Time to Loot

Don't Post in the Weekend - Part 2 -- This time with data! #Blaugust2021

If you missed it, in the first part of this post, I made the assertion that if you write something near and dear to your heart — something you really want to be seen and perhaps even trigger some discussion around — and then post it in the weekend, you’re potentially in for some heartbreak. This time around, I come armed with data! I mentioned in a reply to Magi that I might just be curious…

Don't Post in the Weekend - Not if you value your time and sanity. Or at least- don't post content you *care* about over the weekends. #Blaugust2021

Yesterday, I talked about the fact that you don’t really need to be a planner to be successful at blogging. Schedules? Totally optional. But… If I was going to make one caveat or amendment to that line of thinking it would be in regard to weekend posting. The title might’ve already given away the conclusion here a little. But yes… This is an exquisite sort of pain that I still afflict upon…

Big, Baggy, Billowy, Blogger Pants -- #Blaugust2021

I’m doing something on theme! I am! Look! It’s on topic with the theme! 😀 Or at least, I’m going to bend it a little bit and look at it at just the right angle so that it fits. This week in Blaugust is ‘Getting to know you’ week. Or from your perspective, getting to know me. Although if you also want to share and let me get to know you too, that’s also most excellent. Right. The subject. You…

XCOM 2: Blogger Succession Game -- Mission 15: Operation Furious Gasp -- This went well. Very well. Is this even still XCOM? I'm fearful for our next turns... Over to you @MagiWasTaken! Good luck! #XCOM2 #Blaugust2021

This round felt surprisingly… un-XCOM-like. It went altogether too well and I kept waiting for something to happen to shake things up and keep me on my toes, if not knock me right off ’em. It didn’t happen though. Not in this mission at least. So I can only apologise to those who come after me. Because XCOM is saving up for something extra XCOMy. It’s the only explanation. When I took over the…

Humble Choice: August 2021

Hmm. This month might be one to pause. But I suppose it depends where your interests lie. There is no ‘headline’ title this time around. No big-name, AAA, everyone-wanted-it-last-year title to make this a no brainer for a large set of Humble’s audience. On the other hand — there are some indie titles of interest in here, even to me. Up here, at this end of the post — I really haven’t decided…

I'm Starting to Believe... That maybe, just *maybe*, #FFXIV's community really *is* as good as people make it out to be.

…That maybe, just maybe, the Final Fantasy XIV community is really as good as it is made out to be. I’ve heard this is the case from many people. People I very much respect and trust, too. Still- I didn’t quite believe it. I imagined all the ways in which this could be a sincerely held belief, but still not be… true. Confirmation bias and the resulting (even if unintentional) selective memory…

> GET PLAYSTATION 5 Playstation 5 got! (Eventually) #Blaugust2021

There are no “Playstation 5” at this location. > LOOK You see shelves containing all manner of gaming and geek culture paraphernalia. Magic the Gathering, Pokemon and other card games line the back wall. The main wall is separated by a great divide of colour. Black and green on one side with blue and white on the other. The blue and white shelves stand out as being all but barren.A staff member…

Coming Games of Interest - 2021 Edition -- An attempt to be a little more intentional when it comes to picking up and putting down games. I think some might even call this a 'plan'. Scary. #Blaugust2021

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these! I did one right back at the start of the blog, in 2019 and then another for 2020. In both cases, they played the role of looking forward to what was coming that might end up consuming future playtime. It’s somewhat amusing looking back at the accuracy – or lack thereof – of the posts. In the 2020 post I actually did exceedingly well, I played…

Rolling Credits on Heavensward -- Thought this might take another day or two with my self-imposed gear-break, but nope! Done it! #FFXIV #Blaugust2021

Naati Nahilin on the Lodestone — I don’t think the Shire gear is as neat as the Ironworks gear, but it’s better than the mishmash I had from levelling. I really thought there would be at least another day or two before I got to write this post — particularly since I said just yesterday I was keen to get the rest of my Allagan Poetics level 60 set (Augmented Shire Gear) finished before carrying…

Journeying Heavensward -- A spoiler free update on my journey Heavensward, and a slight detour to gear up before (I think) the end of the HW 3.0 content. #FFXIV

Before I get started, let me say up front: I’m not going to spoil anything. It was a bit of a question I had coming into this post though. I’d love to talk specifics, and Heavensward came out six years ago. In normal circumstances, I would absolutely consider that to be into the spoilers-are-OK territory. But with how many others are coming through, like myself, new to it all right now… and how…

Bouncing and Blogrolls -- Bit of a twofer here: 1) Bouncing off other people's posts is an excellent form of idea generation, and 2) Putting that to immediate use from @ModeratePeril's Blogroll post! :) #Blaugust2021

So here’s a bit of a twofer today. The first will be of great help if you’re already worried about how on earth you might find the subject matter for posts on an ongoing basis. Don’t get me wrong- it isn’t a silver bullet. Bloggers much more experienced than I are often heard to talk about how difficult it is to not repeat themselves over time. That’s a whole other issue though! (And the short…

Welcome to Blaugust 2021! -- Yep! #Blaugust2021 is here! For those new to the fold, or perhaps considering a return -- this one's for you. :)

Hi! Hello! Yes, yes- do make yourself comfortable. If this is your first Blaugust or even your first Blog you might be feeling a little lost. Not to worry. Many of us have been where you are now and so have advice to share. Here’s mine: Just have fun. There you go. *dusts off hands and makes to get up* Oh, need more? Well… OK then! “Just Have Fun?” Blogging is one of those hobbies that will…

Dark Souls Remastered – Part 15: Sen’s Fortress

Hoo boy. At the end of Part 14, I’d trundled my way down past Chaos Witch Quelaag, rung the second bell of awakening and kept going down to an area titled the Demon Ruins. There… I met my match. The Ceaseless Discharge. (Still a disgusting name.) Also… *cough* …I might’ve had a quick look ahead at what to expect from the area when I was told this area wasn’t as optional as I might’ve thought. I…

Time to Loot Journal: July 2021

This month I restarted my Final Fantasy XIV journey in earnest and discovered just how remarkably close I was to the turning point in the story. If I had just pushed even a little bit harder when I was last playing, I would’ve been through the patch collectively known as The Horrible Hundred. I found ARR’s story itself to be not bad. Not amazing, but not bad. It was really the sharp increase in…

Extracting Value fr- SQUIRREL!

You know what makes it really difficult to really extract value from games? To really get into the meat and potatoes of an offering? I’ll tell you; it’s– SQUIRREL! … By which I mean to say, for those unfamiliar with UP! (for shame!) I am very easily distracted when it comes to my gaming interests. To such an extent, I don’t really understand how some people can play and finish one game. Then the…

Comment to Post: Representation and Implicit Bias -- sometimes comments need a post of their own. I thought this one on representation, quotas, and implicit bias was one of those.

A common issue for bloggers — I assume at least, it certainly is for me and I know Bhagpuss has it too — is when comments blur the line between being a comment and perhaps being better off as a post of their own. Sometimes its hard to tell which will be which until after you done. In a bit of a ‘Why not both?’ moment — particularly with Blaugust on the way and the need (I’m putting on myself)…

What Will It Take? -- What will it take for me, to put Blizzard in the rear view -- not just now, while it's convenient and current, but for the long term?

That’s the question that’s been on my mind the past few days. Specifically, as it relates to Blizzard, and the lawsuit the State of California has levelled against them upon concluding a two-year investigation into allegations of sexual harassment. The detail of it is frankly horrific. The behaviours spanning decades. Belghast’s discussion on the subject gets to the heart of it in the title,…