When Fabulor was first created, I knew right away that there could be only one title for him: the Love Fool. And that was the first title he earned (this was before titles were account-wide), and I've used it on him ever since. I mean, how perfect is that? What could be better than Fabulor the Love Fool?

Oh. What's that? Patch 5.3 is introducing a new battleground, Deepwind Gorge, and if you get all the achievements for it you get the title Gorgeous?!

Okay. Gorgeous Fabulor might just be the new winner. Damn, looks like I'm going to be doing a lot of Deepwind Gorge for the next while.

Anyway, it got me thinking about name/title combinations. There are some great titles, rare ones, impressive ones, but I always appreciate clever pairings. Before account-wide titles, some of those took a lot of effort for a witty joke! It's a little easier now that titles are shared, but it's still always nice to run across one that makes you chuckle.

Of course, you have to start with one of the first noteworthy combinations, the one that seemed to make people realize the potential of titles:


But personally, the first awesome combo I saw was an old guildie of mine, who didn't plan it at all - he had the name before titles were introduced, and when the Argent Tourney was implemented and he realized what he could do, he jumped on the opportunity.


Orithea transferred her warlock to TTGF in Cataclysm, with a great name:


I always enjoy running into an Avatar fan in-game:


And you know, sometimes name/title combos are hilarious because of UNSUITABLE they are, such as:


There's no shortage of great combos, but other than Fabulor, I don't really go with the themed names too often. (Hell, Morgion doesn't even USE a title.) Most of my characters are created without much thought of what title or guild tag they might use.

Most...but not all. I do, after all, have this little guy rolled up on Drenden:

I finally got 20 Secrets of the Empire this week, and set about finishing up the latest step of Wrathion's Legendary questline. However, there were some small snags along the way - after I handed in the Secrets, I received the followup quest, but then abandoned it to get more screenshots of Wrathion turning into whelp form and flying away. The only problem was...he didn't come back after I abandoned the quest.

Welp.

So it was off to the Isle. I headed to the area outside the Thunder Forge, where I would have handed in the quest, hoping to find him there with the quest for me again. Sadly he was nowhere to be found. I was about to open a ticket when I saw a Wowhead comment saying that he didn't show up if you hadn't completed the final Thunder Isle solo scenario, where Lor'themar and Jaina clash. Which, well, I hadn't done, because I'd been putting it off because that's serious screenshot potential!

Long story short, I spent a good hour in that scenario redoing it over and over again and selectively killing Zandalari so that Lor'themar would end up fighting in certain places for great screenshots, and then, FINALLY, I finished it up and...well, I quit for the night, because it was late.

The next day, I ran over to the Thunder Forge and...no Wrathion. But fortunately, I decided to check back at the Tavern in the Mists just in case, and lo and behold, he was there! With the quest for me again! This time I decided to not screw around and just head right back to the Isle to advance the questline.

The scenario itself was quite challenging, but nothing too bad. After knocking it out, I got some help from Stop to complete the Nalak step (which was painful), and then returned to Wrathion's tavern to receive my shiny new orange meta.

Or rather, watch the little in-game event where he gives a little speech about lightning, fire and destiny. And then take screenshots of the event for two hours, accepting the quest, watching the scene, abandoning the quest, and repeating the process all over again.

In my defense, I wanted to make sure I got every conceivable screenshot I might ever want in the future, since I strongly suspect I'll not see this event again.

And second, I really wanted a rad shot of him blasting the tree with lightning.


However, during my screenshot adventures, something...weird happened.

A second Wrathion showed up.


Um, yeah, you can say that again Wrathion!

As bizarre as it looks, this actually wasn't a total shock - one of my favorite things to do is completely mess around with quests that spawn an NPC, and repeatedly accept the quest, spawning a legion of clone NPCs. For example, the quest in Twilight Highlands where you free the shackled red dragon can be manipulated in this way, for hilarious results.


So I laughed and took a bunch of double-Wrathion screenshots, enjoying the spectacle.


I laughed even harder when it got EVEN WORSE, and a THIRD Wrathion showed up and joined in.


(There's two Anduins there too, if you look closely. Or maybe three. I don't even know.)

After a while, and after trying a few different scene-manipulation tricks, I realized the setting and dialogue of this double-Wrathion event actually had a lot of dramatic potential! Imagine a storyline where an imitation, imposter Wrathion secretly takes the place of the original, to manipulate Anduin, the Horde/Alliance, or perhaps even us as characters. Meanwhile, the real Black Prince has been locked away or imprisoned, just like how Varian Wrynn was lost while his...clone or soul double or simulacrum or whatever was running things in Stormwind.

And then, right at the crucial moment as the doppelganger black dragon and Anduin are talking about something important - DRAMATIC ENTRANCE by the real Wrathion! Much to the fake's shock and surprise! Maybe he's stunned that Wrathion escaped. Maybe he's astonished that he's even still alive! And consider the dialogue in this new context, and look at how badass / menacing Wrathion's lines are! It's basically "Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated" laced with a very dangerous-sounding threat. Shit is about to go DOWN.


Or, maybe the fake is still keeping up the bluff, acting unconcerned and unafraid, to try to convince Anduin that it is the newcomer that is the fake, not himself.


Or perhaps he adopts a scornful, disdainful attitude (appropriate for Wrathion), where he seems simply annoyed that someone would have the nerve to interrupt him during his important speech.


He's like "...seriously? I was talking, you know. Rude." And then he's just completely unimpressed. The poses and body language are SO JUICY for story purposes!

Anyway, this was an awesome accidental find. Not only did it make for some great screenshots, but re-imagining game lore from this weird glitch would actually make for a pretty cool story! A little cloak-and-dagger, a little infiltration and espionage...just the sort of thing Wrathion encouraged during the Fangs of the Father quests.

Ah well, we can dream, can't we?

Adobe shocked the gaming world today when it announced the conversion of their flagship Photoshop program into a brand-new MMO title, available only to subscribers for a monthly fee.

"We've thought about this for a long time," said Adobe spokesperson Hans Serif. "We've been watching the growth of the MMO industry and the wild success of subscription-based franchises, so we figured 'why not us?' "

The hugely popular design program, considered the industry standard in numerous fields, will be available for $49.99/month on a one year commitment, or $74.99/month with no commitment, a rate that Serif assured us was "a fucking steal."

"You're getting the finest graphic design program out there, which if you've used previous versions, you might recognize as the exact same program you've used for years. But now you have to pay for it, every month forever, and in our opinion that always makes things more valuable."

Serif added that Adobe had lined up a talented suite of house media staff who would be contributing cutting-edge graphics and sounds to the program's "robust" features.

"The launch window and icons are going to be amazing, we're talking HD shit, yo!" said Serif, rubbing his hands together with glee. "And the error ding, we've totally re-recorded and resampled it in a huge sound studio. It's still going to signify utter program failure and immense user frustration, but now it's going to sound way sweet, man."

"Also we got Chris Metzen to voice the New User tutorial, which is totally banging."

In addition to the monthly subscription fees, Serif told press that Adobe would also be launching a real-money auction house with Photoshop Online's release, where users will be able to browse, sort and purchase rare brushes and legendary fonts.


A trial version of Photoshop Online will still be available for download from Adobe.com, but will come a new range of limitations - one 37 pixel brush, two fonts (Comic Sans and Papyrus), a twenty-minute duration limit, and access to only three colors: black, lime green and mauve.

At this morning's press conference, Adobe CEO Hue Jackman said that the company had "rested back on its brilliantly-painted laurels for far too long."

"People think we're just a design company, and you know what? We are. But that doesn't mean we're not connected. I paid close attention to the huge publicity Electronic Arts received with SimCity, and thought 'Holy crap, why isn't that us? Hans, why isn't that us?' And then they won the Worst Company in America! And I said, 'Dammit Hans, that could have been us! WE should be winning that award, not some two-bit sports game schmucks. What the hell am I paying you for, anyway?"

"Better get ready, EA, Blizzard and NCSoft! Oh and whoever does Rift. Wait, is Rift even still around? Whatever. Anyway, Adobe's in the game now, and we're going to take over like an accidental click of the fill tool on a blank document. And there ain't no history button on this A-Train! Ctrl-Z? MORE LIKE CTRL-ME!"

"YEAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!" he screamed, before dropping the mic and walking offstage.

Beta testing for Photoshop Online is scheduled to begin July 1, 2013.

I mentioned the Goblin Trike a while back, and how awesome it is when it's being driven by a Boomkin. However, it's also one of my favorite mounts for Morgion - I'm not really sure why, but it's been her traditional ground mount ever since it showed up in Cataclysm. (Her flying mount is the admittedly more appropriate Headless Horseman's Mount.)

However, last week I was killing time with Buglamp (in Tol Barad of all places) and we noticed that the higher-level version of the trike - the Goblin Turbo-Trike - is really messed up right now. Not sure how long it's been like this, but everyone seems to be shunted forward in the seat, which makes it look hilarious.


The best (worst), however, has to be poor goblins.


This just CANNOT be safe.

Since 5.1, the Horde/Alliance war has been sparking up, political lines & alliances are being established, Wrathion's still playing both sides, and there's all sorts of unsettling implications surfacing about the mysterious seventh head of Y'Shaarj and the seventh Sha. Things are getting pretty intense over on Pandaria's distant shores.

As exciting as these new developments are, however, I can't help but look back to some of Cataclysm's intriguing, unfinished storylines. Initially, these stories were mostly forgotten, since we were busy learning about Pandaria, chilling with Loremaster Cho and the Klaxxi, and slaughtering thousands of Mogu. So many Mogu. So many.

But now that the revelations have slowed and both sides are back to their usual old shenanigans, it seems only natural to think back to some of those not-so-long-ago story hooks and wonder what's been going on behind the scenes.

The Lone Grimtotem

Magatha Grimtotem and her clan are in an interesting position right now. Sure, they've been exiled from the Horde, but they've also teamed up with the Alliance in Stonetalon, watched two long-time enemy cities get destroyed (Freewind Post and Theramore), and have started culling the incompetent and weak from their ranks, as well as started quietly gathering artifacts of ancient power, including the ominously-named Doomstone.


Cairne always kept Magatha close so he could watch her, and she still got up to a ton of mischief. She's now had an entire expansion away from watchful eyes, and worst, she's ANGRY now. No one really has any idea what the Grimtotem have been doing, or what kind of threat they might pose. Who knows what devious plans of revenge are running through Magatha's head?

Then again, have the Grimtotem been completely silent in Mists?

In your Pandaria travels, it's possible you might have encountered a certain rare spawn in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, one Yorik Sharpeye. Now, this guy is a pretty popular rare - a lot of people want to kill him for a chance at Mr. Smite's Brass Compass, a fun toy that turns you into the infamous boss of original-Deadmines fame.


But is there more to Yorik than meets the eye? Take another look at him. He has the typical Yaungol rare spawn movelist, except Yorik is a TAUREN. What's so special about that? Well, there ARE no tauren native to Pandaria! Not anymore. Lorewalker Cho revealed that the tauren who were trapped on Pandaria when it was shrouded in mists evolved and changed to become the Yaungol. Today, the only tauren that we know of on Pandaria are Sunwalker Dezco, Baine, and others that arrived on Pandaria with the rest of Garrosh's forces. You won't find any tauren strolling around unless they're members of the Horde.

Except Yorik, that is. What's up with him? And what is he doing on Pandaria? He's not friendly to Horde players (he's neutral), so he's not one of Baine's people. So who is he, and whose side is he on?

Oh, did I mention he has black fur? Just like Magatha and the res of her clan?

(Yorik also has a potential blood relative in-game, Bardu Sharpeye, a black-furred tauren hanging out at the Bulwark on the edge of the Western Plaguelands. However, Bardu has nothing to do Magatha, her clan, or piracy - or really anything except a never-implemented Ashbringer questline - so he's not relevant in this discussion.)

Adding to Yorik's mystery is his strange connection to Mr. Smite, another black-furred tauren who was also not a member of the Horde. Was Mr. Smite a Grimtotem? No one knows for certain, but it wouldn't be the first time one of Magatha's clan had turned to a life of piracy - another black-furred tauren, First Mate Hapana, shows up in Booty Bay on Pirate's Day. Interestingly, Hapana sports a rather conspicuous tattoo on his arm: the name "MAGATHA" in an arrow-pierced heart. Clearly there is a Grimtotem/pirate connection at play that we really don't know much about!

Is Yorik simply a stowaway tauren that wanted to travel to a new land and leave his old life behind? Or is he a spy, planted in Pandaria by his devious Elder Crone boss for surveillance purposes, to keep an eye on both the Horde and the Alliance? After all, he IS located in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, tucked out of the way between both the Horde and Alliance cities...the perfect place to see who's coming and going, while lurking unnoticed and unseen in the background.

Yorik being a Grimtotem spy would also be a sneaky way to work Magatha back into the picture, which I think is something that HAS to happen before the expansion is over. She's got HUGE unfinished business with Garrosh, and we all know what's in store for the Warchief coming up - it would be a great waste of lore to not have some resolution between the two. (Heck, maybe she's already involved.).

Regardless of specifics, Magatha's interference/influence/machinations could (and maybe should!) be a big factor in Garrosh's eventual downfall. He's losing allies, upsetting his own leader peers, and seemingly giving in to rash, foolish impulse decisions. What better time for Magatha to slither in and make things worse? That is the perfect situation for someone like Magatha to wreak havoc.

She's got the silver (and forked) tongue, the guile, and the intense motivation to utterly ruin Garrosh's life, humiliate him, and cause him to lose everything he cares about. Which would be the PERFECT revenge for the bitter Elder Crone.