The Queue

Surprise! (It’s) Mitch! Bet you thought you’d seen the last of me… That’s still a fun meme to reference, right? I’m cool, y’all.

Anyhow, I’m here, taking over for Liz and you guys are just gonna have to DEAL WITH IT. Hope that’s okay (:

QUEUUUUUUEEEEE!

I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t really get to participate in this month’s Splatfest for more than a handful of matches. It’s not that the theme was one I was super crazy about — I went Family, FWIW, largely because both of my brothers did and also I have no friends — but rather the flair that went into this particular Splatfest.

In addition to being a 48-hour “Frosty Fest,” each side’s ink was sparkly! Matches were a battle of pretty-looking silver and gold ink, all under a special, wintry night sky. It was cool, and I’m sad that I was feeling too “meh” to really do anything during this one.

In other news, Games Done Quick is currently on, and it’s something I always love to watch. Not that we’re sponsored or anything, but check out the schedule and tune into your favorite game. Me? I’m writing this while I watch a Splatoon 2 speedrun. Go figure!

Now, let’s Queue.

Welcome back to The Queue, our daily Q&A feature for all of Blizzard’s games! Have a question for the Blizzard Watch staff? Leave it in the comments!

This expansion has given us some of the most lovingly-crafted, well designed ships I’ve ever seen. They’re a far cry from the stale and mostly-empty pirate vessels that litter the coasts, you know? Forget the fancy mounts, the pretty horses and cool raptors and frogs. I’d like a boat, please. I mean…if we can’t have player housing, can I just have a ship to call my own? Maybe? Seriously, look at that thing. It’s gorgeous.

And now, let’s look at your questions, and then answer them!

Look at that thing.

I love it. I love every pointless, over-designed centimeter of it. I love that it has blade catchers on the back. I love that the blade’s sweep makes it entirely unbalanced. I love that hilt with the giant moon that looks like an eye. You’d probably injure yourself swinging this thing if it actually existed, and I love it.

This is the Queue. World of Warcraft is completely, totally ridiculous, and that’s what’s good about it.

This Queue is dedicated to all those reputations that I’ve failed to hit exalted with… I never realized until recently how many I probably just need to do some moderate farming to get up to the next level.

Wait… what do you mean it’s not January 1? I don’t think that’s right and I’m not changing the headline just because we have a slight temporal disagreement, folks.

Welcome back to The Queue, our daily Q&A feature for all of Blizzard’s games! Have a question for the Blizzard Watch staff? Leave it in the comments!

2018 is drawing to a close, and frankly I’m all right with leaving it all behind. But as you count down the minutes to 2019, keep this in mind: Thirty years have passed on alternate Draenor since we defeated Archimonde and saved everyone, and Lantresor is still carrying around a mining pick. I guess he learned to appreciate his garrison assignment?

Regardless, let’s wrap up the year and answer your questions, because that’s what we do here!

This is the last Queue I’ll be writing in 2018.

It’s been a heck of a year, some good, some really bad. It’s finally over. Next year will, I hope and pray, be slightly better for all of us. I hope you all had a good holiday if you celebrated it, and if not, I hope your week has been peaceful.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. This was the first time Katie and I had the pleasure and honor of spending it with Max, our newborn. He came five weeks early and had some initial problems, and I thought the happiest day of my life would be when he was discharged from the NICU. I was mistaken though — it was the day after Christmas (when his grandparents got him an actual dragon mount), and we sat and listened to Puff the Magic Dragon. He calmed, the cat jumped up to snuggle with us, and as I had done 35-years ago, we were transported to the land of Honalee.

Music, imagination, fantasy, and storytelling are such a huge part of our lives for those of us reading these words, I couldn’t help but become awash in emotion as I realized we never really grew up — that we’re all Jackie Paper still keeping Puff’s might roar alive.

Let’s work to keep it that way.

Holidays? Here? I’m not sure what you’re talking about.