let the storm rage on

And part three of Jousting With Maligo! (Parts I and II, in case you're curious.) Here we go:

[Zone] Lerissa Fiendline@Zorkubou: I view religion more like masturbation. You shouldn't do it in public or in front of children.
[Zone] Eudaimon@Mereologist: Well, Maligo, you're going to have to wait. Though you seem to have a rather bloodthirsty attitude.
[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: True point, I will say though, it has turned into some interesting convos, both spiritual and science, when I try to explain my beliefs XD
[Zone] Daelan Red Tiger@Ethrendur: I don't get this event. This fishing is lame. It isn't fawn at all.

*groans at even more fawn puns* Though I agree about how painful fishing was during the festival. If there's one mini-game from Neverwinter I never want to see again? That's the one.

[Zone] Nachtblitz@bubba2strokes: I'm mostly agnostic Techition. I just don't really care. There's far more inportant things to deal with in life. ;)
[Zone] Eudaimon@Mereologist: After describing my beliefs at length, I've had atheists tell me I'm an atheist and theists tell me I'm a theist. I just am what I am. No big deal. :p
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: nothing is special about being athiest
[Zone] Christa Shadowbane@mrgraveshadow: Mother is the name of God to there children

I believe Christa was thinking of this moment from The Crow, but it's still a small, pertinent point in this entire debacle. On one side of things, we have the embittered rejectors of religion and all its artifacts; on another, we have Maligo, the malignant spouter of hate and violence in the name of faith. Christa makes the point that religion should be personal, and should be a token of tolerance and understanding, of care and disciplined love. I'd agree with that, overall.

[Zone] Daisy@polofiesta11: what we should be focusing on is contributing to the human race
[Zone] Nachtblitz@bubba2strokes: Yah, I really don't understand why people make sure a big deal about it.
[Zone] Tegar@rhomwithaview: I'm apatheist. I don't care. It has no effect on me.

I admit, while I consider myself firmly in the theist camp, I like this.

[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: if u think ur special than ur as bad as chistians
[Zone] Orcus@owlbearsrule: secular humanism FTW
[Zone] Lerissa Fiendline@Zorkubou: Funny thing is a few years back around here if you described agnosticism people would call it satanism.
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: god hates you people

SHUT. UP. MALIGO.

[Zone] Daisy@polofiesta11: CONTRADICTION god hates ppl??
[Zone] Daisy@polofiesta11: thought he was loving and forgiving
[Zone] Sven@nhlong95: dont be so butthurt Maligo Libens

At this point I admit, the name struck me anew. I knew the structure, so I looked it up. It is, as suspected, Latin, and stands for "I do evil with pleasure" or "I do evil willingly". So yet again, we have somone whose chosen name represents gleeful malignancy; why, exactly, is this yahoo preaching to us??

[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: lets discuss religion like our opinions matterr :D
[Zone] Eudaimon@Mereologist: Depends on which god you're talking about. That's why you always have to be clear about these things. Some gods get upset pretty easily. :p
[Zone] Tegar@rhomwithaview: I worship the space wizards that power the cloud
[Zone] Skyly@mvffin1: flying spaghetti monster

All hail his noodly appendages.

[Zone] Daisy@polofiesta11: believe what you want to believe, but dont try to convince me
[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: Will say one thing, it is nice to see this religion convo remain civil, don't see that often.

Well, save for Maligo...And occasionally Domino.

[Zone] Lerissa Fiendline@Zorkubou: Well from the perspective of a believer it's pretty easy to make statements about God- A: Does this sound warm and fuzzy? B: Does this sound responsible? C: Is this exactly something I heard my pastor
[Zone] Lerissa Fiendline@Zorkubou: say recently?
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: sickening

Why? All Lerissa was saying was to guard their words with a little self-control. Is this a good, responsible statement about God? Is this something the pastor of my church would say about God? Does this reveal God in a positive light to those with whom I'm speaking?

Unless you're Maligo, who's leaning on that "you're all going to Hell you filthy sinners" button awfully hard, these aren't bad questions to keep in mind when discussing any religious faith.

[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: religion's stories teach u things humans in the past suffered with

Or learned from.

[Zone] Daisy@polofiesta11: it preaches good values, but you dont need to believe in that type of god or deity to have those values
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: its a lesson to learn from and its our culture as humans
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: cant deny it
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: i cant wait till people with your isgusting deviant lifestyles are killed

That's "disgusting", and you're still a troll, Maligo.

[Zone] Daisy@polofiesta11: maligo what religion do you believe in?

I believe this was the second time the question had been asked; Maligo declined to answer both times.

[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: i cant wait till those humans which are so prude to judge others die from being lonely
[Zone] Christa Shadowbane@mrgraveshadow: the way the world is going I'm starting to think God is a pc since we all seem to need them and worship them

To be fair, "God the Machine" has been proposed before, in just about every form of media imaginable. It's not that unreasonable an idea, either, especially if you see the universe in more clockwork terms. In fact, the Freemasons' faith in God as Architect stands out here, in a similar vein (at least to me).

[Zone] Skyly@mvffin1: I can't wait till your disgusting attitude goes away after puberty
[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: I kinda look at it (Due to my belief) as everything we put forth becomes a part of the collective energy, so we best make sure the energy we create is something we want to remain for all time.
[Zone] Daisy@polofiesta11: Maligo Libens, whats your religion

An, no, this was the second time it was asked. Yet, still unanswered.

[Zone] Orcus@owlbearsrule: classic religious "I cant wait til you die, but love everything"...lol
[Zone] RetardStronk@retardstronk: @maligno Spoken like a true virgin
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: IKR? he sounds like such a prude
[Zone] Chali@jaynem: Most religions "borrow" from previous ones, just change a few things and call it "New"
[Zone] Skyly@mvffin1: I should make my own religion. That's where the money is.
[Zone] Nachtblitz@bubba2strokes: With blackjack and hookers!
[Zone] Nachtblitz@bubba2strokes: In fact, forget the religion.

*snerks* So just the blackjack and hookers, then?

[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: disgusting. at my church, we would take you into the back room and beat you
[Zone] Nachtblitz@bubba2strokes: Church of Jesus Christ of battered day saints.
[Zone] Skyly@mvffin1: your church sounds more like a cult
[Zone] Beelzebuck@beelzebuck666: youre part of the plague Maligo.. not the way
[Zone] Aryanna Trefonnen@yaszmina: church beatings? sounds like that's not a church i'd want to attend

Weirdly, Maligo's starting to sound like he's part of Westboro Baptist.

[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: your deviant lifestyles are sick. you are the same as murderers and rapists.
[Zone] Lerissa Fiendline@Zorkubou: Right back at you Maligo.

Seriously. And what, exactly, are our "deviant lifestyles"? Maligo's not defining that term. I wish he'd stop flinging it about, but as previously established...Maligo's extraordinarily prejudiced and closed-minded.

Whatever our "deviant lifestyles" are--and, as demonstrated by this section of the conversation, there's been little open talk of homosexuality/bisexuality/lesbianism, but much conversation about Zionists, open minds, and multiple forms of faith...apparently these qualities are enough to equate us to people who kill and rape. Good going, Maligo--piss off everyone in main chat, why don't you?

[Zone] RetardStronk@retardstronk: maligo every time you talk you kill my brain cells... plz stop
[Zone] Kittens@gnuggly2: he cant be serious
[Zone] Nachtblitz@bubba2strokes: You haven't put him on ignore yet?
[Zone] Aryanna Trefonnen@yaszmina: Such anger...you need anger management
[Zone] Skyly@mvffin1: not sure if troll or complete moron

Maligo can't be both?

[Zone] Jesus H. Christ@AeturnusMadidus: Can't we all just get along?

Oh, the irony.

[Zone] Aryanna Trefonnen@yaszmina: I'm opting for the complete moron, Skyly
[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: I'm betting complete moron Skyly. . .I've heard some of the bible thumpers in person and some sound like that.
[Zone] Winothor@winothorslice: The universe was created HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO by GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.
[Zone] Gideon@thefretman: I don't care what you all believe, but you who just make up total lies and nonsense because you don't like religion are just sad.
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: god tests all of us. you need to make the choice to follow his light. its like the gays, chose to be straight. follow gods laws because hell is worse than any jail

And I say again: Shut the hell up, Maligo. Oh, and remember my comment above? While there had been no direct references to gay ideals, here Maligo is, bringing it up. So now those who hold tolerance for other religions, believers in the Great Zionist Conspiracy (whatever that is), other Christians, gamblers, patrons of buyable beauties--in addition to everyone who finds it diverting and fun to play an online fantasy game--hold the same value as murderers and rapists, and we all deserve to go to hell. Conflation, thy name is Maligo Libens.

[Zone] Aryanna Trefonnen@yaszmina: Gotta love people who think they can speak for God.
[Zone] Aryanna Trefonnen@yaszmina: If you respect God so much, Maligo, who don't you capitalize His name?

GOOD POINT.

[Zone] Irrdra Myduis@Ereldina: You DO realise that wearing any clothing made of MIXED TEXTILES OR SYNTHETIC CLOTH IS A SIN TOO...
[Zone] Irrdra Myduis@Ereldina: It is the SAME !$***%$%*!^(# CHAPTER
[Zone] Neomiel Nightbane@Neo-Gabi: And shellfish. Shellfish is a sin.
[Zone] Irrdra Myduis@Ereldina: So before you start quoting the bible, check your closet

Beautifully put, everyone. And accurate, also.

[Zone] Gideon@thefretman: Most of you should really just not talk about serious subjects till you grow the hell up.

Another decent point.

[Zone] Nachtblitz@bubba2strokes: If you can't make fun of a subject you don't deserve to discuss it seriously.
[Zone] Skyly@mvffin1: There's a metric $^(* ton of things in the bible that people fail to mention because they don't want to follow it.
[Zone] Orcus@owlbearsrule: but gays are bad, mmm'kay?
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: he says they should be put to death unless they chose to be normal

No. God. Does. Not. You. Stunted. TROLL.

[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: i beleive anyone who is bothered by homosexuals are just jelly
[Zone] Tegar@rhomwithaview: the true secret to living a content life is not giving a %()@ what others think
[Zone] Lysahria Aleandlues@nafrelbug: Sesquipedalianism is the verbal shield of pussilanimous eremites, hence we must eschew esoteric obfuscation and, thereby, obviate our opprobrium.
[Zone] Valna@Ereldina: Well, you're suppose to be stoned to death if you wear mixed textiles Maligo, so ....
[Zone] Valna@Ereldina: Before you start quoting your book at me, you better be following the rest of the teachings not just picking and choosing.
[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: Know what I do love though? Christians who don't take themselves too serious and will talk religion without jamming it down your throat. Wanna hug those types.
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: so ur saying u want to be tortured for eternity?

Wau, you're really obsessing on this hell thing. Which, by the way, didn't exist until around the sixth century, anyway, and was a far later revision to the Bible; before that, all concepts of Hell from Judaic or Christian faiths were intended to indicate temporary places of suffering or obviation.

[Zone] Thundermoose@thundermoose54: I was raised "christian" and my boss is Muslim...we discuss the differences and similarities quite often. there are more similarities than most people are willing to realize
[Zone] Herja Brandr-Moer@forgeleader: I love how he doesn't actually address all of the parts he doesn't live up to.
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: just sickening,
[Zone] Herja Brandr-Moer@forgeleader: Yes, you are just sickening, hypocrite.

*points up at that one* And yet, for all this he's called this chat and the people in it "sickening" and "disgusting", and told all of us we should be beaten to death...he's still reading along. Hypocritical, indeed.

[Zone] Kittens@gnuggly2: faith can be a wonderful thing, but a good sense of logic is required
[Zone] Skyly@mvffin1: Things I hate: 1.Haters. 2.Hypocrites. 3.Lists
[Zone] Soulenai@firerose77: why would you hate lists :( they are so helpful
[Zone] Orcus@owlbearsrule: in that order?
[Zone] Erdanen Wolfsbane@seromac: you forgot Irony
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: you people shouldnt be here. children shouldnt be exposed to witchcraft.

WHY ARE YOU PLAYING THIS GAME, MALIGO?!? THIS IS A GAME BASED ON DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS. WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE?!?

I mean, seriously--forget the whole translation of his name thing (oh, and the fact that "Maligo Libans" is also a mini-boss--a nectromancer mini-boss--in Guild Wars, too--his whole name is just confusing as the hell he wants us all banished to.

[Zone] Kattie Pumneh@mrspuma: I believe in cute kittens. They have power. Power to make me do whatever they want me to do.
[Zone] Talia Hellbender@demonhunter919: I remember when it was preached about on a regular basis. I believe in God the Father, and I believe the Bible. What I don't subscribe to is organized religion.
[Zone] Herja Brandr-Moer@forgeleader: But is it alright if I expose myself to witchcraft? I mean, I'm already naked under this trenchcoat.
[Zone] Kierman@kulgarun: Those people who come knocking on your doors asking if you have read the Bible.. tell them Yes! It was a god story, shame he died in the end.. and watch their faces.
[Zone] Talia Hellbender@demonhunter919: If the Bible doesn't say it is a sin, then it isn't. Playing a game where you roll some dice or something like that isn't a sin.
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: any of u fools know what zionist is? zionist is the end of humanity

Domino was really starting to get on my last nerves, too.

[Zone] RetardStronk@retardstronk: thanks to maligo my last 9 braincells are holding hands an singing kumbiya
[Zone] HariNgDuga@ArchonHND: I remember one time I asked God for a Train; never came - But Santa delivered. Just took a while
[Zone] Herja Brandr-Moer@forgeleader: Have YOU been touched by His Noodly Appendage?
[Zone] Orcus@owlbearsrule: the problem with mosst-if not all-religion is that theyre all fatalist. they exist for the end times and forget the current times.
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: let god in

Why, because YOU say so?

[Zone] Tegar@rhomwithaview: those doorknockers, tell them you're a catholic. they don't like to tangle with cults bigger than their own
[Zone] Talia Hellbender@demonhunter919: If you actually read the Bible, it doesn't tell us to judge each other. In fact it says "Judge not lest ye be judged" God said the greatest commandment is "Love your neighbor as yourself."
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: most of u dont even kno what zionist is
[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: Last time I opened the door with a bloodstain apron and bloody butcher knife and asked them if they wanted to join me for the sacrifice (I was actually cooking pork ribs) they haven't come by again.
[Zone] Herja Brandr-Moer@forgeleader: I have SEEN the One True Collander!
[Zone] Herja Brandr-Moer@forgeleader: Can I get a Ramen, my brothers and siters?!
[Zone] Orcus@owlbearsrule: if you actually read the bible it tells you to beat your kids...remmeber that part?
[Zone] Kierman@kulgarun: Dom... most people don't care. Same as most peopple don't know there are 30k denominations of Christianity

If not more.

[Zone] Nachtblitz@bubba2strokes: I recall a time when my mother answered the door for some mormons while dressed in full ritual garb. She was a wiccan at the time.
[Zone] Nachtblitz@bubba2strokes: They just kind of apologized and left.
[Zone] HariNgDuga@ArchonHND: Much like Parents, God may be good... but he's got a lot of kids who are (!(#!.
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: its just ignorance because those who are zionist are winning
[Zone] Talia Hellbender@demonhunter919: That was the old testament as well. And yes I remember that part, my father was a preacher and he believed that fully. I have ADHD and tested his faith regularly.
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: god teaches us to love fellow christians. he teaches to put certain others to death.
[Zone] Lysahria Aleandlues@nafrelbug: must. not. get sucked in.. to retarded conversation.
[Zone] Kierman@kulgarun: sighs.. general chats in MMO's .. where you meet the wackiest of nutcases
Generally, yes. Haven't found one yet where there isn't at least one standout for conspiracy theory belief, religious fundamentalism, or general dogmatic sexism or rank homophobia.

Lucky for us Neverwinter players, there seems to be many of them, reaching out to spread their hatred and vile misinformation, interspersed with thousands and thousands of gold spammers. Oh joy.

[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: isreal is zionist, usa congress majority are zionist. starbucks is zionist
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: shall i go on
[Zone] Kittens@gnuggly2: ok lets stop. everyone have (#!, and then smoke.....and change the subject

And the very next line of text I saw was a game notification:

[System Notify] Interaction interrupted.

Hee! And, I felt, an appropriate place to stop. I logged off soon after.

So...what did I learn from this, why did I post all this? I'm not really sure. I felt pseudo-compelled to, simply because I'd saved it, but I have dozens of saved chats, many of which I end up deleting because, weeks or months after the original incidents, they strike me as no longer relevant.

So...why this one? First, basely, Maligo pissed me off. I'm a vindictive person, though I try not to be; I hold on to slights, grudges, and hurts far longer than I should. I'm damaged; I know that, and for the most part, I'm comfortable with it.

I also obsess on small details, but still--hyper-religiosity doesn't usually go hand in hand with beliefs that one is evil--and not just evil, but joyously so. That name, combined with those sets of beliefs--beliefs which, taken literally, mean he is an active danger to me and to nearly everyone I know, on Second Life and off--confuse and unnerve me.

So...these three posts. Because I couldn't think of how deleting them in any way made sense.

it's funny how some distance makes everything seem small

And we're back with more nonsensical religious debate from an online game! (You can read the first part here.)

[Zone] Sven@nhlong95: i dont like religions in general
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: religion is a nessessary thing
[Zone] Lerissa Fiendline@Zorkubou: Judging by the local dominant religion... religion isn't very good at teaching you stuff you'd otherwise learn the hard way.
[Zone] Orcus@owlbearsrule: the only problem is that religion has so many KILL ON SIGHT fkking bs its impossible to take seriously
[Zone] Elspeth@firerose77: well, if christianity is the right relegion... isn't god supposed to love us all, no matter what? wasn't that one of the tennets?
[Zone] Lucifer@htoratsa: What? religions a necessary thing are you crazy
[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: Too many wars have been fought in the name of one religion or another. I look at it this way, if a god/s has had people kill in their name, I want nothing to do with them.
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: the idea of religion is to create serentiy
[Zone] Orcus@owlbearsrule: lose site? of what? killing in the name of? #%^) that
[Zone] Thundermoose@thundermoose54: I don't mind religions in general...I just don't like what people do in the name of religion

To abuse the pun....amen. Also, the spelling errors are killing brain parts to leave in, but that IS how things sent across the chat originally, so...

[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: serenity fool

True. I do try to hold in mind that a lot of folks are typing rushed in between battles. I try to understand, save where folks are already stomping on my nerves.

[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: god only likes christians...

Folks like Maligo Libens. Maligo, you suck.

[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: all you other people should be shot

Maligo, you suck a lot.

[Zone] Buttercup@garygetsum1: sigh, and chat looked so promising for a while.....

I know, right?

[Zone] Lerissa Fiendline@Zorkubou: Killing (&|#@ sounds like an action of love- loving genocide that is
[Zone] Maldrek@vvcephei767: the idea of religion was originally to explain that which couldn't be explained
[Zone] Elspeth@firerose77: see what I love about christianity is how much it willfuly contradicts itself :D
[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: Agreed Thundermoose! Believe what you want but don't harm or harass others about it
[Zone] Orcus@owlbearsrule: the idea of religion was control and fear
[Zone] Daisy@polofiesta11: AMA i am an atheist
[Zone] Orcus@owlbearsrule: militant athiest, ty
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: seriously. people like you dont deserve gods gifts.

I've mentioned the utter jerklife aspect of Maligo, right? The gigantic walking trollness of his every ridiculous expression?

[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: im not even religious but i can tell u guys miss the point
[Zone] Chifond@gwbukanalay: i was interested in the last talk about brain implants but now religions? -_-
[Zone] Lerissa Fiendline@Zorkubou: naaaaah, not contradictions, just... confusing things that don't make any sense because they contrad- I mean, are complicated.
[Zone] Maldrek@vvcephei767: religion is certainly used to control people, but that isn'&&!@* only use, religion is complicated
[Zone] Tegar@rhomwithaview: yeah, back to cybernetics and neuroscience!

Yeah! Because that was awesome and fun, and I wish I'd captured more of it!

[Zone] Elspeth@firerose77: I have nothing agaisnt spirituality, only against people who think they understand it best and their way is the only way
[Zone] Lucifer@htoratsa: if god exist is the worst son of (#*|@ of the universe
[Zone] Buttercup@garygetsum1: ...there are only 2 truths any of you need to know....Soylent fawn is people and Winterkill emblems cause global warming.....

Oy, more fawn puns...make it STOP......

[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: Is believing in a collective energy technically consitered religion or simple a belief? That's one thing that's always got me confused XD
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: zeitgeist is false information lol what happened to the america "merging to mexico"
[Zone] Lerissa Fiendline@Zorkubou: Sure thing Maldrek- religions also give you a nice way to have a sort of community club like you might have at a community center, except for people that wouldn't pay tax dollars to build one of those
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: !@%!&(@ retarded propoganda
[Zone] Kittens@gnuggly2: do conservative puratins pray to gosh?
[Zone] Maldrek@vvcephei767: arguing about religion is generally pointless, you either believe or you don't

Pretty much. And if you believe, and you're willing to argue (as opposed to reasonably debate), then you're either a very angry person lashing out, or you already know what you believe is the absolute truth, and you'd rather bash people with your beliefs than communicate and listen to other people.

[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: Mostly because I believe in a collective energy, not a god, but it is hell to explain that to people
[Zone] Eudaimon@Mereologist: Lumens, that's always the first thing you have to do in any serious discussion of such a nature. Sit down and define your terms. It can take quite a while.
[Zone] Nachtblitz@bubba2strokes: To be a religion, it has to be somewhat organized. What you have is a belief, Techition.
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: i cant wait till you peoepl die

I'm sure. Suck fire, Maligo. Seriously, there are better things to do with your life.

Part three soon.

why do I deny the heart that’s grown colder?

Scenes from a Chat: sexism, racism and homophobia edition. But first, this public announcement for literacy:

[Zone] Nicci Moonshadow@krimz525: books are stupid, I only read audio books anyways
[Zone] Tyranthael@devillocks: lol @ "reading" audiobooks
[Zone] Splender@yessally: how do you read an audio book stupid stfu
[Zone] Zanarkand Myrahel@ducktape016: i read e-books now

The internet generation, folks!

*coughs* We move on.

[Zone] Zanarkand Myrahel@ducktape016: don't fish in this game.
[Zone] Zanarkand Myrahel@ducktape016: that's the lesson i learned

Me too. If Neverwinter never brings back the fishing mini-game, I will be so happy.

And then, things went downhill:

[Zone] Kitten IceyRayne@avengingangel93: If I had a girl guys would never leave me alone.
[Zone] Alex'Gabriel@alexgabriel23: i heard girls are a rare myth
[Zone] Blunder Thud@drartwhodent: cheaper to rent them Alex
[Zone] Alex'Gabriel@alexgabriel23: ur right if u get boored of them u need to pass them over and try new girls!
[Zone] BustyVampSlayer@outlawz111: alex i officialy dont like you now
[Zone] Cauim@gabrielriva: the gf contract is a trap - only worth if u actually buy a girl
[Zone] Cauim@gabrielriva: who wont compalin
[Zone] Cauim@gabrielriva: ask for presents
[Zone] Cauim@gabrielriva: and makes u take her to fancy restaurant
[Zone] magiofchaos@magiofchaos: as long as she puts out who cares
[Zone] Moon@spotmeenigma: we will never know if you are a girl your self??
[Zone] Eudaimon@Mereologist: Sounds like you're looking for a &%# doll, not a femme. :p
[Zone] Nataria@lady_phoenix: Sure you can. Party with them and use voice chat.
[Zone] Carolinea@carolineas: Always makes me laugh when you say you are a girl and the first response is "Prove it".. you never fail guys ;)

Seriously. Also, welcome to casual sexism, I've seen it in every single damn game I've ever played, including multiplayer Minecraft and Team Fortress 2, where unless one downloads special skins, there are no female models...

[Zone] Bruce@aussiedoug: I could say I'm a girl, then get my wife on the mic...
[Zone] magiofchaos@magiofchaos: keep in mind... alot of the boys here have been fooled buy other boys into a suto #^&/| relationship

I think they mean "pseudo", but as I have my profanity filters on in Neverwinter, no idea what the second term was.

[Zone] Nataria@lady_phoenix: i could say i'm a woman and then get my Husband on the mic to freak people out. (He has a deep, booming voice.)
[Zone] Moon@spotmeenigma: well iam not after girls iam after a women

Good luck with that, Moon. Write when you find one willing to put up with you.

[Zone] magiofchaos@magiofchaos: hard for that to happen when your actually with someone who lives in your home :)

Did I mention I really don't like magicofchaos? Not only that, but that is only an impediment if you're in a monogamous relationship--and if you're in a monogamous relationship, and you're complaining, then obviously your fix is to talk to your partner and communicate, not bitch that you're not getting enough in a game.

[Zone] Dzaileen@dzaileen: Dibbuk, you don't have to prove anything. Most guys just refuse that some girls can be playing mmo.

Unfortunately true.

[Zone] Cauim@gabrielriva: moon woman are way more expensive
[Zone] Cauim@gabrielriva: u should look for a girl

Starting not to like Cauim much, either.

[Zone] Kitten IceyRayne@avengingangel93: I'm a woman playing an MMO, who cares?
[Zone] Dzaileen@dzaileen: And they only have two cliche´s: either we are top model, either we are obese... i'ts just ..the way it is.
[Zone] Gwendle@celticvengence: I always just pretend people are what their characters are, not like I'm going to get with them in r/l anyway
[Zone] Azzukar@sporkwrangler: i paid my gf to fish for me last night xD
[Zone] Cauim@gabrielriva: its like a free slave
[Zone] Carolinea@carolineas: I know many girls playing mmo's actually, and all of them are normal (in their special way hehe)
[Zone] Cauim@gabrielriva: what do u call normal?
[Zone] Cauim@gabrielriva: a girl with a pee pee, is normal for u?

Cauim, two things. First, if you're talking transsexual women, that's called a birth defect, you imbecile. Second, how old are you? You're after a date--online, no less--and you can't come out and simply say "penis"? Why the hell not??

[Zone] Eudaimon@Mereologist: Why wouldn't a femme like to play games? I always think it's strange when someone says it's unpossible.
[Zone] Cauim@gabrielriva: im just asking to see her boundaries lol...

What "boundaries" could you possibly be establishing by comparing all women to slaves, and all female gamers to "girls with pee pees", to use your parlance? That your potential date pool must have zero self respect, and possible the same level of intelligence? These are good qualities for you?

Admittedly, my conversation drifted at that point--understand, this entire conversation occurred back when the Winter Festival in Neverwinter was still ongoing--and when I came back, the conversation had shifted from emotional impairments and sexism to vision and--strangely--religion:

[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: I can hear a lot of things most don't, but I normally blame it on my vision being so bad thus my hearing trying to compensate
[Zone] Anub'arak@strollingtroll: lumen, try going to an eye specialist
[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: Did Anub'arak, nothing they can do, genetic issue, I'll end up totally blind in a few years sadly
[Zone] Nachtblitz@bubba2strokes: On the plus side, cybernetic eyes are a real possibility now.
[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: But hey, Imma use the hell out my remaining vision til that point
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: god probly thought u deserved to be blind

The hell, Maligo.

[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: Some say "Oh it must be awful only seeing three feet!" I tell them that's what life hit me with and I'm gonna find a way
[Zone] Nacht@erithedark: god probably thought u deserved to be healed from the blindeness, else he wouldnt have given the possibility to heal it
[Zone] Lucifess@luciferuk666: there is no god u (^$^
[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: I will say one thing though, as my vision has started to fade I have rediscovered so much in this world that was right there the whole time but I never paid mind to.
[Zone] Lucifess@luciferuk666: THE BIBLE AND ITS VARIANTS WERE WRITTEN TO CONTROL PEOPLE AND COMMAND ARMIES. THERE IS NO GOD.

Yes, yes, you're a broken record already. Lucifess is one more comment from joining my ignore list.

[Zone] Orcus@owlbearsrule: there is no god. only man,

...and? No god, only man, comma, and...what else? WHAT ELSE?!?

[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: aaan thats why god HATES you people
[Zone] Kittens@gnuggly2: your just mad, cuz its a girl
[Zone] Lerissa Fiendline@Zorkubou: Of course Lucifess, everyone knows that. You're just trying to get attention.
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: freedom of choice let those believe what they wish lawl
[Zone] Elspeth@firerose77: which god though? christian god, one of the pagan gods?
[Zone] Elspeth@firerose77: I mean, you have to be specific here

*snickers* To be fair...

[Zone] Christa Shadowbane@mrgraveshadow: to some the Bibles is God so in one way yes there is a God
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: part of being "awake" is respecting others choices and lives
[Zone] Eudaimon@Mereologist: Brains are weird. :p
[Zone] Techition Lumens@TechitionCatalyst: XD Or one of the collective energies which is a god but not. . .soooo many variables
[Zone] Lerissa Fiendline@Zorkubou: Depends on what you mean by respect
[Zone] Domino@zappawomp: religion is there to teach u things u might learn the hardway
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: christianty is the right religion. i cant beleive them muslims and jews

Reading back over this, I may well put Maligo on my ignore list, too, just for saying that.

[Zone] Tegar@rhomwithaview: brains are REALLY weird and the way we use them is even weirder
[Zone] Maligo Libens@goldnugget1: kill em all i say

What, everyone who doesn't believe the same bigoted, shortsighted way you do? Be an awfully barren world at that point, Maligo.

More coming soon.

while the merry bells keep ringing

The best prosthetics on the planet are made by Sophie de Oliveira Barata. If you want to know why, read the article. It has pretty, pretty pictures.

So why are the volunteer Reddit moderators banning actual news sources, but keeping blogs that quote their work? That seems...inconsistent, at best and disingenuous at worst.

[Zone] Evangalyne@kayteeann: where do you go for companions?
[Zone] Jermama Zafati@jasonf247: a nice bar, or perhaps a coffee shop
[Zone] Evangalyne@kayteeann: Thanks Jermama

Perhaps not the answer Evangalyne was seeking, but amusing nonetheless.

And there's a new "men only" game:



I'm fairly sure this is the same company behind the others, and to add insult to injury, they've appropriated Clyde Caldwell's art to do it. In specific, a very well-known piece called "The Sea Fox".

In researching more about the topic, too, I found this. It's a short enough article, and relevant, but what really interested me is in the comments. R2 Games is not only gleefully defying the ESRB (and really, who's surprised?), but is pulling from an insanely vast image pool of images for other games--including other Chinese MMORPGs, which has got to be a potential nightmare for them.

Or maybe Chinese gaming companies really don't care, figuring "if it's on the net, it's free"...like a lot of other netizens.

And, while I normally try to avoid politics on this blog, if you live in the US, this is a necessary article to read.

So I gave up on major aesthetic changes for the blog, and just went back to brown. But it's brown with a slight holiday theme! And it's more readable now! That counts, right? ...Right?

Bah. And likely humbug. In the meantime, more Advents!

FallnAngel Designs has their Advent Countdown Tree up! They also have a Lucky Advent board (click the board, it'll give you the day's letter; if it's not yours, check back the next day or find someone whose name starts with that letter and test your luck) and a Lucky Santa (it's like any lucky chair, only you sit on Santa's lap), as well as (and this is my personal favorite) a Lucky Holiday Gift Tree. Now, the only downside to standing next to a tree with six different presents to watch is that they're all set on sixty minutes per box. But with friends helping, or even asking (politely) in the Falln group, you might end up with all six quicker than you think!

The Cookie Jar store--or Aileen's Shabby Chic, I keep forgetting which it is, but it's the same place nonetheless--has an Advent out this year. No hunting or finding the right day--just touch the calendar, get that day's gift. Simple!

The "Artistry by 'E'" store also has an Advent tree; click the front present if you're not in the group, click the front present and the Advent calendar board if you are.

And more when I find them!

I don't think I can take the way you make me out to be

So let's corral everything I've written so far on the topic:

Part I, wherein I take on Dirk Manning, and several thuggish, anonymous commenting on a reference article;
Part II, featuring more thuggish, anonymous encounters with netbound idiots;
Part III, a tentative mention of Tony Harris (which I'd entirely forgotten about), followed by more anonymous idiocy;
Part IV, wherein Tony Harris comes ragingly into play, I entirely forget I've quoted that section before on the blog, and some really pretty pictures.

So we continue with the tear-down, already in progress.

Let's go back to his oft-repeated assertion that the rampaging hordes of "fake" geek girls are pathetic beyond all reason, but only slightly more pathetic than geek guys. What he's really saying is deeply underhanded, and more than a little cruel: that the prevalence of "fake" hot girls (supposedly, to a woman, pretending interest in things no 'real' woman would have an interest in, apparently) distracts a certain "sort" of geek man, who has no defense against their mostly boob-induced charms. Being, as he's said more than once, socially awkward, virginal, and unable to withstand even the slightest smile from a woman if it comes along with cleavage.

Does he respect anyone in the comics industry, or comics fandom? Does he even realize he's insulting male geeks right the hell along with female geeks? Why is he doing this?

Which brings us to Harris' patented auto-rejection clause. Paraphrased: "You'll never go out with me, so I'm going to spurn you before you can reject me. Ha-HA, take THAT, you slut!" So, twisting through that particular mental labyrinth, I get:

• I think you're attractive.
• Someone who looks like you will never date me.
• This means I get to hate you.
• And because you'll never date me--and because I hate you--then you're a worthless, stupid slut who wants to tramp around naked in public.

The hell, Mr. Harris?? And that leads to all the rest--because they won't date him, he gleefully assumes they have the intelligence of garden hoses, are all ugly and trying too hard, or fake and obviously 'infiltrating' his precious geekdom, which makes them desperate sluts who are simply manipulating poor, unsocialized man-children from possibly dating "real" geek girls...which he seems to think don't exist.

So, what, his geek revolution is comprised only of men? Why? And what does he get out of this tirade but a lot of ire from honest-to-goodness. real geeks of all genders who don't see geekdom as a crazed battlefield between the sexes--with women always on the losing side?

In an article written back in May, tangentially about lazy game direction, this passage stands out with vivid clarity for me:

Gamers get really, really angry when you characterise them as mouth-breathing adolescent boys who've never kissed a real-life girl.

And what is Harris doing? This exact thing. Again the question rises: why?

But it doesn't stop there, and that's where things get really odd. Let's go back to Joe Peacock for a moment. In this article, Alyssa Rosenberg states:

Towards the close of the piece Peacock writes: "There's no doubt about it--girls in geek culture have it hard, and it’s probably going to be that way for a long time."

Here's the thing, we geek women do actually have it rough. Very rough in fact, Mr. Peacock, and people like you are one of the primary roadblocks to things getting better for us. We have it rough because we have guys like you who demand we prove our geek cred the second you see us. We have guys like you who assume that we're on the floor of a con, dressed however we're dressed because we want to get hit on, not because that's just how we dress. Guys like you who feel they're entitled to some sort of explanation or attention from us, and you're not. Guys who assume that all the women at conventions are heterosexual and interested. We have it rough because we have guys like you writing articles about "our" culture where by "our" you really mean what's acceptable to you: the white straight guy deciding what's "truly" geekdom. And finally, we have it really really hard because we have to deal with people like you insisting on a right to define our favorite hobbies and the way that we engage with them. We can't just be geeks and women and be having fun too. Our place in geekdom, according to you, is defined by our bodies, our wardrobes, our looks–how you and your pals interpret our attentions–and not by our passion or participation in the things that we love.

Let me repeat that last bit, because it sounds vaguely important:

Our place in geekdom, according to you, is defined by our bodies, our wardrobes, our looks–how you and your pals interpret our attentions–and not by our passion or participation in the things that we love.

Apparently Tony Harris believes this, as well.

In research on these several opinion pieces, I also came across this, which is a genuinely well-reasoned apology from Peacock. I'll give him points for realizing he made some wrong-headed statements, and thank him for the apology. How'ver, he's persisting in some very large blind spots in his thinking--namely, defending Harris. He's able to see his own mistake, but he's asking folks to cut Harris slack, because first, he was just venting, what's the big deal, and second, he was posting on his own Facebook wall, he didn't realize the rant was going to go global.

The problem with that position? Facebook isn't a private service. You post it, the net sees it, the net sees it forever. I'll say it again--if you want it kept private, kept secret, don't say it online.

I'm fairly sure I had more to say on the topic, but to be fair, I've said a lot already. There's been some really good commentary pieces from this whole debacle, and this one in particular leads to two very important editorials on why these comments matter for women, how often we hear crap like this everywhere, and how it's not just a comic-geek thing in the first place.

And I'll leave with with a relevant quote:

The concept of the "fake gamer girl" can only exist in a culture built upon inherent distrust of women.
-- Brian Rubinow

And that, I think, is the real issue at hand.

no sleep, nothing in between me and the rain

This one takes a bit of explaining.

It all started on Henri Beauchamp's viewer forum. He'd apparently been in discussions for some time with Oz Linden, and...well, Oz handed him an official Linden decision that he disagreed with, is the short version:

I finally decided to publish these emails since not only do they explain why I had to disable the experimental mesh deformer code in the stable release of the Cool VL Viewer, but also because it shows how badly Open Source contributors are treated by Linden Lab (note that it is nothing new either: the first talented Open Source contributor to give up because of LL's arrogant and inadequate behaviour was Nicholaz Beresford, back in 2008)...

Now, that's straight from the first message (though it is the first message on the second page). And he has a point: Beresford spent many, many months banging his head against the wall of Linden obstinacy, and eventually realized that his life, his energies, and most importantly, his main hobby shouldn't be tied up in maintaining an alternate viewer for a company who didn't care.

Beauchamp, though...well, he takes this as a stepping-off point for an epic email rant.

From Oz:

Henri... as you should well know, the deformer falls under rule 2.k of the Policy on Third Party Viewers. As such, since it has not yet been accepted by Linden Lab into the common code base, incorporating it into a regular release of your viewer is in violation of the Policy. To some extent, I'm normally willing to give you a little more leeway on these things than larger viewer - Cool VL has so few users that the potential for harm (in this case in the form of the proliferation of assets compatible with future viewers) is reduced, but the fact that you are so heavily advertizing it puts me in an awkward position.

Translation from the legalese: "Dude, look, you have dick for users right now, and if it weren't something very openly known--which you agreed to follow--we'd let it go. But you didn't put it in an experimental, download-at-your-own-risk viewer, you put it in your main release viewer. Can't have that. Take it out."

Seems pretty simple, right? Well...From Beauchamp:

So, are you saying LL is going to abandon the mesh deformer project, or are you just taking back your own words on the OK you gave in the past for viewers to include it as an experimental feature?

Err...no, actually. The Lindens still allow experimental features in experimental viewers, as you well know. You put this in the stable release.

But he goes on:

It is included only as an experimental feature, which I always advertized as such and that is off by default (and it's switchable from the Advanced menu only, not from the Preferences floater).

Which means he knows both that it's not supposed to be in the main release ("only as an experimental feature"), but also that he figured burying it in a sub-menu would make everything okay (because, what, only 'advanced users' would know how to access that menu??)

There is 0% risk of any harm in that particular case, and this independently from the number of users of my viewer: my backport of the mesh deformer is 100% compatible with Qarl's.

That's not the damned point, and you know it--it doesn't matter a whit if Qarl's deformer code is used. It's not official yet, you ditz.

There's a lot of back and forth wherein Oz comes across as pretty reasonable, and Henri gets increasingly shrill and self-serving...but ultimately, it's just a series of emails. Explains why he took the deformer code out of the main release, okay, fine, sorry things seem to have gotten so heated, but whatever.

Then you start reading Henri's responses to people who commented on that forum thread. Like this bit:

My feeling is that LL is pissed off because I produce better code than they do and, since their stupid stance prevents them from reusing it (nothing can prevent them from reusing LGPL code that I explicitly released as such and personally encouraged them to reuse: CA or not, they *CAN* reuse it since it's LGPL !!!), they wish I would never submit any code, in case they (or another developer) would come up with the same ideas as the ones I have (re-read Oz' first email: it's evident !).

Or this bit from the first page that starts everything off:

First of all, the method used to introduce the changes... You'll ask me, "what method ?", and indeed I should have said "the lack of any method", because throwing in new paragraphs in an existing policy without any official forewarning and announcement being done is quite a stupid thing to do and shows a total absence of any method!

You should remember also that when the TPV policy was first introduced, LL did provide forewarning and some time for users and TPV developers to react and contribute to its refining...

Indeed, proceeding as LL did with the latest policy changes was bound to trigger strong reactions (and much unneeded and exaggerated drama) from the community; makes me wonder if there's anybody left in charge for the communication at the Lab...

Yeah.

But it still gets weirder. In going through page eleven of SLUniverse's CoolVL coverage (because every alternative TPV has a sub-forum thread there), came a link to Misfit's Index of Viewers. This--because it's not affiliated with the Lab in any way--is a fairly impartial review of features over more emotional reasons to prefer one viewer over another. Save that Henri had a problem there, too.

Back in May of this year--back when Misfit listed most viewers by their shorthand descriptions for ease and readability--Henri wandered in and blew a gasket:

Please, correct the name of my viewer: it is not "CoolVL" but "Cool VL Viewer"

Thank you.

Why this is such a huge deal to Beauchamp still passeth any understanding I can throw at it, but apparently, it was--to the point of several increasingly irate demands that Misfit either call it by its proper name (which apparently, in Henri's view, includes "Viewer" as part of the official title, or something), or cease to list it at all, thankyouandgoodDAYsir...Honestly, you'd think Sarge Misfit was a girl, the way Henri yells at him.

In fact, it escalated for three days until Misfit caved enough to toss his own explanation up, and apparently, even afterwards, because now Misfit's listing all the viewers with "Viewer" after their name.

Perceive this clearly, because I think I have a small little pedestal in this terrain to call all my own: it's not a smart idea to argue with the companies who make your toys, unless you are very, very sure of your reception. I know this, and know that at any time, a Linden could wander across the blog, get seriously irritated, and bounce my cat-eared self off in record time. That would hurt, undeniably. But knowing who I am and what I've written about the Lindens, on this blog, publicly? I could not say they might not have a point.

And I will also say, in Henri's defense, he does make good points. The problem is that, along with those good points comes a hell of a lot of high-toned entitlement that is just mentally stunning to wade through. Anyone who's ever requested help from Beauchamp on his forums (at least, if you're female) already knows he's an ass, so this isn't news. What is, I think--at least, to me--is how he's somehow managed to ball up all that jack-hatted superiority, wad it up into a huge ball, armor the entire thing, and use it to convince himself that he's morally and ethically superior to the actual people in the right. This is a profoundly dangerous, and I might also add, stupid, position to hold.

(from the bizarre album; Sakide's former holiday offering, now on their lucky board.)

On to other things. Look! Pretty little femboy holiday elf! Only at Sakide on the lucky board.

A casual mention in another group led to a group member apologizing that the troll escaped confinement, with a link to the troll in question. This led me to the Troll Museum of Second Life. There only seems to be three entries there, but it would be wonderful if this caught on. Imagine, a visual repository of avatars to be wary of, based on spam activity alone. Technology is a beautiful thing.

Finally, I was pondering an entry on Arkhamville, but going there two nights ago left a bad taste in my mouth, and...then there was this, sent last night:

[01:20] Sxxxxx Bxxxxxx: hi guys, i have hear some people say they have had issues wit items on their hufs missing. if you experience thi just etach it and reattach and it should work. if not pls let me know and we will get it fixed. it should not hender your game progress tho

Yeah. I think I can safely ditch that group now.

Listen, people, if you care so little for your fellow players that you don't even feel like running something through a simple spellcheck? Don't be in charge of posting things. Flat out.

(from the bizarre album; I think I'd have been displeased, but okay, if there hadn't been active buzzing flies around the corpse.)

Also, if the whole reason you're getting extra folks on the sim is to enlist them in solving the killing of Mr. Whomever? Don't have a rotting female carny with an axe in her head not fifty feet from the site of the supposed crime. That tells me two things, right off the bat:

1. "We don't care if it violates the story, it's cool lol!" or
2. "Oh, them's CARNY folk, it's not like they're PEOPLE! This fellow, why, we KNEW the guy!"

One sounds unbearably stupid; the other sounds unbearably classist. I don't care for either.

whisper to my heart when hope is torn apart

Anita Sarkeesian, the lady behind the Feminist Frequency videos, put out a new video this morning asking folks to turn their attention to a Kickstarter project. It's called "Tropes vs. Women in Video Games", and it started as a modest request for $6,000 to make an in-depth, heavily researched set of six videos analyzing the typical tropes most female video game characters fall into, and what we as women--and we as a society--can learn from them. Six grand is not at all unreasonable--that breaks down to a grand per video, which covers editing and post-processing, shooting, replacing any studio equipment she might need to continue making videos, plus purchase of games and/or research materials (including any potential licensing fees).

Within hours, it was fully funded; she's now at her first "stretch" goal, at over $22,000, which bumps her character research up to eleven fully-developed and researched character tropes. All of this is very good news: as she said in the initial video, her work is frequently used in middle-school, high school and college classes, and is occasionally referred to in theses on gender and cultural diversity. With only thirty-three videos under her belt, she's become a small driving force for feminism online.

What's interesting to me, though, is that she deliberately left comments open on the YouTube launch video. Why? Well, as she put it: " I've left the comments open on this video as a way of showing why this topic is so important. I apology in advance for the hate speech and ignorance that will inevitably be left below. Make sure to thank the trolls for proving to everyone that sexism in gaming is indeed a huge problem."

Right. So what sorts of comments has she gotten so far?

From "OfficeHopscotch":

I sure hope this isn't another oh no women are portrayed so horribly, boo hoo all about female type video series. Last I checked, men weren't all hulking behemoths running around smashing things in the face and being the hero of the world every day. And I sure hope you don't just out right ignore the roles of the characters, and just complain about gender. It wouldn't be very believable seeing a slightly chubby average girl painted green playing the Incredible Hulk.

From "InannasDissent" in response:

And why not? What's wrong with an "average girl" being an average character? Why must a woman be relegated to background or eye candy? This is about the underrepresentation of women in media--a vast topic, seeing as men run the media and only put in it what they want to see (and what they know makes them money). Ever see those commercials where a scantily clad woman moans, gyrates and runs her hands all over herself for a CARL'S JR. ad? This is a serious problem and people need to be made aware.

From "rogums":

Im fairly interested. I have to say male characters are often turned into muscular, emotionless beasts who live just to kill things,, which is hardly what most of us want. Don't forget that.

From "YorickReturns" in response:

It obviously is, what most people want, because violent games are very popular! In the age of global communications and social media, it's easier now more than ever for consumers to get together and to represent themselves effectively. If large numbers of consumers really wanted games with less violence and more well-developed characters, that is, what the market would produce. Maybe, that is, what the market will produce in the future.

And from "rogums" back in reply again:

That's nonsense.I trust that the games industry will gradually change, but radical protest for games seems like a waste, when there are plenty of much greater issues for equality. I approved of your comment before, about cut scenes and the like, and I agree that it is a case of satisfying demand, but like you said they assume women are happy because they dont complain, and the same goes for men, how do you know that a lot of men are discontent with the portrayal but dont speak against it.

And yes, I'm leaving in grammatical errors; these are straight copy-paste entries from the comments.

From "TreacleMary":

Nerds always get portrayed as greasy, socially inept neck-beards who relentlessly fap over their Dead Or Alive Bikini edition posters because they can't get a real girlfriend. If you had any self respect then you'd be fighting against this too. Unless you really do like fapping over DOA posters...

From "rams321" in response:

"either you are with us or you are against us"


nice one feminazi, any other bullshit comment you ant to add?

And from TreacleMary in response back to ram's comment:

I'm sorry to have to spell it out buddy, but the point that I was making was that negative female stereotypes affect male and female gamers equally. It sounds like you're really angry at the idea of women wanting to be included in our gaming culture, but why? I embrace it!


How would you like it if the community surrounding one of your favourite hobbies was constantly exclude you?

That's a great point.

From Yorick again in response to TreacleMary:

What do you mean by 'affect' and 'negative'? There is no evidence, that the characterization of female characters has harmed men and women. I don't think, beauty should be seen as negative. I can understand, how helplessness might be negative, but I can't remember the last game I played, where female characters were singled out to be especially helpless. That seems to be a preserve of the Mario games! Games don't exclude women, just because you don't like some of the characters!

And TreacleMary's reply:

The discussion of "how women are represented in videogames" is not so much whether female characters have favourable attributes in-game, but what they say about women in general. Hopefully you can see that it's not about any specific characters, but how there are few voices exclaiming that women can be strong and adventuring without having to answer to or appeal to boys.


Seriously ask yourself how many women will feel a part of gaming culture when they're seen mostly as T&A or set-dressing.

From "Mountaingoatful":

Seriously how the fuck do you need that much money to make videos?

From "NethDugan" in response to rams:

Can you please not link the feminists you don't agree with and whose beliefs may be different than you own, even if you see them as a bit odd or over the top, to Nazis?

From "TheCroco99:

The big problem is, how is the gaming industry going to change? It's currently full of men gleefully adding misogyny and stereotypes to their games, having their focus on a certain type of immature male gamer. They WANT things to be like this. They ignore the rest of the market on purpose. Otherwise, games would look very different today.

From "tehw0lfman":

This is something so important happening in something that I truly love. I'm tired of seeing boobs and butt poses and all of that bullshit. I am also tired of hearing "it's not sexist because our character has personality and depth! She is a powerful female character!" but I still get an oversexualized female character with overly bouncy boobs who wears ridiculous outfits. This project will be great!

From rams again to TreacleMary:

i sound like im angry at the idea of women... what?


if thats how you feel then im sorry for you, but in no way the gaming culture exclude women.


thats the idea that the feminazis are trying to paint.

And TreacleMary's response:

Very cunning, call opposing arguments 'bullshit' without substantiating your own, throw around pejorative terms about feminists and then back away and say you're not angry!


Pay a visit to fatuglyorslutty [] dot[ ]com and then tell me again how women are "in no way" excluded from gaming culture. I'll give you a little aptitude test, if you can't tell me how the dickheads posting on that site contribute to sexism in gaming culture, then you don't need to bother with a reply.

Just for reference: I've mentioned that site before--coincidentally (or maybe not so coincidentally) in reference to another sexism-in-games post. And even reading through the front page, before ever hitting the archives, you'll see exactly what TreacleMary means.

And from Treacle again:

The discussion of "how women are represented in videogames" is not so much whether female characters have favourable attributes in-game, but what they say about women in general. Hopefully you can see that it's not about any specific characters, but how there are few voices exclaiming that women can be strong and adventuring without having to answer to or appeal to boys.


Seriously ask yourself how many women will feel a part of gaming culture when they're seen mostly as T&A or set-dressing.

From Yorick in response:

Every female character, that immediately comes to mind, is strong and adventurous. The only exception I can think of is Princess Peach. If you mean characters, who are physically strong and/or good with weapons, I think, women are overrepresented. As for being appealing to men, any woman is theoretically appealing. I concede, for example, that an obese character is not going to be appealing to very many men, but how realistic is it that an obese character could jump around and chase enemies etc.

"StellaEllaMaya" in response to Yorick:

You're missing the point. Giving a woman muscles or a gun doesn't exclude her from being a sexist trope when video game designers often spend ten times as many hours perfecting the curve of her ass than developing her character. The video game industry also woefully lacks any praise for non-sexual attributes usually associated with femininity such as compassion, co-operative problem-solving, pacifism, etc.

TreacleMary in response to rams (again):

I'm guessing it doesn't matter to you because you're not a nigger fagget bitch (i.e. it's a meaningless insult), but sexist comments bother women because they ARE women, there's nothing they can do to help it, and whenever they speak up to say they don't like it, they get shot down.


You also conveniently ignored that this is a prime example of female exclusion from gaming. Didn't you say that women are in no way excluded from gaming? How confident are you about the rest of what you have to say?

rams' reply to Treacle:

i gamed with ppl from other contries and got shot down for my nationality and skin color a lot. i didnt make a whole website about it nor did my day got ruined because of it.


stick and stones bro.

Also, I'm not saying I agree with some of the back-and-forths--I'm just quoting them because I think many of them are relevant to the problem.

Treacle responding to Yorick:

Read my previous comment, break it down, structure your response in counterpoint to mine. Key points: Forget about the features of specific characters, what do they say about the role women have generally?


Why is overt, base sexual appeal (not nuanced, potential sexual appeal) seemingly mandatory for female characters?

Yorick responding:

You can't have a discussion about alleged messages, that games may be conveying about women, unless you refer to specific examples of characters! I deny, that 'overt, base sexual appeal' is mandatory. Unless a female character is designed to look like a child, or is designed to look very ugly, sexuality will always have a presence. And to rebut your implication: I don't think, very many people buy games for sexual reasons!

From "Zengias":

}Calling yourself a "gamer"


I wish I could make a ton of money by repeating wikipedia articles on a topic already well discussed and debated. You are already approaching the video game medium with a feminist perspective, I'm sure this overview of a medium with thousands of titles will be fair. Yes sexism in works exists in every MEDIUM so why hound after video games? Why is it treated so differently then literature or film? Doesn't this form of expression deserve the same freedom?

"videogamemaker" in response:

First why are you putting quotes around "gamer"? Is it because she's a girl? Are you a skeptic of every guy who calls himself a gamer?


The main thing I personally like, as a feminist already, about her videos is how easy they are to approach. A lot of feminist discussion is locked up in academia and longer essays/papers who will only be ready by those already well versed. She won't be making "a lot of money" she will be doing a project that needs funding.

From stardude3396":

But...But... Lara Croft is hot.

From GrawIy:

I find it amazing that people disregard the opinions and arguments of feminists on the grounds of "ALL FEMINISTS WANT TO DO IS GET ATTENTION" or something similar, yet pay no attention to what is actually touched upon in these videos.

Back to the conversation between rams and Treacle, the next reply from rams:

ppl get called nigger fagget bitch and every other insult on the book and get harrased as well. (myself included i recieved death threats hack threats and immigrant insults)

should i make a whole website about it?

There's more, but you get the idea. And people were, by and large, being pretty polite in this thread. I think this is a project that needs doing, and thankfully, it's going to be done, but just in case you feel like donating, the link's near the beginning of this entry.

and love is just a camouflage for what resembles rage

So, first of all, I'd like to apologize for the last entry. Normally, I have a decent level of control on cursing. I went with it in the last entry, but...yeah. Not proud of that. At all.

Anyway, I am sorry, and let's just move on.

World Goth Day ended, with the month of events, the World Goth Fair, and the Nightstalker Hunt. An amazing amount of money was raised, considering the current level of fundraising options in Second Life. And though I wasn't an official blogger--because things are still chaotic on an RL level--I was glad that I put out a few entries raising awareness. All in all, I'm very proud of what the organizers accomplished.

Remember when I mentioned a while back that the mesh deformer project might die on the vine? Well, it seems to be sluggishly moving again, but--as New World Notes wrote--the fact that a Linden, who has somewhat endless channels of communication open to them, is choosing to reply in a comment on a blog--and not in any official format (not that people read the official formats, either)...well, it really ties up the problem in a nutshell, doesn't it?

Second Life as an entity has a Twitter account, a Tumblr, a Pinterest account, an official grid status blog, an official grouping of blogs as well as official community forums and the JIRA, with all the JIRA's subsections...and yet, the Lindens as a ruling body still cannot manage to communicate ideas and changes effectively. Why is this? Do they just not know they have all these avenues of communication? Who's maintaining them, then?

[02:34 AM] xxx Yxxx: hi
[02:34 AM] xxx Yxxx: you are sexy
[02:35 AM] Emilly Orr: Thanks?
[02:35 AM] Emilly Orr: Who are you?
[02:36 AM] Emilly Orr: ...and I have to jet, so if you're going to answer, answer; otherwise I'm gone.
[02:37 AM] xxx Yxxx: i ujst meet you
[02:37 AM] xxx Yxxx: you not knwo me
[02:37 AM] Emilly Orr checks her watch.
[02:37 AM] Emilly Orr: Okay, going and gone. Later.

Whatever pitiful stores of patience I had on reserve have been utterly exhausted, and I don't seem to know how to access the new stores of the stuph, so...yeah. There's been a lot of conversations like this.

Moving back to games, I won't lie--I've played Hitman games in the past. And really, the game style's in the name: travel to distant places, buy ammo, kill everything that breathes. It's not complicated, it's very violent, and there have been protests against the game in the past.

And while I do consider myself a feminist, there are things--like some video games--that I give an open pass to.

The trailer for the new Hitman game, however...does not get that pass. Am I against nuns in fetish heels carrying weapons? Not as such--go as far back as Two Mules for Sister Sara, and you find the nuns with bad habits trope; it's far from uncommon. Where I have a problem is with the progression of things. Follow:

• Our "hero", the nameless assassin, is seen cleaning wounds and changing in an anonymous hotel room.
• The shot shifts to an exterior, showing a group of nuns walking towards the parking lot.
• First shot of Something Not Quite Right is seen in the form of fetish heels on the part of a few nuns.
• The nuns strip off their habits to reveal tight, glossy black latex outfits--but leave their wimples on. (Myself, I can easily think it would be a bitch to untie and remove a properly pinned wimple, but likely the game designers did not think that far ahead--thus clearly they intended the fetishwear to be paired with the wimples for maximum effect.)
• After having clearly established they are there as eye candy, not serious opponents, the Mother Inferior opens fire with a rocket to the facade of the hotel.
• The facade blows up but leaves the assassin unharmed.
• He then sets to fighting with a vengeance, and--of course--he wins, but not without some gratuitous sacrilege along the way--high kicks with crotch shots, strangulation with rosaries (both by the Hitman, and by the nuns), and other assorted irreligious concepts.
• Several women are shown wounded--and I don't mean suffering the aftereffects of violence and then dying--they're shown with broken noses, blackened eyes, stab wounds, blood gushing from bullets that flew into their bodies.
• The nuns fall and die to a single woman, which was obviously the intention when they showed up. Not only were they cookie-cutter opponents, they barely presented a challenge.
• The final scene is of the assassin tenderly closing the eyes of the dead (black) nun, thus pseudo-restoring his perceived humanity.

It's a joke, it's a tragedy, it's offensive beyond all reason--and, as that article mentions, it doesn't even function as its intended purpose states--because when does this happen in the game? Is this just a random cut scene? Why does he fight them? Why were they in fetishwear?

So many unanswered questions, which I, for one, will not be answering any time soon. Come November, that's now one game I will not be purchasing.

From battle nuns to fat black protagonists, and isn't it a sad thing when the single most misogynistic game to come out for the past three years looks better than Hitman, above? Still, you have to hand it to Saints Row 3: you can make a fat sassy character for your knock-down, drag-out, kill-everyone gaming pleasure. Nothing stops you. And due to a unique mechanic within the game itself, your character as created (and attired) shows up in the cut scenes. (This, on occasion, does result in some very surreal moments indeed, but that's entirely dependent on what your character chooses to wear, after all.)

Meanwhile, the Most Bizarre Movie Tie-In award goes to...this toy, from the Dark Knight Rises franchise. ...The hell?

In other baffling news, cosplayers are an inventive and insane lot. I now present to you Sailor Head and Sailor Nurse, from Silent Hill by way of Sailor Moon. The horror.

Finally, in depressing news, DC has announced they're killing off Jade and Obsidian. Well, no, see, that's the problem--between the "new 52" launch and their huge announcement of a "major" superhero character coming out, they've retrograded the announcee...so it's less than Alan Scott killed off his kids (including the gay Obsidian), and more never had them in the first place, and oh my gods, I hate DC so hard now.

Captain Video done went home, one pilot laid to rest

We are living in a world that its creators do not believe in. "What's the fuss all about?" they will continue to say. "It's just a different port." I mean, it's not like moving matters, it just means you're shifting to another server, right? It's not like you matter, either, right? I mean, you could still be you, in Second Life...or Ultima...or World of Warcraft...or...any other game, right?

I said that back in 2009. I still believe it. And as much as I hoped, and occasionally actually prayed, for things to improve regarding the Lindens and communication, the Lindens and faith in their own world...they haven't. The Lindens still profoundly fail at understanding the concerns of their own customers.

If it weren't so baffling, it would be absolutely tragic.

Because there were so many other ways they could have done this; yet the Lindens, again, chose the most divisive way to cause controversy in the Second Life community they could. Because remember: server. And place. They don't see the community we see, they see a bunch of game players, a bunch of customers of their product.

We see the communities we form. We see the bonds of family, friendship, love and business. We see the support people can provide for each other, and the world at large.

I said that in March of 2009, and I still don't think that's changed, three years later.

(from the media album)

Oh look! It's another Evon--wait, no, it's not. It's something called Call of Roma, and it's already getting heat because of the tacky advertising campaign.

But wait! It gets better! This is their sign-in screen:

(from the media album)

Yeah, makes you want to sing, doesn't it? Or hurt people. Sing or hurt people.

But hold on, the stupid doesn't stop there. Here's the tutorial wench:

(from the media album)

Granted, a 400 pixel presentation just won't make the text clear, but I thought this was important enough to help with that. This is what she's saying:

My noble lord, welcome to the world of Caesary! I'm Hypatia of AEgyptus, head of the Platonist school at Alexandria in 400 AD Roman Egypt. As a philosophy scholar and a teacher of all things, in the next 2-3 minutes, I'll walk you through a few basic steps on how to properly build and manage your own city. By following this simple yet powerful tutorial, you get a perfect start! Let the adventure begin!

Yep. Let's just count the inerrancies:

• That dress 
• That cleavage 
• The fact that she's assuming every player of this game will be male
• The way her lips are shiny and suggestively parted 
• The fact that the damned world is called Caesary, yet the game is called Call of Roma 
• The fact that she says she's from "400 AD Roman Egypt", instead of something more natural to her time
• That she claims to be a "teacher of all things" 
• That she claims to be a philosophy teacher beyond that 
• That, after claiming to be a philosophy and everything instructor, she's limited to instructing people in a game tutorial 

Am I being too picky? I don't think so:

(from the media album)

Now we've moved up to "Click here for sex". Perfect.

I rest my case.

how you break my heart in this cold waiting room

[desmondshang] runs screaming in a cave

This kind of thing? Happens a LOT. But to be fair, between the slimes, creepers, skeleton archers, zombies, two varieties of cave spiders...really, Minecraft is pretty much designed to creep folks out at night.

Or in caves.

Like to knit? Like Dr. Who? Want a fairly elegant way to bring the two together? Try this--a lovely, lacy Tardis capelet.

The issues surrounding intellectual property, copyright, and trademark are labyrinthine and diverse as an individual; but on occasion, they're even daunting for commercial enterprises for which these laws were ultimately designed. Witness the current wrangling between Sam Raimi and Award Pictures over the trademark to the Evil Dead franchise. On Raimi's side--he wrote the damn thing, as well as produced and directed it, along with Robert Tapert (co-producer) and Bruce Campbell (actor and producer). On Award's? A chance comment attributed to Tapert and Raimi from 2000, that they would "never" produce a sequel. This, according to Award, was trademark abandonment. Which is wrong, but they seem insistent.

Referring back to the sexism in games entry, I present more irrefutable proof:





Right. Because the hip swaying and that outfit are completely innocent.

According to game mythology, the Elim are apparently not little underdressed girls, but instead, centuries-old tree spirits that choose to take the form of underdressed little girls. Because that makes the whole thing better. Sure it does.

(In all fairness I should mention that according to a friend, in the North American version of the game, the Elim are heavily censored. But that's not really the point, is it? Not when they're obviously designed to be taken as little girls.)

(And it's not like they're not cute as a race when they're all together...but seriously, people.)

More scenes from a hunt.

(from the scavenging album)

If I was going to spend my time as Alex Blackwell--quite literally getting under his skin--I realized after the first few hours hunting that the hair had to go. But--not being one--I don't have a lot of male, or even unisex hair. This was the best I could do, "Criss" from Discord Designs (and I'm not even sure it's sold anymore).

But the point of this is not to point that out; the point of this is that, immediately upon putting on Alex's skin--and the remnants of his clothes--I decided there was no way in hell I could wear Alex's clothes...at least not out of the box, so to speak.

(from the scavenging album)

This was my solution: I grabbed a random damaged plaid pattern, and made goddamn leggings to go underneath those tattered, tattered jeans.

(from the scavenging album)

And Alex from the front, to show off the "leggings", which--at least for me--solved the issue of when these jeans were going to completely dissolve and fall off Alex.

(from the scavenging album)

Another of the Missing posters. Here's the fun thing about the Missing posters: not that I'm going to, but I could, quite literally, do a blog entry and snap a picture of where all fifty of them are located. I could do that because, without the HUD and without being within ten meters of each poster, no participant can grab the numbers and just punch them in. You have to be within that ten meters, period, no other option. No camming around the sim looking for things; no touching objects you're not close to.

More to come!