When I first started playing the World of Warcraft, it was a needed bonding activity for me and my dad. I was just nine years old if I recall, but deeply troubled and very depressed. The expansive fantasy world of Azeroth was a great get away that sparked my imagination. I remember first walking through the dark portal, I remember catching the boat to Northrend and seeing the spectacular glaciers. I remember that friends I made, the friends I lost. Through Wow, I grew up. I found myself. And the best yet, I made friends that will last for a lifetime. I never thought Iād want to leave.
I played through each expansion since wrath, poorly understanding the game but still loving the world. In Cataclysm, I first started roleplaying with my original Night Elf Hunter, Alfruend. I joined my first roleplaying guild in Legion! I met my first group of queer people, all much older than I and much too mature to deal with my angsty self, yet through them I started the harsh journey of coming onto my own. God, I used to love this game..
But as many older players rightfully pointed out, the game was changing. After having played TBC, I can say with confidence the game I loved changed drastically with Cataclysm. In Shadowlands I donāt even like the gameplay anymore. I was playing for only the story, one which I spitefully hated and succeeded in one upping in many ways with my own personal writing. In TBCC, I fell in love again. The game worked because it was inconvenient and harsh. This forced people to socialize and mingle. Iām not one to say groupfinder killed the game, rather it was a death by a thousand cuts over years of rollbacks. In Hindsight, Legion was the last of the good years.
I probably wouldnāt have quit wow though even though I donāt care for the gameplay, or the story. Even though for my love,Ā I was running on borrowed time in TBCC.
I have no words for the abhorrent treatment of female employees at Blizzard. The worst part is, I am not shocked. I am not surprised.
From the start, the entire legacy of the company is tainted. I believe in death of the author, but when the authors of each beloved fantasy world are all frat boys who never learned proper socialization, it shows. I cannot rightfully justify giving money anymore,at least for the time. Of course there are good Blizzard employees, but the entire culture is toxic, and in the words of Arthas, must be purged.Ā
Iām done sinking my energy and creativity into a world that does not care for it.
That is to say most of the OCs Iāve built up over the years will migrate somewhere new.Ā
Originally I started this blog dedicated to my longest running OC, Zelda Dayblade. Sheās a quirky little halfelf that as best described by @thegrimwulf is realistic in that she acts as a half human half elf may. I love her dearly but I have not been playing her much at all in the last year.Ā
At the same time, I reached a new caliber of character when I made my Worgen, and then my Paladin. Both feeling more like fleshed out people than anything I had written before. There were complicated feelings, and dreams, and personalities that shifted depending on who they conversed with. Zelda needs a lot of work, but the base, a kind scared girl who is just trying to find herself is solid.
Zelda, when I made her was an exploration of aging. She was 16, so was I. Now she is 21, and so much different.
It feels weird to say goodbye to a game that Iāve played for more than half my life. My subscription runs out in February. I still have some time for the words. Over the coming weeks Iāll be posting screenshots as well as a writeup on each.
On a final note, though I barely have any followers, I did feel the need to explain some of my reasoning perhaps for my own benefit. Iāll be transitioning this blog into a personal blog with writings and musing and photography as I see fit.Ā
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