Sideshow & Syrana

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

by Syrana on Dec.17, 2009, under Screenshots, World of Warcraft

So Tamarind, over at Righteous Orbs, has started a new blog gift that keeps on giving.

Here are the basic details on the exchange from his post:

I notice that it’s a season for gift-giving, mulled wine, the warm fuzzies and what not … and, putting aside my bah humbug inclinations, I got to thinking, well, how can we can spread a little festive love around here? And, given how connective blogs are and how much we like tagging each other to write things, I came up with a Cunning Plan…

It’s basically a blog-content gift exchange (and it really needs a catchier title), and here’s how it works. If you’d like to play, leave me a comment and in return I’ll give you a subject, or ask you a question … and then you go away and blog about it. It doesn’t have to be a whole blog post, this is meant to be low pressure gift-exchange, but, you know, a comment or a paragraph, or a corner of a post (or a full post, if you want to really indulge me, or feel inspired). And if I suggest something crap or boring in which you have no interest, you can look at it as the equivalent of a pair of novelty socks, say “thank you very much, Tam” and throw it away entirely, and I’ll pretend not to notice and make a mental note not to get you novelty socks next year….

And then, if you feel like it, you can throw it open on your own blog, inviting people to comment if they’re will to blog on a subject of your choosing….

So there ya have it.  I commented on his post, asking to participate.  Tam has given me a subject (which we’ll get to after the cut) to post about.  If you’d like to participate as well, leave a comment on this post indicating your desire to play and I’ll respond in the comments giving out subjects/topics to those interested.

Alright, ready?!

The Most Beautiful Thing in the World (of Warcraft)

Tamarind enjoys our Screenshot Sunday posts and asked what is the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in WoW.  I loved the question, but sat staring at my screen with a glaze over my eyes.  The most beautiful thing… the most beautiful thing?!  It  should have come to me right away, right?

Well, it didn’t.  I can think of lots of different zones, areas, buildings, and skies that I have found to be beautiful.  So I hemmed and hawed, digging through my screenshot folders…. looking for it.

Well, it was hard to make a decision.  I do love the scenery in WoW, I think they have done a fantastic job with it.  I also noticed I take a lot of screenshots of the skies.

I decided that I will share some of my favorites here.  While they are all beautiful in their own way, the first one is probably my favorite screenshot.  It was featured on Screenshot Sunday in August, entitled Picturesque.

dhaya by lake

It’s majestic, calming, and beautiful.  The sun is setting over the water in Eversong Woods, the stars are emerging, the color of the sky and her hair… I had actually taken this on accident.  I was trying to zoom in for the setting, but not of her.  As you can see, I’m zoomed in enough where she’s fading – translucent enough to see the water through her.  It’s almost ghostly.

netherstorm sky2

syrana on boat

sunwellentrance

howling fjord

stormpeaks

capwnikus in barrens

syr in crystalsong forest

starfish - winterfin cove

sholazar basin rainbow

As I said, I love sky shots… I also love the color purple and the little touches like the starfish and rainbow.  I hope you enjoyed these!

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53 comments for this entry:
  1. Rivs
    December 17th, 2009 on 9:41 am

    Some cool Screenies. It looks like Tam might have to get up and fix his blog LOL!

  2. Tami
    December 17th, 2009 on 10:21 am

    Oh, what GORGEOUS screenshots. Just incredible. Makes me wish I was rich so I could buy you ridiculously high-end video card and release you into the wild with nothing but a print-screen button and a dream.

    I’ll play! What blog post would you like for Christmas?

  3. Cait
    December 17th, 2009 on 10:49 am

    I’ll play! (lovely screenies btw)

    Of course my blog isn’t very wow-esque. My cow-hunter did turn 77 this past weekend though :)

  4. Anea
    December 17th, 2009 on 4:14 pm

    These are great shots! I especially love the Storm Peaks one :)

  5. Syrana
    December 17th, 2009 on 7:44 pm

    @Rivs and @Anea – Thank you! :)

    @Tami – Thank you very much! I wish I could translate my screenshot abilities into real life photography, but hey, I’ll take the screenies :)

    I shall propose 2 topics for you (they very well may intertwine): Could you tell us about the first story you ever wrote (I personally get a kick out of going back and reading oldoldold stuff I wrote) and/or about your character brainstorming/inspiration?

    @Cait – Thankies and no worries that your blog isn’t WoW-centric. :) I know you are currently working on some projects around the house and have created various works of art. What project are you most proud of completing/creating thus far?

    Sidenote… it’s harder to come up with good post suggestions than I thought!

  6. deyndor
    December 17th, 2009 on 7:58 pm

    I’m not sure if I like the Sunwell one or the Crystalsong one better. You really do seem to have a knack for taking beautiful screen shots.

    Oh what the hell, I’ll play too. I never really post so this should give me a good excuse to.

  7. Syrana
    December 17th, 2009 on 8:30 pm

    @Deyndor – Thanks! Alright, seeing as how you are a fellow warlock… If you could capture anyone’s soul into a shard (IRL or ingame..or both!) who would it be and why?

  8. Samodean
    December 17th, 2009 on 8:33 pm

    Bring the socks.

  9. Syrana
    December 17th, 2009 on 8:35 pm

    @Samodean – YESSS! :D Okokok… BESIDES Optimus Prime… who is your favorite Transformer and why? ;)

  10. Brajana
    December 17th, 2009 on 8:42 pm

    Free post ideas?! You mean I don’t have to try to come up with my own? Oh, oh, I want in!

  11. Brajana
    December 17th, 2009 on 8:43 pm

    Also, love the screenshots! Meant to say that in my first comment, but I got all excited… :P

    I thought Crystalsong was so beautiful the first time I saw it! It’s so glowy and white and purple… Pretty!

  12. Sprink
    December 17th, 2009 on 8:46 pm

    I adore the lone cow. He’s just so… cute! ^_^ And the first one is also one of my favourites. What can I say? I like them all!

  13. Syrana
    December 17th, 2009 on 8:52 pm

    @Brajana – Yup, free post ideas… hopefully they are all winners :P Alrighty, although you are a bit of an altaholic like myself, it seems that hunterin’ is your favorite. Regardless of min/max optimal raid DPS etc, what is your favorite pet that you have tamed?

    @Sprink – That shot reminds me of a WoW western, don’tcha think? :D

  14. Jaedia
    December 17th, 2009 on 9:14 pm

    I wanna ask for one, I like to throw my own spin on other people’s topics, but I got one from Tam and that’d be greedy xD

    Awesome screenshots though, I agree, skies are pretty. I take a lot of ground-looking-up screenies of my characters to get the skies in too.

  15. Syrana
    December 17th, 2009 on 9:26 pm

    @Jaedia – It’s amazing to me the amount of detail Blizz has put into the skies. I just love it! And if you want to be greedy, that’s ok.. I won’t tell! ;)

  16. Jaedia
    December 17th, 2009 on 9:31 pm

    If you do think of something I could get it up around Saturday-ish. Could even return the favour if you like ;p

  17. Syrana
    December 17th, 2009 on 9:39 pm

    @Jaedia – If you could tame any animal (in game or IRL) what would it be, why, and what special ability would it have?

  18. Tamarind
    December 18th, 2009 on 5:07 am

    Wow! What a gorgeous blogging present :)

    This is a beautiful, beautiful post. I remember when you posted the ghostly troll picture, actually, and I remember thinking that it was a lovely illustration not just of Azeroth but the way you looked at the game.

    I love these pictures so much because they’re so universal – I think they’re all moments we’ve experienced in the game, and they bring up memories. I’ve been a small cow on that lonely road before, I’ve stood on the deck of that ship and watched the sun sink.

    I’m hard pressed to choose a favourite but I think I like the one in Crystalsong because it looks weirdly domestic, like you’re taking your felpuppy for a walk in the woods!

  19. Tami
    December 18th, 2009 on 9:07 am

    STD contracted!

    http://tamimoore.com/2009/blogger-std-my-first-story/

  20. Nim (Ankh)
    December 18th, 2009 on 12:37 pm

    I am all for a shameless plug for my ickle blog. I wanna play!

  21. Syrana
    December 18th, 2009 on 8:49 pm

    @Tam – Thanks :3 And thank you for the idea. It’s even inspired a future post about virtual scrapbooking! I’m also glad you enjoy the screenshots I share. I love capturing moments and images in game!

    @Tami – Woot! Although, I’m not sure there is a cure…yet. :P

    @Nim – Yay! I’m glad you want to play too. Ok, let’s see… looks like Ankh = Life is pretty new. So, I’d love to read about why you chose a shaman, your name, and restoration! :D

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    December 19th, 2009 on 6:43 am

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    December 19th, 2009 on 11:14 am

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  25. deyndor
    December 19th, 2009 on 11:15 am

    Well, it took me a couple days but I made my post.

    http://swiftretribution.wordpress.com/2009/12/19/syphilis-spread-the-love/

  26. Nim (Ankh
    December 19th, 2009 on 2:45 pm

    http://ankhequalslife.blogspot.com/2009/12/gift-that-keeps-on-giving-why.html
    Huzzah! Thanks for the topic, Syrana!

  27. tart
    December 19th, 2009 on 4:52 pm

    So I’m late to the party on this one, since I’m just getting to catch up on my reader, but those are some absolutely gorgeous screenshots! it is amazing the detail that blizzard puts in some times.

    and ok, I’ll bite on the topic too! RL has calmed down some so let the blog posting resume!

  28. Syrana
    December 19th, 2009 on 8:51 pm

    @Tart – <3 Better late than never! Your topic shall be…. So you started Project Spacegoat on Feathermoon, which is an RP server. Can you give us some insight into your new(est?) character? :)

  29. Stop
    December 22nd, 2009 on 2:57 pm

    Alright, I’m in.

  30. Syrana
    December 22nd, 2009 on 9:47 pm

    @Stop – Ok, forgive me, my mind is a little whacky at the moment. So, from you, I’d like to read about how your toon will react when finally facing off against Arthas (in character). Would there be an epic soliloquy?

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    December 22nd, 2009 on 10:04 pm

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  32. Kaethir
    December 29th, 2009 on 12:33 pm

    Sorry I found this after Christmas, but if it’s still going… I’m in! Whatchya got?

  33. Syrana
    December 29th, 2009 on 8:28 pm

    @Kaethir – Sure, you can have a topic too! :) It looks like you enjoy your shapeshifting abilities (druids do cheat! *shakes fist*)… so if you could create a new form, what would it be and what would it be its optimal use? :)

  34. Syrana
    December 29th, 2009 on 8:30 pm

    Just adding a quick note – if anyone else wants a free topic idea, comment before 1/1/10 to get one! I have to put a deadline on it so I can write a post with all your links :)

    And… I think we’ll do this idea again sometime, so no worries if you didn’t get to do it this time around.

  35. Windsoar
    December 30th, 2009 on 12:19 am

    Catching up on the feedreader in the holiday season is always a pain in the you know what. If you’d still like to give or receive a blog question, let me know!

  36. Kaethir
    December 30th, 2009 on 10:35 am

    @Synara:

    Post is done! I’ve scheduled it to go up tomorrow morning, giving me some time to make edits if I find errors. Thanks very much, I had a lot of fun coming up with the idea and fleshing it out a bit!

  37. Jong
    December 30th, 2009 on 12:27 pm

    I’d like to participate.

  38. Kaethir
    December 30th, 2009 on 12:29 pm

    @Syrana:

    Sorry, I switched the n and the r above. My apologies!!

  39. Syrana
    December 30th, 2009 on 7:10 pm

    @Windsoar – Another lover of alts, I see! :) Let’s see…. if you were asked for your input on the next hero class – what would it be? (I’m leaving this open and broad so you can have fun and focus on whatever aspect you’d like – the class, specs, affiliations, starting zone, etc!)

    And feel free to give me a question/topic as well, if you’d like! :D

  40. Syrana
    December 30th, 2009 on 7:27 pm

    @Kaethir – I look forward to reading it! (And no worries about the letter switcharoo) :)

    @Jong – Oh goodness, the pressure to think of a topic for you! *noms a soulcookie* Let’s see here. Well, you know how I like to keep soul shards of those I encounter as a sort of trophy… Do you have a secret stash of trophies that we don’t know about? (I already know Gnomer is hiding panties….)

  41. Valgav
    December 30th, 2009 on 8:32 pm

    I’d gladly take a holiday topic. :) Be as random as you want, it’ll be fun.

  42. Syrana
    December 30th, 2009 on 9:45 pm

    @Valgav – I although I see you like orcs and goblins (can’t wait for Cataclysm, I bet!)… as well as experience playing in different game worlds…

    I’d like to know what playable race would you like to see added to WoW? Doesn’t even have to be a race currently in the game… I’ll leave that up to you! Although if you come up with one that isn’t currently somewhere in the game world… how do they get incorporated? What faction would they be affiliated with? And whatever other details you can think of! :D

    …did I just ask you to write me a short story? I think so haha!

  43. Jong
    December 30th, 2009 on 10:27 pm

    k I need a bit of clarification. I don’t know warlock mechanics at all. Like none.

    Q:
    1) Do warlocks get soul shards when they kill stuff?
    2) Do you get a special kind of soul shard when you kill certain boss mobs?

  44. Syrana
    December 30th, 2009 on 11:35 pm

    @Jong – No worries, I wasn’t really thinking about mechanics, to be honest.

    Mechanics-wise, warlocks get soul shards when using soul drain on a mob or player that yields experience or honor. In game, all soul shards are the same. I wish we could get special ones. :(

    Outside the game, in my own little world, I “store” a piece of people’s souls in shards. Like, I have a shard for Gnomer, for example. And they are kept in a curio cabinet :P

    I hope that helps?

  45. Valgav
    December 31st, 2009 on 12:13 am

    Yup, can’t wait to roll my goblin fire mage engineer. he’s gonna be awesome.

    And neat topic, I will work on it tomorrow, I already know my immediate answer, but I think I’ll do both, in game and not in game. :) Tyvm

  46. Syrana
    December 31st, 2009 on 1:55 pm

    @Valgav – :D Can’t wait to read it!

  47. Kaethir
    December 31st, 2009 on 2:16 pm

    It went up this morning.

    I think it would simultaneously be awesome and hilarious.

    http://abearinthetrees.blogspot.com/2009/12/dragonform-druid.html

  48. Anea
    December 31st, 2009 on 3:31 pm

    Am I too late for Free Topics Extravaganza?

  49. Syrana
    December 31st, 2009 on 3:50 pm

    @Kaethir – It was a fun read! Thanks so much for participating. :)

    @Anea – You are right on time, dear. ;) Miss Anea, if one of your characters was to be immortalized in game as a quest giver, which character would you choose to bestow this honor upon and what kind of quest would you give to all the wannabe heroes?

  50. Windsoar
    January 1st, 2010 on 4:51 pm

    So much for my topic pinging back to yours ^.^ Here ya go for future references :P

    http://jadedalt.wordpress.com/2009/12/31/844/

  51. Syrana
    January 1st, 2010 on 6:10 pm

    @Windsoar – I was surprised that the pingback didn’t come through, since I saw you posted it already. Sometimes it seems like Wordpress is slow with that. Ah well. Thanks for adding the link to the comments, it makes compiling the Gift Giving Links post more convenient ;)

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