Working while working to get work done on things we'd rather work on. Maybe I should have started with a "yo dawg" meme?
I think what I am trying to articulate, is the interesting setup our society has placed on creation and/or being productive.
As a part time employee, a full time student, a regular actor, a citizen of the internet and a human being on this earth, there are many things I wish to accomplish and many things the institutions I am part of wish me to undertake. The obligations to these institutions often conflict with the things I want to do privately, or even through the institutions in cases of programs I wish to control.
Specifically, I want to write my blog, write stories, plays, put on shows or workshops at school, run convention booths for my work or just play video or table top games (things I find just as important in my life for a multitude of reasons). I also want to make money at work so I can pay for these things. I want to be educated and a man of letters which only completion of this academic institution will give me. I want to become independently stable financially through my brain power and creation alone, getting paid to write or design or storytell.
I know, that is a whole mess of "I want" but lets be honest with each other, the satisfaction of our desires are usually very high on our lists of priorities, and I don't find any of the above immoral or belittling or problematic as a healthy functioning human being.
I guess the point of all this rambling and for H47 gettin' heavy, is that (and perhaps I am nothing more than a product of my generation, culture, and upbringing) I would like to live in a situation where I could put something on hold while I complete another project I had stuck my nose into. But alas, you can only do that with private projects. And, by the time you complete the compulsory projects assigned to you, it is often too late or moot to attempt them in tandem with your organization.
I apologize if this sounds like a frustration rant, it might very well be easily seen as one, but perhaps it's also to share. As young people, or even a universal theme, let us all work for a change, perhaps help others, or should we find it in our power, to pave the way for others, and facilitate the ability to create something beautiful, or even just some spare time, for others, and ourselves.
As for answers, I don't have them, and when I do, I try to live them as oppose to postulate and throw them around. This is just something I felt the need to ruminate upon and think others who read this blog might relate to and understand, perhaps help articulate things they themselves felt but had not yet voiced.
Thank you for your time,
...[+]
H4773r
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
What's In a Character Name!? Forsaken
How do you name your characters?
This segment will deal with naming conventions in various gaming situations.
This installment will go over WoW, Forsaken characters specifically.
So, over the last sixish years I've named several undead Forsaken characters, as well as "justified" character names for others I know when using them in fan-fic situations.
My main guideline involves, when the corpse re-animates, or gains sentient will, the first utterance from its lips is it's name. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, many Forsaken keep the names they had in life, but many of them never left the lands of their pre-unliving experience, where many "adventuring" undead have much more obscure and unique monikers. EXAMPLES!
Rah'Tin: My Forsaken Forest Troll from the d20 system table-top RPG. Our DM at the time was my buddy Jubblea sand he allowed me to be very creative with this particular creation. My idea was that it would be a nice joke to have his name sound like "rotten" but when the "corpsetenders" dug him up, his lifeless lips breathed the sound and his first friend in unlife agreed "yes, you really are, aren't you?" So the name stuck.
Termenus: my mage main, you might have met him in the past. It comes from a weak push of breath with the tongue pressed to the
upper teeth with the air moving the tongue out of the way and the mouth closing "Term." Then air through the nostrils (he was moving his new undead peices about, having been a caster in life, this was his focus) and continuing, produced a hissing sound (vital for many incantations and spells [draconic languages, D&D nerds anyone?] ) which gave him "en" and "oos."
Doohoohoohoom: A warlock name I have saved on a few servers should I ever decide to stack dots & more dots. This one is actually a result of his loss of lower jaw (at least on the original avatar I used) and because he has less verbal control expels more air than necessary when speaking.
You might have also noticed by know, a second, and even more important element of naming Forsaken WoW characters, a cool, dark, multi-level-meaning, name. My friend Jubble's character was named Necrus, an obvious allusion to "necro" or death. Termenus was derived from "terminal" or "terminus" meaning "the end." As well as with Doohoohoohoom, I have often taken a long breath to pronounce DOOOOOOOooooommmmm!!!! upon enemies in other gaming situations. This leads me to another example of names used, perhaps allusions to HOW these characters came into their un-living state.
Bellamuerte: My fiance's mage, obviously a romance language is great for unique and provocative names, but in RP terms, in one of the stories I have not yet confirmed with her (so it's not 'canon' so to speak) is that her character's cousin, Termenus, saw her in her newly returned state and proclaimed, "beautiful death, my cousin." And her freshly re-awakened mind took a liking to it and used an obscure language she knew to keep the moniker.
Gruetouched & Gruette: Warriors, this is an
obvious nod to RPG's of old, where wandering about in the dark without a light source meant certain death. And so is the case with this name. The story is that these two were wandering about in the dark and SOMETHING, killed them to allow The Plague to take over OR even affected their change. So when asked of their origins by other undead, they chose to keep the honorific as their identifiers.
Finally: Something I haven't been able to do too much in "normal WoW" that I miss, is the REAL RP. Most Likely in the future I will bore you all with the Most elaborate RP never RP'ed in World of Warcraft. A glimpse of it is actually one Rogue and one Hunter Pet.
BillyBones: my Rogue who is under 40 and GM of my family guild, partly named for the "old Captain" from Treasure Island, but also, in life his name was William Schreckwind, brother to Asthemus (who would die and return as Necrus) and Twin to Maxwell (who would also die and become BlackMax, a rogue that Jubbles rolled).
also,
Blackmax: my hunter Ribeyejack's pet cat (Humar the Pridelord) named after the fore mentioned rogue.
And so, yet another peak into my H47, with RP, WoW, and The Forsaken in mind. I would also say these similar rules might be applied to some DeathKnights, but even as I type, I think there would be other factors to consider, so don't quote me.
as always, see you around Thw Warcrafting World, and Dark Lady Watch Over You!
This segment will deal with naming conventions in various gaming situations.
This installment will go over WoW, Forsaken characters specifically.
So, over the last sixish years I've named several undead Forsaken characters, as well as "justified" character names for others I know when using them in fan-fic situations.My main guideline involves, when the corpse re-animates, or gains sentient will, the first utterance from its lips is it's name. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, many Forsaken keep the names they had in life, but many of them never left the lands of their pre-unliving experience, where many "adventuring" undead have much more obscure and unique monikers. EXAMPLES!
Rah'Tin: My Forsaken Forest Troll from the d20 system table-top RPG. Our DM at the time was my buddy Jubblea sand he allowed me to be very creative with this particular creation. My idea was that it would be a nice joke to have his name sound like "rotten" but when the "corpsetenders" dug him up, his lifeless lips breathed the sound and his first friend in unlife agreed "yes, you really are, aren't you?" So the name stuck.
Termenus: my mage main, you might have met him in the past. It comes from a weak push of breath with the tongue pressed to the
upper teeth with the air moving the tongue out of the way and the mouth closing "Term." Then air through the nostrils (he was moving his new undead peices about, having been a caster in life, this was his focus) and continuing, produced a hissing sound (vital for many incantations and spells [draconic languages, D&D nerds anyone?] ) which gave him "en" and "oos."Doohoohoohoom: A warlock name I have saved on a few servers should I ever decide to stack dots & more dots. This one is actually a result of his loss of lower jaw (at least on the original avatar I used) and because he has less verbal control expels more air than necessary when speaking.
You might have also noticed by know, a second, and even more important element of naming Forsaken WoW characters, a cool, dark, multi-level-meaning, name. My friend Jubble's character was named Necrus, an obvious allusion to "necro" or death. Termenus was derived from "terminal" or "terminus" meaning "the end." As well as with Doohoohoohoom, I have often taken a long breath to pronounce DOOOOOOOooooommmmm!!!! upon enemies in other gaming situations. This leads me to another example of names used, perhaps allusions to HOW these characters came into their un-living state.
Bellamuerte: My fiance's mage, obviously a romance language is great for unique and provocative names, but in RP terms, in one of the stories I have not yet confirmed with her (so it's not 'canon' so to speak) is that her character's cousin, Termenus, saw her in her newly returned state and proclaimed, "beautiful death, my cousin." And her freshly re-awakened mind took a liking to it and used an obscure language she knew to keep the moniker.
Gruetouched & Gruette: Warriors, this is an
obvious nod to RPG's of old, where wandering about in the dark without a light source meant certain death. And so is the case with this name. The story is that these two were wandering about in the dark and SOMETHING, killed them to allow The Plague to take over OR even affected their change. So when asked of their origins by other undead, they chose to keep the honorific as their identifiers.Finally: Something I haven't been able to do too much in "normal WoW" that I miss, is the REAL RP. Most Likely in the future I will bore you all with the Most elaborate RP never RP'ed in World of Warcraft. A glimpse of it is actually one Rogue and one Hunter Pet.
BillyBones: my Rogue who is under 40 and GM of my family guild, partly named for the "old Captain" from Treasure Island, but also, in life his name was William Schreckwind, brother to Asthemus (who would die and return as Necrus) and Twin to Maxwell (who would also die and become BlackMax, a rogue that Jubbles rolled).
also,
Blackmax: my hunter Ribeyejack's pet cat (Humar the Pridelord) named after the fore mentioned rogue.
And so, yet another peak into my H47, with RP, WoW, and The Forsaken in mind. I would also say these similar rules might be applied to some DeathKnights, but even as I type, I think there would be other factors to consider, so don't quote me.
as always, see you around Thw Warcrafting World, and Dark Lady Watch Over You!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Dieing to See Stockades
How to get anywhere in WoW. The art of the corpse drop!
Today's segment comes to you, thanks to the mind of my good friend Jubbles, who suggested I write about something we know a lot about, Dieing, and how to use it to your advantage in the Wide World of Azeroth.
Now, this is being written Pre-Cataclysm, but most of these guidelines are universal and I have not heard any major rumblings about if Blizzard will change death once Deathwing hits.
One thing I have always wanted to do in WoW (among, other things ) was to assemble a group and do the opposing factions lowbie instance. Thanks to dungeon finder, this is super easy and ally have done RFC and Hordies have rolled all over in Stockades. BUT, I would love to get a crew together of about level tewnty-ish, run down to STV, swim up the coast, and drop into Stockades, run it, and hearth out. Legit like.
Also, I had another companion, a "melee Lock," who ninjad an epic sword in ST long ago, who would bother me from time to time. I was out in Zangamarsh, finishing up the last quest there, that's about 66 right? And this kid, still not even 55, invites me to group and comes and finds me in the middle of a bunch of naga I had just cleared. He tells me that he has corpse drop explored, almost all of Outland before even hitting upper 50's. That he got a port around 50, and hasn't actually done a quest for two months.
So, the tips.
(Optional, because these feel a bit like cheating) Scout the target
Hit Wowhead , Thottbot , or even the excellent Wowwiki. Search it up, check the terrain, what kind of mobs are there, is it deep in enemy pvp territory (not that this is a deterrent, just good to have the info)? Then hop on your closest flight path.
Stock Up
Get yourself some pots (speed/health/stealth/water walk/water breathing) food, water for regen, make sure your hearth/ port mats are stocked and off cool down for when you achieve your target.
Do!:
Get Naked!
Hit Wowhead , Thottbot , or even the excellent Wowwiki. Search it up, check the terrain, what kind of mobs are there, is it deep in enemy pvp territory (not that this is a deterrent, just good to have the info)? Then hop on your closest flight path.
Stock Up
Get yourself some pots (speed/health/stealth/water walk/water breathing) food, water for regen, make sure your hearth/ port mats are stocked and off cool down for when you achieve your target.
Do!:
Get Naked!
As many of us know, dieing means our gear takes a hit in durability, this is solved by taking it off as you are not killing anything (usually) your the one getting killed! Although do wear non-durability items, like off hand frills & tabards, and many of us like cloth hats, low repair bill, but the right combo means you die in style!
RUN!
Move out, your not going to get there standing naked at the FP, dive into the danger zone!
The 5 "D"s; Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive & Dodge!
This takes some practice but when you perfect the art it can prevent quite a few deaths, if you want to be VERY fastidious, practice in progressively higher level zones until you have it down. Basically, learn where aggro ranges on mobs are relative to your level and their level. This in turn feeds to scoping out clear areas between mobs. I love high mounds as that will often be enough to take you out of a threat range, or even along the side of a hill can keep you away from angry pats and gives you the distance from the large cat chomping on your tabard tails. Which actually leads into my next tip.
Location! Find a Good Plot.
So, you have a small army of kobolds behind you thumping away and you just ran into 30 more, your HP is dropping below 20% and at the rate they are hitting you, you have 2 more seconds of "aspect of the dazed" before your "feign death" becomes "method acting death." Find a good spot to die. You will need to run back to this spot and when you rez, take just as much time to check pats around you and which mobs are about, before you hit that "resurrect" button.
(warning: Crotchety old WoW player Rant)
Back in my day, we didn't have no, new fangled graveyards around every corner, or some zippidy do-da speed increase as ghost form. If that was your problem, you rolled Nelf, and many did. When we died, we had to walk all the way back across the zone, get back to our corpse, and by the time we'd walked back to our poor, outstretched forms all the mobs wed takin 2 minutes a piece to kill, had respawned. Whats the point of this rant? Well, dont complain about not having a graveyard close enough (except for BRM, that one is still silly) and suck it up and get walking, that's part of this seminar, your going to be walking around in that crazy gray-white world with that whooshing noise of "spirit wind" or whateverthehell it is (unless of course, you turn it off in the interface, but, well, that's no fun, unless of course, you're like me and are dead all the time).
Also Optional; Take a friend!
Nothing is more fun in WoW, than doing it grouped. Like many things in life and game-life, having a companion, even if that person isn't actually doing the crazy drops with you, maybe just some guildies in g-chat, can keep you company, share your triumphs, or, deride you for being silly and not asking for a high level escort.
Finally, but not cumulatively, take pictures! Pics or it didn't happen!
Happy Dropping!
RUN!
Move out, your not going to get there standing naked at the FP, dive into the danger zone!
The 5 "D"s; Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive & Dodge!
This takes some practice but when you perfect the art it can prevent quite a few deaths, if you want to be VERY fastidious, practice in progressively higher level zones until you have it down. Basically, learn where aggro ranges on mobs are relative to your level and their level. This in turn feeds to scoping out clear areas between mobs. I love high mounds as that will often be enough to take you out of a threat range, or even along the side of a hill can keep you away from angry pats and gives you the distance from the large cat chomping on your tabard tails. Which actually leads into my next tip.
Location! Find a Good Plot.
So, you have a small army of kobolds behind you thumping away and you just ran into 30 more, your HP is dropping below 20% and at the rate they are hitting you, you have 2 more seconds of "aspect of the dazed" before your "feign death" becomes "method acting death." Find a good spot to die. You will need to run back to this spot and when you rez, take just as much time to check pats around you and which mobs are about, before you hit that "resurrect" button.
(warning: Crotchety old WoW player Rant)
Back in my day, we didn't have no, new fangled graveyards around every corner, or some zippidy do-da speed increase as ghost form. If that was your problem, you rolled Nelf, and many did. When we died, we had to walk all the way back across the zone, get back to our corpse, and by the time we'd walked back to our poor, outstretched forms all the mobs wed takin 2 minutes a piece to kill, had respawned. Whats the point of this rant? Well, dont complain about not having a graveyard close enough (except for BRM, that one is still silly) and suck it up and get walking, that's part of this seminar, your going to be walking around in that crazy gray-white world with that whooshing noise of "spirit wind" or whateverthehell it is (unless of course, you turn it off in the interface, but, well, that's no fun, unless of course, you're like me and are dead all the time).
Also Optional; Take a friend!
Nothing is more fun in WoW, than doing it grouped. Like many things in life and game-life, having a companion, even if that person isn't actually doing the crazy drops with you, maybe just some guildies in g-chat, can keep you company, share your triumphs, or, deride you for being silly and not asking for a high level escort.
Finally, but not cumulatively, take pictures! Pics or it didn't happen!
Happy Dropping!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
3rd 4 T3h Nrrd: Oct. '10
Let us declare that 2010 was the 3rd 4 t3h Nrrd Year for Doctors, with
DocPop!
Doctor Popular is a groovy Bay Area resident who I've been following for some time now. Not only has he been a constant contributor to the Nerdcore Scene from early on, he is a Renaissance man of Geekery.
He is a pro yo-yoer, craftsman, musical and visual artist, and connoisseur of local cuisines throughout the bay area, having many different food items around the The City named for him.
HERE you can dive into all that is DocPop and his goodness.
As for me, I love how quirky his style is. There is a very fun and proud vibe to all of his projects that keep me enthralled. Though he is by no means mute about controversial issues, the majority of his work that I enjoy is very loud and proud, and nerdy.
(Quick shout out to art/geek couples. His girlfriend UNWOMAN is also a musician and has some very awesome musical ability. Check her out if you're anything like my fiance who digs ladies with alternative musical outlets and production sensibilities.)
Below is just one of many videos and music projects the Doc has been involved with. Although often assumed, I was NOT in chess club, but I think, like many of us, it was not outside of the realm of possibility.
As much as I enjoy his music, I really dig DocPop because he is very visible in many communities close to my current home. He's almost always down at Mission Comics and his Tweets and Flickr read much like my own in that they're very observational throughout the day to day adventures. He is yet another guy who is living and surviving in one of the most expensive areas in the world and doing what he loves.
Mad props, DocPop!
He is a pro yo-yoer, craftsman, musical and visual artist, and connoisseur of local cuisines throughout the bay area, having many different food items around the The City named for him.
HERE you can dive into all that is DocPop and his goodness.
As for me, I love how quirky his style is. There is a very fun and proud vibe to all of his projects that keep me enthralled. Though he is by no means mute about controversial issues, the majority of his work that I enjoy is very loud and proud, and nerdy.
(Quick shout out to art/geek couples. His girlfriend UNWOMAN is also a musician and has some very awesome musical ability. Check her out if you're anything like my fiance who digs ladies with alternative musical outlets and production sensibilities.)
Below is just one of many videos and music projects the Doc has been involved with. Although often assumed, I was NOT in chess club, but I think, like many of us, it was not outside of the realm of possibility.
As much as I enjoy his music, I really dig DocPop because he is very visible in many communities close to my current home. He's almost always down at Mission Comics and his Tweets and Flickr read much like my own in that they're very observational throughout the day to day adventures. He is yet another guy who is living and surviving in one of the most expensive areas in the world and doing what he loves.
Mad props, DocPop!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Hatter Day: U.S. '10
Happy Hatter Day!
10/6, as the prolific size card reads, and in U.S. that would translate to the date October Sixth.
So, in honor of this mad day, wear a hat (very important), drink some tea, get mad, and maybe even, have a party!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
I Know, It's Late
Well H47ites, here we are, a half dozen days into the month and more than 3 days into the week and I know.
In the interest of consistent and entertaining posts I will post 3rd 4 T3h Nrrd a little later in the week.
Today, I will share some things fermenting in my mind.
I'm writing and starting to develop some serious Nerdcore Hip Hop lyrics and hope to start searching out a DJ, or even learn to mix myself.
Some Con-centric stuff, table top stuff, anime and video gaming stuff, maybe even some music about my job. I think I want to start with some re-written covers of mainstream songs, one of my other plans is to finally record some of my old music and then use that for samples to mix into Nerdcore music.
Something else I have simmering is maybe National Novel Writing Month, but mostly, once my show is over, I have a Steampunk story circulating in my notes and it might just grow into something. They say "write what you know" and some of the subject matter I know VERY well.
The show is coming along well, some great stuff there. If it isn't the most amazing show I've ever been part of, it is definitely not one of the easiest shows. A lot of work has been put into it from everyone, and I think the two central characters/actors are working their hearts out. It's painful to watch over and over, they have to live it.
School: well, I'm grinding my way through reading, one reading assignment at a time and hope to be caught up by the end of the month. My sci-fi class is helping me read no less than five classic stories before Thanksgiving and I'm psyched.
My Poli-sci class and my History class have me chronically depressed by how shitty our country is. Then, our sci-fi teacher goes and shows us a chunk of "An Inconvenient Truth" so, depression all around now.
On the positive side, it is compelling me to be active and pursue the things that are important to me, even if they are not in line with preservation of earth or our Union, I should be walking my talk and living the things I said I wanted to do with my life. There is nothing stopping me but myself.
In the interest of consistent and entertaining posts I will post 3rd 4 T3h Nrrd a little later in the week.
Today, I will share some things fermenting in my mind.
I'm writing and starting to develop some serious Nerdcore Hip Hop lyrics and hope to start searching out a DJ, or even learn to mix myself.
Some Con-centric stuff, table top stuff, anime and video gaming stuff, maybe even some music about my job. I think I want to start with some re-written covers of mainstream songs, one of my other plans is to finally record some of my old music and then use that for samples to mix into Nerdcore music.
Something else I have simmering is maybe National Novel Writing Month, but mostly, once my show is over, I have a Steampunk story circulating in my notes and it might just grow into something. They say "write what you know" and some of the subject matter I know VERY well.
The show is coming along well, some great stuff there. If it isn't the most amazing show I've ever been part of, it is definitely not one of the easiest shows. A lot of work has been put into it from everyone, and I think the two central characters/actors are working their hearts out. It's painful to watch over and over, they have to live it.
School: well, I'm grinding my way through reading, one reading assignment at a time and hope to be caught up by the end of the month. My sci-fi class is helping me read no less than five classic stories before Thanksgiving and I'm psyched.
My Poli-sci class and my History class have me chronically depressed by how shitty our country is. Then, our sci-fi teacher goes and shows us a chunk of "An Inconvenient Truth" so, depression all around now.
On the positive side, it is compelling me to be active and pursue the things that are important to me, even if they are not in line with preservation of earth or our Union, I should be walking my talk and living the things I said I wanted to do with my life. There is nothing stopping me but myself.
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