Valar Guild

June 26, 2016 Sunday Meeting

5pm EST (UTC/GMT - 5)

AIM: Valar Guild Meetingplace

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Transcript work by Ar-Pharazon and Varda.

Attending: (5)
    Arien-(Valar)/Arien V, Ar-Pharazon-(V)/arpharazonv, ElladanV, Lenwe-(V)/ perseid28, VardaValar1 (presiding)

Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership:
Web:
Gaming
Tolkien:
    Topic: Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings
After -meeting:
    Ar-Pharazon: more gaming news including flashgaming reviews.
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Before-meeting
arpharazonv: Aiya!
Varda Valar: Woot! First try. :-)
Varda Valar: We have another ten minutes, happy hunting for a bit longer!
arpharazonv: Working on getting my moonkin to 31 right now :)
Varda Valar: go go Moonkin :-)
perseid28: Aiya Phar and Varda :)
arpharazonv: Aiya!
Varda Valar: Aiya :-)
Varda Valar: It's time to start inviting :-)
perseid28: no one on LotRO but myself at the moment
Varda Valar: I just pulled out
Varda Valar: Lenwe, can you invite Gwaihir-Valar?
Varda Valar: um spelling is
Varda Valar: GwaihirValar
perseid28: invite attempted
Varda Valar: oh good. Not sure I have the invite spelling right.
Varda Valar: Ouch. Eonwe emailed me that the transcript from last time has a bad link; he's right.
arpharazonv: Oh, yes. A double address or something.
Varda Valar: Ok, reload. Think it's fixed now.
Varda Valar: Is it ok now?
arpharazonv: No, still a double url.
Varda Valar: hmm
Varda Valar: even with a reload... Ok...
Varda Valar: weird, still doing it.
arpharazonv: Is it that difficult to alter a link?
Varda Valar: There we go. That should do it.
Varda Valar: Had to give it a full rewrite instead of a copy and that cleaned up old code, apparently.
perseid28: There we go
Varda Valar: It's usually very fast
Varda Valar: yay!
arpharazonv: That did it, yep.
Varda Valar: Had left-over junk code that had to be cleared out.
arpharazonv: The joys of programming.
Varda Valar: Thanks for the help from all of you!
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Varda Valar: Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
Varda Valar: Membership:
Varda Valar: Arien will be late if she can make it at all. She was in the hospital with an infected leg.
Varda Valar: May her healing go well.
Varda Valar: Kind of wish we could send our healing characters into the real world and fix these things!
perseid28: Indeed!
perseid28: Get well soon, Arien!
Varda Valar: Eonwe said his schedule has changed enough that he might be able to show up sometimes. So good luck to his joining in too!
arpharazonv: WoW has bandages, that might help?
arpharazonv: Ah, good :)
Varda Valar: Maybe :-)
Varda Valar: Elladan was cooking dinner, would like to show up.
Varda Valar: Gwaihir would be here but he was misinvited by me.
Varda Valar: I'm going to try leaving and seeing if that helps him the way it helps Phar. brb
Scott Lombardi: hi
arpharazonv: In my case, the room usually has to be remade from empty, but for Gwaihir, might work.
arpharazonv: Aiya!
Varda Valar: Aiya Elladan :-)
perseid28: Aiya Elladan!
Varda Valar: Nothing. Still says "busy".
Varda Valar: Elwing says hi. :-)
arpharazonv: Aiya!
Varda Valar: She's at my house but doesn't remember her AIM password.
arpharazonv: And Aiya to Elwing as well.
Varda Valar: Sunshine! Aiya :-)
arpharazonv: And ouch!
Arien V: Aiya all :-) and back hi to Elwing :-)
perseid28: Aiya!
Varda Valar: How are you doing? Up to sitting here with us for a bit?
Arien V: yes sure :-)
Arien V: I am fine otherwise :-)
Varda Valar: Okie dokie then.
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Varda Valar: Web:
Varda Valar: Our artists don't have any new Tolkien goodies for us right now, but
Varda Valar: DeepGroover-(T), Elwing-V's brother, told us the results of the last contest he was in for modelling. He got two bronzes and one silver on figures.
arpharazonv: Not bad!
Varda Valar: He's used to getting higher than that, but I think he's doing great. :-)
Varda Valar: Not sure you can see this:
Varda Valar: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209681479013318&set=p.10209681479013318&type=3&theater
arpharazonv: I can't :)
arpharazonv: And yes, can't win them all, but silver and bronze is not too bad.
arpharazonv: Of course it also depends on the scale of the competition and the amount of competitors.
Varda Valar: True
Varda Valar: He's going to the nationals again, next
Arien V: i d be happy about that ^^
Arien V: i still cant view the contents of this page
Varda Valar: hah, think that can be fixed...
Varda Valar: Try this:
Varda Valar: http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/art/gallery/DeepGroover/non-Tolkien/Scot_won_bronze.jpg
arpharazonv: Oh, nice!
Varda Valar: Yay!
Varda Valar: Eonwe has put up more news on the Valar Guild Games Site, so switching to:
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Varda Valar: Gaming:

Varda Valar: He has LotRO news this week :-)
Varda Valar: Two new blogs are out this week:
Varda Valar: Update 18.2
Varda Valar: The Return of the Raid

Varda Valar: WoW:
Varda Valar: Now in progress: the Midsummer Fire Festival.
Varda Valar: New blogs are out:
Arien V: Wow .. i love this one
Scott Lombardi: Aiya
Scott Lombardi: I am so sad
Scott Lombardi: all good
Varda Valar: Toybox Tuesday: You Can Stand the Heat
Scott Lombardi: <e
Scott Lombardi: <e
Scott Lombardi: <3
Varda Valar: Achievement Hunting: Salty You
Varda Valar: Check out the Q & A on professions this week and look forward to next week's.
Varda Valar: Arien, which did you love?
Varda Valar: onwards to

Varda Valar: Heroes of the Storm:
Varda Valar: A new balance patch came out this week.

Varda Valar: Overwatch:
Varda Valar: The PTR is available.
Varda Valar: /end Games Site news

Varda Valar: Any comments, suggestions, clarifications of Arien's comment? :-)
arpharazonv: I assume she's talking about the Scot :)
Varda Valar: My guess too. Great work and up her alley. :-)

arpharazonv: Well, if you want more news, there's a fanart blog up on the WoW site as well!
arpharazonv: http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/blog/20166136/warcraft-art-updates-24-06-2016 (EU version will do)
Varda Valar: ahh, neato
arpharazonv: Some really nice ones in there.
Varda Valar: Always amazes me what people can do. Fanart especially.
Varda Valar: Fan comics there too. :-)
arpharazonv: Yep!
Arien V: nice ones :-)
Varda Valar: In some other gaming news:

Varda Valar: Sauron reports from EVE Online that he has seen Arien and himself there.
Varda Valar: and to ask Arien if she's seen Pallando. :-)
arpharazonv: Fancy playing a game and not seeing yourself in it...
Varda Valar: (Left myself off lists plenty of times, feels silly later)

arpharazonv: I'm looking at myself in WoW right now!
Varda Valar: There's one!
arpharazonv: Nice fat moonkin.

Varda Valar: LotRO list for this past week:
Varda Valar: Varda
Elwing
Gorlim
Morwe
Nar
Dis
Gil-galad
Fangorn
Bregalad/Quickbeam
Elladan
Marigold
Lenwe
Ecthelion
Erkenbrand
Falco
Varda Valar: We do have people showing up. :-) Trick is to be on at the same time!

Varda Valar: Any other Valarites seen lately? Fladrif maybe?
arpharazonv: *checks friendslist* last online 1 hour ago
arpharazonv: I guess he's around!
Arien V: i havent seen Pallando this week
Arien V: but yeah spotted Sauron a few times :-)
Varda Valar: Good to hear about Fladrif.
Varda Valar: Hope Pallando is ok.
Varda Valar: And yay for spotting each other. :-)
Varda Valar: On to
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Varda Valar: Tolkien!
Varda Valar: Does anyone have a question, topic, or Tolkien Moment before I swing into one?
Arien V: nope not me i am afraid#
Varda Valar: Lenwe had one earlier but he's afk right now.
Varda Valar: o wait. He's back. :-)
perseid28: back :)
Varda Valar: Aiyata :-)
perseid28: I've been rereading the Harry Potter series, and Varda and I had a little chat about some similarities and differences between that and the LotR books
perseid28: A similarity is that each series has its evil persona--Sauron and Voldemort, respectively. Both sets of books also have their hero, who has been uniquely chosen to defeat said evil persona.
perseid28: But while Tolkein chooses not to fully disclose the reasons behind Frodo being the "chosen one," Rowling lets Dumbledore spell out Harry's reasons at the end of Hp #5. I feel like this added tangibility comes at the expense of making the supernatural powers of Harry Potter feel less powerful
Arien V: meeps closed wrong window
arpharazonv: Aiyata!
perseid28: There were other comparisons that are now slipping my mind :)
arpharazonv: Well, I haven't read the books, only seen the movies.
Varda Valar: (topic info passed on to Arien in a side window)
arpharazonv: But I could state that the Ring is a bit like a.. what're they called.. horcrux?
Varda Valar: Good enough for a chat.
Varda Valar: Good comparison
Arien V: part of the soul being stored in the horcrux
Arien V: the ring is power at a high price
arpharazonv: In this case, part of Sauron's power, making a quick recovery possible after defeat while leaving him severely weakened at its destruction.
arpharazonv: And like some (most?) of the horcruxes, a powerful item in itself.
perseid28: The locket horcrux seems especially ring-like, exerting a substantial psychological burden on the wearer
Arien V: mh
Varda Valar: For another
Varda Valar: Voldemort is more physically present than Sauron, for instance, to the protagonist. The Ring is the indirect connection like the scar is the constant connection'
Arien V: good thinking
Varda Valar: That's two, pardon. :-)
perseid28: Maybe it's less explicitly stated, but Harry's band of friends functions very similarly to the Fellowship. Most of his major successes in the book were only possible because of others who helped him
Varda Valar: True. They each had a fellowship of friends helping them against a huge foe.
arpharazonv: Each was mentored by a wise old bearded wizard who always knew more than he let on.
Arien V: the fellowship consists of nine while in Harry Potter it is mainly the three main characters , the Weasley twins, Sirius Black (who could be compared to Boromir best if you like ), Remus Lupin, Neville Longbottom and Ginny plus Dumbledore (a gandalf like figure) and we have our nine too
perseid28: good one!
Varda Valar: Each protagonist has some unique quality that forces him to be the point person against the main antagonist.
arpharazonv: As a movie-watcher only, it's not up to me to correct you on how prominent certain characters were, but Luna Lovegood seemed more important, in the last part anyway, than the twins at least.
perseid28: And in both sets of books, the hero only achieves their goal because of their willingness to sacrifice their lives. Frodo goes into Mordor with little to no hope of return, and Harry allows himself to be captured and killed in order to destroy the last horcrux
Varda Valar: The Ring can't really gain a good hold over a person so alien to Sauron as one who is not intersted in gaining power over others.
Varda Valar: Voldemort has a part of himself in Harry that he doesn't realize is there, plus the shield of a mother's loving and ultimate sacrifice.
Varda Valar: Aye, Lenwe
arpharazonv: Ah yes, both main characters are particularly resistant to the bad guy's power in some sense, which is why they're good candidates for being the main character.
Varda Valar: Self-sacrifice for others, alien to the antagonist who is in it for himself.
Varda Valar: aye
arpharazonv: ...Which is a point that, I see now, Varda already mentioned slightly earlier in different words.
Varda Valar: More angles can make it clearer. No worries.
perseid28: In both cases the antagonist underestimates the power of good vs evil. Sauron was caught off guard by someone's willingness to destroy the Ring rather than try to use it to enhance their own power, and Voldemort did not realize the magical power resulting from Lilly Potter's self-sacrifice for Harry
perseid28: So I guess you could say that both antagonists are largely responsible for their own demise
Varda Valar: From their own blind spots.
Varda Valar: The very things that make them the villain.
Varda Valar: The good protagonist has been tempted the same way as the antagonist, but overcome it, something the antagonist could not do or wrap his head around.
Arien V: in Lotr we have each of the companions being *tempted* .. well shown a choice whether they want to carry on with the quest
Arien V: and Frodo .. at the very end wasnt able to resist the power of the ring and claimed it for himself which , of course it can be argued, was the only thing to take Saurons and the ringwraiths attention from the Battle at the gates which otherwise might have gone awrie
Varda Valar: Good insight there
Varda Valar: The moment Frodo became anything like the antagonist, he could be seen.
arpharazonv: Ah, I don't know about that. In the time he took to claim it for himself, he also could've dumped it into the lava and gotten Sauron's attention even more ;)
Varda Valar: But Frodo's previous actions saved the day. When he bound the Ring to protect him from Gollum, to throw him over a cliff or into lava. It did both.
Arien V: which would have deprived Gollum as his antihero role :-)
Varda Valar: Gollum attacked Frodo, bit off his finger, and the Ring was still on Frodo's finger as if it were safe when Gollum went overboard.
arpharazonv: Rings have such lack of observational senses.
Arien V: deprived of his anti-hero role .. sorry bad spelling and grammar there
arpharazonv: All it knows is "I'm on finger, all is well."
Varda Valar: Aye :-)
arpharazonv: I wonder if they could've carried it on a stick and make it think nothing was wrong.
Varda Valar: ah hah! Maybe. :-)
Arien V: *pictures artwork "ring on stick being grlled over Chasm of fire"
Varda Valar: eww :-)
Arien V: being grilled
arpharazonv: Maybe it would think it was being worn by a particularly faded ent.
Varda Valar: Are we ready for a change of topic? :-)
perseid28: In the final movie of each series, the director inexplicably decided to destroy a wooden object of power. As in, Gandalf's staff, and the Elder Wand.
perseid28: couldn't resist :D
Varda Valar: hah! :-)
Varda Valar: Movies can do strange things. Gandalf's staff, of course, was never destroyed in the books, but twice in the extended movie.
arpharazonv: Needed to compensate for not being destroyed in the book, by being destroyed twice.
arpharazonv: That way it gets destroyed once on average.
Varda Valar: Such a thing was a big deal. Gandalf could use the power of being the new head of the order to break Saruman's staff from a distance, probably under order from the Valar.
perseid28: Makes sense.
Varda Valar: That was their way of saying "You're fired"
arpharazonv: Don't bother cleaning out your desk, we'll just break it for you.
Varda Valar: a pink slip for the guy with the robe of many colors. Clearly departed from being a white wizard.
Varda Valar: heh
Varda Valar: back in a moment. Elwing is getting ready to leave our house.
Varda Valar: Back
Varda Valar: Wow, you were all quiet all that time?
arpharazonv: It does feel a bit like the topic's run to its end. I'm not an expert on the HP subject after all :)
Varda Valar: In Harry Potter, they had quite a few heroic helpers that took their lumps too.
Varda Valar: In the LotR, even in the Shire, we had such heroes.
Varda Valar: One was Fatty Bolger.
Varda Valar: He did the very dangerous lure of pretending to be Frodo, decoying the Ringwraiths but not going on the journey to Rivendell.
arpharazonv: Both stories had a female support characters with long blonde hair who came across as slightly aloof with a different view on the world who provided the main characters with unique insights. How's that?
Varda Valar: What happened to him is in this quote from the RotK, The Grey Havens:
arpharazonv: -s
Varda Valar: (Yay blondes? :-) )
arpharazonv: Apparently!
Varda Valar: The day after the battle, Frodo rode to Michel Delving and released the prisoners from the Lockholes.
Varda Valar: One of the first that they found was poor Fredegar Bolger, Fatty no longer.
Varda Valar: He had been taken when the ruffians smoked out a band of rebels that he led
arpharazonv: Thinny Bolger.
Varda Valar: heh
Varda Valar: from their hidings up in the Brockenbores by the hills of Scary.
Varda Valar: "You would have done better to come with us after all, poor old Fredegar!" said Pippin
Varda Valar: as they carried him out too weak to walk.
Varda Valar: He opened an eye and tried gallantly to smile. "Why little Pippin! What's your size in hats now?"
arpharazonv: I wonder if he would agree with that if he knew what the others had been up to.
Varda Valar: /end quote
Varda Valar: Definitely. He knew they were going into terrible danger and didn't want to do that.
Varda Valar: Another who did a heroic action was Lobelia. She defied the ruffians that tried to take over the Shire.
Varda Valar: When others were afraid to, she stood up to them.
Varda Valar: The put her in the Lockholes too.
Varda Valar: So here's Frodo and crew rescuing her:
Varda Valar: Then there was Lobelia. Poor thing, she looked very old and thin when they rescued her from a dark and narrow cell.
Varda Valar: She insisted on hobbling out on her own feet; and she had such a welcome, and there was such clapping
Varda Valar: and cheering when she appeared, leaning on Frodo's arm but still clutching her umbrella, that she was quite touched,
Varda Valar: and drove away in tears. She had never in her life been popular before.
Varda Valar: But she was crushed by the news of Lotho's murder, and she would not return to Bag End.
Varda Valar: She gave it back to Frodo, and went to her own people, the Bracegirdles of Hardbottle.
arpharazonv: What does "drove away" mean here?
Varda Valar: (wagon with a horse)
arpharazonv: horse and/or wagon?
arpharazonv: right
Varda Valar: When the poor creature died next Spring - was after all more than a hundred years old-Frodo was surprised and much moved:
Varda Valar: she had left all that remained of her money and Lotho's for him to use in helping hobbits made homeless by the troubles.
Varda Valar: So that feud was ended.
Varda Valar: /end quote
Varda Valar: So she did even more good after they freed her. :-)
arpharazonv: Did she leave him the silver spoons?
Varda Valar: She didn't need them anymore, so maybe.
Varda Valar: One more, short, for Mayor Whitfoot. He had not been willing to turn over the Shire to the incoming villains.
Varda Valar: Old Will Whitfoot had been in the Lockholes longer than any,
Varda Valar: and although he had perhaps been treated less harshly than some, he needed a lot of feeding up before he could
Varda Valar: look the part of Mayor; so Frodo agreed to act as his Deputy, until Mr. Whitfoot was in shape again.
Varda Valar: /endquote
arpharazonv: Assuming mayors need to look fat.
arpharazonv: In fantasy, perhaps :)
Varda Valar: JRRT didn't leave anyone in limbo in the falling action. :-)
Varda Valar: A proper hobbit needs to look fat! ;-)
Varda Valar: He may have used it as an excuse for a much needed vacation to heal.
Varda Valar: Those were the Tolkien Moments set up for you earlier. All done now, unless anyone has any additional comments?
Varda Valar: If there are no more comments?
Varda Valar: *tries to pick up a skittery gavel*
Varda Valar: *it dances over to the table and strikes the hammer pad*
Varda Valar: *tonk!*
Varda Valar: *then it dances back to the conveyor belt and goes off to parts unknown*
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Varda Valar: After-meeting!
Varda Valar: Free chat about anything. :-)
arpharazonv: Interesting one.
Arien V: that was interesting :-)
Varda Valar: :-)
Arien V: well i have to go to bed now ... since stupid needle pokers at uncivilized time on day off .. dry
Arien V: i ll see you next week :-) Namarie!
arpharazonv: namarie!
arpharazonv: and good luck with all tat
arpharazonv: *that
Varda Valar: Namarie!
Varda Valar: Those rapscallions
arpharazonv: That always sounds like a vegetable.
Varda Valar: aye to that. Makes it amusing somewhat at least
Varda Valar: Thunder rumbling here
arpharazonv: Right.
Varda Valar: *sneaks off to supper, but will scroll*
arpharazonv: Let's get down to personal gaming before you lose power ;)
Varda Valar: Good plan
Varda Valar: Transcript template now made. :-)

arpharazonv: Gathering up some flashgames..
arpharazonv: Oki, 3 flashgames this week for you!
arpharazonv: http://www.kongregate.com/games/Soulghai/island-trip is the first! A fast-paced 2-button game where you try to get as far as you can by watching the color of the platform ahead of you, and try to unlock achievements and characters with the gold you earn.
arpharazonv: http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/fractured_4 is a puzzle platformer where you have to navigate through a level that has been shattered across the screen in different locations and angles.
arpharazonv: Simpler than it sounds :)
arpharazonv: And http://www.kongregate.com/games/Arkeus/glissaria is a mix of tower defense and a bejeweled-like minigame where you puzzle to gather resources, and use resources to build towers, upgrade them, and even have a hero to level.
arpharazonv: It was a bit too much stuff to keep track of for me, but others will like it!

arpharazonv: And now blizzard gaming.
arpharazonv: A few rifts done in Diablo III, with a few useful legendary gems unlocked. No further setpieces for the set I'm looking for, and it's a bit slow. But still fun, and I am getting paragon levels for all the good that does.
arpharazonv: Heroes of the Storm: Just pushing things along, getting gold and xp on various characters. Got a few more games in with Lunara this week, now over halfway to level 9. Which is quite a bit of work when you only play 2 games a day.
arpharazonv: Hearthstone: There, I'm making progress! I've gotten 4 classes to level 42, with the rest shortly behind. New gold cards for all of them!
arpharazonv: Well, when they make it to 42 as well, that is.
arpharazonv: Another interesting tavern brawl this week, having to choose 7 cards from your deck and having the rest filled up with random mage portals to summon random units.
arpharazonv: Gives room for a bit of strategy, and I made use of a cheap mage deck with some spell-boosts for the portals.
arpharazonv: WoW: Not much done raid-wise, a few alt-raids and with people who want to try out new classes for the next expansion.
arpharazonv: I did finish the last Brawler Guild achievement, getting all the rare bonus bosses.
arpharazonv: Hexos, the toughest one, only took 4 tries. If you've ever tried the brawler's guild, you'd know that was either impressive or very lucky ;)
arpharazonv: So now the world event category of achievements is complete! I'm sure there'll be new ones when the pre-expansion patch hits ;)
arpharazonv: But for now, I'm at 228 out of 228.
arpharazonv: Gotten a few more pristines in archeology, and I got the troll moonkin to level 30, and half a level more today. Hopefully will be getting to 31 early next week.
arpharazonv: With the brawler's guild done, I feel like the pressure's off to get stuff done before the pre-expansion patch. I'll just be doing a few more activities until it hits, as well as between then and the actual expansion's release, though I have a few more plans for that time as well.
arpharazonv: In all, I'd say that whatever happens, this expansion has been decently successful for me. And I'm ready enough for the next one. Everything in between is just bonus.
arpharazonv: And that's my news for this week!
Varda Valar: Thanks Phar :-)
arpharazonv: Saving and sending transcript!
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