A Heartfelt Thank You

So it's nearly 4AM where I'm at and insomnia is kicking my butt. Instead of spending my time trying to count sheep or bore myself to sleep I decided to do a bit of data analysis pertaining to our guild and World of Logs.

Long story short--until the last raid, I haven't had any gear upgrades in a little over a month. Yet I am doing substantially more dps than I had in the previous guild (long story, may divulge at another time). How could this possibly be? My rotation hasn't changed in the least, nor has any of my gear, stats, nor enchants. I should also mention that I also switched from 25s to 10s, so my dps should technically be a bit lower--yet it is not.

It finally dawned on me--our tanks can actually hold and maintain aggro from the start of the pull. I don't have to sit on my hands for 30+ seconds and still potentially pull off. I've been able to pre-pot again without issue and charge in almost immediately after the pull. In fact, since working with this new team, I haven't had to worry about pulling off of the tanks at all. For this, gentlemen, I cannot thank you enough for being as skilled as you are at your role and allowing me to go nuts like an insane, malfunctioning Cuisinart. And thank you, even more for making this fun again.

Accountability

So there's a long back story behind this post, but I'm just going to cut to the chase--player accountability and what constitutes it.

If there isn't anything that causes me to go on a panda punching rampage more, it's not holding players accountable for their actions. I'm not just talking about repeatedly standing in the fire, I'm also talking about other aspects of the game where everyone involved is affected.





/sigh. If only things were that simple these days.

I'm going to be 100% honest here, I haven't been exactly the happiest camper on the RV, but I've put aside a lot of my frustrations for the greater good and sucked it up. But after last night and my meltdown of near Sue Sylvester proportions, I feel compelled to at least define what player accountability is and how a lack thereof can even make the most tolerant and patient guildie leave in a firey blaze. And for those of you who can't envision what this could look like:




Yes, I'm video happy today.

So player accountability, what is it? In short, it's holding every single player in your raid force, or guild, responsible for their actions or lack thereof. This could be something as simple as reducing a member's rank for not showing up to a designated number of raids, or even as involved as reprimanding members for setting up rival alt guilds and then spamming recruiting messages on trade.

When does holding players accountable matter? Simply put--always. There is no easy way around this. Yes, we all want to be everyone's friend, but if the goal of the guild is to be a high-end progression guild instead of a casual social guild, then unfortunately this isn't plausible and people have to be held accountable. If player X decides they are going to engage in Y behavior and it causes issues within the guild, then player X needs to be held accountable for it. Furthermore, this goes both ways--for players that go above and beyond in their endeavors, then they should be rewarded for their efforts.

Where would accountability apply? Granted this is a situational basis, but there really are few instances where a gray area exists and it's best to leave things be. However, in most cases, the actions are so obvious that something needs to be done to ensure that the environment of the guild is sound. Here are the most common examples:

When a player:
1. Doesn't show up. Ever. Especially on progression nights.
2. Rarely shows up when they do.
3. Shows up late repeatedly.
4. Shows up late repeatedly without giving prior notice or having a really good reason for not being there.
5. Shows up intoxicated.
6. Frequent AFKs...also usually without telling anyone or a legitimate reason.
7. Shows a clear disinterest in being present or participation.
8. Performance is lacking--not just limited to standing in the fire, but also ignoring certain game mechanics that are vital to success.
9. Under performing or just doing the bare minimum required.
10. Having a lackadaisical attitude.

Actions should be taken in these instances. Personally, there is nothing more frustrating than raiding with someone with a piss-poor attitude that repeatedly fumbles around simply because they can. Or even worse, being benched to take that person instead because they don't want to piss that person off. Really? Like placating the wrong person is going to make anything better?

And finally, for the dedicated few that really go above and beyond--reward them for their dedication. Best way to do that? Show them that their efforts are not unappreciated or in vain, and more importantly--also show that as a guild, we do not reward bad behavior.

WotLK review

We've come to the conclusion of yet another expansion. Here's a quick run down of what we've accomplished:

• 11/12 ICCH (10/25)
• meta drakes for both ICC (10/25) and Ulduar (10/25)--yes, I have all four drakes
• Ended the expansion as #7
• Halion down (10/25)
• Got Kingslayer for my priest....and yea, I healed my ASS off for that.

The expansion ended on quite the high note with a number of things accomplished. Cataclysm here we come!

Renew (rank 7)

So life in the new server is quite busy. I somehow managed to leave the miserable cesspool that is known as Misha and remarkably not only made it into one of the highest rated progressive guilds in the server, but also was accepted as a full fledged raider. Normally I'd post some funny things with some awesome screenshots, but...eh effort. Next time. But here's a rundown:

-Kingslayer
-7/10 ICC 25 hardmodes (still working on this)
-10/12 ICC 10 hardmodes (wtb "Bane of the Fallen King" plox)
-Halion 10/25
-Ulduar hardmodes (yup, I have the drake and the ach)
-Weekly Sarth 3D runs (yay, I have my drake)
-more BiS' than you can shake a stick at (yup, first time in years I'm wearing leather)
-competent people?!? HUH? Is this possible?

Also, I've met a lot of pretty cool people in this guild. I'm really enjoying it here. More soon and a funnier post, I promise. ;-)

Server Transfer

That's all. For now.

One more time, with feeling...

My apologies in advance for not having any fun pictures to accompany this post. After a wasted ICC 25 lockout (only 3/12. Fucking pa-the-tic!!!), the mushy-face couple screwing up my ICC 10 prog run (yup, still no Putricide), and a DK ninja, I've finally given my old realm the finger and left. Yes, that's right. I finally grew a set and transferred. So now I'm on this new server (still PvE, btw), and I'm doing things differently. No more GM crap for me or teaching lowbies/newbs how to play. It's 100% hardcore raiding. FINALLY. More to come soon. And a possible happy dance?

E-couples part 2

If there is anything in the world that makes me want to go on a baby panda punching spree, it's reblogging about the same bullshit I blogged about previously. This blog was supposed to be about epeens, but noooooooooooooooo!!!

So, why am I once again pissy? Because last night's raid was essentially fucked because of our "lovely" kissy-face-diabetic-coma-vomit-inducing couple who decided not to show up. It sucks because they're a tank/healer combo. Damn them! So, instead of starting on time, we start 45 minutes late. It's usually not a big deal, but many of us had other raids scheduled or cancelled plans to simply be there. And yes, I gave up bar time in order to be there. I repeat--BAR TIME. Also, I'm out of vodka at home, so bar time is a huge fucking deal. Long story short, we had to find replacements which made us start late, which in turn seriously cut down on the amount of time we could spend per boss. During the last raid session, I had to endure this shit before each boss pull:

Hee hee, I took screenshots this time around. Instance #1 was right before Marrowgar. Not a good way to set the mood before getting down to business. Hell, I was trying to set a fun mood after setting down a fish feast. But that lovey shit put me in foul-ass mood. It wasn't a one time thing either! Instance #2 was right before Ugly Orc Fuckhead, erm...I mean, Saurfang. By that point I was starting to loose vision in my left eye from the saccharine dripping emotes in my chatbox...gangrene was starting to set into my left pinky toe....Yet the onslaught continued! Instance #3 was right before Rotface, where we not surprisingly wiped because the constant distraction and the tank's apparent inability to kite mobs. It must be nice to have a boyfriend that carries you through content.

Fast forward to last night. They don't show up, we run ridiculously late, and only manage to down Rotface and make 3 attempts on Putricide. THREE FUCKING ATTEMPTS!!!! Now, why so many attempts? Our main tank had to learn how to operate the abomination suit in the cuddle-monkey's absence, and our replacement off tank had not successfully tanked this fight previously (thankfully she learned quickly. yay.). One boss down and only 3 attempts on another makes me want to punch a baby seal right in the face.

Moral of the story--if you're not going to show up to a raid, message one of us. Otherwise, you're wasting the time of everyone involved and it's fucking rude. If you are going to dick around before a boss fight, at least make it amusing. Like so:

Like banishing the healer to the short bus...erm, boat. Or teabagging people that are AFK.

And THIS never gets old:

MY EPEEN IS BIGGER THAN YOURS!!!!

Entertainment is a must for these kinds of things. Otherwise, mind your shit lest you be prepared to be stabbed in the gooch with a rusted spork in the middle of the night by a half-rabid drunken nightelf coming after you screeching like Courtney Love only to meld back into the shadows after showing your no-no squares no mercy.

E-couples

Okay, before I get into my rant I'd like to say that I'm genuinely happy for all of you that have found love/romance/whatever in whatever shape or form in whatever forum. Whether you found your significant other at the coffee shop, a bar, a class, eHarmony, or even on WoW, it doesn't matter, I am happy for you. I admit that I'm a bit lovelorn at the moment and miss the days of having an other (let alone a significant other), and may be just a tad jealous while writing this.

When I'm not running around killing various things that have the misfortune of crossing my path--scourge, demons, the Horde, random squirrel that looked at me funny, yellow NPC just because I can, etc...I'm usually running around Dalaran with my lock buddy. Sometimes it's a fun game of hide and seek where I devise more and more elaborate hiding spots to guarantee hours of his frustration (and my amusement):

And other times, well....let's just say that he's amused and I'm literally running around Dalaran. Yay, I hope you're happy. Also, this is further proof that Archmage Pants is right--warlocks are evil:

Just like in the real world or on Azeroth, occasionally I'll run into a couple. Usually this doesn't phase me as it is nothing more than a mere passing thought or a slight amusement. "Oh look, another couple. Yay misery!" I'd often think to myself. On some occasions, I'll even run to an adorably cute couple that melts away some of the darkness and cynicism in my shriveled black heart...erm....I think it's beating again.....hang on a sec.....lemme get this annoying thing to stop:

...ah that's better....Aren't they cute? It sometimes makes me want to kick the lock squaw in the taint and demand that he rerolls into something more cuddly. Giant kitty trumps smelly demons any day. I don't care how tight the felguard's ass is, I want a kitty!!! And believe me, I already tried that with a certain mage awhile back. So what does he do? Reroll as a tauren. /facepalm. Really, is it that strange that this warrior likes to cuddle? Nevermind...

Then there are times where I encounter "the couple". You've seen them everywhere, they're like Heidi and Spencer (although I really have no idea of whom they are or what they actually do, but for some reason they keep showing up on my newsfeeds) and are just plain fucking annoying. Yes, I know you're a couple. I don't care. No one cares.

Now there is one spot in Azeroth that is sacred, and that is the raid. Raids can be pretty intense and can be pretty stressful. Week after week you spend hours on simply getting to the boss that you will spend the next few days wiping. Repeatedly. Until either that fucker finally goes down or the Blizzgods beat him with the nerf bat. It is therefore not surprising that we all have our little mechanisms to relieve stress. I've seen people duel (risky, imho), play with vanity pets or costumes, or run in circles. Personally I prefer reliving happy childhood memories of Teldrassil:

So the last thing that I need while I'm in either "ZOMFG KILL EVERYTHING THAT MOVES AND BATHE IN THE BLOOD OF MY ENEMIES!!!"-mode or "ZOMFG KILL THIS THING ALREADY IT'S DENTING MY ARMOR!!!!"-mode is to be subjected to shit like this:

......

Okay, I admit that I don't have a screenshot, but I was too busy trying not to vomit while tanking to take one. Long story short, our other tank and her beau (with really sickeningly cutesy matching names /hurl) spent the entire raid emoting hugs, kisses, love, and otherwise vomit-inducing terms of affection. Thankjesuspolevaultingchrist that they didn't start erping in the middle of the raid. Well, as far as I know they didn't. Ugh.../shudder. Thankfully it didn't effect our raid's performance by much. But still! OMFG get a room!!! NO NO!!! NOT THIS ONE!!!!

In all fairness, I've played with a number of couples. Hell, I was even a part of one myself. However, there is one glaring aspect that separates us from the annoying face-suckers that distract me while I'm in the middle of grabbing adds and that is the expression of affection and the proper forum in which to do it. Save the vast majority of that for where it matters, in real life. Granted there is nothing wrong with showing a bit of affection here or there in game, but please either keep that to pm's or the occasional emote. Please do NOT flood my chat screen with your bullshit.

To all you cute couples out there, good for you. Just keep that shit quiet while I'm trying to raid. It's distracting.