Lost and WoW (and FFXI)

[thistlechaser]

Finally we get a new ep, and it's all about Shannon? What a cruel, cruel thing to do. I spent the entire ep not watching with more than a quarter of my attention, wishing something would come out of the forest and eat her, smush her, maim her, or just make her vanish. The "love" scenes with her made me sick. What in the world does he see in her? How/why could he love her? Was he hit on the head in the plane crash?

I wish I could believe she's really dead, but they showed so little. I rewatched the end a few times, and while she does have blood on her, it's just a little washed-out blood. Her expression looked like (maybe) she died, but the Lost writers have tricked us and mislead us so often that I won't believe she's dead till they shove her into the grave with Boone.

I wonder if that's why I'm liking the series so much less this season: It's one thing to have mysteries and unanswered questions, but to be outright misleading (as they do in nearly every preview this season) is unfair. Why should I even try to guess if every clue they give could be a total fake?



Played hours of WoW tonight. It was neither exciting nor stressful, so I guess I came out ahead. I'm muchly bored with the game.

I got drunk for the first time, which was interesting (but lasted too long). Cool staggering/blurry vision effects.

I leveled (as I seem to do every time I play 9.9 ), plus I have "rested XP" until nearly 30.

I finally got herbalism up over 125, which I wanted because now I'm running into stuff that needs a minimum of 125 to harvest.

I got not just one new pet, but three: I started with a cougar (1.2 attack speed, nearly the best there is), but it didn't know Claw, so I released it and got a bear. When the bear taught me Claw4, I released it and tamed a new cougar. The cougar's name is the default (Cat) because I'm rather tired of naming these things.

My sense of how hard things are on WoW has been messed up by my long time back on FFXI: I needed to kill a NM hyena (two levels above me), but it had two "bodyguard" hyenas (both the same level as me). At the time I was proud that I was able to successfully kill the NM one without dying to it or the bodyguards, but looking back on it now I recall I've killed things 4-5 levels higher than me before. "Even Match" doesn't mean the same on WoW as it would on FFXI, yet I can't help but think in those terms. (I killed a bunch of "Too Weak"s tonight, trying to finish a quest.)

I guess that's about it. I flirted with a bunch of human girls (I enjoy doing that, I can only imagine what they think of some bull-thing twice the size of them /flirt'ing at them), found some faire (which is where I got drunk), and mostly just puttered about.

I missed FFXI a lot, but I forced myself to stay off tonight because I know if I'm online I'll not be able to keep myself from "just checking" /search... and if there's the makings of a party seeking I'd "have to" put it together. I'll probably be back tomorrow, since I'm bored of WoW.

More and more I find myself drawn to the idea of going back to leveling RDM, though the logic of it makes me sad: I could be a horrible RDM, the worst on the server, and yet parties would still want me once I could refresh (and perhaps before). However, I could be the very best DRK on the server and parties would still not want me. The unfairness of that actually makes me sick to my stomach.

I'm going to try to start ignoring the "fairness" aspect of this. Things are as they are, and making myself sad over it won't help anything. I'll just make my own parties when I can and eventually I'll level.

I do wonder if this is why DRKs angst so much though...

Comments

[quasilemur.livejournal.com]

Actually, I thought (and heard a lot of people say the same) that today's episode was a good one, and in fact the first of this season to really live up to last season. They did good by *person* this episode (until the end), and this is coming from a long-time *person*-hater. In fact, I was actually emotionally impacted by the end of the episode, especially because they had finally made *person* a worthwile character, and one with lots of story potential, only to *verb* *pronoun*.

1) No Kate, and only the briefest of walk-ons by Jack. Win.
2) Charlie's becoming something of a prat.
3) Never mind Rose and Bernard; Locke and Eko need to get together and talk shop. Awesome shop.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Ah, maybe I should have watched closer then. As soon as I saw who it was about, I tuned it out as much as possible without totally ignoring it.

Charlie's becoming something of a prat.

What the heck is up with him? He's like a possessive little yappy dog -- powerless to do much, but annoying as heck.

[tersa.livejournal.com]

Agreed. The lack of Jack and Kate was remarkably refreshing. :)

There were several times this episode I wanted to reach in and throttle Charlie. 'Becoming'? That started during the second of his episodes last season, and more and more I want to slap him around. When he had the audacity to tell Locke 'She has a lot to learn about motherhood', I actually yelled at the TV, "And how much do *you* know about it?" Given Locke's reaction, I am seriously hoping he pulls the rug out from under him and gives him whatfor.

And I agree with you about *person*.

Also, for Thistle: there's been rumors flying for a very long time that they were killing off another character, that it was going to be a female character, that it was going to be this episode, and it was going to be *person*. I think she's dead. Killing her introduces all kinds of interesting conflict in trying to integrate the Lostaways and the new 21 survivors.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Also, for Thistle: there's been rumors...

Others have mentioned that when I say I'm suspicious she might not really be dead, so hopefully that's correct. I really hope it is, because I've not hated a character this much in a long, long, long time.

[tersa.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I hate her too. :)

I haven't read *any* stuff saying that she's not dead. Only stuff saying one of the female cast members was going to die and it was going to be very early in the season, and her name was the one getting mentioned the most. All the stuff coming out was also saying there was 'a murderer', and Ana Lucia is definitely fitting that bill after last night.

[southern-hell.livejournal.com]

RDM is super boring... unless you're in a really early level range where it's easy to get parties on just about any job, I don't see it helping your general party attitude. When I get sick of seeking I go play in ronfaure on my taru>.> Do you have a taru? I'd recommend one. Being taru can make anything fun. Level a little on something you thought you'd hate, build some fame to redo some low level quests for gilz, like warp, drain, aspir etc. The idea of starting aaaaalll over again may keep you from doing anything worthwhile with the character but you'd be surprised how good it is for stress :3

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

RDM is super boring...

I'm not sure why (maybe because we have supercool RDMs on our LS), but the RDM job has always interested me. Seems like such a powerful job, even though it's "just" a mage job. And heck, can't beat the AF!

Do you have a taru?

Actually, yeah. I keep meaning to send her out to level (it must be amusing to fight things so much bigger than you!) but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe soon!

[draymor.livejournal.com]

Why I like the modelconverter. Everytime I get bored I change the way I look. This week I'm a Galka!! Hmm..... I'd hit me XD

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

This week I'm a Galka!! Hmm..... I'd hit me XD

c.c You scare me, dude! :P Galks are not sexy! In the least little bit! They're scary and big and... *runs away*

[southern-hell.livejournal.com]

Oh my :o

The thing about RDM is at least with DRK you learn new WSes.. and at 60 you get TA. It may not seem much but when you get 0 new things after 48 it's actually alot.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, true. Oh well, I'm going to try RDM anyway. Dunes, here I come! 9.9

[gbeans.livejournal.com]

The one thing I get that you don't get is I'm MNK75, right? I have several people who /tell me regularly seeking advice or comfort when they've been LFP for a few hours. How would you feel, having pushed to get this far, to have 2-3 people a day /telling you about how much your job sucks at getting parties when you damn well know that @.@;; [grins] Take it in stride, it's all we can do. Take fishing back up, the price of Sole and Squid is through the roof.

For RDM, I'm not sure how you'll enjoy it. It's fun, but repeatitive. Like WHM, only with a different set of spells, same pattern though. I enjoy it as a break, personally :3 But realize that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I always tell myself that, yeah, the mages may get more invites, but they have to endure even more crappy parties than I do just because they get out more. Numbers work against them, or some silly logic like that to console myself (instead of chewing on the fact that the last 5k in XP I've earned was done 10xp at a time ;3 )

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I have several people who /tell me regularly seeking advice or comfort when they've been LFP for a few hours. How would you feel, having pushed to get this far, to have 2-3 people a day /telling you about how much your job sucks at getting parties when you damn well know that @.@;;

Wow, that's... odd. I'd never consider /telling some DRK75 and asking them how to get more parties. If for no other reason, like you said: They had to go through this same thing. Very, very odd.

For RDM, I'm not sure how you'll enjoy it. It's fun, but repeatitive.

The RDMs on our LS (and perhaps RDMs in general) are so awsome, I'm really drawn to the job even if leveling would be boring. (Heck, DRK is pretty darned repeatitive, too! Most jobs must be, other than pullers and tanks and maybe main healers.)

Remember that whole Ose mess, when those two RDMs soloed him atop our dead bodies? There's just so much RDMs can do, and they have so many tools to stay alive while soloing (they're sort of the anti-DRKs!). Speed of party invites aside, it's just a job I really want to try.

And heck, if I do take it all the way, I could have the honor of being a RDM/DRK and be loved for my chainspell-stun! (I'm torn between adding a 9.9 or a :P to the end of that. Maybe it deserves a good natured rolling of the eyes instead of just one of the two!)

[gbeans.livejournal.com]

Would you have oogled over Mer and me if we killed Ose? MNK & WHM is an outstanding duo-team too :P (And if they think we couldn't have done it, they're simply wrong. I can't count the number of times Nif and I have heard "You can't do that!" and then we went out and did it without breaking a sweat.)

As for stunning, you're going to get your chance Sunday to have everyone's life in your paws. Not to put too much pressure, but having a good team of stunners completely makes or breaks the Ohat fight. We've got 2 DRK and 2-3 BLM coming, which should be enough to maintain a good order. But if you *don't* stun then the alliance gets pelted with -ga III, and our tanks (Niala and Zub) get to eat fun stuff like Flare and Fire IV. You'll get to show us why DRKs kicks tail ^^

ps. Your journal makes me nervous ~.~ I may just start giving you advice in game :P

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Would you have oogled over Mer and me if we killed Ose? MNK & WHM is an outstanding duo-team too :P

MNK + WHM AF =/= RDM AF x2

:P

Not to put too much pressure, but having a good team of stunners completely makes or breaks the Ohat fight.

Eek, yes, I've been thinking about that for a while now. From what I've read, BLMs have a harder time stunning because they're usually casting other (longer casting) stuff. (Hm, though the things we'll be stunning will be really long cast times, so I guess that might not be an issue.) How is multi-stunning usually done? A set order and you put the next person's name in the /p in your stun macro?

I have no concerns at all with being the sole stunner for a party, but I've never done it as part of a group of stunners.

ps. Your journal makes me nervous ~.~ I may just start giving you advice in game :P

Heh! Why's it making you nervous? :P

[gbeans.livejournal.com]

It's easy and hard :) You need a /p announcement when you're stunning and we'll set an order. Usually like /p 1 Thistle Stunning [mob] Whoever Next!
and Whoever would have /p 2 Whoever Stunning [mob] Yourmom Next! etc. Just like using anima, only it's not a constant stun, you just need to stun certain things. That's why it's hard. You need to be on top of knowing what the mob is doing and spot it casting. Make sure you don't have the mobs actions filtered x.x We'll set the stun order once we figure out who is there. The BLMs will have to be aware of it and know that when it's their turn, stick to shorter casting spells or back up healing or resting or something so that they're ready to stun. They simply can't let this mob get away with casting. It hurts too much x.x

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Okay, that's all stuff I've done before. My filters should be okay too, since I had to adjust them to pick up outside-of-party actions when I wasn't in the puller's party.

[barahir-ffxi.livejournal.com]

I'm a DRG with one night a week to play... angsting? {no thanks}^^

My RL best friend is a 75 DRK. If you ever need/want any advice/help/support feel free to give him a /tell. Name is Delphyne

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Woo, thanks! When it comes closer to Maat-fight time, I might do that. :)

*pats*