Thanks to those who read so many of my goofy articles though.

<3 Nau

I’ve also taken back up sword and board with the SCA again as well. Been a long time since I did that! That takes a lot of time and gets me out among living, breathing people, which is where I really need to be. It is a great deal healthier for me in many ways.

So what it comes down to is I’m not coming back to WoW. This blog will be shutting down too. As soon as everything here runs out it will be done.

I’ve had a great time and I miss the friends I made in WoW but they know how to find me if they want to.

<3 to you all!

Nauloera and the gang.

Last night I canceled my WoW accounts. I hadn’t played in probably 3 weeks and found myself easily focused on other things. Now I have decided it is time to focus on my art more seriously rather than just dinking around with it once in a while and to do that I need time. Time that isn’t sunk into a computer game.

Eventually I will return to the WoW calendar I started but I have some other things that have moved ahead in the priority line. When I do, though, I will post pics for everyone to see.

To my readers and friends that have been so incredibly supportive, thank you. I’m sorry I wasn’t a more reliable blogger for you.

*hugs* and best wishes to you all,

-Nau

There was recognition in his eyes. She saw him consider for a moment, then in that transformation that always made her eyes swim, she watched him shift from cat to bird. With a rustle of wings he launched from the cornice where he sat to join her on the one where her drake had left her. His form flowed back to that of a cat and he settled on the stone next to her.

She laid her hand on his shoulder remembering well the feel of his fur. When last they met, so many months ago in Dalaran she spent hours simply sitting and taking comfort in the feel of his fur beneath her hand. No words were spoken between them then. He found her trapped in her sorrow and offered her silent comfort.

Now she followed his gaze to the devastation below. Though she did not know why, she did know that druids more than anyone else were always drawn to the moonwells, those places of gentle, pure power created by the Kaldorei goddess, Elune. A smoking crater now stood where the moonwell in Stormwind had been. She could feel him trapped in sorrow.

Slowly she stroked her hand along the fur of his shoulders, offering the same silent comfort he once gave her. After a time he relaxed and leaned against her. The warmth of his furred body fought off the chill of the stone and the evening wind.

No words were spoken. Long into the evening they sat in silence taking comfort from each other’s presence. She could not heal this wound, as he could not heal hers so long ago, but in silence she could ease some of his ache as he had eased hers.

This week’s review is of the addon RPButton.

Let me tell you a little story. Once upon a time there was a RP addon called Immersion RP. It worked much the same way as MyRoleplay and FlagRSP but it was lightweight, very user friendly, and it had this lovely little button attached to the chat window that would kick it into RP Mode. What that meant was it would hide your entire interface except the chat window. That was my favorite feature.

Time went by and the original developer stopped supporting it. I was a sad panda. Then someone picked it up again! Hooray! Then Blizz redid how we access the friend list and it borked IRP. IRP had been dropped again. Sad panda.

Then just before the arrival of Cataclysm here comes RPButton developed by a former user of IRP that was also a sad panda. It is so terribly cute too. Just one little button that you can easily slide around on your screen that does exactly what the RP Mode in Immersion did. I keep mine neatly tucked under my chat window. So when you don’t want to see all the interface crap on your screen but still want to chat, RPButton is there to save the day!

Such a simple thing that makes Nau a happy panda again!

Certainly there had been plenty of work to do as well. Enough to earn her coin to purchase her own gryphon! She frowned as she stepped onto the Tram and leaned against the rail. Of course she wished it were just a bit more rewarding. Certainly the “clean-up” work she was doing in Outland was needed she supposed. Surely they couldn’t leave all those demons and fel orcs running loose. Though she did often wonder why not.

She wrinkled her nose and rubbed her tired eyes, wiping those thoughts away. That was for another day and was sure it would spoil her mood if she thought about it today. She wanted to keep her pleasant mood all the way home.

The evening had been warm and companionable as usual with the Boomsticks. Kae mostly behaved himself though he had grown rather fond of a young gnome that had been visiting the Pub recently. Unfortunately his exuberance and energy tended to spook the poor little thing. Part of her was disappointed Fjuinen wasn’t there but then another part of her was scared to see him again. She had not spoken to him face to face since Gardrel shamed her in front of him and the Boomsticks the very night they gave her a tabard of her own. It was weeks before she could face any of the Boomsticks. The thought of having to face Fjuinen after that still made her stomach clench.

She sighed and shook her head. Eventually it would be all right. Perhaps Fjuinen didn’t remember. Wouldn’t remember. She could hope.

Though tonight it was odd that she showed up and Homrend told her one of her sisters was looking for her. She hadn’t given her name so nobody could tell her which one. Ithrene could be pretty sure it wasn’t Evelene. She seldom ventured out of Stormwind and would simply leave her a message at her apartment. Arlene had just spoken to her that morning when she picked up the last of her belongings to move into the apartment she had rented for herself in Canal district. Ithrene counted herself lucky that Arlene had such a sensitive nose and couldn’t stand the smell of Kae any longer… of course he did manage to find his way into more banana bread than usual while Arlene was living there…

The puzzle continued to gnaw at her as the Tram trundled noisily through the great tunnel between Ironforge and Stormwind. Homrend had said she had “sorta brownish” hair so that would leave out Dorrene. Not likely Eilene either. Nadene maybe? But what was she doing back from Darnassus so soon? Martene? No. She would never willingly leave the new dig site before she had everything excavated. She sighed and shook her head. Maybe Evvie would know. Surely if one of the sisters was in town she’d stop to visit all the others. At least it wasn’t one of her brothers. If her sisters were pushy and overprotective, her brothers were a sight worse!

The Tram rumbled to a stop and the gnome controller called out Stormwind as the end of the line. She didn’t point out that it was the ONLY place other than Ironforge the Tram traveled. Everyone needed a purpose it seemed.

She strolled out into the evening air, KaeAskavi close at her heels, and began the walk from the Tram to her apartment. She probably should have stabled Billy nearby to ride home after returning but he had looked so content sleeping in his stable next to the new gryphon earlier in the evening she decided to just let him stay. It wasn’t really much of a walk but there was a chill breeze blowing in off the harbor tonight threatening to bring snow. Maybe a good storm would be nice. A good reason to stay holed up to rest in her room a few days with hot chocolate and a book or two.

She sighed in relief when she reached the door to her apartment. The wind had picked up during her walk and was chill enough to cut right through her cloak. She shivered as she opened the door and ushered Kae and Cubby into the room.

“Ithrene Aednat Goldrise! Where ha’ ye been? Ah was lookin’ f’r ye all ov’r!”

Ithrene jumped and grabbed frantically at her rifle when the voice rumbled out of the shadowy corner of the main room. When a fire bloomed in the hearth and illuminated the speaker she relaxed some but her heart still beat like hummingbird wings in her chest.

“Dun ennae o’ ye thin’ tha’ maybe t’ain’ polite t’ be comin’ in m’ home when Ah’m nae here an’ sneakin’ up on me soon’s Ah walk inna door!? Damn ye, Maurrene, ye scared me shiteless!” Ithrene smacked her rifle down on the table to emphasize her annoyance.

The other dwarven woman shrugged and tossed a thickly furred cloak over the back of a chair. “Th’ door was unlocked,” she said easily.

“It wasna’ unlocked an’ ye knoo’ it! Y’r jes’ as bad as Arlene thinkin’ ye go’ ev’ry righ’ t’ come inta m’ home an’ my life whene’er ye choose!”

Maurrene advanced on Ithrene and stood toe-to-toe with her, bearing down on the younger woman. “Noo’ ye see here, missy! Dun’ ye be takin’ tha’ tone wit’ me! Y’r th’ baby an’ we’re jes’ tryin’ t’ keep an’ eye on ye. From wha’ Ah’ve ‘eard from Evvie, ye ain’ done such a good job o’ takin’ care o’ y’rself!”

Itrene’s face burned with embarrassment. “Ah’m nae a baby no more an’ Ah dun’ need ye pokin’ y’r nose int’ m’ business. What’re ye doin’ here annaeway? Y’r supposed t’ be oot’ communin’ with elementals’r sommut.”

Maurrene reached into a pouch and pulled out a small forged figure. With a deft flick of her hand she lodged the end of it into the floor where it began to hum and glow. Ithrene could feel the magic radiating from it. “Ah’m done workin’ wit’ th’ elders. Wit’ Magni’ dead an’ Ironforge comin’ tae close t’ civil war they dun called back ev’ryone tha’ coul’ be spared. Ah was one o’ th’ furthest along in trainin’ so Ah got sent back. Course there weren’t nothin’ t’ go back tae in Modan. Th’ longhouse is gone. Nae a stick o’ it left! An’ th’ lan’ is under water!”

She could feel the pain behind her sister’s words and suddenly felt guilty. She should have realized Maurrene hadn’t seen how bad the damage was to the family stead yet. She would have come to the closest kin once she did see. “Aye, Maurrene. ‘tis all gone. There was nae way t’ break it t’ ye gently. Tis’ all gone. Pap an’ Mam is a’righ’. Aengus was ‘urt pretty bad tryin’ t’ get th’ stock oot. They still got ‘im at th’ Temple. Dorrene ha’ been workin’ awful long hours tryin’ t’ help wit’ cleanin’ up th’ magickin’ mess. Feargus ha’ gone t’ Hyjal t’ ‘elp wi’ sommut there. Evvie was able t’ secure Mam an’ Pap a new place t’ live near Anvilmar. She ‘ad quite a bit o’ coin squirreled away f’r emergencies. Ah’m sorry there weren’t nae easier way t’ tell ye.”

Maurrene sat heavily in a chair and rested her head in her hands. “Ah shoul’ha’ been there.”

Ithrene snorted and moved to hang a pot of water to heat on the fireplace hook. “Wha’ f’r? T’ watch th’ house ge’ swept away? Listen t’ th’ animals cryin’ oot over the roar o’ th’ water washin’ ‘em doon t’ th’ Wetlands? T’ ‘elp clean up bodies afterwards?” Ithrene shuddered and swallowed hard, shoving away memories she wasn’t yet ready to deal with. “T’were better ye weren’t aboot. Better ye were safe.”

A slight rattle of chain and Maurrene’s boots dropped to the floor next to the fireplace. “Ah suppose y’r righ’,” she said quietly. It seemed the fight had gone out of both of them so Ithrene settled into the chair across the fire from her older sister. “Ah guess th’ bes’ thin’ Ah coul’ do was wha’ Ah did.”

“Aye. Mam an’ Pap woulna’ do so well if’n we’d los’ annaeone.” Ithrene kicked off her own boots and stared into the fire. Kae came up beside her and leaned heavily against her, rumbling happily.

After several minutes Ithrene noticed Maurrene laid back in the other chair staring at Kae. “So thas’ th’ bear, eh?”

Ithrene nodded, too tired and emotionally drained to say more.

“Ah hope he don’ really stink as bad as Arlene says he does.”

Ithrene rubbed at her eyes sleepily and yawned. “Why’s tha’?” She felt the busy day creeping up on her. She should get up and fix up the guest bed for Maurrene so she had a place to stay for the night. They could work out more permanent arrangements elsewhere in the city tomorrow.

Maurrene rose and stretched, the rings on her mail jingling in the quiet room. “Because Ah’m gonna be here a while. Ah’ve already pu’ m’ thin’s in th’ other bedroom. G’nigh’ t’ ye sis.”

With that she wandered off to the bedroom, leaving Ithrene gaping in the chair.

Can we open presents now?

However what I want to discuss is the power of denial.

Now I’m not talking about denial of the sort “I didn’t do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can’t prove anything!”. What I am talking about is denying your character that thing that they so badly want. Look it as another story telling tool.

I realize you’re probably thinking “What fun is it to keep the prize away from my character? I want them to get the girl/house/booty/loot and live happily ever after!”. And if that is what you truly want then go for it! But think about telling a compelling story instead of just giving them the goodies. Denying the character the prize is powerful story telling. It keeps the audience coming back for more. Would we have watched The Fugitive for four years if Dr. Richard Kimble had caught the one-armed man and proven his innocence halfway through the first? Consider the power in that story. Consider why people came back week after week to watch it.

So now let’s apply the idea to our characters in WoW. I will use Ithrene as my example.

Ithrene is a sweet, young female dwarf. Kinda tomboyish and not quite as sure of herself as she seems to be. She exudes youth and innocence and a sweetness that is just adorable. She is an adult, but just barely and still naive in many things. She has a little bit of a stubborn streak but often gives in to the wishes of others easily. Ithrene has her farting bear that annoys the fire out of her sometimes but she loves him with all of her heart and could never dream of life without him. He isn’t just her pet, he is her companion and sometimes only friend. She probably confesses more of her heart to him than she would ever dream of telling anyone else. He isn’t just a partner, he is her shield, her strength, her furry white wall.

Ithrene has a Un’Goro sized crush on Fjuinen (who is also adorable and sweet, by the way). She tends to stammer and blush and not speak well when she is near him. It’s all terribly cute and fun! Her innocence and nervousness tells a sweet story that is fun to watch and engaging to brush the edges of because sometimes even the most battle-hardened, jaded warrior sees her and for a moment remembers the beauty and innocence of youth.

But what would happen to her story if she managed to gain the “dwarf of her dreams”? Suddenly the innocence is gone. She fully grows up. Her whole personality changes. The behaviors that were sweet and appealing suddenly seem false. No longer are we captivated by her sunny, sweet smile; her innocent blushes. Why? The innocence is gone. We watched her get what she was after. Now that she has it, she isn’t interesting any longer.

But as long as she continues to reach for it, but never quite gets it, there is something interesting to watch.

Eventually the character is likely to either get what they want or have it taken away forever. One can only stretch out the denial for so long. However if skillfully done, you can keep your audience focused on the character for a very long time. Don’t assume they just want to hear about your character achieving the goal. They want to follow the journey to it as well and who wants a fun journey to be a short one?

Ithrene:

It was easy to believe he didn’t see her. All her life she had been the invisible child. In a home bustling with a dozen of them it was easy to overlook one small, disappointing girl. Oh, but how she wanted him to see her. Just once. She always felt such a strange little flutter in her chest when she heard his voice. She wanted his smile to be for just her, just once. And just when she thought she was brave enough to tell him such things, the doubts would creep back in telling her she was unimportant. Just a disappointing girl. That was when the fear would steal into her heart and send her scuttling back into the shadows. The fear that he would see her…. And see how others had seen her all her young life.

KaeAskavi:

I love her. More than I’ve ever loved anyone or anything my entire life. I would die for her. I *have* died for her. And she for me. We have a bond that cannot be broken. I can feel it. Can she? I think so. Does she know how much she means to me? How important? I try to tell her but I’m not entirely sure she understands. Sometimes it is as if we don’t even speak the same language. Yet other times it’s like we are thinking exactly the same. I love her. Not as a mate or a mother but as the best, most important piece of my life I’ll ever have.

**BBBRRRAAAAPPPPPP!!!!**

Damn. She’s gonna growl at me again.