Solace in Solus

[Dad]

Hello, and thank you for coming.  I know what you're thinking.  I do.  "Where's the flair?  No cool do-hikies or a creative banner?"  As awesome as that would be, I decided against pestering the GFX community for something to do with my blog.  With that out of the way, I go by Dad, but you may call me D.  This blog will not be limited to a topic, and will often be rants, dreams, or just general upkeep.  With that in mind, I'm a very open minded person who loves to talk to others.  I hope you'll join me no this journey for a long run.  A friendly warning:  I don't like to censor myself.  Read at your own discretion.

 

The reason I started this blog was very sudden.  Have you heard the phrase, "it came to me in a dream?"  That's just it.  My reason for starting this blog was in a dream.  So, let's get right to it, with a little history lesson.

 

[spoiler=Destination Procrastination]

 

I'll admit it, I'm lazy.  Except when comes to things I really want.  For the past two years, I've been trying to return to school.  I've seen my friends and family pass me by, moving on to college, businesses, and careers.  Meanwhile, I've been working odd jobs and part-times until I could save up the money to return to my education.  However, I'm a very reckless spender, and saving funds had proved to be difficult.  While I knew that it would be a challenge, I had no idea I had turned the damn difficulty up to 11/10.  Mom has struggled with bills, all while helping to pay for my sister's schooling as she prepares for her graduation from High School.  There I sat, wondering what I really wanted to do, and how I would go about pursuing it.  Initially, I thought I would become a drafter.  I had taken a class for it in high school, and really enjoyed it.  I stuck my chest out and said, "okay.  This is it."

 

Apparently, I lied.

 

So, I took to writing.  I said, as a gamer and a guy who loves to write fiction, I could become a story boarder!  But, that's not exactly what God had in mind for me.  To this day, I'm bewildered at the path the Man upstairs has for me, but I intend on following it.  Take a look below.[/spoiler]

 

[spoiler=The Dream, 12/24/2014]

 

I found myself in a familiar neighborhood.  It was a neighborhood I grew up in, and went to when I would visit my grandmother.  Strangely enough, there was a man (whom I do not recall) throwing balls at me.*  They were both footballs and basketballs.  I would catch one, and reach for another, but there were just so many!  The various sports balls bounced about, flying past me left and right, until I had had enough*.  I remember clearly saying in my dream, "I've had enough.  I don't know what I'm getting out of this, and I don't know what I want."  Oddly enough, as though someone whispered in my ear, I heard the word "culinary".  The dream played out further, as I climbed grandmother's old porch, and in front of me, nothing but a blank canvas of white*.  

 

To add to the strange activity, a river flowed to my right, slightly murky*.  In it, I could clearly see enormous sized fish, especially sharks*.   I awoke some moments later.  And after waking, I recall asking myself, "culinary?  Where the hell did that come from?

 

Here's how I interpreted everything, starting with the sports balls.

 

1*  Sports Balls being thrown at me in various directions:  Mind you, I don't believe that the balls being sport related are anything to note.  But, I believe the balls being thrown in my direction and me not being quite sure what to do, translates to my real life indecisiveness.  Despite my many options, I've never been sure what I really wanted.  Until today.

 

2*  A blanket of white in front of me.  I've interpreted this as an opportunity to paint my life the way I want it.  After being presented with the surprising "culinary" whisper, I'm only just noticing how much time I spend in the kitchen.  And perhaps, this is my chance to make something of it.

 

3* A murky river and 4* big fish in its waters.  The murky river, as explained to me, could be a sign of incoming but delayed income.  What that says to me, relating back to my life, is relevant to me attempting to get back into school and saving money.  The big fish?  That translates to property coming my way.  Can someone say restaurant?[/spoiler]

 

And so, to keep track of my progress, say hi to all my friends, and just speak my mind, I started this little blog.  And being the religious person that I am, I believe my dreams came from God, and he has something in store for me at last.  I'm intent on following this path, and I hope to carry you all with me as I [s]climb out of Silver[/s] go about this journey.

[Dad]

Diving into Diablo 3 (PC, U.S., Softcore)

 

I'm no newcomer to D3.  In fact, I actually owned two other accounts, but relinquished them as the original owners returned from their hiatus.  Until now, I've only just gotten my own.  I had played since released, esclusively Witch Doctor.  While I did enjoy every class--M6 Demon Hunter, Shotgun Crusader, Zdps Monk, etc) Witch Doctor is my pride and joy, and today, I came across some pretty sweet drops.  Leveling the acocunt to 70 was hell, but it was worth it.  I've already arrived at Paragon 66, and have begun crafting for my pet dedicated built (personal preference).

 

I came across, on Torment 3, a friggin' Witching Hour.  My first legendary belt drop.  I've already grabbed 2 pieces of Aughild's and am working towards crafting the third for the elite bonus.  In the meantime, I continue the hunt for Starmetal Kukri, Mask of Jeram, and Tasker and Theo.  I don't think I'll be making any alts, so I will keep this account exclusive to Witch Doctor, and dedicate any spare time I have to play to gearing it.  

 

I've manage to reach 860k dps from 250k dps in three days, so it feels great.  My biggest weakness is of course, toughness, but I'll work it out around Paragon 201, when I can start putting Paragon points into Life percentage and flat intelligence.  Lord knows I'm going to need as big of an HP pool as I can get if I'm going to compete for leaderboards later.  For now, I'm going to keep blowing through rifts and low level greater rifts to finish off my gear.  Hopefully--as I suspect finding Starmetal Kukri will take me a few hundred hours--I can come across a Rhen'ho Flayer.  I have decent attack speed, and this would allow me to progress directly from Torment 3 to 6 in one go.  Though, to be honest, playing alone has taken its toll on me.  While music helps, it would be great to have some company.  

 

On a former account, I had progressed massively, with numerous heroes.  Paragon 600+, I had gotten into an exclusive rifting Community, known as T6 Legit.  I had also become apart of one of the top tier clans in all of Diablo 3's US Servers.  Alas, that account no longer belongs to me, but a dear friend.  I've filled him in as best I can, but I can do no more.

 

For now, I've set my eyes on these items:

 

Mask of Jeram /INT/VIT/6%CC/Socket -  I would prefer to see this drop, but I am willing to gamble for it.  However, until I have gambled and succeeded with getting  Tasker and Theo from Kadala, I will not spend bloodshards elsewhere.

 

Tall Man's Finger /INT/CC/CD/Socket - This would spike my dps in so many ways.  Though, to be honest, this ring is extremely rare.  Turning four dog's into one and tripling its dps is massive, and it could take me some time to get my hands on one.  That being said,I am NOT gambling for rings or amulets.  Fuck that.

 

Stone of Jordan /+%Physical/20% Elite/CC/CD/Socket- Ugh.  I don't even want to THINK about how long it will be before I get a decent one.  Not to mention that it has to roll +Physical% with decent stats.  I'd like it if it rolled well (obviously) so that I could socket it later upon getting legendary gems.

 

Tasker and Theo /INT/IAS/CC/CD/+45% Passive - This . . .is a long shot.  I will possibly have to gamble several pairs of Taskers before getting some that are ideal, but I will take what I can get for now.  Will be gambled.

 

Boots(?) /INT/VIT/ARMOR-  Honestly, anything would be good here.  I'm wearing a pair of Blackthorne's pants, so to get a 2 set passive with VIT and Elite damage would be great.  It would compliment the Aughild's three piece bonus, and go good with a Stone of Jordan.  However, I wouldn't mind a pair of Ice Climbers either.  Would save me from Jailer lock in greater rifts.  Lots of options.

 

Amulet(?) /INT/CC/CD/Socket OR +20% Physical/CC/CD/Socket - Please, please, please let me find an Arcane immunity amulet.  With Ice Climbers, I could both ignore and heal from Jailer, and STAND ON TOP OF ARCANE SENTRIES?  Yes please.  However, I will again, take anything decent.  Preparing for endgame is essential.  Right now, my Haunt of Vaxo is okay.  INT, CC, CD(rolled).  I can't get a socket on it, but it will do a lot for me for a long time.

 

Other things to look for:  

 

Unity - 50% damage reduction?  Sure, why the hell not?

 

Shukrani's Triumph - Speed bounties.  Convenient.

 

Hexing Pants of Mr. Yan - DPS is DPS. 

 

So much to do!  So glad to be back into Diablo 3.

[Dad]

Christmas Day, 12/25/2014

 

Today.  Was.  Awesome.  To start things off, I slept like a baby.  I got up, greeted with the smell of sausage and eggs.  After getting clean, I opened my gifts.  Ninety percent of them were from mom, but I also got some stuff from my aunt, step-mother, brother, and father (whom I rarely see).  Mom bought me a really comfy heavy duty shirt, which I've been needing.  She also gave me some slick black sweats, some New Orleans Saints (WHO DAT!) sports gloves, water resistant (and admittedly comfortable) socks, and this really sweet new jacket.  In return, I bought mom a new pair of earrings, and a 25$ gift card to Dillard's.

 

My aunt bought me a pretty cool Watch and Pen set, in cold steel colors.  It also came with a flash light.  xD

 

My brother shot me 25$ in cash, and my sister gave me 20$ in cash as well.  My father gave me a 50$ gift card for whatever I please, and my step-mother gave me a 75$ gift card for Macy's! . . .Which is the store I work at.  I feel slightly trolled.  xD

 

All in all, it was an amazing Christmas.  I got to see my dad's side of the family who I hadn't seen in some four years.  My eldest cousin had a baby, Imani.  Imani is adorable, and has her mother's eyes.  Needless to say, my cousin is a proud (but weary) father.  A long time family friend, Emma, whom I had not seen in nearly eight years, also surprised me.  She then proceeded to team up with my Grandfather and spank my eldest cousin and uncle in spades.  Aunt Emma is RUTHLESS in spades.  Meanwhile, my brother, youngest cousin, grandmother, father, stepmother, and I, played a guessing game built around known family members (who weren't present) and celebrities.  Laughter ensued, chaos followed, and the imitations were priceless.  It was wonderful to see them again.

 

On my mom's side, I got to see my other aunt and uncle, and of course, my other eldest cousin who's birthday was today.  My eldest cousin on my mother's side, brought his son, my younger cousin, and he and I spent most of the time their just talking shit.  Whether it was about his school, his friends, girls, movies, games, whatever.  We just kinda hung out while the ladies all gathered in one room to cook and chat.  Then, I finally returned home.  

 

I'm tired, but super happy.  God's done a lot for me.  And if I hadn't received a single gift today, I still would be just as happy.  The time I spent with family today meant the world to me, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.