Mementos and Keepsakes

I think that as much as I hate to admit it, I’m a creature of habit. Over the years I’ve managed to collect vast quantities of technical gubbins that I keep thinking will be useful “one day”. The gizmos that were once geek fashion items, but have since been consigned to the plastic crate of a gadget graveyard. And it’s not just smartphones that have lost their shiny sheen – all manner of clips, cables and converters are lying around just waiting for a chance to become useful again.

Separate from all this electrical junk are the things that help to mark parts of our lives. Things like my collection of collector’s editions. Things like the architectural schematic of a lighthouse that hangs on the wall, marking the place where my wife and I married. Things like the huge Lego kit that I bought with my first paycheck. Stuff that probably has little monetary value, but are still things that are very important to me.

It’s not just in the real world where I have my keepsakes or mementos. The BlogAzeroth Shared Topic this week was about these virtual items that take up space in the back of our bank vaults or the bottom of our bags. The stuff we can’t bear to part with, even though it’s no longer useful. I’m no exception, so let me show you the stuff that a mage carries around through the expansions.

I think the thing I’m most proud of is the full Arcanist Regalia on my old mage Shaemus. I completed the set back in Vanilla and was lucky enough to be one of the first in my raidgroup to have the full set. It reminds me of the work it took to collect, as raiding back in those days was a completely different beast.

Apart from sentimental reasons, I also keep the set for the occasional bit of roleplay. Shaemus is a bit of a magpie and show-off, so brightly coloured fine clothes suit him down to the ground. It also looks suitably magey for wandering around in, even if he occasionally gets mistaken for an NPC.

For similar reasons, I still keep the Violet Badge, the Violet Signet of the Archmage and the Dragonslayer’s Signet. I think part of it is because they add to the roleplay outfit, but I think also it’s because they remind me what I achieved. Maybe it’s because I play on roleplay servers that it feels as if the achievements I’ve earned are shared between myself and the character. Most strange.

Unsurprisingly, the only other item I’ve kept through the years is my picnic basket. I remember when the TCG loot cards first came out there was a bit of a scramble to try and get items like the Spectral Tiger. Unfortunately I wasn’t that lucky, but I did manage to get the picnic basket and the Paper Airplane for my wife. Sometimes I have a look around for cheap loot cards, but no such luck.

The grill makes a regular appearance during groups and raids, particularly before the Gunship battle in ICC. Yes it’s a little showy, but I love the reaction it gets from people. It’s also been a great tool for starting spontaneous roleplay, particularly during seasonal events. Just add a Brewfest Pony Keg and you’ve got everything you need for an impromptu party.

Sometimes it’s a little frustrating to have all this and more cluttering up my bank and bags, even though these days we have larger bags and even guild vaults. But every time I think about it, or put my mind to disenchanting everything I no longer need, I relent.

I have no idea why, but I guess some things are just too precious to throw away.