Heroes

Before you nerd out too much on me, let me be both frank and earnest: this post has absolutely nothing to do with the wildly popular television series of the same name. No, I just got hit by a spot of nostalgia.

In my younger and more vulnerable years…
My parents divorced when I was two, my mother quickly remarried. But my father, he was a biker fresh from the army. He rode an old beat up black chopper complete with German crash helmut. Though my father and I don’t speak much (if at all) these days, he did leave me with an indelible legacy: badasses of the silver screen. While most parents were worrying about getting their child into the right day care, my father was more intent on my real education. The first movies I recall seeing in a theater were from this time: Escape from New York, Conan the Destroyer, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Aliens, Blade Runner, etc.

So began my training in the ways of the badass…

My formative years were filled with stories of WWII from one grandfather (died when I was quite young), and Vietnam from the other (my namesake, from my father’s side of the family). I also learned as I grew to appreciate the movies of these older men, watching the Dirty Dozen and Kelly’s Heroes was a particular joy, and another level of badass.

As I grew older, I went in search of more of the same: comic books and the like. I learned more of Conan and his Hyborean adventures, a trip to California to meet distant relatives met with more entries. My uncle Herman was a lover of what he affectionately refered to as, “Kung Fu movies”. Bruce Lee was a particular favorite, but he also had some stuff on 8mm “Super 8″ that he loved, these of course were imports he managed to get while stationed overseas. It was his time in asia that led to his love of these movies, and he shared their stories with me as he translated the tales of one bloody conflict between samurai and the shadowy ninja to another. Soon I learned just how awesome “the Seven Samurai” and “Yojimbo” could be. My adolescent imagination became fevered as I grew, the Highlander, the Terminator, Mad Max it seemed there was no end to it.

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
When I was older, I carried the seed of those early years. When I graduated high school, I decided to head East and see what there was to see. It was something of a “Go West Young Man” kinda thing, with a hint of Kwai Chang Caine. I ended up in Connecticut in a house full of hippies. The years that followed had me playing EverQuest and seeing as much of new places as possible. I started East and ended West, before coming back home and meeting my wife.

When I did finally return and put down roots, the wanderer spirit was still in me. Luckily I found World of Warcraft, a fitting outlet that has been kind to me since. Having become a tank, and serious wow player I’ve done and seen many things in game. Sometimes I fail, and when I do I simply determine that I will continue until I succeed. The things I have learned in my life have taught me determination, and when in game I tend to rely on the lessons learned from badasses on bigger screens. This is why sometimes I attempt those things some consider crazy or just plain unpossible. I put it down to a personal philosophy that the only impossible things are those that we do not attempt.

For example, it was once thought that soloing heroics was impossible. It has been done. Some thought that soloing Karazhan was impossible, even at eighty. Again, done. And most recently, I tried a new feat. While clearing a hard mode Ulduar ten man run, I decided to give it a go at killing General Vezax without heals. It was tricky: but it worked. I topped the healing meters, and we offed the guy with little issue or complaint. The healers were able to heal any DPS that managed to take a hit and the offtank for the add. And by the end no one was OOM.

Talking about this and reminiscing reminds me of another badass, when I started the game I was a mage on Blackrock and for a time in the guild Mediocrity. My whole reason for wanting to be in the guild was quite simple: they had Faxmonkey. Fax’s Stupid Mage Tricks Videos were an inspiration to me when I started playing my mage. And to this day, he stands out as one of the most impressive players I’ve had the privilege of being in a guild with. As I understand Fax and Medio are still going quite strong some years later, and I’m sure they will continue to do so. But certainly I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this guy, because honestly I wouldn’t try half the nutty stuff I do, if it hadn’t been for him.

So in summation, I think there’s a part of me that wants this for myself. I want to be the inspiration for others. I want to climb the mountain, because it’s there. So, it makes me happy when I do get messages from people (particularly fellow DKs) asking for advice or offering praise. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m becoming an attention whore, but I would say I want to be a positive influence on people. Personally, I want to raise people’s expectations. Finding a random instance where people groan and say, “Not a DK tank, they suck!” and then leaving them with the thought, “maybe DKs aren’t so bad afterall” is a personal high for me. And so, I leave you with a little bit of my own recent triumphs. I tend to focus on the negatives, because as long as there are negatives: they can be improved. Positives, not so much.

Today however, I try to be positive…

I leave you with a joke from general chat that actually made me smirk. Dayfall and Raynna, I’ve never heard of either of you before. But you are now officially in the book.

Postscript
A hint of what it’s like to be in Face on Fire…

We are currently on the lookout for a couple of ranged DPS and possibly a Paladin healer, if you’re interested in jumping aboard the awesome train visit our site for more information: Face on Fire.

Applicants are subject to an interview in Vent before joining, so be sure your mic works.