Redwolf's Journal (continued)

So I recently finished a couple anthologies. As mentioned before, it seemed like a low-investment break as far as reading, plus it gives a chance to be exposed to more writers. Of course, as far as any "review" they're also something of a mixed bag. Fairly little struck me as outstanding in either direction. Blackguards is pretty much just rogue fantasy centered on "bad" people - some of them likable rogues and some not so much, as a book like this gives authors opportunity to flesh out side characters and backgrounds from their own series. Nothing too remarkable, though I saw enough interesting in one tale to delve into the attached series. Unfettered is almost as appealing for the story behind it as the stories within it. I don't think I'd heard of Shawn Speakman prior, but he certainly knows quite the list of current fantasy authors to draw upon. The stories vary much more wildly from twists on Arthurian legend to Kushiel series background to g

Here's a movie that I wasn't sure I was going to see. On the up side, the Marvel CU movies have been generally pretty good and doing well. On the other hand, that doesn't necessarily mean I have to go watch them all. All in all, though, it's another pretty good movie. The action's decent. The main "power" premise didn't bother me in the way I think it might, even though the movie plays pretty fast and loose with mass and momentum. The ants worked out better than I would have guessed. And while it didn't warm my heart the same way Guardians of the Galaxy did, there was a sense of fun and adventure and humor along the way. A couple points, however, hold it back from being "great." I didn't find the main villain very compelling, myself. Also, the whole underlying plot of family issues felt clunky. Maybe there just wasn't enough screen time to flesh it all out, but things are just resolved a little too rapidly there to feel real a

As my obsessive time commitments in WoW reduce, I've put a little more time back into FFXIV and the Heavensward expansion. Functionally, not that much has changed, though you can jump through some hoops to fly in the new zones, which is always neat. It's still possible to run into blockages of quests where you must do an instance to continue, but those aren't too terribly painful really. The game is still gorgeous, now with more three-dimensional vistas. The music is possibly my favorite that I've experienced in an MMORPG. Of course, in period where now even WoW can be played for gold rather than dollars, FFXIV is still a subscription game. The story is still strong. ARR (the main game) ended on a hugely tragic note, seeming to destroy much of what was build for the PC(s) and their associated Scions of the Seventh Dawn, leading into Heavensward. That I just hit at level 55 was, however, more emotional in my eyes. Ysayle, aka Iceheart, the host of the primal Shi

I feel sort of floaty, adrift, aimless... In a lot of ways, that's not uncommon of me being thoughtful or introspective, really. And prior to the medication, it would probably spiral down to a much darker place. The week's not been bad. Heck, a "quiet" day-shift week at work means things are going pretty well in general. Of course, it also means there are projects being pushed out for one reason or another, so there's nothing to really sink my teeth into and do. I've been reading anthologies this week - finished one and halfway through another. I thought it might be a nice change of pace with less investment. That might just be unseating me further. Games are... what they are. I'm reaching 6.2 goal-markers (level 3 shipyard, exalted with a couple factions, closing in on finishing the mission-based legendary requirements), if still 7/33 for raid-bits - that'll take several more weeks due to the way its done. I'm plot-blocked at level 54 in F

We're two weeks into WoW patch 6.2 and I'm already saying it feels like the end-of-expansion lull. Guild interest in Warlords of Draenor never quite reached the critical mass required for raiding - we were close, but not quite there. 5-man content has so lacked incentive that beyond a flurry of initial runs to do some quests, that's fallen by the wayside. I rarely see more than two or three other guildmates online while I pop in to do daily "chores." Now, there have been some good points to the expansion. While the story is sort of disconnected from previous, I did find leveling content to be good and enjoyable. Garrison content might be argued to have been "too good," but there was some interesting design there. Having some choice of setup and bonuses/rewards is nice. Gathering followers (and ships) is flavorful. World rares and treasures made for neat distractions in the wild. There were some neat encounter designs (if not for camera issues, I'd

I hadn't been there since I was a kid. I don't remember much of the previous trip. I know we hiked down to Horseshoe Mesa - camping down there before coming back up. I vaguely recall an old mine in the area. So... this was almost new to me. And the initial view is... impressive. I can see how some initial explorers would have seen that and declared it nothing but a huge, desolate hold in the ground. I can see how scientists, especially geologists, it's an incredibly fascinating source of information. And I can see how artists are drawn to the grand views and colors and the interplay of those amazing colors and shadow of clouds above. I wasn't exactly "roughing it" as much as I might have planned for (yay, overpacking!). My dad and stepmom were set up in their trailer, fully hooked up, with AC and a small shower, and the restroom nearby. I slept in my tent, but ended up not needing to do any cooking myself. We had pizza in the Grand Canyon Village one night