I hate Bioware.

It's official.

Herein contain Alastair Romance spoilers for the game "Dragon Age: Origins", if you do not wish to see them do not read further, please. There will also be the rantings of a bipolar artist that seriously gets way too into these games.

So, around 20 or more hours into the game I find I'm getting nervous about how people keep warning me about our love. We've made love, etc., and he keeps saying he loves me.

I get headaches worrying about it, so I look it up.

My worst fears are confirmed: if you are a mage of any sort, even human -- he WILL NOT marry you. He will not stay with you. He will dump you for his uncle's f-ing widow.

NO.

I deny this; I'm so upset I'm crying and now I can't stop. I have issues with Fantasy worlds, see, it's what I believe makes me a half decent artist and writer. I live these things very closely. I cried during the romance scene and all, and was so happy for several (um, make that two) days while he said loving things to me like "yes, my love" and told me he did love me. Well, my character would rather die than see him married to another. Let them stop the damned Blight themselves. I refuse to play any longer.

Childish?

Certainly!

But I'm hurt. I'm still a child at heart and I feel this very strongly, almost as if my husband is doing it to me. Truly, as a matter of fact. I am hurt, devastated. Instead of being happy like I was and hoping for a happy ending I ache. Just as if it is real.

I may simply quit playing the game entirely.

I did not enjoy many parts of it; I swore VERY OFTEN and despised the mage's quests in the Veil, etc. I even had to print out a guide for one! I never do that!

And now, what? I simply refuse to put myself through his rejection...and to see him married to that slut just because he needs an heir and I'm a mage that needs to go back to my fricking dog kennel "tower". No. I can't.

Man, I am weird.

I've been getting into these interactive Fur Real and PlaySkool toys - you know the ones, the "hot" toys of the year. Kota the Triceratops, Butterscotch and/or S'mores the pony (ponies).

I want one.

Now, before you call me crazy - I know I am anyway, pbbbt! -- I want a cheap one, or, better yet, a BROKEN one. I actually want one that doesn't work. I like broken and mismatched toys the best, ones that have gotten love but now are cast aside.

*edit: managed to get a S'mores! But now he's taking up so much space in our house... waugh. xD

Ha, I promised updates

...and here I am not blogging. Well, I tend to do that. *shrugs*

New Underhanded eBay Trick - negative feedback?

eBay buyers, beware - there is an underhanded tactic being used by equally dastardly sellers to get around the system if you leave them negative feedback.

See, they're not allowed to leave you negative anymore. This is supposed to have us comfortable to give honest feedback - the threat of "retaliation" feedback is supposedly a thing of the past. Untrue, because a recent transaction left me irritated and once again shaking my head at eBay Customer Service - such as it is.

I purchased something. It arrived not as I expected it, and the seller wouldn't answer my messaging via the site. I was thus forced to go to Paypal's transaction center and submit a report. I made a partial mistake about the item description; it's true, so they filed against me. However, the lack of the "new" condition of the item in hand that I received and the seller's lack of communication forced me to leave a negative feedback. They seemed not to care that they did not hold up 100% of their bargain, so I stated such in my feedback.

The seller saw this feedback.

No matter that I have the item - it was shipped to me! -- they sent me an "unpaid buyer alert", claiming that I did not pay. I declared that I did and this was very "petty" of the seller, and said they were trying to "get back at" me for leaving them negative in this fashion. Very bad form, in other words.

Apparently this pissed them off further, for they declared I hadn't paid and we couldn't reach an amicable solution. This means eBay sent me an "unpaid item strike". Unlike negative feedback for sellers, I am unsure if the strikes go away - I don't think they do. Negative feedback, however, does after a certain amount of time. So I sent a copy of the Paypal email with headers and the strike was immediately removed, although the mail sent by the staff had a grave "warning" if it ever happened again.

Thanks for contacting us about the unpaid item strike you received.

Our records show this is the first time you've appealed an unpaid item
strike. Based on this and the information you gave us, we've removed the
strike from your account. Any future strikes could affect your account
status though, so take a few minutes to learn more about our unpaid item
policy. . .

[insert many URL's leading to things I already know here].

In short, be aware that this happens now and know how to appeal these disputes if this happens to you.

1.) Keep all Paypal receipts! I know it's just an email and if you purchase a lot they clog up your inbox, but keep them for a decent interval so you have it if this happens to you.

2.) Contact eBay again after the appeal. Keep at them. We want sellers to stop doing this and for the staff to be aware it is happening. They will put you off many times but they'll soon take notice if it happens to many people.

3.) Keep on leaving deserving feedback. Don't let the underhanded tactics of bad sellers cow you into abstaining or even leaving bland positive comments. Give them what they deserve. They have your money, they don't care what happens now except to make sure no one does it to them again so they can keep gulling more buyers.

The Gamer-Chick Test

Written solely by myself, plz credit me and my site (air-lobster.com) if you'd like to reprint.

Ladies that like to hold a game controller in your hand, raise it up and be proud! That's right. You're not as few as the male persuasion would believe. There are many, many females that play console and hand held games and not just "girly" ones, either. Men are blinded to real female gamers because they have visual standards. If it's not a top "Barbie" style model that plays the games, they don't see her (for the most part). Advertising clutches like those Asian ladies that are paid to play games all day simply because they are models ruin the real gamer reputation, too. Look beyond a tiny waist and surgery-enhanced features and you'll find the real gamers.

Are you a gamer chick? A real gamer ... or a wannabe?

I'm not trying to belittle casual gaming girls but the ones that swear up and down that they're "gamers" when in reality they just like to say they are. They can not escape my scathing tongue, for it's ladies like that that are ruining the real gamer reputations. They are the ones that cause their husbands to roll their eyes and ask for "your husband's" (or boyfriend's) gamer handle on xBox 260 or the PS3 because of course even though you state you need someone to game with they don't believe you. Of course the man plays games. You don't. They think this because their wife or significant other plays a certain way. Let's review this list of what could make you a big time gamer. My husband (who tests video games for a living, funny enough) and I have discussed this time and time again, so you know that at least one male agrees...and believe me, his co-workers (they have only a single female on staff) do too.

Take this in the style it's written in - tongue-in-cheek -- although if you're like me you'll be giggling and nodding all the way through. I've included brackets for "check marks" if you're so inclined to print and check 'em off as you go...


Do you dress for comfort when you play games (ie, pajamas in the middle of the day)?

[ ] Have you trimmed or hacked your nails completely off because "it was too hard to play" a certain game controller?

[ ] Tied up your hair because it might distract you at a crucial moment (even if it's really short)

[ ] Put off showering for more than an hour because you were "busy playing"?

[ ] ...didn't shower for the day because of the same reason?

- -

Have you played any game consecutively (straight through) for 2 hours or more?

[ ] Longer than 4 hours?

[ ] So long you got a semi-permanent "wrinkle" on your rear where the fabric of what you were wearing/the couch printed into your flesh?

[ ] ... your foot fell asleep?

[ ] ...several body parts went numb?

[ ] Made it through an all-nighter with several pots of coffee or energy drinks just to beat a game?

- -

Have you ever ''held it in'' instead of going to the bathroom because you were "almost to the Boss" or something similar?

[ ] ... held the 360 controller precariously out the door while peeing so you could start a match (hey, you're almost done)

[ ] ...hey, the PS3 controller works even when I'm in the bathroom!

[ ] Purposefully didn't drink a lot so you could "last longer"?

- -

Have you screamed obscenities at an unfeeling television set when you die in-game?

[ ] When you're about to?

[ ] When you think you're about to?

[ ] Do any of those include threats against the game developers/designers/beta testers?

[ ] ...and their unborn children?


- -

Have you hit your own leg or unfeeling couch arm, etc during a game?

[ ] In frustration?

[ ] With excitement?

[ ] Nope, you hit someone else.

[ ] So hard you yelped with shock.


- -


Have you thrown a game controller in anger or excitement?

[ ] The cord acts like a bungee, so you were safe (and so was the furniture)

[ ] Screamed "Oh, shit, those are worth $60 why did I do that!"

[ ] Yes: and hit someone across the street.


- -


Have you ever been "game-hunting" for something you want?

[ ] Through several different game stores?

[ ] Through all the game stores in the area

[ ] ...and not in the are (out of state)

[ ] ...along with a Wal-Mart or two

[ ] You peruse eBay and Amazon on a daily basis.

- -

Is "love of games" something you look for in a guy?

[ ] He needs to like gaming like you do.

[ ] Bonus: he comes with a game system you don't have!

[ ] ...and/or games you haven't played!

[ ] He'd better have a good sense of humor as well since you often beat people when you play against them.


- -

How many consoles and hand held systems do you own?

[ ] More than two

[ ] More than four

[ ] More than you can have hooked up to televisions in your house, even with spare TV sets and multiple-channel boxes

[ ] ...as well as several duplicate systems "just in case"

[ ] An out-of-region system (NTSC/ US, Japanese or PAL, whichever counts for you)

[ ] ...several of these.


- -

And perhaps the final question...

Does your husband talk about you, game-wise, to his buddies?

[ ] Brag about your skill in general?

[ ] That you're better than he is?

[ ] That his wife is "cool" because she doesn't complain when he brings home a game?

[ ] Complain that you're hogging the console when he wants to play?

Katamari and an egg crate.

My little puppy decided she wanted to anger her brother constantly, so we came up with a new toy on the spur of the moment.

EGG CRATE + PUPPY = WIN.

Internet Harassment & Me.

This is a very personal account and pondering - a looking-back if you will -- on events that actually happened in my life some years ago. If you don't agree with any of it I can't stop your mind from running off the beaten path - but hey. I'm telling it just like it was, clearly as I can and without hiding any wrongdoing on my part (even if it was just standing up for myself while I was being attacked). It was a bad time for me when all of this happened, just so you all understand.

I'm bipolar. Very severely so: to the point of I have very real problems holding a job (I don't currently have one) and even leaving the house some days. I've been this way for as long as I remember and it's my way of life to battle every day as best I can without the mind-numbing drugs of my youth (my folks did "what they thought was best for me" back then). I don't say this to excuse anything, nor do I say it to evoke pity. Just to clear up some issues right at the start: ordinary things like someone saying "you suck" in an email can crash my day if I'm having a bad moment. Later on I might look back and laugh but when I'm in a severe down even the way I said goodbye to someone that morning may be an agonizing debate within my head all day as I try to sort out how I could have done it better.

The type of personality that usually gets hit the hardest from harassment like I suffered is the artistic person, a sensitive person. You have to realize that the person harassing you has no right to treat you that way at all. Don't try and look inward and reason with them and/or yourself. Don't think: "Did I really deserve this?" You didn't. No. They'll keep trying if they're as persistent as my attackers were and you can't afford the luxury of self-doubt.

What happened to me was simple. I had moved out of my folks' house and was living with a batch of people in a bad neighborhood. I was with someone that I later learned didn't love me at all and had no one to reach out to. I had no outlet except my artwork but no one to share it with.

And then I discovered the internet.

I found that I could vent all my frustrations by creating a pseudo-man that really did care for me and treated me as I wished and needed to be treated. Also I could have friends there: I didn't need to leave the house (and I couldn't, as my then-beau had 'stolen' my car). I focused on the current obsession of my life: Pocket Monsters, drawing small bits of fan art and creating a website with stories of myself as the fursona "L4J". This was my very first taste at any role-playing and story-writing for fun, although I had written professional erotica before and it seemed that that was where the fan fics were taking me.

Being starved sexually for months at a time from my "beau" - who liked to abuse me by doing things like that and who apparently never cared for me at all in any real way -- this was the only outlet I had. I wanted to be "faithful" to him, but if my needs weren't being met and I couldn't even get his attention by talking or throwing myself on him, what was I to do? Writing the stories helped but having others share them gave them meaning. As I was being abused at home, so the abuse crept into my stories: first the love interest of James (Kojiro) gave way to Butch (Kosaburo), who became violent to the point of physically hurting my character. But all in all, L4J was getting what Michelle wanted: notice. Not only notice and attraction by members of the fan community, who thought my concepts were interesting and liked my artwork, but by the characters within the stories and art themselves.

L4J gave way to "Elly" (notice the wordplay on the names there) and eventually I settled on a character that, for me, was the essence of what I desired. Calm, with a soothing voice and not a female-monger, I picked Tracey Sketchit (Kenji) as my ultimate "man" to write about. His very presence became one to hide behind, as things crashed down around my ears.

One of my most beloved pets died that I'd spent $1,000 trying to save
I started to faint from panic attacks again
My folks refused to take me back unless I got a job and held it for years
I had to quit several jobs before they fired me because of my illness
I didn't have a car to even get to a job if I got one (I'd had to rely on friends before)
The sexual abuse was worse and even when we did consummate, it was never for me, it was for him

...the list went on. Consequently, my attraction to (and obsession with) Tracey became stronger. I was quite arguably the largest fan on the internet, with thousands of screen shots of him on TV, quotes, merchandise I'd bought with eBay-sourced funding, and more. My rpg character married him on my ezBoard (bulletin board system, now moved to Yuku). That's when it started, I believe.

It began with emails. "Shut down your website".

Irrational idea #1: "I don't like it, so you need to stop."
Internet harassment usually stems from this plain and simple idea that someone has. They don't like what you're doing. They want you to quit doing it. There is no reason you should if you're not harming anyone else.

As if they had a right to tell me what to do on my own website. And truly, they believed it! That's the oddest part about this, and if you really want to understand the mind of a Troll or Flamer, that's where they're coming from. The ones that fight for a purpose really believe what they're saying and nothing can convince them otherwise. Don't think you can fight them, because I tried - not knowing that it's what they wanted. A game of sorts. Sitting at home in their cozy, comfy little mom-and-dad bought 2-story house, television with cable and everything they could desire, this is what they chose to do with their time. They harassed me. The emails got worse: they slandered my art, saying it was badly drawn and it really sucked, they read all my stories and said I also stunk at writing. They attacked as much of my art and writing as they could as hard as they could, feeling that surely, it would break me down into tears and I'd take it all down.

When that didn't work, the emails got more ominous.

Irrational idea #2: "I can reason with them."
The harasser(s) will not listen to you, even if you have infallible evidence that the world isn't flat.

And I tried reasoning with them, you see. I know it doesn't work. Told them I was a 23 year old female that was an artist: I'd had things published and I knew my art wasn't that bad. I tried to tell them that if they didn't like what they saw, to please just leave and don't read or view anything else. Sent copies of internet "freedom" laws to them. Anything and everything within the ideals of human ingenuity I tried and tried and tried.

Don't try, if this ever happens to you. Just block their email after reporting it to their ISP - Internet Service Provider -- as harassment. Because when the emails got worse, they got incredibly bad. I was threatened to be reported to internet "safety sites" as a pedophile and even to the cops in my town at one point. They stuck very firm to the fact that I was a pedophile, you see. Just because of course I'd have to be, liking anime as I did. Because anime is for kids and Tracey was 11 years old.

Well. I saw (and still see him) as whatever age I wish him to be. And that would be legal, by the way. Nowadays I even draw him with a tiny bit of facial hair on his chin for further proof of his age. And even then he wasn't 11...not that it mattered because he's not real. That's another thing the attackers harped on: the fact that he's not "real", so I can't "have him". Not like it mattered on their fan pages, where they wrote copious amounts of self-insert fics. No, he was real to them, but just not for me because they were jealous.

This is something you have to also realize about abusers like this. They're jealous and want to hurt you. For the most part, this is true. In some way they are envious: whether it's because you draw or write well, or because you like the same character they like...whatever. Don't stoop to their level. Ignore them. I can't say it enough. IGNORE THEM. It works. It's the only thing that does.

I finally began to see the light and did just that: I ignored the emails. I ignored the guest book flames, the nasty comments on my ezBoard. I blocked all their email addresses I knew of and for a tiny while this seemed to stave off the harassment. Meanwhile, in real life, I'd managed to get a job and was struggling to earn enough to leave the apartment and move back in with my folks. The atmosphere was terrible: my "beau" and I had even invited a few people from my ezBoard over at one point and he'd ignored me and tried to hit on one of my friends! I didn't realize this was happening. In retrospect I do; he was a pervert and a true pedophile and I hope he's changed his ways. I lost that friend and a few others all because I was blind to what was happening, but I can only chalk it up to experience now.

Anyway, while I was at my parents, trying to convince them to let me back in and also getting a breather from that nasty hell hole I lived in, I turned on their computer to view my site.

I'd been hacked.

The front of it now showed a picture of Tracey giving "me" the middle finger, with a big holier-than-thou statement about how my site sucked and the smallest of them could draw better than me, so they took it over. They had hacked my email, which, at the time was my only email. I used that for my credit card, my eBay account, everything I needed. The little batch of 15 year olds had actually banded together to "get" me off the 'net. I was later told all of this by one person (the only male) in their group that actually had a twinge of guilt and gave me my password back.

Irrational idea #3: "It's become a crusade, and I have to fight to the end...to 'win'."
Who's the bigger person - one that drops something for a little while, until it cools down and they can have fun again: or the one that sticks it out and has his or her blood pressure go through the roof every 5 seconds?

Sadly, I kept right on going. I should have just given up the internet and relaxed for a few weeks until it all blew over (or hopefully did). But this made me angry. Angrier than I'd ever been. Crying at night over little things was normal for me but now everything was a "big thing". I'd been pregnant when the hacking had occurred and my then-beau hadn't let me tell me mother. I was suffering horribly because I despise babies and never wanted one and I was in mortal dread of actually having an abortion because I hate surgery. I had no one to turn to. No one...except Tracey. And these little brats were trying to take my one mental refuge away simply because they "didn't like" what they saw. Because they didn't want me to have him...even though they could just walk away and not view any of my pages again! They didn't have issues like I did. They could maybe have problems, but they were at least safe at home with their folks. They didn't have to worry about the kind of things I did all the time. So I fought back. I drew and wrote hentai - very explicit stories. I slammed the fact home that no one was going to stop me.

What happened next? Nothing exciting really. I eventually stopped bothering with it all. Lost interest, one might say. I let Elly Sketchit die because of the bad memories associated with her. I decided that I needed a new handle and lease on life, and you know what? When I did that I actually started getting better. I found a man that actually cared for me. We got married and I have accomplished a lot on my own and with him as well. I learned a lot from all the crap I went through. Sometimes "fighting back" isn't a good way to get what you want done. It makes things worse.

Besides, Elly's back. She never went all the way away, nor can anyone take her from me. She's a part of who I am.