twitter, just sans the @). Think of it as Gurtash’s sketchbook — I’ll likely use it to toss up various odds and ends: character sketches, requests (want to see your character Gurtash-style?), work-in-progress glimpses of upcoming comics (perhaps as reassurance that something is in the works when I have a lull), and whatever else might come to mind. Don’t worry, I realize that I’m posting content to the blog at a slower pace than I would like, so I don’t intend to let myself become overly distracted by the new toy; the DA account will serve to complement the blog, not compete with it. Hopefully folks will enjoy having the occasional peek at what Gurtash is working on.
That said, I’m getting the page started with a holiday rendition of one of our trainees — Ruekie, decked out in her Hallow’s End costume. I’d planned costumes for the other trainees, and may still try to get one or two of them done before the day is out. Time will tell!
Meanwhile, we’re coming down to the last few days before the final meta raid weekend prior to the release of Warlords of Draenor! I just wanted to remind folks that we’ll be planning to do something — hopefully one last Siege of Orgrimmar — on Saturday, November 8. Mark your calendars! With the imminent release of the new expansion, this will likely be the last meta raid proper that we’ll be doing for quite a while, though we might still carry on with other random shenanigans in the future…]
Burning bridges
* Mokvar and Deliana met with Magatha in Onyxia’s lair here; Magatha agreed to help Mokvar enhance his elemental powers enough to survive a trip to the Firelands.
[A quick OOC programming note — just a reminder to everyone, this Saturday (September 13) will be our next Meta raid! As always, be watching for me on Battlenet around 8:00 PM EDT for our monthly Flex raid of Siege of Orgrimmar (and/or some other random shenanigans). All are welcome; feel free to add Averry#1116 if you haven’t already. Hope to see many of you there!]
[…Edited, because I find my link-backs work better when I actually link them. Oops.]
30 Days of Character Development #7: Mokvar
[Periodically, a post will profile one of the blog’s many supporting players. (See the first profile for more details.) Feel free to chime in with recommendations for other characters you’d like to see more about.]
Name: Mokvar
Occupation: Scribe; former advisor to the Warchief; former mercenary; currently between gigs, as it were.
Race: Orc
Class: Warlock (currently and formerly), shaman (formerly)
Age: 44
Group affiliations: Horde (former citizen, currently banished), Earthen Ring (former member), Veiled Blade (former member)
Known relatives: Drulla (mother, deceased), Vokmar (father, deceased), ex-wife (heretofore unnamed)
Earth Online notes: Founding member and officer of Garrosh’s guild <Warchief>; presumably demoted from officer status since falling out of good graces with Garrosh, though it’s currently unclear if he’s actually been demoted or gkicked. Main toon is Bartleby (class unknown); has at least one alt, LamontCranston (not a member of <Warchief> and unknown by most of the guild, possibly all but Spazzle).
First appearance: “Visiting Ashenvale” (first mention), “Underneath the bunker” (first transcript)
- Garrosh first mentioned Mokvar in the very early days of the blog, during an inspection trip to Ashenvale. After completing an aerial bombing run over Astralaan, the Warchief was most irate that Mokvar wasn’t able to adequately sketch him walking away from the resulting explosions; Garrosh ordered Mokvar back to Orgrimmar to train up inscription under pain of, well, pain. (Interestingly, the job of keeping visual records of some of Garrosh’s expolits would eventually fall to Gurtash in the form of his comics.)
- Mokvar would return a few weeks later in “Underneath the bunker” to record the first of many transcripts of the Warchief’s dealings. (Also of note is that this transcript marked the first appearance of Dontrag and Utvoch.) From that point on, Mokvar would frequently accompany the Warchief in his adventures, recording Garrosh’s discussions with such luminaries as Tirion Fordring (“Where did all the words go?”), Mylune (not once but twice), Garona and Johnny Awesome (“Awesome job, Mokvar”).
- Mokvar traveled back in time to old Hillsbrad with Garrosh, Liadrin, Faranell, and Utvoch in an attempt to trace the origin of a magic “anti-plague” that was devastating the Forsaken (The Anti-Plague of Southshore). While there, Faranell switched places with a past version of himself and inadvertently set off a series of events that would eventually cause massive disruptions to the timeline (Timequake). In the ensuing chaos, Mokvar was one of the only people to be aware of the changes that had occurred, and helped the Warchief reset history to its proper course. To this day, Mokvar remains one of the only people – along with Garrosh, Liadrin, and Faranell – who remembers the events that transpired in the other timeline. (Okay, yes, Utvoch remembers, too…but would you really bet your next paycheck on him understanding any of it?)
- Just before Garrosh left for Pandaria, Mokvar was attacked and killed under mysterious circumstances (“Death of the author”), though his death was made temporary by his ability to ankh as a shaman. This brush with death marked the beginning of the Mokvar saga that continues to this day; a detailed, post-by-post account can be found here, but here’s the semi-sorta-short version: In his mercenary days before coming to Orgrimmar, when he was a member of the Veiled Blade, Mokvar had acquired, then disposed of, a powerful warlock relic called the Nether Prism; now, years later, the Prism’s prior owner (the drakonid lord Valthalak) has sent spectral assassins after Mokvar in an effort to recover his prize. Mokvar reunited with old mercenary friend Deliana to try to recover the Prism, then launched into a run of suspicious, erratic behavior – traveling to Ironforge under diplomatic cover, then being charged with the murder of one of its citizens; turning for aid to Neeru Fireblade, then, even more damningly, Magatha Grimtotem; breaking out of Orgrimmar while under arrest, leading to his eventual banishment from the Horde.
- After Mokvar disappeared from Orgrimmar, he remained off the grid for several months, save for elemental indications to fellow shaman Spazzle that he may have met his final demise. Ji Firepaw, however, wasn’t willing to give up hope for Mokvar’s survival (and rightly so – did anyone really think that I was not only going to kill off Mokvar, but do so off-screen? Really?), and continued investigating Mokvar’s whereabouts. Ji’s search eventually led him to Blackrock Spire, where Mokvar made his dramatic, fel-infused return in “The scouring of the Spire.”
- True story: I originally introduced Mokvar not even as a real character, but as a plot device to justify inclusion of the transcripts. I realized early on that I wanted to include dialogue in the blog, but I didn’t feel like it would fit stylistically to have Garrosh writing it out as it would appear in a novel – one thing I try to maintain (with ranging degrees of success) is the appearance that Garrosh really is writing everything in the blog, as a blog, rather than a short-story-but-we’ll-call-it-a-blog-even-though-we-know-it’s-really-not-wink-wink. Mokvar as a scribe provided an excuse to include that extra material. Another true story: When I was first choosing Garrosh’s scribe, I pretty much went into Grommash Hold and semi-randomly picked someone who looked like he didn’t have much else to do. Who knew?
- For the fashion/transmog-minded among you: Mokvar’s warlock attire is roughly based on the Tier 9 warlock set.
- Mokvar’s Earth Online character, Bartleby, is a reference to the title character in Herman Melville’s short story “Bartleby the Scrivener.” (Scrivener = scribe!) Mokvar likewise references the story on a few occasions when he repeats Bartleby’s signature line, “I would prefer not to.”
- For anyone who hasn’t pieced it together by this point: Mokvar’s close connection to Deliana is based on their parallel in-game roles. Pre-Cataclysm, Mokvar (in Orgrimmar) and Deliana (in Ironforge) were the questgivers who sent adventurers on the (very long and painful) quest chains to upgrade the old “Tier 0.5” dungeon sets. The two characters offered essentially the same quests, which provided the basis for much of the in-blog backstory about Lord Valthalak. (Valthalak’s spirit was the end boss for that quest chain, by the way, and for anyone who missed it during vanilla, fighting him at level was a NIGHTMARE.)
In his own words:
In there one event or happening you would like to erase from your past? Why?
My last job with the Veiled Blade, when we went into Blackrock Spire to collect Valthalak’s goodies. It turned out to be nothing but trouble, and cost most of us our lives – all of us, in fact, other than me and Deliana. (And strictly speaking, it cost me my life, too; it just didn’t stick. So, congratulations to Deliana for being the last one left standing. Was anyone running a pool?)
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Color? Song? Flower?
Tigule and Foror’s Lok’tar S’more-gar. Cerulean blue. The Lokvad’nod Broxigari. Any daisies I’m not pushing up.
Who do you trust?
After everything we’ve been through, I trust Deliana with my life. The same goes for Ji and Spazzle. I trust Thrall and Eitrigg implicitly, and I’ll probably always be grateful to Thrall for giving me a safe haven all those years ago. I trust Liadrin for her judgment, Saurfang for general badassery, and Garrosh…well, I trust Garrosh to be Garrosh.
How are you with technology? Super savvy, or way behind the times? Letters or email?
I’m no Spazzle, but I’m good enough with technology to get by. I’m not really what you would call tech literate in the broad sense, but I do okay with specific tasks on specific devices; once I learn how to do something, I’m usually fine, but then I don’t like to stray too far from what I know, even if something new and better comes along. I still prefer to write by hand, but I usually end up having to type things out – people are always complaining about my handwriting.
How do you react to temperature changes such as extreme heat and cold?
Heat doesn’t bother me at all. I hardly even notice it. Cold, on the other hand… spirits, I hate the cold. You could not have paid me enough money to go to Northrend.
Are you an early morning bird or a night owl?
Neither, really. I have pretty strange sleep habits: I usually tend to sleep for 2-3 hours at a time, scattered around random times in the day. It’s a holdover from my mercenary days, when we would often have to be on the move on short notice; I developed the ability to sneak in what sleep I could when I could, and it’s stayed with me. So now you’re equally likely to catch me awake at some odd hour in the middle of the night, or asleep in the middle of the day. It’s the main reason why I don’t like surprise visitors. That and the recent habit that surprise visitors have been getting into of trying to kill me.
What’s your preferred means of travel?
On wolfback. I like feeling my feet on the ground…or at least my wolf’s feet, indirectly. If I have to fly, I’d rather take a zeppelin or gunship. I’ve never gotten completely comfortable on a wyvern (although I still prefer them to bats or dragonhawks or…well, I don’t know how people manage to keep their balance on those carpets). I’ll fly on one if I need to, and I have lots of times – it just makes me uneasy while I’m up there.
If you could time travel, where would you go?
Don’t even joke about that.
Are you superstitious?
I definitely believe that there’s something out there that’s either looking out for me, or has it in for me. I’m still not sure which. Check back with me again another time. Unless I’m dead, in which case we probably have our answer.
What might your ideal romantic partner be?
Someone calm, grounded. Stable. Not prone to emotional swings or extreme highs and lows. Someone who’s figured themselves out, gotten comfortable with themselves, grown out of the drama and the need for everything to be a thrill ride.
If your life were a genre, what would it be?
Pretty definitely something in the action/adventure area, or at least a suspense thriller. Be careful what you wish for, I suppose. Sometimes I think I should have listened to my mother and been a banker instead. When I was younger, I couldn’t wait to go out into the world and have adventures. Thirty years of adventures later, I think I’ve had more than enough excitement. I’d love to be bored. I’d love to settle down comfortably in a quiet corner of Orgrimmar once we get to the other side of all this, and age into some old man who everyone considers pretty dull and uninteresting, except for every so often when he rattles off another one of his crazy stories — which most of the kids probably won’t believe really happened anyway. I think I’ll enjoy that.
Previous Profiles:
Back to Business
Averry stepping in for Garrosh.
So…yeah. That way-too-long July that I warned about last time? You know, way, way back when I made my last post, back when devilsaurs ruled the earth? Well, the crazy-busy July started kicking my ass in June, which has led to the current (most recent) lull in blog production.
So…sorry. I feel bad that I keep having these dead periods in the blog, and I appreciate all of you who’ve hung in there through my disappearances. I won’t promise that where won’t be any more of them (I know it would be a promise I couldn’t keep, despite best intentions), but I will promise, for what it’s worth, that I’m not going anywhere until I’ve seen the Warchief’s story through to the end. I have a LOT of story still planned, and there’s exactly ZERO chance of me bailing on the blog before I finish telling it. Keep hanging in there with me, and I’ll do my best to make it worthwhile.
Now then, with that said, we have a little business to get to. First and foremost, with my schedule finally becoming a little more human in August, we’ll be’ll be able to pick up our Meta raiding ways soon. I’m planning to resume our regular monthly Flex raid beginning Saturday, August 9. As always, catch me on RealID (Averry#1116) around 8:00 PM EDT to join the party. For anyone new to the raids, we try to hold them each month, on the Saturday that marks the final day of that month’s Darkmoon Faire.
Second of all, a return to a semi-sorta-normal schedule also means that I’m going to be able to resume blogging more regularly. While I haven’t been posting these past few weeks, by the way, don’t think that I haven’t been working on getting blog material lined up for production. In fact, here, witness the heap of posts that are currently written and ready to go! (Yes, I write by hand first, then transcribe and/or draw from there. At least most of the time. For whatever reason — don’t ask me why — I write more easily when I’m doing it on paper rather than at the keyboard.)
(Right now, by the way, the main limiting factor in posting all this material is the time involved in preparing comics for much of it. The writing is something I can do in small bursts whenever I have a spare ten minutes; the drawing requires much longer blocks of interrupted time. Still, take some comfort in knowing there’s a full pipeline on its way…)
Anyway, the point is, I have a lot of stuff prepared for you, and will have it going into production very shortly — very likely to kick off Meta raid day this Saturday. For anyone who’d like the tiniest of peeks at what’s on the way, I’ve edited the Major Storylines index page for Mokvar’s ongoing story to include the titles of the next several posts…
Also! I’m sure many of you already listen to the Lorewalkers Roundtable podcast (and if you don’t, you should!), which streams every Saturday afternoon at 2:00 PM eastern. I’ve recently started contributing to the show, in the form of letters from Garrosh as he bounces through time with Kairoz. I believe the Lorewalkers have been running the feature under the unofficial title of “Letters from a Fallen Warchief,” though I kind of prefer to think of it as “When in the World is Garrosh Hellscream?” Either way, they’ve been fun to write and even more fun to listen to Lorewalker Sol read in an orc voice. Definitely hop over for a listen! I’m writing them very much in the voice of blog!Garrosh, even if they detail events that the blog hasn’t gotten to. Yet. (If you don’t think I’m planting little details in these letters that I can pick up in future blog posts…well, it’s nice to meet you.)
And also…yes, I’ve seen it. If you know what I’m talking about…well, you know. If you don’t know, I’m not inclined to spoil it for you. But…yeah, stay tuned. I’ve got some work to do.
Be seeing you,
Averry
Raid Schedule
We briefly interrupt Garrosh’s adventures in Blackrock Spire for a meta-raid programming note!
In light of a few real-life scheduling considerations over the next several weeks, I’ve decided to make a change to our next few monthly friends-of-WCB Siege of Orgrimmar raids. Those of you who’ve been regulars know the usual deal: SoO Flex the closing Saturday night of each Darkmoon Faire week. As per our usual schedule, that would mean this Saturday. This time around, though, I’m going to need to shift things around a little. So, instead of this coming Saturday, we’ll be gathering for our usual Flex run on Saturday, June 21 at 8:00 PM EDT. Hopefully this change won’t throw people off too much, and plenty of you will still be able to come join in.
One additional, related scheduling change: I have a pretty busy July in the works, so I’ve decided to cancel the usual July meta raid. Since June’s meta raid will be taking place in mid/late June rather than the first weekened, it can to serve as our Flex fix for both June and July. Once August rolls around (August 9, for those of you keeping score at home), we’ll be able to resume our usual schedule. Hopefully everyone will have enough fun things going on this summer that they won’t miss our blog-raid outings too terribly much!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have– erm, I mean, Gurtash has more drawing to do. More from Blackrock very soon (and, yes, you’ll be getting some what-the-hell’s-been-going-on-with-Mokvar answers very shortly)…
Averry
Spazzle Speaks: Family Ties
You have logged on.
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] That’s what I told him, but I think we may just have to humor him for the time being.
[Officer][Lorthemar] Once we finish our work on the animus golem here, we should be able to augment our resources.
[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina] thanks!
[Officer][Lorthemar] Oh, hello, Spazzle.
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] You -do- seem to have been spending a lot of time on that of late.
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Good evening, Spazzle.
[Guild][Nightengayle | Garona] np
[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle] hey guys
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Hey, mon.
[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina] anyway hate to craft and run but i need to log for now
[Officer][Lorthemar] Well I suspect it’s going to yield some very useful results, once Aethas gets done with it.
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: hey
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: how are you feeling?
[Guild][Nightengayle | Garona] later leslie
[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina] i have some magic research to go work on
[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle] how’s everyone doing?
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Better, mon.
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] You’ll have to keep me posted of your progress.
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: I jus’ got one ting I got to do here in Pandaria, den I be ready to come back to Durotar.
[Guild][Nightengayle | Garona] too bad prof’s not on, he could probably help you
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Start workin’ on cleanin’ up da mess dere.
[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina] lol oh dont get me started with him again
[Officer][Lorthemar] Oh, speaking of which, it looks like Jaina is doing some magic research herself.
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: that’s good, I’m glad you’re almost recovered
[ProfHubert | Faranell] has logged on.
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Something of a quiet night tonight, Spazzle.
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: What about you, mon? I haven’t heard much from ya in a while.
[Guild][Nightengayle | Garona] oh hey there he is
[Officer][Lorthemar] Now I just have to see…
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: eh, it’s just been kinda crazy here
[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina] omg i’m leaving so dont try to get him started
[Guild][Lorthemar] What kind of research, Leslie?
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: I bet, mon.
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: i’m in the burning steppes with garrosh
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: looking for ji
[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell] started on what?
[Guild][Lorthemar] I’ve been working with a number of mages myself of late.
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: we just landed in flame crest a little while ago
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Ah, well it’s good to see him logging on, I suppose.
[Guild][Nightengayle | Garona] leslie’s doing some kind of magic research
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Ya talk to Ariok dere, mon?
[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle] who, faranell? why’s that?
[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina] oh its actually really cool lor
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] I’m actually not entirely clear on the details, Spazzle.
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] One moment.
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: no, he’s not here, that’s the thing
[Guild][ProfHubert | Faranell] well that should be…adequate.
[Guild][Lorthemar] Oh? How so?
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: vahgruk says ji came here a couple days ago
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: i guess ariok went with him to blackrock spire to look for clues about mokvar
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Yes, Leslie, this sounds interesting indeed. What are you working on, pray tell?
[Guild][Nightengayle | Garona] ok my dungeon queue just popped, probably going to be quiet for a few
[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina] omg prof geez
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Might be some fireworks is ya find ’em, mon. Ariok ain’t no fan o’ da Warchief.
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] At any rate.
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Evidently there was some sort of calamity at the Apothecarium earlier.
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: yeah, so I hear
[Officer][Lorthemar] I must admit, if it weren’t necessary for us to be discreet about who we are, I would love to lord our animus research over her.
[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle] what kind of calamity?
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Matter of fact, mon –
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Ariok heard how Garrosh been treatin’ Eitrigg, he might take care of our ‘Warchief’ problems himself.
[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina] well
[Officer][Lorthemar] You know she would burn up with jealousy if she knew what we have on our hands.
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: I’m not going to… I don’t even know what you’re suggesting, but I’m not going to
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] I’m not sure; the good doctor has been rather secretive the last few days.
[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina] not to brag but
[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina] we drained the power of the thunder king into a staff!
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: I know ya don’ wanna hear it, mon, but da sooner we do somethin’ ’bout Garrosh, da easier it gonna be for all of us.
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Though I’m not likely to complain – whatever is going on down there has prompted Bragor Bloodfist to spend much of his time in the Apothecarium as well, which means less time with him hovering around me.
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Garrosh wouldn’t help Ji.
[Officer][Lorthemar] …
[Officer][Lorthemar] klsjdhfgkjshgdfskjhgfkjsdfgkjhsgfd
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Ariok is.
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: I understand why.
[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle] huh, okay
[Officer][Lorthemar] she
[Officer][Lorthemar] she drained the power… of…
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Ariok see Ji, an’ all he know is he’s Horde, and he need help, and he gonna give it to ’im.
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: hey
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Garrosh, he don’ see tings dat way.
[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina] anyway!
[Officer][Lorthemar] 9oqwuolieyurgt;poayhgbihgbolugf
[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina] i need to run!
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Garrosh don’t see nothin’ but power an’ vengeance, mon.
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: He don’t see da Horde like Ariok, or me. Or you.
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] A propos of nothing, Lor’themar, you strike me as someone who might know a thing or two about fine dining. Would you happen to know what type of wine goes best with crow?
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: well hello, person who’s never talked to me before but now takes a sudden inexplicable interest.
[Guild][Proudleslie | Jaina] see everyone soon!
[Proudleslie | Jaina] has logged off.
[SteveKravitz | Utvoch] has logged on.
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: um, yeah, sorry
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Da way I see it, da Horde is family.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Good evening, Dontrag.
[Officer][Lorthemar] I… just… she… HOW?
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Interesting.
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Da world knock us down, family pick each other back up again.
[Officer][Lorthemar] What?!
[Officer][Lorthemar] HOW?
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] hey
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Three excellent questions, Regent-Lord.
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Garrosh, he don’t see family.
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Don’t understand it.
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Never had one.
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] but i’m utvoch
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Oh, is that your alias, then?
[Officer][Lorthemar] I think I need to go lie down.
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: I just heard about the… whatever, down in the apothecarium
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] lol what?
[Officer][Lorthemar] This is not good for my rage.
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: you never met lakkara, did you?
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Well, it’s a curious thing, Dontrag.
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: is everything okay?
[Lorthemar] has logged off.
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Who dat, mon?
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Just now, Jaina Proudmoore logged off. And a few seconds later, you logged on.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Or should I say, you logged -back- on.
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] yeah i logged back in, haven’t gotten to play in a couple days
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: i’ll manage.
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: never mind
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Oh come now, Dontrag.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Or whoever you really are.
You whispered to [Bob | Vol’jin]: anyway, we’ve been over this before
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] that would be utvoch
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] So you would have us believe.
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: what about shay? is she okay?
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: I ain’t gonna keep on ya, mon.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Do you really think we wouldn’t put two and two together?
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] well no, two and two is pretty easy math
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] And yet far greater than the calculus of your deception would presume us capable of!
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] um what?
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispers: Ya a good mon, Spazzle. I know ya don’ wanna turn on someone ya tink is a friend.
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispers: i’m sure shayari is wonderful, wherever she is.
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispers: Ya be loyal. Dat’s a good ting.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] How long have you been Jaina Proudmoore, Dontrag?
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] dontrag’s not even here
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Oh no? Then to whom am I speaking? Are you -still- Jaina Proudmoore?
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: wait
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Nay, have you in fact been Jaina Proudmoore lo this entire time in the guild?
[Bob | Vol’jin] whispered: Time gonna come, though, ya gonna have ta decide how long ya gonna be loyal ta Garrosh, when he ain’t loyal ta us.
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: wait
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: what???
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] no i mean dontrag is over in the valley of honor visiting his nephew ug’thok
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] he should be on soon though
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: where is she??
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Oh come now, Dontrag, don’t insult our intelligence.
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] why would i do that
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] If you’re going to make up a cover story, at least keep your lies straight.
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: that’s the 5000g question, now isn’t it?
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] We all know Utvoch isn’t your nephew.
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] what
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] no no not utvoch, ug’thok
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: what happened??
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Don’t try to hide behind an obvious typographical error, Dontrag.
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] i’m utvoch
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Or are you Ug’thok?
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Or perhaps Ig’thak?
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Or Jig’nak?
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Or – as the trail grows clearer – JAINA!
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: well, she was settling in well enough, and we were starting to go over a few lessons.
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] i’m confused
[GilbertRose | Dontrag] has logged on.
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: she seemed to be taking more of an interest in azerothian geography, but i figured she was curious about the lay of the land in her new home, so i ran through an overview for her.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Oh, and here’s your alleged nephew.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Or might it be Kalecgos? All bets are off at this point.
[Guild][GilbertRose | Dontrag] um, whats going on?
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] who’s kalecgos?
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] WHO INDEED!
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: and evidently, she spotted a vacation destination that looked too good to pass up, because off she went.
[Guild][GilbertRose | Dontrag] what the hell?
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] But one thing at a time!
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] We were just discussing, Utvoch, how your uncle, heretofore known by his alias of “Dontrag,” has at last been exposed!
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: you can’t be serious
[Guild][GilbertRose | Dontrag] dammit ut what did you do
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] i swear i just logged on
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: you let her run away?!
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] As his true identity, Jaina Proudmoore!
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] and said where you were
[Guild][GilbertRose | Dontrag] wait, what about jaina?
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: i didn’t LET her do anything.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] The woman who has incurred the rightful wrath of the Horde!
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] isn’t that the lady that was in all those tabloids with thrall?
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: as the swollen purple region on my head will readily attest.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Ruthlessly persecuted our citizens in Dalaran!
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Indeed! Sullied the good name of a beloved Warchief!
[Guild][GilbertRose | Dontrag] ok but what about her?
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Don’t act like you don’t know, Ug’thok.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] If that -is- your real name.
[Guild][GilbertRose | Dontrag] wait, ug’thok is my nephew
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] that’s what i tried to tell her
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: incidentally, i’ll be sending garrosh the bill for the repairs to my jaw.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] No, Ug’thok is -Dontrag’s- nephew.
[Guild][GilbertRose | Dontrag] right but i’m dontrag
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: it was brand new, too.
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] and i’m utvoch
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: typical.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Now don’t be ridiculous, the both of you.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Why, if -you- were Utvoch, Dontrag, then that would mean that you are also Dontrag’s nephew.
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: man seriously
[Guild][GilbertRose | Dontrag] no that’s ug’thok not utvoch
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] And clearly you could not be his nephew.
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] right because we’re not related
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: you have GOT to find her
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Because JAINA PROUDMOORE IS NO ONE’S NEPHEW!
[Guild][Nightengayle | Garona] ok you know, i’ve been out of my dungeon for a while, but i’m just sitting here in awe, BQ
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: capital idea. how do you suggest i do that?
[Guild][GilbertRose | Dontrag] um
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] …
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: I… I don’t know, can’t you home in on her or something?
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] i’m really confused
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] It therefore stands to reason, Dontrag, that since you are Jaina, and as such cannot be Utvoch, it must therefore be Dontrag who is Utvoch, and therefore your nephew.
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: this isn’t some sci-fi/fantasy novel, i can’t just wave a magic wand.
[Guild][GilbertRose | Dontrag] my eyes are starting to hurt
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: well i can. but you know what i mean.
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] but how can he be my nephew, i’m an only child
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: dude really
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: that time I lost a BOOK garrosh loaned me, he beat me till I was green and brown
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] SEE? And the tangled web of your would-be deception comes further unraveled!
[ProfHubert | Faranell] whispered: aren’t you always green and brown?
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: a DARKER SHADE – goblins bruise differently, ok??
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] i think i need some grog
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: the point is, that was just a book – you lost his DAUGHTER, man!
[Guild][GilbertRose | Dontrag] yea me to
[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle] are you having fun?
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Perhaps you can conjure some, Jaina.
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: ugh I need to go
You whispered to [ProfHubert | Faranell]: you need to get on this, really
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] um
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Does it show? ^_^
[Guild][SteveKravitz | Utvoch] whatever
[SteveKravitz | Utvoch] has logged off.
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] At any rate.
[Guild][GilbertRose | Dontrag] i guess we’ll be back later.
[Officer][MrBadcrumble | Spazzle] I need to take off – see you later
[Guild][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] I’m glad we cleared all this up.
[GilbertRose | Dontrag] has logged off.
[Officer][LivinDeadGrl | Sylvanas] Take care, Spazzle.
[Guild][Bob | Vol’jin] Dark Lady, I jus’ gotta say, dat was beautiful.
You have logged off.
[Addendum! Remember, we have our next Meta Raid coming up this Saturday at 8:00 PM EDT. Just as a logistical matter, I’d appreciate it if anyone who thinks they’re likely to attend would let me know, whether it be through a comment, an e-mail, a message on Twitter, or what-have-you. Looking forward to “seeing” many of you over the weekend!]
30 Days of Character Development #6: Mylune
[Each week — or some remote facsimile thereof — a post will profile one of the blog’s many supporting players. (See the first profile for more details.) Feel free to chime in with recommendations for other characters you’d like to see more about.]
Occupation: Caretaker of Hyjal, wildlife custodian
Race: Forest nymph
Class: Druid
Age: Unknown, though her behavior would suggest fairly young by nymph standards
Group affiliations: Guardians of Hyjal (member), Cenarion Circle (member)
Known relatives: Cenarius (exact relationship unclear, but all forest nymphs are descended from dryads, who are daughters of Cenarius)
Earth Online notes: Mercifully, no one has told Mylune about Earth Online. Or possibly about the internet. Probably for the best in both cases.
First appearance: “Of wyverns and pine cones”
Key posts and plot points:
- Garrosh has only encountered Mylune a few times, but those few times have been memorable ones. He first met everyone’s favorite overly energetic nymph in “Of wyverns and pine cones,” in which Mylune was a bit too excited to meet Mortimer. This came as a shock to no one — least of all Hamuul Runetotem — other than the Warchief himself.
- Garrosh had another run-in with Mylune (much to his chagrin) a few months later, in “Attack of the petting zoo.” This time around, Mylune unleashed her boundless affection on a pack of armed critters dwelling amid the northern plateaus of Mulgore. This time, however, the critters were ready to put up a fight, the distress of which eventually launched Mylune into what can only be described as a psychotic episode. For the record, Hamuul narrowly missed winning Malfurion’s office pool on when she would snap.
- It only follows, then, that when Ben-Lin Cloudstrider organized an anger management seminar in the appropriately named “Anger management,” Mylune would be one of the attendees. Given that the session consisted of putting Mylune, Garrosh, Lor’thermar Theron, and Tirion Fordring in a room together…well…the exercise proved less than productive. Unless, of course, you’re Faranell, in which case it was a terrific way to spend an afternoon.
In her own words:
What are your most prominent physical features?
Hi! How are you? I hope you’re having a super happy wonderful day, because why wouldn’t you when we have this beautiful world to share with all our adorable woodland friends!
Oh… Did you ask a question? Okay! Well, I guess I have extra big blue eyes — for looking out for all the cuddly animals! And my long pointed ears…to listen for the cuddly animals! And…oh, and my slender but surprisingly steel-trap-like arms, for hugging the cuddly animals! They’re just so sweet and cute, so how could I resist! And hug them to my bosom! Nice and close to my heart, that’s big and warm and just bursting with love for the animals! Does that count too?
Name one scar you have, and tell us where it came from. If you don’t have any, is there a reason?
I do have this one little scar on my shoulder here, but you know? It’s a funny thing! I don’t really remember where it came from. Isn’t that weird?
Describe your happiest memory.
Ohhh that would have to be the first time I went up to Nordrassil. It was before that mean demon guy climbed up there and made everyone sad for a while, and I’ll always remember walking through the passage to the peak of Mount Hyjal, and seeing all the animals running around and playing, just bunnies and squirrels and raccoons and skunks and chipmunks and OH MY LUNE they were all so adorable, and the sun was shining and the birds were singing, and like three rainbows all appeared in the sky, and I just ran and ran all around with the animals and we played and hugged and snuggled and it was all such a big happy wonderful blur but Mal says it was okay because eventually I passed out from exhaustion and finally got quiet and also because ale.
Is there one event or happening you would like to erase from your past? Why?
The incident. Only Miss Cloudy-bear said I should try not to think about the incident. So, what?
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Color? Song? Flower?
Coffee ice cream — I really really like coffee, did you know it helps give you extra energy? Isn’t that just super?! And my favorite color is green, and my favorite song is…oh, you know that one? It always seems to be playing when you walk through the forests. You know the one? It goes like this — laaa, la la la laaaaa, la la la laah, luh la lahhh? It’s so pretty! I don’t really understand where it’s coming from, though.
Hamuul, and Malfurion, even though Hamuul can be all my cranky-hooves sometimes. And Mal always seems to be hovering around watching me like he’s looking for something, but I know it’s just because he cares. I trust all my forest nymph sisters, too, even though a lot of them don’t really hang out with me much.
Can you define a turning point in your life? Multiples are acceptable.
The incident. OH MY LUNE! Why do you keep bringing up the incident?! I’m not supposed to think about that! What? What incident? Happy thoughts! HAPPY THOUGHTS!
Is there an animal you equate to yourself?
<Mylune’s eyes go large and dewy>
I have to pick ONE? But they’re all so SQUEEEEEEE!
How do you react to temperature changes such as extreme heat and cold?
I don’t deal with cold as well as my cousins the frost nymphs, but I really, REALLY don’t like extreme heat! That’s sounds like something from those burny guys from the Firelands! You’re not with THEM, are you?!
Are you an early morning bird or a night owl?
I’m always up bright and early! Why waste the warm snuggly sunlight?
Are you a good cook? What’s your favorite recipe?
OH MY LUNE why do you keep trying to talk about the incident? What’s WRONG with you? Okay, you know what! Fine! FINE! YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT? WE’LL TALK ABOUT IT! SO YEAH, I’M GOOD MOTHERFUCKING COOK, AS IF YOU DIDN’T ALREADY FUCKING KNOW! AND YOU KNOW WHAT I COOK REALLY WELL, IT TURNS OUT? RABBIT FUCKING STEW! BECAUSE GUESS WHAT, ASSHOLE — SPOILER ALERT: THE DEATH OF THE SOUL TASTES FUCKING DELICIOUS!
Do you have any irrational fears?
Gee, I don’t know, what do you think — maybe I have a deep-seeded fear of HAVING ANOTHER FUCKING BLACKOUT AND WAKING UP AMID THE BODIES AGAIN? YOU THINK MAYBE THAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT?
What would your cutie mark be?
Oooh, well, maybe a heart or a rainbow, or, hey, HOW ABOUT A FUCKING SKULL AND CROSSBONES, BECAUSE WHY THE FUCK NOT IF YOU’RE GOING TO KEEP BRINGING IT UP, YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!
If you could time travel, where would you go?
WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK I WOULD GO, ASSHOLE? MAYBE BACK TO THE GODDAMN INCIDENT YOU WON’T STOP FUCKING TALKING ABOUT! MAYBE I’D LIKE TO TAKE THAT ONE BACK, YA THINK?!
Are you superstitious?
I know karma’s a bitch, I can tell you THAT much!
Describe your hands. Are they small, long, calloused, smooth, stubby?
COVERED WITH DARK RED STAINS OF LOST INNOCENCE THAT WILL NEVER, EVER COME OUT. I WASH THEM, AND WASH THEM, AND THEY NEVER COME OUT.
How do you smell? Do you wear perfume or cologne?
Um… <deep breath> Smell? Oh, like smelling salts? Um…yes, those might be handy. They’re usually pretty helpful.
Is…is Hamuul around anywhere? I think I need to talk to him. I don’t know if the herbs Miss Cloudy-bear gave me are working…
Previous Profiles:
* * * * *
[A few quick OOC notes looking ahead: I have a big stack of material on the way (hopefully) over the next week-plus, then, the weekend after next, remember that we have our next Meta Raid. Clear your (raid) calendars for Saturday, May 10, at 8:00 PM EDT!
That Saturday (May 10) will also mark the beginning of a short break I’ll be taking from posting — I’m going to take the following week off to tend to RL commitments and do some advance prepping for the next stretch of posts. To send you off with a bang, though, and to add an extra perk to the Meta Raid, I’m going to have one last post going up that night, right as we’re gathering for our night of SoO hijinks. (Place your bets now on whether I’m going to cook up something to leave you hanging for a bit…)]
The Liebster Award comes to Orgrimmar
So this one was a surprise. Here I was, going through my volumes and volumes of fan mail LIKE I GET ON A DAILY BASIS, and lo and behold, I get a message from someone nominating me for an award. The someone in question was Myriade, writer of Myriadoscope, and the award in question was something called the Liebster Award, which I didn’t really know anything about at the time but which I could already say with confidence that I DAMN WELL FUCKING DESERVED.
So I did a little looking around to see what the deal was with this award, and what I would need to do to beat out the other nominees to win it, like if there was honorable combat involved because holy crap you know I would be all over that shit, but, come to find out, it doesn’t work that way. There’s no final WINNER, just a chain of nominees naming other nominees to draw people’s attention to other blogs. Which is kind of cool, as far as spreading the word about good reads, even if it IS a little hippie for my tastes what with the “we’re all winners!” vibe, which, come on.
Anyway. Here’s the quasi-official description of the award, which everybody seems to be quoting, because it’s the hip thing to do these days:
Well, it is only an AWESOME award given to up and coming bloggers. Given by other up and coming bloggers. It’s a cool way to find other blogs and feel like you are getting into the blogging stratosphere. It is simple, you get nominated by someone else, mention their page and a link to their blog in your Liebster Award Post, answer the 11 questions they give you, then tag 11 other nominees and give them a new set of 11 questions to answer.
So, as you can see, receiving the nomination means I have some work to do now. FUCKING AWESOME IDEA FOR AN AWARD, FOLKS, HONOR PEOPLE BY STICKING THEM WITH FUCKING HOMEWORK. Anyway. Here are the 11 questions from Myriade:
1. Favourite race/class in WoW and why?
Quick note on the lingo here: Those of you who aren’t as internet-savvy as yours truly might be a little thrown off by that “WoW” acronym. Apparently it’s a new thing in online circles to use that as an abbreviation for “Whole of World,” as in, fucking everywhere. Which, granted, is kind of like how some people will literally say “LOL” now rather than just laughing, which I’ve never really gotten on board with myself, because fuck those assholes. Anyway.
As for the actual question, I mean, come on, you even need to ask this? Orc, because what the fuck else would I want to be, and warrior.
2. Achievement/Title you’re proudest of?
Obviously, the easy answer here is the title of Warchief. Hard to top that one. Still, I could probably make a case for Chieftain of the Warsong Clan, since that one came from me pulling my emo head out of my ass to assume my place as leader of our clan and Grom’s successor.
But, nah, I’m still going to go with Warchief.
Although, since I’m probably going to be heading down to Blackrock Mountain soon, I may have to see about picking up [Leeeeeeeeeeeeeroy!] while I’m in the neighborhood.
3. What’s in your bags (any character, or all of them)?
Huh. I’m not sure if this is asking about real life, or my Earth Online characters. I mean, for myself in reality, I don’t really walk around with a whole lot of stuff on me. (Such as, you know, a shirt.) I try not to weigh myself down more than I have to, seeing as I need to be ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice, and really, keeping Mannoroth’s tusks balanced on my shoulders can be a tough enough job on its own, without lugging extra crap around with me.
As for my EO toons, hoo boy, they have flat-out TOO MUCH stuff in their bags. Just tons of random crap, receipts from vendors, little odds and ends that they’ve picked up but aren’t really useful for anything but I still haven’t ever gotten around to tossing. And by the way, I just have to ask, who the fuck is the psychopath over at Genesis Entertainment who designed the bag system in Earth Online? Dude, you can’t carry fucking ANYTHING with you! You pick up like six or seven things, and your bags are full. Have these game designers never left their houses or something, so they don’t even know about stacks of 20?!
4. Favourite expansion/instance/boss fight?
Huh. Another Earth Online question. Okay. Well, there’s still plenty of content I’ve never gotten around to, to be honest, but I’m pretty fond of the BlizzCon raid. It’s always kind of a hoot seeing which random contestant spawns you get in the cosplay gauntlet leading up to the Joker Jay <Host with the Mohr– er, Most> boss. But I think my favorite encounter is the Lore Panel council fight — you know, the one with the lead quest design guy, and the historian adds, and most of all the council leader guy, Chris what’s-his-face, the dude with the beard who kinda sounds like Varian. I LOVE getting to run up and smack that guy in the face. Especially if it’s one of those pulls where he randomly mind controls me for a minute and makes to do some shit that doesn’t make a damn bit of sense.
5. Pet peeve in WoW?
Wait, you want me to narrow this down to one? I don’t know about that. But here’s a few, off the top of my head:
Humans.
Gnomes. OMFG gnomes.
Whoever it is who keeps using the last of the toilet paper in the Grommash Hold outhouse and not putting out a new roll. (Your Warchief does NOT like having to do the Waddle of Shame over to the storage shed.)
Dontrag.
Utvoch.
“There”/“their”/“they’re”. Because FUCK YOU, internet:
Varian, especially the way he keeps breathing.
Being corrected on which one is Dontrag and which one is Utvoch, as if anybody really gives a shit.
6. What inspired your blog?
I think I mentioned this way back in my first post. It all got started when Eitrigg recommended I take up blogging. He said I might find it a helpful outlet, to talk about what’s on my mind, keep a running record of my experiences, all that sort of thing. I think he figured it would give me a chance to reflect more, and think about situations before acting. Or some lazy old man shit like that. Anyway, that’s how it got started, and it’s just been a gravy train of awesome since then. AREN’T YOU LUCKY.
7. Favourite blog-related moment?
Umm… Well, considering I detail almost everything that happens to me here, pretty much any moment from the last couple of years would be a blog-related moment, right? Gotta say, that one mailbag where Windblossom wrote in about clocking Varian still gives me all kinds of happy. Memory lane:
I’m sure there others. I might point out others as I think of them.
8. One thing you can’t live without?
Okay, okay, go ahead and make your joke about lemon squares.
Real answer? Sappy as it sounds, Gorehowl. Not even for what an awesome weapon it is, either. Having it with me is like a constant, living (but not) reminder of where I’ve come from, of the legacy of my father and the resilience of the Horde, of everything our people have endured and overcome. Having it with me is like a validation of our kind. Like a little part of Grom is still here, watching what he enabled us to become.
9. Place you’d most like to visit?
Hmm. You know, I’ve gotten around a whole lot the last few years, between the Northrend campaign, and all my inspection visits around Azeroth, and now all our work in Pandaria… I’m not sure if there’s really anywhere I haven’t gotten to see at this point, other than, like, other planets and shit. Or, say, getting to see places I know, like back home on Draenor, back before things got all fucked up. But that would be changing WHERE I’d most like to visit to WHEN I’d most like to visit, which is cheating, for one thing, and also, FUCKING TIME TRAVEL.
10. Favourite fictional character?
At the risk of being repetitive, this guy:
I mean, can you imagine if someone like that actually existed?
11. Soundtrack to your life?
Well, most days, when things are going fairly well, it’s pretty much this:
But there’s also this:
And this:
(Also, in that one, note the Mortimer cameo at 3:24!)
And, let’s face it, given the clowns I usually have surrounding me, some days I feel like it might as well be this:
And last but not least, if I’m honest, when I’m in one of my more puckish moods, this:
Also, the kazzoo? That’s totally me.
So, next up. This is the part where I’m supposed to link 11 more blogs, and give those bloggers 11 questions of their own to answer. One problem, though — I was going back through some blogs to tag, and while there are a few that still haven’t gotten a nomination already, for every one I found that no one had gotten to, there were like 10 would-be nominees that were already off the table. So, you know, if you do the math there, that means that in order to pull together my 11, I would have to rifle through something like 110 blogs, and, I mean…I’m just way too lazy for that shit. I mean really.
SO. Here’s where I cheat a little and change things up, so I can still do some tagging and point some attention to some worthy bloggers, while also indulging my laziness. STAND BACK, BITCHES, because your Warchief is about to flip the script like Lor’themar flips benches.
SO, here’s the deal. I’m still going to toss out 11 questions to be answered, but instead of scraping together a blog list to tag, I am tagging…YOU. That’s right, you — if you’re reading this post, consider yourself tagged, so you scroll your ass right down to the comments and post a reply with your 11 answers. NO DUCKING OUT ON THIS COMMAND FROM YOUR WARCHIEF, PEOPLE. Especially if you’re one of my regular readers and commenters — I know you’re out there, and I know who you are, and most importantly I KNOW WHERE MANY OF YOU LIVE.
And now, the questions. READ ’EM AND WEEP.
- Do you write a blog? Link it here if so!
- What was the first Azerothian blog you ever read? Was there an early memorable post that hooked you?
- Recommended reading, part one! Link and endorse three bloggers that you’d encourage your fellow readers and minions should check out.
- Recommended reading, part two — link one single post, from wherever, that makes you think “OMG, people HAVE to read this.”
- How long have you been reading the Command Board? What post or storyline was your jumping-on point?
- One more chance for shameless self-promotion: Are you on Twitter? Give yourself a non-Friday #FF here if so. Also feel free to recommend a few accounts worth following.
- What class do you play on Earth Online? (Don’t try to deny that you play. I know my readers.)
- What real-life ability to do you wish your Earth Online character could use?
- Here, I’ll throw a bone to Utvoch. The age-old hoof question: Fem-taur or draenei girls?
- Whose head would you rather have on a pike, Varian’s or Magatha’s?
- If the world were going to end (or change substantially) in, say, oh, six months or so, what would be your bucket list of things you’d want to get done first?
There, you have your assignment. Get to it! YOUR WARCHIEF HAS SPOKEN.
Coming Attractions
Hi, everyone. Averry here — no, I haven’t been kidnapped or brutally murdered. (Yet.)
It’s been a busy few weeks for me off on Earth Online, so I’ve been mostly focusing on that while allowing myself a needed breather from working on the blog. (Along those lines, I may try to build in a few scheduled “breaks” so that I can sneak in a little down time without making everyone wonder where Garrosh has vanished off to. Updates as needed.)
That said, I’m ready to start rolling out some new material, and I have quite a bit in the pipeline for the next few weeks. So, just to whet everyone’s appetite, I thought I’d make a quick post, grab everyone’s attention, and tease a glimpse at what you can expect to see coming your way in the days ahead.
First and foremost: this being the tail end of Darkmoon week, tomorrow night (Saturday, April 12) we’ll be meeting up for this month’s meta raid. As always, everyone is invited to join in for Siege of Orgrimmar — Flex if possible, if we enough people and the appropriate roles covered; LFR (with vent snarking sure to follow) if need be. Feel free to add me on RealID (Averry#1116) if you haven’t already, and hit me up for an invite! We’ll plan to get things rolling around 8:00 PM EDT.
So, what else do we have coming up? Well, mark your blog-reading calender…
This coming week:
- Monday (4/14) — Garrosh responds (graciously, no doubt) to his Liebster nomination, courtesy of Myraide.
- Wednesday (4/16) — New web comic: “Moving Day”
- Saturday (4/19) — A new 30 Days of Character Development installment. But who from among our cast will it be? Let’s just say it’s a she…and a nut case.
Coming the following week-plus:
- Another new comic: “The Secret Life of Spazzle Fizzletrinket”
- New Earth Online guild chat log! Can Bob be far behind?
- Garrosh journeys to the Burning Steppes, Eitrigg’s son Ariok makes his WCB debut, and the hunt for Ji Firepaw begins!
Also, lest we forget, we’re just a few weeks away from the release of World of Warcraft: War Crimes by Christie Golden on May 6. Obviously, there’s a ways to go before the blog will catch up to the events of the novel, but it’ll still be plenty interesting to get a fuller picture of where we’re all heading (as well as, um, just how much retconning I’ll need to start doing!).
We’ve already seen excerpts from War Crimes, which brings me to one last item for now. After this first excerpt was released — Garrosh facing the charges against him and entering his non-plea — I saw several forum poster noting that Garrosh reminded them of the Joker, between his sarcastic applause and general attitude toward the proceedings. And, well, once they went and planted that idea in my head…
Yeah, yeah, I know. Still.
See you all soon,
Averry