Just Too Warm
stargrace 
Not a lot of gaming going on here because we’re in the middle of a heatwave, and it’s just way too warm. Who would have thought that the further North I went, the more likely I’d need an AC unit, lol.
Stay safe out there.
2021
What is it about FFXIV vs. WoW
If you’re involved in either the FFXIV or the WoW community these days, chances are you’ve heard a lot of ‘this game vs. this game’ videos on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and other various forms of social media. It’s hard to avoid it, and I understand why people are tearing Blizzard apart these days. Today 9.1 drops, after months (and months) of waiting – and while I’m glad it will add things like flying in Shadowlands, it also doesn’t offer a lot for players like me. I’m getting a bit tired of the constant gear grind, there’s no player housing to satisfy any non-killing adventures I might have, and features like The Maw and Torghast always leave me frustrated by the end of it. Not to mention The Maw is VERY gated, after a small handful of quests I tend to already be Rank5 with the jailer which means it won’t be long until I’m dead. Not a fun way to play.
I feel like Blizzard has spent the past few years re-hashing and then trashing their own game mechanics. It doesn’t feel inventive, revitalized, or new. I feel like they’ve been missing the mark of the players for some time, and sure things like Classic will bring people back – but for how long?
I’m still playing WoW, albeit quite casually. I don’t feel like there’s a lot of progression for me as a casual player any more, and I’ve done pretty much everything I wanted to do in Shadowlands (note, this is pre 9.1). By instinct I turned to FFXIV because so much of that game is still new to me. I adore the crafting – and it feels relevant. When was the last time I actually felt like WoW crafting meant something in game. If anything legendary crafting just made a whole lot of spam on the markets and not enough of a demand to purchase all of the pieces you need to grind out. Not to mention we can only wear one legendary, and there’s a BiS for pretty much every class that people are going to naturally gravitate towards. Pet battles are lovely, but when that’s the only reason you’re playing, you start to question some things.
Then again WoW has also just been around for many years. It’s natural that once you’ve learned all you can about it you might get a little bored. I could see that being the case in my situation as well. For now, I continue to play – but I’m also using gold to fund my account and not really putting any money into it. Were that not the case, I’m not convinced I’d still be playing.
One Down, One to go
I finally finished one of the sleeves on my sweater, and now I need to knit the second one. Then I’ll take care of the ends, block it, and it will be ready for snuggling up in and reading. I’m looking forward to finally completing this project so I can move on to something new.
MSQ For Days
My bard has reached 76, and I’ve been working on my MSQ – one day I hope I’ll be caught up. I know I still have a lot of MSQ to go, but that’s one of the things I love about FFXIV, there’s just so much still to do.
Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!
ProCreate
I recently purchased an iPad (not an iPad Pro, which is what I wanted, but they’re just too costly) along with an apple pencil. Full disclosure, this is the first time I’ve owned a tablet with a pencil – minus the drawing tablet I have on my PC. I was absolutely blown away by the responsiveness of the apple pencil, and I have zero regrets about my purchase. Yes, it buys into the apple world, I know, a corporate monster who holds a huge monopoly. Not good stuff. However. The quality and ease of use has been something that I truly value. I picked up the app ‘ProCreate’ which is iOS only and I began learning tutorials for it. Clip Studio Art also has an app – but instead of having a one time cost, you have to subscribe to it. Honestly, it’s what I wanted to go with from the start since I already own it on my PC, but after looking into each program I knew I’d be going with ProCreate.
It has been about a month now, and I completed my 36th piece of art for 2021. That’s 36 more pieces than I did last year – since I did zero art last year. Practicing weekly has become a ritual for me, and expanding my knowledge of the programs I’m using has been a main component to that. I’m having fun, learning, and liking the end results, too.
I can’t wait to see where my progress is at a year from now.