WRUP: An unrelated rant about soil quality with a picture of whales edition

As I do every week, I'm using this little bit of leader space as my personal soapbox, but this week I wanted to talk about soil quality. Unfortunately, there were no good pictures about soil quality on Wikimedia Commons, so instead I went with whales. You can see some land in the distance there, land that presumably contains soil. So we're all clear about the fact that we're talking about soil rather than whales, right? Right. Now let's talk about the deplorable conditions of the soil found in southeastern Connecticut for the remainder of this paragraph.

Unfortunately, it appears our choice of pictures wound up consuming the whole paragraph. Oh, well, maybe next week. Right now, it's time for WRUP, featuring the Massively staff members telling everyone what they'll be playing over the weekend. As a bonus, we've also got some comments about our favorite characters across the many games we play. So jump on past the break for information about our weekend revelries, and let us know what you'll be up to in the comments.

Beau Hindman (@Beau_Hindman): I'm going to be switching to Nadirim for Rise and Shiny this weekend and playing around some more with my mobile and laptop games. I don't know why, but it's exciting to think of being able to carry around everything for gaming — and covering gaming — all on one device. It's my new obsession.

My favorite character so far is probably Rikoo Rakoo, my Raki ranger in Vanguard. I've written about him and really let my imagination run with him. It's fun building lore around a character. He's really a tough little guy, but I actually deleted him once during my immersion and permadeath project. I'll never do that again... I actually missed him!

Brandon Felczer (@bfelczer): For this week, I've got only three words to say: VIVA LAS VEGAS! I'm in Sin City for this year's Star Trek Convention, so the only games I'll be playing are the Blackjack tables and Spot-the-Trek-actor. I'm also hanging out with some of the devs from Star Trek Online and even hosting an event to dine with them. It's bound to be a blast!

As for my favorite character, it's gotta be my Liberated Borg Tactical officer — he packs a mean punch against... well, pretty much everything. He was also the first toon I created in STO, so there is a bond between us.

Eliot Lefebvre: The manipulations of some horrible person, possibly a necromancer, have resulted in an event weekend for both City of Heroes and Final Fantasy XIV. This is not good for me because not only do I play both games, but I've got to pick Miss Lady up at the airport later in the weekend. Clearly, my only hope is to create a clone of myself, so I'm going to waste my time this weekend doing that instead. Wish me luck.

My favorite character, Rhio, is a bit of a cheat. I've played her in World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI, STO, FFXIV, Guild Wars, and elsewhere. I'm rather partial to her FFXIV incarnation, though. A close second is Truce, my Shaman from WoW, probably the only part of the game that I really miss. Both of them were consistently enjoyable to roleplay as well as play, and oddly, neither of them started her initial creation as anything more than a side character.

Jeremy Stratton (@Jeremy_Stratton): I gave EverQuest II Extended a cursory glance many months ago but have decided to go back and really dig in. I have to be careful, though. After I left the starting area, the game quickly started to suck me in. I have to say that I am really, really loving it in the lands of Norrath. This is the kind of MMORPG I think I'll always be satisfied with but want more of. It gives me the same feeling I get from watching the Jurassic Park films — and I don't care what anyone says, they're all fun to watch. The dinosaurs were the main kid-in-a-candy-store attraction. They could pump out 20 more and I'd be happy. That's how I feel, so far, about EQ2X.

I don't have a favorite character. I don't even have any favorites that come to mind, right now. Definitely something I need to rectify.

Justin Olivetti (@Sypster): Once again, I will be indulging in a fatty mix of Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, and RIFT, although I'm contemplating breaking the diet further by spending a few sessions in Mass Effect 2 with my mean Shepard (MeanShep?) character.

It's hard to pick just one character to call my favorite, as I've had so many. The very first Syp, who gave me my nickname, was a WoW Gnome Warlock whom I played for two years, so there's a lot of attachment there.

Matt Daniel (@mvmatt): I've finally completing my Apartment Hunting quest, so now I need to work on the grind of cleaning and packing up all my stuff. As far as actual games go, I'm going to be playing some Dragon Nest, some Global Agenda, maybe some Eden Eternal, and basically whatever else I feel like/have time for.

My favorite character would have to be my Night Elf Rogue Aliran Forestsong from WoW. He was the first character I ever rolled in WoW, and I've been through so many awesome RP hooks with him (shout-out to the Shadow Hall and Taken!) that I've developed an intense attachment to him.

MJ Guthrie: This weekend will see me outdoors at a big picnic spiking a volleyball for hours of fun. When I head back into the air-conditioned indoors, I will be experiencing the crafting time-line quests in EQII for the first time, trying to beat my time in the Crucible Challenge in Aion, and logging more time cruising the galaxy in STO.

My favorite character? I have a deep love for each one, and my attachment is tied as much to their stories and lives as the hours I spend creating them. If I was forced to choose, it would have to be my first — a simple Twi'lek Dancer in Star Wars Galaxies. Nothing has yet compared to the vibrancy of life that she experienced. No combat, no grinds, just immersive storytelling and something new around every corner. I have never felt so much a part of a gaming world.

Patrick Mackey (@mackeypb): Terraria 1.0.6 launched, so I've been playing on a multiplayer server with a bunch of friends. I'm also playing some World of Tanks, messing around with some of the stuff in the new update.

My favorite character in an MMO is probably my magic-alchemist Miss Blue, who has been in a few games in a few different iterations. She's currently in respec hell in Champions Online because I can't figure out a good build for her, but I definitely had a lot of fun playing her over the years.

At the start of every weekend, we catch up with the Massively staff members and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" (Otherwise known as: WRUP!) Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game — and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!