Xarintep Excursion 6

Day 4: Heard about another bloody battle between the Navy and Pirates not to far off the coast. I know more than anyone about what's going on; I created the damned war, but the realization that I've screw over tens of thousands of people is just now starting to sink in. I think it finally clicked somewhere around the time I saw my first bloated corpse dressed in Korbin Naval Fatigues wash up on shore. I didn't have the stomach to rifle through his pockets; I guess I retain some standards.

Xarintep Excursion 5

Day 2: Ugh, one night and I already miss my own bed. Well, it's better than sleeping on the floor or in the streets. God knows I got enough of that on my last vacation. And like all trips, it takes a bit to get used to everything... Like goddamn outhouses and the food. I'm saving the food I brought for when I travel and go adventuring, though I am tempted to take it over this crap. Ah well, can't be helped. Another day, another Scepter.

Xarintep Excursion 4

Day 1-3: I was fortunate enough to run across a shopkeeper that needed some help keeping his place clean and merchandise organized. It's like being back at Walmart again, all things considered.  It seems that, like Walmart, this store has something for everyone and by everyone I mean adventurers. I know I used to joke about every adventurer just being a mentally ill murder-hobo, but apparently it's true. I have never seen a more eclectic patchwork of equipment and people in my life. While yes, there are some with matching outfits, legitimate reasons for adventuring, etc. there are far more who look like they're in they are in the middle of leveling on WoW. Regardless, the job pays and I've found an inn in town that rents rooms for cheap. I don't have much spare change, but it'll last me. I'll see what I can do about earning a bit more on the side.

Xarintep Excursion 3

Day 1-2: By the grace of god, I'm in the Solijo Isles. One of the better places to land if I didn't detest the beach so much. Ugh, this is going to be grating. My personal annoyance aside, I find myself in the town of Tapatio on the island Mondgestein. Notice the difference in language? Apparently languages here follow the almighty law of stereotypes. The natives Solijans, as I've taken to calling them, speak Spanish. Not Mexican-Spanish; Spanish-Spanish. The Korbinese, on the other hand, speak German. Man, Germans don't get a break in any universe do they? It seems like I've lucked out landing here, though, as it's one of the islands that's currently not undergoing gurellia warfare. Thankfully, everyone speaks almost-perfect English, or Common as it's known here. Knowing my luck, there's going to be a regional language and a racial language for every race. This is going to be interesting.

Xarintep Excursion 2

Day 1: That was a *bitch*. I seriously have no word to describe how much of a pain in the brain trans-dimentional travel is, especially when it's ripping the cosmology from your head. The good news is that I have a secured channel back home, the bad news is that if I ever lose or damage the return device I'm up shit creek without a paddle. Where I've landed is, at least, hospitable; it must have been a field of long grass. My entry was apparently quite explosive if the surrounding landscape is anything to go by; most of it has turned to so much ash from the fires. It looks to be about early morning and I have to say there's a definite change in the air from back home. I've been scouting the surrounding landscape for an hour and I still don't have a trace of a sunburn. I suppose that's from the ozone layer not being the equivalent of Swiss cheese, and the air is so alien it's making me sick. I guess when you're so used to toxins anything else seems utterly wrong. That, or the heavy stench of the sea is throwing me off. In any case, I've found a well-travelled path not too far away that looks like it leads to a town. Hopefully I can find out where I am.

Xarintep Excursion

Day 0: Well, I've managed to finally get the portal generator up and running. Dear gods was it a pain in the ass to make, but hopefully the trip will make things worth it if it doesn't end up killing me. I've written up a last will and testament, just in case, and written goodbyes to everyone that mattered. I've packed a decent kit: medical supplies, clothing, food and water, traveling and camping gear, a couple knives and my grandfather's swords. I won't be bringing anything electronic with me, aside from a filched taser, because of possible ramifications. Similarly, anything not essential will be left behind. With any luck this return device will actually work, but Murphy's calculator is showing a 43% chance of it screwing up at least once. Well, no sense putting it off. I guess I'm supposed to say something witty but I'm drawing a blank. Cheers.

The RPG Effect on Life

It occurred to me that, as an avid gamer and fiction writer, I put a lot of myself into the works I undertake and the characters I create. This is true for almost the entirety of writers, gamers and artists as we can rarely (if ever) make a character that is truly irredeemable or totally unlikable. This was made startlingly apparent to me as I played Fable 2 one day and found myself in a situation that struck straight to the bone.

I had spent a good few hours scouring the city of Bowerstone for a villager, housewife, etc. by the name of Katie and had finally succeed. Unfortunately at that point I still had 80% of the main plot to take care of including "The Spire". For those of you unfamiliar with the game, it's pretty much a near 10 year time-skip where you're imprisoned in this monstrosity and semi-brainwashed into being an officer in the main villain's army. Back onto the plot of this post...

We had a little girl together named Abigail and I made sure to keep them as happy as possible: I visited every chance I could, I bought gifts, I upped their 'home allowance' and things were doing well until the 'glitch' as I call it. It was after I had completed one of the more major parts of the campaign (the Hero of Will arc) and I decided to head home and visit my wife and daughter. I fast-traveled to Bowerstone Market and was greeted by my wife in the town square, not by our house like usual. She gave me a short dressing down and said she was leaving me. This was dramatically opposed to what I saw on the family tab in the menu which still showed all 'happy' in the three categories. I tried everything from gifts to expressions to standing in her way, but nothing worked. When she finally left the district I received the standard notification and renown loss, but I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. At this point I had completely forgotten that none of this was real. It felt real.

I ran to the house, knowing what I'd find in the back of my mind and refusing to believe it, and barged up the steps looking for the crib holding my infant daughter. It was gone; she was gone. Through the mechanics of the game, once your spouse has divorced you and taken the kids they're deleted from the game altogether. No reunion, no second chances, nothing. I snapped; I literally saw red and started slaughtering villagers in the street. I had taken out the entire district and all of the re-spawning guards before I realized what was happening. I shut off the system and brooded for the next few hours. Looking back on the event I can easily distinguish why it hit me so hard.

To me, family is everything because my family is so close. Sure we may have our disagreements or butt heads occasionally, but in the end we'll always have each other to fall back on. The thought of part of my family being ripped away from me without just cause (or any cause, really) just flipped a switch inside of my brain. I know that it was just a game and that none of it actually happened, but the concept of loss is a strong thing; especially when you invest yourself in the character as I had. Video games have a way of revealing bits and pieces of our true character by putting us in situations where, if we put ourselves in the shoes of the character, wouldn't be as clear cut as hitting a button.