(X-post from World of Warcraft)

If you don't like loot related rants, please do not read this. If you are on Steamwheedle and wish to avoid a horribly unpleasant partying situation, read on.

Last night, I wanted to take a run through Wailing Caverns. I am a level 26 Tauren Druid, Feral Spec. I use the LFG feature to find a group, and eventually I find one, and this individual is in the party: http://armory.worldofwarcraft.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Steamwheedle+Cartel&n=Asidodead . There is a 39 (i believe) Paladin, another rogue, and a level 18 Druid in the party as well. Before we even approach the Caverns, i say that I will pass on everything, including items I could greed for, but I was going to need on anything from the "...of the Fang" set. I had been wanting that set, and it was my primary reason for going into the caverns. So, we enter.

First thing, as we enter I ask who is going to heal. No response. We get in, and our lovely rogue friend (who I linked before) starts *rampaging* and then screaming for heals. I have to shift out of bear form (which I used to try to stop him getting killed in the first place) to heal. Then I say, someone should have answered me on the healing question. No response.

We get into the caverns and for I kid you not 30 minutes, every minute or so is punctuated by "Ok, now i need kill _______" (sic). When he gets aggro (which he does like he was *born* to do it) and the other ROGUE and I try to pull it off him...he keeps attacking!

The pinnacle of this happens when we get to the first "...of the Fang" item. All of a sudden, he shouts NEED! and lo and behold, he gets it. I have been following my word, passing on everything, and he goes for the bloody things. I tell him it's a druid set, the individual items might be good, but the *set* is druid...He ignores it completely. We move on, and I'm furious, but ok because it was a roll, he got it...fine. We get to the next one..the chest piece. The *moron* needs it again. After I had to rez him once. Ugh.

If you're on Steamwheedle, I implore you - do not party with this person. You will regret it.

In general, i'm a bit dodgy on the idea of posting a song here. I'm not entirely sure why it just seems sort of...something. Anyway, the reason why i wanted to type these lyrics up is tripartite (if i spelled that wrong...let me know or something. I could check but it's sooo far away to click a dictionary); I love the song, I've been listening to it while playing my new character on the RP server Sisters of Elune and it seems like a song that goes with her, and I don't want to have to search for the lyrics every time i want them. So here is the song Buried, by Alkaline Trio

I'm awake, it was a half-bad dream
That was way too long, my whole life it seemed,
Then someone started digging me up
Turned my headstone into dust
The sun was swallowed by the trees
The night was here for good.
You pulled my hair, picked my head up
You put oxygen into my blood
You walked me through the gates
Like we were visitors for the day.
You laid me down in the back seat
And you drove till I woke up to hear you say
"you never lie but it's no fun to tell the truth
I guess I never loved but I will see what I can do
Got so much life to waste
That I would take my days and hand them to you"

After getting killed 4 times in Horde territory before finding out that Takar *isn't* actually in the camp, but to the east of it, I finally managed to get my succubus.

I made this. I stole some images off of the web, so if this is your warlock, i apologise. Hopefully you'll think it's funny as well.




Enjoy.

So, here's a smart thing I did today. Since I have nothing to do until 1:30-ish this afternoon, I was looking around on iTunes at the various new releases. I listened to the new Pirates soundtrack which i might get, something by Hellogoodbye and She Wants Revenge. Then, i got to thinking about how I had heard something about a new Marilyn Manson album being released. I'm not a fan, but I figured since I was listening to things I might listen to his new record for a bit and see what was new; after all, there hasn't been much controversy about him recently at all. So I'm clicking around and...i find nothing. This is shocking to me, since I know that (here begins the intelligence) today is Tuesday, and that's new release day. Did iTunes perhaps block this album? Had something so heinous been perpetrated that we were unable to even listen to the audio? I go to the RSS feed for Apple, and there is no news posted there. So I turn to Amazon...there is no news there. The album, in fact is still listed as pre-order for June 5th...being *today* of course! Finally, unhappy with my results, i go to my email...and...see a message. Dated for the real today. The 4th. I'm looking forward to more loveliness from today.

Stipulation One: Suspension of disbelief exists, and is neccessary to enjoy certain things in our imaginative world.
Stipulation Two: My faculties for suspension of disbelief function adequately; some might argue, they function higher than average.

Those two points being said, does anyone else find some of the missions in World of Warcraft to be very silly? Case in point - I am in Westfall, performing the task that has to do with the dastardly Edwin Van Cleef and his minions, the Defias Brotherhood. I reach the point where I must escort the vile betrayer (betrayer of his own organization, the swine) to find out where the Defias Hideout is. I must protect this cur on his journey from the various magelings and cutthroats that make up his former organization. It is a somewhat arduous journey, made easier only by the fact that accompany us is Tanngak, my summoned, hellspawn voidwalker who is able to deflect the attention from our good traitor. Upon getting to the entrance to their den of iniquity...my charge promptly vanishes. Returning to the tower, I find him hale and healthy at the stoop, ready to resume his journey with another adventurer. Now...I find myself asking myself "Norane..you are a clever warlock...if this hoodlum was gifted with such powers of apparation, why did he not just magically whisk the three of us to this place, then whisk us back?" Unfortunately, no answer was forthcoming. I was tempted to offer up the minions soul as purina to my seething mass of dark shadows...but the People's Militia would doubtless disdain of my wishes.

I just found that whole little experience funny.

Today was a horrifically boring day. Once again there is thunder in the skies so i may make an unscheduled absence. I slept absolutely crappily last night because it was one of those evenings where it is so incredibly hot and humid outside that you try to sleep on top of the covers, but then when you lay there still enough, it gets to be too cool so you need the covers. That's all i can say right now since the weather has fucked with me again. Until later...

UPDATE: Well, that was enjoyable. So we had a horrific thunderstorm, with hail, but every time i looked outsode the window, it was bright sunshine. Bright sunshine and thunder really shouldn't go together. I then had to go out for a while, and now I'm home watching Are You Being Served? once again.

I haven't played any WoW today because I want to do some of the group quests, but i don't want to get on, start a quest, and then have to leave because of weather or any other such things. I think that's just proper etiquette. I've discovered a new hobby that I'm indulging in while i'm on here and that's "interest brainstorming" - I have taken to just coming up with terms and phrases and seeing how many of them get the blue underline and html markup that means someone else came up with the interest as well. The only one on my list that didn't was the journal title - The Gentleman Loser. Upon a little further research, it doesn't come up with an entry on Wikipedia either. In case anyone is curious, the second line of my journal title sort of elucidates it. It's the name of a bar from the Sprawl Trilogy by William Gibson. It's the bar where the "cowboys" hang out. Basically, a sort of "underworld" type bar. I liked the juxtaposition of the two words very much.

As i was playing a few minutes ago, I came to the point (and any WoW players who are part of the whole "Ironforge" area quest scene will likely know this) where I had to swim under a dam, and disarm a keg of explosives. Now, I didn't really remember the instructions given on screen for swimming earlier in the game, so I post to the general channel my question about swimming. I am told the I need to press the right mouse button, so i go to do....wait. I just switched to a mac. I have no mouse "buttons" at all, per se. I move myself back to the dam proper, since the water is infested with loch ness monster things (ahem, Loch Modan Monster things) and the shores are full of Dark Irons, and I attempt to figure out how to do this. I squeeze my mouse lovingly (those of you who know macs know that doing so is some sort of dark and unholy ritual that causes it to simulate a button being pressed. That did not fulfill the function of making me swim. Then, I begin to assault the middle rolly mouse ball tapping away at it which succeeds only in making my view go in and out repeatedly. Finally, I figure out that I have to go in and rebind things. I do this, and lo and behold, I am able to swim. Success finally for someone who has used computers since nigh infancy to be able to do something as simple as modifying a mouse button. I love my mac, I truly do. I have said nothing but bad things about them up until three weeks ago, and if there is some higher power governing macs, I apologise profusely. It does take some getting used to, however. Tonight was just another in the list of things that are "different" on macs.

I also alluded to the fact that I would post something, when I was talking earlier. I thought I might attempt to delineate what I would be looking for in the "ideal" person to be with, romantically as it were. That, I am going to do right now. I'm going to attempt to make this list as inclusive as I can, but realize, please, that it is just what's coming out of me at 11pm and shouldn't really be taken as a *complete* list although i'm trying my hardest. These are the qualities I look for:

1. Accepting - I tried my hardest not to start off with something too cliche, but looking at what I just wrote I failed miserably. Anyway..let me disclaim that just a little bit. I have this presumption, given that this is a relatively artistic community and people here are creative almost as a function of *having* a journal, that most people are accepting in a general way. I mean it in a more specific way. I'm looking for a girl who is not going to judge the things that I do and use them as criteria for how "worthwhile" I am. What brought this up, I hear (or imagine) you ask? Well, it was a revelation I had while reading through random people's "interest" lists. I clicked on people and realized after some slight observation that if their interests matched mine, they'd get bolded. I would go to someone's profile and look and see a fair number of bolded interests. I moved my mouse to hover over their name to give me the option to "add" and I paused. Sure, they had many interests in common, but what did they dislike? Would they look at my own list and find something there that they absolutely hated and then I've made a fool of myself for that clicking of as a friend? I had that moment of concern. So, where am i going with all this...yes, I'll get to the point. If we imagine life to be one big livejournal (good god...just typing that phrase made me wince a little bit...i get frightened with a site being taken as macrocosm) then I want someone who'll look at my interests, and I'll look at theres, and...let's say she has something like...Polka i won't run and hide, and if i have something like...Prune Tending, neither will she. In the words of the eminent sage and scholar Nick Hornby (or at least his quotations in the feature film by the same name as his majour work), "It's more important what you like, not what you are like" (High Fidelity).

2. Interesting - I consider myself to be an intelligent person. In fact, I think one of the main things I have going for me is my intelligence. (I am going to come off as sounding a complete ass here, but I swore to myself I was going to be honest in this journal so here goes) I need someone who is going to be interesting. Someone who is smart. Someone who has been through high school, and college, and possibly even a little graduate school (I wouldn't dream of setting the bar higher than I myself have reached). Interest in various esoteric studies helps a huge amount. If I could sit with someone and discuss semiotics, or literary theory, then play a little Halo...Hell, I'd propose the next minute. That was metaphorical (i'm not even that good at Halo) but I hope the point came across. I ask your indulgence reading this - I really am not that much of an ass, I just wanted to be honest.

3. Personality - To get at the ideal personality I am looking for, I have to discuss a bit about my own personality. I am 25 years old and if I were to be compared to the rest of my peer group, on average, I'd put up something of an anomaly. I am not "into" partying, or going out, or that much socialization at all. I am really very quiet, and somewhat of a socially shy person. As a result, I need someone who fundamentally is the same way. I have had issues before where the person I was with wanted to go out constantly, party, drink, do various things and i just *don't*. I mean, I've tried...but it's really not in me. Also, when we do go out, I do tend to be very "awkward" so it'd really help if you could step up a bit there. heh...that's not a deal breaker for me though.

Also, and i'm going to phrase this very carefully - I don't want someone who acts "slutty." I look around me at popular culture and the people that are being idolized and I can't get "into" that. If someone acts that way (i'll add in a caveat of "in public" since I think things can be done privately that as long as both people agree then theres no harm) then it only serves to cheapen what you've been working to build.

4. "Monogamous" - Ahh...this one. Yes. Right...what do i mean by that? And why do i put it in quotations? Very well...first thing that needs to be known is that I am *strictly* monogamous when I am in a relationship. I don't even really look at other people. I know that I can't expect of others exactly what I expect out of myself but I'd at least love it to be very close. I know that people are people, and yes you may see an attractive person walk by or come across them. But I don't need to hear about it, honestly. I don't want to hear about it. It has two outcomes - it's either going to make me jealous, or it's going to make me want to "keep up" so i'll start seeing other people like that. I don't want to do either. It's probably just a quirky little thing about me, but I had to put it up here.

5. Likes & Dislikes - It's too hard if people are fundamentally "incongruous" in their interests. If you cite my example about about the "Great World Livejournal"...50 or 60% of a "match" between our interests would be ideal.

That was long winded, and probably very incomplete. Nevertheless...I think I at least touched on most of the points that I felt compelled to say. I admire anyone who has had the interest to read this far. I'm now going to reveal the things that I feel I offer in a relationship. I think they're just as important and I want them to be "known" in a statement like this.

1. Fidelity - Well, I've already talked about this. I am incredibly "loyal" when I'm in a relationship. If I am going out with someone, then that is it. There is no such thing in my mind as "casual relationship" or anything like that. Once it is 'official' (i'm repellently old-fashioned), then that for me is it. I don't look at other people or "court" other people...that's just the way it is.

2. Romantic - I am the type of guy who does the romantic things that you sometimes hear as the stereotypes of "what girls want" from a relationship. I'll send flowers for the hell of it, I'll bring gifts, If you're upset I'll do something, anything to cheer you up. I put a great deal of effort into working on a relationship because I have this idea (and it seems stupid saying it in a time like this) that you get from a relationship what you put into it.

3. "Gentlemanly" - And you thought my journal name was just a quote from Neuromancer...(it was actually but nevertheless). I consider myself to be a gentleman. I'll hold doors, i'll take your coat, pull out chairs, all that sort of thing. Chalk it up to the fact that i'm a medievalist and I've read way too many books of medieval literature if you will, but i've still got a reservoir of chivalrous notions that aren't going anywhere.

There are others, but I would like to leave the topic in this form: if you are interested, you only need to ask more. I'll be happy to talk with you.

I love it when you get one of those incredibly horrific thunder and lightning storms outside. Particularly, the best part is when the rain comes down so hard that for one brief, glorious moment you can imagine that the density of the water outside is so high that it is a solid mass. I sat in the living room watching this storm, while watching (ill-advisedly, i will admit) British comedies on television. I came to the realization regarding that that PBS needs to acquire new master tapes of "Are You Being Served?" since the ones they have appear to be worn thin from use. I love that show, in fact, so great is my love for that show that not only have i seen every episode enough times that I can quote specific scenes, but I watched the seven PM showing, and I know I will watch the midnight showing. The punchline to the sadness that mark my days is that both episodes...are the same! I watch reruns on the same night, yes. That, however, was not the main thrust of my posting right now. Or, I should say, it was not the main thrust of my posting. It probably should be, since i'm not sure what else I really should be saying. I had this notion that I was going to detail the "perfect relationship" for me, since I've been thinking about that quite a bit recently, but then I started to dislike the idea, because i think publishing that information might make me seem either incredibly esoteric in my "wants" or extremely boring. I'm not sure which, given the proposed context of my statements, would be worse. I think to rectify my questions of purpose I am going to load up WoW and enter Azeroth. Until next time I post...

Enjoy this picture...it's from Penny Arcade; a new patch.