The Queue: Clip Show

Usagi Sennin

I want to reiterate my desire for a WoW xpac that is a musical.

Ah, I wish. More than anything. More than the moon.

Is there an expansion thus far that wouldn’t be improved by a trio of Fates? Every one could feature a sweeping ballad expressing the pathos of being hurt, but knowing it’s better than fighting alone, or one repeating the same old patterns over again, thinking that maybe this time it’ll work out by the end of the expansion? World of Warcraft is full of lost loves, and backwards-looking references to those lost loves, especially in the Shadowlands where everyone is dead. Heck, you can even do a little light retconning in song — a histo-remix, if you will.

And villain songs? Well, some people just want to watch the world burn. Or a tree, whatever.

The thing is, let me let you in on a little secret: Every WoW expansion is a musical if you just blast soundtracks while you’re playing.

Cory

Q4tQ: Have you ever met a person in real life that you know through online gaming? How’d it go?

So, fun story. Back when WoW was first a thing, my husband and I joined the same guild. He found the guild because he’d partied up with a particular priest in Westfall during the closed beta before vanilla launched, and that priest was in this larger guild for some online gaming beforehand, and they were branching out into WoW. The guild itself was a little odd, kind of a personal fiefdom of one particular guy. That guy got married and invited a bunch of people from the guild, including us, which was a fun time. We’d been playing with these guys for a year or so at that point, and it was a relatively local shindig for us anyway, so it was fun to meet up. One of the people we hung out with most was Blamkins the mage, which I contend is the best naming combo ever.

So, predictably, shortly thereafter that original guild imploded, and so we hitched a ride with Blamkins to this smaller guild made up of mostly his local IRL friends, plus a few other people. We’ve hung out with that group ever since, through job changes and life changes, and it’s been a great experience overall. They all live pretty distant, but we’ve hung out with an assortment here and there, mostly chill pizza affairs.

But, to bring the story full circle, one of those guys posted to his food blog what is now the family favorite Christmas Cookie recipe. Every year, they clamor for Brian Cookies for Christmas, and they swear it is the best holiday cookie recipe they’ve ever had. So, through the power of WoW and friendship I bring you his recipe, and I just hope your local grocery store carries enough powdered sugar to make them.

Moveover

Q4TQ: My life has been very busy for me in a mostly good way. The result is that I haven’t much time for playing video games. Someone suggested that I just watch others play them in youtube videos. It’s the first time that I’ve seen the appeal in watching others play through a game instead of doing it myself. I want to play the game. I just don’t have time to. I can start and stop a video anytime or anyplace I like. It’s also free. Has anyone ever just watched someone playing a video game instead of playing it themselves?

There are no life rules.
Do what you want. Don’t ask.
I hate platformers.

Red, My Favorite Child

tell me the tale of the Hozen and the buttercream pie.

Once, there was a young Hozen walking through the Jade Forest who stopped short when he smelled something delicious. He sniffed and he snorted and he sneezed his way toward the smell. An old Pandaren and two small cubs were leaning back contentedly, a now-empty pie plate before them.

“Ah, young Hozen,” said the Pandaren, for his senses were sharpened from years of battling the Mantid, and Hozen are not known for their stealth, “I wish I had some buttercream pie to offer you, but it is all eaten up.”

The Hozen started to shrink off toward the forest to try and find some fruit, but the Pandaren kept talking. “But, our new friend, if you wish to go find more ingredients for us, I may find time to make some more pie for us all,” and the Pandaren quickly wrote out a list. The Hozen snatched the list from his fingers, eager for some delicious pie.

The Hozen went first to the granaries in Valley of the Four Winds because their stores of grain, usually used to make brew, would be perfect for the flour of this pie. When he made it there, the granary was overrun by alementals! He flipped and flew his way through the nasty sprites that had taken over in order to take his prize. He brought back a whole sack full of wheat, but left much of it with the brewers. It was heavy, and he only needed a little. The brewers were quite grateful, since they only truly knew how to brew, not battle.

The Hozen then went to a small farm in the Townlong Steppes which he’d heard about from his friends. Eggs were a tasty treat to a young Hozen, and his friends had crossed the continent to steal some before, but this Hozen had never been so bold. The Pandaren who cared for the coop was wary of him initially, but the Hozen offered to trade some of his flour and a shiny to the Pandaren in exchange for the eggs, which satisfied them both.

The Hozen lastly went to the Yak Wash in the shadow of the Temple of the White Tiger. He worked hard to restore it after a Mogu attack destroyed some of the brushes, and was rewarded both with a jug of sweet, creamy yak milk and a good hosing off.

With his ingredients in hand, the Hozen ran excitedly, but carefully back to the hut in the forest. As he approached it, he caught a scent on the breeze. It was the same sweet smell as before. He ran even faster, and when he arrived, there was the old Pandaren and the two cubs — and a finished pie cooling. He nearly dropped the eggs in his surprise. “But you said you needed more ingredients!”

“I said you could get ingredients for another pie, it’s true. But while it’s important to contribute to such a delicious dish, it’s also important to have compassion for one who has undertaken a long, exciting journey so far from home, and now has many tales to tell. I did not want you to wait for rest, and food. Tell me, new friend, did you enjoy the lavender rinse at the yak wash?” The Pandaren’s eyes twinkled as they cut the pie, and served four slices of buttercream pie with four tall glasses of lemony iced tea.

…frickin Ban-Lu.

Roxxii

Q4Anna: What pet will you be replacing Rutherford with when the servers come up?

First of all, how dare you.

RJagoda asked on Twitter

Q4tQ: was it difficult going from commenter to writer? Do you ever miss the interaction?

When I started working for Blizzard Watch it was on the heels of the destruction of The Previous Site, so it was a really weird time just in general. I had already been writing my own pet battling guide site for nearly three years however — Battle Pet Roundup turns seven next week! As such the amount of time I was spending hanging out in The Queue was already naturally slowly decreasing. I was inspired to start writing that silly little pet blog when there was an opening at The Previous Site and I realized that I had virtually nothing on my resume. As such, the transition into being a writer for Blizzard Watch was not necessarily the plan per se — because I… honestly didn’t think it would ever really happen — but the catalyst.

I do miss sometimes being able to just post whatever ridiculous nonsense I want without worrying about showing my Horde bias, and I definitely bemoan slow news days quite a bit more now. I’ll also admit, even though it’s probably a little unprofessional, sometimes I still completely geek out on the inside that I get to do what I do. The other day I added an em dash to a Rossi KYL, you guys! I get to write The Queue sometimes — THE Queue! Me from 5 years ago is still freaking out. Hopefully, mostly on the inside. Be cool man, be cool.

So, I guess this is my way of saying thank you to all y’all for letting me do what I do. Even when I have my professional hat on there’s still that part of me that just marvels at everything we’ve done — both the writing team rising from the ashes, and our fantastic community which helped us do just that.

Kalcheus

Q4tQ What games have you recently picked up from a recent sale? What caught your eye during Steam Next Fest?

DAVE THE DIVER, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, No Case Should Remain Unsolved, DREDGE, Overland, Atomicrops, Tactical Breach Wizards, Floodland, Sons Of The Forest, Amnesia: The Bunker, Date Everything, Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop, Moonglow Bay, Mythwrecked, Wanderstop, Venba, Fruitbus, LocoMotive, Sulfur, Usual Jane, Star Trucker, REKA, You Suck At Parking, Pacific Drive, Spirit City, Balatro, Oblivion, Moonstone Island, Terra Nil, Grave Seasons, Project C–, Building Relationships, Cairn, Creatures of Ava, The Long Dark, Blue Prince, Cozy Grove, Vampire Survivors, Hades 2, Subnautica, Slasher’s Keep, Orgynizer, Harold Halibut, Little Kitty Big City, Botany Manor, Another Crab’s Treasure, Horticular, Janet de Mornay is a Slumlord (and a Witch), Paleophage, If SunSets, Merchants of Rosewall, House Flipper 2, Forager, Jalopy, Helldivers 2, Deep Rock Galactic, Kentucky Route Zero, Starbound, Last Case of Benedict Fox, Red Dead Redemption 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Amnesia: Rebirth, Salt 2, Graveyard Keeper, Call of Cthulhu, Overboard!, Gris, Florence, Slay the Princess, Marie’s Room, The Inheritance of Crimson Manor, Valheim, Bear and Breakfast, 7 Days to Die, Sea of Thieves, El Paso Elsewhere, Dorfromantik, Immortality, SOMA, An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs, Paradise Killer, What Remains of Edith Finch, American Truck Simulator, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, Rusty Lake, This Bed We Made, Wizard With a Gun, One Lonely Outpost, The Last Alchemist, Spirit Swap, Loddlenaut, Moonstone Island, Nowhere: Mysterious Artifacts, Pacific Drive, Station to Station, Grand Emprise: Time Travel Survival, Paleo Pines, Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator, Stray Gods, Noun Town, BugSnax, Potionomics, Coral Island, Hallowlands, Undercraft, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Saturnalia, Last Hero of Nostalgia, Flying Neko Delivery, The Entropy Center, Soulstone Survivors, Floodland, Zero Sievert, Project Zomboid, Witchy Life Story, Grounded, Slime Rancher 2, The Outbound Ghost, Beacon Pines, Temtem, Railbound, Gloomwood, I Was A Teenage Exocolonist, Cloud Gardens, Cult of the Lamb, Islanders, Simulacra, The Magnificent Trufflepigs, Tiny Lands, The Wild Eight, Wildstar, Fable, Wordle, Habitica, What Remains of Edith Finch, Don’t Starve, Darkwood, Celeste, No Man’s Sky, Skatebird, Boyfriend Dungeon, Gone Home, Stranded Deep, The Forest, Plant Daddy, Creature Kitchen, Good Pizza Great Pizza, Icarus, Planet Crafter, Windrose,Aerial_Knight’s Mr. Freezy, Regency Solitaire, Incident at Galley House, The Roottrees are Dead, Cast n Chill, Caravan Sandwitch, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes,Wanderburg, Dragon Age Origins, Fallout 4, Moldwasher, Blue Ridge Hunting, Case Solved: The London Files, Rivage, About Fishing, Desktop Explorer, Still Wakes The Deep, Titanium Court, Forbidden Solitaire, Drop Dutchy, Outbound, Greenhearth Necromancer, The Return of the Obra Dinn, Outward, Martha Is Dead, Draugen, Thronefall, The Pale Beyond, Hocus Focus, Don’t Stop Girlypop, Viva Pinata, Penelope Pendrick and the Art of Deceit, and Gemcraft.

Oh yeah, and Towers of Babbel was supposed to release yesterday, but is currently stuck in Steam’s conspicuously burgeoning approval queue, and I am completely obsessed, just on the demo.