and my throat closes off when I see your face

(Note: this took me some time to pull together, due to RL intrusions, so...the Comcast thing is rather dated.)

So more news on the whole Comcast/Netflix debate--unsurprisingly, everyone's denying everything. But the evidence is mounting; we'll see how Comcast reacts in another week or so.

In the meantime, a note on Second Life as an antidepressant. (Pro tip: it doesn't work that well):

[19:08] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: now after the anxiety hits I am starting to get Depressed
[19:08] Pxxxxxxxxx Exxxxxx: I get the same kind of cycle
[19:09] Kxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Me too.
[19:09] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: What normally helps with your depression?
[19:09] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): the depression comes from me not able to get Lindens when I need them the most

Now, that sounds like a really superficial statement, but when we break that down, the same truth that's part and parcel of Second Life appears: human emotion. And human emotion can be a very tricky thing, especially when bundled over cable or fiber-optic lines with data and interaction.

Life, on SL, is amplified; it always has been, and it always will be. So what might be a little unease, a little melancholy in RL, becomes crippling self-doubt, anxiety attacks, and major depression. It's not a little thing anymore. And shopping for virtual goods is one way that many, many of us use to stay emotionally afloat--whether we realize that or not.

When--for whatever reason--we can't do that...or if we're emotionally unstable to begin with...things veer off the rails.

[19:10] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and thats where the anxiety comes from
[19:10] Kxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: That can be stressful. What do you need them for?
[19:11] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: well
[19:11] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): to be truthful I am trying to get some things i had in the past
[19:11] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: when I was able to upload
[19:11] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: L
[19:11] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: but now I am so having to work for everyhting
[19:12] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and I dont know if I cant keep it up on djing

That's something else to consider, too. Maybe the jobs we hold don't do for us what they used to. Maybe, in this economy, our employers need to downsize. Or we're in some facet of the entertainment industry on SL, something that many people are no longer investing in, due to personal (even RL) cutbacks.

For whatever reason, the Lindens no longer flow like they used to. What do we do then?

[19:12] Jxxxxxx Bxxx: there is a lot of wonderful free things in SL
[19:12] Jxxxxxx Bxxx: the amazing part of this world

It's true. And, contrary to what many believe, it's a lot harder to tell these days if someone's outfitted completely in free gear, or paid hard Lindens for it. Between some really excellent items turned out in hunts, store group gifts and freebs, and Marketplace freebs in both traditional styles and mesh, people are slowly upgrading their games. (While there's still a 'sameness' to mesh I don't favor--in that everyone using similar silhouettes combined with specifically tailored body shapes means the grid, and those in it, are starting to look remarkably alike--overall, texturing, contouring, shading and ageing are looking much better in 2014 than they did in 2009.)

[19:13] ixxxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxx: alot to see in sl
[19:13] ixxxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxx: grand canyon?
[19:13] ixxxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxx: u guys see that yet?

I didn't even know there was a Grand Canyon on the grid! And yeah, you should go check it out, they did a really good job recreating it.

[19:13] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx nods. "Especially in hunts or events."
[19:13] fxxxxxx Fxxxxxxx: oh yeah group gifts are the best
[19:13] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Even ways to earn Lindens.
[19:14] Pxxxxxxxxx Exxxxxx: So many free things on Marketplace. Also, if you only need a few lindens, you can earn them playing the Linden Realms game.
[19:15] Emilly Orr: Linden Realms is only for Premium accounts, though, isn't it?
[19:15] Pxxxxxxxxx Exxxxxx: I don't think so. I think it was made to get newbies comfortable with the user interface

I did not know this. Doing some initial research, I found an old report from Inara Pey mentioning that it's for Premium account holders only; still, there were indications that it was planned to spread to the masses, so who knows? I've never actually checked out the game myself, so I can't say.

[19:17] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I used to use this thing called the Travel Money HUD, you wore it and traveled to sims and looked around, and then after a certain amount of time, they paid you a small amount of L.
[19:17] Emilly Orr: There's a couple other groups like that. I belong to two of them.
[19:18] mxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: regular work in sl can suck the fun out of it... it shouldnt be and doesnt need to be, a relentless struggle for money in here
[19:18] Emilly Orr: That can get stressful on its own, though one of them, Rise Star Gaming, they have a lot of pretty sims in their chain. Sometimes it's just fun to wander and see new things.

There's also--or at least, there used to be--a similar enterprise to Travel Money called Earn2Life, and the Bletaverse group has a 'cone jumping' game where you do much the same thing--port to various sims, wait, collect a small amount of Lindens in exchange.

[19:23] Pxxxxxxxxx Exxxxxx: I have a friend who joined SL a couple years ago & promised her husband she wouldn't spend any money on it. She made all her initial money in Linden Realm, then learned how to make textures, which sells on Marketplace. She now has enough money to be comfortable in SL, without spending any real world money.
[19:23] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: That's awesome!
[19:25] Pxxxxxxxxx Exxxxxx: It's very rare to make much money in SL, so you have to live frugally too.
[19:25] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: People win contests with art pieces and such.

It's true. If you have a talent for texturing, clothing creation, 3D graphics, Second Life can still be a good space to create. And--even in the current economy--at least mildly profitable. (However, with the downturn in financing grid-wide, as many makers are finding, they can no longer count on SL to provide their sole income. People who do are pretty much walking tightropes without safety nets. It can get scary.)

[19:25] Kxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: You should look at Builder's Brewery. They have a lot of building freebies and they even teach free classes.

While I eternally struggle with group space, if you have group space and an interest in content creation, you cannot go wrong being a member of Builder's Brewery. They have almost constant classes on various aspects of building and scripting, free texture packs, genuinely helpful people, and a members-only sandbox. It's really cool.

[19:25] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I had a friend who made neat builds and entered contests and art shows with them, made lots of L with it.
[19:26] Pxxxxxxxxx Exxxxxx: Some people make their avatar look really hot, so they can win club contests
[19:26] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Oh yeah, that too.
[19:26] Jxxxxxx Bxxx: contest were huge for me when I first started and won many of them lol
[19:26] Pxxxxxxxxx Exxxxxx: Whatever you do though, you have to work at it before it pays off
[19:26] Emilly Orr: I used to do that a lot, years back. Find a contest, find a costume, dance for an hour. Thing is, you have to be pretty social.
[19:27] Pxxxxxxxxx Exxxxxx: yeah, it;s mostly people who like you who vote for you.

True fact: Whenever I have the time, I still attend the EGL dances that Bare Rose throws. While they are costume contests--and I've even occasionally won--the point is not to try to go to win. You'll only be disappointed. Just dress in what you want to match the theme, and go to have fun. Talk, be social, listen to what others are saying, and enjoy yourself. Because costume contests aren't always who you know; sometimes it's how much your personality impressed people at the event, whether they knew you before or not.

[19:28] gxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Well, when ppl shaft me or tick me off, it's hard to be social. I wanna be the opposite and life, be it real or sl, is enough to make you antisocial.
[19:28] Emilly Orr: Pretty much. So, one of two things--either you like going to random clubs and hanging out (which sucks if you have social anxiety), or you go to pick up costume tips from other people.
[19:28] Emilly Orr: If you go expecting to win, you'll just be depressed after if/when you don't.
[19:29] gxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and I've been in several contests and didn't always win when I wanted SO BADLY to win.

Yeah. It's kind of the name of the game. It helps if you have a diverse wardrobe, but if you have social anxiety, costume contests are not your best bet for Lindens.

[19:28] Pxxxxxxxxx Exxxxxx: Happy Hippo & Builders Brewery are good place to learn
[19:29] Emilly Orr: And if you have group space, Mari, join the Builder's Brewery group. They offer building classes on EVERYTHING.
[19:29] Kxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: And she means everything.
[19:29] Kxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: They had one on cupcakes not too long ago.

I've seen class notices for cupcakes, pies, all manner of furniture, clothing, basic and advanced scripting, particle theory, mesh texturing, beginning animation...if there's an instructor, there's a class. During holidays, they have giveaways, and as I said before, the main store has--in addition to some very lovely door and stained glass window textures--several packages of free items for beginning builders. And of course, there's the sandbox (though, for reasons as incomprehensible to me as seeing the Caledon states assailed, it's frequently griefed by trolls).

All in all, it's an active group full of helpful voices, for the beginning builder to the advanced. Never a bad thing to have help when you need it, after all.

[19:29] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Hey, speaking of group space, how many groups can you join? Lol.
[19:30] Kxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I think it's 42, which is not nearly enough. D:
[19:31] Pxxxxxxxxx Exxxxxx: I'd rather have more Profile Picks than more groups
[19:34] Emilly Orr: The problem with groups, unfort, is that every time someone logs on, the system scans everything in sequence and assumes it's all active. So all your calling cards are scanned and set to active, then said to on or offline ONCE that's done; all your groups are set to active, then only the ones actually communicating are set to open; and all of that happens before the asset server pulls in your inventory.
[19:34] Emilly Orr: I'd love more groups, but we're kind of hurting the server as it is.

Unfortunately. It's likely going to be a consistent problem, too. Will we ever see another leap in groups, as we did from fifteen to forty-two? No idea. I'd love it, several others would love it; many who run businesses, especially more than one active business, truly, honestly, need more groups than they have; but will it ever happen? Severely doubtful, in my opinion.

[19:34] Jxxxxxx Bxxx: the wonderful thing about sl though is there are many free things to live great. I can make a brand new avi look like he spend so much money just from group gifts. Many designers in SL know that not everyone has money to spend in this game and they provide very detailed work for free from time to time.
[19:36] Jxxxxxx Bxxx: as far as places, there are free housing or 1l housing in SL as well
[19:36] Jxxxxxx Bxxx: meaning you rent a house for like a week for 1l

Pushing aside outright squatting--while it likely still can be done, it's still not a stable way to live--there are a lot of apartments and smaller places scattered around for free or low-cost. Most of these are reserved for players under two months old, but not all of them.

[19:36] Emilly Orr: Something to keep in mind: every now and again, run searches on Marketplace. "free 2014" f'rinstance, pulls in everything marked free from this year. Holidays are good--"free Halloween" or "freebie holiday". "Free dresses" or "free hoodie" can work, too.
[19:37] Kxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: There are also blogs that showcase freebies. Fabfree is a good one.
[19:37] Emilly Orr: FabFree has both men and women bloggers, too. So it's not just a parade of womenswear.

At this point, they don't have any male bloggers on staff, but watch the blog anyway--they still cover menswear from time to time.

[19:37] Jxxxxxx Bxxx: to be honest it amazes me that there are designers that give things out for free. They spend hours and hours on their creations and yet give it to us. LL is not making this. Is real people, who spend their time and energy for us and for that I am grateful

Me too. Now, I have complained about the quality of certain freebies before--especially when I think the designer could do (and has done) better--and I accept responsibility for any emotional harm I've caused (and the commensurate banning from at least one sim, which has been problematic on more than one hunt).

But I've never complained about the actual making of freebies (and highly discounted items) themselves. That a designer takes time out of their busy schedules to make things for free, for cheap; to make group gifts, many times the equivalent of items they could actually put on the market to sell; no, I'm honored and humbled by the gift of their time, by seeing their devotion to their customers, and to life on the grid.

[19:38] Kxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: There are sometimes really nice prizes in scavenger hunts too.
[19:38] Jxxxxxx Bxxx: lets do this lol If you guys know of groups or LM of amazing free things, send them in and Ill put them all in one notecard and send it out =]
[19:39] Jxxxxxx Bxxx: no reason anyone should be depressed becaus they don't know their resources
[19:40] Kxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I'll help with that, Josh. I know a bunch of places with freebies.

So I did a bit of research, and found links to track down to help.

[19:42] Emilly Orr: http://fabfree.wordpress.com/
[19:43] Emilly Orr: http://slfreestyle.blogspot.com/
[19:43] Emilly Orr: http://freebietelegraph.wordpress.com/
[19:43] Emilly Orr: http://slfreebiehunters.blogspot.com/
[19:43] Emilly Orr: All of these have recent (this month or this week) posts.
[19:43] Emilly Orr: And there's two congregate feeds I know of--where they're not actually blogs, themselves, but they're lists of links that are hosted ON a blog site.
[19:43] Emilly Orr: http://slfreebdollarbluckychairhunts.blogspot.com/
[19:43] Emilly Orr: and
[19:44] Emilly Orr: http://elizawrigglesworthlinks.blogspot.com/
[19:44] Jxxxxxx Bxxx: thank you dearly Emily. Im copying and pasting them into a notecard
[19:44] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Virtual vagabonds, too.
[19:44] Emilly Orr: Wouldn't be a bad idea.
[19:44] Jxxxxxx Bxxx: I think its great resources for people who don't have money. People should know they have resources and there are a lot of great possibilities without the needs of lindens.
[19:45] Jxxxxxx Bxxx: thanks Luna
[19:45] Emilly Orr: http://www.virtualvagabond.com/

There are more than just these, after all--there's at least twenty grid-wide hunts every month, plus store hunts, theme hunts, and freebie blogs galore, plus store blogs that occasionally do posts on freebies and cheapies their designers have put out. Which is leaving out the plethora of goods that can be gotten simply by wandering around stores, or joining store groups that draw your interest.

[19:45] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: There's also something like 55l Fridays and 60L weekends, isn't there?
[19:45] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: That stores do? Sorry I'm throwing our random, had meds half an hour ago, so sleepies.
[19:45] Emilly Orr: The lady behind Virtual Vagabond is interesting--she used to be an SL Hobo, back when that group owned their own sim. She still believes in the ethos of the hobo, though--live where you can, own only what you need or what amuses, give away what you can to help others.
[19:46] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Aw, that's really cool.
[19:46] Emilly Orr: Let's see...there's 55L Fridays, 30L Saturdays, 60L weekends--those are all pretty general, kind of catch-all, any designer can apply deals.
[19:47] Emilly Orr: 25 Linden Tuesday started specifically for Gorean merchants, now it's branched out to Gor outfits, medieval outfits, with the occasional musical instrument or BDSM collar.
[19:47] cxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx chuckles. "I didn't know that."
[19:47] Emilly Orr: There's a few others. Most are searchable on Google or in-world to find locations.
[19:48] Kxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: http://seraphimsl.com/ shows discount events that are going on, and usually has pictures.
[19:50] Emilly Orr: True, I forgot about them!
[19:51] Jxxxxxx Bxxx: I love seraphim but not everything there is free

This is something that bugs me a great deal about the SL-Schnaeppchen blog, as well--the main blogger was amazingly good, and devoted to finding the best hunts and freebies on the grid, and then she ran afoul of a particular designer (I'd love to name her, but I'm trying to be better these days). It wasn't the blogger's fault, it was wholly the fault of the hunt designer, who misliked with intensity the fact that she gave out SLUrls to each store.

Now, this is commonplace, but back then, it was usually something only bloggers did. That controversy killed her interest in maintaining the blog, though, and now it's pretty much just dead air, broadcasting distant visions from 2012.

I used to follow SL Freebie Hunters more closely, as well, but at this point they're no longer purely hunt freebies. And while they pick good things to blog about, if I'm wanting to read on hunt items or general store freebies, I don't want to read that that luscious cream leather couch is on sale this month for "only" L$199. I'm sure that's a good deal, but...that's far from a freebie, or a hunt item, so why is it there?

(As I mentioned at the start, this is old, but I still wanted to get this out there, because I still believe there are some good resources that were discussed. If you don't have tons of Lindens, and your addiction is shopping; if acquiring virtual items helps stave off depression; well, here you go. Be safe out there, and have fun on SL.)

walk through life, and move ahead to your destination

Remember, every day is a new day. And sometimes all we want is to save the world.

Things that are not steampunk:

• If it just has stripes
• If it just has non-working gears and nothing else
• This entire outfit

Some of my friends with Facebook accounts think some of these ideas are overdue. I agree more closely with the 'even more invasive' concept of all of those filters, and I'm also holding in mind that the Oculus Rift, a technological gaming development/platform that I was very interested in attaining, has now dropped so far off my radar it's somewhere around the core of the planet, once I discovered Facebook acquired the tech because Mark Zuckerberg likely thinks it'll be a fun, "hip" new way to sucker people into further privacy violations. Oh joy.

I'm not alone in thinking this--a great many of the donators who supported the project initially on Kickstarter are clamoring for their money back. They feel as if the Oculus Rift sold them out along with their company's tech, and they're very upset about the whole thing. Markus Persson--the infamous "Notch" behind Minecraft--has gone so far as to say that Oculus Rift support for Minecraft and other games he designs will be nonexistent. Why? Because Facebook "creeps [him] out". I don't blame him in the least.

What's really unnerving me in all of this, how'ver, are the threaded hints given between the lines on the New World Notes article announcing the acquisition. Now, granted, this is me exercising my full reserves of paranoia, honed on extensive conspiracy research, but--Linden Lab has every intention of integrating with the Oculus Rift; Philip Rosedale's new social media efforts are going to, at some point, feature Oculus Rift integration; Cory Ondrejka now works for Facebook's mobile division, and the Oculus Rift will be pairing with and integrating with Android mobile devices...so...at what point on Second Life does a Facebook account and a mobile phone become mandatory?

Because I have neither, and at this point, I want neither.

At one point in my net history, I did have a Facebook account, because a job I was working for at the time recommended it for access. At the time, I didn't use it much, as I was (and this will tell you how far back this happened) more invested in MySpace as a platform that was going places. I never really supported either the culture behind Facebook, or the behavior on Facebook, but discovering that--after over six years of never using that account at all--that I still had an open, functional account because I'd never told them to officially delete it also creeped me out beyond all reason. (Also going through the lengthy, 30+ day process to kill my account creeped me out, because seriously, that's non-intuitive to the point of being obfuscatingly arcane.)

So, yeah. The platform that had the potential to revolutionize gaming, on-the-job training, and person-to-person virtual communication is now something I can only view with suspicion and wary dread. Way to go, Zuckerberg. You've destroyed yet another potentially beautiful piece of the future.

Lastly, sometimes furniture just gets bored. So keep your furnishings entertained, if you can.

That is all.

accessorizing with a rosary tucked inside her lingerie

In all seriousness, virtual child or not, there is no way I would let any prepubescent person wear this. Yes, I realize it's the Rolling Stones logo, and children might conceivably be fans. But there?!? Maybe it's just me, but that design should be against the Linden ToS by virtue of the logo placement alone.

Of course, keep in mind this is the same store who thinks it's appropriate to clothe the elementary school set with "Dirty Girl" slogans, printed cherry panty sets (with inappropriate bralettes, to boot), the somewhat infamous "Wet Kitty" swimsuit, and do I even need to mention the reference to twerking?

Also, why does this shape exist? Why is it still everywhere? Why do easily 75% of all women on the grid want to be straddle-hipped and fish-lipped? These questions have never been answered to my satisfaction.

(Of course, if I ever got a halfway decent answer to those questions, I'd just have to ask why this everything exists next. Or why this dress was made to be compatible with Lolas Tango appliers. And frankly, those are conversations that just won't end well.)

Speaking of general bafflement, why do these power outlets exist? I mean, I admire their dedication to offering them in various colors, and yes, I understand it's an innovative way to change the angle of the outlet so that they fit more neatly against the wall for purposes of furniture distance, but...it still seems really odd.

In the meantime, recently, Neverwinter suffered a networking failure, and it took several hours for them to replace the affected systems. They were very in touch with their userbase via web page updates as well as constant Twitter contact, something I humbly and deeply appreciate as a user of their game.



This was an in-game capture of the moment the game came back online. There are so many players in one place, I couldn't even make out all the names. Which ignores the very real issue of enough players in one place, they seriously overlapped each other. It was limbs and arms poking out of random torsos and rotating in place, which was slightly amusing, but also kind of staggering. And this was not the only place in the game people returned, this was just a common gathering point for many.

But, as ever, along with a restoration of the local population, came...well, the local population:

[Zone] teamkiwi@t3amkiwi: omg party at the Tempus invoke
[Zone] G DANTE@gdante7111111: just because you have in the same data center does not mean each person in that center has the same hardware
[Zone] XcessiveArcana@xcessiveforce40: Dante was complaining on facebook as well
[Zone] Albino@AlbinoSnowWhite: The legions of the Damned is recruiting !!!!
[Zone] XXXO@xxxokiller: oh shut the fk up you albino

I don't even know what that insult means. Also, what would an albino Snow White be? Skin white as snow, but then hair white as snow, too? And pale lips?

Are they really Snow White at that point, in anything save camouflage and coloration?

[Zone] XXXO@xxxokiller: I lost my 5,000 zen ^^
[Zone] Lesryl@traxsu: They won't fix it.
[Zone] Lesryl@traxsu: This has happened before.
[Zone] lillith@themuffingirl2: maybe we should be happy its a free to play game and they work so hard to keep it up

A valid point, and one more folks in Neverwinter should embrace.

[Zone] James@trjames: Wow, look at all the people/bots invoking right now
[Zone] Bruce.Lee@dyanjp: woo hoo back up

Absolutely. That's what you're seeing in the above image, by the way--that's the main place to pray for boons from the various gods in Protectors' Enclave, the main zone of Neverwinter.

[Zone] XcessiveArcana@xcessiveforce40: every company wants cheap labor for IT
[Zone] Kat Shieldheart@jedifreeman: G DANTE - let me rephrase - I have personally seen the Neverwinter servers
[Zone] Kat Shieldheart@jedifreeman: I HAVE GAZED UPON THIS WORLD FROM THE OUTSIDE
[Zone] XXXO@xxxokiller: bruce lee *%^! just got real lmao
[Zone] G DANTE@gdante7111111: kat stop lieing

Why does she have to be lying? They're in San Francisco, unless they co-locate their server banks, which is also possible--but either way, it's not beyond the realm of possibility at all that she's seen the server banks. Options for how this might happen:

• She works in service and repair of a server company Cryptic contracts with to maintain their data.
• She works for Perfect World.
• She works for Cryptic.
• She works in the IT department that directly maintains the Neverwinter game.
• She delivers mail to engineers that work in the server banks for whatever companies Cryptic work with.
• She works in human resources and had reason to go down to talk with engineers or IT support workers.
• She has friends who works in any of these areas, and they took her on a tour of the facilities.

These aren't even the only reasons she could have seen them. It's not like the server banks are on Mars, people.

[Zone] Tarna@death69inc: hard to beleive it took that long

Not really. Keep in mind they had a widespread system failure, and Cryptic was repairing networking in sequence to make sure everything pathed correctly for retention. A great many Cryptic and Perfect World games went offline, so it wasn't just Neverwinter, either. As seen on that web link, eight games in total had issues that needed repair.

[Zone] Random Chance@Random_Chance: well, finally in...has everyone demanded that Perfect World owes them compensation for not being able to play their free game all day?

Please be kidding.

[Zone] Shinryuu the Sleeper@finmakin: I always find it hilarious when ppl complaining about a free game... SUE them... get them to Court instead of crying here like baby's
[Zone] cardinal sin@jagrmaster: lmao sorry its still a lil funny
[Zone] cardinal sin@jagrmaster: were you here for that?
[Zone] Kat Shieldheart@jedifreeman: G DANTE - sorry that you dont believe me. Some of us are actually real people who have real jobs who get to do cool things.

Exactly. She works for the company, or for a company who works for the company, because a surprising number of folks who work for Cryptic/Neverwinter/Perfect World also play the games they run, quelle horreur. Gods forbid people who work for a game company actually ENJOY playing games.

[Zone] Lerissa Balorfist@foxfire444: Problem is it also affected games that people pay for
[Zone] XXXO@xxxokiller: people put plenty of money into this fkn game, no reason for that nonsense about free game &#$# boy
[Zone] Tarna@death69inc: lol they must care less abotu makign money or they woudl have worked hard to get it back up

They did work wicked hard to get it back up. See when they first noticed the problem on March 21st, followed by this, this, this, this--which is something they didn't have to do, but chose to do to help the feeling of disappointment for Neverwinter gamers...Pretty much their entire tweet stream from the 21st, actually, deals largely with the downtime and both reassuring and informing customers.

[Zone] Darray@theghostess: I think the CTA should be extended. But that's the only "compensation" I would expect.

And the game devs agreed with Darray, and extended the Call to Arms event to make up for the downtime.

[Zone] G DANTE@gdante7111111: i dont ask them to give me nothing its them once again walking with there tails between there legs

I don't even know what he means here. How is constant Twitter and web contact slinking off in shame when all this happened?

[Zone] Zenith@stellarstrider: They already extended it
[Zone] Kat Shieldheart@jedifreeman: Darray - it is extended by a day
[Zone] Gin@Sadler38: the CTA did get extended

Yep. And a great many people, me included, deeply appreciated them for doing that.

[Zone] Ashiok@juicebox87: quit whining and game on you sissy cupcakes.

Hee!

[Zone] Random Chance@Random_Chance: I"m guessing they had to get replacement equipment flown in from another part of the country
[Zone] Pri3stitute@ratbugasmatti: WELCOME BACK TO THE REAL WORLD!!!!

I thought so, too, but it wasn't a server failure, just a networking one.

[Zone] G DANTE@gdante7111111: trolling is not a real job

Get stuffed, Dante.

[Zone] Waeren@mystrmidnyte: no1 cares *%^!
[Zone] Gin@vincentnw: trolling = lving under a brigde to take tolls from travelers... sounds like a homeless guy or a mugger

What? Seriously, dude, what the hell does that even mean?

[Zone] Kat Shieldheart@jedifreeman: G DANTE - you are right, you should start looking for something else
[Zone] Random Chance@Random_Chance: wait...no mail explaining the outage and what they're going to give me in compensation? GET MY LAWYERS ON THE PHONE!

Please be kidding, part II.

[Zone] G DANTE@gdante7111111: kat stop trolling thats what your doing by saying what your saying right now read your responce
[Zone] Syndul The Slick@morenthar: I LOVE IT HOW PEOPLE PLAY A GAME THEY HATE. I LOVE LAMP ;)

Yeah, hard not to, to both of these.

[Zone] Kat Shieldheart@jedifreeman: G DANTE - see, there is a difference between trolling and the truth - I actually have been to the PWE Datacenter
[Zone] cardinal sin@jagrmaster: here comes the questions lol
[Zone] XXXO@xxxokiller: snuffles is that considered trolling since you are lying?

Again, why does she have to be lying? Why is there controversy over this point in the first place?

[Zone] Bagwit Halfins@theoriginalmad: well thats a fail .. no redundency system apparently
[Zone] Random Chance@Random_Chance: could be original and backup network devices were same make, with same defect

Perfectly possible, in fact.

[Zone] G DANTE@gdante7111111: soon the asian scammers are going to come
[Zone] cardinal sin@jagrmaster: lol dante
[Zone] XXXO@xxxokiller: HEY FRIENDS! SPEND MONEY
[Zone] G DANTE@gdante7111111: the asian scammers with hey friends
[Zone] Sniffles@bodizatfa: when they come you can whisper....theyre here
[Zone] wwwEGPALnet@iztoe2: Astral Diamonds 1 million for ONLY $8.99. We also have PERFECT/Greater/Rank10/Rank9 Enchantments ON SALE with 30 minute delivery guaranteed
[Zone] G DANTE@gdante7111111: see look
[Zone] Sniffles@bodizatfa: theyre here
[Zone] G DANTE@gdante7111111: there they are

Yep. And we've pretty much restored full service to the game, gold spammers and all. I think we're done here.

play in someone's perfume garden and this night's the last you'll get

Okay, had a moment over the last couple of days where the slight discordance between the last banner (which took me, no lie, about two weeks to put together) and the backdrop (which I put together in maybe fifteen minutes, max, because I couldn't find anything exactly the right shade) became an !INTENSE!ANNOYANCE! that had to be dealt with OMGOMGRIGHTNAAAAOOOO...So, I changed things again. Now we have a different skulls-and-flowers background, and a banner that goes better with everything, and this should keep me happy for the next few months...with any luck.

No trains in view, though. Le sigh.

As usual, with any background change, let me know if anything's too objectionable, blah blah blah, you know the drill.

Meanwhile, back in Neverwinter...

[Zone] ForcedNameChangeAgain@raistlin00: send me all your crap ill sell it and send you the money
[Zone] Gravious@graviouz: sounds like scam

No, really? What gave it away?

[Zone] Storm@durandal112: Go change your name

I tend to agree. The problem is, when the mods in Neverwinter change someone's name, they make it something bland and (relatively) inoffensive. Usually comprised largely of numbers. How'ver, that name, that means someone either created a character from scratch with that name, or paid in Zen--which is bought with RL funds, not in-game currency--to change their name to that. Either way, that is a chosen name.

And that's disturbing.

Later on, this gem scrolled up:

[Zone] orberon@orberon2: rofl who made this trees saved alot off poligons

Yeah, I'll just...I'll just leave that there, to molder away in peace.

Also, "Orberon". Let that sink in for a bit.

Lastly, I came across one of the odder Victorian photo compilation articles I've found for the last few months--this one in particular covering the curious Victorian custom of parental camouflage. The thing I found so interesting about that set of photos, though, is that most of the hidden-mother shots I've seen they're actually hidden. I mean, they blend in nearly perfectly in many cases. In most of the photos in that link, though, you can see hands, legs; occasionally it's the father being hidden, which I found very unusual. Is this just a choice of the photographer in question? Were the kids just impossible to keep still unless they saw a part of the parent? Were these the equivalent of Sears studio shots, where X photographer has to make a quota of Y photographs every day, and must rush everyone through as quickly as humanly possible?

Sadly, we will likely never know. But they are different enough from the "norm" for this style, I thought I should mention them. And if you've never heard of hidden-parent photos, well, there's a vast array of links available by searching hiddem mother or hidden parent photography; in fact, there's even a Flickr group devoted to the topic that has a spectacular array of photographs and tintypes devoted to this particular style. Enjoy!

'cos it was sink or swim and I went down, down, down

[Looking For Group] varus@silentxhawkeye: lf3m 3cw 13k+ for TOS
[Looking For Group] TAE@bordz11: 12k GWF lfg SP/FH/CK soul/vorp exp
[Looking For Group] Prophetic Insanity@theoriginalmad: 14k CW stone/gvorpal lfg CN
[Looking For Group] Oligaar@celsduynn: Need a last DPS 12k+ for epic Karru - No zerg - wisp class and GS, thx
[Looking For Group] Anneihilate@annetagonist: LF1M DC SP
[Looking For Group] Deli@dblajev: LFM CW DC GWF for SP greed PM me GS
[Looking For Group] Chi Chi@yinsdarkside: HR 12.5gs Stone/soul LF epic DV or MC
[Looking For Group] Thedel@killerfu11: LF 3 more EXP¡¡ to KARR 1xCW 1xDC, 1xGWF 12k+
[Looking For Group] Angelica@kayae: 15k cw lfg FH PK
[Looking For Group] Arasys@sixxftundr209: ==== 14.7K TR LFG TOS ====
[Looking For Group] MyBadGirl@misabor: CW 13.2 LFG MC 3/3
[Looking For Group] Ithinkifinished@jbob1891: 14.2 TR LFG
[Looking For Group] Myopicokin@myopico: LF3M for MC 3/3 dd event 13k+, CW, DC
[Looking For Group] PoSioNAnGeL@sadrettinnn: 14.5 k cw lfg for CN 2/4
[Looking For Group] Ant Monster@lvl99looter: :::::::::::::::::::LF GF/DC for SP:::::::::::::::::
[Looking For Group] Krexor@shandais: Lf 2 ****** CW/dc ***** MC Multiply runs ***** GS 13k+
[Looking For Group] Quivalen@nahsi: === LF2m for MC 3/3 dd *GWF and DC* pm gs please ===
[Looking For Group] Jovaini@jovaini: @@@@ +15k GWF LMF FH last spot !! @@@@

I remember the good old days of gaming...when people actually spoke in full words.

I miss those days.

Out of the blue, dropped into Neverwinter's zone chat, this really strange comment:

[Zone] Joay Nightshield@sunflies: can't wait though, getting my fake dope sometime today...before you say anything, it's prefectly legal [****] I bought online, that doesn't have any THC or nasty anything

Fake...dope. The hell? So I hunted for information, and this came up, which was sort of puzzling, because the strain supposedly "invented" sounds a lot like feral hemp. Feral hemp grows wild throughout much of the midwestern US (refugee plants from industrial hemp fields, burnt in the 1930s, which only caused the seeds to spread, not die out), and because it was seeded from industrial hemp strains, never had any THC to begin with.

[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: no THC?
[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: isn't that what makes you high?
[Zone] Joay Nightshield@sunflies: no
[Zone] Zeth Icewind@foregottenrealms: yup

Joay's wrong, Zeth's right: THC is the psychoactive agent in marijuana. Still, if they're interested in getting high, why buy whatever it is if it doesn't contain THC, and if they're not, then why buy it at all?

[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: you could always smoke bleach

Good gods, why? This is a thing? I went to Google in my naïvete, and the first thing that came up was hysterical and disturbing, but I don't think really answered the question.

[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: or plastic

.....I...I don't...That's definitely not a thing...right? Because that would be incredibly toxic inhaled.

[Zone] Joay Nightshield@sunflies: I smoke Sage and potatoe flakes

Joay, you have to be pulling our legs. There's no way that's a serious thing.

[Zone] POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP@BadName45757223960: Smoke bleach, plastic? Might as well be smoking cigs

Oh, hey, hi there. I remember you, you're the guy who set up that guild. I caught a member of it in Vellosk, hiding in the bushes.



Thanks for reminding me; I've reported you for an offensively stupid character name to the mods. Welcome to the conversation.

[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: I'm sure it is, so why is it good to have no THC?
[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: Tetra hydra cannibinol

That would be tetrahydrocannabinol, actually, but hey, I guess that's being overly picky.

[Zone] Zeth Icewind@foregottenrealms: Thats amoninia

"Amoninia"?

[Zone] Zeth Icewind@foregottenrealms: car pee

Car pee? That's a thing??

[Zone] Joay Nightshield@sunflies: cause it's legal that way

So buy diviner's sage, or a bottle of mezcal or damiana liqueur; or, if you're careful, have a shot or so of absinthe. They're just as legal (in most places), and in general, they won't give you the headache that smoking ditchweed will.

[Zone] POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP@BadName45757223960: weed is legal, you live under rock?

Depends on where you live, actually. Also: idiot.

[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: but you get none of the enjoyment of weed
[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: it's like non-alcoholic wine
[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: which is crap grape juice

Well, no, there are actually some makers of non-alcoholic vintages that are using vintage strains of grapes, and distilling the alcohol out. Though I do agree with the point you're making, Bunny Face. I think.

[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: If you're going to rot your brain might as well burn out quickly[Zone] POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP@BadName45757223960: Weed extends life expectancy, stimulates brain cell growth, and cures over 100 illnesses including Cancer.[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: like popping candy without the pop[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: Weed is the magical drug that cures cancer now? Jeebus talk about misinformed.[Zone] POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP@BadName45757223960: Weed cures cancer by activating a CB receptor in your brain that commands the infected cancerous cells to commit suicide.

I hate to say this, but he's not entirely wrong, though more studies are definitely needed to figure out what agent in marijuana is responsible for both tumor reduction and malignant cell die-off.

Even saying that, though, still: idiot.

[Zone] Belial Rebus@potato478: And needing more food.
[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: And needing to go on welfare because you're too apathetic to care about your future.

That makes no sense. No one's on welfare just to be on welfare; it's not some magical paradise with boat drinks and happy thoughts. Come on, now.

[Zone] Drizzt@elegyfordoom: that's not exactly negative, it's good to eat :)
[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: I injected 3 whole marajuanas once...I turned gay, then I became a Christian and became ungay.

And that's when my brain fell right out of my head, reading along. How does that even work? Also, "injected 3 whole marajuanas once"?? I'm allergic to pot, and even I know it's not injected. Bunny Face, you're dangerously close to that troll/idiot level, now, yourself.

[Zone] Drizzt@elegyfordoom: ungay, is that really a thing?

I was wondering that, myself.

[Zone] archie@pappy43: i sense much troll in this one

*nodnodnods*

[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: it's not exactly straight
[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: it's ungay
[Zone] archie@pappy43: beware
[Zone] Berenlar Dawngazer@malberd: you re the first ungay i meet:)

To be fair, Beren has a point, too. I've met ex-gays; I don't think I've ever met any ungays.

And I really don't think Bunny Face counts.

[Zone] Zeth Icewind@foregottenrealms: lol... ure it or not dont deny it

Well, no, you could be bisexual. Or just plain asexual, though I'm thinking true asexuality is still pretty rare. Still, while there is a wide spectrum of ways to be sexual, and to express those sensual/sexual attractions, I don't think a single one defines itself using "un" as a modifier for anything.

[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: Well if alcohol can make you unugly why not right?
[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: it's like undead
[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: and alive

What?

[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: undead doesn't equal alive

Well, I suppose not, but...

[Zone] Joay Nightshield@sunflies: i shot it with the 22

....What?

[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: Just mostly dead.
[Zone] Bunny Face@garboki: same with ungay
[Zone] Zeth Icewind@foregottenrealms: ?

I'm in the same place, Zeth.

[Zone] Joay Nightshield@sunflies: wasn't funny, first thing that guy asked was "where do you live"

I am now wholly failing to parse this entire conversation.

[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: Now if we could only train the undead to work at fast food places we'd save all sorts of labor.
[Zone] Sornaxaria@unseenentity: not if they eat the customers
[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: Might be a few extra fingers and ears and noses but it's to be expected.

Ew.

[Zone] Sornaxaria@unseenentity: at least you can easily see if the skeleton has been snitching food

Well, assuming the skeleton would want to snitch food...See, here's the thing, having been on both sides of fast food counters in my day. The places that work well, the places where the kitchen is clean and the employees smile and really mean it--they're the ones where management guides them with firm but easy hands. Lunch is free, or pay is significant enough that it doesn't feel like the employees are being pinched by choosing to buy lunch at work. Drinks are free, especially for employees whose main job is manning the stoves, the deep fryers, the ovens, the grills.

Conversely, every place I've worked at, or had friends who worked at, where management watched their employees as if their every second not spent actually doing hard manual labor was literally slapping food out of the mouths of starveling church orphans...well, sooner or later, you get employees who don't care. These places won't be cleaned well, they won't be maintained well, they won't be staffed by people who care, because their bosses don't trust them. In these kinds of establishments, lunch isn't free, or it's a mandatory charge; uniforms are taken out of pay and not provided; and why? If you provide the uniforms, if you provide the food, you have employees who will usually take care with their personal appearance and are grateful to be fed. If you begrudge them every scrap of food, if you tell them they can't have even a glass of ice water in a kitchen routinely over 110 degrees...you're telling them they're worthless and deserve nothing.

Which place would you rather work at? The place where you can eat what you want without worrying you're taking money necessary to pay rent from your pay, or the place where even a ten-minute break every ten hours is miserably parsed out from sour-faced managers who trust you as much as they trust a rattlesnake in their granddaughter's crib?

Skeletons stealing food. Get real.

[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: And if the undead spit in your food it's most likely going to turn green. Possibly bubbling.

What is your problem with restaurant workers, Varis? Jesus Christ.

Also, EW.

[Zone] Joay Nightshield@sunflies: cause most of us here, in this room, despise green food.
[Zone] Sornaxaria@unseenentity: unless its eggs with ham of course

Okay, first, if your ham's green, throw out your ham, don't eat it. And second, how can anyone despise green food? All the lovely salad leaves are green; cucumbers, honeydew melons and limes are green; avocados, spinach and parsley are green, along with most other culinary herbs. How can you despise green food?

[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: Especially if it's not pistachio

Pistachio is not actually a green food...

[Zone] Argoluth@roman1968: mint ice crem is green, I love that[Zone] Celestio@coolman4ny: not the ungays :)
[Zone] Joay Nightshield@sunflies: I stand corrected

Is it just me? Has this conversation completely gone off the rails again?

[Zone] Sornaxaria@unseenentity: spinach is also green and i happen to like that as well
[Zone] Younan@lazyjon: i dont mind some greens with my steak
[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: And who here doesn't like a little wasabi?
[Zone] Joay Nightshield@sunflies: onion ring?

Wait, onions are green? What?

[Zone] Argoluth@roman1968: but I don't usually like green food, so I have to agree
[Zone] Zeth Icewind@foregottenrealms: So funny to see ppl trying to proof there self

To...uh, whom, Zeth?

[Zone] Sornaxaria@unseenentity: if its fried, order double, if its green, its trouble?

I don't understand any of this.

[Zone] Mavein Ashguard@dcolong: are gf needed at higher lvls?
[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: GFs are needed at all levels. Then they become Wife 1.0, and you dont want to know the rest.

Cue massive, massive facepalming. And/or resigned sighs of disgust. Possibly together.

[Zone] Argoluth@roman1968: Fried mint ice cream?
[Zone] Argoluth@roman1968: mmmmmm
[Zone] Younan@lazyjon: gwf's are wife beaters

I...I don't...I...what?

[Zone] POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP@BadName45757223960: Meat consists of 2% animal feces. The more you know!

Did I mention the idiot portion of our show? You're it.

[Zone] Mavein Ashguard@dcolong: wife 1.0?? haha sounds rough
[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: Not ALL Gay White Females are wife beaters. Just most of them.

That's it. The next time I see your name in zone chat, Varis, you are so getting put on my ignore list.

[Zone] Joay Nightshield@sunflies: GF [********] sucks, all the mobs [*******] banging on you, but at least my queue is fixed.
[Zone] Zeth Icewind@foregottenrealms: pure speculation that is

What is?

[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: Damn slow leather crafters
[Zone] Vorgyrn Houndaer@armeanian: the player, has 32 O's in their name, im surprised it actually fit on the namee char create o.O

Me too. Also, he's an idiot.

[Zone] Zeth Icewind@foregottenrealms: hehe try alchemy its even wors

Alchemy only feels worse because experience isn't shown on the Alchemy bar like it's shown on the other crafting bars. It actually ranks up about as quickly as the other professions; it's just that it doesn't show a thing, until you get everything required for the next level--and then you get all of that in one fell swoop. So it seems like you're waiting forever, when really, you're just accumulating gradually like every other profession. Just the actual mechanic is different.

[Zone] Sornaxaria@unseenentity: alchemy is easy to rank up to 20 as long as you have a little godl and AD
[Zone] Vorgyrn Houndaer@armeanian: yes, and no

Well, that's true for anything in an online game, innit? Especially the ones that feature micro-transactions.

[Zone] Zeth Icewind@foregottenrealms: well i dont spend any coins on games where spammers are allowed

And...how exactly are you going to stop them? Because if no online game yet has found a foolproof method, I seriously doubt you're going to, either.

[Zone] Astral@astralzen: cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeck

Bet me that's a spammer.

[Zone] handsfree@djmindbendz: how do i make weapons and crap
[Zone] Argolath@roman1968: crap kind of makes itself.....

And we're back to poo again. Oh, gods.

[Zone] Peren Duskwalker@wifi656: how can i make healliquit?

I dunno. What's healliquit?

[Zone] Cadwallander@cadwallender: ruffage is one way
[Zone] Tenbears@tenbears22b: well to make crap you eat a bunch of stuff and wait
[Zone] handsfree@djmindbendz: im new so i still kinda dont get this yet
[Zone] handsfree@djmindbendz: is there a trainer or
[Zone] Vorgyrn Houndaer@armeanian: lolollololo

Blergh. From the surreal to the offensive, to the scatological, back to the surreal, to the sarcastic just for sarcasm's sake. People, goddamn, pick a mood. This is ridiculous.

[Zone] Folgan@ogoorovsky: IM not a pedobear
[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: ^ reeeeeeally

No one said you were, Folgan! WTF?!?

[Zone] Vysage@polygrip: anyone tell me best compainion for a starting out rogue?
[Zone] Varis Duskwalker@eerskinmana: Money?
[Zone] Argolith@roman1968: cleric
[Zone] Vysage@polygrip: ty argo

Yes, thank you for actually being helpful, Argolith. Glad someone still remembers how to do that.

[Zone] Sornaxaria@unseenentity: if you run sword coast trainer you get a free dog companion
[Zone] Joay Nightshield@sunflies: waz trying to convince it to stay, not make bacon, [*******]
[Zone] Rima Skysplitter@tarkoul: did someone said steak?
[Zone] Hellfire@wylderyder: i said mis..take....
[Zone] Rima Skysplitter@tarkoul: ohhh
[Zone] Hellfire@wylderyder: oooh now u got me all hot

And we're off the rails again. I give up.

dislocated, suffocated

So, homeless again for a bit. It won't last, it's just a matter of searching for or freelancing for enough Lindens, and spending time searching for a new home base, but...it's always a sad thing. What makes me saddest about this is not actually the having to leave. It was the why.

For several months now--since my income seems to be oddly variable--I've had an agreement with a love. She exchanges her work at an estate--and no, not identifying which one--for the plot that she uses, and the plot that I use. (I moved to a smaller place when we struck this arrangement, and when I was flush, I paid her rent, so it wasn't entirely one-sided.)

Over the run of everyday life on SL, they had to downside, so she went from being an estate manager to being a land office clerk--a significant downgrade in both income and responsibility. Still, she understood, and life went on. At least, until they stopped paying her.

In general--and both in RL and SL--my love takes a particular approach to employment, one echoed by Captain Mal Reynolds: she works in exchange for Lindens, the key point being exchange. That's the transaction, that's what she signs up to do. She's a very loyal worker, and she works hard, but she insists on the formalities: she does the job. And then she gets paid.

And three weeks ago, this estate stopped paying her.

At first--the first week--she sent friendly IMs, asking her employers to resolve the situation. Obviously it slipped their minds, it happens. No hard feelings. But then she hit week two, and what was worse, they'd stopped talking at that point--and not just to her, but to their other estate managers, and to their customers.

We still don't know what's going on with this formerly functional estate, but she's now at week three. And over the course of one day of talking, we went from "you need to try and ask them what's going on" to "maybe you need to leave". Because they're not paying her; they're not talking to her; they're not updating their webpage listings (for example, four listings today she found that were open and available on the website, that had been rented in world--some for months) for their estate. So...why is she staying? It was a damned good question.

So she made the decision to leave. And then everything happened very quickly, for the first time. In the space of three hours, she'd informed her employers, I'd taken back what was mine in my skybox, she'd taken back what was hers in hers...and both of us suddenly had no homes.

Well. That was abrupt.

Okay. Tomorrow, back to work, and we see where I go from here.

chasing tail and committing hate crimes

The Tymora's Gift event is ongoing in Neverwinter, and, because I wasn't around for the first iteration of it last year, I wanted to see what kind of drops the gifts had. I logged in to see this:

[Zone] Serenity@jwbluelabels: shyt, i prefer to sit by blacks. less likely to have trouble with ure friends around
[Zone] Sniper@astigin14: if you see a full-sagged-pants man, he's considered a black. lmfao!
[Zone] kingkongor@birdmanrules1: blacks arent friend

2014, folks. Racism isn't dead, it's back in full force with a whole new generation of idiots. Joy.

[Zone] Serenity@jwbluelabels: if they see you seclude ureself from their precense it grants them power ;-)

Huh? What does that even mean? I don't get it.

[Zone] Shieldbash@ripyourlipsoff: more Obamamerica speak turning blacks against whites becasue 400 years ago their own #(^^*&! kind sold them! please
[Zone] Lefty@tornfist: STOP SAYING ALL WHITES!

A fair point, but I'm more repulsed by the "Obamamerica" accusation. Don't get me wrong, there are some good points that surface from time to time in the debate, but in this instance, it's just being thrown out as the justification for everything: "Obama's president, so life sucks right now". "Obama's president, so blacks can't be trusted". "Obama's president, which means America's going to hell". None of it makes any sense to me.

[Zone] William Wallace@xvicariousx: white power!

LEAST of all in an MMORPG. This is online Dungeons & Dragons, people. In Neverwinter, your choices are to play black, white, brown, pink, green, blue and grey. There's a fair bit of racism, sure, but it goes so far beyond just the puerile screaming we're seeing here. There are entire storylines that hinge on untrustworthy Drow and Orcs, clashes with human guards against elves, or the fact that when wizards or Illythids are involved, you can't trust the people in front of you to actually be the people in front of you. We can't leave casual, draining daily racism at the door, even for one measly hour of our lives?!? Why the hell not?!?

[Zone] kingkongor@birdmanrules1: white power!

Seriously? AGAIN?

[Zone] Ravenna Feral@maxvonsparks: lets be honest, only real sh1t you're gonna get in live..is off bankers and politicians
[Zone] Shieldbash@ripyourlipsoff: If i could own some blacks i surely would... But I and my family did not so **(% off and grow up

So in all seriousness, at this point I was thinking of just logging off and finding something more fun to do, like exposing nerves in my teeth, or...Then this happened:

[Zone] kingkongor@birdmanrules1: Why do you separate whites from colored in the laundry? is that not racist

What? I don't...what?

[Zone] Sniper@astigin14: they're clothes scumbag
[Zone] Serenity@jwbluelabels: why seperate them. unless ure using cheap detergent
[Zone] kingkongor@birdmanrules1: Ah so you do not seperate whites and colored in laundry
[Zone] Serenity@jwbluelabels: i dont
[Zone] kingkongor@birdmanrules1: Good for you
[Zone] Sooty@sooty07: i dont
[Zone] kingkongor@birdmanrules1: I like to wash the whites first. Then the blacks.

.....

I...No words. Just...other than "kingkongor" is a gigantic troll with sprinkles on top.

[Zone] Serenity@jwbluelabels: and i mix my D milk with chocolate milk
[Zone] Eviscera@pliske: I separate the darks from the whites and throw away all the blacks.
[Zone] Serenity@jwbluelabels: i wash the mexicans first

Cue aggrieved sigh. I give up.

Seriously, some days I hate people.

And of course, then...

[Zone] Cis Privilege Haver@forumname5262: lol at nerding history in a mmo

...Yeah.

Because if we're spending our time playing an online fantasy MMO, chances are ridiculously high we like computers and gaming.

Also, dear gods, your name...It's not worse than the previous two conversations, but goddamn, it's close.

Yep. Definitely giving up for now. Blah.