Former PoE supporters: what have you been spending on?

wish to fix health
and mby buy new pc...

What needs fixing?

I stopped supporting via packs long ago in bestiary. I'll occasionally buy a skill effect but haven't for several leagues.

I haven't really been spending on games. I bought D2R, on console no less, and have been enjoying it very much now that the server issues have been sorted. Before that I fell for the Cp 2077 fiasco but ended up liking it ok enough to say I got my moneys worth. Pre-ordered Elden Ring some months ago as I'm a huge souls fan.

Aside from that no money has really gone to gaming. Bought a new laptop and went up to wine country for a long weekend instead. In a way I should be grateful to GGG for the extra sheckles in my pockets.

"

A digital omnibus of Wheel of Time, since my first Aus ed book 1 is MIA and I only have 2 through 7 and then somehow 11 (?);

Aw man this gave me the warm and fuzzies. I still have my signed hardcover copy of Winter's Heart when I met Mr. Jordan at a book signing in Los Angeles back in the day. May he RIP. :(

Peace,

Death

Just want to say that in many cultures, asking people how they spend their money is considered a bit rude.

You may have wanted to, but that doesn't mean you had to, or that you should have. You're a lot older than me; it is unseemly to play Notice Me Senpai with your juniors. I clearly asked just to get some chatter going among the locals. I think you know that.

Also, being 'a bit rude' is considered a sign of trust and intimacy in many cultures. I try not to be an aloof or untouchable Former Ruler. ^_^

Do let me know if I veer into 'more than a bit rude' territory.

And don't worry; I wasn't asking you. Partly because I don't know if you're a former supporter, but mostly because I just don't care. But if you want to join in, go for it. :)

Sorry, was that a bit more than a bit?

---

I had a feeling Jordan would have been a good egg. I related a while back how awful it was to meet Raymond E Feist. Dude was just such a grump and clearly didn't want to be there. I have wondered this a lot lately, upon learning the Eddings were monsters and Goodkind something of a loon: how many of those earlyish post Tolkien fantasy authors were really passionate about their work, and how many were just trying to cash in on a burgeoning market? When you reread their stuff you can KIND of get a feel for it -- but back then it was pretty rare to get an epic fantasy author who HAD to do anything different. There was a formula and most of them stuck to it.

A later fantasy author I met a few times, Garth Nix, is so clearly in love with his work and his fans' interest that I found his talks enthralling and encouraging despite having only read one of his books. Pratchett, of course, WAS Discworld. Gaiman is more of a fantabulist than a fantasy author but he too is effervescent with writerly energy. Fun fact: he wisely relocated to NZ before Covid hit its stride.

Anyway kind of sad I never met RJ but otoh I waa never fan enough worthy of his time I think.

---

The Corvette is a huge empty shell of potential. And I am not in the mood to drill asteroids for hours to start fulfilling that potential. But I will anyway.

---

Finally watched The Green Knight on Prime a few nights ago. Wow. Gorgeous fucking movie. The framework and arc was actually more the wife's jam (she loves dark fairy tales and eerie shit, in case Actons Nightmare didnt make that real fucking clear) but I really immersed myself in the symbolism and thematic looping. I think it was an even better looking movie than Dune2021. But not by much.

---

I wore my first ever Naruto tshirt the other day, me being very much a latecomer to the show. A kid saw it, grinned and took off from his mother doing The Run. She was unimpressed but it made my fucking day.

I was on my way to the first root canal therapy session so I really needed exactly that burst of joy.

FTR didnt hurt much at all, possibly because I had no actual decay or abscesses. Afterwards sucked though.

---

I played the shit out of the d2r betas but for some reason now it's out and fixed (so many patches on ps!) I just find myself playing other things.

Finally got For Honor into my four dude gaming session queue once we are done with Division. I love unlocking the gear in that game. It's all just so damn well made. The etching on the armour, the lighting, the finer details on the weapons...unf.

I spend $4000 a week on gas/diesel. I own a right of way clearing company. [Removed by Support] Forever deplorable.

So I recently learned, only a little bit late, that Jordan's editor was his wife. Oh, this explains so much. Third book is a poorly edited mass of overwriting and repetition, and I remember now it just gets worse. Ugh. Might just forego the reread and go read new stuff.

---

Found an interesting Slay The Spire evolution on mobile called Indies' Lies. Ever since the real thing hit mobile the clones have all sort of faded away but Indies Lies, for all its odd translation, freemium model (buy anything or suffer ads) and clear copying of StS, has some clever changes. The differentiation between classes is much more distinct than just deck and ability, and you can make a full party of three characters such that placement actually matters. In this way it's sort of a mix of StS and Darkest Dungeon.

It's quite polished for what it is and might provide a meatier deck building dungeon running experience than previous attempts at STS' throne.

---

Bought that replacement oven a few days ago. Due to be delivered today, installed friday. I may or may not have paid a little extra for premium dials that go both ways rather than merely clockwise. I did, however, ignore all the fancier models because I am now very much a fan of physical components. A dial is much easier to fix than a touch screen. Slowly but surely all of my appliances and whitegoods are being switched from fancy to functional.

Damn I'm getting old. Next thing you know I'll trade the VW Golf R for a Hybrid.

Fun fact: I dreamt about that not long ago and very briefly felt disappointment upon waking.

One of my buddies is/was a huge fan of WoT (not World of Tanks!) and was less than happy about the first few eps of the Amazon series. Magic effects having cheesy sounds and flat acting aside though it sounds like a blast.

The bad cg is easily excused as a victim of Covid -- the last two eps of season 1 were shot and finished much deeper into the pandemic and will apparently have much better sfx. The acting is a mixed bag but other than the forcibly wooden Rand, Ive seen nothing too jarring. Rosamund Pike's distant Moiraine is well and truly humanised now, and the show very wisely foregrounded her over the books' much more immature PoVs. I dunno, Im invested and love that the wife is too. No way in hell she would read those books now. She is voracious but has little time for outdated fantasy novels that wouldnt be published today with serious edits. The show has the budget and the staff to highlight the good of WoT and minimise the bad.

I spent a little time in the WoT sub but many of them are struggling to be realistic. As far as adaptations go, they are getting about as good as one could expect. Solid budget, a showrunner who rereads the whole series regularly, great real world locations...and most importantly, it isnt trying to be that other show. Which is good because the success GoT enjoyed was a one and done for any given genre: Oz, Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Breaking Bad, and most recently Succession: all wildly different genres.

I think WoT will really soar after the Dragon is in play. That is why they are sort of speedrunning to it, with requisite world building on the way drawing on the series entire rather than the frankly dull road trips of the first book.
---

I made my first foray into that most misunderstood of Squeenix IPs, SaGa. I was tooling about for more mobile sleepers and SaGa Scarlet Grace kept popping up. Bummed about the lack of JP voice but I enjoyed the party battle gameplay so much I double dipped it on my playstation since its currently on sale. Early days yet but so far its a slick, fairly difficult non linear affair. Im pretty hooked!

---

Almost finished fine tuning the Corvette in Elite. Hecka expensive to repair but damn what a bully in the pirate hunting field. :)

---

Grabbed that Amalur expansion. Realised it is a true addition to the story. I only have low level chars. Whoops. Time to work on that Finesse Faeblade-spinning Illidan wannabe...

---

Mortal Shell was a freebie of sorts on ps plus this month. I dont love soulsalikes but I liked the gimmick enough to fork out for a ps5 upgrade. The Rotting Christ boss fight add on kind of took me by surprise too!

---

Lastly, I really fucked up Christmas. I planned to go Xmas shopping for the wife after all the Covid restrictions lifted for the unvaxxed here (because I left it too late) not thinking there might be another outbreak right as we drop stuff like compulsory check in and masks. This means contact tracing is in the toilet and yeah, no thanks. Not like we don't spoil each other throughout the year, but I still feel a bit like a grinch.

=