ARCANE EXPLOSION [News Article]

Horde razes Alliance-controlled Theramore Isle with both sides committing fully to War
Warchief Garrosh Hellscream questioned over tactics used

[Pguinto-Frostmourne-US], 17th day of 9(1) KC 621
N.B. Spoilers for Golden, C (2012) (World of Warcraft: Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War) after the jump

RUINS OF THERAMORE – The Horde attacked Theramore Isle today in the latest development of the Alliance-Horde War. Despite historical reluctance, this attack drew fully the Grand Alliance into it for the first time.

The razing was intended to weaken the morale of the Alliance; instead, the violation of sovereignty gave reason to fully commit.

Azeroth Mass Transit Network Map [Map], updated for Mists of Pandaria

Note: The omission of node Theramore Isle and route The Lady Mehley is tentative until further information is made available.

The following series of maps serves as a reference for mass transit services provided to citizens of the Alliance and Horde.

 

The style used in the map departs from traditional methods of accurately charting landmasses and routes; instead, it aims for simplicity. It has been inspired by the highly stylised representations of real-life transportation networks, characterised by straight lines, highly simplified geographic features and regularly spaced nodes.

Notices: Azeroth Transit Authorities

• Following the exit of the Alliance and Horde from the Convention, the remaining Sovereign States have resolved to terminate it. The Azeroth Transit Authorities will thus cease to exist.
• All regulation of travel now falls on the individual transit authorities. Please consult your own for enquiries, as well as any laws that may apply to you.

Notices: Transitalliance

• In response to the razing of Theramore Isle by the Horde, the Grand Alliance has exited any and all Treaties, Conventions and Protocols to which the Horde is party, including the United Azeroth Transit Authorities Convention. All enquiries on travel within the Alliance's territories must now be directed to Transitalliance.
• Theramore Isle: Following the razing of Theramore Isle by the Horde, The Lady Mehley service to there has ceased.

Notices: Horde Transit

• To further safeguard the sovereignty of the Horde, it has exited any and all Treaties, Conventions and Protocols to which the Alliance is party, including the United Azeroth Transit Authorities Convention. All enquiries on travel within the Horde's territories must now be directed to Horde Transit.

Definition of mass transit

Non-instantaneous methods of transportation carrying several concurrent commuters and provided without charge.

Note that:

• Walking and mounting do not fall under this definition because they have not been 'provided' to the person in question.
• Orbs of Translocation do fall under this definition because of the cast time involved in using one.

Bibliography

• Boat - Wowpedia - Your guide to the World of Warcraft, wiki article, Wowpedia, viewed 25 November 2010, <http://www.wowpedia.org/Boat>.
• Zeppelin - Wowpedia - Your guide to the World of Warcraft, wiki article, Wowpedia, viewed 25 November 2010, <http://www.wowpedia.org/Zeppelin>.

Appendix A: Coincidence of Alliance and Horde mass transit network maps

 

EDIT 31Aug12: Updated from <http://criticallyanalyse.blogspot.com/2010/11/azeroth-mass-transit-network-map-map.html>.

Sheet of Coal [Wallpaper]

Fancy a skeletal formula pattern on your computer desktop? This one, resembling a portion of coal, can be tiled to give a 'random enough' effect. All valencies have been adhered to, although I have not checked if all of the heteroatoms and functional groups can actually fit. Click through to access the full image.

As a 'Where's Wally?' game, see if you can find the following groups:

• Methyl (CH₃), valency 1
• Oxygen (O), valency 2
• The such as a ketone
• Nitrogen (N), valency 3
• The such as part of an aromatic system
• Sulphur (S), valency 2
• Alcohol (OH), valency 1
• Primary amine (NH₂), valency 1
• Secondary amine (NH), valency 2

Living in the Age of Innocence

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Skyrim), despite its liberal violence, does not allow depicted children to die, by fault of the player's character (or avatar), NPCs (non-player characters) or the environment. Because of this, a player going by the name of Kharmah published a mod, 'Killable Children', on the Steam Workshop that disposes of this restriction. Needless to say, this caused quite a controversy, with supporters of its release pointing out improved realism and freedom for the player, and others raising morals and ethics against it.

The ingame killing of children, with the special status their real-life counterparts enjoy, is a contentious issue for many computer game developers, who are well concerned about their business and social standing. In forming an opinion on it, two matters should be considered:

1. Whether the killing of real-life children is unethical
2. Whether the killing of ingame children raises material real-life consequences.

Especially heinous
Almost anyone of sound mind would agree that killing a fellow human being is immoral. In reaching that conclusion, it may be raised that life is sacred, that every human being has a natural right to it from birth, that every member of Homo sapiens has a duty to further the species, or that one's automatic dignity and self-worth is to be respected. Indeed, virtually all governments on Earth outlaw homicidal acts, be it murder, manslaughter or (in many cases) assisting in suicide. With unnatural adult death depicted so frequently in print, cinematographic film and computer games and that of children rather rare, one may wonder what makes the latter an exception.

Computer Games as Literature

Despite the bad press that video (computer) games get, they still are a multimedia text type. Utilising all five components of media (text, still images, audio, animation and video), they combine them along with interactivity in a way rarely seen with other forms of literature. This combination gives it great potential for immersive and effective storytelling.

Considering that, I will treat computer games as fictional literature and engage in a summary kind of literary analysis. To help with this, I will pretend to try to convince a public library to include some examples as part of their collections. Please note that, because of strict licensing requirements, this is often not actually practical, despite a strong supporting case!

Standard form
As part of maintaining its collection, this library solicits suggestions from the public for works that should be added to or removed from it. It does so through a form a member of the public fills out. Thus, my 'literary analysis' will take the form (mind the pun) of a filled form. As the form may have been designed with more traditional text types in mind, some questions will take some interpreting:

Yor'sahj's Law (of Deep Corruption)

Of all of the blobs of blood Yor’sahj the Unsleeping may call from Shu’ma, none are more confusing than the Shadowed Globule. Its unique buff (debuff to the raid), Deep Corruption, means that:

Receiving healing or absorption effects will trigger a detonation at 5 stacks.

So, which healing and absorption effects generate Deep Corruption? Apparently, this is a matter of law that requires some interpretation.

Summary
Abilities that generate Deep Corruption are:

• Single heals
• Heals-over-time (HoTs)
• AoE heals
• Aura AoE heals
• Ground AoE heals.

Abilities that do not generate Deep Corruption are:

• Non-heals
• Non-healer abilities
• Trinkets and the like
• Summoned totems
• Abilities with secondary effects for as far as the secondary effect(s) is/are concerned.

Non-heal rule

An ability without any healing or absorption effects does not generate Deep Corruption.

The Faction: The Age of Mortals

Out with the old and in with the new; the Aspects' vigil has ended, and the age of mortals has dawned. With the discharging of the Aspects there is no turning back, so will the sunshine and daisies last? Can Azeroth's mortal races forge their own destiny, or will the world degenerate into dystopia? Join me, Deeve Spairs, as we address this age-old question on The Faction, only on Critically Analyse.

Participants

• Deeve Spairs [Deeve]
• Alexstrasza [Alexa]
• Drek'Thar [Drek]

Sound bites
From 'The meaning of life':

• Alexstrasza says: Contrary to what many might think, it does not necessarily mean invulnerability. To be immortal [in the Warcraft universe], it means two things: first, that ageing yields at adulthood; and secondly, that illness and disease cannot befall.
• Alexstrasza says: With all due respect, elder Drek'Thar, you yourself must understand how difficult it is for your brash youth to heed [advice]? Despite all of your assurances, there are some things that, for mortals, at least, can only be learned the hard way [through actual experience].
• Drek'Thar says: Despite our days' being numbered, we are very productive, and seek out the best life has to offer. I hardly think we are as - what's the word - complacent as what you ever-healthy types are quite likely to be.

From 'In defence of flaw':

• Alexstrasza says: As far as I can tell, every little issue, for you mortals, must be reduced to power play, to the imposition of the superior will on the inferior.
• Alexstrasza says: ...an endless see-saw between the conservative and liberal ends of politics... It would be nice if the path between stagnation and overwhelming change were found.
• Deeve Spairs says: [The Alliance-Horde conflict] is a rivalry with cause long lost to history... at least for the common folk.
• Alexstrasza says: [:;concerned] That is very worrying to me. Law enforcement, the threat of violence to avoid violence? One of mortal life's greatest ironies.
• Alexstrasza says: Of course, use of force is not simply constrained [to law enforcement]. From a parent's disciplining their child to a rather zealous interest group's getting their voice heard, mortals seem to want to talk with their fists... | Deeve Spairs says: Yes, there is a word we mortals use to describe it, 'terrorism'.
• Drek'Thar says: Deeve, despite our flaws, we [mortals] possess one major redeeming quality. We may be a slave to our emotions, but there is none more powerful than remorse.

From 'Rebellious youth':

• Deeve Spairs says: But surely [Alexstrasza's clutch's] former status as your sons and daughters still matters... | Alexstrasza says: You must distinguish between those events that do not affect that infinitely precious bond between mother and child, and and those that do.
• Deeve Spairs says: So if one were the Aspect of Life, they would actually have a licence to murder. Alas, we mortals are not readily endowed it, and we have a duty to take care of the sick and injured while waiting for the greater powers ... to pass their judgement... Otherwise, well, remorse kicks in, and it sure kicks hard.