Friday 12 February 2010

ICC10... hello.

Am heading to town to join my dad for grocery shopping. We both like to do that, doesn't matter what we buy. Plus it will be extra interesting, as all the roads and parking lots are snowed in and it is almost impossible to maneuvre around the city. Took me two hours to climb uphill yesterday, in 4o cm of snow. Was so tired when I returned Piček and I went to bed at 8, however 2o minutes into enjoying his body warmth, sis phoned to ask if I wanna join her guild to do an ICC run with a ten-man group. It's hard to stress to a civilian what an honor that is. Hehe. Well, the kind you do not pass unless you're suddenly blinded or, say, knitting or something. I haven't had the opportunity to go to Icecrown Citadel - up to this point the hardest dungeons in Warcraft, only recently cracked by the uber guild (an Alliance faction, alas, as we are fiercely Horde), and you cannot suceed besting one ridiculously difficult boss after another. I've tried, but in the end it's just not worth it, giving yourself all in only to die because of some 'tard's incompetence or CBAism. This was the first time I was in a group of true 'professionals' and we went though it like a hot knife though a rubber duck. Did all four first bosses without a wipe, then Professor and his two sons (you'd have to see them to believe them), the Bblood Council of three princes (IMPOSSIBLY difficult and fuck those orbs all over again now that I'm able to type properly) and finally the queen - the last of the second set. Then we retired for the morning and did some smaller things. I have total muscle ache from tension. My neck hurts so much and my teeth look like I'm a hypo by now, ground flat... SO much adrenaline. SO much concentration my screen cracks under my stare. At one point there are six or seven things to mind - usually there are three or four - and it is the first time where I was unable to perform a task on my own. Needed help. That's never happened before. (It was the princes. My job - I'm a hunter, so obvioustly - is to prevent orbs of energy, which hover like soap bubbles, from reachng the floor and killing everyone. If I see another soap bubble anywhere I will run away screaming.) Meanwhile there are three other kinds of orbs, good, very good and very bad, that I have to avoid in order to allow other 9 players to manipulate them, and that's just the background noise. The real fight is going from one prince to the next, as they wolleyball power and mortality amidst eachother and players have to either taunt, hurt or heal. There is so much chaos - and I haven't done this fight before, so to me it was just ridiculously messy - you think you'll pee yourself by the time it's - sucesfully - over. (Fifth or sixts try). Failures are coitus interruptus'. If I didn't have my sister's for-warnings and Mag's calm voice, i don't tzhink i'd be able to pull it off. That's a couple of hours of feeling like you're on bad heroin (I imagine.) The queen was lovely, though. She bites someone and for a minute they have no attention and amazing power, but then they need to bite two other unafflicted players - so if after 5 minutes the fight is not over, there's a certain wipe. Not always easy finding them in the mess. Meanwhile you can get plague and need to run out of the cluster of players, or you get a string of life connecting you to another player and neet to instantly meet with them.  All the while making sure you do not attract her attention and all the while making absolute impossibly high damage, so she doesn't last 5 minutes. Such SUCH power of mind. I wish I had Demontania's calm demeanor. Staying that concentraded for such periods of time is like holding up an absurd weight, all your body screaming to let go, why bother, there are easier ways to make an impression, and somehow yet you continue to will it steady. And this is my brain we are talking about. NOT my most prominent muscle :P

Of curse I am compulsively getting up at 4:4o no matter when I go to bed and am now underslept, under-focused and hysterically giddy. Can't recal the last time that kind of energy was surging though me in the real world. No wonder this game addicts.Virtual emotions are better than the real ones,  nearly more profound, because you allow yourself to feel them. In the AFK most feelings are totally in your way or completely impolite. Genuine rage, envy, racism, abuse of power, bragging, that's all prohibited in every day life, and true fear, dissapointment, anticipation and art of war are usually a bad idea to promote. In a game this well created, you can go all out, knowing perfectly well you can log off and be okay in an hour. Be really really totally scared, like, almost on the verge of tears, knowing absolutely nothing will actually harm you, so go ahead and go mental. Even reputation, if lost, is just an LCD illusion :)