Valar Guild

November 6, 2022 Sunday Meeting

5:00 P.M. Eastern Time
(Eastern Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 6, 2022, at 2:00 A.M.)
Discord: Valar Guild/meeting_place

Back to News
Transcript work by Varda.
[times are Central Time from Varda's Discord. Add one hour for Eastern.]

Attending (and typed): (6)
    Discord:
Arien, Ar-Pharazon, Eonwe, Fangorn/Treebeard, Sandalf, Varda (presiding)
Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership news:
    Eonwe's guild-joining anniversary is today.
Web:

Gaming:
    World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Lord of the Rings Online
Tolkien:
    Topic: Our common tongue
After-meeting:
    (non)Flashgaming Reviews (plus) by Ar-Pharazon. Includes Blizzard games.

 
top

Before-meeting

Treebeard — 11/06/2022
Hello 

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Aiya!

Treebeard — 11/06/2022
Daylight savings time put us back an hour on  this day

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Well, that happened for us last week, so we're in synch again

Varda — 11/06/2022
Yay for being in-synch!

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Looks like WoW's anniversary has started... about a week earlier than expected. Hunter's only 25 so far, I'll have to focus on her to see what I can salvage at 30.
[3:39 PM]
Still, the thing lasts 3 weeks so I should be able to get some eligible kills in at 30.

Varda — 11/06/2022
Good to hear

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Aiya all1

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Aiya!

Varda — 11/06/2022
Aiya

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Aiya Varda!

Varda — 11/06/2022
@Bounder It's that time! Chat and maybe join up for gaming and Tolkien!
[4:02 PM]
Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
[4:02 PM]

Membership:

[4:03 PM]
Elwing is visiting at our house today. : )
Fangorn and I are in LotRO with her in a fellowship.
Dis was in LotRO too. : )
We are home, hurray!
[4:04 PM]
Any membership news from the rest of you? (raining here off and on)

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Aiyata

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
aiya

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Aiya Arien!

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Aiya Arien!

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
Aiya  all

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Yep

Varda — 11/06/2022
Good to see Arien, Ar-Pharazon, and Sandalf : )

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
And heya.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Aiya Eonwe!

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
I am back from holiday ~

Varda — 11/06/2022
and that Fionwe guy : )
[4:05 PM]
Welcome home, Arien!

Treebeard — 11/06/2022
Nice to see everyone

Varda — 11/06/2022
Fangorn! Yay!

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Aiya Treebeard!

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
aiya Fangorn

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
I remember this guy from 23 years ago....

Varda — 11/06/2022
heh

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
He walked into our channel wondering what we were all about.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
That's the way to do it!

Treebeard — 11/06/2022
Not so hasty, ents are...

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Now this was back on the old battle.net, mind you.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
"Wot's this then?"

Varda — 11/06/2022
: )

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
He met Aulë in that chat room and chatted with him a bit (Strange idea, chatting in a chat room.)

Varda — 11/06/2022
What a concept!

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
well chat rooms start weird  things ~

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
While he was there, Ulmo and Irmo the Dreamlord came into the chatroom as well.
[4:09 PM]
I guess that guy had a good feeling about us, because eventually he decided to take the entry test and join us.
[4:09 PM]
That was 23 years ago today.
[4:09 PM]
And that guy...
[4:10 PM]
...was me! cue spooky music

Varda — 11/06/2022
Yay!!

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Ooh

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Wow.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
I would've expected it to be Fangorn by the context of the start of this flashback.
[4:11 PM]
But Eonwe works!

Varda — 11/06/2022
Happy Anniversary, Eonwe!

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
And yes, happy anniversary

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Me three.

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Thanks :}
[4:13 PM]
I can see the confusion. Fangorn walked in right before I began my story, hehe. And heya Fangorn. :}

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
Happy anniversary indeed

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Anyway, that's all the member news I had for now, heh.

Treebeard — 11/06/2022
:)

Varda — 11/06/2022
That was a lot!
[4:17 PM]
Brought back memories here too. : )
[4:17 PM]
Any other membership news, comments?
[4:20 PM]
I should mention that Daylight Savings Time ended for Valar time (Eastern time), which you all seem to have noticed. yay!
[4:20 PM]

top

Web

I have no Web news...yet.
[4:20 PM]

top

Gaming:

[4:20 PM]
Eonwe, can you give the gaming news?

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Sure, one sec.
[4:21 PM]

World of Warcraft:
[4:21 PM]
This week's Bonus Event: World Quests.

The Torghast Event: Chorus of Dead Souls is going this week.

The Darkmoon Faire is going this week.
[4:22 PM]
Looks like the Anniversary might've started as well.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
nods

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
This means for the next week, there's three sources of exp boosts: The Winds buff, the Darkmoon Faire buff, and the Anniversary buff. If you can't get to or near max level with all that, you're not trying hard enough :} (edited)

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
I'll settle for getting my huntress from 25 to 30, thank you

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Faire enough :}

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
That is faring well...

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
The PvP Brawl: Cooking Impossible runs through Tuesday, November 8th.
[4:25 PM]
Check out all these blogs related to the expansion:
Adventure Lies Ahead in the New Dragonflight Dungeons ---
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23874315/adventure-lies-ahead-in-the-new-dragonflight-dungeons
    World of Warcraft
    Adventure Lies Ahead in the New Dragonflight Dungeons - WoW
    Four new level-up dungeons and four maximum-level dungeons await players who venture into the Dragon Isles. Whether you’re looking for loot, a new challenge, or to learn more about this ancient land, you’ll need to gather your courage— and your allies— for the trials ahead.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
That academy one looks fun.

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Dragonflight: Finding Your Way to the Dragon Isles ---
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23874313/dragonflight-finding-your-way-to-the-dragon-isles
    World of Warcraft
    Dragonflight: Finding Your Way to the Dragon Isles - WoW
    The path to the Dragon Isles, ancestral home of the dragonflights, opens November 28. Whether you’re returning to the land of Azeroth or new to these magical lands, we’ve put together some helpful information to prepare you for your journeys ahead.

[4:25 PM]
Dragonflight: New Adventurers Needed at Exile's Reach --- https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23873862/dragonflight-new-adventurers-needed-at-exiles-reach
World of Warcraft
Dragonflight: New Adventurers Needed at Exile's Reach - WoW
If you're new to World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, you can start your adventures in Azeroth with an introductory experience fit for a hero.

[4:26 PM]
Step Foot into the Dragon Isles with the Sounds of Dragonflight ---
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23873402/step-foot-into-the-dragon-isles-with-the-sounds-of-dragonflight
    World of Warcraft
    Step Foot into the Dragon Isles with the Sounds of Dragonflight - WoW
    With the release of Dragonflight, take an auditory adventure with the main title, “The Isles Awaken.”

[4:26 PM]
Dragonflight: Legacies, Chapter 2 ---
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23873400/dragonflight-legacies-chapter-2
    World of Warcraft
    Dragonflight: Legacies, Chapter 2 - WoW
    The sands of time unveil a tale of betrayal and treachery that changed the fate of the Dragon Aspects.

[4:26 PM]
And of course,
Check out the latest hotfixes. ---
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23814292/hotfixes-november-4-2022
    World of Warcraft
    Hotfixes: November 4, 2022 - WoW
    Here you will find a list of hotfixes that address various issues related to World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, Wrath of the Lich King Classic, Burning Crusade Classic, and WoW Classic.

[4:26 PM]
Hearthstone:
Patch 24.6 is out. ---
https://hearthstone.blizzard.com/en-us/news/23852694/24-6-patch-notes
    24.6 Patch Notes
    Prepare for Hearthstone’s next expansion: March of the Lich King!

[4:27 PM]
The next expansion has been announced: March of the Lich King. ---
https://hearthstone.blizzard.com/en-us/news/23852695/announcing-march-of-the-lich-king-hearthstone-s-next-expansion
    Announcing March of the Lich King, Hearthstone’s Next Expansion!
    The Undead are Reborn under Death Knights’ command in Hearthstone’s biggest expansion yet!

[4:27 PM]
Coming with the next expansion are Death Knights as a playable class. Check out the deep dive. ---
https://hearthstone.blizzard.com/en-us/news/23852696/death-knight-deep-dive
    Death Knight Deep Dive
    Learn how to become the master of death in this review of the new Death Knight class!

[4:27 PM]
That's it for my gaming news.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Oh, notable bit for Hearthstone...
[4:29 PM]
The patch comes with changes to among other things the event quests, instead making them special xp tracks with main quests and daily quests to get 1000 event-xp total for the entire track.
[4:30 PM]
So if doing Hearthstone quests is your thing... life just got a lot busier every day!
[4:31 PM]
In this case it's about 2 weeks themed after an old expansion, Knights of the Frozen Throne, as precursor to the next expansion.
Alright, continue

Varda — 11/06/2022
Thanks, Phar : )
[4:32 PM]
I don't have the news for LotRO, yet. Might put a gaming player list into the transcript later.
But having fun doing skirmishes in LotRO with Fangorn and Elwing : )
[4:33 PM]
These are co-op instances, not pvp, by the way.
(pvp is player vs player)

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Thank you.

Varda — 11/06/2022
pvmp is the usual thing in LotRO: player vs monster player
[4:34 PM]
pvmp is done in the Ettenmoors, so it doesn't make a lore conflict inside the main game.
[4:35 PM]
Before I forget again under membership news, Elwing is visiting in a between Halloween and my birthday (Nov 10) fun bit. : )
Arien, you were trying to type?

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Happy Birthday a bit ahead of time...

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
Nice

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Happy birthday, yes!
[4:36 PM]
Will it get presentses?

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
I hopes sssso...

Varda — 11/06/2022
It gets presents because it is very fortunate. : )
[4:38 PM]
rattles mysterious boxes
On to

top

Tolkien!

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Who?

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Happy Birthday :}

Varda — 11/06/2022
Tolkien is pretty much what brought us all together. : )
[4:38 PM]
Thank you. : )

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
I thought it was about Captain Kangaroo....my bad.

Varda — 11/06/2022
I remember Captain Kangaroo. : )

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Mr, Green Jeans was one if my first heroes.

Varda — 11/06/2022
heh : )
[4:40 PM]
So all of us here have read a crazy amount of Tolkien. That means we immediately have a lot in common!
We have to be able to read at a pretty high level and have the persistence to make it through. : )
[4:41 PM]
Finding such people while gaming is how most of you came aboard. Some came because of the Tolkien Site.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
I doth believe I was scouring the web for Tolkien maps for Warcraft 3 when I came across the website.

Varda — 11/06/2022
Some prefer the Hobbit, or the LotR, or the Sil, but we can all speak in a common tongue, so to say.
[4:42 PM]
There you go! Combo gaming and Tolkiien.
[4:43 PM]
Did you find anything helpful?

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Not for maps, but I did find a friendly community that I could contact through bnet

Varda — 11/06/2022
Sorry about the maps. We used to have a lot of maps before the Estate shut down most of them.
[4:45 PM]
We still have  few though. : )

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
No, not those kind of maps.
[4:45 PM]
Playable custom maps in Warcraft 3

Varda — 11/06/2022
The gaming maps.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
You do?

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Like we used to have a couple for Starcraft.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Hmm. Maybe I did find a few!
[4:46 PM]
It's been so long.

Varda — 11/06/2022
It has!
[4:46 PM]
But not Warcraft, I don't think.

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
*Starcraft, that "2" slipped out at first.
[4:46 PM]
But no, we didn't have any Warcraft maps.

Varda — 11/06/2022
We had Diablo mods

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
We had 2 Starcraft maps I think: Bridges of Osgiliath definitely, and I think Battle of the Morannon.

Varda — 11/06/2022
Aye!
[4:47 PM]
Is there a game left these days that we could make maps for?

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Starcraft 2

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Reforged?
[4:47 PM]
Also that.

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
And Warcraft 3 Reforged, aye.
[4:47 PM]
So we covered both bases between us :}
[4:48 PM]
Oh, and Minecraft, hehehehe.

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
I could not hold back...I have been eyeing this T-Shirt for some time now, and I finally ordered one from Amazon. Since I run, I thought this would be fund...
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1038948058286805042/Mordor_Fun_Run.jpg
    Mordor Fun Run "One does not simply walk"

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Heheh

Varda — 11/06/2022
Oh marvelous!
[4:49 PM]
No link to the original site to get them?

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
nice

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Not that I am aware of....I saw this on Amazon one day several months ago...

Varda — 11/06/2022
Just Amazon in general, ok. : )
[4:50 PM]
Looks like a fun shirt!

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Looks great  Should get one for the gym

Varda — 11/06/2022
Aye, perfect!

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Do you think that the three runners are, right to left, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli?

Varda — 11/06/2022
If you want to see them that way, yes. : )

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
No beard!

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
They all seem to be wearing cloaks...maybe the cloaks from Galadriel?
[4:52 PM]
True: but only Gimli would have a beard, and seeing how he is so short, maybe there was no room to put one in!

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
It's Frodo and Sam chasing Gollum who's carrying a bag of loot. (edited)

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Hah, I like that.

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
if you search on the amazon website Mordor fun run t-shirt  there is quite a few designs   n

Varda — 11/06/2022
: )
[4:53 PM]
So, does anyone want to make some version of Middle-earth maps for any of those games?

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Gollum went down into that ravine and grabbed all of Sam's pots and pans. That's going to fetch him a pretty penny in Mordor.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Googling, I just stumbled upon a Creeper World 3 map about Helm's Deep, for what it's worth.

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
If I had the time to mess with stuff like that again, I'd consider it, but other creative ideas have taken precedence :}

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
https://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=34912.0
    Knuckle Cracker
    Custom Map #8716: Helms Deep.  By: JimmyUnstoppable
    Custom Map #8716: Helms Deep. By: JimmyUnstoppable

Varda — 11/06/2022
We have many members. : )  Maybe one would enjoy trying it!

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Well, if you have the game, that # is all you need to find it

Varda — 11/06/2022
You don't want to be that butter spread over too much bread!
[4:59 PM]
There's what purports to be a quote from JRRT that might explain the allegory confusion we hear now and then:
I dislike Allegory - the conscious and intentional allegory - yet any attempt to explain the purport of myth or fairytale must use allegorical language.
https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/j-r-r-tolkien-quotes
    BrainyQuote
    J. R. R. Tolkien Quotes - BrainyQuote
    Enjoy the best J. R. R. Tolkien Quotes at BrainyQuote. Quotations by J. R. R. Tolkien, English Novelist, Born January 3, 1892. Share with your friends.

[4:59 PM]
Allegorical language. Would that be more like extended metaphor?

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Sounds similar to what he says in the Foreword to FotR. Alas, I've once again trapped my books far beyond my reach.

Varda — 11/06/2022
(Did not expect that image, pardon)
[5:00 PM]
We need to find a rolling shelf or suitcase for you!

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Seems to me that in-story there can be allegories to smaller things in smaller situations, poetic-like if you get what I mean.

Varda — 11/06/2022
Still sounds like metaphorical language.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
But no larger all-spanning allegories for the work or themes as a whole.

Varda — 11/06/2022
Aye, Phar

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
one of my favorite Tolkien quotes occurs in "The Shadow of the Past," and is ver geologic...so mych so, that to this day, it appears on the Title Page of my PhD Dissertation. My Committee had no qualms about letting me keep it there, since it was MY dissertation, after all, and I did credit J.R.R., of course:

Varda — 11/06/2022
Very good : )
[5:04 PM]
That was not one of my favorite quotes, but was an answer to a question about allegories that has been asked in the perhaps distant past here.

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
"The roots of those mountains must be roots indeed; there must be great secrets buried there which have not been discovered since the beginning...."  
And it is up to us geologists to figure out those great secrets.

Varda — 11/06/2022
Aye! Excellent. : )

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Just don't delve too deep!

Treebeard — 11/06/2022
  ... gets big shovel

Varda — 11/06/2022
a gavel makes an attempt to look like a pickaxe, but on one side
[5:06 PM]
it runs from the shovel, that might realize what it really is
tripping over the hammerpad, which mayyyy have moved
thonk!

top

After-meeting!

[5:06 PM]
Time to go make supper. : )

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Sup well :}

Varda — 11/06/2022
And let you fly!!!!
[5:06 PM]
And then play LotRO with these great people here if lucky!

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
You fools?

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Flaps arms, but gains no altitude. (edited)

Varda — 11/06/2022
Try jumping on a trampoline?

Treebeard — 11/06/2022
Ah... food ... Ent Draught and such

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
There it is....an appropriate hammer for geologic hammering.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1038952724257050665/th-330452936.jpg

Varda — 11/06/2022
Ta-daaa!

Treebeard — 11/06/2022
nice rock hammer

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
I remember that one from my study

Treebeard — 11/06/2022
The rock trolls tremble

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Not likely to make one go blind, a la the Amoeba People.
[5:08 PM]
They should indeed...

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
But mine had a looooot of scratches on it, from testing mineral hardness.

Treebeard — 11/06/2022
They actually work better than pick axes or hammers on rock samples
[5:09 PM]
Ok.  Logging out now.  Have fun and Namarie

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Namarie! Enjoy dinner!

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
Namarie

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Namarie!

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
With DST over, here in Lincoln we are not 5 hours behind Arien, and 6 hours behind Ar.
[5:11 PM]
now...not not.

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
oh i ve got one like  that   i did geology as a so called orchid subject in my high school  time

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Was that while you were still in dem Schweiz?

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
black forest , south west germany yeah
[5:13 PM]
it goes back uh 30 years  or a  bit more?
[5:13 PM]
35 i think

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
That part of Germany was my family's ancestral European homeland...somewhere in SW Germany or along the Rhine.

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
Neckar , Danube , Lake Constance and the  Schwaebische Alb  , and of course the  Hegau  volcans are  quite a geologically interesting area

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
I hope someday to revisit my geology field camp area in Bavaria, and also take in the Hegau volcanics and the Brocken...

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
My fieldwork was in Spain. Northeast.

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Catalonia?

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Yap.

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Did you get to Barcelona?

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
First one was 80 km from Barcelona, as I recall. Second one was near-ish Andorra.
[5:18 PM]
Well, we flew to Barca to get there, but no time spent there otherwise

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
I must be off. Take care all and have fun :}

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Namarie

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Namarie Eonwe!
[5:23 PM]
I too shall bid all a fond adieu...I am off to the Telegraph Mill to get some Tolkien work in while the sun sort of still shines...sets early now. I will check in on Ar's gaming report later. Sei gesund, all!

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Good luck!

Arien  Valar — 11/06/2022
Namarie  and good luck everyone

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
There, checked my first 4 chars for anniversary boss loot, and killed some stuff on the mage for that purpose. Got no loot, but I think I have the logistics sorted at least.
[5:31 PM]
Namarie!

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
No personal gaming report this evening?

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Not yet!

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Sorry! I should be more patient. I just checked into the Tel Mill...very full tonight. There were only a few tables available, but I was able to snag one, thankfully.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Yay

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
I enjoy working here, because it has a wholesome atmosphere, and is full of young college students...so the vibe is very upbeat. Now to work on The Germanic Ethos of Loyalty (Duty) and its influence on Tolkien.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
good luck

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Thank you. I will keep my Discord window open so I can read your report later.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Sur!
[6:11 PM]
with an e!

Varda — 11/06/2022
eeeeee!

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
EEEEEEEEE! I am still here organizing my thoughts for the Introduction, Influences on Tolkien. My mind is awhirl, too many thoughts seething in the cauldron at once! Oy Weh!

Varda — 11/06/2022
Make them go through a teeny tiny door one at a time!

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
I am TRYING!!!

Varda — 11/06/2022
Pile them all up in one place, then figure which is allowed to pop up first! Bash the rest back down with a gavel!

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Thank you...I shall attempt to do so. Did you have a good dinner? I stopped by Costco on the way to the meeting this afternoon and bought myself a tasty Costco chicken, that I ate a part of for dinner during our meeting. Delicious...and easy to fix.
[7:34 PM]
Is Ar still with us?

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
I am. No report yet, busy with some other stuff

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
I can believe that.

Varda — 11/06/2022
Yes, dinner was yummy. I made a fish fry, with veggies and some of us had ice cream dessert with frozen cherries and chocolate chips.

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Sounds absolutely heavenly. You are inspiring me to maybe have some ice cream when I get back to my digs.

Varda — 11/06/2022
I have contributed to the delinquency of a major.

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Worse things can happen, believe me.
[7:45 PM]
This is where I am right now, for the Introduction/Influences

Varda — 11/06/2022
Fangorn ate it. : )

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
(a) Love of Etymology, Mother's reading, appreciation of Literature, etc. ()including discussion of Greek Tragedy, irony, and other stuff he was exposed to at Oxford)    (b) Trip to Switzerland when he was 19 years of age (c) Cultural Influences  (d) Germanic Ethos of Loyalty (Duty), impact of Immanuel Kant (no doubt he was exposed to Kant while at Oxford)    (e) Wartime Experiences (I can sort of relate)   (f) Melding his Catholicism with his love of the Pagan Germanic Traditions ("That great noble northern spirit" that Tolkien himself called it)....and that is where I am right now.
[7:50 PM]
I got stuck in a rabbit hold considering Tolkien being dismissed as a "Nordicist," with all the negative connotations that entails (Nazism, Fascism, racial superiority, etc), when in fact he was anything BUT. I am including some quotes from his letters in which he rejects the key elements of "Nordicism" and condemns Hitler as an a..hole. Pardon my English. He was clearly NOT a Nordicist.
[7:51 PM]
And I have published articles to back that up!

Varda — 11/06/2022
So are you doing your intro list in the same order as it shows in the book chapters?

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Sort of. The Chapters sort of jump about, do they not? I am trying to list the influences that I am commenting on in more or less chronological order, although there is obviously a lot of overlap.
[7:52 PM]
I did, after all, call the book an idiosyncratic mishmash...and it is that, in every sense of the word.

Varda — 11/06/2022
You might end up rearranging the chapters later?

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
No. I do not think so. Best to let a sleeping dog lie. I feel OK with leaving them the way they are, given the title.

Varda — 11/06/2022
You can, but not stuck to it. Just a matter of changing the numbers of the chapters.
[7:54 PM]
Main thing is to get your intro list going.
[7:55 PM]
Where those items are most strongly emphasized in the chapters in the order of the chapters could work nicely.

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
I see your point, and I am thinking that I see the overall architecture of the book you are envisioning. I just don't know right now if I can rename/renumber/rereference all the chapters just so they go in the rough chronological order of the Introduction. Everything seems sort of overwhelming right now. Believe me...this is turning out to be as hard as the writing of my dissertation so many years ago. I have been getting some very positive comments from the few people who have looked up the chapters published so far online, thanks to you. Opinions are generally favorable.
[7:58 PM]
Besides...some of the chapters defy chronological order!
[7:59 PM]
I think that if people read the Intro and keep the ideas presented therein in mind, it will allow them to read each chapter as it comes.

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Personal gaming report!
[8:02 PM]
For (non)flashgaming, have https://www.kongregate.com/games/bontegames/factory-balls-forever
    Kongregate
    Factory Balls forever
    Factory Balls is back!
    You might think that working on the assembly line is tedious work, but not if you#39re manufacturing Factory Balls! Your job in this logic...

[8:02 PM]
Puzzle game where you have to color white balls using various tools, matching the example/order given.
[8:04 PM]
25 levels, but there's always other games in the series if that's not enough for you, or even a massive 200 level game for sale on Steam and other places!
[8:08 PM]
Blizzard gaming:
[8:11 PM]
Hearthstone:
Made it to level 115 on the reward track, getting more and more gold.
[8:12 PM]
Been working on the event quests for Knights of Hallow's End, the Knights of the Frozen Throne themed event. Currently halfway through the experience track, with the 2 most rewarding main quests still to go. I think I just need 3 of the daily quests to make it to 1000 and claim the Banshee Tyrande skin.

Varda — 11/06/2022
Make the intro agree with the chapters, don't have to change the chapters

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Mercenaries have changed as well in the patch, no longer with new random tasks given each day, but all tasks are now available at once, only limited by the mercs you choose to have in your party.
[8:17 PM]
Instead, the daily "visitors" give random non-story tasks, completing specific bounties with certain party members for random coins. As far as I can tell, these are randomly generated, as there is no pattern or theme to the visitors, their party targets or the bounties.
[8:18 PM]
I'm not too happy with this system, as I liked the idea of being set on random tasks and seeing which mercenaries have to join my party for that each day. Then again, it does mean that there's no longer a timer on completing all of them, so I can make my break from mercs last a bit longer.
[8:20 PM]
I suppose when I do return to it, I might let the visitors guide my composition while keeping an eye on the tasks they need.
[8:21 PM]
Oh, and the brawl this week is Rise of the Zombeasts, with each player using Death Knight Rexxar and throwing various undead beasty hybrids at each other. Randomness again, but quite creative.
[8:21 PM]
And of course both Throne and Hallow's End based, like the quest event
[8:21 PM]
WoW:
[8:22 PM]
No raiding still.
[8:23 PM]
Weekly is world quests. I've not much use for anima anymore on my main, so instead I've been doing the world quests that give gold rewards, and should complete all 20 by the end of the reset.
[8:25 PM]
Anniversary's started, and I've logged my first 5 characters for it so far, to get the achievement and gifts. Druid, paladin and rogue don't need anything from the anniversary bosses, but I have checked which items I'm lacking on the mage and hunter. Sent out the mage for a few boss kills already, though the hunter still needs 5 levels, which will be my focus for the next few days, until she can start killing the bosses as well.
[8:26 PM]
And I'll be logging all my other alts as well over the next week, though luckily the first 5 have the loot covered.
[8:28 PM]
Collector's Edition arrived in the mail this week
[8:29 PM]
Including 5 pins featuring the 5 dragon aspects, an artbook, a mousepad with dragon queenie Alexstrasza, and a bunch of in-game goodies:
[8:30 PM]
Mount: Tangled Dreamweaver. Sort of a druidy dragon mount, I quite like it for my druid, though of course flight form is still more efficient.
[8:30 PM]
Pets: Drakks the little Dracthyr, which I'll undoubtedly be using on my own Dracthyr, and Murkastrasza, the Alexs-themed murloc.
[8:31 PM]
Toy: Timewalker's Hearthstone, with a new hearthing effect, with sand. Not too spectacular, but hey, it's new.
[8:33 PM]
Hat mog: Diadem of the Spell-keeper, a blue dragonflight themed magic headpiece. Not too bad looking, but I don't really have a char that it fits on right now. https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-gb/character/eu/argent-dawn/callyria could be an option...
    World of Warcraft
    Callyria - Character - WoW
    Callyria (Argent Dawn) ❮Innovation❯ - 25 Draenei Frost Death Knight, 29 ilvl

[8:34 PM]
And last goody is 5 cloak-mogs, colored wings for all dragonflights. I'm currently using the green on my poisony assassination rogue, and the red on my fire mage. They look pretty cool.
[8:34 PM]
And finally, alting!
[8:36 PM]
Callunara, the classic Death Knight, has completed the quest arc from the inn in the Scarlet town, completing tasks for several death knights, freeing one from the Scarlet hold, and taking down the chapel, including the execution of a fellow blood elf (it's different for each race) in one of the most memorable quests in the starting experience.
[8:38 PM]
Along the way she's also gotten to level 57, and in a facepalm worthy moment I was wondering why she wasn't getting new abilities, just talent points for quests... until I realized that in Classic you still need to buy them one by one from trainers.
[8:39 PM]
So I sent her back up to Acherus to buy about half a dozen abilities, including Death Strike (sort of vampiric self-heal), an interrupt ability, and several others. Should help!
[8:40 PM]
With about 2 weeks of quests to go, next week she'll go after what remains of the Scarlet Crusade.
[8:42 PM]
The mage... got about 2 or 3 quests done in Bastion. Not much, and she probably won't see much action for a while after this either, between the anniversary and the focus on the hunter.
[8:43 PM]
She was about to meet the Forsworn for the first time, but then I pulled her away for worldbosses. I'm sure we'll continue with her questing eventually...
[8:45 PM]
The hunter, in the meantime, has been questing a bit more often. She finished Teldrassil, hopped on a boat to Stormwind where she cleared the new Northshire starting experience and the few new quests in Elwynn that she hadn't done yet, and then moved on to Dun Morogh where she swiftly cleared the Anvilmar starting quests and moved on to fighting trolls at Kharanos.
[8:47 PM]
Lots of travelling, lots of quests, but not too much xp, since the two starting experiences give less xp for completing them. Strangely enough, the Northshire mobs do scale with you up to 30 (or at least 23, in my case) but the Anvilmar ones max out at 10. At least they were easy to kill.
[8:49 PM]
Along the way, she picked up the fast riding skill in Stormwind, and is now waiting for flight at level 30. Level-wise she's made it from 22 to 25, getting various new talents, including Kill Shot, an execute-type ability that does a ton of damage for little focus once a mob is below 20% health. Even at these low levels, it's nice to use to finish fights.
[8:50 PM]
And that's it for WoW this week!
[8:51 PM]
I'll finish the report by saying that the 20-year old browsergame Ogame finally saw me in some action, with my main planet's stuff being blown to hell, though I did get a moon out of it.
[8:51 PM]
With all my planets and moons named after places from Tolkien's works, and my main planet being Numenor, I named the moon Alcarondas... as if it's a ship sailing around the continent in orbit
[8:55 PM]
And that's my report for the week!

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Thank you for such an outstanding report! Hope you have a good week! I just got back to my apt from the Telegraph Mill...

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
Thanks, you too

Sandalf13 — 11/06/2022
Tschüßi!
[9:03 PM]
:)

Ar-Pharazon-V — 11/06/2022
namarie!

Varda — 11/06/2022
Namarie : )

Eonwë Valar — 11/06/2022
Just got my collector's edition for Dragonflight today.
November 7, 2022

Sandalf13 — Yesterday at 3:42 PM
Congrats!

November 8, 2022

Eonwë Valar — Today at 1:22 AM
Thanks.

Varda — Today at 11:05 AM
Grats, Eonwe : )

Varda — Today at 8:45 PM
As promised, covering last two weeks report (LotRO):
Landroval kin branch:
Dis
Elwing
Eonwe
Fangorn
Ioreth
Nar
Varda

Crickhollow kin branch:
Eonwe
Varda

Shadowfax kin branch:
Varda

Treebeard kin branch:
Varda

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