More Than Words

by

1

Sorry that I have not been able to post in an incredibly long time. The real life boss is the hardest boss of all to beat…

In any case, I am back with a vengeance, as many things have taken place in my absence.

Today’s topic of discussion? Words. Or I guess more so the misuse of words. As an English major, words have been my allies as well as my worst enemies. I have used words as medicine in order to remedy situations, but I have also been known to use words as weapons when I feel threatened. Words are words are words are words. Until they are not.

Let us focus on the word gay, as this has been the topic of much discussion lately. I speak specifically to the use of the word in describing something as foolish, stupid or unimpressive. When I see it/hear it I am sometimes torn because on one hand I certainly do not condone the use of a word that is derogatory to a certain group. I also find myself, as an English major, thinking about etymology and the continual morphing and re-shaping that words undergo. I would even venture to say that most people are not even thinking of the negative connotations when they call something gay that they deem as stupid. They are not looking to marginalize or belittle people, but are in fact just using a word that has been given the stamp of approval by society. They do not understand, as they have not yet encountered resistance, that this word may actually hurt/anger some. They do not realize that they are in fact carrying a loaded gun.

Before you all run at me with pitchforks and torches, allow me to use an example and then make my point (real names and identities are hidden for privacy purposes):

Very recently, I was online, hanging out with a guild and some friends on a lowbie toon. Suddenly, a comment is thrown out into guild chat “Man, trade chat is gay today”. Of course they did not mean that trade chat was merry, showy or homosexual. When it was brought to my attention by a friend (as I like to have 6 whisper tabs open as well and I pop in and out of them), the person who had said it had already logged off for the night. I decided that it would be best to talk to him/her one-on-one rather than call them out the next time I was online.

That was quickly shattered. My friend went to different social media sites and posted about this guild being intolerant in allowing words to be used in an offensive way. This went on and on and on. But what was really done to help the situation? Absolutely nothing. It just ended up being a rant that riled some people up rather than an actual solution to the problem.

I talked to the person the next day about the appropriate use of the word gay. He was in shock. Turns out that he is from Puerto Rico and English is in fact his second language. Much of his English has been picked up from television, movies and what people say in trade chat and instance chat. He was very upset that he made someone feel unwelcome in the guild and vowed to never use that word in that way again.

My point: Words change. Definitions change. Sometimes for the good, and sometimes for the bad. What we need to start doing is educating people about appropriate use of words, as many people do not understand the effect they can actually have. We live in such a ME society, that most do not comprehend that their words and actions actually affect those around them. Sure, we can rant and rave, foaming at the mouth and spew hatred towards society. Or, we can actually do something to try and cause another shift. Truth is, if enough people address their discomfort or dislike in the certain use of a word in a positive way, then more and more people will come around and realize the negative impact the word has.

Sadly, I see more of the ranting and raving in place of positive action which is just perpetuating the negativity on which some seem to thrive.

I strongly believe in a positive ripple effect. People just need to stop crying and whining and demanding that things change on their own instead of trying to create change themselves.

Until next time…

Less QQ, more pew pew!

The Power of a Guild

by

0

I talk about guilds an awful lot- I realize this. I have heard a lot of talk lately about people who want to get rid of guilds and be able to cross realm raid and all that jazz. But I still believe that it is such an important part of this game. Yes, I have met many friends through various other means on other realms, but when you find a guild that fits you and shares your outcomes and beliefs in the game, it can be the most beautiful experience in the world.

I have been in and out of many guilds since my triumphant return to the game. I have been in the big raiding guild, social guilds and even the smaller tight-knit guilds. I have left some because I was looking for something else, I have left some due to more negative causes. It takes a long time to find yourself a guild that just meshes. I am fortunate to have found that where I currently am. We are much more like a family than anything else. I am willing to do a whole lot for my guildies, and they are willing to do a whole lot back for me.

A specific example that I am thinking of is something that just happened recently. A guild member was going through a rather rough time financially, and his account time ran out. He didn’t have the means at the time to get another subscription. And what was he worried about? Missing our raid date… Bless his heart. Some of us caught wind of his situation and  a plan was set in motion! I managed to convince him to give me his e mail address, while another guild member purchased some game time. The game time was gifted to him, and he was speechless (odd for this guy- he likes to talk… A LOT). I know this gesture doesn’t seem like much, but this meant the world to him. This is the example of the power of a guild. Coming together when others need us because they would do the very same for us.

Another reason I would like to give my guild a round of applause is our patience. We have many players who do not have a lot of raid experience, and rather than turning them away, we work with them. We all started somewhere, didn’t we? This is what more guild need to focus on- helping people with gemming and enchanting and rotations. It is a lot of information all at once and can be one of the most overwhelming things and biggest turn-offs in the game. We need to start embracing everyone, rather than turning people away because they don’t share the same in-game background that we do.

I would rather wipe all night and be surrounded by friends than be trolled in raid chat by my own guildies. Heck…. we may never get past Elegon, but at least we have fun! :

Image

In my opinion, it is not how many bosses you have downed, or how many Challenge Mode dungeons you have won medals in. It is about the people you are surrounded by that makes all the difference.

Lastly, I need to talk about how I managed to be flying around on this beautiful phoenix:

Image

I have been trying for the Ashes of Al’ar since I returned mid-Cata. I ran it almost every week trying to get this gorgeous bird to drop. Finally, one fateful night, I went in with two other guildies (I really can’t solo it on my priest…. I are le squish). I was joking with them telling them that if it dropped they would have to pass because it was too girly for them to ride around on. So we managed to take down Kael’Thas, and by the light of Elune the damn bird dropped. I was in shock, and I didn’t quite know what to do. I asked the others what I should do and they told me to need roll because they were. BOOM! Ashes of Al’ar ended up in my bag. Wait a minute here…. those two passed! They actually passed! One of the most coveted mounts in the game and they PASSED. You know what I was told: “You wanted it. We came here so you could get it”. Naturally I almost cry like a baby over vent, not being able to stop myself from thanking them. Again… This is the power of a guild.

Thank you, Hogger Ate My Homework, for being a home full of beautiful family for me in Azeroth. I wish you all the best of luck in finding your families/place in Azeroth.

And remember- Less QQ, more pew pew!

Because I Don’t Know How Else to Thank You…

by

0

Holy crap, another post already? Well, I was talking to my buddy Ghem a couple nights ago and he inspired this one.

I feel the need to write a post about the members of this community who have played a huge roll in me sticking around this time. I can never find the words when I am actually speaking to people, so I will try and type them instead. Although I am fairly certain that this will backfire as well (In retrospect- this didn’t quite work out as I planned. /facepalm)… I know I am not the easiest person to get along with, and I know that I can be so much less than warm to the people around me. These are merely defense mechanisms that have been built up over the years to keep myself safe. I am slowly trying to change these habits, open up and let people back in again…

In no particular order:

Phortank: I met Phort a couple of months after getting back in the game. The very first thing that we did together was run The Oculus. I say this because it is something that I will probably never forget. I was going for some of the meta achievements and asked my new guild if anyone would come with me, and Phort volunteered. Ever since that day we have become very close. We run things together, talk in vent all of the time, and I have even been fortunate enough to be able to meet his beautiful daughter. Phort has pretty much been my rock since I came back, and I am not so sure that he knows that. Players have come and gone, but he has been the one constant in my life since returning to Azeroth. I have laughed with him, cried with him and shared some of my favourite WoW moments with him. My love for him is so completely unconditional and I cannot imagine my life without him.

Plucker: Pluck is a relatively new name on this list. He joined my former guild less than a year ago, but he has become a very important and special person to me. We have very similar histories and share a lot of common baggage. Pluck and I have shared many late night vent conversations about some heavy subjects that I wouldn’t dream talking with others about. The best thing I like about Pluck? No matter how serious things get, he can always make me laugh. Especially when he brings up his large green sack… He even called me long distance from a casino, on his birthday, just to chat. I wish I could tell him just how much of a difference he has made to me. Given time, I know that our friendship will only grow stronger and maybe I can find the balls to tell him.

Owkono: I am not even sure where to begin with Owk. He is very much like me in that he does not like to let people in, but we have been slowly breaking each others’ walls down. He is always willing to drop what he is doing to help me out. If I need a gem, help with dailies, transmog run or even just to talk, I can count on Owkono to be there for me. We even got to go and have some cocktails when he was in my city for work. The one action that speaks volumes to me is when that nasty Message of the Day was posted about me in my former guild. Owkono not only pulled it down, but defended me despite losing the favor of the GM and other guildies. He then offered his bank guild so that we could remain together in peace. We are now running that guild together (with a raid team and everything!) and I cannot imagine doing this task with anyone else.

Kuwahara: Another one I am not sure where to start… Kuwa has basically been the love of my Warcraft life since I returned. I met him through some friends, but we didn’t really talk until we ran into each other in LFR (DS) one night. He wanted me to roll on the polearm for his druid (I was on my hunter), but instead we hit it off. Since that fateful night, a day rarely goes by that we are not in contact somehow. A text message, a phone/Skype call, even just in-game whispers. I legitimately love this man, and I know that he loves me back. He has always been there for me, and has helped me through some rough times when no one else could be found. He is another person who stands up for me whenever anything less than awesome is said about me. He has started arguments in Trade/Party/Instance chat whenever my name is even mentioned with the slightest negative connotation. And of course, has given other players a piece of his mind if they happen to bad mouth me and he hears about it. We have even talked about the possibility of things that may happen outside of Azeroth…  But until then I will remain his crazy Canadian WoW Princess…

Shambols: Shambols has now been out of the game a few months, which was not a complete surprise. But it was nevertheless devastating, as we have no other means of communication. Shambols knows more about me and my past than anyone else in my life, including my family. There have been some painful events that I just never shared with anyone else, but for some reason I felt so comfortable with Shambols and he allowed me to open up, and he did in return. There were some days that we couldn’t catch each other online, so we would send letters via in-game mail just to say hey. I actually kept copies of a few of them so that I am able to look back and smile. I miss Shambols more than he will probably ever know.

Legionarii: Legion is one of my favourite people on earth, and another one who has been out of the game for a while now. We still keep in contact through text messages and his random trolling of my vent. Legion and I met on Twitter and we became close friends very quickly. There even came a time when he transferred his main to my realm and joined my guild. No matter what kind of day I am having, Legion can make me smile. He is such an amazing person and cares so deeply about making others smile and laugh; sometimes completely forgetting about himself. His selflessness is astounding, and I will miss his company until the day he returns. Until then I will always have “Chhaaaaiiiiin liiiiightnin’!!!!!!”. :)  

Ghemit: Not that Ghem needs an introduction, but I will give you some history. I was one of Ghem’s first-ish Twitter followers and he followed me back. We started talking and finally added each other to realid because there was this instant connection between us. Ghem is now one of my best friends in the entire world. I know that no matter what I can always text or call him and he knows that he can do the same. He has been there when no one else bothered to care. He is the strongest, sweetest and most genuine person that I have ever met and is an amazing friend. I feel so lucky and blessed that I met Ghem and I have come to believe that our meeting was not just a coincidence, but fate. It was written in the stars that we were to find each other. I love Ghem, I will always love Ghem and he is a large portion of my world and that is how I would like it to stay.

Feelings are hard. I hope to one day actually thank the above mentioned with spoken words rather than hiding behind written ones. I just need them to know that I think about them everyday and without them, I am not sure that I would have the strength to get up some days.

Thank you, again, to this beautiful community. I am thankful of everyone who has touched my life and made me a better person. I will continue working on myself, so don’t give up on me yet! Much, MUCH love goes out to you all.

Wish They All Could be Geek and Gamer Girls

by

4

Gamer Girl. Geek Girl. Girl Geek? If you know me, you also know that I hate the fact that people insist on putting the word “girl” as a qualifier. Why are male gamers referred to as simply “gamers”, but I require a modifier? I may have breasts and a vagina, but I have often been told by many people that I have an overwhelmingly male brain (which I take to mean that I don’t see a need for petty female drama).

Now that I have finished that rant- I am going to talk about the reasons why I actually haven’t minded being a “Gamer Girl” this past little while. I am currently the only female raider on my team/the only real female presence in my guild. I have noticed that this comes with amazing advantages.

1. I never have to do anything alone. I know many people who end up doing a lot of stuff on their own because they simply can’t find anyone else who wants to do it. I put out in a broadcast/in guild chat that I need help with something- BOOM! I have six people volunteering to help. I have tested this theory out with many different and annoying tasks. No matter how menial (*coughDAILIEScough*- Even when said person has already completed those particular dailies), I always have someone to go with.

2. If I need/want something- I get it. Okay- this one makes me seem like a bad person. But I am just speaking the truth. For example- I put out in chat the other day that my bag space was getting to be minimal, and that the Royal Satchels were taking forever to make- I ended up with two in the mail. I did not ask, and I did offer a tip which was swiftly refused. Who am I to turn down a gift? I have received many companion pets (ex: Jade Owl, Sapphire Cub) including a Viscidus Globule so that I could receive the Raiding With Leashes achievement. :D

Another example of this would be need rolls. For example- If I need something that drops, like a mount or a pet (sometimes even gear!), people tend NOT to roll against me if I say that I want it. Now, I am not saying that this is all players, just most.

3. No one messes with me without consequence. Anytime that I am threatened or someone is “mean” to me, I have a bunch of guys who come to my rescue and stand up for me. It is almost like I have my own set of personal bodyguards who protect me from anything bad/evil. Take my recent guild drama- One guildie stood up for me when nasty things were posted in the Message of the Day. And subsequently admitted to me that he would not have done so had it been anyone else, as he would not have cared as much.

There were also a few cases in which my old GM tried to message some of my current guildies, calling me not so nice names and a liar. In every case- the player told me and stood up for me against the old GM.

To top it off- I had several friends, not in any guild I have been in, talk to my old GM about how she treated me with such disrespect. It was not trolling, but they were also probably not very nice since my old GM did hurt “their Dae”. I really do enjoy the fact that so many people do hop to my rescue when needed. And I would have to say that this is in part because I am female, but also because I have proven myself to be a kind, respectful and honest player in this game- qualities seemingly hard to findrecently.

Okay- I realize that this post makes me seem like a horrible human being. I am not trying to be. I still do an awful lot on my own, and do manage to get the things that I need on my own. Everyone needs a little help sometimes. I also am very willing to help people in return, and I do.

I am just highlighting a point that it is a tad bit easier to be a “Gamer Girl” because the fact remains that these boys/men ARE more willing to help me out than others; which happens to be because I am a female. I am not trying to exploit this fact, but who am I to turn down someone’s kindness? Especially when I return it when I can.

Until next time- Keep calm and Warcraft on!

The Young and the Guildless

by

1

Guild drama. Everyone who has been fortunate enough to be a part of a small-ish, tight-knit guild knows exactly what I am talking about (it doesn’t seem as prevalent in the bigger guilds).

Names have been changed to protect the identities of any characters/people/guilds involved (with the exception of any mention of current guild). Just because I was publicly called out, does not mean that I would ever do that to others. Here is how the story goes:

My former GM, who we shall call Sue for this post, was away for a period of time taking care of family business. I, as co-GM, was left in charge of the guild. I was always the planner anyway, as Sue did not feel comfortable enough in her class to come along on any sort of guild run.

As Sue was away, I obviously got to know my guildies very well. We did not manage to get progression going, but we did tons of heroics/LFR runs/scenarios together. Not to mention we were in vent together all the time.

Sue recently returned and we decided that it was time for real progression to happen. She promoted one of her old friends, who we shall call Ray, as raid lead. This seemed like a good idea because he is a super knowledgeable and proficient player.

Ray’s main and all other toons were in a different guild, so many players did not know him at all. This was fine, as the officers agreed that he would be a good choice. Barely knowing anyone, Ray decided that it would be a good idea to brag in guild chat about how easy it is to get gear and how his crits hit for 780 million (not an accurate number- I am merely exaggerating for dramatic effect). This was off-putting to some members. In confidence they let me know that this was making them feel inadequate, as Ray was coming off as an elitist. I assured them that this was not the case, but the damage was already done.

The next day, Ray posted 3 raid runs on the calendar for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. His intention was to see what day of the week worked for raiders, but this was unclear. Most people assumed that you had to be available all three days, and they could not make it every evening. Other than myself, no one signed up. Before I could explain this to them, the runs were erased from the calendar.

I brought these events to Sue’s attention. I let her know about the uneasiness with Ray’s comments as well as the confusion with the calendar. She flipped. Apparently I was brain-washing the rest of the guild to not trust her decisions. Yes, because I have nothing better to do with my time than that… She told me she wanted to have nothing to do with the raid team. Fine.

I put a run on the calendar for Saturday. I then told the raiders that they needed to be there. Boom. Eight members signed up with no issue.

My “disgraceful” action of getting members to sign-up for a guild run caused Ray’s feelings to be hurt resulting in a /gquit. Of course, this was also blamed on me.

So Sue decided that it would be a good idea to put an ex-boyfriend of mine in charge of the raid team. We shall call him Fuckface (no bitterness here). She knew that there were major problems between us considering that he is a crazy, jealous, possessive human being. I made the mistake of talking to Fuckface and telling him that I was no longer listening to Sue in regard to the raid team, as she seemed to be making silly choices.

That Saturday we went through with the Mogu’Shan Vaults run. We made it through the Stone Guard and almost through Feng. We figured that this was a pretty successful run considering this was the first time that we had ever run together and we had a couple PUGs with us.

The next day, some guildies were greeted with a Message of the Day that named me as the creator of all the drama in the guild. I was also demoted to member so that I could not remove it. My good friend, Owkono, took it down and explained to Sue that she cannot let people in the guild see things like that. Sue had also sent me a screenshot that Fuckface had taken showing the one sentence where I said I was no longer listening to her and that the raid team will continue to raid with her or without her. I notice that Fuckface completely left out the part where I explained that I loved Sue to pieces and I want nothing but for our guild to be successful…

When I logged on that day, Owkono explained to me what happened and told me that we need to leave. He offered up his level 5 bank guild. We agreed that as soon as he came back online that night, we would transfer our toons over there.

When Okwono logged on that evening, we made our move. Sue was not online, so I sent her a message describing what was happening and why. And with a few keystrokes myself and my warrior man were free.

Of course, since I knew my fellow guildies well, the whispers poured in: “WTF?!?!?”, “Where are you going?”, I even received a “LONG LIVE DAE!”. Once they knew that I was headed to a new guild along with Owkono, the numbers were reduced from 85 down to 43 in mere minutes. Toons flew out of the guild and came to join us in the new one.

Knowing that I would be the sole guild member blamed for this “mass /gquit”, I was forced to /ignore Sue, Ray and Fuckface, as I don’t need any more unnecessary stress in my life.

The thing that troubles me? This situation was completely avoidable. I was told that I was the “drama queen bitch” in this situation. I agree that maybe I did not act the best that I could have. But the fact remains that I did not drag anyone’s name through the mud in a feeble attempt to earn respect. To quote a fellow guild convert: “The fact that so many people migrated speaks volumes”.

The sad thing is, had Sue NOT posted the disparaging comments in the Message of the Day, she would have retained most of the players who came over to the new guild. She lost the respect of the guildies all on her own, and is choosing to blame this on me. Go ahead. I still have my integrity and the respect of a whole lot of people.

YOUR loss, Sue.

Disc Priests are soooo OP!!

by

0

Whatever. I am a little bit tired of hearing this.

Before I begin I should give you some background: I usually go into LFR as Holy, due to the increased AoE healing. But I was bored and I decided to go as Discipline this time, just for fun. I went into MSV with two buddies (so my experiment had witnesses), and was testing how viable healing using atonement would be. Turns out it is pretty freaking amazing. Paired with a strategic use of spirit shell it was the best time I have had in LFR this expansion.

I’m not going to lie, I love smite healing. I have been doing it in heroics a long time now, and it has never failed me. There is something very satisfying about being able to pew pew bad guys while you are healing.

The reason I bring this up is because, in typical LFR fashion, players were trolling each other rather than offering constructive criticism in order to actually beat a boss. And, as usual, the healers were taking the brunt of the rude comments. It went something like this:

Tank: “It’s like we are 3-healing this, are you sleeping healers?”

Pally Healer: “I can’t heal with no mana! It’s no fair because Priests and Monks are OP!”

DPS: “WTF. Pally heals are insane.”

And so on and so forth. It went on like this for a good 10 minutes before we decided to start the boss again. I never really comment in LFR anymore, unless someone directs a comment to me or the group needs to be directed to do something (like heal and dispel Tsulong… wow…). It’s just a waste of the energy I would use typing.

Now to my point: I do not really believe that any class has a significant advantage over any other. In my opinion it depends on your ability to read a situation, and YOUR knowledge of your talents, spells etc. I have been told on EVERY toon I play that my class is OP, which is why I “do well”.

So let’s see- I have an OP Priest, Druid, Hunter and Mage. My best friend has an OP Warlock. Another good friend’s Monk and Death Knight are OP. My guild contains an OP Warrior, Shaman and Paladin. Holy shit! Every class in the game is OP!  Except for Rogues… I haven’t heard anything good about Rogues. Maybe because no one actually plays them.

If you truly understand your class’ strengths and limitations you too can be “OP” in this game. I think that players need to simmer down and reevaluate their own knowledge of their class before they blame it on others having an advantage. Chances are, if you read and practice, you will find that you can keep up with those of us who are falsely labelled “OP”. We just take the time to truly understand our classes.

Until next time- Keep calm and heal on! :)

Grumble. Feelings.

by

1

I have not posted in a while. I have been sick and I have been CRAZY BUSY at work lately. Hopefully I can update more now that things have settled and I am finally starting to feel better. :)  

This is a game, right? No. It is so much more than that. Sometimes it just takes someone leaving to realize that again.

I have made so many good, better and best friends playing this so-called game. I have fallen in love playing this so-called game, and subsequently have had my heart broken as a result. Then I move on, make more friends and fall in love all over again- but I will save that for another time.

I will be talking specifically about friendships forged through computer screens, as many people ask me: “How can you call [insert name here] a friend? You have never even met them in person.”. That’s an easy one. I spend an awful lot of time with [insert name here]. We quest together. We raid together. We are in vent every night together. We are guildies. It seems like such a simple concept to me. No, I have not “met” this person, but I know everything about them. And they know everything about me because they have actually taken the time to ask me about my day, my job, my life. We spend time (almost) everyday just talking. Not about the game, but about ourselves. They bend over backwards for me, and I for them. They help me out in times of need or crisis, and I come to their aid when necessary. That’s why I consider them friends. In fact- isn’t that the very definition of a friend?

Besides, I have met some people I found in-game in real life. About a month ago, a tank that I have been running with for over a year now was on a job in my city (he lives about 4 hours from me). We decided to meet for dinner and drinks. Many of my “real life” friends told me that it would be weird because I had never met him prior to this. It was not. In fact we hit it off right away- it was as if we had known each other for a long time. Wait a second… we HAVE. Despite the fact that we had never met face-to-face before we still managed to have a great time as two FRIENDS on a night out. So there.

Now to what inspired me to right this post. I have had a guildie and good friend decide to take an extended break from the game. At first, I didn’t think that this would bother me because I have many people who I am able to spend time with in game. Wow, was I wrong. By the second day of seeing him offline, I got really sad. I did not realize how much we talked until he was not there. It sucks, to say the very least. I have all the faith in the world that he will return to Azeroth one day, but until then there is an empty spot that he used to fill.

So I hope that people stop telling me that you cannot make friends in a game. If you are playing this “game” properly, you should be making friends. That is the reason I keep coming back for more. If I wanted to play a single-player game, I would. The reason World of Warcraft has passed the test of time and remained ridiculously popular can only be accredited to the wonderful community of people who play. I have never met a group of more passionate, intelligent and tolerant people in one place before (once you subtract the trolls- those people exist everywhere…).

So thank you WoW for introducing me to some of the greatest people (NOT toons) I have ever had the pleasure of meeting anywhere. <3