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- Capitalism is the Problem – Episode 045
  February 17, 2019Podcasts / Words of JenIn this episode, I read a piece of my writing that I wrote a few days ago. The inspiration was the recent layoffs at Blizzard/Activision/King. It turns out I had a whole lot to say about not only that situation but also about capitalism. I read “Capitalism is the Problem” on episode 045 of Words of Jen. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me at PayPal.me. Thank you! https://media.blubrry.com/bookofjen/p/content.blubrry.com/bookofjen/woj045.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Android | RSS...
- Capitalism is the Problem
  February 17, 2019Podcasts / Words of JenMoney by Maklay62 on Pixabay I’ve noticed a pattern – and I’m not the first one to have seen it. The inspiration for this piece of writing, sadly, comes from the news of the massive layoffs at Blizzard/Activision/King. Layoffs like these keep happening. Why? The problem is capitalism. Fortunately, there are solutions to this problem that can be implemented in the United States if enough people get together and push for change. I read “Capitalism is the Problem” on Episode 045 of Words of Jen. On Tuesday, February 12, 2019, Activision Blizzard laid off around 800 workers. The company had about 9,600 employees across Blizzard, Activision, and King. Most of the layoffs were in non-development sectors. Earlier that same day, Activision Blizzard announced fourth-quarter and 2018 financial earnings results. There’s a press release you can read if you want to know all the numbers. To me, the most telling part is this: Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard said, “While our financial results for 2018 were the best in our history, we didn’t realize our full potential. To help us reach our full potential, we have made a number of important leadership changes. These changes should enable us to achieve the many opportunities our industry affords us, especially with our powerful owned franchises, our strong commercial capabilities, our digital connections to hundreds of millions of players, and our extraordinarily talented employees.” I find it hard to believe that CEO Bobby Kotick truly believes that the company has “extraordinarily talented employees” – because the layoffs began shortly after the fiscal year results of 2018 were made public. His words say he cares about his employees and considers their efforts and talent valuable to the company. His actions reveal that he doesn’t care about his workers very much at all. This man sat there and told investors that Activision Blizzard’s 2018 financial results were “the best in our history” seconds before about 800 “extraordinarily talented employees” were laid off. He sent a clear message that he sees his employees – the people who put their heart and soul into their work at what was probably their dream job – as expendable. I imagine that the affected workers were, and are still, hurting very badly over what happened to them. I’ve been abruptly laid off before. It happened several years ago, it wasn’t my dream job (and had absolutely nothing to do with gaming). I got a letter in the mail informing me that my last day of work would be that same day. It was absolutely devastating. I remember feeling shocked, then sad, then enraged. Variety reported, on February 14, 2019, that Bobby Kotick makes $30 million in a year as CEO. That number is according to an international grassroots organization of game workers – Game Workers Unite – who are trying to organize unions for their industry. About a year ago, on February 12, 2018, CNBC reported that Barnes & Noble was laying off lead cashiers, digital leads, and other experienced workers in a company-wide clearing. The news came abruptly for many workers who showed up Monday morning at various Barnes & Noble locations to be notified that they no longer had a job, the people said. The number of affected workers couldn’t immediately be determined. As of April 29 of last year, Barnes & Noble employed about 26,000 people. Barnes & Noble fired long-term employees including receiving managers, digital leads, newsstand leads, head cashiers, and bargain leads. The people in those positions are what keeps the store running. I know this because I worked for Barnes & Noble through five, frantic, holiday seasons. A Tumblr blog called “Brain Fuzzies” has more details about how the layoffs affected people who had worked there for several years, and who loved their jobs. Barnes & Noble did not value its workers. The company considered them expendable. Some workers were told they could apply for an entry-level position (for much less pay and without benefits) if they wanted to. Publisher’s Weekly reported on February 13, 2018: “After posting disappointing holiday results, Barnes & Noble instituted a round of layoffs yesterday that it says will save the company $40 million annually.” On March 1, 2018, Barnes & Noble released their Fiscal 2018 Third Quarter Financial Results. Here are a few key pieces of it: “While we were disappointed with our holiday sales, comparable store sales trends did improve in January,” said Demos Parneros, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble, Inc. “We have instituted a strategic turnaround plan that is centered on growing our business and enhancing shareholder value. In the short term, we are focused on stabilizing sales, improving productivity and reducing expenses. Achievement of our longer-term goals requires a significant multi-year transformation. We expect our plan to provide consistent improvement beginning in fiscal year 2019 and beyond……Beginning in February, Barnes & Noble implemented a companywide expense reduction plan. This plan includes a new store labor model that provides greater flexibility and better customer service by eliminating tasks and allowing booksellers to focus more on customers. The Company estimates that these actions will result in annual cost savings of approximately $40 million”. Translation: We didn’t make enough money so we fired a bunch of people, without out any warning, who had been working in our stores for several years. Salary.com reported that CEO Demos Parneros made $5,809,790 in total compensation. Of this total, $1,200,000 was received as a salary, $756,000 was received as a bonus, $0 was received in stock options, $3,599,986 was awarded as stock and $253,804 came from other types of compensation. This information is according to proxy statements filed for the 2018 fiscal year. The Wall Street Journal reported on October 30, 2018, that CEO of Barnes & Noble Demos Parneros had been fired in early July of 2018 “because he sexually harassed a female employee, bullied other staffers, and undermined the potential sale of the book retailer to an unidentified party earlier this year.” Mr. Parneros did not receive a severance package. (But, he did receive the money Salary.com reported.) On February 20, 2017, The Wall Street Journal reported that Toys “R” Us “recently laid off between 10% and 15% of its corporate employees”. About 250 jobs were eliminated at the Wayne, N.J-based company. The layoffs were announced a day before the toy industry’s annual convention kicked off in New York. Salary.com reported that David A. Brandon, Chairman of the Board and CEO at Toys R Us made $4,471,146 in total compensation. Of this total, $3,750,000 was received as salary, $323,550 was received as a bonus, $0 was received on stock options, $0 was awarded as stock, and $397,596 came from other types of compensation. This information is according to proxy statements filed for the 2016 fiscal year. On February 12, 2019, Forbes reported that Toys “R” Us has rebranded and reappeared as Tru Kids. This happened less than a year after Toys “R” Us liquidated its assets and shuttered all of its hundreds of stores. Forbes reported that Tru Kids is run by Richard Barry. Salary.com reported that Richard Barry was EVP – Global Merchandising Officer at Toys “R” US. He made $1,136,982 in total compensation. Of this total, $600,000 was received as a salary, $643,140 was received as a bonus, $0 was received in stock options, $0 was award as stock and $73,842 came from other types of compensation. This information is according to proxy statements filed for the 2016 fiscal year. What about those 30,000 workers that Toys “R” Us laid off? They were let go without severance pay. Why does this keep happening? The problem is capitalism. It rewards CEOs (and other top level executives) for viewing their workers – not as human beings – but as expendable assets. When layoffs happen, the workers who do the most physical labor, and who hold positions that include high-stress and little or no autonomy, get screwed. The CEO’s are untouched and do not face any consequence for abruptly taking away people’s livelihoods. The problem is the vindictive, materialistic, cruelty that capitalism encourages and perpetuates. We can change that. We can stop this from happening over and over again. NJ.com reported that the New Jersey Senate Commerce Committee approved a bill that would require New Jersey employers with at least 100 full-time employees to provide their workers 90 days notice before a large layoff or a plant closing or transfer that will put at least 50 people out of work. Current law requires they give 60 days notice. The bill also requires businesses to pay their employees one week’s severance pay for every year of service, regardless of whether the employer provided that required notice. In the event an employer doesn’t meet its obligation to give 90 days notice, employees would be entitled to four weeks additional severance. Other states could implement the same kinds of laws. Ideally, the federal government would create laws that protect workers from the financial and emotional devastation that happens when greedy CEOs use massive layoffs as means of boosting the company’s profits. Leaving this type of lawmaking up the the states won’t work. It would only create a patchwork of blue states that implement (and enforce) worker protections laws, and a bunch of red states that refuse to provide their people with the same protections. It’s gotta be a nationwide change. What else can we do to stop the harm that capitalism causes to workers? We can set up a framework that gives workers protections that aren’t tied to their jobs. Andrew Yang is running for President as a Democrat. He wants to implement a Universal Basic Income called “The Freedom Dividend“. It would give $1,000 a month ($12,000 a year) to every* American adult over the age of 18, regardless of their employment status. The plan would start in January of 2021 (if Andrew Yang becomes President of the United States as a result of the 2020 election). The * is there so I can provide some clarification. If you do not graduate from high school, your Freedom Dividend does not begin until you are age 20. The Freedom Dividend is for any adult between 18 and 64 years of age. Andrew Yang was interviewed by Jeff Schechtman on the WhoWhatWhy podcast. Jeff Schectman asked: What is the nexus if any between this and other welfare and social safety net programs that already exist? Andrew Yang answered: We spend $500 billion right now on welfare and income support and the plan would be to allow people who are currently receiving benefits to opt out. Say you’re receiving $1,000 in food stamps, housing assistance, and other things, and then we say, “Would you prefer $1,000 cash, no questions asked, no case manager, no paperwork, no nothing?” Obviously most anyone who’s receiving anywhere close to the $1,000 line will opt in for the freedom dividend, but if you prefer your benefits, or perhaps you’re getting a little bit more than $1,000 in benefits, then you can keep them. We would end up replacing a lot of the cumbersome bureaucracy but the goal would be to allow people to opt in because people have obviously a very strong reliance on these existing programs and we don’t want to go and try and make wholesale changes immediately. Can Universal Basic Income work in the United States? YES! It already is working in Alaska. U.S. News reported on May 3, 2018: The Alaska Permanent Fund is one of the closest examples of functional universal basic income in place today. It ensures every resident of that state gets a fixed income from state oil revenues, and reached a record payout of more than $2,000 per person in 2015 (in 2017, every Alaskan received $1,100.) Payments began in 1982 and the effects so far have been positive, economists say, and contrary to fears that Alaskans would quit work altogether, some have only opted for working fewer hours, and it may actually have sparked job growth in certain sectors. How would we pay for Universal Basic Income? Andrew Yang provides the answer: …Andrew proposes funding UBI by consolidating some welfare programs and implementing a Value-Added Tax (VAT) of 10% . Current welfare and social program beneficiaries would be given a choice between their current benefits or $1,000 cash unconditionally – most would prefer cash with no restriction.A Value-Added Tax (VAT) is a tax on the production of goods or services a business produces. It is a fair tax and it makes it much harder for large corporations, who are experts at hiding profits and income, to avoid paying their fair share. A VAT is nothing new. 160 out of 193 countries in the world already have a Value-Added Tax or something similar, including all of Europe which has an average VAT of 20 percent….…Our economy is now incredibly vast at $19 trillion, up $4 trillion in the last 10 years alone. A VAT at half the European level would generate $800 billion in new revenue. A VAT will become more and more important as technology improves because you cannot collect income tax from robots or software.…Putting money into the hands of American consumers would grow the economy. The Roosevelt Institute projected that the economy would grow by approximately $2.5 trillion and create 4.6 million new jobs. This would generate approximately $500-600 billion in new revenue and economic growth… In short, Andrew Yang’s Freedom Dividend (or Universal Basic Income plan) would improve people’s lives. It would provide a cushion if the person is affected by a layoff. It would give people the opportunity to save up for an emergency plan and to put money back into the local economy. When the robots come to take your jobs, you won’t be stuck without an income. The companies who replaced you with robots will be paying a Value-Added Tax that pays for the Freedom Dividend. Universal Basic Income gives people the opportunity to consider taking a job that is the right fit for them – instead of a desperation job that does not pay a livable wage. This gives workers some power – instead of consolidating the power in the hands of CEOs. People who have jobs do not lose their Freedom Dividend. Therefore, there is no reason to assume that people would quit their jobs in favor of collecting the Freedom Dividend. The $1,000 a month is on top of whatever the person makes at work. As a side note, if you honestly believe that it is possible for an American to live off of only $1,000 a month – then you, my friend, have obviously never been in a situation where you had to try living that way. It’s impossible. What else can we do to fix the problem of capitalism? We can institute Universal Health Care. It might be called Universal Health Care, Medicare For All, Medicaid for All, or Single-Payer Health Care. It is already working in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. There are various plans, in various stages of completion, being considered. The most detailed explanation I’ve seen about how Universal Health Care would work comes from Andrew Yang. …With a shift to single-payer, costs can be controlled by setting prices provided for medical services. The best approach is highlighted by the top-rank Cleveland Clinic. There, doctors are paid a flat salary instead of a price-for-service model. This shift has led to a hospital where costs are visible and under control. Redundant tests are at a minimum, and physician turnover is much lower than at comparable hospitals.Doctors also report being more involved with their patients. Since they’re salaried, there’s no need to churn through patient after patient. Instead, they can spend the proper amount of time to ensure that each patient receives their undivided attention and empathy.Outside of a shift to a single-payer system with salaried doctors, we can look to the South-central Foundation for another important shift necessary in the way we treat patients: holistic approaches. At this treatment center for Native Alaskans, mental and physical problems are both investigated, and, unsurprisingly, the two are often linked. By referring patients to psychologists during routine physicals, doctors are able to treat, for example, both the symptoms of obesity and the underlying mental health issues that is often related to the issue……By providing holistic healthcare to all our citizens we’ll drastically increase the average quality of life, extend life expectancies, and treat issues that often go untreated. We’ll also be able to bring costs under control and outcomes up, as most other industrialized nations have……Finally, being tied to an employer so that you don’t lose your healthcare prevents economic mobility. It’s important that people feel free to seek out new opportunities, and our current employee-provided healthcare system prevents that. My interpretation of Andrew Yang’s plan is that it would also prevent other problems caused by capitalism. Put his plan in place, and it takes away the power that health insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies have over the price they charge for health care and medicine. It also prevents health insurance companies from getting to decide whether or not they will cover the health care that you (or a loved one) needs. I want to see an America that has an actual Universal Health Care system. I want to see an America where people do not have to use GoFundMe in a desperate attempt to gather enough money to pay for the health care and medicine they need. What else can we do to stop the problems that capitalism causes? We can vote! If you are eligible to vote, you really need to register to vote. Once you are registered, you need to actually take the time to vote. In some places, this is harder to do than in others – especially for people who live in states that drastically cut the opportunities for people to cast their vote. Before you vote, it is vitally important that you do some research to find out the values of the person you are considering voting for. Pick one that is going to do good things for people. Take the politicians who have a history of hurting people out of office. Not sure where to start? Here’s a checklist: You Should Vote For Candidates who: Protect voters rights and ability to voteFight against gerrymandering Have actually done things that have helped people afford to access the health care they needHave created policies like Universal Basic Income, Universal Health Care, and other things that keep poor people alive and improve the lives of everyoneBelieve in climate change and are actively implementing plans (or have created plans) that will help prevent things from getting worseHave a history of protecting the rights of workers to form an unionHave a history of protecting the rights of LGBTQ people (to marry, to adopt children, to raise their own children, to access health care, to NOT be fired from their jobs because they are LGBTQ, to use the bathroom that matches their gender, etc.)Who are NOT receiving money from industries that the candidate is promising to reform These are some great places to start when considering a candidate to vote for. You should vote against (or vote out) politicians who have shown a clear interest in helping corporations hurt actual, living, breathing, people. What if you are already filthy rich and don’t need this help affording universal health care? Good news! Universal Basic Income and Universal Health Care are two things that can benefit all Americans – not just poor folks. Andrew Yang’s plans are the most specific I’ve seen, and it those plans don’t have an upper end income limit that cuts off people who make more than that amount. There’s another benefit that comes from Universal Basic Income that rich people will definitely want to see happen. When regular people have more money, they actually go out and spend some of it. The Freedom Dividend enables people to go out and buy some of the products and services that corporations make. Corporations do the opposite – and that’s a problem caused by capitalism that must be stopped. NBC News reported on June 26, 2018, that the tax reform package that was supposed to raise wages and spur hiring instead funded a record stock buyback, a dividend spree, benefiting investors over workers. However, companies have instead used the extra cash to spend billions of dollars buying back their own stock, boosting the value of shares held by investors. Buybacks reduce the number of shares on the market, immediately increasing the value of the shares that investors already hold. Capitalism encourages greed. It encourages people to think in terms of scarcity, and the need to grab everything they can before other people get any of it. In reality, the United States is one of the richest nations on the planet. We need to shift to the mindset of abundance. Universal Basic Income and Universal Health Care are two ways to spread the abundance around in a way that can and will improve people’s lives. It’s time for capitalism – as it exists right now – to die. We need to replace it with more human-centered systems. Capitalism is the Problem is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!...

Diablo III

- The Lore of Valla the Demon Hunter
  January 18, 2019Diablo III / Diablo LoreIf you are playing the female Demon Hunter in Diablo III as your character, there is reason to believe that she might be Valla. So, who is Valla? According to the Diablo Wiki, Valla was born around 1265 (in the “Diablo universe” timeline). She was born around the time that connects to the Diablo II game. Sometime later, Valla’s younger sister, Halissa, was born. The sisters were close. At least one, if not both, of the girls parents were sawyers – people who sawed timber for a living. According to the Diablo Wiki, Valla, Halissa, and their parents lived in Westmarch . Demons attacked their town, and the girl’s parents were killed (along with many other people who lived there). Valla and Halissa survived because Valla grabbed her little sister’s hand and ran away with her. Valla, who was either a teenager or very young adult, became Halissa’s caretaker. But, that didn’t last long. Shortly before Diablo III was launched, Blizzard Entertainment released a series of short stories – one for each character class. The one about the Demon Hunter was called “Hatred and Discipline“. It was written by Micky Neilson, and originally posted on the Diablo III “Gathering of the Heroes” page, and can now be found through the Diablo III Game Guide about the Demon Hunter class. The Demon Hunter has two resources that they have to balance. One is called Hatred, and the other is called Discipline. This fits very nicely with the title of the short story. The main character in the story is a Demon Hunter named Valla. Without giving away too many spoilers, I will point out that in “Hatred and Discipline“, there is a part where Valla almost remembers what happened to Halissa. She pushed most of it out of her mind, likely because the event was so traumatizing. From the short story: …Valla and Halissa were huddled together for warmth as the rain pounded the earth. Halissa hd fallen into an exhausted sleep. But, as had been the case for so many nights before, she was beset by nightmares of the massacre. Halissa woke up screaming, and ran… Nearby, the swollen river raced. Halissa ran too close to its banks, and she slipped in the mud… Halissa reached out her hand… Valla had feared that Halissa would be swept away, lost forever… lost like the rushing waters that spiraled now into the core of the sinkhole, so very much like an eyeless socket. Her heart sank at the recollection, but she had grasped Halissa’s hand. It had worked out. Everything had worked out in the end…. Except, that’s not really what happened. Valla eventually remembers (while fighting against a lesser demon of terror named Valdraxxis) that Halissa had died. Valla was able to grab her sister’s hand, but the girl slipped from her grasp and went under. (The screenshots below come from the female Demon Hunter Act I cinematic in Diablo III. They are also part of a video called Diablo III: Darkness Falls. Heroes Rise: The Demon Hunter which was released on April 3, 2012). Valla was there all by herself, in a graveyard filled with the bodies of the rest of the townspeople, grieving her loss. She went to visit the graves of her parents. It appears that Valla was not able to retrieve her sister’s body from the river. She set up a gravestone for Halissa anyway. It was then that the Demon Hunters found her. The Demon Hunters formed around 1270 (according to the Diablo Wiki timeline), just a few years after Valla was born. The Demon Hunters would find people who were alone, and who obviously had been through trauma. Instead of recruiting, the Demon Hunters gave people a choice: Do you want to run, or do you want to fight? Valla chose to fight demons. The “Hatred and Discipline” short story starts with Valla going to a what was left of the town of Holbrook, which had been attacked by demons. She goes there with Josen, her mentor. She is getting towards the end of her Demon Hunter training… but Josen doesn’t think Valla is quite ready to go after demons by herself yet. At the end of “Hatred and Discipline”, Valla makes one more visit to Halissa’s grave, and the graves of their parents. She carries a drawing of her sister with her. Josen goes to Valla and informs her that people who have precognition have said that a star will fall in Tristram seven days from then. At the end of their conversation, Valla gets up, and turns away from Josen. He asks, “Where do you think you’re going?” Valla responds, “Tristram. The others asked you to send the best. I am the best. I’m going, and you have less than a few heartbeats to try and stop me.” This puts Valla squarely at the start of Act I of Diablo III, seeking the Fallen Star. (The screenshot below came from the in-game female Demon Hunter cinematic before Act I). When she gets to New Tristram she meets several people, including Kormac the Templar. They have a short conversation. Valla: Were you raised as a templar in the order? Templar: No. Our scripture says, “As a farmer reaps his wheat, so must the order harvest and purify the weeds.” Valla: My initiation was less formal. They asked me if I wanted to hunt demons, and I said yes. There is another clue in Diablo III that makes it clear that the female Demon Hunter player character is Valla, and not just some other Demon Hunter. It becomes obvious in Act V when the player character is on their way to fight Malthael. Each character class speaks to a spirit that is personally significant to them. It is there that Valla finds the spirit of her little sister, Halissa. Valla: Halissa? It cannot be. This is some…trap. Halissa: What? Don’t you know your own sister? Valla: I lost you many years ago. Halissa: Yes, but I’ve found you again. Someone bad keeps me here. Can you make him go away? Valla: Yes. Valla: But first, I will need your help. Halissa: The bad one draws power from us so no one can hurt him. I’ll tell everyone to give their strength to you instead. Halissa: Then you’ll make him go away, right? Valla: Nothing would please me more. Halissa: There are so many people here. I looked for mum and dad, but I can’t find them. Valla: I hope they are at rest. Halissa: No. They’re somewhere nearby. I hear them – screaming. Always screaming. Halissa: Do you remember the last time we were together? I was trying to sleep, but I saw demons everywhere. Halissa: I ran and ran, and then I was falling into the river. Why did you leave me there? Valla: I reached for you. I tried to hold on to you… if there was anything else I could have done… Halissa: It’s all right. It didn’t hurt. I just went to sleep. Valla: Yes. You did. At this point, it seems like Halissa doesn’t know she’s dead. She remembers the events of her death, but has interpreted them as “falling asleep.” Her older sister, Valla, doesn’t want to tell Halissa that she died in the river. What makes this story even more sad is that, by the time Valla is ready to fight Malthael, she knows the he has been stealing people’s souls and using them to make himself more powerful. Halissa knows that she (and all the other people there) are being used by Malthael. And yet, the poor kid doesn’t quite understand that she’s not alive anymore. As promised, Halissa begins helping her sister. She tells the other people to give their strength to Valla, instead of to “someone bad” who keeps them there. Halissa: There! All of our power is yours now. Please set things right again. Halissa: Mum and dad would want that. Valla: I won’t disappoint you, Halissa. Halissa: You’ve gotten so big. You look scary. Valla: I’m not, I promise. I just learned to fight and face my nightmares. Halissa: Everything is a nightmare. Halissa: I don’t want you to go. Valla: I know. But it’s the only way I can set you free. You need to rest again. Halissa: All right. Valla then goes down the hallways to fight Malthael. She’s a Demon Hunter, so she came her with the intent to kill him. She wasn’t expecting to find the spirit of her little sister trapped in Pandemonium Fortress, and being used by Malthael as a power source. The result is that the battle between Valla and Malthael has taken on new meaning. Valla has been carrying around the grief and guilt of not being able to save Halissa when the girl fell into the river. Now, Valla has a second chance to save her sister. Valla has unexpectedly been given a way to redeem herself. If you played through story mode as the female Demon Hunter… then you know that Valla killed Malthael. It is likely that she continued fighting demons after that. If you’ve played Heroes of the Storm, then you know that there is a Demon Hunter character named Valla. It’s the same Valla that was in Diablo III. There’s an item in Diablo III that fills in the gap between the two games. Valla’s Bequest is a Legendary one-handed crossbow that can only be used by Demon Hunters. The word “bequest” means “a legacy”. It also means the action of bequeathing something. The flavor text on Valla’s Bequest says: Valla was one of the most lethal Demon Hunters ever known, until her abrupt disappearance. Some claim that she still lives, fighting in another land. Her body was never found, but she did leave behind her prized possession: this bow. The Lore of Valla the Demon Hunter is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!...
- Highlights from Season 15 (Boon of the Horadrim)
  January 14, 2019Diablo III / Diablo SeasonsSeason 15 was the Boon of the Horadrim season. It gave players extra stuff for completing Bounties. It also had the Rathma’s set as the “freebie” for Necromancers. Those who finished Chapter IV got a creepy hand pet. In this blog post, I have a quick look at the progress I made through Season 15. Overall, I wish I could have spent more time playing than I did. But, I’m not unhappy with how things worked out. The first thing I did in Season 15 was the Challenge Rift. Technically, it is not part of the Season. The main reason to start with whatever Challenge Rift is available at the beginning of a brand new Season is to get some experience points and a Cache of useful stuff. It took me several attempts before I was able to complete this Challenge Rift. My time was 5:58.866. The target time was 5:47.216. I failed, but not by very much. My best time on this Challenge Rift was 4:45.483. It under the target time, and I was able to earn the weekly reward. Early in Season 15, I made an effort to play with other people. In the above screenshot, I was playing with some people who are part of the Shattered Soulstone Discord. In the screenshot above, I was playing with people who are part of the Discord where we play Dungeons & Dragons. Overall, I find playing in a group to be more fun than playing solo. Its nice to be able to talk with people who are working on the same Seasonal Objectives as I am. The game also moves a lot faster in a group than solo – especially when leveling up to Level 70. I play solo if I am intending to stream. Right now, I’m reasonably comfortable playing Diablo III (or other video games) on Twitch by myself. Streaming while playing in a group just doesn’t feel right to me. I also play solo if I’m sick, so I won’t slow down a group. This is what my Necromancer was wearing when he hit Level 31. I love how creepy it looks, especially with Malfeasance as the pet. In the screenshot above, I was playing with a group that was leveling me up so fast that the game couldn’t keep up. As you can see, it says I hit Level 50. But, if you look at my portrait, I was actually at Level 63. Here is the group I was with that helped me hit Level 70 and get some Paragon Points in Season 15. I earned the Demolition Derby Achievement while standing by the door in a Nephalem Rift. Obviously, I wasn’t actually contributing anything towards this Achievement. The game doesn’t care how you earn Achievements. It appears that some Achievements can be earned by everyone in a group, even the players that are slacking (like I was). Demolition Derby: Get a destruction callout for breaking 50 objects. Here I am with the group that ran me through a Greater Rift Level 85. The group completed it at 13:10.000 (with little or no help from me, being the smallest in the group). It was fun! My portrait says I have 193 Paragon Points, but the text at the side of the screen says I actually had 230 Paragon Points at that moment. I was getting Paragon Points so quickly that the game could not keep up! Season Journey (Chapter I) – Season 15 – COMPLETE! Season Journey (Chapter II) COMPLETE! Season Journey (Chapter III) COMPLETE! I was playing solo when this Achievement Toast popped up on the screen. I cannot remember how much of Chapter III I had help with or how much I did on my own. Completed Greater Rift 90 at 10.27.300 (with help) Completed Greater Rift 80 at 7:56.233 (with help) I wasn’t able to stream very much during Season 15. Part of the reason was because I wanted to play with groups. The other reason was because I was went to Blizzcon 2018. Before BlizzCon, I needed to spend a lot of time on paid writing work. After BlizzCon, I got sick with “Con Crud”. Here’s what I got done in the video above: Discovered that I was not quite ready to do a Greater Rift 20 solo Completed the Halt and Catch Fire Objective by Killing Urzael on Torment II Completed the Just Look at You! Objective by purchasing Hellfire Ring and Hellfire Amulet plans from Squirt the Peddler and giving those plans to The Jeweler Completed the …Is Another Man’s Treasure Objective by using Kanai’s Cube to upgrade a Rare item into a Legendary Item Completed a Greater Rift 15 solo, but did not finish it before the time ran out. Deadgreed, host of Shattered Soulstone, helped me go after Key Wardens. I ended up earning some Achievements thanks to his help. Feed Me: Kill the Vile Executioner and The Foul Desecrator within 30 second of starting the Realm of Putridness encounter on Torment VI difficulty or higher. Soulless: Kill the Soul of Evil at Level 70 on Torment VI difficulty or higher. Together We Are: Kill the Savage Behemoth and The Undying One within 5 seconds of each other on Torment VI difficulty or higher. Here’s what I got done in the video above: Finished a Greater Rift 15 right before the timer ran out Greater Rift Level 15 completed at 14:53.816 Completed a Greater Rift 16 – but not before the timer ran out Attempted a Greater Rift 20, died when I got a little more than halfway through it, and decided to stop After I got done streaming, I had a total of 335 Paragon Points in Season 15. Here’s some stuff I got done between when the video above ended and when I streamed again: I managed to get the missing pieces of the Rathma’s set. I started using Az-Lo as my pet. Completed a Greater Rift 20 Solo with 6 minutes and 41 seconds left. Completed Chapter IV of the Season Journey in Season 15 Got the Belphegor pet. Completed a Greater Rift 21 at 9:42.150 Earned the Dead Is Dead Achievement Dead Is Dead: Kill Malthael at level 70 on Torment V difficulty or higher. I had time to do one more stream before Season 15 ended. It is the only stream I did after returning from BlizzCon 2018. I was exhausted, fighting “Con Crud”, and the sound of my voice shows it. Here’s what I got done in the video above: Continued working on Slayer Completed Greater Rift Level 21 solo at 11:02.733 Completed Greater Level Rift 22 solo at 11:48.400 Ran a Nephalem Rift on Torment IV Completed a Greater Rift Level 23 solo at 6:15:333 Overall, I feel like I did all I could in Season 15. Some of the time I could have been playing was instead used so I could go to, attend, and return home from BlizzCon 2018. (This is not a complaint.) I got really sick shortly after BlizzCon, and it lasted longer than I would have liked. One thing that I thought was really cool about the Boon of the Horadrim Season was that it gave me a lot more crafting materials than usual. This enabled me to put a bunch of stuff into Kanai’s Cube. My goal is to fill it up. Highlights from Season 15 (Boon of the Horadrim) is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!...

Book Reviews

- Stiff – by Mary Roach
  December 19, 2018Book Reviews / non fictionStiff – The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is an exploration of what happens to the human body after the person dies. It is not a book for people who are squeamish, or who are mourning a loved one. I would definitely recommend Stiff to writers of mystery or crime novels, who need a good source of information about the timeline in which a cadaver decays. There are some things that people probably shouldn’t Google. Mary Roach does an excellent job of presenting factual information about a difficult topic to consider, while injecting just the right amount of what might be considered gallows humor. She does this without ever disrespecting the deceased. Stiff was published in 2003, so it is possible that some of the information in the book might be outdated. I suspect that the majority of it is still valid (but did not take the time to look up things to see what may have changed.) There’s a chance that the medical stuff could have been updated with new techniques between when the book was written and today. The first chapter of the book is about Mary Roach’s observations as she watches a group of doctors who are practicing face lifting techniques on cadaver heads. Some of the doctors are respectful of the person whose donated head they are working on. Others are less so. Mary Roach wonders who has the job of removing the cadaver heads from the rest of the cadaver – and she finds the answer to that question. Another chapter goes into the history of body snatchers. For a long time, it was illegal to dissect a dead human body. Anatomists had to resort to not-quite-legal means of obtaining bodies from which to learn about human anatomy. In some cases, the bodies were supplied by “resurrection men” who unearthed the recently deceased, put the body into a sack, and discretely delivered it to the doctor. It was apparently a good way to earn some money. It is also the reason that religious people – who believed the body needed to be entirely intact in order for the person to get into heaven – invested in Mortsafes. In that same chapter, there is an interesting (and disturbing) story about William Burke and William Hare, two “resurrectionists” who got into trouble. A man died in Hare’s boarding house before paying his fare. Hare and Burke took the body to an anatomist. After learning that bringing dead bodies to anatomists resulted in a nice payment, Hare and Burke started murdering people (and bringing the very recently dead to the anatomists). I’ll leave you to read the chapter to see how this obviously illegal situation was resolved. There is a chapter about the University of Tennessee’s Anthropological Research Facility – which is a large area of land in which cadavers are placed for the purpose of allowing researchers to study the timeline of decay. Part of the purpose is to assist those who investigate crime scenes. Other chapters cover a wide range of subjects, including information on whether or not cadavers are used for automobile crash tests. There is a chapter about the ethical issues involved in using cadavers (or cadaver legs) to determine which shoes provide the best protection for a living person who has stepped on a land mine. One of the chapters that I found especially interesting involved extremely religious Christians, who were alive, and who volunteered to be “crucified”. They weren’t actually nailed to a cross. It was a safely done approximation of crucifixion that involved people being secured to a huge cross by leather straps. The purpose of the experiment was to debunk previous hypotheses about what Jesus may have experienced. The purpose was to determine whether or not the volunteers had difficulty breathing while on the cross, and to figure out where the nails would have to be placed in order to prevent them from ripping out. Other oddities found in Stiff include details about an incredibly disturbing experiment where a researcher removed the head of an anesthetized monkey and attached it to the body of an entirely different monkey. There is also an amusing story in which Mary Roach goes to China in an effort to confirm, or debunk, an urban legend about human cadaver parts being used in the dumplings served in a restaurant. I found Stiff to be interesting, and strange, and filled with historical context that I might not have learned about if I had not read this book. There is definitely a tendency for people who work with cadavers (or parts of human bodies) to think of the cadaver as a person – and not a person – at the same time. Medical students, who must take a course that involves dissection of human cadavers, end up with a mix of emotions. They must, at times, distance themselves from considering the cadaver as a person. At the same time, many students form emotional attachments to the cadaver. This results in the university holding a mass funeral for the cadavers at the end of the semester. Students eulogize about the cadaver they worked on. It is a way of letting go, and thanking the person who donated their body to science, at the same time. Stiff – by Mary Roach is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!...
- Gone Girl – by Gillian Flynn
  November 24, 2018Book Reviews / fictionNick and Amy Dunne have what appears (from the outside) to be a perfect marriage. Both of them make their living as writers – for different publications. Both are good looking and visually appear to be a good match. Gone Girl is the story of what happens when a marriage ends – and the wife suddenly disappears. Gillian Flynn is the author of Sharp Objects, which became a New York Times Bestseller. Gone Girl is not a sequel to Sharp Objects. Both stories have plenty of twists and turns, which leave the reader guessing about what is really going on. This is definitely one of those books that is difficult to review because of the chance of unintentionally revealing spoilers. The story is told out of chronological order. It starts the day that Amy disappeared, and is told to the reader from the viewpoint of Nick. The police begin their investigation with the assumption that the husband must be involved in whatever happened to his wife. Nick has no idea what happened to Amy, and is genuinely worried about her. There was evidence of a struggle in their home that took place while Nick was at work. He and his twin sister own a bar – which was purchased with Amy’s money. Some of the story goes back in time to when Nick and Amy first met and started dating. It paints a very sweet picture of the two of them. Literally. Their first kiss was next to a bakery where the air was filled with sugar. I found myself wanting to give Nick the benefit of the doubt – for now. The reader is first introduced to Amy through her diary. She secretly wrote down her most private thoughts, fears and emotions. It starts with an optimistic view of their marriage, and leads readers through its deterioration. There was a time when both of them lost their jobs – one after the other – and started becoming distant from each other. Things grow much more dangerous and darker as the diary goes on. Amy has left Nick a series of clues, in the form of a scavenger hunt. She creates one every year for Valentine’s Day. It starts with a wrapped gift that includes a clue (in the form of a poem). From that, Nick must figure out where to go to find the next clue. It goes on for a while. In previous years, Nick hated the scavenger hunt. Amy based the clues around small details that were important to her, and would become disappointed and angry when Nick couldn’t figure them out. This time, however, Amy’s clues are very lovey-dovey, and the locations they send Nick are ones that are significant to him. He starts working on these clues without letting the police know about it. Amy’s parents organize people to search for their missing daughter. They set up phone banks with volunteers waiting to take calls from anyone who has some relevant information to share. It is extremely tense, and awkward, and Nick comes across as indifferent. Inside, he’s freaking out. Amy’s parents did something that likely warped their daughter’s worldview. They created a book series called “Amazing Amy”, based on their daughter. In the book, Amy was the perfect daughter, who always made the best decisions. Imagine being the real Amy and trying to live up to that! The books became incredibly popular, and turned Amy into a minor celebrity. She tells Nick that she has had problems with stalkers, and with a boyfriend who was… I’m going to say super clingy. Nick believes this, right up until he contacts those people and finds that their stories do not match what Amy said. I started off liking both Nick and Amy, but that changed as the book went on. Readers eventually are introduced to Amy as herself – not through her diary – and she brings them up to speed about where she is and what she has been doing. She also gives the reader some clues about what really happened before she disappeared. One thing is clear: at least one of these two people are lying. I kept changing my mind about who to believe. Gillian Flynn excels at creating strong, interesting, psychopathic characters. The unsettling thing is how well those characters pass themselves off as good people. Gone Girl – by Gillian Flynn is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!...

World of Warcraft

- The Dwarves Explore Western Plaguelands – Part 1
  August 20, 2018The Dwarves / World of WarcraftThe Dwarves are Hansbrix the Hunter (and his pet bear, Fridge) and Bradanna the Priest. My husband and I had been playing these two characters together, completing parts of Azeroth zone by zone. There are things that we missed out on the first time we played (other characters) through some of the Cataclysm content. In this blog, I will feature the most interesting parts of The Dwarves trip through Western Plaguelands. The screenshots you see in this blog were taken on May 25, June 6, June 7, June 9, and June 10, 2015. The Dwarves began their exploration of Western Plaguelands by falling directly into the water, somewhere near Sorrow Hill. They were still in the water when they officially discovered Western Plaguelands. The Dwarves probably didn’t take the path they were supposed to take – but they managed to get to the right place anyway. Upon arriving in Andorhal, The Dwarves met two NPCs (Non-Player Characters). The first was Thassarian (level 85). The Dwarves had a quest to turn in to him. Hero’s Call: Western Plaguelands!: There is much to be done here. Both of our enemies are relentless and would slaughter us without mercy the moment we sheathe our blades. Thassarian gave The Dwarves a new quest to work on. Scourge First…Horde Later: Darkmaster Gandling of the Cult of the Damned leads the Scourge offensive here in Andorhal. My old counterpart, Koltira, leads the Forsaken forces. If we’re to win Andorhal, we’ll have to defeat both, but we will certainly fail if we have to take on both at once. I know Koltira well enough to know that he will focus on the Scourge first. We will do the same. Take out the weaker, desiccated Scourge to reduce their numbers. The Forsaken will have to wait to taste our wrath. The NPC standing next to Thassarian is named Lurid. He is a skeleton who is wearing armor. War Machines: Dried up Scourge… weak. Abominations… strong. We defeat strong abominations… we win war. Thassarian and Lurid appear to be mostly on the same page. They both want The Dwarves to kill off a lot of Scourge (and ignore the Forsaken for the time being). The difference is that Thassarian thinks it best to kill the weaker desiccated Scourge first, while Lurid wants The Dwarves to attack the stronger abominations. By this point in their adventure, The Dwarves have figured out that going after a specific enemy often brings in other enemies. With luck, The Dwarves can finish off these two quests in one battle. Before jumping into battle, The Dwarves drove over to see what Lang Loosegrip needed them to do. The Endless Flow: Araj the Summoner is bolstering the Scourge defenses with simple skeletons… an army of weaklings that will overwhelm you before it overpowers you. He has assembled animi within Andorhal’s northern towers that spew these skeletons out at an alarming rate. But I’ve got the solution! <Lang passes you a handful of grenades.> Their function is simple. Throwing these grenades at a bone animus … or, for that matter, a mob of skeletons… will reduce them to splinters. I didn’t know it at the time, but Lang Loosegrip had just given me a quest that would turn out to be one of my favorites. The Dwarves learned that it is very important to take the time to say hello to the local Flight Master. Bradanna noticed that she had mail to retrieve. There are no mailboxes on Andorhal. (Or, at least, none that The Dwarves could find.) They drove off in search of one. A good friend sent Bradanna an adorable Argi pet! Argi is super cute. Bradanna immediately picked him up and cuddled him. Argi didn’t seem to mind the trip back to Andorhal. The Dwarves were now ready to fight! They started attacking the Scourge. In this screenshot, they are fighting a Desiccated Magus. Bradanna and Hansbrix (and Fridge) fought a Desiccated Spearman while one of Thassarian’s army watched over Argi. The Dwarves eventually were able to take down some of the Opengut Behemoths that were wandering through Andorhal. Behemoths are big! (Dwarf for scale) Time to take out a mob of skeletons! The quests that involved jumping into a mob of skeletons, and slaying them all, were the most fun of all the Andorhal quests. Skeletons have long been my favorite monster to fight, and these kinds of battles remind me of playing the Diablo video games. So many skeletons! They just keep respawning. You can fight them forever…. or, until you turn in the quest. Thassarian: You may not act quickly, but at least you do not fail me. Very well. I will have a more important task for you, Bradanna, when the time is right. It sounds like Thassarian was not pleased that The Dwarves accepted his quest and then dashed off to get a pet out of a mailbox. That being said, he’s more pleased with The Dwarves than with…. whoever “failed” him before The Dwarves showed up. Lurid, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have much to say. He’s a man…um, skeleton… of few words. Lurid: Abominations…strong. Bradanna…stronger. Thassarian: With the death of the Lich King, all I have left is my duty. There is no family. There are no friends… there is only this. War. Hansbrix and Bradanna might have a vague awareness of the Lich King and the war against him. But, this is the first time they have encountered someone who was involved in that fight at the time it happened. Thassarian has lost everything that mattered to him. Thassarian: The Scholomance is one of the few Scourge holdouts remaining west of the Thondroril. The headmaster of Scholomance, a cultist by the name of Darkmaster Gandling, has made an appearance on the battlefield. This will be his last mistake. You will find Gandling in a square near the southern end of town. I want you to fight and weaken Gandling. I will join you to help finish him off. Thassarian: Gandling is strong, but do not worry. I will join you shortly after you begin to fight him. The Dwarves were a bit confused by these instructions. If Gandling is strong… then, shouldn’t Thassarian be coming along to the battle right from the start? Was he waiting for an invite to their party? Before either Hansbrix or Bradanna could ask Thassarian to accompany them… he gave them another quest. Thassarian: Gandling has brought his lieutenant, Rattlegore, with him. This clattering horror is far more dangerous than any of the other Scourge you will find upon the battlefield… even the abominations. You will find Rattlegore within an old town-hall building, near the center of town. I recommend caution before fighting him, Bradanna. He will not be a pushover. Rattlegore put up a decent fight. The Dwarves were able to defeat him without Thassarian’s help. It wasn’t clear if The Dwarves were supposed to have gone through Scholomance before arriving at Andorhal. I can’t quite make the story work out. If The Dwarves had decided to do Scholomance before Andorhal, they would have already killed Rattlegore and Darkmaster Gandling. If they took that route, it would mean The Dwarves would be fighting Rattlegore and Darkmaster Gandling a second time after arriving in Andorhal. The Dwarves are asked to kill these two “bad guys” here… and will undoubtedly meet them again whenever they get around to doing the Scholomance dungeon. Bradanna found a Blighthawk sitting by the lamppost outside the town-hall building. There was no time for pet battles, though. The Dwarves needed to find, and slay, Darkmaster Gandling. Bradanna was surprised to find that part of Andorhal was on fire. Hansbrix and Fridge had already run past the flames, in search of the next battle. Bradanna rushed to catch up to them. Hansbrix quickly got surrounded by skeletons! Fridge was nowhere in sight. Bradanna was, once again, glad that she had decided to become a healer. A view of Andorhal from the tower. Bradanna got overwhelmed by the respawning skeletons at the bottom of the tower, and tried to run. She ended up with a conga-line of skeletons that followed her directly into a Behemoth. Not ideal! The Dwarves found Darkmaster Gandling, and Fridge ran right over to fight him. We were still using Fridge as our “tank”. As such, the first threat Darkmaster Gandling made was “Prepare to die, Fridge!” Something in World of Warcraft assumes that the first one to attack the “bad guy” must be a player character. It never ceases to be amusing! The Dwarves entered combat. When would Thassarian show up? Darkmaster Gandling: Your life is forfeit. The Dwarves watched, helplessly, a Fridge got stuck in a bubble and lifted high into the air. This dire moment was exactly when Thassarian decided to arrive. Koltira Deathweaver joined the battle, too. Thassarian: For the Alliance! Koltira Deathweaver: For the Horde! The battle continues! Darkmaster Gandling: Enough of this. The Cult of the Damned doesn’t need Andorhal. This worthless city is yours to fight over. After his snarky remark, Darkmaster Gandling leaves Andorhal. We didn’t kill him. He presumably went back to Scholomance. Someday, if Bradanna and Hansbrix (and Fridge) decide to do the Scholomance dungeon – it would make sense to find Darkmaster Gandling in there – and fight him a second time. If Rattlebone is also in Scholomance…. then I’m going to assume that Darkmaster Gandling figured out how to rebuild him. Thassarian: Koltira! I had heard rumors that you were here in Lordaeron. Koltira: You heard correctly, Thassarian. I wanted to give you a chance to kill me again. Thassarian laughs. Hansbrix and Fridge wander away. Thassarian: It looks like it may have to come to that. Koltira: Yes, it may…but not today. With the Scourge out of the way, I plan to pull my troops back and regroup. Thassarian: I see. Then I will do the same. Thassarian: But you must be aware, Koltira: we are brothers no longer. You are a member of the Horde now, and I of the Alliance. Thassarian: Eventually, we will fight this battle for Andorhal, and only one of us can walk off of this battlefield victorious. Koltira: Yes, I know. And don’t think I’ll go easy on you. Thassarian laughs. Thassarian: Very well. I look forward to it. Koltira and Thassarian teleport away. Thassarian whispers: You are not to speak to ANYONE about the agreement that was made today, Bradanna. Consider this an order from your direct superior. This puts The Dwarves in the awkward position of having to turn in quests to Thassarian while pretending they didn’t see and hear the conversation he had with Koltira. Thassarian is just going to stand there, next to Lurid, as though nothing at all happened. Thassarian: Excellently done, Bradanna. And now, with the leader of the Scourge forces eliminated from Ahdorhal, we bide our time. Bradanna selected Gandling’s Gloves from the reward choice. It was the only item she could use. Lang Loosegrip: These grenades are all explosives, nothing more. I may not be a goblin engineer…but I still understand the value of being able to just explode things every once in a while. Lang Loosegrip: With the animus destroyed, the next logical step is tot take out Araj himself and to take a shard of his phylactery. You’ve probably already seen him, lurking at the fountain in the center of town. Take my grenades with you. They won’t do anything to Araj, but if he decides to summon any of those skeletons, you can use them to blow them away. Again. Before jumping into another battle, Bradanna, Hansbrix,and Fridge decided to take a short rest. They joined a happy looking, drunken, skeleton. He didn’t seem to mind. Lang Loosegrip was exactly right about where to find Araj the Summoner. The Dwarves didn’t have too difficult a time fighting this “big bad”. Shortly before dying, Araj the Summoner unleaded a mob of well-choreographed skeletons. They ran right for Bradanna. The Dwarves needed to pick up Araj’s Phylactery Shard in order to complete the quest. Hansbrix had no trouble smashing it! Thassarian: Araj dead… this is good. That gnome has done his part in winning this war. As have you, Bradanna. This was the first time I noticed how awesome Lurid’s axe was! I also noticed that Lurid appears to be wearing a decapitated Dwarf head, complete with braided beard, as a loincloth. What, exactly, was Lurid doing before he arrived at Andorhal? There must be a story there that hasn’t been told. Thassarian: The Alliance are victorious, and our forces are still strong. Military strategy dictates the we attack the Forsaken now, while they are recovering and unaware. I made a deal, however… We will wait. We attack Koltira and his troops when the time is right. In the meantime, speak with Ginny Goodwin and take a flight to the Chillwind Camp, to our south. Commander Ashlam Valorfist will give you your next assignment. You will hear from me when you are needed again in Andorhal. Ok, hold on there, Thassarian. First, you had a talk with Koltira, in the middle of town, about a secret truce. Then, you told us NOT to tell anyone about that secret truce. Now, you’re openly talking about that – apparently classified – truce again, out here where anyone nearby can hear you. If your goal was to baffle us into silence… well, you’ve succeeded. Next stop – Chillwind Camp! Commander Ashlam Valorfist: Welcome to the front lines, priest. The Kingdom of Stormwind, with the aid of its allies, has sent me here to counter the growing threat of the Scourge. Here at Chillwind Camp, we fight for our continued survival on a daily basis. If you’ve come here looking for a chance to prove yourself as a hero, then you’ll find plenty of opportunities to do so… especially as we push towards Andorhal and whatever malign force that controls the Scourge there. Commander Ashlam Valorfist: Word arrived shortly before you did, Bradanna. With the Scourge ejected from Andorhal, we are one step closer to retaking Lordaeron. Commander Ashlam Valorfist: We must always be prepared for battle, Bradanna. Whether that battle is against the Forsaken in Andorhal, against the Scourge in the east, or against some yet-unknown foe is unknown. What is known, is that we must be ready. We are low on arrows. I can obtain the shafts and heads, but I still need feathers. The birds that circle to the northwest typically molt this time of year. Would you mind traveling out into the field and gathering some of these feathers for our camp? The Dwarves were willing to go gather up some molted feathers. It’s nice that Commander Ashlam Valorfist, who sounds very focused on being ready for war, didn’t ask The Dwarves to kill the birds. Collecting the feathers the birds have already dropped will get the job done. Commander Ashlam realized that the birds were not his enemy. Thurman Grant has a sad story to tell. Thurman Grant: I hail from Westfall, far to the south…as do these men that travel with me. We are farmers, and nothing more. I had been told that Lordaeron had been healed, and that it was ready for tilling. However, this “Commander” now tells me that it’s too dangerous to proceed. He says that there’s a war going on, and that the plague lands still aren’t healed. Before anything else, I need to get some food in my men’s stomachs. Anything will do. Bear meat seems to be plentiful. Hansbrix, of course, took offense at Thurman Grant’s suggestion that he allow Fridge to be turned into dinner! Thurman Grant assured Hansbrix that wasn’t what he meant at all. He pointed toward the trees and asked The Dwarves to hunt some Shaggy Black Bears. Argent Officer Pureheart, of The Argent Crusade, was informative, but didn’t have a quest for The Dwarves. Argent Officer Pureheart: Well met, friend. I am Officer Pureheart, and I am a proud member of a world-wide organization known as the Argent Crusade. Our cause is simple – fight swiftly and mercilessly against any element of evil that surfaces in Azeroth. We are not a political body, nor do we ever wish to become one. To that end, we call both the Alliance and the Horde both as friends – friends in the cause of stamping out evil! For the Light, my sister! Bradanna nodded her head and listened to Argent Office Pureheart, and then walked away. There was something odd about this human, who felt the need to insist that her organization was not part of a political group, after proudly telling Bradanna that her organization likes to “fight swiftly and mercilessly against any element of evil that surfaces in Azeroth”. Bradanna wasn’t quite sure if this was a cult, and worried that Argent Officer Pureheart was about to ask her to make a donation. Hansbrix sent Fridge off to “tank”, while he and Bradanna fired at the Shaggy Black Bears from a distance. In between fighting Shaggy Black Bears, The Dwarves remembered to gather the Brownfeather Quills that were on the ground. Ok, back to fighting bears! Ready to turn in the bear meat and feather quests Thurman Grant: You hunt like a true priest…Even if we can’t set up homesteads… at least we can still eat. This time, Thurman Grant decided to insult Bradanna. Whatcha mean “you hunt like a true priest?” Bradanna felt mocked. She realized, however, that Thurman Grant probably didn’t mean it that way. He was just a rather awkward human. Ding! Bradanna hit Level 39! Commander Ashlam Valorfist: I will have my fletchers get to work on these. I am glad to see you being useful right away, Bradanna. Perhaps later I will have some more exciting tasks for you. It did not take Commander Ashlam Valorfist long to assign The Dwarves a “more exciting” task. True to his word, this quest proved to be more interesting than the one where he had them gathering feathers. Commander Ashlam Valorfist: These farmers from the south wish to take these farms, but I can’t let them enter the plaguelands unprepared. Even with the Scourge gone, danger still looms in the form of the Forsaken. No, we must be ready to fight…and that includes our new visitors. Before doing anything else, however, I would recommend that you travel to Uther’s Tomb, to the east, and place this tribute before his statue to ask for his blessing. Speak with the priest that tends to the tomb when you are finished. It appears that the majority of the people at Chillwind Camp take a while to get used to strangers. Very few wanted to talk with The Dwarves when they first arrived. All of a sudden, they got very chatty. Argent Officer Pureheart: I saw the strangest commotion coming through town the other day. A horse-drawn cart, loaded with crates and chests. A worgen woman at the reins, a blood elf by her side, and a dwarven paladin running behind, yelling some of the most creative obscenities I’ve heard in quite some time. They looked like they were headed to Eastern Plaguelands, though I’d imagine they can’t be far past the Thondroril River by now. I wonder what they were up to? Bradanna did not expect to see an Orc standing there. She wondered what happened to the Dwarf who was there before. High Priestess MacDonnell: Sorrow Hill, up the road to the northeast, was one of the first places that the Argent Crusaders and Cenarion Circle were able to heal. The area is now freed of the Scourge. However, there are still many specters of the past that, for some reason, have not passed on into the next world. They may be mourning, or they may have unfinished business… or they may just be lost. Take my thurible and use it to douse them with holy incense. One way or another, we will help them move onto the next plane. Alexia Ironknife: Greetings, priest. Don’t have too much time to talk — I’m just using Chillwind as a camp to get some rest before heading to Hearthglen. I’ve heard word that before they went crazy, the Scarlet Crusade had a mage working for them who was trying to create powerful bows and guns for their soldiers. I’m not sure if he succeeded or not… the Crusade killed him before any of his finished product made it out… or maybe they distrust the arcane that much. Alchemist Arbington: This job is definitely not worth sixteen-five a year. The Dwarves drove out to Sorrow Hill. Fridge ran along beside them. He’s pretty fast for a bear! Withdrawn Soul: Get away from here! Bradanna, Hansbrix, and Fridge battled some spirits at Sorrow Hill. The spirits started out being very unfriendly towards The Dwarves. Fortunately, their attitudes changed after the fight was over. Withdrawn Soul: I must be going now… Withdrawn Soul: I’ve waited here for too long. Time to say goodbye. Withdrawn Soul: I…I think I’m ready to leave now. Sorrow Hill is a good name for this area. There is something deeply depressing about encountering all these lingering souls, who haven’t left yet. They eventually find peace, and decide to move on. That too, is sad. After wandering around Sorrow Hill for a while, The Dwarves discovered the Path of Uther. The Dwarves found a statue in the Sorrow Hill graveyard. There was no marker to tell them who the statue was of. They decided to take a “tourist photo” anyway, figuring they might someday run into someone who could tell them about the statue. Fridge, as usual, photobombed what would otherwise have been a very somber image. Lovely yellow flowers line the Path of Uther. The Dwarves discovered Uther’s Tomb, and met High Priest Thel’danis (who seems to be the caretaker.) There, at the end of the tomb, was a magnificent statute of Uther the Lightbringer, surrounded by the Light. Here lies Uther the Lightbringer First Paladin – Founder of the Order of the Silver Hand Uther lived and died to defend the kingdom of Lordaeron. Though he was betrayed by his most beloved student, we believe that his spirit lives on. He continues to watch over us, even as the shadows close in around our ruined land. His light is the light of all humanity – and so long as we honor his example, it shall never fade. ???????? – Anonymous One by one, The Dwarves received Uther’s Blessing. High Priest Thel’danis: You and the humans at Chillwind Camp wish to re-take Andorhal? I wish you luck. Bradanna wasn’t quite sure if High Priest Thel’danis was giving The Dwarves a blessing, or if this was a polite way of saying that he expected us to fail. High Priest Thel’danis: If you truly intend to move forward in this battle for Andorhal… well, perhaps I can help. To the east lies a large crypt. The bottom level of the crypt was once used for storage of weapons and armor… until the Scourge came. Now that the undead have left, the weapons are free for the taking. Most of the weapons are probably rusted and rotten by now, but they will serve better than tunics and pitchforks. High Priest Thel’danis pointed out where to go, and The Dwarves chose to take the quest he offered them. He had a point. The farmers back at Chillwind Camp were going to need more than pitchforks if they were going to fight the Scourge. The Dwarves climbed a large hill and discovered Sorrow Hill Crypt before they could see it. Fridge pointed towards it and growled. He could smell whatever was over there, and didn’t like it one bit. Bradanna hesitated as she looked down upon Sorrow Hill Crypt. It looked so peaceful from here. She knew, however, that things were not always as they appeared to be Western Plaguelands. She raced down the hill to catch up with Hansbrix and Fridge. They had entered the Crypt without her, which she felt was a bad decision. Once again, she was glad she decided to become a healer, and hurried towards Hansbrix and Fridge as fast as she could. Despite what High Priest Thel’danis said, the crypt appeared to be empty. There were no weapons or armor pieces to be found. Fridge started growling at something The Dwarves couldn’t see. Bradanna quickly moved and prepared react to whatever was about to happen. That was when Foulmane lurched into view. The battle began! Foulmane pushed The Dwarves back to the stairs – but they did not give up. The Dwarves prevailed! After taking a moment to catch their breath, they noticed a glowing object on the other side of the room. It looked important. It turned out to be nothing more than a broken weapons crate. That was disappointing! Scattered all over the bottom level of the crypt, you find shattered crates that once held weapons and armor. It appears that somebody got here before you did. The Dwarves figured Foulmane was the one who smashed the crates. But, he wasn’t wearing armor or using any weapons. They wondered what happened to the old weapons and armor – but were interrupted. Ambushed! As you turn around, you see the silhouettes of shambling skeletons on the stairs. The undead aren’t gone from this crypt. They were lying in wait! Furthermore, they appear to be armed with the weapons that you came looking for. You’ll have to escape from the crypt. On your way out, you should gather as many pieces of equipment as you can. Skeletal Flayers and Skeletal Sorcerers appeared! It was now obvious who took the weapons and armor. The Dwarves and Fridge had to fight their way out of the crypt, and pick up random armor and weapons while the battle was going on. The battle continued after The Dwarves left the crypt. There were well armored skeletons outside. And then, it was over! The peace only lasted a few moments, before The Dwarves had to fight their way past more skeletons. Eventually, The Dwarves realized that their best option was to drive past the skeletons and return to Chillwind Camp. The Dwarves encountered Marlene Redpath just outside of Sorrow Hill. She wasn’t all there, and didn’t have anything to say. The Dwarves realized that they could see right through her. She didn’t look anything like the angry spirits in Sorrow Hill did. Was she a ghost? Did Marlene Redpath die in the house she now stands in front of? Whatever her story is…. has been lost. The Dwarves informed High Priestess MacDonnell that they released the spirits at Sorrow Hill. She was obviously greatly relieved to hear that. Bradanna handed High Priestess MacDonnell back her thurible. High Priestess MacDonnell: Hopefully, most of them passed on peacefully. I thank you, Bradanna. Commander Ashlam Valorfist: What happened at Uther’s Tomb, Bradanna? Commander Ashlam Valorfist: Attacked by ghosts? Strange. I suppose the crypt wasn’t fully healed after all. You just missed Thurman Grant…you remember, that oaf of a farmer that was here earlier. He took his men with him and traveled to the nearest farm…against my orders. Commander Ashlam Valorfist: The farmers traveled to the Writhing Haunt, an old farm to the northeast, across the river. Someone needs to keep an eye on them. Bring them those rusty weapons and armor you found. We can’t them fighting with pitchforks. Argent Officer Pureheart: These men and women here at Chillwind Camp have noble goals, but their ultimate purpose is war. I would like to offer you an opportunity to pursue more peaceful goals. At the Menders’ Stead, beyond war-torn Andorhal to the north, the Argent Crusade has joined forces with the Cenarion Circle. Together, we work on healing this land from the plague that used to reign here. Are you interested in joining our cause, priest? Bradanna and Hansbrix looked at each other and shrugged. The accepted Argent Officer Pureheart’s quest but did not necessarily agree to join. Instead, The Dwarves figured that offering the Cenerian Circle some help would be ok. Hansbrix, Bradanna, and Fridge discovered The Writing Haunt. The Dwarves found Thurman Grant inside a small, and nicely decorated, house at The Writhing Haunt. Thurman Grant: Did Valorfist send you? He doesn’t know when to let up, does he? Thurman Grant: Well, now that you’re here, we’ll gladly take that armor off your hands. You can keep the weapons, though. These men wouldn’t know which end to hold. The Dwarves happily handed over the armor. The farmers won’t have to know much, other than how to put it on properly, in order to make use of it. As for the weapons… it appears that Commander Ashram Valorfist didn’t bother to ask the farmers if they knew how to use the weapons The Dwarves were sent collect, or if the farmers wanted to learn how to use them. Bradanna wondered how the farmers were going to survive all the way out here, far from Chillwind Camp, and without anyone who knows how to use simple weapons to defend themselves with. Thurman Grant provided an answer. Thurman Grant: I told Commander Valorfist that we could hold our own, and we intend to. I had a little conversation with the death knight general, Thassarian, on my way over here. We farmers plan to help in our own way. We will take control of this farm, begin to cultivate the land…and then when the battle for Andorhal commences, we will attack the Forsaken from the rear. They’ll never expect it. First, we need to get rid of these Forsaken outriders. Kill some, then return to me. The Dwarves set out to kill some Forsaken Outriders. The farmers joined in. Thurman Grant was right – it does seem the farmers can “hold their own” here. They were out here killing Forsaken Outriders before The Dwarves got there. The farmers had even found the time to cultivate the land (in between fighting Forsaken Outriders). The Dwarves didn’t know anything about these plants, other than they grew much taller than Dwarves. The Dwarves returned to Thurman Grant to let him know they killed some Forsaken Outriders, as he had asked. Thurman Grant praised The Dwarves fighting skills. “My men could stand to learn a few moves from experienced fighters like you,” Thurman Grant said. Thurman Grant: In fact, you might still be able to help train some of my men. You probably noticed the abomination outside. We initially tried to fight him, but he didn’t want to fight back. He seems to want to help out on the farm. Take a group of four settlers and challenge this abomination to combat. He seems to be pretty tough, but with one of him and five of you, I think you’ll have a chance at beating him. Together, The Dwarves gathered up a total of eight of Thurman Grant’s Provincial Minutemen. They grabbed their pitchforks and followed The Dwarves toward the abomination. Fridge ran along with them, as usual. None of the farmers seemed to care that one member of their party was a bear. Bradanna figured that these farmers had seen worse things, and Fridge was showing no interest in attacking the farmers. It turned out Thurman Grant’s suspicion was right. The abomination introduced himself. His name is Gory, and he wants to help out on the farm. Gory: Gory wants to help out on farm. Gory already has his own scythe! One of the farmers yelled out: If you really want to help out, you can help me and my friends with some combat practice. The Dwarves looked at each other, alarmed what had just happened. This was a fight that didn’t need to happen. On the other hand, the farmers had reason to not want to welcome an abomination on their farm. The sight of Gory was unnerving! Gory: You want to fight? Alright, Gory fight. Gory: Gory give up! You farmers fight more good! Gory stopped fighting and just stood there. The farmers quickly realized that the battle was over, and started walking away from the abomination. This was a strange situation. Bradanna wondered if Gory needed healing. She felt bad for him. All he wanted to do was help on the farm – and he got attacked by eight human farmers, two Dwarves, and a bear. At the same time, Bradanna thought Gory was repulsive. She reluctantly decided it just wasn’t a good idea to try and heal an abomination. The Dwarves and all of the farmers/Provincial Minutemen went together to let Thurman Grant know what happened. Bradanna wasn’t sure he would believe their story. An abomination who doesn’t want to fight? It seemed unrealistic. Fortunately, the room full of witnesses to what occurred were enough to convince any reasonable person. Thurman Grant: We can handle things from here. I thank you for your help, Bradanna. I assume that when we next meet, it will be in battle. Take care of yourself until then. We’ll need all the help we can get. As a player, I found it interesting that the quest text was written as if a single player did the quests. Bradanna and Hansbrix were in a group, so they each got individuated responses that included their name. I guess this was the easiest way to make the quest text, since it could make sense for both single players and groups. It still felt a little weird, though. Thurman Grant had nothing more for The Dwarves to help with, and the farmers needed to get back to working on the farm. Before they left, The Dwarves wanted to check on Gory. The Dwarves carefully walked up to Gory. He was still standing in the same place. It was clear that Gory wasn’t the smartest of creatures, and Bradanna wondered if the farmers would continue to fight him. They might choose to ignore him, which didn’t quite feel right either. “Gory… are you doing all right?” Bradanna asked. Gory: Gory just happy to be in the sun. Bradanna reconsidered her assumption. Gory clearly wasn’t very smart, but he still had wisdom to share. She wished that everyone on Azeroth could be made happy simply by being in the sun for a while. Bradanna wanted to remember Gory’s words when tough times returned. After waiving goodbye to Gory, The Dwarves drove to The Mender’s Stead. The Dwarves met Field Agent Kaartish at The Menders’ Stead. Field Agent Kaartish: Welcome, priest. As you can see, our camp is a joint expedition between Argent Crusade members and Cenarion Circle druids, but we welcome all who wish to help heal the land. Field Agent Kaartish: No longer does the Scourge hold this area. We, the living, are retaking Lordaeron. We have taken great strides already, as you have already seen. The earth flowers, the trees grow tall and green, and the wildlife is beginning to return. Yet a few remnants of undeath remain. While the trees and grass prosper, the animals are struggling. Something is preventing them from healing, and I intend to find out what. Bring me samples from the plagued wildlife so that I may study them more closely. Next, The Dwarves spoke with Adrine Towhide, who also needed their help. Or, to be more accurate, she needed The Dwarves to help someone else. Adrine Towhide: I am Adrine Towhide, a druid of the Cenarion Circle. You can thank us for healing this land, where once there was only death. We accept all who choose to follow the druidic path, regardless of race, faction or talent. Occasionally, that means we enlist a druid who needs more help than others. I’d like you to meet Zen’Kiki. He’s pretty new, and he’s still learning his craft. Would you mind taking him out with you for a while? You can practice combat on the plagued animals that roam nearby. Zen’Kiki: Ready to go, mon! Selyria Groenveld: Dwarf! I’m glad someone’s here to help me out. We Cenarion druids have re-cultivated Daison’s Farm, immediately behind me. The land has flourished and our crops have been successful… mostly. A few plants seem to still be infected by the plague that ran through this land. Perhaps their roots were too deep, perhaps the seeds were weak… I cannot say. All I can say is that I need an able priest like you to help me remove the bad plants from the good ones. Before heading out, The Dwarves talked with Durnt Brightfalcon, a fellow Dwarf. Durnt Brightfalcon: Word is in from Andorhal, Bradanna. The battle has resumed. It has become somewhat well-known among the Alliance forces that you’re a hero of the first battle of Andorhal. Thassarian has requested your presence immediately. The Dwarves, Fridge, and Zen’Kiki were ready to leave The Menders’ Stead and get to work. This screenshot shows Zen’Kiki standing near Bradanna. What I couldn’t see was that Hansbrix had his own Zen’Kiki. The Dwarves fought a hulking plaguebear. Zen’Kiki tried to help. Zen’Kiki: Shapeshift! Zen’Kiki’s ready to pounce! Zen’Kiki: This isn’t right. Bradanna wasn’t sure what kind of creature Zen’Kiki turned himself into. She was pretty sure it wasn’t one that belonged on land. Zen’Kiki: Shapeshift! Here comes de moonfire! Zen’Kiki: It burns like the moon! Zen’Kiki hit himself with his moonfire. Bradanna was unimpressed. She considered healing him… but then figured maybe this was a good learning experience for a new druid. The Dwarves killed some really big spiders. They needed to collect samples from them for Field Agent Kaartish. The Dwarves ran through The Writhing Haunt to collect the last of the samples. Zen’Kiki tried his best, but he really wasn’t much help. Bradanna believed he meant well, though. The Dwarves returned to The Mender’s Stead to speak with the people who had asked for their help. Field Agent Kaartish: Once the animals are healed, our duties here will be nearly complete. Field Agent Kaartish: I will need some time to study these samples, Bradanna. I will speak to you again when I have completed my analysis. Field Agent Kaartish: We are not the only Argent Crusaders here in the plague lands. Our headquarters, Hearthglen, lies to the north. Even nearer to the north is a small lumber mill which we also control. Nathaniel Dumah is my main contact at the lumber mill. I encourage you to speak with him, should you find yourself in that part of the woods. Next, The Dwarves spoke with Adrine Towhide. She wanted to know details about how Zen’Kiki did. The Dwarves were extremely honest with their assessment of Zen’Kiki’s abilities as a druid. Adrine Towhide: It looks like Zen’Kiki is still having a little bit of trouble with his shapeshifting. Adrine Towhide: Among other things, Zen’Kiki needs to work on his spell accuracy. I could see his wrath spells spirling out of control even from here! In fact, I used them as a marker to follow your progress through the woods. Perhaps we can use Zen’Kiki another way. Take him up to the top of the all just to our east. The diseased hawks that circle above that hill must be destroyed. Ask Zen’Kiki to shoot at these hawks. Even if he can’t hit them, he will distract them so you can finish them off. Zen’Kiki: Ready to go, mon! Hansbrix took Fridge and went to do some necessary shopping before they headed out to complete their latest tasks. Bradanna kept her eye on Zen’Kiki. She wasn’t impressed with him at all, and felt like he would quickly get himself into trouble if no one was watching. As Zen’Kiki wandered around The Mender’s Stead, Bradanna moved just close enough to be in range in case he suddenly became in bad need of healing. Zen’Kiki: You just let Zen’Kiki know when you’re ready! I’ll bring one of these birds down for ya! Zen’Kiki: Here comes Zen’Kiki! Zen’Kiki was still having trouble with shapeshifting. He didn’t seem to know which way to face, and the Diseased Hawk was about to attack him. Fridge stepped in to tank, while Bradanna and Hansbrix shot the Diseased Hawk from a distance. Zen’Kiki: I seem to be… stuck… After The Dwarves killed the required number of diseased birds, they returned Zen’Kiki to Adrine Towhide. Adrine Towhide: Now we’re getting somewhere. How may birds did Zen’Kiki end up killing? None? You killed them all yourself? Alright, I suppose we’ll have to find another use for him then. I will let you know when the time is right. Next, The Dwarves headed over to Dalson’s Farm. It wasn’t very far away, so they decided just to run over there. The fought, and killed, some Thrashing Pumpkins. They also removed some unhealthy-looking pumpkins. Next, they went to remove rotten apples from the orchard. This is where The Dwarves ran into some Pome Wraths who attacked them. When this Pome Wrath was out of the way, The Dwarves continued their task. It’s always a good idea to remove the rotten apples before they spoil the bunch. Other Pome Wraths interrupted them, and were just as quickly dispatched. The last bit of agricultural work The Dwarves needed to do was to remove bad corn. It sounded easy, until the Corn Stalkers attacked. The Dwarves were well prepared to defeat these enemies. The Dwarves reported back to Selyria Groenveld, and told her about the rotten things that were at Dalson’s Farm. Selyria Groenveld: Thank you for your help, Bradanna. I know that picking vegetables isn’t the most heroic task imaginable, but even the humblest tasks have their rewards. Bradanna hit Level 40! Hanxbrix had already hit Level 40. He was always a bit ahead of Bradanna. The last thing to do was return to Andorhal and speak with Thassarian again. The Dwarves were right back where they started from, shortly after entering Western Plaguelands. Thassarian: Word has it that you helped those farmers arm themselves. Well, now they’ve initiated the attack without my order! They’ve forced my hand. The battle has resumed. This time, we fight the Forsaken… and I fight Koltira, my old brother of the Ebon Blade. Bradanna shook her head. Technically, The Dwarves armored the farmers. They never gave them arms, because Thurman Grant said that the farmers wouldn’t know which end to hold. It felt to her like Thassarian was using the situation as an excuse to start a fight with his “frenemy”. Thassarian: To the east, deep within Forsaken-held Andorhal, you will find their commanders. They do not fight, but call out orders from horseback. Hunt down and slay these commanders, Bradanna. The Forsaken won’t stand a chance. Lang Loosegrip had some advice for the The Dwarves. The advice was a bit vague, but he probably meant well. Lang Loosegrip: I’m no military expert, but this battle looks to be in our favor. Our defenders are equally matched with their death guards, but the farmers’ militia has taken them by surprise from the rear. For the Alliance! Still, we should all do what we can to make sure that we win. Travel east into Andorhal and slay the Forsaken death guards that are fighting with our men. The sooner they die, the quicker we can re-take Andorhal! The Dwarves, and Fridge, took on the Forsaken Deathguards, one at a time. Thassarian: Well done. With them out of the way, I have no more excuses. Soon, I must battle Koltira, for honor and for Andorhal. Thassarian: We are winning this battle, Bradanna. As long as those farmers keep chipping away at the Forsaken’s flanks, we will overtake them. And just like that, Thassarian changed his mind about the farmers, the moment he saw how useful they were. The Dwarves let Lang Loosegrip know that they completed the task he sent them on to kill the Deathguards. Lang Loosegrip: You fight well, Bradanna. I wish I had your ability… and your bravery. The Dwarves went back to talk with Thassarian, figuring he would have some plan worked out for the battle ahead. Thassarian: We nearly have this battle won, Bradanna. I can taste victory. The Forsaken never stood a… What the hell is that!? The Dwarves turned around to see what Thassarian was looking at. Thassarian: Is that a… val’kyr? Bradanna squinted her eyes… and could just barely see the form of something flying toward them. The Dwarves had never seen anything like this before! Val’kyr: Kneel, Alliance! Kneel before the might of the Forsaken! With that, this beautiful, horrible, creature, and the ones it brought with it, began an attack. Thassarian: Val’Kyr? Koltira brought val’kyr to this fight? Has he gone mad? No, this is not Koltira’s work. This was Sylvanas. Thassarian: The val’kyr were one of the Scourge’s primary weapons. Not only were they skilled in battle, but they could be used to convert corpses into Scourge minions. To think that Sylvanas is stooping to such levels for the sake of the Forsaken… We need to stop the val’kyr before they wipe us out and turn our army against us. Slay as many as you can find. And bring some of these minutemen with you. If they’ve survived this long, then they must have some battle skill. The Dwarves could hardly believe the situation they had gotten into. They were about to fight lesser Val’kyr with a bunch of militiamen who were armed with pitchforks. Thurman Grant: Our militia has been nearly wiped out. Only I and these few farmers remain. Those winged creatures… they took the bodies of our men and… and turned them into walking, undead corpses! With every one of our men they took, they bolstered their own ranks. It pains me to admit it, but you will ned to fight them too, along with the deathguards and val’kyr. As they did in life, they hunt in packs, so take some of my minutemen with you. The Dwarves, and Fridge, led the remaining militia into battle. They fought against Forsaken Troopers. Bradanna found these battles to be tough. It wasn’t because they were not up to the task. She worried about the militia who had to, once again, fight against their (now undead) brothers. She and Hansbrix led the militia past the fallen body of the one they just killed. The corpse lay on the road in Andorhal, ignored out of necessity. The battle continued to wage around them, and there simply was no time for anyone to mourn for their lost friends. The moment The Dwarves, and their band of militiamen, killed a val’kyr – another one began to attack. This was the kind of battle where one wrong move could turn out to be completely disastrous. Victorious! Thurman Grant: You fought valiantly, but we’re getting nowhere. Every body that falls just fuels their forces. Thassarian: For every val’kyr you slay, you save dozens of our men… and prevent the Forsaken forces from growing. Still, they press on. We may not will this battle after all. Thassarian: I spoke too quickly, Bradanna. Even with your support, things are looking grim for our forces out there. Thassarian: Our last hope of victory lies in defeating the val’kyr. You’ve done well up until now… but you’re only one woman and there are literally dozens of them raining destruction on the battlefield. One enormous val’kyr sits atop the tower to our south… you can see her from here. Perhaps if we eliminate her, the remaining val’kyr will dissipate. This is our only hope. Bring some of Grant’s men with you. You’ll need their protection for this battle. The Dwarves took a moment to make a plan with the militiamen, as Aradne watched while floating above the tower. Thassarian seemed to think that maybe Bradanna and her militiamen could take on Aradne by themselves, but didn’t seem hopeful about the outcome. Bradanna was undaunted, though. With Hansbrix and Fridge by her side, along with Hansbrix’s militiamen – this seemed like a battle they just might win. The first thing to do was climb to the top of the tower. The battle was intense, but went very quickly. Here lies the corpse of the Val’kyr Aradne. Thassarian: I watched your victory from below. Well-fought, but ultimately, it was for naught. The val’kyr and the Forsaken press on: soon they will overtake us. We have lost Andorhal. Thassarian: Head south, to Chillwind Camp. Tell Commander Ashlam Valorfist everything that happened here. Me? I’m going west, into Tirisfal. My battle’s not over yet. I’ve got an appointment with that harpy that calls herself a Banshee Queen…and I’m finding out what she did to Koltira. The Dwarves returned to Chillwind Camp to give Commander Ashlam Valorfist the news about Andorhal. Commander Ashlam Valorfist: Lost? No…next, they’ll be coming for Chillwind, I suppose. This was a major strategic blow to the Alliance’s plans for Lordaeron. Very well. I will report the results of this battle to King Wrynn. I don’t expect him to be happy. The Dwarves were right back where they started from. This was not the end of their adventure through Western Plaguelands, though. There was more to explore. The Dwarves Explore Western Plaguelands – Part 1 is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!...
- World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth – Alliance Side
  June 9, 2018World of Warcraft / World of Warcraft BetasAfter completing the Battle for Lordaeron (and several of the quests that followed) on the Horde side of the World of Warcraft: – Battle for Azeroth Beta, I decided it was time to see what the Alliance side of that battle was like. This required me to roll a new character (which will disappear when the Beta ends). I chose to play a Dark Iron Dwarf, which is an Alliance Allied Race. Thelgarn (whose name came from a random Dwarf name generator I found online) is a Warrior. This blog contains screenshots, Twitch videos, and commentary about the Alliance side of the Battle for Azeroth Beta. There are some spoilers ahead. Watch World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth Beta – Battle of Lordaeron Alliance Side from Queenofhaiku on www.twitch.tv Here is an example of the strange, red lines that I mentioned in the video. I found them disturbing, but cannot fully explain why. They just felt wrong. I kept getting distracted by these red lines hovering over the landscape while I was playing through the Battle for Lordaeron. It is pretty obvious that those lines are not supposed to be here. I’ve reported it as a bug, and figure that other players have, too. Hopefully, these bizarre red lines will be removed before this expansion launches. High Overlord Saurfang is somewhere in the middle of that mob. I’ll leave you to watch the video above to see what happens with him. Without giving too much away, I will say that part of his story continues for Horde players. Saurfang pops up in the Stormwind Stockade, and has something to say. As far as I can tell, only Horde players will get that part of the story (because it comes up during a series of quests that follow the Battle for Lordaeron on the Horde side). Watch World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth Beta – Kul Tiras from Queenofhaiku on www.twitch.tv This lovely mount is called a Swift Red Gryphon. I had one of these on my Horde character during the Battle for Azeroth beta. This mount flies in Stormwind, but would not fly in some of the new areas of the Horde side. This does not surprise me. I figure there are probably new flying skills to purchase before characters can fly in new Battle for Azeroth zones. Shortly after this point in the Beta, I decided to try and get to Silithus so I could work on some quests that required me to travel to that zone. The flight master could not send me there – because I was on the wrong continent. So, I flew across Stormwind, got on a boat – and discovered a bug. Later, I learned that I had selected the wrong boat. Thelgarn the Warrior ended up in Kul Tiras – which clearly was not the right place. It wasn’t even the right continent. He quickly found some dinner, and then started exploring. I’d already been through some of this when during the Battle for Azeroth Alpha. New things had been added since then. Eventually, Thelgarn decided he had enough of Kul Tiras. He tried to find the boat that brought him here, but it left before he could get on. This gave him some time to look all official by sitting at this desk. Watch World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth Beta – Killing Goblins for Mysterious Ore from Queenofhaiku on www.twitch.tv In this video, after waiting around for a boat that was taking a long time to arrive, Thelgarn remembered he could just hearth back to Stormwind and start over. A group of players was fighting a Target Dummy, who appears to be throwing Rubik’s Cubes. I’m guessing that the cube is a temporary stand in for something else that, for whatever reason, was not added to the Battle for Azeroth Beta. It turned out that Thelgarn was supposed to take this portal to Darnassus. I assumed that the boat all the way at the end of the row was the one that went to Kalimdor. It appears that is not so in the Battle for Azeroth Beta. Thelgarn ended up standing on a rock near the shoreline, which felt kind of random. But, I guess a portal can be set to pretty much anywhere in Azeroth. So… whatever. My biggest frustration with the Alliance side of the Battle for Azeroth is that the quest chains do not flow. Start in Stormwind – queue for Battle for Lorderon. Hang around until it suddenly becomes your turn to participate. Finish the battle, and end up back in Stormwind. Find a quest giver (or two) who want you to go to Silithus. But, before you can do that, you are supposed to speak with King Anduin. This involves watching a cinematic of the King giving a speech and talking with two (important) NPCs while the player…. waits and watches. I had some confusion about how to get to Kalimdor, but that could be my own fault. It is reasonable to assume that players would just understand that they were supposed to use the portal. Arrive in Darnassas, standing on a rock. Take what feels like a very long flight from the nearest Flight Trainer to Silithus. This is kind of a fuzzy screenshot, in part because my character was in flight, and also because the whole area is a strange, pink, tone. The disturbing red line in the sky is back. I reported it as a bug. I’ve no idea why I see these red lines on the Alliance side, but didn’t see any of them on the Horde side. The red lines in the air became purple lines in the air somewhere around Ashenvale. Pick up a few more quests in Silitus. Complete some, turn them in, get a few more. One of the quests involves killing goblins to obtain Mysterious Ore, and another asks the player to put explosives on some Shredders. These quests were fun, and fairly easy to do. Watch World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth Beta – Meeting Magni from Queenofhaiku on www.twitch.tv Oh, wait! I was supposed to speak with Magni who just so happens to be on the other side of the same area I’m working on quests in. Speak with Magni, and you take a … I’m gonna call it a “waypoint”… to somewhere. Once there, you watch a cinematic that explains how Azeroth got wounded. To me, it felt like players must do this to complete that part of a quest. Talk to Magni, do a little quest, and get the super important amulet. Magni says to take the … waypoint… back. I assume this means back outside this special chamber. But, no. Thelgarn suddenly found himself back in Stormwind, with a quest to go see King Anduin. I had two quests in Silithus that I hadn’t started yet, and will now have to take the long flight back out there in order to complete them. It just doesn’t flow. This is disappointing because the Horde side of the Battle for Azeroth Beta flows really well. Obviously, things can change between now, and when the Battle for Azeroth expansion is released. I’m doing my part and reporting all the bugs that I find in the Beta (as I did in the Alpha). Overall, I think I will enjoy this new expansion, but might be focusing on my Horde characters a bit more than my Alliance ones for the Battle for Azeroth content. World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth – Alliance Side is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on Patreon or at PayPal.me. Thank you!...

Out of Spoons (Chronic Illness)

- My Doctor Left the Clinic
  October 17, 2018Out of Spoons / Spoonie WritingOn September 18, 2018, I received a letter from what I have been referring to as “the clinic for the poor people”. My wonderful doctor, who actually had a lot of knowledge about my allergies, has left the clinic. This unexpected situation left me without an assigned doctor (or, primary care doctor) during flu season. Not a good situation for a person with three autoimmune diseases who is trying to get on Disability. The letter from “the clinic for the poor people” informed me that my fantastic doctor “is no longer with” the clinic. The letter said they were “actively recruiting a new physician to continue your care.” I took them at their word, and waited for them to call me. Eventually, it became clear that I was going to have to call them and find out if I had been assigned a new doctor… or, if not, when they expected to find one for me. The best thing about “the clinic for the poor people” is that the workers who answer the phones are exceptionally patient and kind. The woman who helped me didn’t get irritated when I forgot what my phone number was (and explained that I’m dyslexic). She took the time to find out what doctors were taking new patients and gave me the name of one. This helped me feel a bit safer. If I get the flu, and get incredibly sick, I will have access to a doctor. (My three autoimmune chronic illnesses make it dangerous for me to get the flu shot). I’ll also have a doctor to call when I return from a video game conference with what is often referred to as “Con Crud”. Or, maybe not. The helpful woman on the phone couldn’t tell me what my new doctor specialized in. I’m hoping that he is someone who is covered by my health insurance – because I sure as hell cannot afford to pay out of pocket for health care. The part I’m incredibly nervous about is whether or not this doctor will agree to fill out a form that I need in order to begin the process of trying to get Social Security Disability. (This will be my second attempt after getting denied, and denied, and denied). He could be mean and refuse to help me. I’m also not looking forward to “training” a new doctor about all of my chronic illnesses and how they interconnect. The new doctor could decide that I’m too much work, or too much research, or maybe that he isn’t being paid enough to help me. Or, he could be really awesome (like my previous doctor was). There’s no way to predict how this will go, so I refuse to get my hopes up Despite this setback, I have made small progress on my attempt to get Disability. My wonderful acupuncturist happily filed out the form I needed. It’s possible the new doctor will do the same. And then… I have to track down my Rheumatologist (who diagnosed me with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia) and see if he will fill out the form I need. The office he used to be at appears to be empty now, and I’ve no idea if he retired or just relocated. This is a whole lot of work to expect a disabled person to do all by themselves. At the time I am writing this, I’m fighting a bad cold (that I’m hoping won’t turn into the flu). I literally don’t have the energy to chase down doctors and beg them to fill out the forms I need to get Disability. The photo at the top of this blog is from Pexels. My Doctor Left the Clinic is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!...
- Dentist Expenses
  September 17, 2018Doctor Appointments / Out of SpoonsI’m going to start this blog by saying that I have dental insurance – but it doesn’t cover very much beyond regular checkups. At my most recent checkup, the dentist found some expensive problems that need to be fixed. Content warning: This blog post contains details about my most recent dentist appointment. I’m not going to post anything graphic and will not include any photos (other than the one at the top of this blog). I went for a regular, six-month, dental checkup. My insurance covers two checkups and cleanings a year, and whatever x-rays the dentist wants to take. The main purpose for the x-rays this time was to make sure that the cap the dentist put in (which replaced one that wasn’t functioning properly anymore) was doing well. We had to take out a small loan in order to pay for the cap. We finished paying off that loan very recently. The cap turned out to be just fine. But, there was another problem. More specifically, this problem was with one of my molars. The tooth (or, what’s left of it) is currently being held together with a metal filling and a smaller “tooth colored” filing. Both were put in years ago, and I’ve been told the metal filling would eventually fail. And fail, it did. I noticed that I was getting food stuck between that tooth and the one in front of it for a while. Food would push into that space when I chewed so often that it eventually caused that part of my gums to get sore. I brushed and flossed, and figured that was fine. The dental hygienist noticed a problem in that area. I explained about the food getting stuck into it. She said she thought she saw “something” but wanted to the dentist to take a look. The dentist took a look, poked around, and declared that I had a gum infection. He said there was pus, and promptly removed it. The dental technician said she saw some of that and had removed what she could. I have chronic illnesses, three of which are autoimmune diseases. I’m well aware that infection generally means I’ll be prescribed an antibiotic. “How is this treated?”, I asked the dentist. “Very simply,” he responded. Long story short, the dental technician was able to treat it right then and there. It involved the application of a ….well, she described it as “kind of like a sandblaster”. It was some kind of solution that was designed to remove particulate matter (meaning whatever food particles were still stuck in a “pocket” of my gums). Next, she would apply an antibiotic, which would be “squished in there.” I was a little nervous until I understood what was about to happen. “The antibiotic costs $88,” the dental technician said. “Are you prepared to pay that?” Um…. no? I sent her to ask my husband if we had the money for that. He was in the waiting room. She came back and let me know that he said we were able to pay for that. While she was applying the antibiotic, I was thinking about how lucky I was to have access to a dentist right then. This infection could have gotten much worse if ignored – especially since I was completely unaware of it. The only reason I can afford regular checkups is because they come free with my dental health plan. The shortest explanation is that it is connected to my “Obamacare” health insurance. I wasn’t expecting to pay $88 that day, but it was manageable. The problem is that the dentist needs to remove my metal filling (which is failing – something every dentist I’ve seen since it was put in warned me would happen.) I’m going to need a cap put on that tooth, which means I’ll need a temporary cap before the permanent one can be created and placed. I’m not sure if this involves a root canal or not. He said something about being able to “move my tooth” over so I wouldn’t get food stuck in that spot anymore. The price tag on what I need done is $897. That’s after whatever amount my insurance covers (if it is covering anything at all). For us, this is a lot of money. The receptionist wanted to know when I wanted to schedule that work. “When we get the money to pay for it,” I replied. She was not amused. The dentist said it was not something I had to rush into. “You’re not gonna lose a tooth,” he told me. “I don’t think there’s much tooth left. It’s mostly fillings,” I responded. At the time I am writing this blog post, I have absolutely no idea where we are going to get the money to pay for the dental work I need. Yes, it can wait. But, it can’t wait forever. I browsed through GoFundMe, specifically looking at ones from people who needed help paying for dental work. There are so many and most of them didn’t raise any money at all. I’m hesitant to do a GoFundMe because my husband and I have plans to attend a video game conference in November. Based on what I’ve seen on Twitter, people will assume that I’m lying about the dental work and trying to scam them into paying for my vacation. What am I supposed to do, get a written letter from my dentist confirming that I’m telling the truth? This is why we need single payer health care. If we had that, things like this would be covered. Maybe I’d have to pay $5 or $10 for medication. That’s it. I certainly wouldn’t have to wonder if GoFundMe is my only hope. I wouldn’t have to question the morality of putting up a GoFundMe knowing that mine could push attention away from someone else who is in a worse situation than I am. America doesn’t have a health care system. It has an for-profit insurance system – and GoFundMe. This must change. So, I’m on an antibiotic… or, more correctly, the antibiotic is literally on me. It’s in a pocket of my gums where the dentist found signs of infection. I’m not allowed to floss that area for a total of ten days, so I assume that’s how long the antibiotic will release itself. Antibiotics make me extremely sleepy, which makes it harder for me to complete my paid writing work, which makes it harder for me to gather up the money to pay for the dental work I need. Dentist Expenses is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!...

Other Video Games

- Seekers Notes: Unexpected Trouble Collection
  December 25, 2018Other Video Games / Seekers NotesSeekers Notes is a puzzle game where the player becomes The Seeker. It includes a creepy story line. The town of Darkwood is under a curse, and no one seems to know how to lift it. The Unexpected Trouble collection is the last part of the second series of quests in the Mystery of December event. It is the Seekers Notes Christmas event. The focus is on a newly unlocked location called the Gift Post Office. Towards the end of the first series of quests in the Mystery of December event, Helen tells The Seeker that the townspeople’s gifts had been ruined. Someone ripped up the wrapping paper and tore off the bows. Colonel Hammerstrike decides to hold an investigation to find the criminal. He gets a bit overzealous in his desire to punish whomever ruined the gifts. One thing is clear: Colonel Hammerstrike is really angry! Colonel Hammerstrike: It’s unacceptable! Helen told me everything. The rascal responsible must be caught and punished! I’ll start the investigation right now. Are you with me, Seeker? The player responds: Sure thing! Colonel Hammerstrike: The culprit must have left some tracks. Let’s take a close look. If we’re lucky, the tracks will lead us straight to the vandal. I can’t wait to arrest them! I found pine cones. Colonel Hammerstrike: Hmm, we found pine cones instead of footprints. Interesting. That means our culprit is no ordinary vandal, but an experienced criminal who knows how to cover their tracks. Colonel Hammerstrike: Unfortunately, we can’t catch the criminal. We have no evidence! But we need to secure the Gift Post Office. Helen is working here, after all! And, of course, all the townspeople’s gifts are here. I also happened to notice that the Gift Post Office window can’t be locked. It appears that Colonel Hammerstrike is especially protective of Helen. I have absolutely no idea what she thinks about that, or if she is even aware that Colonel Hammerstrike feels that way toward her. I found a latch. Colonel Hammerstrike: Excellent! Even a simple latch can stop a crime. Let’s fit the latch to the window forthwith. Security above all! Colonel Hammerstrike: I don’t want to leave you and Helen unprotected, but it’s my turn to go on patrol. Let’s agree on a signal if the criminal tries to repeat their crime! This time, the quest requires the player to explore the Gift Post Office while it has the Gargoyle anomaly. The game randomly places a variety of anomalies into different locations. If the player is lucky, the right anomaly will appear in the location that they are about to explore. In my experience, this simply does not happen. I ended up playing through the Gift Post Office multiple times in the hopes that the next time would have the Gargoyle anomaly. The only good thing about this is it was an opportunity to work on getting the Gift Post Office to its next Rank. Eventually, the Gargoyle anomaly appeared. I was able to successfully find all of the hidden objects, and the flare appeared when I was finished. In the meantime, I moved the rank of the Gift Post Office from 50.0% of the way through Amateur to 87.5% of the way through it. Colonel Hammerstrike: Excellent! This flare is so bright that I’ll notice it day or night. As soon as you sense any danger, send up the signal immediately, okay? I’ll come at once. Helen: Colonel Hammerstrike is so kind and noble. But I don’t think the culprit will come again. I’m more worried that the gifts of the townspeople have been ruined… They need to be rewrapped! My next exploration of the Gift Post Office resulted in a new Rank. It was now at the Connoisseur Rank. I have now completed two of the five stages that require players to increase the Rank of the Gift Post Office. I found the wrapping paper. Helen: Where did you get such a beautiful set of wrapping paper? Wonderful! Let’s get down to work. It’ll be sad if someone receives a gift with torn paper. Helen: The townspeople put a lot of effort into wrapping the gifts and selecting the right ribbons! It would be so unfair if their efforts were in vain. Maybe you can find a set of colorful ribbons? I found a set of colorful ribbons. Helen: Spectacular! There are so many different ribbons! We can easily pick the right one for each gift. Helen: We just need to rewrap all the gifts and decorate them with ribbons. There are lots of gifts, but the work will go much faster and be more fun in this magical atmosphere. Let’s get started. The way to complete this quest is to assemble and trade a collection. Players that reach this point in the quest chain have already gathered up the main items they need for the collection. They may or may not have gathered up the extra items that the collection requires. It turned out that I had everything I needed to complete the Unexpected Trouble collection. All of the items on the collection get used up when the player completes the collection. Congratulations! You’ve assembled this collection: Unexpected Trouble. Helen: I’m grateful for your help! The gifts are wrapped and ready to be sent. I still hope the culprit will be caught, and that this unpleasantness won’t be repeated. Helen: Oh, what was that? A knock? The player responds: Yes! Helen: I can’t believe it, the knocking is coming from inside that large clock! The player responds: Let’s check it out! This quest chain ends on a very creepy note that leads the player into the next series of quests in the Mystery of December event. Congratulations! You completed the stage challenge and get Old Crown as a reward! I have now completed all of the Stage 2 quests in the Mystery of December event. Seekers Notes: Unexpected Trouble Collection is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!...
- Seekers Notes: Placating Mystery of December Creatures
  December 24, 2018Other Video Games / Seekers NotesSeekers Notes is a “find the hidden object” game with a creepy storyline and plenty of mysteries and puzzles for the player to solve. The player becomes The Seeker, and must find the lost items that the NPCs (non-player characters) request. The Mystery of December event is Seekers Notes version of a Christmas event. Players who complete everything can earn special rewards. Part of the quests involve placating the Mystery of December creatures, who are bothering the people of Darkwood. The player is asked to placate the three different Mystery of December creatures. A short quest chain – that doesn’t count as part of the rest of the event quests – is presented to the player. The purpose is to teach the player how to obtain the items that are used to placate the holiday creatures. Ben: My friends told me they’d seen Lady Snowflake in the city. They gave her a flower, but it wilted as soon as Snowflake touched its petals. Now she’s terribly upset! Snowflake really loves flowers, but can’t touch them with her cold hands. The player needs an Ice Flower to placate Lady Snowflake with. This item sometimes drops after the player successfully finds all of the hidden objects in the Gift Post Office. Give Lady Snowflake the Ice Flower, and she will drop some of the items that you see in the above screenshot. Those items are used to placate the second creature in this group. Ben: Hooray! Lady Snowflake liked the ice flower. It’s even more beautiful than ordinary flowers, and most importantly, it will never wilt. The player must placate Lady Snowflake twice in order to obtain the right quantity of the items that are necessary to placate the second creature in the group one time. Ben: An amazing snowman, Mr. Scatterbrain, has wandered into Darkwood. He loves building ice castles, but always loses his mittens. How can we help him? This snowman adores building ice castles, but loses his mittens all the time. Ben: The snowman almost crumbled with joy when he received his new mittens! The kids and I will go play with Mr. Scatterbrain. He builds wonderful castles out of ice! The player must placate Lady Snowflake twice in order to gather up enough special items to placate Mr. Scatterbrain once. The problem is that the player needs to placate Mr. Scatterbrain twice in order to collect the special items needed to placate the third creature in the group. Congratulations! You completed the stage challenge and get Magic Lantern as a reward! I completed State 1 of the placate the creatures portion of the Mystery of December event. Ben: My friends were scared by a huge abominable snowman. But Sir Yeti proved to be a very polite and well-mannered creature. He came to Darkwood to find gift wrap, and got upset when he scared the children. Sir Yeti has quite an unusual hobby. He just loves giving gifts! Congratulations! You’ve successfully placated the creature: Sir Yeti. Ben: Thank you! Who would have thought that Sir Yeti loved giving gifts so much? He was so pleased with the gift wrap that he immediately fled to the mountains. Apparently, he needs to wrap a lot of gifts! The NPCs in Darkwood can blink. This sometimes results in strange looking screenshots where I accidentally catch the NPC halfway through a blink. Congratulations! You completed the stage challenge and get Cookie Pops as a reward! I have now completed Stage 2 of the placate the creatures portion of the Mystery of December event. There is still a long way to go on this part of the Mystery of December stages, and a lot more quest chains to finish. I also need to keep leveling the rank of the Gift Post Office. Seekers Notes: Placating Mystery of December Creatures is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!...

TV & Movie Reviews

- Things from Mad Men that are Different from Today – Season Seven
  April 8, 2017TV and Movie ReviewsSeason Seven was the final season of Mad Men. I was kind of sad to have reached the end of the story, but I liked how it ended. I can always re-watch it if I want to. My husband and I watched the entire series of Mad Men on Netflix. I took notes on the things in Mad Men that are different from today. Before you read this post, you might want to read what I wrote about previous Seasons: Mad Men Season One Mad Men Season Two Mad Men Season Three Mad Men Season Four Mad Men Season Five Mad Men Season Six Warning: There are spoilers. Episode 1: Don flies to California where his wife, Megan, is living. She has a tiny black and white television. He buys her a huge console television. The thing is so heavy that it requires two big men to carry it inside. It looks like a cabinet with the television embedded in it, and I think it had built in speakers on either side of the TV. This was a top-of-the-line, expensive, color television…. that Megan didn’t want. Episode 2: * Don wakes up to a buzzing noise. It is coming from his alarm clock, which can be described as an analog electric alarm clock. The numbers flip over. * Don and his daughter, Sally, are at a diner. She wants to call her friends. Don put two quarters on the table. Sally takes the quarters, gets up, walks across the diner, and puts the quarters into the payphone that is on the wall. Today, Sally would have picked up her smartphone and made the call (or would have borrowed her dad’s smartphone to make the call). Episode 3: * Harry finally tells one of the other partners that he’s been lying – for a long time – about there being a computer that he uses to figure out the best ad placement for television ads. He’s been lying to the customers about it, too. There is no computer. This revelation sparks a conversation about the company needing to invest in a computer. Today, its hard to imagine an entire office without computers. * Betty goes on a field trip with her son, Bobby. She is a chaperone. Betty and Bobby ride on the school bus with his classmates, teacher, and a few other moms. Betty smokes a cigarette on the way, and ashes out the window. Episode 4: * The creative’s lounge is taken away from them because the office is going to put a computer there. It takes up that entire space. The only thing this computer could do was “crunch numbers” – literally computing. * The computer is an IBM 360. It is a mainframe computer that was accessed by remote terminals. It had 8,000,000 characters in bulk core storage. Monthly rentals ranged from $27,000 for a basic configuration to $115,000 for a typical large multi system configuration. * The “System/360″ became available for delivery in 1965. The office in Mad Men is getting it installed in 1969. Today, most offices do not invest in computers that are four years old. * Harry asks the IBM guy who is overseeing the computer installation to tell him where to find a keypunch service. The IBM 360 ran on punch cards. A keypunch service had people (often women) whose job it was to put a deck of blank cards into a hopper. The worker would type an operator command, and the hopper machine would feed one card at a time into a punch station. A series of dies punched holes into an individual card. Harry needed a service to make those cards for the office’s computer. * In order to operate the mainframe, a person needed to – by hand – put the stack of punchcards, in a specific order, into the mainframe one by one. * I have personally done that a few times when I was a little kid (because my dad sometimes took me to work with him.). Dropping the punch cards on the floor was a complete disaster. It meant you had to stop entering the cards, stop the computer, take the time to put the cards back in order, and start putting them into the computer again. If you accidentally put one card into the computer in the wrong order – the computer wouldn’t work. Once all the punchcards were correctly entered, you had to wait around for the mainframe to process them before you could start working from a terminal. * Don uses a typewriter at his desk to get some work done. He has a piece of white paper, then a sheet of carbon, then another piece of white paper sandwiched together. The purpose of this was so Don could make two copies of what he was typing at the same time. Episode 5: * There is now a secretary who sits at the terminal inside the room the giant computer is in. She appears to be typing something into the terminal. Behind her is a computer with a magnetic reel tape drive. * The giant mainframe computer makes a constant humming noise. The computer room always has the doors closed because it needs to be in an air conditioned room. Episode 6: * Peggy is working on an ad campaign for Burger Chef. She and Don decide to come up with a new idea rather than what they originally planned. Peggy mentions something about the ad including a mother who is picking up Burger Chef for her family on the way home from work. Don says “Mothers who work is too sad for an ad.” Peggy points out that he is surrounded by mothers who work. This doesn’t change Don’s mind. They end up going with a completely different idea. Episode 7: * This episode focuses on the Moon Landing. Everyone watches the rocket lifting off on television. Then, they watched the first space walk on television. * Peggy is in Indiana with Don, Pete, and Harry because they are pitching to Burger Chef the next day. Peggy went out to get alcohol, but Indiana was dry on Sundays – meaning stores could not sell alcohol. She ends up having to buy two cans of beer from the hotel clerk. Indiana was dry on Sundays until July 1, 2016. The laws changed on that date to allow distilleries, breweries, and wineries to sell alcohol on Sundays. The laws still did not allow people to buy alcohol and bring it home with them on a Sunday. Episode 8: * Don has an answering service. He calls and a female worker answers and tells him who called him and when. The service is not work related – it is taking calls from women in Don’s social life. * Joan and Peggy are talking to their client, Topaz pantyhose, about a problem. L’Eggs pantyhose – a competitor – is a lower price and is selling more than Topaz. L’Eggs pantyhose came in a plastic egg shaped container. Episode 9: * I didn’t see anything new in this episode, that you don’t see today (that hadn’t already been mentioned in this post or in posts about previous seasons.) Episode 10: * Sally’s friend Glenn comes to visit. He is now 18 years old. Glenn, and a female friend he brought with, ask Sally to go to Playland with them. Glenn reveals that he has joined the military and will be going to Vietnam. Sally gets very upset about this and rushes to her room. Later, Glenn returns, knowing that Sally is not there. (She was on a class trip.). Glenn came to see Betty. Betty gives Glenn a beer. The legal drinking age in New York was 18 until 1982 – when it went up to 19. On December 1, 1985, the legal drinking age in New York moved up to age 21. * Don was running late for work, so he shaves at his desk in his office while his secretary fills him in about what is scheduled for the day. He uses a battery powered electric razor. Those types of razors increased in popularity in the 1960s. * The office has a darkroom which Stan (one of the creatives) uses to develop film – usually for ad campaigns. People have to knock on the door before coming in because opening the door lets light into the room. Doing that at the wrong time can completely destroy film. Episode 11: * Peggy and Stan are working with children for an ad campaign. There is a table of toys in front of the kids. One of the toys is a metal slinky. Episode 12: * The office gets absorbed by McCann. They lose the computer that took over the creative’s lounge. Harry says that McCann has a team of people who do statistics – so they don’t need the computer. * McCann has an informal “ladies club”. The women who work there get together to complain about work (and drink). * Peggy’s last remaining creative guy chooses not to go to McCann. He is still at the old office. He says he is still being paid, so he thought he’d “make some long distance calls”. Long distance calls were very expensive at the time. Episode 13: * Don has gone on an impromptu road trip. He doesn’t carry luggage. Instead, he has a large paper bag with a change of clothes in it. The bag says Sears. Today, a lot of Sears stores are closing. Episode 14: * Don’s road trip continues. This time he is carrying a bag from Penney’s. The bag probably came from JC Penney’s (which, today, is also closing a lot of stores.) Things from Mad Men that are Different from Today – Season Seven is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on Patreon or at PayPal.me. Thank you!...
- Things from Mad Men that are Different from Today – Season Six
  April 7, 2017TV and Movie ReviewsAs my husband and I watched our way through Mad Men, I took notes about things that are in the show that are different from today. This post is about Mad Men Season Six. We watched the entire series on Netflix. Before you read this, you might want to read what I wrote about previous Seasons: Mad Men Season One Mad Men Season Two Mad Men Season Three Mad Men Season Four Mad Men Season Five Warning: There are spoilers. Episode 1: * Megan uses a Kodak Instamatic camera to take a photo of Don while they are on a work/vacation in Hawaii. The Kodak Instamatic was launched in 1963. It used a 126 film cartridge. The Kodak Instamatic 104 was released in 1968. It had a holder for a single flashbulb on the top of the camera. Take a photo with the flashcube, and cock the camera for the next exposure (meaning – roll the film for the next photo). The flashcube would turn 90 degrees to bring the next flashbulb into position automatically. * The maid was vacuuming while Don was watching TV. The television had two squiggly lines of interference across it – one near the top of the screen and one near the bottom. It was not a common problem, and the TV went back to normal when after the vacuum was shut off. Episode 2: I did not see anything in this episode that was different from today (and that wasn’t already mentioned in this list or the lists about previous seasons.) Episode 3: * The news in the background on televisions in various scenes discuss the Vietnam War. It has been said that Vietnam was the first “television war”, or the first “living-room war” (the room people watched television in.) Being able to sit in your home, in front of your TV, and watch what was happening in a war far away had an effect on people. At first, TV stations were trying to be upbeat – providing wire reports or a battlefield roundup. Later, things got darker and some “horror of war” was televised. The ability to watch the war on TV had an effect on people’s opinion about the war. In 1968, the Tet Offensive happened. It appears that this is what the television news is talking about in this episode of Mad Men. Episode 4: * Joan and her friend Kate go to a restaurant where there is a telephone at every table. The name of the restaurant is “Ma Bells”. The name is a play on The Bell Telephone Company. Ma Bells was the creation of Restaurant Associates. The restaurant actually existed. Every table had a telephone on it. People called their order into the kitchen. The telephones could also be used to call someone who was sitting at another table. * Megan and Don go out to dinner with Megan’s coworker and boss (who are a married couple.). During the dinner, it is revealed that the couple are “Swingers” who are interested in swinging with Megan and Don. Swingers were people who had open relationships. Some were heterosexual, and some were bisexual. Being a swinger became popular in the late 1960s, when the “free love” movement was taking place and casual sex was becoming an accepted thing among some people. Swingers felt it was natural to have sexual desires outside of your relationship, and to act on those desires (if the desired person was consenting.) Episode 5: * This episode focused on when Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed. * Someone (I forgot who) turns on a black and white television. A bright dot appears in the center of the screen, which becomes a horizontal line, that eventually spread out over the screen. This was how televisions at the time warmed up if they had not been turned on in a while. * Don takes Bobby to watch a movie. They see “The Planet of the Apes.” At the end of the movie, it’s clear that Bobby liked it. Don asked “Do you want to see it again?” Bobby does, so they stay in their seats and watch the movie again. This wasn’t unusual and was allowed at the time. Episode 6: * I didn’t see anything in this episode that hasn’t already been mentioned in this list (or the lists I put together about previous episode) Episode 7: * Pete’s mother comes to his apartment. The handyman calls Pete to let him know she is there. Pete tells the handyman to fix his mother a drink. The ice cube tray is made out of aluminum. It has a quick release handle on it that you pull up to crack the ice cubes. Today, ice cube trays are plastic and you twist them to crack the ice. Episode 8: * The office is visited by a “doctor” (brought in by one of the partners of the company that Don’s company merged with). The man is not really a doctor. He was brought to “fix everyone up.” Don agrees to see the “doctor” because he is suffering from a bad cough. The “doctor” injects several of the men in the office with an unknown concoction. Based on the actions of the men who took this injection – it appears that at least some of it is amphetamine. The “doctor” appears to be somewhat based on a real person named Max Jacobson who was known as “Dr. Feelgood”. Jacobson did have a background as a doctor – but was known for mixing up unknown ingredients (along with amphetamine) and injecting that into the (often famous) people who came to him for help. Jacobson “treated” JFK, Marylin Monroe, Eddie Fisher, and others. Episode 9: * Don stops at a gas station and tries to get the gas station attendant’s attention. It was a full service gas station (which was standard at the time). People did not pump their own gas – the attendant did it for them. The gas station attendant would fill the tank, check the tire pressure, check the oil, and wash the cars windows. People paid for the gas, but the other services were provided for free. Gas stations used to hand out trinkets as well – for travelers to collect. (drinking glasses, key chains, calendars, road maps, etc). There are some places in the United States today where people are required by law to allow a gas station attendant to pump their gas for them. It is no longer a common practice – and does not come with the extra services. Episode 10: * Joan tells a potential client that Harry works on figuring out where to place television ads “with a computer as big as this room”. The first personal computer wasn’t introduced until 1975 – and they were kits that people had to put together themselves. * This episode focused on the 1968 Democratic National Convention that took place in Chicago. * Megan watches the violence that took place outside the DNC. She calls Don, who is watching it, too, (while away on business). Megan says she can’t vote – but still cares about what’s going on. Megan is Canadian. She was from Quebec. * There is a lava lamp on the desk in the Creatives Office. The lava lamp was created by Edward Craven Walker (who was a British accountant). He sold the U.S. manufacturing rights in 1965 to a company named Lava Lite. In 1968, lava lamps were marketed to executives. Episode 11: * The office, which is in New York, receives fresh oranges from California from Sunkist (who is a client). In a previous episode, Roger’s daughter told him that her husband had this great idea about investing in refrigerated trucks that ship produce. This indicates that it was not easy to obtain fresh oranges from California if you lived in New York. Those oranges were a big deal. * Sylvia and Arnold (Don’s neighbors) have a son, Mitchell, who is 18. He returned his draft card as a form of protest of the Vietnam War. After Mitchell dropped out of school, the military re-classified him 1-A. This designation meant that it was extremely likely that Mitchell would be drafted and sent to Vietnam. Mitchell tells his problem to Megan (who relays the problem to Don). Megan said that Mitchell was “going to run”. This meant that Mitchell was going to leave the United States and go to Canada in order to avoid being drafted. Megan considers helping Mitchell because she has family in Canada. Much of this episode is about how to solve Mitchell’s problem. Episode 12: * I didn’t notice anything new in this episode (that wasn’t already mentioned in this post or in posts from previous seasons.) Episode 13: * Sally get suspended from boarding school because she used a fake ID with her mother’s name on it and bought alcohol for herself and the other girls. Betty calls Don, all upset. Betty tells Don that the reason why “nothing is working” and “the bad is beating the good” is because Sally is “from a broken home.” That’s not a phrase people use today in regards to a child from a family where the parents got divorced and remarried. Things from Mad Men that are Different from Today – Season Six is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on Patreon or at PayPal.me. Thank you!...

Cockatiels

- Throwback Thursday: Reading
  June 9, 2016CockatielsThrowback Thursday: Max was attempting to read over Shawn’s shoulder. Meanwhile, Gordo was simply getting comfy on the couch. (2011) Throwback Thursday: Reading is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. The photo in this post is not allowed to be posted on other websites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me at PayPal.me. Thank you!...
- Sort of Sharing a Pillow
  June 8, 2016CockatielsMorris and Poke can share a pillow together! They aren’t quite ready to share the pillow with Pepper, though. Sort of Sharing a Pillow is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. The photo in this post is not allowed to be posted on other websites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me at PayPal.me. Thank you!...

Coloring Pages

- Johanna Basford Coloring Calendar – April
  October 2, 2018ColoringI am slowly working my way through the pages of the 2018 Johanna Basford Coloring Calendar. A friend of mine gave it to me as a Christmas gift, and I’m really enjoying it. Coloring is a good way to reduce stress. It also helps my rheumatoid arthritis because it keeps my hands and fingers moving. I’m not healthy enough to keep up with coloring one page every day, but I was able to complete the month of April. March 31 and April 1 April 2 April 3 April 4 April 5 April 6 April 7 and 8 April 9 April 10 April 11 April 12 April 13 April 14 and 15 April 16 April 17 April 18 April 19 April 20 April 21 and 22 April 23 April 24 April 25 April 26 April 27 April 28 and 29 April 30 Johanna Basford Coloring Calendar – April is a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!...
- Johanna Basford Coloring Calendar – March
  August 19, 2018ColoringI’ve been working my way through the pages of the 2018 Johanna Basford Coloring Calendar. A friend of mine bought it for me for Christmas, and I’m really enjoying it. Coloring is a good way to reduce stress. It’s also helpful for my rheumatoid arthritis, which is in my hands (among other places). I think the idea is to keep my hands moving. Here are the coloring pages from March of 2018. March 1 March 2 March 3 and 4 March 5 March 6 March 7 March 8 March 9 March 10 and 11 March 12 March 13 March 14 March 15 March 16 March 17 and 18 March 19 March 20 March 21 March 22 March 23 March 24 and 25 March 26 March 27 March 28 March 29 March 30 March 31 and April 1 #BlaugustReborn Johanna Basford Coloring Calendar – Marchis a post written by Jen Thorpe on Book of Jen and is not allowed to be copied to other sites. If you enjoyed this blog post please consider supporting me on PayPal.me. Thank you!...