Mists of Pandaria

As many of my readers know, I am a huge fan (some might say fanatic) of the Warcraft fantasy universe. I've played World of Warcraft for a total of about 4.5 years, and it actually moved me to create my own fantasy universe that I use for writing a novel (but don't hold your breath on reading it) and basic DnD campaigns. Warcraft has inspired me and given me a lot of creative energy.

Anyway, I haven't played WoW for a few months because I've wised up and begun to focus more on my studies. However, at this year's BlizzCon, Blizzard unveiled an amazing preview of their latest expansion, titled "World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria".

The first time I saw this preview, I had to leave the room because I was geeking out so hard, I was making some squawking noise like a strangled turkey. I am deeply interested in Chinese culture and folklore, so I'm ecstatic that Blizzard is integrating that into a new expansion. As I told a few of my friends, "It's as though Blizzard made an entire expansion just for me." The expansion adds a lot of new content, and based on the preview and the live tests they had available at BlizzCon, I can tell they have already put a lot of work into it.

The first major change is the addition of a new playable race: The Pandaren. The Pandaren actually started out in Warcraft III as an April Fool's joke for Reign of Chaos, and had actually made it into the game as an Easter egg that was a common joke for players. However, the surprising result was that a lot of players had expressed great interest in the Pandaren. So, as a result, subtle references to the race found their ways into Warcraft, World of Warcraft, and its subsequent expansions. Blizzard even made available a small non-combat pet called the Pandaren Monk! A lot of players had been pushing for Pandaren as a playable race (including yours truly) and now we finally have the chance!

Because, really, he's too cute NOT to let him kick your ass.

Pandaren are unique in many ways. Perhaps the most prominent way is that they are the game's first race that starts off neutral between the Alliance and the Horde, and the player will choose which faction to devote themselves to at level 10. This, politically speaking, will have huge repercussions on the World of Warcraft. The Pandaren nation themselves will be torn into pieces, with half being pitted against the others. The Alliance and Horde will compete over the allegiance of as many Pandaren as possible, because they are powerful-- Oh, boy, are they powerful.

"Take THAT, asshole!"

Another new feature is a new playable class, the Monk, pictured above. This makes Mists of Pandaria the only expansion thus far to include both a new class and a new race. The Monk will be able to perform all three of the necessary roles to raid successfully: the Tank, the Healer and the Damage. The roles even have spazzy names-- The Brewmaster, Mistweaver and Windwalker. The Monk will utilize a new resource system called "chi" (I'm a stickler and still say it should be spelled qi), along with dark force and light force (presumably meant to represent yin and yang energy, respectively).

"Your cup's too full."

A whole new continent will open up, called (you guess it) Pandaria and it, as you could probably tell from the preview, has a very heavy Eastern influence, specifically taking lots and lots of inspiration from ancient China. It will place more emphasis on exploring the environment, which was prevalent when WoW first began but has dwindled in past years. It seems like if Cataclysm brought people back to WoW's roots in terms of what areas they play in, Mists of Pandaria is going to do that in terms of how they interact with the world around them.

I haven't played WoW for a long time, but as Michael Corleone said, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!" Once the play is over with and my classes become my number one priority again (as opposed to everything having to be my top priority), I'll be able to get back into WoW to get my bearings just in time to sit back and enjoy the ride into Pandaria.




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Thanks for reading. Stay human, my friends.

We Are United

 “There is no such thing as a 'self-made' man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success.”

--George Burton Adams

I want to begin this post with a thought, a notion, a meditation if you will. If you're in a place where you can speak without disturbing others, say it out loud as you read it.

All of us are connected.

Unity is something that is very important to me. If a group of people are able to set aside differences, drama, disagreements, and strife to come together for a common goal, what that group can achieve is astounding.

I used to be a stark Individualist, looking out for only my own skin without care for who I hurt, used, or disregarded along the way. I was using people for money, for their bodies, for food, for information, for anything and everything. What I didn't realize is that I wasn't just harming others-- All of that chaos I spread was hurting myself as well. Once I was shocked out of that behavior, I began a 4-month stretch of introspective philosophical observation during which I asked myself important questions. What connects all humans to each other? What should I value? How do I attain balance? What's the right way of carrying on functioning relationships with others?

I was trying so hard to find some big, deep secret, but it was ridiculously simple once I realized that it had been hiding right under my nose the entire time. 

What connects all humans to each other? Simply being human. 
What should I value? That intrinsic connectedness. 
How do I attain balance? Through solid connections to real people who help me preserve my values.
What's the right way of carrying on functioning relationships with others? To know that everything the individual does has an impact on everyone connected.


Chapter 39 of the Dao De Jing states quite clearly

The Master views the parts with compassion,
because he understands the whole.

 That could also be translated as, "Wisdom means viewing each part with knowledge and kindness, through understanding of the whole."

A few people have asked me, "How did you come to realize this all at once?" The silly (yet totally legitimate) answer is "Why, by playing World of Warcraft, of course!"

No, really. I was playing WoW at the time. As any of my close friends could tell you, my allegiance lies very heavily with the faction known as the Horde.

Insignia of the Horde

The Horde is comprised of the Orcs, the Darkspear Trolls, the Tauren, the Forsaken Undead, the Sin'dorei Blood Elves, and the Bilgewater Goblins. To anyone with a lick of fantasy knowledge, that seems like a bit of a motley crew. Why would Elves side with Orcs? Why would the maniacal Undead be trusted by... well, anyone? That's when I realized it. They are united through the fact that they're all misfits. They need to fight for their place in the world, and they have formed an allegiance (if a tentative one) in order to better assure mutual survival.

It makes me smile when I remember how closely my friends mirror that structure. A lot of people ask me about some of my friends, "Wow, how did you meet them?" or "Why do you associate with them?" or "How do you get along so well?" I always remember that my friends are my friends because we need each other, because we're human and because this world sucks. That's right, this world sucks and it sucks a lot less if you have more people who help you through the huge mounds of suck.

The other night I spoke with a good friend of mine who was having a bit of an identity crisis. She asked me, "What's my purpose?" Ah, the big question that has plagued philosophy for as long as it has existed. I didn't (and don't) claim that this is the absolute number one answer to this question, it is but my own. What's our purpose?

Everyone who has ever done something kind for you. Everyone who has shown generosity, who has studied with you, made music with you, taught you, helped you, protected you, everyone who has fought alongside you. They are why you are here. Because ultimately, even if life doesn't have a purpose, you have the capacity to make your own-- You can get by, with a little help from your friends.

If you like my writing, you can join the site to the right of the page, like Speaking with Storms on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+ . If you have questions or just want to chat, I'm on Formspring too!

Thanks for reading. Stay human, my friends.

Working Together

So, to pass the time at my household, my older sister and her husband and I have been playing an older game on our X-Box (note the lack of 360) called X-Men Legends. Now, my brother-in-law and I are both big fans of the Marvel universe, and also both big fans of the X-Men (especially Wolverine).

Because what reason do you have NOT to like him?

This being said, I'm a huge fan of the game for a different reason. It reminded me of other things I really liked (and I couldn't think of why): Some other games, such as World of Warcraft and Dungeons and Dragons, and a TV show called Leverage.  

The game is different than most in that it's an RPG, rather than an arcade-style fighting game, which most superhero games end up being. In this game, the characters gain levels and collect items just like in Final Fantasy, or, say, Pokemon, and instead of player-versus-player fighting, it's multiplayer is cooperative instead.

You build a team of 4 super-heroes and complete missions. Up to three other players can join in to take control of these heroes. At times, you need specific powers that you may not have, but a friend might: Iceman can use his ice powers to put out fires, Magma can build bridges out of molten rock, Jean Grey can flip switches telekinetically, et cetera.

Our team usually consisted of Wolverine, Iceman, Magma, and Storm.

I gave it some thought. World of Warcraft revolves around the concept of classes-- 10 different ones designed to do different jobs, or maybe the same job in different ways.

In case the text is too small, left to right starting at top: Death Knight, Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior.

Organizing raids or PvP (player-versus-player) is very difficult and takes many factors into account, and normally, if you don't have at least one of every class in many raids, you won't make it out alive.

Then, my thoughts drifted to Dungeons and Dragons, and the same fact is very similar. If you're a team of nothing but Rogues, either it will be incredibly awesome how you all completely avoid being seen, or incredibly terrible how you all get your asses handed to you by the first person who sees through your stealth.

After contemplating this, I thought about the TV show, Leverage. The thought struck me that it was essentially the same concept as the others; Each of the 5 members has a certain specialty, be it planning, conning, martial arts, thievery, or hacking. 

Again, L to R: The Hitter, Grifter, Mastermind, Thief, and Hacker, as the show advertises it.

The common thread is obvious. What I love most about all of these is the idea that a group of people, no matter how different, can come together and use their different skillsets to accomplish something greater than the individual. In Random Receipts, and even within my own family, we do the same thing with our varying gifts. It's nothing short of a blessing! That philosophy is something I take very seriously.

This is why I believe multiculturalism is so important. This philosophy works on a higher level that just the individual! If more people had a global perspective, it would be much easier to respect other cultures for what they have done for the world, and much more difficult to take for granted how much American culture (or any one culture, for that matter) relies on others. As an old internet joke used to say, 

"Your car is Japanese. Your Vodka is Russian. Your pizza is Italian. Your kebab is Turkish. Your democracy is Greek. Your coffee is Brazilian. Your Beers are German. Your shirt is Indian. Your oil is Saudi Arabian. Your electronics are Chinese. Your numbers? Arabic. Your alphabet? Latin. Other cultures are all around you, don't complain about having an immigrant for a neighbor."

I think the more people learn about other cultures, the better understanding we can have between individuals, and as a wonderful byproduct, we can cultivate an even better, non-exceptionalistic appreciation for our own culture.

If you like my writing, you can join the site to the right of the page, like Speaking with Storms on Facebook or follow me on Twitter. If you have questions or just want to chat, I'm on Formspring, too!

Peace and Love, thank you for reading!

Happy Easter!

Easter is the weirdest holiday to me. I was born on the 19th of April-- In my birth year, that was Easter Sunday. Truth be told, it's my firm belief I should have popped out of an egg that day, but certain aspects of human anatomy kept that from happening. 18 years later, Lady Gaga stole that idea from me.

Bitch.

However, I really enjoy Easter. Aside from the terrible Men's Warehouse necktie color-scheme it has, it brings in new life. I have never once experienced snow on Easter, even in the frozen Northland of Minnesota.  And I'm okay with that.

My younger sister likes to go a little bit crazy with the holidays, and I actually like it a lot because it shows she isn't afraid to really embrace something she enjoys. Just a few hours ago, she came up the stairs with a big plastic bag filled with stuffed bunnies saying something like "I am the Easter Bunny Faerie and I am here to... Easter-ize... this... living room." 15 minutes later, the living room was fully Easter-ized with everything from eggs to stuffed rabbits. Easter-ized as hell.

In World of Warcraft, there's an Easter-equivalent in-game holiday called Noblegarden. In it, everyone from lords to peasants are searching for eggs that give gold, candy, even some elegant garments inside. (There is also a rabbit pet that lays eggs, but that is neither here nor there.) Completing all the in-game "Achievements" grant you the title "(Character Name) the Noble". I really like it-- A small (probably unintentional) reminder from the programmers that remembering to revere life is truly noble.

How you choose to show that reverence is up to you.

So, I'm going to wake up with a big smile ready to take in the (hopefully present) sunshine and remember how great life is. Have a fantastic Easter, readers!