The View Through The Branches

Lots has happened, and lots is happening, in real life, in WoW, and in the blogosphere.

As I sit here, drinking diet coke out of a Jussi Jaaskelainen testimonial year mug (ten awesome points if you know who that is), I realise I’ve been doing a lot of pondering and reflecting over the past few days.

This was obviously mostly inspired by Tam, who made me remember once again why I am so truly, truly lucky to have Flames. We have our ups and downs, we have the odd bit of drama, the odd argument. But on the whole, we get on very well together.

The guild has created loving relationships, friendships, partnerships, networks unlike any I’ve known. The bond that brings us all together is a love of World of Warcraft.

I talk about my friends a lot on here – those I’m sadly not raiding with (*points at Jaedia), those I’ve dragged across Terenas (*points at my little brother and in game confidante, Zalduun), those for whom I have infinite amounts of respect and admiration (*points at Nyo), and that one who I love with every bit of my girly heart (*points at Mike). It’s gotta be love to pass on a Zulian tiger, right?

We’re currently going through a bit of a revamp site wise at Flames, and I’m in the process of, with the design skills of Zal and the critical eye of Nyo, designing us a whole new website in order to increase our online presence and online community, and maybe convince some people to hop cross realm and join us in Flames.

I’m also looking forward to the prospect of a new raiding alliance with another guild on our server – I like 25 mans and from an officers chat last night I think we might have found some like minded people who would be up for progressing into ICC25. To be honest, I’m totally still up for ToC 25 and Ony. And Ulduar. And Naxx.

I’m revelling in my new officer position. I love having a job to do. I like making fish feasts, making flasks, stocking up the bank and providing a service. I like the prospect of designing a new site, bringing in some new people, showing off the tag under my name with real pride like I always have done, but it has that little bit of extra meaning to it now. I love /o, and the moderator’s section of the forum, I love being there if people want to ask something and I love how my guildies have accepted me into this role and seem pleased I’m doing it.

And my fun runs. I’m loving them right now. My current plan is to run something on a Saturday and a Sunday ideally – but only one of those days if need be. So far we have taken ten people into Kara and had a whale of a time getting lost in the spires, 18 into AQ40 and steamrolled the place without even wiping on twins , and 10 of us entered Blackwing Lair a fortnight ago. This weekend I’m running Karazhan on Saturday and AQ40 again on Sunday, and next week we’re going to attempt Sunwell – but if it doesn’t go well I will probably try and squoosh us over into something else, I know Sunwell will still be a challenge! I like it that people are started to expect something in the calendar and that everyone who has been has enjoyed it, enjoyed the banter on vent and enjoyed the run itself.

It’s a nice way of integrating our social members who don’t raid into the guild and the group a little more.

Personally, I also feel like I’ve progressed in WoW.

I have a new death knight, as I hated my dwarf, she’s a night elf by the name of Ellenaie. She is currently parked in Stromwind, levelling her inscription! She is at 205 and it is costing me a bit because I’m too lazy to go back and…reverse herb, so to speak.

My priest is still at 35, with 300 leatherworking and tailoring, but my hunter is now level 61 (after a lovely boost through Scholo and Strat by Mike), 326 in herbing and 351 in jewelcrafting. I really want to push her through the next 50 herbing points so I can again let her settle until level 68 when I can take her into Northrend for the final push. After that it’ll be time for the death knight – 7 levels on her to 65 so she can max her inscription out. And then finally back on to the priest.

Elsen wise, ever faithful Elsen, is still an skinner/miner.

Last night in our trip into ICC she hit exalted with the Ashen Verdict, got her lovely ring and gemmed it, gemmed her new neck piece and her cloth bracers. I have no idea what my gearscore is as if I do want to know what my gear is I look at my Gear Rating (averages out all the ilvls of your gear). Either way it pinged up a few numbers last night which was very satisfying. My next frost badge purchase is going to be a cloak, as I do really really need a replacement for my 219 level one *ahem*.

In Elsen’s list of “things to do”, there is:

Thorium Brotherhood rep: 1750/3000 at the moment – purchased 960 Dark Iron Residue and I currently have 37 out of the necessary 71 lava cores/fiery cores/etc that I will need to zip through the entire thing without having to move. Definitely getting there on that one.

Wintersabre rep: plan on doing roughly 700 rep a day – it will take me 60 days to reach exalted.

Argent Tournament: 59 more days of dailies to get everything I want to buy with seals.

Sha’tari Skyguard: 37 days to get to exalted

Netherwing: roughyl 30 days to get to exalted.

She has a lot of things to do…

Anyway, normal tourism service will be resumed soon, and if anyone has any particularly good platforms they’ve used for a guild website please do let me know…

Thanks

Sophx