Valar Guild

April 2, 2017 Sunday Meeting

5pm EST (UTC/GMT - 5)
AIM: Valar Guild Meetingplace

Back to News
Transcript work by Ar-Pharazon and Varda.

Attending (and at least said something making them visible): ()
    Arien-(Valar)/Arien V/AriehnV, ArPharazonV, Elladan, Eonwe Valar, Lenwe (-V), Varda Valar (presiding)

Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership
Web:
    News Archives
    Poetry: new this past week: "Kiera's Desire" by Arien-(Valar)
Gaming:
    General gaming report by Eonwe and several members.
Additional Stuff:
    Gilraen's suggested link for a crocheted scale-mail hood.
    This October will be the 20th Anniversary of the Valar Guild. Time to think ahead.
Tolkien:
    Topic: Listening to some people's comments about the LotR suggested an underlying thread. It's not giving in to the belief that there's no way you can win, even giving your life for it. That the attempt to win is still worth it.
After-meeting:
    Link to audio book of "Children of Hurin" read by Christopher Lee.
    Flashgaming Reviews by Ar-Pharazon
    Personal gaming by Ar-Pharazon and Arien
    Tee-shirts
    Headed into games.
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Before-meeting

Varda Valar: Aiya. News before April is now archived. All News Archives now link to the just made 2017 Archive. You heard it here first.
Lenwe (-V): Aiya.  I heard it first ;)
Lenwe (-V): Heading to Marigold's for dinner, hopefully we'll be there by the meeting but we'll see
Varda Valar: :-)
Varda Valar: For your pick-me-up for the day:
Varda Valar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qN72LEQnaU
Varda Valar: We'll think of you, Lenwe; :-)
Ar-Pharazon-V: Aiya
Varda Valar: Aiya
Arien V: Aiya :)
Ar-Pharazon-V: huzzah, hamsterdance
Arien V: kyup lool nice one
Varda Valar: ^^
Arien V: i am sure its appreciated .. espeially after the incident in London two weeks ago
Arien V: and you know they put up a wooden fence now for the changing of the Guards
Varda Valar: Didn't know about the guards.
Arien V: yeah they did because its a major touristic event normally
Ar-Pharazon-V: If I had to change in public, I'd like a fence too.
Arien V: so tkhey upped the security measure
Arien V: :P
Arien V: not trhat way of changing silly
Ar-Pharazon-V: I know ;-)
Varda Valar: Well, here's another set of guardians in their honor:
Varda Valar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU4qbnNmxWA
Varda Valar: although they're allowed to be more active.
Arien V: mmmh
Varda Valar: Old Ghostbusters :-)
Ar-Pharazon-V: Timeless!
Varda Valar: and fun background music  ^^
Varda Valar: Lot of lightning and thunder outside in real life. Hoping it won't mess with the connection.
Eonwe Valar: Heya all :}
Ar-Pharazon-V: Aiya
Varda Valar: Aiya Eonwe :-)
Arien V: Aiya :)
Eonwe Valar: Left computer up through the night/day to see how AIM would handle it :}
Varda Valar: How did it do?
Eonwe Valar: I'm still here, so it seems to have gone well :}
Arien V: funnily i see the chat from the time i was offline too
Eonwe Valar: Btw, in response to the hamster dance:
Eonwe Valar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJog7PfkNRY
Ar-Pharazon-V: Guess that's version 8, Arien.
Arien V: uhu
Arien V: it doesnt handle th yuou tube links very well tho
Eonwe Valar: Well, if my internet had konked out for some reason, it wouldn't have got me back in. It tends to need help, heh.
Varda Valar: Rooster bard :-)
Eonwe Valar: :}
Eonwe Valar: That's from the old Disney Robin Hood cartoon. One listne and you'll know why I linked it :}
Eonwe Valar: *listen even
Ar-Pharazon-V: Funny, I thought it was an original track :-) Gotta watch all those movies.
Eonwe Valar: :}
Varda Valar: How many of us are actually here? About 5 minutes until start time.
Eonwe Valar: I'm here.
Arien V: i am sort of here  ^^
Ar-Pharazon-V: See, now, that's difficult to tell unless you compare the room-list to the buddylist.
Varda Valar: People can be on the room list and be far from their computer. :-)
Eonwe Valar: Aye :}
Ar-Pharazon-V: True.
Arien V: yup
Eonwe Valar: Does everyone i.e. Meneldil, Gwaihir, GIlraen, have invites to this channel?
VardaValar1: I'm adding people
VardaValar1: right now
Eonwe Valar: ok :}
VardaValar1: kind of weird, not like an invite
Ar-Pharazon-V: Gwaihir just entered, it seems.
VardaValar1: I added him and he appeared. Strange goings on.
Eonwe Valar: But it shows a red circle as if he's logged off, so don't know.
Iryenth .: aiya
VardaValar1: I don't see the red circle
VardaValar1: Aiya Gilraen :-)
Eonwe Valar: Heya Gilraen :}
Eonwe Valar: If you look at his name in the channel member list or the buddy list, it shows a red circle for me.
Eonwe Valar: Don't know if that means busy or what. I guess it'd be grey if he were offline.
VardaValar1: To me, it's the old yellow circle for away
Ar-Pharazon-V: In my version it says away.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Right.
VardaValar1: Let's get this show on the road. :-)
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VardaValar1: Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
VardaValar1: Membership:
VardaValar1: Hi from Fangorn and Sauron on this side of the screen.
Ar-Pharazon-V: hi!
VardaValar1: Hey, old emoticons are back!
Ar-Pharazon-V: Hmm?
Ar-Pharazon-V: I've still got my bear :-)
VardaValar1: My butterfly is back. Was a smiley.
Arien V: aiya back to the two :)
Eonwe Valar: Heya to Fangorn and Sauron, but I see no butterfly.
VardaValar1: Lenwe is traveling, moving to his new home. He's trying to pop in when possible.
Elladan: Sleeping
VardaValar1: Rest welll :-)
VardaValar1: and Hi, Elladan :-)
VardaValar1: Been thundering and lightning here, rain. Seems to be calming now. Hope that means no connection problem.
VardaValar1: Any other membership news?
Eonwe Valar: I got my dose of thunderstorms this morning.
Ar-Pharazon-V: pretty good weather here
VardaValar1: joy
Ar-Pharazon-V: well, it was today, no idea what it is now, it's dark ;-)
VardaValar1: Arien needs to shine through those cavern tunnels for you.
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VardaValar1: Web:
VardaValar1: The News Archives now contain 2017 news through March.
Iryenth .: Gwaihir says hi to everyone
VardaValar1: Thus your News for April should pop up fast.
VardaValar1: Aiya Eagle!
Eonwe Valar: Heya to Gwaihir :}
Ar-Pharazon-V: Aiya Gwai!

VardaValar1: In Stories:
VardaValar1: "Kiera's Desire" by Arien-(Valar). Rogue in World of WarCraft goes Tolkienesque.
Arien V: Aiya Gwaihir :)
Arien V: Stories? Poem :)
VardaValar1: and we are now mostly trying to use the new AIM.
VardaValar1: In Poetry, *cough*
Arien V: okay :) *pats head*
VardaValar1: Thanks for catching that. *toe wiggles in the sand*

Ar-Pharazon-V: some in a later 7, some in an 8
VardaValar1: So we're all over the map, but trying.
Ar-Pharazon-V: at least if I crash this time, there's plenty of people with access to back log.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Makes me wonder if my transcripts are needed ;-)
VardaValar1: Yes they are.
VardaValar1: We have members who never come to meetings, often don't have AIM, who check transcripts.
VardaValar1: I've heard from some of our soldiers and other travelers that it gives them a taste of home, of being with friends.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Yes, but there's plenty of ways for you now to gather up logs without needing my transcript. But I suppose that's always been true.
VardaValar1: We'll see how it goes.
VardaValar1: And that assumes I'm here, no computer problems, etc. A backup is a huge help.

VardaValar1: Gaming:
VardaValar1: Eonwe, would you like to give the general report?
Eonwe Valar: Sure.

Eonwe Valar: World of Warcraft
Eonwe Valar: Patch 7.2: The Tomb of Sargeras        is out! See the          patch notes!
Eonwe Valar: For the PvP-minded,          Legion Season 3 has begun.
Elladan: OMG
Eonwe Valar: Check out the          latest hotfixes.
Eonwe Valar: Hmm, AIM is throwing in some extra space there.

Eonwe Valar: Diablo 3:
VardaValar1: Thought it was for drama. :-)
Eonwe Valar: hehe
Eonwe Valar: Season 10 is live.

Eonwe Valar: Starcraft 2:
Eonwe Valar: Out this week: Patch 3.12.
Eonwe Valar: Check these out, and just consider what day they were announced :} :
Eonwe Valar: Overlord Announcer coming to StarCraft II!
Eonwe Valar: Breaking News: StarCraft II Instability (Co-op Mutation).
VardaValar1: April Fools :-)

Eonwe Valar: Heroes of the Storm:
VardaValar1: (gotta love Overlord Announcer)
Eonwe Valar: There was a balance update         and a hotfix         this week.
Eonwe Valar: More interesting though is the announcement of Heroes of the Storm 2.0. They've already got the open beta going, so check out the beta patch notes.
Eonwe Valar: A preview of a feature coming with Heroes of the Storm 2.0 is up: Flaunt Your Hero Prowess with Hero Mastery Taunts!

Eonwe Valar: Hearthstone:
Eonwe Valar: There was a Hearthside chat put up this week.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Yeah, that hero mastery taunts sounds rather date-specific as well...
VardaValar1: heh
Eonwe Valar: I'll double-check it, but it sounds like something they were talking about in the Heroes 2.0 announcement, so I assumed it was the same thing.
Eonwe Valar: The Expansion launches April 6th.
Eonwe Valar: A new E. Malone's Journal is out: E. Malone's Journal - Week Four.
Eonwe Valar: And a bonus, since I missed putting this up on the Games Site.
VardaValar1: yay bonus
Eonwe Valar: Blizzard has made a way for everyone to get the authentic Blizzcon experience... for free! You *will* feel like you've actually been there,... and well, it's better experienced than explained...
Eonwe Valar: Sorry, internet decided I needed a dramatic pause there.
Eonwe Valar: https://blizzcon.com/en-us/event-info/tickets/textual
VardaValar1: :-)
Eonwe Valar: And that concludes the Gaming News I'm privy to for the Games Site.
VardaValar1: Thank you, Eonwe, That' s a lot!

VardaValar1: LotRO:
VardaValar1: Spring Festival ends today, grab stuff while you can. :-)
VardaValar1: The past week's box run  was "Seat of the Great Goblin". Nice for us since we can get enough for 3-mans pretty easily.
VardaValar1: Kinmates seen this past week in LotRO:
VardaValar1:
Arien
Dis
Elladan
Eonwe
Erkenbrand
Fangorn
Lenwe
Nar
Varda
VardaValar1: Any other mentions of kinmates seen in your games?
Eonwe Valar: Bofur and Nob in WoW Lothar.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Saw Arien in WoW!
Iryenth .: Gwaihir and I have seen each other in d3 ;)
VardaValar1: yay!
VardaValar1: Fangorn and I gamed together in StarCraft/BroodWar.
Eonwe Valar: Did you want the Games Site updated to reflect you play D3? :}
Iryenth .: sure :)
Iryenth .: thanks!

Additional Stuff:

Eonwe Valar: MP :}
VardaValar1: Gilraen found another great item. Like to show that url?
Iryenth .: sure
Iryenth .: http://fashionablygeek.com/handmade/crocheted-dragon-scale-nomad-hood/
VardaValar1: Get out that crochet needle, folks. A must-have. :-)
Iryenth .: Definitely.  I think I need one for sure.

Eonwe Valar: Games Site updated for GIlraen and Gwaihir. Anyone else that needs their gaming info updated can whisper me right now while I have the file open :}
VardaValar1: Thank you. That was fast!
VardaValar1: Any other news, business, suggestions?

Eonwe Valar: I have one thing.
VardaValar1: Fire away.
Eonwe Valar: Just for the back of everyone's minds, this *is* our 20th Anniversary coming up in October, so I figured getting those ideas for celebration formulating now would be a good idea.
VardaValar1: Oh, right. That's very special.
Eonwe Valar: So, start formulating :}
Eonwe Valar: That's it from me.
VardaValar1: Thank you, Eonwe. :-)
Iryenth .: I was just looking at the membership page and gosh, time has flown :)
VardaValar1: A bit shocking, aye.
VardaValar1: 2004 for Gilraen's entry
VardaValar1: Anyway, how about some Tolkien chat before some of us have to leave? :-)
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VardaValar1: Tolkien:
VardaValar1: Listening to some people's comments about the LotR, I noticed what might be an underlying thread.
VardaValar1: It's not giving in to the belief that there's no way you can win, even giving your life for it. That the attempt to win is still worth it.
VardaValar1: Manwe's eagles are seen as a deus ex machina, but they're really not.
VardaValar1: They only show up after people have done absolutely all they can.
VardaValar1: Frodo is said not to be the hero, that Sam is. Both are really but don't be quick to dismiss Frodo.
VardaValar1: Frodo was almost certain that he would not survive the attempt and that it was hopeless. He went on anyway.
VardaValar1: Look at Saruman.
Ar-Pharazon-V: I think everyone who fought and survived in that war (on the good side) is a hero, really.
VardaValar1: True
Ar-Pharazon-V: Heck, the dead ones too.
VardaValar1: Absolutely the dead ones too.
Arien V: Boromir i would definitely describe as hero
VardaValar1: Being wise, Saruman knew it was hopeless, by logic. But he refused to choose death, which would have been heroic.
Arien V: he fought .. he mde a mistake . he recognised his mistake he fought again and lost his life for it
Arien V: definitely heroic
VardaValar1: Saruman instead chose to attempt to survive, by throwing in with Sauron, maybe get a chance to subvert him later but still taking his place instead of saving the world.
VardaValar1: Agreed. Boromir redeemed himself in high heroic fashion that any Viking would have been proud of, fighting to the last in a hopeless cause because it was right.
Eonwe Valar: You know, one has to wonder just how many angles from which Saruman really looked at it, if Gandalf can look at it and decide the best course is to stir up some lazy Hobbitses.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Never underestimate the hobbitses.
VardaValar1: Saruman didn't have any faith in hobbits being able to do anything, as he didn't see power there, and power was very big to him.
VardaValar1: He didn't see that their power was in a totally different area, one the Ring could not fathom, one Sauron could not imagine.
Eonwe Valar: Aye, and to quote Yoda, "And that is why you fail."
VardaValar1: Aye!
VardaValar1: Lobelia wouldn't let those big human ruffians get away with their nonsense. She hit at them with her umbrella and never gave in. She was amazed to be called a hero after she was released from lock-up.
Eonwe Valar: And I don't know if I would accept the premise as "there's no way you can win." As Gandalf said, "Even the Wise cannot see all ends."
Ar-Pharazon-V: Are you still a hero if you're doing it for yourself? :-)
VardaValar1: But some give up because they don't see any possibilty of winning. Hubris because of what Eonwe just mentioned. Keep trying!
VardaValar1: Was Lobelia really doing it just for herself?
Ar-Pharazon-V: She seemed the type. Though her welcome afterward did soften her up. It's nice to be liked :-)
Eonwe Valar: The point would be that if you know it is right, you do it, even if you do not see victory. You don't shove your task off on others and you don't force everyone else to join you in your task. It may be your part to take it only so far (Frodo), and someone else's to complete it (Gollum).
Arien V: I dont know whether Frodo saw it as victory
Arien V: completely at least#
Ar-Pharazon-V: He did for the world, but perhaps not for him :-)
VardaValar1: Lobelia after coming out of captivity was crushed at Lotho's death and gave everything back to Frodo. If it has all been just about her, seems as if she would have kept Bag End.
VardaValar1: Frodo is sometimes said not to be the or even a hero in Lord of the Rings. In this light, I would say he definitely was.
Eonwe Valar: We're not given alot of detail on Lobelia's motivations, unfortunately.
VardaValar1: JRRT love to infer and let us figure things out. It was part of his fun.
Ar-Pharazon-V: It depends on your definition of hero, I suppose, Varda. He was no Hercules :-)
VardaValar1: Agreed. He was no Aragorn either. Aragorn appeared to be the hero, but was a decoy.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Some heroes are more subtle. His uncle, too.
VardaValar1: True
Eonwe Valar: I imagine alot of her motivation bother then (with her husband) and at the time of Frodo's departure was securing success for Lotho. When he died, with no heir apparently, there was no reason to hold onto it.
VardaValar1: Lotho was the future for her.
Eonwe Valar: *motivation both
VardaValar1: Fatty Bolger. Hero or coward or just knew his limits?
Eonwe Valar: Probably alot of bitterness involved in there too, that the warm welcome helped soothe.
VardaValar1: One of those that Saruman and Sauron couldn't see coming.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Knew his limits, did what he could. Still heroic.
Arien V: Hero i think ..
VardaValar1: Agreed on both.
Arien V: agree with Phari
Eonwe Valar: He sounded the alarm. If he were a real coward he would've split and done nothing.
VardaValar1: Fatty helped save the world, giving Frodo time to get away.
VardaValar1: So many things had to happen for the ending to come out well. Many had to play their part, small though it might seem.
VardaValar1: Merry saw that he could be a decoy to let Frodo head to Mordor. Young Pippin bravely threw in with him, knowing how dangerous it was.
VardaValar1: Boromir's sacrifice was not only the right thing to do, it aided in the decoy effect, probably without his planning it ahead. But he might have thought of it as a side benefit.
VardaValar1: We don't know his thoughts.
VardaValar1: We know what he did, and that was enough.
Ar-Pharazon-V: "Ouch, these arrows really hurt."
VardaValar1: heh
Eonwe Valar: I'm kinda torn here, because on one hand, he was a man with obvious combat experience, so some level of strategy must come into play for his thought process.
VardaValar1: He led men into combat in Gondor.
VardaValar1: I didn't get the impression that he had the decoy thought. But the action did work out that way.
Eonwe Valar: On the other, I never got the impression he would've given *that* much thought to it, at least not in that situation, to where he might go to himself "If I make a big deal here, maybe they'll think these are the important ones."
VardaValar1: If the thought it, it seemed more like a side thought to "save the hobbits".
Ar-Pharazon-V: Or, appropriate to the topic, die trying.
VardaValar1: If *he thought, pardon.
VardaValar1: Aye
VardaValar1: Exactly.
Eonwe Valar: I don't think anything in the situation would've led him to believe that it could've been used that way. For all they knew, Frodo was under attack as well. What was important is that he was charged with protecting Merry and Pippin, and that's what he was going to do.
VardaValar1: Merry figured it out. They all knew Frodo was the hobbit with the Ring. Scary to think Merry was the smart one here.
VardaValar1: Orcs weren't being very quiet in their attacks, but that's a valid point.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Merry always was the smart one of the two :-)
VardaValar1: Maybe of those three? :-)
Ar-Pharazon-V: Perhaps!
VardaValar1: Pippin was quite young.
VardaValar1: He was learning a lot about how to be a good Thane  from that journey.
VardaValar1: It's about time for Eonwe to have to leave. Do we have any more we'd like to add?
Ar-Pharazon-V: I am trying to see if I can throw in more than my "humorous" commentary so far...
VardaValar1: Humorous commentary is good too. :-)
Arien V: the word "hero* is always relative .. it usually does involve self sacrifice , bravery and mostly a rescue of some sort . to whatever end for the "hero" him- or herself
VardaValar1: Some kind of rescue tends to be involved, often risky for the hero to do. Aye.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Lot of definitions of "hero" and "heroic" around, but it's rarely something the heroes can apply to themselves.
Arien V: it would be quite interesting to find out whether we have an "antehero" in Lord of the Rings as well :)
VardaValar1: Would that be Gollum?
Ar-Pharazon-V: Gollum had potential, yes. But didn't quite make it.
VardaValar1: Where did he miss?
Arien V: .. a comic tragfic figure that deserves somehow the pity of the reader .. yes i would think so
Eonwe Valar: Does it still count as heroic when it's the 78th time rescusing the same person from the same villian? I think at this point Mario, Peach, and Koopa just have a schedule at this point, and all these games are just his commute because Koopa can't fit more than two people into his flying clowncopter.
Eonwe Valar: *rescuing
Ar-Pharazon-V: Ultimately he was a hindrance to the victory (well, he made it happen, but it wasn't his intention) while antiheroes tend to actually come through at the end, in my experience.
VardaValar1: On purpose?
Ar-Pharazon-V: I think so?
VardaValar1: Looking up anti-hero out of curiosity.
VardaValar1: Wikipedia: An antihero, or antiheroine, is a protagonist who lacks conventional heroic qualities such as idealism, courage, or morality. These characters are usually considered "conspicuously contrary to an archetypal hero".
Arien V: because they somehow manage to fulfill heroic deeds despite that ^^
VardaValar1: for fun:
VardaValar1: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AntiHero
Arien V: example in games of Throne for example is the Imp .. i forgot his right name sorry but he is just how you d think of an ante - hero :)
Ar-Pharazon-V: Tirion.
VardaValar1: Traditionally, in literary analysis, the meaning of antihero was effectively the opposite of the now common usage, lacking the elements that make a hero "cool" rather than the elements that make them "good". Willy Loman and Shinji Ikari are archetypes of this form.
Ar-Pharazon-V: No. Tyrion. Tirion's the Warcraft paladin.
Arien V: Tyrion Lannister aye
Ar-Pharazon-V: looking at LotR examples for anti-hero, it does mention Gollum *before* slipping back. So that's something.
Ar-Pharazon-V: It also mentions Frodo in Return of the King, and Turin in the Silmarillion, both of whom I can kinda agree with.
VardaValar1: How would you characterize Frodo as an anti-hero?
VardaValar1: TV Tropes, a dangerous site. Slurps us right in.
VardaValar1: Usually amoral misfit for anti-hero. Not just that though.
Ar-Pharazon-V: While his actions and ideals are heroic, many of his characteristics are not, especialy near the end. He "fails" at the end of his quest, succeeds only with Gollum's intervention, and remains scarred and passive for the rest of the story.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Morally, he's heroic. Otherwise, it's not what you'd expect from a hero.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Which is basically antihero.
VardaValar1: Nice summation.
Ar-Pharazon-V: *grin* summation of the tv trope entry, but in a way that I can see it and agree with it :-)
VardaValar1: a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes.
Ar-Pharazon-V: There you go. It doesn't always have to be the same attribute :-)
VardaValar1: One that Sauron can't see coming? :-)
VardaValar1: Merriam-Webster: a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities
VardaValar1: You may have been here?:
VardaValar1: https://literarydevices.net/anti-hero/
Ar-Pharazon-V: That definitely sums up the hobbits in the eyes of the powerful.
Ar-Pharazon-V: I had not. Like I said, I got it from the tropes.
VardaValar1: So Tolkien showed us the trope of hero with Aragorn, and then with the other hand sent in hobbits.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Very clever.
VardaValar1: pardon. You did say that.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Send in the hero as a decoy, slip the antihero in on the side.
VardaValar1: Now there's a story. :-)
VardaValar1: Raptor tactics. ;-)
Eonwe Valar: Clever girl? :}
VardaValar1: that one, aye.
Eonwe Valar: (Jurassic Park reference if you don't get it)
Ar-Pharazon-V: Ah, I was wondering what that referred to.
VardaValar1: Jurassis Park velociraptors.
VardaValar1: Actually, the LotR version of the velociraptors were hobbits, is what I meant.
VardaValar1: at least to Sauron.
VardaValar1: but that's a stretch.
VardaValar1: Shall we switch to After-meeting?
Ar-Pharazon-V: Wouldn't Aragorn and Frodo both be velociraptors then?
VardaValar1: Aragorn as the one in front, aye.
VardaValar1: *reaches for a hammer drifting above the shelf-s conveyor belt*
VardaValar1: *it cheerfully flies along in-hand, although too big to move so easily*
VardaValar1: *thummmmmmp*
Arien V: uh .. shiny
VardaValar1: *dust flies up from all around and is drawn into the hammer, leaving everything tidy*
VardaValar1: *returns hammer to the shelf where it continues vacuuming on its way out*
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VardaValar1: After-meeting!
Ar-Pharazon-V: Interesting hammer you've got there. Would like one for my own home.
VardaValar1: Feel free to catch it!!
Eonwe Valar: I need to call it here, but I have a link for you all before I go, something that ened up in my Youtube suggested cntent...
Arien V: oh a vaccuming hammer .. lovely :)
Eonwe Valar: *content.
Eonwe Valar: Enjoy :} : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuUkLbOAWcU
Arien V: have a good night
Ar-Pharazon-V: Namarie!
VardaValar1: Children of Hurin
VardaValar1: Thanks!
VardaValar1: Namarie!
Arien V: Namarie!
Eonwe Valar: Take care all, good night, sleep well, and have fun :}
Ar-Pharazon-V: Is that a Christopher Lee audiobook? :-)
Eonwe Valar: Apparently :}  The funny part: I had just cleared out all my browser cookies, so it's not like it knew to suggst this based on previous viewings or anything.
Eonwe Valar: Ok, off I go :}
Ar-Pharazon-V: So many names dropped in the first few minutes. If I was not already acquainted with all the different houses of Beleriand, I'd have forgotten most of them already.
VardaValar1: That's a problem, aye.

Ar-Pharazon-V: Right, let's throw in some personal gaming!
VardaValar1: They still track us, Precious.

Ar-Pharazon-V: 3 flashgames!
Ar-Pharazon-V: http://www.kongregate.com/games/DigYourOwnGrave/vector-runner is the first. Simple gameplay, left and right, make your way through obstacles and get as far as you can. Temporary upgrades can be acquired, as well as extra points.
Ar-Pharazon-V: http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/swingby is the second, tough golf-like game where you swing a comet from one planet's orbit to the next, see how far you can get. Money accumulates between games, and you can use that to purchase temporary upgrades like slowing down the game or shrinking planets.
Ar-Pharazon-V: now, for the third one... if I got into a habit of linking idle/clicker games, I could go on forever, but I've been playing http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/justice_clicker for a while this week (well, "playing") just because I like the upgrade system. So yeah, if you're really bored, go for it ;-)
Ar-Pharazon-V: And once you've got a bit of sidekick-dps and xp-harvesting going on, you can leave it on idle as well!

Ar-Pharazon-V: Blizzard gaming!
Ar-Pharazon-V: Diablo 3: Season not started yet. Probably should poke it so that my mail doesn't get lost, but I think I've got a few more weeks.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Well, season's started, but I haven't ;-)
Ar-Pharazon-V: Heroes of the Storm: Interesting new brawl this week. Match full of Azmodans playing basketball, with a few set talents.
Ar-Pharazon-V: I'd never played Azmodan before, though I did get the hang of the matches after a while. Still, won neither of the 2. But playing them was enough to get portrait and gold.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Otherwise, still leveling a bit. 2.0 looks interesting, I'm sure I'll end up leveling all my heroes to 15 instead of 10.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Hearthstone: Brawl this week was based on a similar celebrative theme as last week's. But rather than decorate Stormwind, you and the opponent have to work together to stack up celebrations, clear out party-crashers on both sides, and finally smack down the pinata boss. It's quite fun, but you do have to play decently to get to the end, and keep each other alive.
Ar-Pharazon-V: I've gotten one more wing done in Karazhan, doubt I'll finish that and the class challenges before Un'goro hits, but it doesn't really matter. I did, with the end of the year in sight, buy a ton of packs from the Grand Tournament (which is going to be unavailable soon) and Old Gods, with about 10000 gold I'd saved.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Got about 3500 left for Un'goro, I think.
Arien V: grats :)
Ar-Pharazon-V: Thanks :-)
Lenwe (-V): How long are the special packs allowed in tournaments?
Ar-Pharazon-V: The Grand Tournament is not a feature, but the name of an expansion which is being "retired" when the new Hearthstone year starts in a few days. You can still craft the cards, but no longer buy the packs, and they won't be allowed in Standard decks.
Lenwe (-V): I started buying C'Thun packs but realized they won't be allowed in tournaments forever
Ar-Pharazon-V: I think C'thun packs will be retired about a year from now :-)
Lenwe (-V): Lenwë and Marigold send their greetings, by the way
Lenwe (-V): Ok, I guess I should stick to standard packs
Ar-Pharazon-V: Ehh, current expansions are still good for a year or two after release. And there will come a time when your Standard collection is pretty much complete :-)
Ar-Pharazon-V: Also, I play in Wild for my normal matches, and only use standard decks for specific quests because of the way they show up in deck order, so like.. battlecries, certain amount of mana, taunt cards, etc.
Ar-Pharazon-V: So I can use all the expansions anyway.
Ar-Pharazon-V: WoW:
Ar-Pharazon-V: Well now, let's see...
Ar-Pharazon-V: Poked the 7.2 content a little bit. I was hoping to not have to until I'd completed some previous quests, but it's quite vital, especially when raiding, that Artifact Knowledge is kept somewhat up to date, so I had to unlock the next chapter of that, which required a few Broken Shore quests.
Ar-Pharazon-V: But, even when it's a bit story-breaking for me, the scenario was still a lot of fun.
Ar-Pharazon-V: I haven't empowered my artifacts yet, which require a few more quests, but I hope to get that done soon; at least before I max out the 20-point traits which will go faster and faster as my Knowledge builds up.
Ar-Pharazon-V: After that, I can go back to Suramar.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Raiding: More heroic bosses fought, defeated Tichondrius for the first time. That just leaves Elisande and Gul'dan.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Got myself some new tier shoulders from that fight, whee.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Still keeping up with doing any new World Quests (not counting Broken Shore, which I'm still ignoring as much as I can get away with), which included one more unlocked pet master in Suramar who I've seen twice in the last week. Should help a bit more with the Family Familiar achievement.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Also found a bit of a guide for the new Pet Dungeon, and as it turns out I have pretty much all the pets maxed out that are required, though I think I'll not bother until I finish Familiar.
Arien V: all right
Arien V: nice one
Ar-Pharazon-V: Did a bit more of Suramar earlier in the week, working on a few quests to get a friend of the rebellion elected as an advisor, though it's slow going with so much other stuff going.
Ar-Pharazon-V: What else... yes, 2 new pets. Got the Magma Rageling from Ulduar on monday, which leaves just the sanctum cub from that place. One of the friends I go with is also almost done with getting his legendary Valanyr from Ulduar, so after that we can skip a lot of optional bosses and pretty much only kill what we need to get to Auriaya, since, indeed, sanctum cubs is all we are missing.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Second new pet came from Dalaran; I'd gathered another 200 pet charms and got myself a Fel Piglet.
Arien V: :)
Ar-Pharazon-V: 500 charms to go for the remaining pets :-)
Ar-Pharazon-V: Very cute, that piglet, though looking a bit green!

Arien V: nice:) oh btw i ordrered a T-Shirt from the blizz store in the us ^^
Ar-Pharazon-V: Ooh, nice!
Arien V: wonder how long its going to take alas

VardaValar1: (LotRO Spring Festival extended to April 9)

Arien V: womans t-shirt with Horde symblols ^^
Arien V: really looks cool
Ar-Pharazon-V: Pff, horde ;-)
Arien V: if the alliance one looked a bit more colorful i might have chosen that :P
Arien V: just grey ...

Ar-Pharazon-V: Oh, and finally I'll say that I've gotten a bit more progress in appearance hunting, clearing heroic Auchenai Crypts and normal Sethekk Halls. Sethekk Halls is a bit weird in that all the normal stuff can drop on heroic too, judging by the loot tables, which means I'm only missing 3 new items from heroic itself. Should be interesting.
Ar-Pharazon-V: I also checked out the new list of sets in the appearance tab, and it'll be very useful for keeping track of pieces from various difficulties of the same raid.
Ar-Pharazon-V: Looks like the Karazhan set is next for me :-)
Ar-Pharazon-V: And that's my report for the week!
VardaValar1: Thank you, Phar.
Arien V: Thanks Phar

Arien V: And .. bed time for me i think :)
VardaValar1: Sleep well!
Ar-Pharazon-V: Namarie!
VardaValar1: LotRO time for me :-)
Arien V: Namarie for now *yawns*
Ar-Pharazon-V: Heroes of the Storm time for me. The buddy I usually play with went to bed already, but I can pug a few ;-)
Arien V: have fun :) and say aiya to the gang from me
Ar-Pharazon-V: He knows I'm always late when it's meeting day!
VardaValar1: :-)

Ar-Pharazon-V: saving and sending transcript
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