September 4, 2022
Sunday Meeting
5:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Savings
Time
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): (7)
Discord: Arien, Ar-Pharazon, Elladan, Eonwe, Pallando, Sandalf13, Varda
(presiding)
Before-meeting
Meeting begins
Membership news:
Arien-(Valar)'s
dad passed away yesterday.
Elladan-(V)
is getting married soon!
Web:
Tolkien Site/ Stories: "Tulca"
by Eonwe-(Valar)
Gaming:
Games
Site Mass Update (GSMU) emails are going out tonight. If
you didn't get one, we don't have your correct email. Please
contact Eonwe by email, Discord, in-game, or on the Forum, or
contact Varda to send it on to Eonwe.
World of
Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online
Tolkien:
Topic
1: Tolkien Moment: the elves' fight up north while Helm's
Deep and many other battles were occurring elsewhere.
Topic 2:
Rings of Power
After-meeting:
General chat: more on RoP, strong female
characters, jobs and savings.
(non)Flashgaming
Reviews (plus) by Ar-Pharazon. Includes Blizzard games.
top
Before-meeting
Eonw๋ Valar 08/29/2022
Because inquiring minds wanted to know:
https://youtu.be/HCTMGlne6ac?t=89
YouTube
8thManDVD.com Cartoon Channel
Looney Tunes Cartoon Classics: Plane Dippy
(Porky Pig) (1936) (HD) ...
September 4, 2022
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 7:14 AM
This won't be in the regular gaming news list, but it's of
interest (perhaps) anyway:
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23840670/return-to-wow-and-get-shadowlands-free
World of Warcraft
Return to WoW and Get Shadowlands Free! - WoW
**Time is running out. Claim yours by September
5. --Don't own Shadowlands yet? For a limited time, claim your
FREE copy of the Shadowlands Base Edition and a Level 50 Character
Boost. Secure these gifts and step into the afterlife today!
[7:15 AM]
You don't have to have a current subscription it seems to claim
it, so you could claim it now if you think you might play WoW
later.
Varda Yesterday at 3:57 PM
Thanks, Eonwe. : )
[4:00 PM]
Aiya!
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:00 PM
Aiya!
Varda Yesterday at 4:01 PM
Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!
[4:01 PM]
Membership:
[4:01 PM]
Aiya Phar : )
Sandalf said he might be little late but hopes to make it.
[4:02 PM]
@Bounder Aiya! Time to say hi, chat Tolkien and gaming, or lurk
with a smile!
[4:03 PM]
Any membership news on your side of the screen? : )
[4:04 PM]
Just good to see the Phar here!
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:04 PM
Only that hopefully this heatwave will be over by the end of next
week, I don't think it's doing good things for my health.
Varda Yesterday at 4:04 PM
Eep!
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:04 PM
Oh, and I applied for a job. That's new!
Varda Yesterday at 4:04 PM
sends our long rainy time towards you
Good luck!
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:04 PM
thanks
Varda Yesterday at 4:05 PM
Glad you're feeling well enough again to go for it! Yay!
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 4:05 PM
Heya all.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:05 PM
Aiya :0
* 🙂
Varda Yesterday at 4:05 PM
Aiya Eonwe : )
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 4:06 PM
Hope everyone knows Porky Pig's full name now, hehe.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:06 PM
...not from the top of my head 😄
Varda Yesterday at 4:06 PM
Too slow to keep up with his list!
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:06 PM
though I did watch the video!
Varda Yesterday at 4:06 PM
It's in the early part of the video.
A long list!
Seemed like I caught Ulysses. : )
Might be a way to slow it down, or I'll just have to listen a
bunch of times!
Web:
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:08 PM
Or read the description 😉
Varda Yesterday at 4:08 PM
Very happy to report a new short story by Eonwe!
Backing up to our pig:
"Porky Cornelius Washington Otis Lincoln Abner Aloysius Casper
Jefferson Philbert Horatius Narcissus Pig,"
Arien Valar Yesterday at 4:09 PM
aiya all 🙂
Varda Yesterday at 4:09 PM
Thanks Phar!
Aiya Arien : )
top
Web:
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:09 PM
Aiya Arien!
Varda Yesterday at 4:10 PM
Tolkien Site / Stories:
We have a new short story by Eonwe in his series on Auros. Enjoy!
"Tulca"
http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/fiction/authors/Eonwe/stories/Tulca.htm
(while they're reading...)
On to
top
Gaming!
gavel slides across the shiny,
smooth table to Fionwe
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:14 PM
rubs out a small spot on the shiny table with spit
Varda Yesterday at 4:14 PM
all tidy again!
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 4:14 PM
Thanks :}
First, I expect to be sending out GSMU
e-mails tonight, so you can keep an eye out for them tomorrow.
World of Warcraft:
This week's Bonus Event: Arena Skirmishes.
The PvP Brawl: Classic Ashran runs through Tuesday, September 6th.
The Wrath of the Lich King Classic Pre-Patch is now live. Enjoy
the Scourge Invasion! ---
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23847495/the-wrath-of-the-lich-king-classic%E2%84%A2-pre-patch-now-live
World of Warcraft
The Wrath of the Lich King Classic Pre-Patch
Now Live! - WoW
Ominous portents gust in on icy winds blowing
into Azeroth from the cold lands of Northrend.
The Lich Kings undead forces are on the move,
and heroes are needed once more to stem the tide of the Scourge
before its too late.
The Wrath of the Lich King Classic Pre-Patch
Now Live! - WoW
The WoW: Dragonflight Beta Test has begun. ---
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23841482/the-world-of-warcraft-dragonflight-beta-test-begins-today
World of Warcraft
The World of Warcraft: Dragonflight Beta Test
Begins Today! - WoW
The World of Warcraftฎ: Dragonflight beta test
begins today!
Over the course of the test, well be inviting
community veterans, press, fansites, and friends and family to
check out the upcoming expansion and give us feedback.
The World of Warcraft: Dragonflight Beta Test
Begins Today! - WoW
There are updates coming to the UI. Check them out. ---
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23841481/world-of-warcraft-dragonflight-hud-and-ui-revamp
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft ฎ: Dragonflight HUD and UI
Revamp - WoW
Get ready for a customizable HUD and UI
designed to be effective, attractive, and easily accessible.
World of Warcraft ฎ: Dragonflight HUD and UI
Revamp - WoW
Check out the latest hotfixes. ---
https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/news/23800887/hotfixes-september-2-2022
World of Warcraft
Hotfixes: September 2, 2022 - WoW
Here you will find a list of hotfixes that
address various issues related to World of Warcraft: Shadowlands,
Burning Crusade Classic, and WoW Classic.
Hotfixes: September 2, 2022 - WoW
And that's it for gaming news I'm aware of.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:16 PM
(new beta feral talents look interesting)
Varda Yesterday at 4:18 PM
Thank you, Eonwe.
I have some
Lord of the Rings info.
We are currently between festivals. puff
A handy place to find events is at:
[4:19 PM]
https://fibrojedi.me.uk/lotro/lotro-events-calendar-schedule/
FibroJedi
The Prettier LOTRO Events Calender 2022!
>>
From XP boosts, to Chicken-Hocky, to full-on
LOTRO Festivals, the 2022 LOTRO Events Calendar has something for
everyone! >>
[4:20 PM]
But so you don't have to dig through it right now,
Sept 15-20 "Tales of the Shipwrecked Mariner"
Across all our games, Sept 19 is "Talk Like a Pirate" day and
tends to show up in various forms. Much fun.
[4:21 PM]
Sept 21-27 "Bilbo Baggins' Birthday"
That birthday tends to sneak up on me, as real life Bilbo and
Sauron have birthdays right in there too.
Sept 29-Oct 24 "Buried Treasure Event".
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:22 PM
Always a lot of birthdays in that time. I know several people too.
Varda Yesterday at 4:22 PM
For characters in the vicinity of level 45 or 50, don't forget to
reforge the new LI's whenever the character hits a -1 or -6, as in
71 or 76.
[4:23 PM]
Phar, Bilbo and Frodo proved it's a good time for them! Partyyyy!
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:23 PM
:)
Varda Yesterday at 4:23 PM
We keep having updates, often every Wednesday to cut lag, so
remember that after an update, the user channels tend to need
re-entered. To do this, type
/joinchannel Valar
[4:24 PM]
Ok, on to who was on this last week and thanks for being there!
This also lets the gang here know we do have more folks active. :
)
[4:24 PM]
Landroval kin branch
(main kin branch):
Aranuir
Dis
Eonwe
Fangorn
Ioreth
Nar
Tulkas
Varda
Crickhollow kin branch:
(Refugee location for those that
didn't have room on Landroval, made when Anor server closed.
Other server refugees or new characters that can't make it into
Landroval are also welcome. Be sure to see what is needed to
make new character slots on Landroval first.)
Eonwe
Fangorn
Varda
Shadowfax kin branch:
(as of Aug 31, level cap now 105)
Arien
Varda
Treebeard kin branch:
Varda
[4:25 PM]
That could have been spaced out better, heh.
Arien Valar Yesterday at 4:25 PM
it is readable
[4:26 PM]
:)
Varda Yesterday at 4:26 PM
It will look better on the transcript when it's fixed there.
Any other gaming news, need of invites? Crickhollow kin vault is
weirdly empty and could stand some mats. : )
[4:27 PM]
Breaking back to Membership news for a bit.
Arien, your floor.
Arien Valar Yesterday at 4:28 PM
aye its a sad floor i fear . My dear father passed away yesterday
morning
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:28 PM
Condolences.
Arien Valar Yesterday at 4:28 PM
I told you a few weeksz ago that my parents had caught covid and
trhat dad was in hospital
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 4:29 PM
Sorry to hear that Arien.
Arien Valar Yesterday at 4:29 PM
he had other conditions including aweak heart and parkinson 's
so his heart was too weak to recover from that double whammy
[4:30 PM]
and thanksl Eonwe and Phar :)
Varda Yesterday at 4:30 PM
(Arien and I were talking on the side chat earlier.)
but another hug is in order. /hug
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:31 PM
Myep, covid can still be nasty.
Arien Valar Yesterday at 4:31 PM
bathes in hugs
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:32 PM
WoW bearhug
Varda Yesterday at 4:32 PM
: )
We are at the half hour. Moving on to
top
Tolkien
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:34 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lsSF5VksF4
for more bearhugs!
YouTube
GreenoxPL
Claw- How to get saved from bear hug
Varda Yesterday at 4:34 PM
A Tolkien Moment can be found in odd places, including the
Timeline in the Appendix B of RotK, (also a separate little book
in some places, I've heard, never seen it though)
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:34 PM
(an obscure-ish platformer I used to play)
Varda Yesterday at 4:35 PM
Thanks Phar : )
"Three times Lorien had
been assailed from Dol Guldur, but besides the valour of the
elven people of that land, the power that dwelt there was too
great for any to overcome, unless Sauron had come there himself.
Though grievous harm was done to the
fair woods on the borders, the assaults were driven back; and
when the Shadow passed, Celeborn came forth and led the host of
Lorien over Anduin in many boats.
They took Dol Guldur, and Galadriel
threw down its walls and laid bare its pits, and the forest was
cleansed.
.
In the North also there had been war
and evil. The realm of Thranduil was invaded, and there was long
battle under the trees and great ruin of fire; but in the end
Thranduil had the victory.
.
And on the day of the New Year of the
Elves, Celeborn and Thranduil met in the midst of the forest;
and they renamed Mirkwood Eryn Lasgalen, The Wood of
Greenleaves."
End quote.
We have here a mention of the fact that Celeborn was a great
fighter and leader of fighters. This is like a warrior king in a
tribe. Galadriel comes in like the shaman or high priestess and
takes out the rest.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:38 PM
Across the Anduin in many boats. I wonder if it was swimmable at
that location...
Varda Yesterday at 4:39 PM
Rather not try it in armor hauling weapons and other gear?
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:39 PM
Good point!
Varda Yesterday at 4:39 PM
Skip being at a guarded ford, too.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:40 PM
Bringing down Dol Guldur sure paints a powerful picture.
Elladan Yesterday at 4:41 PM
Aiya!
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:41 PM
Isn't it similar to what the host of the Valar did to
Thangorodrim?
Varda Yesterday at 4:41 PM
Elladan! Aiya : )
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:41 PM
Aiya!
Varda Yesterday at 4:41 PM
In miniature, aye. : )
Good to see you able to join in again, Elladan. Welcome back. : )
Elladan Yesterday at 4:42 PM
Been very busy. Just hopping in to say hello. Ill try to be more
active. Getting married in five weeks!
Thank you! Good to see you all again
Varda Yesterday at 4:42 PM
Congratulations! May you both be very happy!
How wonderful. : )
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:42 PM
Congrats!
Elladan Yesterday at 4:42 PM
Thank you very much
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:42 PM
bride to be a new recruit?
Elladan Yesterday at 4:42 PM
Haha unlikely.
Varda Yesterday at 4:42 PM
A recruit to hanging out with Elladan. : )
Elladan Yesterday at 4:43 PM
Cant have it all
Yes!
Varda Yesterday at 4:43 PM
Wellll
eyes Fangorn sometimes we get lucky.
Elladan Yesterday at 4:43 PM
Dinner time! Ill read when I can in a while. I want to hear your
thoughts on the Rings of Power. No spoilers!
Varda Yesterday at 4:44 PM
No spoilers!
Enjoy dinner and hobbiting out!
It's a good question. Has anyone here watched Rings of Power?
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 4:45 PM
Nope.
Varda Yesterday at 4:45 PM
I hear crickets.
One thing that sounded interesting was it has a number of location
shots in New Zealand.
It's supposed to be visually beautiful and with excellent music.
I have not seen it.
I've heard they contracted the timeline immensely.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:47 PM
I have not seen it either. I have some interest in it, but I'd
need a place to find it 🙂
Varda Yesterday at 4:47 PM
They only have rights to the Appendix and not to the Silmarillion,
yet are setting it in Silmarillion times. Sounds like a serious
problem.
It's supposed to be on Amazon Prime, the Amazon Video thing. Some
folks are subscribing for one month to watch that show with the
intent of dropping afterwards.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:48 PM
What does that even mean? Can they not use characters that are
only in the Silmarillion? Can they only use characters who are in
the appendix but not the Sil?
Varda Yesterday at 4:48 PM
If it's in the Appendix, it can be used.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:48 PM
But they can't "fill it out" in ways that happen to also be in the
Silmarillion?
Varda Yesterday at 4:48 PM
Aiya Pallando! : )
Arien Valar Yesterday at 4:49 PM
aiya Pallando 🙂
Varda Yesterday at 4:49 PM
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_lord_of_the_rings_the_rings_of_power
Rotten Tomatoes
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Synopsis:Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings:
The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the
heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history.
This epic drama is set thousands of years
before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of
the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great...
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Pallando-Valar Yesterday at 4:49 PM
I have heard nothing but bad things, personally. I'll still
probably try but Amazon has so far crashed and burned with every
adaptation except when they took over the Expanse from syfy...
Aiya
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:49 PM
Aiya Pallando 🙂
Arien Valar Yesterday at 4:49 PM
i watched the first two episodes by the way 🙂
Varda Yesterday at 4:50 PM
I kind of cringe at what I've heard about the lore. Have to
watch it like AU fan fiction.
Pallando-Valar Yesterday at 4:50 PM
I managed to hate-watch the first 3 episodes of Wheel of Time but
even I ran out of spite after that.
Varda Yesterday at 4:50 PM
heh, Pallando.
Yesterday: Critics average: 84%, Audience average: 38%
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 4:50 PM
I have no interest in adding to their view counter. [Note:
Not a view counter but reviews. The percentage is for saying how
many liked it.]
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:50 PM
Well, I saw The Watch, based on Discworld, which was also
quiiiite a long way from the base material, but still enjoyable in
its own right.
Varda Yesterday at 4:50 PM
Today 84%, 39%
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:51 PM
I'm hoping something like this would be the same.
Pallando-Valar Yesterday at 4:51 PM
oh, you know what? They did good with Good Omens. But that
was co-produced with BBC.
so if it's solely Amazon, they have failed miserably. If
they co-produce it might be okay.
Varda Yesterday at 4:51 PM
Did Neil Gaiman keep a tight reign on it? He's trying to with Sandman.
Good luck to him.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:52 PM
Well, The Watch was also BBC. But i"m more talking about
adaptations in general.
Pallando-Valar Yesterday at 4:52 PM
Yeah, he was heavily involved and he also knows how to write for
TV (cf: first season of American Gods)
Neil has written for TV before, knows the system and how to work
it and all that.
Varda Yesterday at 4:53 PM
Arien, you actually watched Rings of Power, while we have not. Do
you have a comment?
Arien Valar Yesterday at 4:54 PM
I liked it actually after getting used to their cast of elves ^^Y
and their style with short hair
Varda Yesterday at 4:54 PM
That gives hope.
Short hair. Just to be different? So strange to do.
Arien Valar Yesterday at 4:55 PM
but actually its solid movie fantasy and their Hobbits / Harfoots
they are really adorable
gotta love those for sure if nothing else 🙂
Varda Yesterday at 4:55 PM
Harfoots. Not calling the early ones Stoors then.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 4:55 PM
Well, they were already divided in the second age.
Or at least before the migration.
Varda Yesterday at 4:56 PM
Sam was a Harfoot mostly, if I remember correctly. Frodo a
Fallohide. Gollum was a Stoor from way back.
Arien Valar Yesterday at 4:56 PM
i think thats a different clan i am not sure .. probably doesnt
fit in quite lorewise with what wse are used to traditionally but
it doesnt make it a bad series .. tolkienesque yes and yes
but if u are traditional u might not like it
story : galadriel suspects Sauron is still lingering around while
Gil Galad and Elrond say not no but they dont want lto waste more
time finding tracks and send Galadriel back to Valinor which she
defies goes on searching while we see that her suspicions
are not that unfounded
we see the various characters introduced and the story
unfold
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 5:00 PM
They send Galadriel back to Valinor? 😄
Arien Valar Yesterday at 5:00 PM
I think its well made and treated as fan fic i think it
passes well off
well that is the story .l i fear doesnt make much sense tbh
Varda Yesterday at 5:01 PM
Thanks. That's... odd.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 5:01 PM
Well, we are used to fanfics.
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 5:01 PM
Almost like no one would've complained if they had the [guts] to
make a brand new IP instead of glue it onto someone else's life's
work?
Arien Valar Yesterday at 5:01 PM
But if you treat it as entertainment and just fantasy it s
enjoyable enough
bit like Rogue one or Solo
Varda Yesterday at 5:02 PM
It would have been nice if they had simply made it into a new
fantasy tale with Tolkien roots as many have.
Arien Valar Yesterday at 5:02 PM
in the Star Wars universe
Varda Yesterday at 5:02 PM
Ok, will treat it as fan fic. : )
We can hope it will bring new people to try reading the books.
Although which ones?
It's not the Sil and not the LotR.
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 5:03 PM
The ones rewritten to match the NEW Vision(TM)
Arien Valar Yesterday at 5:03 PM
I think it tries to tell the making of the three as well
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 5:03 PM
Well, it's at the back of the Sil and at the back of LotR 🙂
Varda Yesterday at 5:04 PM
Tippy-toeing around the Sil so as not to come afoul of copyright.
Arien Valar Yesterday at 5:05 PM
i met Celebrimbor , Prince Durin and his father, Elrond and Gil
Galad and briefly at the beginning Finarfin i think .. was
he a brother of Galadriel?
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 5:05 PM
Father, I recall.
But hey, when you age like Elves, what's the difference?
Arien Valar Yesterday at 5:06 PM
i didnt like the fact the male elves at least the older ones come
across almost as homely with wsquare faces while the younger ones
(in elven terms are what you d call good looking
but hey .. details 🙂
i am looking forward to the continuing story ... they release one
episode per week on fridays
Pallando-Valar Yesterday at 5:23 PM
isn't bitter
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 5:23 PM
So, you gotta ignore Tolkien to enjoy something with Tolkien's
name on it. Got ya :}
Arien Valar Yesterday at 5:23 PM
something like that 🙂 and as i said the Harfoot characters are
adorable
Varda Yesterday at 5:24 PM
I've heard the scenery is fantastic (used New Zealand in live
shots) and the music is very good. Did it seem that way to you,
Arien?
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 5:24 PM
That's like "If you like chocolate, you're totally not going to
like our chocolate. But if you've never had chocolate, you'll
think ours is awesome!" :}
Arien Valar Yesterday at 5:25 PM
The landscape is fantastic indeed yes
Varda Yesterday at 5:25 PM
I've heard from another member that he was really enjoying the
RoP.
We've reached the hour and sailed past it nearly a half hour. : )
a gavel comes running out, makes a run back for its
handkerchief
it gives a passable but oddly muffled sound for the
hammerpad
Arien Valar Yesterday at 5:27 PM
got no time for getting a hankerchief!
Varda Yesterday at 5:27 PM
THUD
top
After-meeting!
So now we know why we're slightly late.
; ) Handkerchief!
Arien Valar Yesterday at 5:27 PM
hehehe
Varda Yesterday at 5:30 PM
Well, off to see to supper for this gang on Taniquetil. Man
the wall of ovens, folks! It's that time!
Arien Valar Yesterday at 5:30 PM
Namarie then and enjoy 🙂
Varda Yesterday at 5:30 PM
Cheers : )
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 5:30 PM
Enjoy!
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 5:31 PM
Hello anyone! I just got in. Sorry I missed today's meeting...had
a long-standing appointment with an old friend.
I will have to look over today's notes.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 5:33 PM
Aiya!
Varda Yesterday at 5:36 PM
Sandalf, did you see Rings of Power yet? We are getting very mixed
reactions on it. : )
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 5:36 PM
Aha, found my better picture of that meme:
If I can get it up here....
Varda Yesterday at 5:38 PM
Ok, I really do need to go cook. : )
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 5:40 PM
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/98425690877104128/1016115658867609620/Meme.jpg
"Some strong female characters that inspired me."
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 5:40 PM
Yes. I was in tlouch with Arien this past week and she told me she
was watching the RoP. I do belong to Amazon Prime, so I decided to
watch the very first episode. I agree with the general drifty: I
consider myself a real Tolkien fan, and do not like to stray too
far from the real world that Tolkien created. The scenery and
music in the RoP are stunning, to say the least,, but the plot is
too far out there for me to really enjoy
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 5:40 PM
Ok, that worked actually.
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 5:41 PM
Enjoy your cooking, Varda!
Nice meme of Strong Female Characters.
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 5:42 PM
All three awesome characters :}
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 5:42 PM
Clever girls...
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 5:43 PM
By the way, if you missed it Sandalf, during the week I put up a
link to a Porky Pig cartoon that will tell you exactly what
Porky's full name is, if you can keep up with it, hehehehe.
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 5:43 PM
Talking about strong female types...Do Female Spiders Eat Male
Spiders?
Not all female spiders will eat male spiders, but many of them
will. For certain species, like widow spiders, mating can easily
become a life-threatening activity for male spiders. The black
widow and redback females have a bit of a reputation for eating
their male partner after or even during mating with them.
More often than not, the larger female will eat the smaller male
during sex, which is why they are referred to as widow spiders.
Sometimes, the female will catch the male when they are in the
middle of trying to escape, but most of the time, the male spider
will welcome his fate, as if encouraging the female to eat him.
Why Do Male Spiders Mate if They Are Going to Get Eaten?
A male spider will still mate even though there is a risk of death
because he will still be able to pass on his genes, which is his
goal. Studies have even shown that redback spider mating sessions
are even longer if the male allows himself to be eaten by the
female. If he sacrifices himself, he can be sure that he will fill
his partner with more sperm.
Something that you might not have known is that the female will
keep this sperm in two storage organs, and she will then be able
to control when this stored sperm will be used to fertilize her
eggs. If she were to mate again, the second spiders sperm could,
in theory, replace the original sperm, but females that have eaten
their first mate are more than likely going to reject a second
mate. So, a male spider can almost guarantee that he will
reproduce if he allows himself to be eaten.
I will check it out.
Eonw๋ Valar Yesterday at 5:44 PM
I'm going to skip all that because I'm happy not thinking about
spiders.
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 5:44 PM
One can relate to that.
BTW - I DID see your post about good old Porky Pig. It was a trip
down memory lane for me.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 5:47 PM
"Hey, girl, wanna mate?" "No thanks, I've already eaten."
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 5:48 PM
That is hysterical! Thanks!
I don't know if I would want to be a male spider.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 5:49 PM
I guess the males who are the least likely to sacrifice their
lives are also the ones who don't get to reproduce, so it'll lean
in one direction.
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 5:50 PM
All true. As a father, I do get the idea about passing on your
genes...
Ar - did I see that you are on the job hunt? Good luck! I am
pleased to see that you are up to that!
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 5:56 PM
Well, I've been volunteering at jobs for years now, but need
something paid, pension-related etc 😛
And while I do have a job coach to find something that's actually
more suitable for me, what I've applied to will work for now.
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 5:57 PM
A brief story...if you do not mind. You might find it of interest
and applicable to your current situation.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 5:57 PM
Sure, why not 🙂
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 5:57 PM
OK then. Please bear with me. I shall endeavor to keep it short!
My father was a professor of economics at the John Jay College of
Criminal Justice in NY. He retired at the mandatory age of 70,
although he would have continued teaching, if he could have. In
any case, one of his collateral duties was helping graduates with
their financial planning. As a result, my father wrote a book
entitled "Retire Right," that went through 4 editions with his
first publisher, and then 4 more editions with a second publisher.
It was always my father's fondest hope that both he and I could
write a future edition together. Alas...it was not meant to be. I
was still working full-time when my father passed away at 99 in
2014. I entered semi-retirement (I still work extensively
part-time) in 2017, and began to take the required coursework for
a certificate in financial planning, so that I could prepare a new
edition of my father's book. I am still working on that now.
The Bottom line is that my father always advocated working longer,
if you are healthy enough to do so. People who work longer live
longer, so the statistics show. So: my Father would heartily
endorse your going out and getting a job that would help you get a
pension. Remember: if you live in any sort of a capitalistic
country (and you do), you need to plan for your retirement, and
the earlier the better. My advice as a successful graduate of the
8 course program I had to take in financial planning: devote 10%
of your income every month to your own personal pension plan. I do
not have any ideas of the rules in the Netherlands, but here in
the U.S., people are encouraged to set up personal retirement
plans IN ADDITION to their company plan. you really need to put
away 10% (or more, if you can afford it) now for the future.
That would be 10% of your GROSS income....before taxes.
Sorry if my story took too long!
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 6:05 PM
I'm not sure how much of that applies to my starting income, but
I'll definitely try to save money 🙂
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 6:06 PM
Do the best you can every month....believe me, it will pay off in
the long run, and I speak from the experience of someone who has
been earning real money since I joined the Navy as an officer at
the age of 20, way back in 1971.
Don't forget - if the company you work for it putting away some
retirement money for you as well, that all counts towards your 10%
goal.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 6:08 PM
I'm not a big spender, and still living with my parents, and if I
do start doing paid work I'll have no need to spend my savings to
get government benefits. So saving should not be much of an issue
for now.
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 6:09 PM
Enough said. Good luck with your current endeavor! I hope it works
out great for you.
🙂
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 6:10 PM
Thanks 🙂
This one's basically a stock job at a local shop, but we're also
considering getting in touch with the local computer shop, where I
already know some people, and see if I can go up a bit in there
while doing some IT courses.
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 6:12 PM
I found the article above in the New York Times yesterday. I think
it is true for all of us.
Attachment file type: document
How_to_Have_Fun_Again.docx
683.34 KB
I guess it is now the article below! he he
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 6:15 PM
wonders how that cloud is a castle
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 6:18 PM
Personally, I like the "collect rocks..." I made it a lifetime
habit!
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 6:18 PM
hehe
But while social media might be tough to fully experience, I'm
sure gaming still works, as I can tell you I still have fun in
there!
Which is why.... personal gaming report!
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 6:19 PM
Wunderbar!
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Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 6:20 PM
For (non)flashgaming, I'll give you a fun (yay!) platformer
https://www.kongregate.com/games/dietzribi/toodee-and-topdee
Kongregate
Toodee and Topdee
What happens when a platform game and a top
down game are combined?
Made for Ludum Dare 41 (Jam) in under 72 hours.
Theme: Combine two incompatible genres.
A combination of a top-down game and a platformer, where you must
switch between 2 game modes and their characters, to help each
other to the exit in each level.
Requires some out of the box thinking sometimes, as certain
features have different functions in each mode 🙂
Blizzard gaming:
Hearthstone:
Level 63 on the reward track now. More gold, mostly!
Brawl is a Mysterious Recipe, using the deck recipes from the new
expansion. As with every expansion, this brawl usually features
some good thematic decks with cards I've never even heard of 😉
I'm sure some are better than others, but I've had decent luck so
far!
With the new patch, battlegrounds mode has gotten a new reward
track, quests, and a lot of updates. I don't like battlegrounds
though, so I'm ignoring it completely and am just happy that it
means battleground weekly quests get their own place now, and I
don't need to deal with them in the other modes 😉
Battleground update also comes with a new currency, Runestones.
Rather than paying with real money in the Hearthstone shop, you
buy runestones, and spend runestones on battleground stuff as well
as other purchases. Idea is that they can ask for smaller amounts
for small items, giving a lot less hassle if you just buy some
stones and spend them more gradually.
I can understand that - I don't buy stuff in the game for real
money so it doesn't concern me anyway - but the changes do mean
that some parts of battlegrounds, like the choice of 4 heroes
instead of 2, are now paid for with runestones, and I've seen
people complain about making the battleground mode "pay to win" a
lot on the forums. So I'm not sure how this'll turn out to help or
hurt the game in the long run.
Regardless, I'm glad to be well out of the whole mode.
WoW:
More raiding! We cleared the final boss of Fated Nathria on normal
again on tuesday, giving us time to poke the Jailer on non-fated
normal. It won't give us the saber mount until we do that on fated
normal, which comes with a lot more health on the boss at least,
but non-fated normal Jailer went down pretty nicely in a couple of
attempts. So we've finally got the achievement for him, as well as
the new cutscene!
And this reset we've started Fated Sanctum on Heroic difficulty,
just because normal seems pretty easy 😉 This bit's more
challenging, will require more practice, but we have been getting
our first pieces of heroic fated loot, including a good trinket
for my feral spec for me!
I also managed to grab a fated-level tier chestpiece from the
vault, and considering my previous one was LFR-level, that was
quite a useful upgrade. In all, I'm not doing too badly this
season.
Weekly is arena skirmishes! Always fun in bear spec, and have been
having a decent winrate. Also got enough conquest to buy the
second pvp trinket for me this season, so now I've got a complete
pair at a pretty good ilevel. And made it to honor level 101 along
the way!
For alting, paladin completed Revendreth and a whole bunch of side
questlines for the Sojourner achievements. Including a pretty long
questline in Revendreth that ended up with her visiting her first
max-level dungeon, normal difficulty Halls of Atonement. I was a
bit worried, since I'm not used to dungeoning with alts, but she
actually did quite well there! I wouldn't want to try her in
heroic or mythic though 🙂
And now the only questline left is one that's not unlocked until
into the covenant campaign, so that's on the backburner... as I
switched to the rogue to do the 4 questing zones all over again!
Cleared his bags, upgraded his heirlooms and sent him further into
Bastion. With the story fresh in my head from the paladin, I can
go a bit faster and smoother, though his survivability is a bit
lower than the paladin's. But he did make it to level 51, which
gives a big boost from the heirlooms, and he's stabbing and
poisoning stuff like a maniac!
After a few evenings of questing he's already over halfway through
the zone, and I've little doubt that he'll be plunging into
Maldraxxus next week, where he'll feel right at home 🙂
Oh, as for the paladin, I did have her choose the Kyrian covenant
before hibernating her, as I'd read that affected a certain side
questline in Bastion which I wanted to see 🙂 So she's ready to go
on the Kyrian campaign when her turn rolls around again!
And that's my report for the week!
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 6:54 PM
And a worthy write it was!
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 6:54 PM
hehe
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 6:55 PM
I am very glad that you can take such pleasure in your gaming.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 6:55 PM
Definitely! And I hope that goes for you in LotRO as well. If not
now, then as you go along 🙂
Sandalf13 Yesterday at 6:56 PM
Thank you kindly. I shall keep trying.
Ar-Pharazon-V Yesterday at 7:52 PM
namarie!
@Sandalf13 BTW I DID see your post about good old Porky Pig. It
was a trip down memory lane for me.
Eonw๋ Valar Today at 12:20 AM
Yep, the old Loony Tunes cartoons are always fun to watch.
Eonw๋ Valar Today at 7:38 AM
GSMU Mail has been sent. Full Members are now free to send
in their Gaming Information throug Discord or the e-mail. Please
remember to tell me who you are in Discord because, unless your
guild name is your account name, I'm not going to recognize it in
a tell.
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