5:1

1:5

One of my guilty pleasures of late has been to click and read inane articles on Facebook, etc., that are the dentist office/nail salon equivalent of reading materials. You know what I'm talking about, articles about how to bolster a relationship/marriage, bake a casserole for .19 cents, live better, live longer, live happier, etc. Oh, and live prettier. Sure, that helps. And if you can't be pretty at least 'own it' in a TED Talk. Hey, we all can't be Kelly or Jane McGonigal, now can we? This concept struck me, however, of the 5:1 ratio in a marriage - I've heard it applied to relationships generally. For every one negative thing you say to someone, be sure to say four or five positive things. The thought of theorycrafting a marriage or partnership distilling to a simple mathematical formula is fascinating. When your partner accuses you of 'keeping score,' you can say, "No! I'm simply making sure our love stays strong!" I have often suspected that Azeroth is operating under this same formula. For every "5" happy-happy-joy-joys it gives us, there is "1" negative or complaint. We stay in this relationship because overall, we get pretty things, we live in a wonderful fantasy, and once in awhile, we get stuff. I think, however, the formula in Azeroth is far more unbalanced, closer to 3:2. For every rare mount, pet, or loot drop, there are far more repair bills and chests full of gold and a few weak potions. It starts to feel somewhat like an abusive relationship. When we quesiton, "Why does she stay with him?" I think we players also ask ourselves this every time we log on: why do we stay? Well, and like any relationship it takes work. And saying it takes work kind of sucks. But the maintenance of keeping the love alive in our affair with Azeroth shouldn't be so hard. That's what real life is for. Oftentimes I sense that I am Wendy, all grown up, and the Lost Boys are just that - boys. That's when I know it's time for a regrouping, a reflection of sorts.

Although that Onyxia mount does make up for a lot.