One thing I never expected from just playing an on-line game...

is the amount of sheer honesty that goes on in the chat window... which is tiny, and drives me crazy, normally...

So you have to join up in groups which raise your game points and is the sort which you can be in many different places, but you're still getting the perks. If you are on about the same level, you can do things together in one area, and that jumps the scores even more... depends.

Otherwise... on the way to the crucial level of fifty... you end up doing mind-numbingly repetitive things to get those points, and people begin talking. As long as their avatars aren't in immenent danger of being killed.

And in some, there are people who 'know' one another if they are advanced players, and talk about things that are so personal.... kinda breath-taking.

Yesterday there were two thirty to forty-ish women. One of them has two sons. The youngest is ill. I kept out of the discussion... it was between them as if they were alone and there weren't two other people seeing the discussions.

To clarify, if you are in a group, only the group sees it. If you are in a guild, there is a tab, and only the guild members see what is going on. And if you want EVERYONE online to see anything, there is a total tab, and they do. So group tabs are very personal sometimes, or funny.

Whatever, yesterday was sort of heart-breaking. Woman with a boy who was fine till he was fourteen, and then all hell broke loose. The kid has an illness where the nerves in his brain don't function correctly... and he started overdosing on visual/audio input... hearing voices, hallucinating... it was wicked bad, as we say in the Northeast where I grew up.

The kid has been in a clinic for the last six months... not able to go to school, and the city of Hamburg has no program to teach him at home... although Bavaria does, but that is too far away, and whe won't let him be out of her supervision.

I assume the boy is schizophrenic, and will dependent on meds for the rest of his life, and this woman was so tortured... looking for maybe why SHE was at fault, or something. It made me so sad, I quietly left the group.

So during this horriday season, try to think about others less fortunate than we are.

And I had my knight Pip up, to gain points so that he catches up with what he was supposed to have learned until now. Thanks to my developing cataract, which is doing fine, thenk you... I hadn't seen that where you learn a new ability for your character, there was a second tab with passive abilities. Except the writing was dark grey on an even darker grey, and I thought it was blank, didn't see the words, and thought it would become important later. So he has to learn a lot fast, and that takes mucho points.

So I went to the place where I can get the most points for each monster killed, but they are so easy, there isn't any danger that the avatar dies. And invited a Lady magician to group with me... I'd only planned to do it for an hour or so... it gets mind-numbingly boring, and even with the group, progress is snail-paced.

She was doing the same, 'farming', they call it... and so we started chatting about virtually nothing... where we chose our character names from, books, videos, or better said films, and I let a bit slip about Peter...

And she got a bit agitated. THAT was a new reaction.... and then she blurted out that she is transgender, and had begun the correction process six months ago. Jaw-dropper, hey. I really thought... well never mind what I thought... sort of an in-your-face lady like my Annti, had seen her around on-screen and in a couple of big groups, where discussions like that never happen.

That turned into a six-hour marathon chat while we were doing mindless things, and her figure levelled. Mine didn't.... yet. Only a matter of time... maybe by Christmas.

I've never been able to really speak with, or have a serious discussion with a transgender person before. I just said, 'I'm really glad you told me that.'

And the rest of it was really too personal for me to repeat here. It would be a betrayal. And I quickly learned not to push with some questions... and listen.

She only talks about technical things with her transexual friends. Which I can understand.

I told her she could have a gay one... if she wished.

Up till about the third hour, I really believed I was speaking to a twenty some odd year old young person, and was acting accordingly. Do you live in a large city? They have so many help groups. Yes, she did. Which I found to be a relief... for her...

And around then, I asked, 'How old are you, and I know that is something you don't ask a lady, just curious, and you don't have to answer...'

And she said, '56'. Jaw-dropper much? And I just said the first thing that popped into my head... 'WOW! Oh wow! I really don't want to think about what you've been through.'

She gave me 'flirty eyes' Look like this ^^

Never married, never wanted to hurt anyone... how unhappy and cantankerous would that make anyone, huh?

For her, it sorta just came outta da blue... and she made her decision. And was surprised that so many of her women friends started hitting on her sexually. Which pleasantly surprised her.

'Errm, so you're a lesbian?'

'Of course'.

Uh-huh... I'm trying to wrap my head around that.

Y'KNOW... everyone has pre-conceived notions about lots of things, and sometimes are all too politcally correct in their thinking, yet still feel uncomfortable. I'd be the first to admit it.

But sometimes.... sometimes.... it really pays off to LISTEN.

You can learn something and get a further edumacation, believe me.

And no, I don't know who she is, or even what her name is. Maybe she's still deciding on the latter.

We were on the subject of pets in the game and their names... I told her about Annti, who had a beautiful black cat named 'Boy'. 'Turns out she does have a black cat too... Named 'Blondy'. And I said, you know what? I LIKE you....' Cracked me up... the sort of humour I love.

So yeah, you can learn lots playing an on-line game... there are other stories, but these two most recent ones only prove my point. And yes, whoever she is, I like her.