yo dawg got some real guano times going on here
Your friend the bat researcher is covered in bat fecal matter. He is absolutely lousy with bat fecal matter. It is stuck to his hair, his clothing, even his eyebrows. If you ask him what he was doing to get so covered in bat feces, he explains to you that this was related to work.
hey mang can you bring some rubbing alcohol i gots me some bites
Your friend the bat researcher has bitten his own hand, but not enough to break the skin. What he is actually suffering from is once again being covered in bat fecal matter. This time he insists it was still work-related, but you will be suspicious because work usually doesn’t bring him to the middle of a Staples, and it certainly doesn’t require him to be wearing a swimsuit and knee-high boots. You are also going to need to talk with the manager at Staples to avoid charges being filed.
bro somethin real bad happened. kristi is leaving me
Technically, this is true, but this is happening because when you go to see your friend he is once again covered in bat fecal matter. You ask him how this happened because the university put him on paid leave and he explains that this is for his own time. He also keeps insisting that he’s “close,” but when you ask him if he’s close to a breakthrough or at least something that requires bat fecal matter, he just laughs.
dude dont put this conversation in what are you playing im serious
Yeah, I don’t care if you’re serious, people need to know about your bat fecal matter issue you dingus.
Bonus question: What are you not resolving in this new year?
Brianna Royce (@nbrianna.bsky.social, blog): I’m gonna be in Guild Wars 2 a bit this weekend to wrap up my weeklies – I missed them! – and also doing some more clean-up in Star Wars Galaxies Legends, which I accidentally got back into playing over the holiday since it conveniently worked so well on my laptop. I managed a huge vendor restock, and now I’m toying with what to do next. I might pull down my farm and try something new.
I’m actually not resolving to spend more time gaming. My data (yes I keep track of this) show I played a lot more last year than in the years before that, probably too much, and it came at the expense at some other things I should be doing more. It’s not really gaming’s fault; it’s that being stuck indoors much more than in the past (from extreme allergies, long story) just led me to game more, and while I have a lot of that “managed,” much of the management involves just… staying inside. So I can see how it happened. But I want to play less and make sure my other hobbies aren’t neglected while still being much smarter with my game time so that I actually accomplish my high-level goals and don’t constantly get distracted by things like alts and new random games flitting by.
Chris Neal (@wolfyseyes.bsky.social, blog): I have burnt the Palworld candle at both ends for the past few weeks, which means I’ve gotten my entertainment’s worth out of the game for now, so it’s time to find another title to hyper-obsess with for another month or two. Beyond that there might be a bit of City of Heroes: Homecoming to be had and some Marvel Rivals time with the family. Yes, I’m just as surprised as anyone else to say that this game has become our latest funtime together title.
I’m very Scrooge-like when it comes to New Year’s in general, but one of the “traditions” associated with this trash holiday that I take deep umbrage with is the New Year’s Resolution. So I’m not resolving anything like other New Year’s past. I might try to do some new things, but I’m not going to manufacture a sword of Damocles to hang over my head about it.
Eliot Lefebvre (@Eliot_Lefebvre, blog): I am actually… current now in Warframe? Like, there’s still a ton left to do in the game, but after a concentrated push I am now at the point when I can actually do the 1999 content with the rest of the playerbase. But as I said, there’s a ton left to do, so I’ll be doing that as I keep the pace up in Final Fantasy XIV.
My therapist last year wanted me to resolve to be positive about myself, but I’m not doing that this year. If the universe wants me to feel remotely good about myself, it’s going to need to have good things happen to me. I’m not expecting any miracles.
Justin Olivetti (@Sypster, blog): I might be getting to Siren Isle in World of Warcraft this weekend if I can clean up more of my quest log, although that always feels like a Sisyphean task. Apart from that, I’ll be continuing my Lord of the Rings Online journeys through the desert of Legacy of Morgoth (really good stuff, by the way), leveling up my WoW Classic Hunter into her 30s, and maybe getting some Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader time.
Sam Kash (@samkash@mastodon.social): I was able to get a bunch of co-op Sea of Stars in. It’s been a very solid game. I doubt it’ll stay in my head space for very long after completing it but I’m an thoroughly enjoying my time in it now. I’m hopeful that with it completed I’ll be able to go into Throne and Liberty head first.
Bonus: I don’t think I’ll resolve whatever has happened to my wrist and back. I think it might just be a bad case of O.L.D. but who knows. I’ve begun stretching occasionally. That seems like enough.
Tyler Edwards (blog): I’m continuing to rot my brain with The First Descendant. I think I’ve settled on being a Sharen main for the time being (once a rogue player always a rogue player, I guess), but I did just unlock Viessa, and she’s pretty good too, and I’m about to start farming for Blair.
Bonus question: My crippling mental health issues.
Pierre, patron: Happy New Year MOP readers. After a hiatus to spend some happy time with my family in the southeast of France for Christmas (incredibly nice, warm weather, too bad I live in the northern part of France) and in the center of France with friends for New Year festivities, I will return to my playthrough of Metaphor: ReFantazio, my game of the year for 2024. It’s a Persona-like with so many new ideas and a completely different universe from the Persona series of games, the boss fights are quite difficult, but it remains an incredible RPG. On the MMO front, I’m still waiting for any MMO to inspire me, but it hasn’t happened recently. Reading Justin’s blog and MOP columns I have been tempted by Star Wars: The Old Republic, WoW (classic and retail), and LOTRO, but never enough to spend some of my scarce free time going back to one of these MMOs.
Bonus question: I’m resolving to try to work a little less in 2025, or at least to let my work infringe less on my free time. It’s been so exhausting in 2024. What I’m not resolving is to stop positive thinking; on the contrary, I will try to be even more positive than I was in 2024. And you MOP readers, what are you playing to start the new year?
Every Saturday, join the Massively OP community and staff for What Are You Playing, our roundup of what MMORPGs and other games we’re hoping to play this weekend (with a bonus question or two for our amusement). Tell us what you’re up to! Go off-topic! And don’t forget to have fun!
