As a surprise to nobody, I’m playing Wildstar pretty exclusively right now. I reserve the right to come back to SWTOR and I reserve the right to not. In any case, there are still some reader-submitted fashion horrors that I need to post. Then hasta la vista (for now).
Oh, if you are playing Wildstar, my wildstar blog is called Pat The Chua.
Do I have your attention? Good. Click through for the rest (so the front page of the blog doesn’t explode with images.
Just as I thought I had seen everything, we have some new entries. There are SO many this time, so let’s get to it!
Note: I do the editing, cropping, and uploading in batches or it takes a ridiculously long time. If you sent pictures in the last week or so, it’s likely that was after this batch was done and edited and uploaded, and your images will be in the next batch. You’ll have to wait for your monstrosities to see the light of day.
First, though, I want to start with AWESOME and then work our way down to suck.
Best Name Ever
Take THAT, John Travolta.
Yeah, not that much awesome seen nowadays. We’re already down to the fail section.
I’m switching things up a little – usually I put names last, but they’re kind of my favorite part…
Picture time! I’m putting a cut here so your browsers don’t explode on the front page of the blog. Continue Reading »
When we last spoke, Little Jedi was having an issue at day camp where a snot-nosed little boy announced that girls can’t play video games.
Yesterday, I picked her up at camp, and before leaving, she said goodbye to and hugged a little boy. They seemed like BFF.
Me: Who’s your new friend?
LJ: Oh that’s Bob.
Me: I guess he believes that you play video games.
LJ: Oh yeah, he told me about an enderman plushie at Target and I have a creeper plushie…
Me: Yay, see? He learned his lesson about girls and video games.
LJ: Yep he did. But Fred says that girls can’t play video games.
Me: Welcome to my world.
It’s a semi-happy ending. She made a new friend and they are geeking out together, but it’s exhausting to think about her having to do that whole conversion process with every boy-child she meets. Been there, done that.
And try explaining to a 6-year-old whose mom and dad are equal in every way that some people irrationally believe that women can’t do XYZ. The phrases “Because they’re idiots” or “Because their parents are idiots” were used frequently.
Wall of Text notes are up.
And here’s what they’re doing to sentinel/marauder watchman/annihilation:
- Annihilate now deals more damage and costs 4 Rage.
- Vicious Throw and Annihilate now have a 25/50/75 percent chance and Vicious Slash now have a 15/30/45 percent chance to trigger Pulverize, which finishes the active cooldown of Rupture.
- Indefatigable Onslaught now also makes the Damager Over Time effects from Rupture and Deadly Saber uncleansable.
- Hemorrhage now increases the damage dealt by burning effects by 7/14/21 percent (up from 2/4/6 percent).
Clearly slight buffs. They seem to have backed off the original plan to remove RNG entirely from watchman/annihilation, which is fine, and instead upped the rage of RNG procs. It’s not a terribad RNG.
Deadly Saber now requires Juyo Form to be active.
Translation: bye dotsmash spec.
Next, changes to operations via the group finder:
- Players who are defeated in an Operation now have the option to spawn inside of the instance when all other players in the group are out of combat.
- Players accessing Operations through Group Finder will now be Bolstered to an appropriate gear rating while inside the Operation. This Bolster effect will also provide increased incoming healing and increased shield chance and shield absorb.
- Operations in Group Finder will now group players for the 16-Player Story Mode version of the Operation.
- The Operation category of the Group Finder now rotates through a different available Operation every 2 or 3 days. The currently available Operation, the time remaining and the next available Operation can be accessed through the Group Finder panel.
- Dread Fortress and Dread Palace have been added to the Operation rotation.
- Rewards for completing content via the Group Finder have been improved!
- Operations:
- Upgraded to 30 Ultimate Commendations at Level 55.
- Upgraded to 25 Elite Commendations between Levels 50-54.
Now we’re cookin! Easier to put together a group, less chance of wiping because some idiot is wearing inappropriate gear, better rewards, and rezzing inside the instance saves time after a wipe (and makes it slightly less likely that the group will just disband in frustration).
Double XP Week (not weekend)
Progress faster with a Double XP Week! Get twice the experience from July 1st 07:00 GMT to July 8th 07:00 GMT.
You mean they’re actually recognizing that people have lives and can’t necessarily spend 3 days glued to a screen? Shocked.
The Gray Secant has returned from its travels! Participate in the Relics of the Gree event from July 22nd 12:00 GMT to July 29th 12:00 GMT.
Let me get this straight… The gree haven’t been back since… forever. And they’ve recently added off hand legacy items, so there’s even more incentive to do the Gree stuff. But they’re planning the event for one week only… in July. Because nobody will possibly be on vacation during a week in July! Would two weeks kill you people?
Now, you say, Double XP is also for only a week in July – and on a long weekend when people are most likely out of town BBQing. This is true, but we’ve had… 3? or so double XP weekends since the last time we saw the Gree. So it’s not exactly rare anymore. Plus, the Gree rewards are far more desirable than power leveling your 4th alt quickly, in my opinion.
Other than that, there’s a dress I want in the next pack. Must save up.
What do you think of Patch 2.8?
Friday, the Little Jedi started summer camp. Saturday at dinner, she says “Bob1 says that I can’t play Minecraft because I’m a girl.”
As we asked for more details, we learned that Bob, like Little Jedi, is six years old. And he thinks that girls can’t play video games.
What the everlovin fuck? (Momrage!)
The Little Jedi, mind you, has been playing Minecraft for months and, now that she can read, needs virtually no help. She’s been playing video games since she was old enough to hold a controller, and started playing more complex PC games at age 4 (particularly the lego series).
We started reminding her of all the games she’s played in the past, and how she was able to handle them, and that made her feel better. Uncharitably, I also told her that Bob is a moron.
Why should a six-year old boy already have these prejudices? I expect it from the old school, but not from the next generation. Maybe their dads are passing down bad habits and outdated opinions.
Why should we need to cheer her up by cataloging her geek girl cred? She will probably recite her achievements to Bob, next time he bothers her, to shut him up, but she shouldn’t have to. When she says “I play minecraft,” the response should be “yeah, cool.”
There’s no doubt she will still have an easier time of it than we did. She does have friends who are boys with whom she chats video gaming, and they don’t question or sneer. However, these insidious relics of opinions are still present.
Now to cheer everyone up after that… not-so-heartwarming tale, I present a creeper on a wrecking ball. It’s our favorite.
A certain Little Jedi started watching the Star Wars films when she was 4. First, she watched A New Hope and PARTS of ESB and ROTJ (they are “scary”). Later, we showed her movies 1 and 2 (yuck) which were not particularly interesting to her. We didn’t let her see Revenge of the Sith until she turned 6 because it’s seriously scary.
We also have a copy of the Star Wars lego games. You can throw stormtroopers out into space in their underpants (still wearing helmets). This caused much giggling in the household, especially when the airlocking of underclad stormtroopers was preceded by “MOM! WATCH AND LEARN!”
Anyway, let me share some observations of hers with you.
LJ: Qui Gonn Jinn is a GIRL.
Me: No, he’s a boy.
LJ: He has a ponytail.
Me: He has a beard!
LJ: …He’s a girl.
LJ: Tee hee, Luke is wearing a SWIM DIAPER!
If you are curious, this is a swim diaper:
I’m playing some Wildstar in addition to SWTOR, but I’m not going to be writing about it here. I have a Wildstar blog. If you are also playing Wildstar, maybe you will read it. Here is the pertinent information.
Also a screenie of my adorable chua.
Ugh the starter outfit is so ugleh.
I’ve gotten SO many submissions lately that here’s a special reader-submitted Hall of Shame update – they’re sending them in faster than I can go through my own screenshots folder. For many of these, snarky comments were attached in the file name and I didn’t even have to do that!
OK, to be fair, I still need to do things to images that are sent in. The curse of SWTOR, unlike some other games, is that the fleet is so freakishly dark (and most other planets too). So almost every screenshot taken by me or someone else has to be brightened (for me, using a cheapo editing program) before being ready for public perusal.
Let’s get going with this epic update to the Hall of Shame. I should have these images incorporated into the Hall of Shame page soonish.
This looks like an imperial schoolgirl uniform. He’s been a naughty boy.
Underboob x 2 = Quadboob
And there are 25 more. Not even joking.
As you recall, I was sporting this stylish look on my bounty hunter when I was noticed by a random person specifically for fashion awesomeoness. Yay.
Well, today, this happened while I was on the fleet.
Ew. Also, I’m an ass.
