Sorting through...

While I'm thinking about how to best approach my 'exercise' post for today, I came across the WoW Insider Breakfast Topic: What Storyline Left You Mumbling Wait Wut?

I was telling CD Rogue yesterday that writing these coin stories has been one of the most engaging things I've done in a long time: they take a bit of research, I learn more lore, and can exercise my creativity. For me, and I realize ya'll will call me a lore noob and rightfully so, I am still not totally clear on why Bolvar Fordragon is now the Lich King, unless it's just that simple: he is truly noble and sacrificed himself for the good of all. Usually those "keepers of the damned for all eternity" means eternity isn't what we think and is cut short. Hmmm.

This is one fan's imagining of the Return:

And I also always wondered why this girl was in the bubble, and who she was:

http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/05/know-your-lore-anveena-teague-and-the-sunwell/

So now I know.

My Kindle charger broke the other day. I've had to resort to reading...gasp...real books. I'm not sure if it's the charger or the connection point. After payday I'll take it into Radio Shack and keep my fingers crossed. That is one thing I love love love about real books: they don't need to be plugged in.

So I'll finish The Night Life of the Gods by Thorne Smith soon; in the meantime I have Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. Good stuff.

Hurts so good...

Cute things are especially evil...that's how they getcha...

Time to read: The Nature of Villainy by Anne Stickney

http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/08/11/know-your-lore-garrosh-hellscream-and-the-nature-of-villany/

Actually Mr. Snerguls pointed out she misspelled "villainy,' spelling it villany in her title, but that's okay. She has 5,000 Twitter followers, and she's awesome. Mr. Snerguls can go poke his eye out with a sharp red pencil. 

Okay, Matty, what's all this then? What grouping of random silliness have you conjured up this time? 

Well...

You all know I'm a big fan of Garrosh: nothing like a little psychopathology mixed with lore to keep things interesting. He certainly is clear on who he is, and I admire that in an Orc. I read a question/comment from an esteemed colleague noticing the dearth of true villains: most conflicts within cartoon characters "these days" come from inner/intrinsic conflict -- a personal dilemma of right and wrong. Think Davey and Goliath versus Bugs and Elmer. Better yet: Moral Orel. (Man, I miss that show...) There is an abundance of characters with inner conflicts: man versus self, as it were. But Garrosh, now there's a villain! And a helluva writer, too.

Now Tome allowed in her post today that her loving title of "Mimi" was in grave danger of being forever altered to "Dreambreaker." Dahhha-ammmm, Tome! That is one sharp little cookie ya got there! This led me to think what vicious titles of viscous vixenish villainy could I come up with?

Well to my co-workers:
The Meeting Slammer

CD Rogue: The Interrupter, the Sulker, the Mood-Swing Shifter

Baby cubs: The Driver

Also, let's not forget: The Weeper, the Nagger, the Sultan of Slacker, the Queen of Unmade Banana Bread, the Recycler, the Caffeinator, the Crumbler (yes, I leave crumbs. Ants gotta eat too!)

What grim title of infamy would you take on if you could?

In the meantime: I'm a hero in Azeroth:

The Best Idea Ever. Oh, and another thing.

So tonight while enjoying a delicious hand-crafted dark brew, was talking with cross-dressing rogue and younger, nicer cub, about villains and lore, and how with Deathwing, it was hard to connect to his "humanity" or empathize with him, but boy oh boy, I sure did have empathy by the truckload for Staghelm and Arthas. Heck, even the Dark Lady brings out the tissue box for me. Cross-dressing rogue said something about his being on some higher-level quest, and didn't really get what was going on, and then while leveling his hunter, did a quest at the was the prelude to the higher one, and got to follow the rest of the story.

Here is the idea, sparked of conversation and malt:

What if...what if...when you were on a quest, there was a lore guide, like a dungeon guide, where you get click on links in the quest, and see what other lore/quests are connected to that one? There are so many amazing and wonderful stories in Azeroth, but they have no audience, because most players are too busy to take the time to research lore or, heaven forbid, like me, read a novel. Speaking for myself, there is so much to the lore I have no breadth or depth of understanding except at a cursory, shaky framework level. If I could click a link and get a small exposition of the lore and is key players, that would be shokewl! Think of it as a 'connect-the-lore-link" if you will.

In other news: Matty got her awesomesauce ax on Wednesday night! A big thank you to the guildmates who showed up, pitched in, and helped us quickly clear--I knew that axe was waiting for me that night! Maybe next Wednesday its twin will show up...here's hoping!

Girls Who Love Gear Club

Lore noob: Spooky good.

Of course, if you're looking for something comlpetely different,  while driving home tonight caught the tail-end of this:
Dracula's Guest....and I knew the voice, but could not place it - it was none other than Aasif Mandvi, of Daily Show fame.

Awesome.

I imagined crypts and sepulchres crumbling around Matty's hooves, stepping in the swirls of bone dust and blood ash.

Good stuff.

No hacks.

"It was a dark and stormy night..."

Today is Harry Potter's birthday: a fictional character, in a fictional world, but when I go to see the last installment of this young hero on the big screen, I know I will cry as if he is someone I know, and the other characters, too. In many ways, I do know Harry.

One resonating reason I became so enamored with playing World of Warcraft is the narrative. Bringing up my little sweet shaman has been so...fun is not the word. She is crafted, cared for, and considered. Her character is rich, and although her narrative and my own run many parallels, Matty's voice and strength, and weaknesses, are unique to her. She is ready for some new adventures, and will be seeking those. Not sure where her journey will take her, but she is not done yet, not yet a master of two worlds. 

So, if you're feeling a bit in a creative gaming slump, take some time out and be creative in other ways. It is my faithful belief that we are all creative people. 

This wonderful blog took a small character and created an emotional vignette: http://wowhats.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/raiding-fatigue/ Go to any fan-fiction site, read and research writings by others, too, be they Warcraft related, or of any genre. If you need a break from gaming/fantasy, I strongly recommend you check out Keri Smith's blog and books: http://www.kerismith.com/blog/

My friends in the World are few, but cherished. You all range from people whose human faces I know to those I will probably never see, and you are as real to me as anyone. If you ever recognize a little bit of yourself in anything I write, it's a gift I don't take for granted. 

Take some creative control of your World and your world. It's your story, and you should stick to it.

Postscript: Partial spoiler alert: It was Severus' story that brought the most tears, and it's tough to cry while wearing 3-D glass. Tears kind of pooled up like a fish tank.

Theme song: Paperback Writer/The Beatles

Elf hunt.

Love Bubbles. Not Like. Love. 

Constipation? Paying too much for car insurance? What's the problem, Fandral?

Her razor-sharp post today made me count my blessings I was on a non-PvP server, and led me to actually read something. I know, I know Red Shirt Guy, you have lost all respect for me. But cut me a break. I was busy giving the what-for to a worgen in Utgarde Keep, and lost track of time and lore.

She writes: "TOO SOON STAGHELM!"

"Hmm," I wonder to myself, as the house falls apart and bills collect interest dust, "What could this mean?"

So I go on a lore trek.

And this is what I found: http://www.wowwiki.com/Fandral_Staghelm

Happy now, Red Shirt Guy?

Lore Noob: Summer Reading Edition

Wired Magazine article: Summer Reading for Science Geeks

Oh, I miss real beaches. /sigh

Maybe I'll get a truckload of sand and fill up the living room with it.

Lore noob.

Back before I used to read quest logs and WoW Insider, I read books. Lots and lots of books. People who tell me they hate to read have only revealed to me that they don't really know how. Deep understanding of a good writer's craft doesn't come easily for most folks, and they tend to blame their boredom on what is really confusion*. Oh well. Perhaps this will help. This is a short list, an incredibly short list, of some books that I think a WoW gamer might like:

The Elfish Gene: Dungeons, Dragons, and Growing Up Strange by Mark Barrowcliffe
I read this years ago, and it reminded me of the boy in the high school D&D club who was confused by me, simply because I was a female. There are two types of boys, perhaps: those who hide their Playboys and Penthouses behind their math books, and those who hide their math books with their porn. The writer has been criticized for being overly lamentable of his D&D obsession, but overall, think his coming of age thesis is something we can all relate to.

I am currently reading: The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. Books like these just make me say, "Damn, I wish I could write like that." I am only in the beginning, and so far, the exposition of the main character is thoroughly heartbreaking and wonderful.

And: anything by Neil Gaiman. I went on a Neil Gaiman bender a few years ago, and his exploration of the "unseen worlds" theme never fails to satisfy. Start off with the painful fairy tale, The Dream Hunters, and read "Chivalry" out of the Smoke and Mirrors collection. Work your way up to American Gods, and be sure to gather some mythology background knowledge with Mythology by Edith Hamilton, Bulfinch's Mythology, (especially those illustrated by Giovanni Caselli) and Norse mythology. When you're feeling fairly Tier 12 in your reading, look to the writings of Joseph Campbell.

On my list: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. Never heard of these before the HBO series came out, but I suspect, and according to guild chat, that the books are better than the series, which is often the case.

For you more gritty souls, perhaps novels and short stories by Chuck Palahniuk. Some of his writing makes me wish I had brain soap, but you might like it. Because you know, the first rule of...

Now, any self-respecting WoW gamer has read Tolkien, Rowling, Homer, and Stan Lee. The scene from The Hobbit where the dwarfs invade the cupboard is worth the price of admission right there. You can't help but think of this scene when pounding down a few with the Wildhammers.

My love of books and reading is only as good as I can share it: please--if you have a book recommendation or comment, please add your ideas to this. No one need know who you are, comments can be anonymous.

*Consider getting a Kindle or Nook. There is no shame in clicking on a word as you read it to look up its meaning.