And we have the second part of the story! Part One can be found here.
Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement! I will admit, I was a little nervous about posting this but you guys have been totally awesome! Enjoy the ending to the story!
Continue reading
Today we’re breaking from the norm yet again; I’ve got another short story for you all! Because of the longer length of the piece (it’s nearly 6,000 words!) I’ve broken it up into two parts and placed this first part behind a cut. Part Two will be coming soon so stay tuned! And now, I present to you….
Wow, I never thought Yotaan of all people would get a post about RP and headcannons out before me. He’s just not really the story-telling type, that was my job! No, it’s still my job! And now I’m going to do it! Pants style!
Most of my character start off with a set of personality traits and characteristics. Sometimes they just at that level, no back story or name. Name you ask? Well, the majority of my characters have a name that ends in or relates to Pants. I’ve got Fussypants, Fancypants, Yogapants, Stancepants, and Bearbottoms to name a few. Doesn’t really make for great RP names, does it? So, part of creating headcannons also includes picking an appropriate name that matches with the character. Actually, this is typically the last part, once I’ve cemented down the story. Personality traits, then backstory, then name. Well this was a lot of exposition, now lets get to those headcannons!
First off, we have my main and most beloved character, Fussypants. She’s a draenei holy and protection paladin with a strong sense of morals and compassion. Very much the archetypal paladin, my draenei is the first person to stand up to something unjust and will put her life on the line for a righteous cause. She’s a fierce defender of her companions but she also internalizes issues to protect those around her.
Backstory-wise, she did live on Argus but was still rather young during the exodus. She came of age around the time the draenei landed on Draenor and joined the guard in her home town. She was still a paladin at this point, but she relied much more heavily on her martial abilities and her trusty shield. However, when the orcs attacked, she was badly injured and spent the rest of that war recovering in hiding. After this experience, she became more in touch with the Light and took up the mantle of healing, though she still carries her trusty shield. When the draenei eventually escaped to Azeroth, she quickly joined up with the Stormwind army. She has, for the most part, remained in the army all the way up to the events of Warlords of Draenor.
I struggled the most with a name for her, as she is the character I am most attached to, but eventually I settled on the name Kya. No last name yet, that will come later, but for the most part, I’ve settled upon her story.
Moving on to my next character! My gnome mage, despite being my oldest character, does not actually have a complete backstory. Personality-wise, I know she is ingenious and resourceful. An unwavering sense of optimism as well as a stubborn streak a mile wide means there is very little in the world that she cannot do. She is talkative and sometimes overly cheery but she is also highly dedicated to her duties and friends. I have a working name for her of Mikri but I’m sure this will probably change once I settle on a complete backstory.
Next up we have one of my newer toons, my human priest Fancypants. Fancy is vain (what a surprise there!), self-centered, and incredibly presumptuous. The rest of the world is beneath her, despite her not being particularly skilled at anything. Now you must be thinking, this is a terrible character, why would you ever play someone like this? Well Fancypants is unusual in that her backstory actually came first, before her characteristics or name.
You see, Fancypants came from wealth, with a capital ‘W’. The daughter of a very influential Stormwind noble, she got everything she ever wanted without having to do a thing. She entered the Stormwind clergy but left shortly after, finding their life of prayers and public deeds boring. Unfortunately for her, her family’s prestige and wealth was not to last. A very public and very dirty contract ended up with her father’s title being forcibly removed and even worse, the family was now prime targets for Stormwind’s underworld. Fancy and her siblings were all sent away for their own protection, a fact she resented immensely. After leaving her prearranged ‘vacation’ home, she now wanders from town to town sneering at the ‘low born commoners’ and burning through the remaining bit of her inheritance.
Fancypants does not yet have a name, but you better bet your bottom dollar, it’s going to be prissy and very very rich sounding.
Hey look, I’ve actually got some artwork I made for Elfster!
Last on the docket is a very old character of mine, my blood elf shadow priest by the name of Elfster. Look, she doesn’t have a Pants name! …Although the name she has isn’t great for RP purposes either. Elfster… isn’t all there. She’s got a few screws loose although she does her very best to hide it. It probably has something to do with the whispers she hears constantly, but Elfster would never tell you about that either. She’s accutely paranoid, extremely single minded, and highly observant.
I haven’t completely filled out all of Elfster’s backstory but I do know she is an agent working for Wrathion. During the events of Mists of Pandaria, she was a thick as thieves with the last black dragon and personally carried out a number of missions for him. At this point, her whereabouts are unknown but it is believed that she is somewhere in alternate Draenor. And of course, since her backstory isn’t finished, neither is her name.
Well there you have it! Some of the backstories and headcannons I’ve put together. None are completely finished and all could be changed dramatically but the characters themselves will probably remain the same. I’ve actually written a few short stories about these characters which I maaaaaaaaaaaay or may not post here. Only time will tell!
I had one of those moments the other day where an almost loss taught me how valuable something was to me. The ‘thing’ in question, was the name of one of my oldest toons.
I had transferred my gnome mage to a new realm a couple of months ago. She had been flagged for a name change, despite the fact that no character on the new realm had the name that she did. I submitted a ticket about it then, and was told I needed to wait 30 days. The GM I spoke with believed that someone might have recently deleted a toon with the same name, which would keep the name reserved for 30 days.
So I bided my time. I waited with the character flagged for two months, unable to play her at all. Finally, the 30 days had past. As soon as I was free to, I submitted another ticket about the name.
But apparently, Blizzard had changed their policies in the meanwhile. I was invited to chat with a GM and was told that they can no longer unlock names. In the name of fairness, Blizzard now releases names in waves every expansion, and will no longer free up name upon request. I would not be able to keep the name of my first toon.
In that moment, I realized how important the name had become to me. You might think it’s a silly thing; to become to attached to a couple of pixels worth of character name. But I was. It was important to me. The name might not have seemed like much, but it carried with it my history. That gnome mage had to be called by that name, or else it would be someone elses’ toon.
Not willing to give up so easily, I asked (probably more like pestered) the GM for a little while more. The name itself had some peculiarities to it (it was being reserved for no apparent reason and should have been freed up since the beginning) but there was nothing the GM could do. I finally asked if there was some sort of temporary name I could put on the toon so that I could access her stuff, but still wait till the next expansion to snap up the name when it became available.
At this point, the GM told me to wait a moment. I was in a pug at the time of the chat so I sat with baited breath, waiting on his response (It was probably the worst healing I’ve done all expansion).
About five minutes later, the GM was back. S/he had made an exception for my case and had released the name. I was ecstatic and logged off as quickly as the boss fight ended.
The GM was true to their word. As I entered in the new named for my flagged mage, it was accepted and I was logged into the game world. My gnome mage kept her identity. I showered praise and thanks to the GM and we both went on our merry way.
First things first, I want to express my extreme gratitude to that GM (I’ve withheld the name so I don’t get them in trouble). They went out on a limb to help me, a person they don’t even know. I meant it when I said they were my favorite GM ever. Their act of kindness made my week. Whoever you are, wherever you are GM, you have my enormous thanks.
YAY!!
Secondly, EEEEEEK! I GOT THE NAME! After spending 2 months and $25 on that toon, I’m glad she’s finally back to her usual self. I hadn’t realized how important this was to me, but now that it’s finally finished I feel complete. While my gnome mage may no longer be my main, she is still one of my original characters, and the toon I invariably go back to. And the fact that she gets to keep that name, I feel like I get to keep all the history and personality associated with it.
I think that’s what’s to a name. It’s more than just the consonants, vowels, and capitalization. It’s more than just the syllables and the sounds to it. It’s the history and the personality that has become associated with it. Its the memories of things past that you have achieved on the toon. It’s the Heralds of the Titans on my monk Yogapants. It’s the Ahead of the Curve Garrosh kill on my priest Elfster. It’s the countless raids and dungeons on my paladin Fussypants. The names carry with them what the toons have done. They define them. They expand them.
My paladin is Fussypants because of all that she has done and achieved. Sure, entering the name in the character creation screen assigned the name. But the character owns the name by their actions. The toon, the name, and the history become one.
So what’s to a name? A character, and all their achievements are what is to a name.
Note: Fussypants is again going out of town next week, so there will be no blog post. Apologies in advance!
First iteration gnome
This article has been a long time coming. I wanted to wait until more time has past before I gave final judgement, and I think it has been long enough. So here it is. The official. The real deal. The time-tested. Fussypants’ opinion on the new character models.
*dramatic pause*
As an upgraded model of my characters, the new skins have failed. There’s just no way around it. This could be due to the fact that I play a female gnome and draenei, the two races that have been struggling the most to please the players. I’ve found that my characters, especially my gnome, no longer look like my characters. They look foreign and as a result, they feel like someone else’s characters. And none of the other upgraded faces are any better. I’ve lost that connection.
The Evolution of my mage, and my attempts to fix her
The Not So Little Problem
I think the biggest problem with the gnome faces is the perpetual scowls. While I’m not advocating for huge beaming smiles on every gnome face, I wish every gnome face wasn’t stuck in perma-pissed. My gnome looks about twenty years older and about five times more angry. Perhaps on it’s own, the face wouldn’t look too out of place. But when you compare to the old model, the face is nothing alike.
While this might seem silly considering I spend most of my time looking at the back of my character, I feel strange whenever I play her. The crazy hair mixed with the irate face do not match with the cheery gnome I used to have. And no manner of fixes has been able to recreate my old mage. It’s simply no longer my character.
How would I fix this? Honestly, I think the gnomes need a whole face revamp. More neutral faces and less wrinkles for one for starters. I would stay away from the bags and heavy eyeliner that is currently plaguing us as well. The eyebrows also need some work to be less harshly arced and more matching the hair color. And perhaps, a few smiling faces thrown in the mix. Gnomes are supposed to be cheery tinkers not crazy haggard axe murders, and our faces should reflect this!
.
‘Eye’ See The Problem
My draenei, especially with patch 6.1, is in a much better state than my gnome. Even still, she still is looking a lot more dark and menacing than I’d like. As a paladin, I made my draenei specifically with a kind but brave face to embody the defender and mender in her. But currently, she’s looking a bit more like a death knight than a noble warrior of the light. And just like my gnome, I’ve grown emotionally unconnected from her.
The fix for the draenei face is a lot easier however. The biggest problem seems to be with the eyes, so removing some of that heavy eyeliner and adding back the glow effect should fix the majority of the issues. Also, for my specific dark skin and light hair combination, I would like it if the hair was a bit more white than it is now. Considering that Blizzard has been improving the draenei every patch, I am confident that Fussypants will soon be restored to her former glory.
If that’s not adorable, I don’t know what is
It’s Not All Bad
At this point, you must be thinking that I really hate the new models. But actually, I am quite a fan of them, but its rather complicated. I think the models are very well done and in the proper Warcraft style, however I believe they are horrible recreations of the old. The updated models are something entirely new and different. So, while my old characters ‘updated’ look terrible, all the toons I’ve created post 6.0 have been spectacular. When there is no sudden shift from the old to the new, I find myself enjoying the models way more.
For instance, take my new gnome Yogapants. I created her after the model updates and thus the only version of ‘her’ in my head is the new one. As such, I think she’s the most adorable gnome to ever exist in WoW. A sharp contrast to my other gnome. But if I were to go back and compare her to the old model, I begin to see the differences. If I had become used to that old model before switching to the new one, I’m pretty sure I would have felt the same sort of disconnect.
Looking so chipper!
The new models are exquisitely done, but they just aren’t the same as the old ones. In fact, comparing the two is almost unfair because of how different they are. For some of the faces, I doubt Blizzard could have recreated the old purely because the old model was made of inferior technology. Some of the ‘feeling’ of the old models are achieved by the low poly count, and thus are virtually unobtainable by the new.
Of course this leaves me a little disappointed, but I think in the long run it will be better for the game to have the upgraded models. While I was emotionally connected to the old models, they looked pretty shabby in comparison to other games out there. The upgraded models will mean that WoW’s graphics will stand the test of time longer. And this is ultimately better for the game.
Do I miss the old models? Absolutely. But I have made my peace with the new ones. And Blizzard has proven with the 6.1 changes and the planned 6.2 changes that they will continually tweak these new ones. The glaring issues will get better, and time will make it easier to adjust. And from now on, all my new characters will look totally awesome!
(Addendum: Don’t forget to enter in the contest! Just a few days more!)
With the exception of blood elf (and frankly, I care the least about her appearance), the new character models have been released for all of my main characters. Now that I have them all available for comparison, I’ve decided to evaluate each and every model based on what I think my character should look like.
Draenei
The Good
⦁ Whole body is smoother and more realistic
⦁ Hands look like real hands!
⦁ Face stays true to spirit of the original face, but makes it look better
⦁ Horns are way better defined
The Bad
⦁ The eyes are now blue instead of white as before
⦁ The more realistic hair does not stay true to the original styling
⦁ Hooves are lighter shade than before
The Ugly
⦁ Do not like the new lip pucker thing. There is a reason why I find the ‘duck face’ so annoying, and the draenei models shown seem to be stuck in perpetual duck face
The Verdict
Even with the drawbacks, I really like the new draenei models. They look smoother, more elegant, and more alien. My only pet peeve is the ‘more realistic’ hairstyles don’t match at all with the old ones, and the duck face phenomenon. However, the face shown in the Art Craft article was not the one I use, so I am hoping that my draenei’s face will have less pronounced lips. I am slightly worried about how the back bend will turn out (I’m all for it, as a goat-legged creature biologically would stand differently and have a different center of balance) and also how the different skin tones and hair colors will look. I hope they keep the darkest skin tone (the one I use) as dark as it is, and the lightest hair color (also the one I use) as light as it is. However, a final verdict cannot be reached until my own character gets the new model.
Night Elf
The Good
⦁ Gives off a strong Sentinel vibe that the old model was lacking
⦁ That stupid second eyebrow underneath the long one is GONE! HURRAH!
⦁ Face looks amazing and realistic
⦁ You see that hairstyle on the top middle? That is SPECTACULAR
⦁ Hands look way more real
The Bad
⦁ Some anatomical issues with the placement of the belly button
⦁ Teeth are a little over defined
⦁ Not a huge fan of the uber dark lipstick
⦁ Thighs are utterly massive
The Ugly
⦁ While I do like the fangs, the ones proposed are entirely too large. When I first saw that image, all I could think of was VAMPIRE, and that’s not what Night Elves are.
The Verdict
The Night Elf model is my favorite of the races shown thus far. I think they really captured the essence of the kaldorei. However, the fangs really turned me off. I think the fangs should be shorter, and the teeth in general less defined. This being said, I really love these models and am excited for what the hair will turn out like. Like the draenei model, I cannot make a final judgement until I see my own character re-imagined.
Gnome
The Good
⦁ Look like gnomes, and not squashed down humans
⦁ Expressions on face are very gnome-like and expressive
⦁ Hair is much improved (excepting the hair style my gnome wears 
)
The Bad
⦁ Now are a little too cute looking
⦁ Not a fan of the rubber lips
⦁ Pupils on eyes should be black instead of the current dark brown
The Ugly
Oh my god, what is this?? Kill it with fire and quickly!!!
So, using the WoW Head profiler, I was able to see the new model of my gnome mage. Unless this is just a stand in model (which I hope it is), this is the worse thing I have ever seen. First of all, I specifically picked this face because it had turquoise eyes. Not green, turquoise. Secondly, I see the face I have as a neutral serious face, not as an old, happy, crazy lady. This is the scariest and least successful new model. Which is a real shame, because I was the most excited about how the gnomes were coming out. Well, unless things change, I am either paying to recustomize, or to race change.
Overall, my favorite models were definitely the night elf and draenei ones. I really love how realistic (but still Warcraft-styled) and elegant those two look. On the other hand, I am far less excited about the gnome model. The new gnomes are just a touch too cute, and a little creepy. However, the game is still in alpha, so here’s to positivity, eh?
Growing up in Azeroth 