Revive & Rejuvenate

Nostalgia: #playedinBC

2012-01-24T21:25:00.000+10:00

It started with an idle wondering what people remembered most:

Thanks so much to everyone who joined in! It was nice to look back and remember good things, and those not so good.

I do apologise for the formatting, but twitter doesn't play nice with copy and paste. You can see most of the tweets at #playedinBC although I believe protected tweets don't show up in hashtag searches.

There was also a #playedinWrath but that's a whole other subject for another time!

@_Angelya: You know you played WoW during BC when: Points, Emblems, whatevers... they're all Badges.
@DEazeroth: You know you played WoW during TBC when you'd walk over a sewer grate and think of Magtheridon. "Vermin, LEECHES!"
@_Angelya: You know you played WoW during BC when: The sound of Fel Reaver still makes you jump and pan around in a panic
@DruidMain: You know you played WoW during BC when: Your mana regen was based on your strength in bitch-slapping. #PanzerkinFTW
@WowOhnekase: Two words: Flash Powder.
@third_torch: Chain Heal was the only macro you needed.
@hazz0r: you start missing pom pom specced mages
@GimpsGold: hear someone screaming at a fruit vendor in your sleep!
@_Rades: You had to tame the ONE BOAR IN THE GAME WITH RANK 5 GORE OR CHARGE OR WHATEVER, BELLYGRUB #notbitterno
@DruidMain: Idol-swapping meant juggling while spellcasting
@fallen_tree: Consecration was a worthwhile spell.
@fallen_tree: Clown suits were end game fashion
@DruidMain: Caster leather wasn't in vogue
@fallen_tree: Your guild could down Illidan but still wiped on Kael'thas.
@_Angelya: You have a macro to deal with tainted cores
@e_man41: Heroic mode? There's only one mode, and it will make you cry.
@perculia: Raiding was fun.
@_Angelya: Your friends list was full of tanks and healers
@fallen_tree: The Fel Reaver noise still haunts your dreams.
@perculia: You encountered elites while questing.
@e_man41: "Kazzak is up!"
@_Angelya: "Run away little girl, run away!"
@perculia: Engineering had BiS helms
@snack_road: I got spit on for being a warlock - even though I never PVP'ed at the time.
@madsushi: You killed Gruul every week for two years, because someone still needed a DST.
@perculia: Garrosh lives quietly in Nagrand.
@SturgarHawkwind: Clearing the current tier of content took more than one night.
@HayFayFay: You trained weapon skills and did questlines for mounts
@HayFayFay: You had resist sets and farmed gear #playedinBC
@LiteDoctor: Seeing someone on a Nether Drake was a rare and awesome sight.
@Karen_Finn: My rogue had a secret hideout, was difficult to find & had to turn in badges for rep w/ Ravenholdt. She mixed her own poisons!
@_Luthvian: Also, a high-five to anyone that's had a party in Allerian Stronghold with Aeman and Theine Brightsong.
@Mauvanah: I had to pvp in order to do my pve job... the joys of being a bear tank
@taufmonster: I was too afraid to run an Outland dungeon
@tartdarling: You still cringe at getting a PuG for H-Shattered Halls.
@_Angelya: The daily heroic was Shattered Halls: "FTS."
@Druidis4fite: Red Yellow Yellow Red Green Green Blue FUCK
@Achloryn: Feral parry. Leather gear with defense rating. Resilience was USEFUL in PvE.
@perculia: Every melee DPS wanted agility leather.
@fallen_tree: Gear with Strength and Intellect was worn without irony.
@_Luthvian: Resist, resist, resist, resist, resist.
@MostlyBlissful: When it literally took months to down a single boss.
@perculia: 5 minute Elixirs of Demonslaying were essential to progression.
@claylevering: You remember what it felt like to find out DK's start at 55
@zotica: Fucking Corki.
@fallen_tree: Only blood elf paladins got Seal of Blood. Alliance used Righteousness.
@NavimieDruid: having a flying mount was so OMG
@HayFayFay: Mana tap.
@magicbites: Netherwing drake grind, nuff said.
@_Luthvian: Equip: Increases healing done by spells and effects by up to 334. #thatsahealerweapon
@SunnierBear: Feral PvP gear had +healing on it.
@SerenitySaz: Enhancement gear had nearly every stat knowing to man on it, including +Str and +mp5
@tartdarling: "It wasn't my turn to click the cube, I swear!"
@_Angelya: Rolled your eyes at the poser outside the bank wearing Warglaives
@fallen_tree: Summoning Anzu required a Druid who was on or had completed her epic flight quest. It was the only way to get the form.
@WoWMiri: All the good gem cuts came from rep grinds or world drops
@HayFayFay: You summoned the Ice Lord in AV and battles lasted FO'EVA!
@Esoth: My hunter had mp5 on some of his gear
@mwjn: Only one heroic dungeon quest per day and you had to pick up from a guy.
@SerenitySaz: Waiting for sunders so that you could DPS, only to crit one too many times, pull threat, and die anyways.
@perculia: oops Sunseeker Netherbinder summoned adds.
@HayFayFay: Wand Spec
@Achloryn: Ridiculously long questlines just to get keys to the ENTRY RAIDS (i'm looking at you Karazhan)
@WoWMiri: When your crafted cloth gear was BiS for a long while
@SerenitySaz: It took 10-15 minutes to ride a mount across Shattrath because of lag. Lowering your settings didn't always help at peak hours.
@Achloryn: Unlocking all the stations of Shattered Sun Offensive took 6 months cause you were on a pvp server.
@zotica: Arena gear was bear tanking gear.
@Aleanathem: When raiding was good. Attunments were good and WoW was at its peak.
@SunnierBear: Crushing blows.
@WoWMiri: Shattered Sun Offensive: Daily Hub and Honor Grinding location. Come as a party, hope to not get ganked. (Bloodscalp represent!)
@GottaHaveFaythe: Wore PvP gear for the first boss in BT..
@verylemonade: ALL the attunements. ALL OF THEM.
@TassadarWS: Always choosing the wrong entrance for the instances in the Hellfire Peninsula.
@SerenitySaz: Only being brought to raids because they wanted your totem buffs. #shaman
@_Angelya: Spent way too much gold respeccing (dailies in heal spec suck)
@Achloryn: Having a Netherdrake/Nether Ray mounts made you somewhat godlike.
@donaldroeber: Was surrounded by fire, and did not move
@SerenitySaz: Having to visit certain locations to make flasks, potions, or to transmute.
@EWOKinLA: Grabbed the wrong ring at Kara because PVP was all around the Vendor
@ImRonBurgondy: Cried when replaced Benediction/Anathema on first quest in Outlands
@chrisocallahan: Living in BM because every DPS needed an Hourglass of the Unraveller.
@Aleanathem: Knowing a person in epic gear actually put forth effort.
@ImRonBurgondy: Stacked bandages for Magtheridon.
@ImRonBurgondy: I will not move when flame wreath is cast, or the raid....blows....up.
@SerenitySaz: *Shade of Aran casts Flame Wreath* DON'T ANYONE FUCKING MOVE!
@msherretz: keys.
@Pathanther: You got insta queues as a hunter because you would advertise you knew how to CC and kite
@Dakotarik: Anyone up for taking Halaa?
@ImRonBurgondy: Leveled a Shaman for Shade of Aran earth-shock interrupts.
@HayFayFay: Mounts and pets stayed in your bags
@Pathanther: when you could use pvp gear for raiding
@perculia: +Spellpower was different from +Healing.
@fenjayminor: LF1M DPS/CC
@joboy77: quoted Hamlet with Illidan
@riftmaker: Blue trinket was best in slot through 3 tiers
@SerrinneWoW: Fang of the Leviathan went to pally tanks
@chrisocallahan: Every Hunter was BM. Everyone had a Hunter. Hunter pets ruined everything
@NDMiko: You had a stack of weapon oils.
@Skechek: Traps broke early and got you one-shotted before the cooldown was up. Every pull. #stillbitter
@iilusionofchaos: You looked like the offspring of a clown and a hobo most of the time.
@nyxy: Running heroics and praying that the *gem* you needed dropped.
@Pathanther: hunters had mana, and aimed shot would destroy any cloth wearer
@msherretz: Shat killed computers
@DraccusDruid: 15 minute blessings from Palis
@_Angelya: Bags full of Green Hills of Stranglethorn
@SunnierBear: Who could forget this face? twitpic.com/8azj5g
@DraccusDruid: Back when rep was grinded out w/o talbards.
@DraccusDruid: You actually took a break from raiding & played a game of chess in Karazhan before clearing rest of the night
@boozekin: Halaa! Halaa! Murda'd :(
@_Angelya: Wiped over and over to Murmur because one person couldn't get out of the sonic boom
@SerenitySaz: When alien worlds captured the imagination. bit.ly/zGJn0a
@msherretz: Stealth slowed you down
@runycat: Shear through Shield Wall.
@Tainothetank: I had 5 blessings and everyone wanted a different one. Getting Bop'ed removed your blessing.
@Tainothetank: World PvP actually happened.
@DraccusDruid: Leatherworking had 3 distinct specializations: Tribal, Elemental, & Dragonscale
@Aleanathem: When feral meant hybrid.
@Phaedra220: ferals couldn't use pots or soulstones in forms
@_vidyala: Looking for Netherdrake eggs wasn't so easy because the place was always swarming with people!
@beattyj: you fell off the Great Lift
@PrimaryProcess: Cube-clicking rotations 15 people deep on Magtheridon.

Feel free to add any more that you can think of!

Edit 25/01/12: My goodness, there was a lot of twittering overnight (mostly from Cass by the looks)! Here's most of what was added to #playedinBC.

@CassDots: Honor ticked over once a day and practically shut down the server when it was happening
@kurnmogh: If you ran Heroic Shattered Halls without a pally tank, you were screwed.
@CassDots: You had to summon people using summoning stones. Even for dungeons. Yes even then
@CassDots: You had to pay guild dues or at least chip in gold when your tanks needed Nature/Fire Resistance gear
@CassDots: People raved about how much better WoW used to be. Oh. Wait.
@CassDots: ZA was a raid
@CassDots: Cube clicking was impossibly hard to coordinate.
@CassDots: The Elemental Plateau was more hotly contested than Halaa
@kurnmogh: I remember feeling sad that mages were THE BEST CC CLASS EVER while I was a hunter. I DO know how to trap, thanks!
@CassDots: You cared how fast your server could unlock the Isle of Quel'Danas compared to other servers
@Sephrenia17: Come closer, come closer and BUUUURNNNN
@CassDots: Your pally tank took off his pants before beginning a dungeon. So he could still be hit and generate threat
@CassDots: You felt superior if you had the fp to take you from Skettis straight to Ogrilla
@CassDots: You used KTM. Had not heard of Omen.
@CassDots: Dr Boom was a target dummy
@CassDots: Wore a Tabard of the Illidari
@CassDots: Didn't consider Of The Shattered Sun to be a REAL title
@palmetto_rose: Still wear a Tabard of the Illidari
@Kenichan: Prefered to use own crafted weapon for raiding rather than the loot dropped in raids
@Kenichan: There was no such thing as GearScore to gauge a player
@CassDots: Entered and completed entire raid zones out of sequence
@palmetto_rose: You would laugh when people were disappointed about not keeping the legendary weapons from TK
@CassDots: You knew how experienced a player was by the gear they wore
@Linedan: You were a protection warrior and left tanking heroic 5-mans to the pallys because they did it 100x easier. #damnrightimbitter
@AlternativeChat: Monthly Consortium Gem bags. Nagrand's rolling green hills. Zapthrottle's Mote Extractor!
@CassDots: used the Caverns of Time rep port to get to anywhere in Kalimdor
@Kenichan: Grinded my pally's face off in instances to get dungeon gear to be 'passable' tanking Karazhan and 20k Hp was a big thing.
@CassDots: You only wanted one Disc Priest to hand out +spirit buffs to other healers
@palmetto_rose: Warlocks were the DoT Gods
@Kenichan: 'Tempest Keep was a minor setback!'
@CassDots: You yelled at people in Vent for edging over the hill in the Mount Hyjal Night Elf camp. "Let them come to- damn it!"
@jaedia: I was a Shadow Priest. My guild note said "duracell: lasts longer".
@CassDots: You knew Akama was a VIP but couldn't really care if his Shade was good or bad
@Aggrokitty: You were a druid and ran Heroic Sethekk once a day whether you needed it or not because SOMEBODY wanted the damn bird.
@jaedia: I couldn't change my hairstyle D:
@Kenichan: Warlocks were made good tanks (for certain bosses)
@wingtipswaltz: I expect to have to work hard with the same two dozen people over two years for any great reward... and bloody well enjoy it!
@Linedan: Taking a month to down a current progression raid boss was no big deal. #sevenweeksonvashj
@CassDots: Heavy Clefthoof Leather was pure gold. And you spam clicked your Drums of... icon mid-fight
@Kenichan: I never knew about ERP, until the rumors of Moonguard being ERP central came about in Wrath
@palmetto_rose: You bought a Mage as a tank for Gruul's Lair.
@CassDots: You had to defend your right to swim down the Coilfang Reservoir pipe #pvp
@Guillin: As a warlock you could set your minion loose on a zone, make a cup of coffee, come back and loot.
@palmetto_rose: You would get annoyed if skinners stole your kills at the lake around Shattrath.
@jaedia: And don't get me started on Ret.
@NforNihilism: you spent an entire evening with a whiteboard, markers, and camera, solely to kill one single fucking dragon
@Guillin: You line up a fireball only to find out a warlock had already tapped the entire continent.
@CassDots: The most progressed casters were in Heroic SP looking for a rare +haste trinket to replace their epics
@CassDots: A Resto Shaman could get recruited at level 70 straight into t6. Chain heals plz
@palmetto_rose: There were no auctioneers in Shattrath
@NforNihilism: you called yourself a black temple progression raid after you killed doomwalker
@CassDots: The Mallet of ZulFarrak was pulled out of the bank for every alt run
@CassDots: Carrot on a Stick was your first and most loved trinket
@Kenichan: Remember when shamans could DPS with just daggers as enhancement?
@jaedia: Oh god keys and attunements and and.. Ugh! That darn Nightbane urn. *growls*
@kurnmogh: Shadow priests were awesome mana batteries, particularly for holy paladins
@CassDots: You could never get a group for h Arcatraz. Or h Slabs.
@_loug: Varian Wrynn was still missing #wishhewasstillgone #garroshtoo
@Achloryn: Everybody was jealous of druids because they trained flight form at level 68, where everyone had to wait till 70.
@Kenichan: Anyone told you about the elevator bug in Undercity or Shattrath until you found it accidentally?
@CassDots: You couldn't believe that Chess was at the END of Karazhan and not at the beginning
@palmetto_rose: Falling through the elevator in Undercity. Huh?! Wait! Where did the floor go?! *SQUISH* :(
@shivamLM: Asking people on Trade to join a group for xyz instance. Hunter whispers "Sorry only need melee"
@shivamLM: Arcane mages. Exactly.
@healbot: When Flash of Light bound to a very warn out #1 key
@CassDots: You loved it when Mark of the Illidari kept dropping mid raid. Free flasks!
@shivamLM: Getting to level 60 and getting the tour of Shattrath
@CassDots: Healing power was for healers and spellpower was for spell casters and Shadow Power was for me!
@CassDots: Nobody ran Shadowfang Keep.
@blamesquelchy: Rogues were Combat in PvE. That's all.
@Somnar_SWC: Wore cloth on a holy pally
@Somnar_SWC: MAGE TANK
@darthregis: I was too intimidated by heroics to run them.
@Arrens: Tier sets were individual to classes. Clothies, regardless of class, didn't look like every other clothie.
@LodurZJ: I used to sit at the coilfang entrance and sell water breathing for a small fortune.
@Linedan: Garrosh Hellscream was still sitting in Nagrand, listening to Evanescence, and cutting himself.
@Aleanathem: So who brought their urn?
@Linedan: Being a prot warrior on Leotheras the Blind meant if you got a demon, you were dead. Not enough DPS to down your demon.
@kikibunny_: THAT GAHDAMN FIRST AID TRIAGE!!
@Half_empty: you wish they had a reputation after exalted for the number of times you ran Black Morass to attune guildies
@MostlyBlissful: Heroics were literally five man raids. And if you werent careful you died just as fast too.
@DruidAmorgan: Finding out it was Romulo and Julianne, Big Bad Wolf, or Oz and explaining the fight in under a min
@DruidAmorgan: Epic Flight Form Quest
@DruidAmorgan: Knowing just how far you had to be from Cosmowrench for PvP without guards joining in
@morynne: When raiding as a hunter meant Beastmastery was topping meters with a 1-button macro.
@Supah1337: Eating our pets mana
@CassDots: All your power came from your weapon enchant. Double Mongoose anyone?
@CassDots: You used WoWs new, built in voice chat when it was released. Then went back to Ventrillo.
@CassDots: The forests of Terrokar were terrifying and prime ganking territory. Level 70 swoops down behind you...
@CassDots: You bought arrows and ammunition. Lots of it. You had to take a raid break to hearth and repair.
@CassDots: You only left Outlands to visit the Auction House.
@mortiganthelock: As a Warlock, you had to EARN your Dreadsteed by completing the longest, most grueling, expensive quest chain EVER
@CassDots: You couldn't stop running Karazhan every week. You were secretly thrilled when badge vendors and gear was introduced
@napkinpoem: Had to be careful about aggroing hostile things in starting zones.
@theeriver: You couldn't get enough of Gruul's huge crotch while tanking
@RollWarlock: 60 bag slots, all full of soul shards
@CassDots: Archmage Vorgath followed you and your friends wherever you went... :p
@CassDots: Your entire guild could be found farming Motes of Mana at the edge of the world (Netherstorm) before/after raid time

On Plums

2012-01-21T15:55:00.005+10:00

Cynwise posted a very thought-provoking and reassuring Field Note today about Blogging Heroes - how to try not to compare yourself to your favourite bloggers and to find your own writing voice. Of course that's severely reduced to sub-nutshell size, so I recommend you go and read for yourself, but first allow me to share a little note that Cyn's post reminded me of. It doesn't directly relate to the subject matter, but is a nice statement about not trying to change to please everyone and to be true to yourself.

I'm not sure where it originally came from but its usually posted anonymously. I took a copy of it for myself some time ago. I hope it strikes a chord with you as well.

By the way, congrats to Cynwise on your Piggie, and to all the other deserving winners and nominees!

~o~

The Plum

You should learn that you cannot be loved by all people. You can be the finest Plum in the world. Ripe, juicy, succulent, a postive delight.

But you must remember there will be people who do not like plums.

You must understand that if you are the World’s Finest Plum, and someone you like does not like plums, you have a choice of becoming a banana. But you must be warned that if you choose to become a banana, you will be a second-rate banana, but you can always be the Best Plum.

You must realise that if you choose to be a second rate banana, you have to remember that there will be people who don’t like bananas. Furthermore, you can spend your life trying to become the best banana (which is impossible if you are a plum).

Or, you can seek again to be the Best Plum.

~o~

WoW's Bucket List

2012-01-18T21:20:00.001+10:00

There's been a plague of Bucket Lists for Cataclysm going around recently. I've had a project list in my head for a while, but it's all been put on hold because I cancelled my Wow subscription during last week.

I'm not dissatisfied or bored with the game by any means. Like Big Bear Butt, I have too many fun things to do each time I log on and have to prioritize my limited play time. I still love the look, the feel, the music and the comfortable familiarity of Azeroth, and I doubt that will ever change.

My horde guild, however, all moved away from the game during the last year and have started playing together again in SW:TOR. With the few hours I've had available to play lately, there's no way I have time for two MMOs, so I'm having a bit of a Wow holiday while I play with the lightsabers. That said, I do intend to return to Wow at some point - if not before Mists of Pandaria then when it is released.

I've written this bucket list anyway to remind myself of the things I still have planned to do in Wow.

1. Loremaster Aoifen

I've been working on this one for a while now here and there. I started with the Cataclysm zones back in October and moved on through Northrend. I decided to leave Icecrown to last - I thought The Final Goal always sounded like a nice way to finish.

It was while I was trudging through Outland for the millionth time when it occurred to me that there might be a deadline approaching - by this time my old guildies had talked about their intentions to play SWTOR and I had decided to join them. I decided to leave Outland and make sure I did the zones that I hadn't yet seen in post-Cataclysm Azeroth, including places like Western and Eastern Plaguelands, Duskwood and Stranglethorn.

I hadn't really anticipated how long it would take me to get it all done! I'm more than halfway through Eastern Kingdoms zones but have barely touched Kalimdor, and then I've got to go back and finish Outlands! It's a big job, but I have really enjoyed exploring the new quests and finishing off some of the chains I left while leveling Aoifen.

While travelling around I've also picked up some very nice pieces of moggable gear, but that's for another post.

2. Fix Aoifen's mog set

I do so love Transmogrification! It's fantastic to see all the different armour sets around the cities, from the very formal to the ridiculous. I did a smattering of old-school raids before 4.3 was released, but never really picked up a whole set of anything for Aoifen, so when the patch arrived I took Phaelia's Vestments and tried to match whatever I had in the bank to it. The set looks pretty bonkers at the moment, but so far I haven't picked up anything to make it better.

When I come back to the game I plan to sit down with model viewer and design myself a set. I'd love a set of Tier 5. There are other combinations that I've toyed with while working on my mogging posts... but it will take some time to get a look I'm happy with. The antlers will be staying though.

3. Gear up Aefa and do some Magey LFR

My poor neglected Frost Mage has been cooling her heels (so to speak) while I dally with my Alliance toons. Her gear level isn't even up to Trollroics yet, but I'd love to get her into some LFR. If I can remember how to play a Mage again I might even not be at the bottom of the meters!

Aefa could also do with a visit from the mogging fairies. She doesn't even have nice-looking gear in her bank, but at least now that her Engineering is maxed she can wear goggles as is right and proper for one of her profession. A wardrobe planning session is in order I'd say!

4. Guardian of Cenarius for one or other of my Druids
This project has been on my list for a long time but I haven't been interested in grinding it out. I feel it's a title that a Druid should really have, don't you think? The Wowhead pages and comments for each of Cenarion Expedition and Cenarion Circle will help with reputation gathering for the title.

5. A Horde Loremaster
For completeness' sake, if I'm not completely done with questing, I require a Loremaster on the Horde side. When that will be, I have no idea.

6. Level up a Paladin/Rogue/Warrior/Warlock
I have this bad habit of rolling Paladins on various servers I'm visiting, then never getting them past level 20. I also have never levelled a Warlock past level 30-ish, or a Rogue or Warrior at all. And I call myself an altaholic? I do have a neglected Shaman, but while I enjoyed levelling her as Enhancement, I never really got on with melee in dungeons or raids. I don't think that bodes well for my Rogue/Warrior aspirations.

Phew, all that should keep me busy for a long time to come!

Can anyone offer me any advice on getting any of these items done?

Interlude

2012-01-14T11:15:00.000+10:00

The lovely Navimie over at The Daily Frostwolf recently celebrated her second blogoversary, and offered to create poems, pictures or puzzles for all her readers. You many have seen a few of these around already - Navimie has put just as much effort into each one of the presents than she does for her amazing blog each day!

Thanks for your amazing dedication and community spirit, Navimie! I wish you a very happy blogoversary and many more years of brilliant and inspired writing, poetry and pictures, no matter what world you play in <3

I was delighted to find this present for me in my email this morning:

Farewell 2011

2011-12-31T11:48:00.000+10:00

My mogging set is slightly eye-watering

Wow, where did December go?!

I haven't had a whole lot of time to play or write lately, partly due to the general busy-ness of the Christmas season and partly because, in Rioriel style, I was kidnapped by Skyrim for a little while. You know how it is.

I managed to completely miss my two-year blogaversary back on the 21st of December! In the tradition of these things, I'd better take a look back at this year.

The Past
2011 saw quite a few changes to the way I play, starting in March when my Sproutling was born. I guild-hopped a little bit and found another casual home in Vitare, did a little (very casual) raiding and have done a fair bit of questing towards Loremaster. I had some fun with the Ironman challenge and the Lillis too. In short, it has been a little-bit-of-everything year, which leaves me slightly frustrated because it means I haven't really completed anything. There's still plenty to do!

I've had more visitors this year than the previous year, despite writing less posts and hosting fewer events. My Resto and Balance pre-raid gear guides remain the most visited pages, followed by my leather gear for Transmogrification posts. I hope people found them useful.

I had a lovely time chatting on the Twisted Nether Blogcast in November. I was so flattered to be invited!

One thing I really enjoyed putting together this year was IntPiPoMo. I do intend to add some of the images to my Gallery page, but you can see all the posts using the IntPiPoMo tag. That was a lot of fun, and encouraged me to think about where to take the extra screenshots I needed to make 50. Thanks so much to all the participants - I really wasn't expecting so many to join in, and I hope it continues in some form next year!

The Future
What will 2012 bring? Well to start with, I'm going back to work in January. This will drastically reduce my free time, which I expect will be filled up with sleep after work, food and time with Sprout and Mr Ang are taken care of.

In addition to this, my old Disciples of Sneer guildies have started playing Star Wars: The Old Republic and I'm going to join them when I can for a month or two at least. It's the first time I've switched to a different MMO since I started playing WoW and it feels a little like cheating, but it will be nice to catch up with my guildies and play a new game for a little while at least.

Mostly for these reasons, things will probably be a lot more quiet around here than they have been.

I'll still be around on Twitter @_Angelya and you are most welcome to email me if you like!

Thank you so much to everyone who has read, linked and supported R&R! I've really appreciated it over the last two years. If I've made you smile, or helped you with some information, my work here is done :)

I'd like to wish you all a very Happy and Safe New Year. Ta-ta for now!

Happy Winter Veil 2011

2011-12-25T10:00:00.000+10:00

I'd like to wish you all and your families a very happy and safe Winter Veil! May it be filled with joy and peace.

<3 Ang

Furtive Father Winter: Is Great Father Winter Real?

2011-12-24T12:31:00.001+10:00

As Winter Veil approaches, the Blog Azeroth community has once again come together for the yearly exchange of posts. This year, the exchange is known as Furtive Father Winter and was organised by Akabeko of Red Cow Rise.

I was delighted to find my present in my inbox this morning - from Beruthiel of Falling Leaves and Wings. Thanks so much, Beru! Happy Winter Veil to you!

~o~

One year as Winter Veil approached, Angelya was at home working on mulling her sparkling apple cider when her Sproutling approached her and said “Momma, some of my friends say there is no Great Father Winter”. Angelya thought on this for a minute, and encouraged her Sproutling to ask The Azerothian Sun if it was true, “because if it’s in the Sun, it’s so”, she told the Sproutling.

And so the sproutling sat down, and wrote to the Sun:

Well, as it turns out, that Sunday – on page seven of The Azerothian Sun – they answered the all important question: Is there a Great Father Winter?

(Author’s Note – The “Yes, Virginia” editorial dating back to 1897 has always been fascinating to me for many reasons, but most of all because of what it says. This year has been rough on me personally, and reading through this again in drafting this post, has given me the reminder that believing in the fantastical and impossible is not a bad thing and is what gives us heart and hope. While I did modify the text of the editorial slightly from the original to fit into the Azeroth world, the majority of the text remains the same, as does the integrity of the message the editorial writer was sending. As such, I would like to give credit to the original author of the editorial, Francis P. Church. As the story has been retold many times over the years, I did not think he’d mind my borrowing it one more time to share the message with Angelya and her Sproutling on this holiday season).

IntPiPoMo: End Time

2011-11-30T22:59:00.001+10:00

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Interlude

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