A Cinderella Story (aka - Why Do I Counsel?)
.. UO Stratics - Counselor Blues ..
Posted by Elder Counselor Bakura on May 23, 1999 at 15:30:04:
Many people often come up to me and say "Why do you volunteer your time for free to Counsel in Ultima Online? Why do you put up with so much of the abuse?" My answer to them is always, because I love to help people in a game that is very close to my heart. I like to share my knowledge so that it may help someone enjoy the game better. Sure, there are sometimes problem pleople that just want to bash the Counselors and GMs, but those people are much more outweighed by those that appreciate all of the hard work that we put in to make their experience in the game a better one. Just hearing a simple "thank you" means the world to me, as well as the other Counselors and GMs. I can not speak for everyone, but here is my golden rule on Counseling... "Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself". You may not always like the answer that I give you, but I NEVER try to hide the truth and always give the most honest answer that I can. The truth is not always good, but I would rather tell someone the truth than just tell them what they want to hear. I have strayed away from what I was originally writing about.... hmph... I recently got the most exciting news. A couple performed a wedding for one year ago were having their one year anniversary, and they invited me. I was happy to get the invitation, but then I found out something else that both shocked and amazed me. Since the time that I had married them in the game, they had broke the barrier and are now a couple in real life. Even though 2 or 3 thousand miles had originally separated them, they are now living together happily. Below you will find the story which I found in the Lake Superoir section of UOSS Shard News. It was written by a reporter named Wallis Gerard, whom I might add performed a very good professional interview with me in game at the wedding anniversary party. This story has touched my heart and I am so happy that I have had a part in this "Cinderella" story. This, my friends, is why I am still a Counselor of over one year: CROSSING THE SERVER LINES TO TRUE LOVE
May 20th marked the one-year wedding anniversary for Venom and Stacker of the Disciples of Virtue. The couple wed in Maginicia amid a rainbow of hooded robes and a hearty collection of family and friends. Since that time, the players behind these characters have begun a life together. Venom's "short visit" from Hawaii to Texas, Stacker's home state, began in March with no return flight forseen. They met in-game in late 1997. "I was a Founder and Division Leader for the guild known as The Sanctuary," Stacker said. "Venom was one of the soldiers in the guild. My first memories of Venom was of a young girl a little naive to the ways of the world." He went on to say that her eagerness to learn and willingness to help others caught his attention. Though he traditionally did not hunt one-on-one with the other soldiers from the guild, he invited her to join him one evening. "Little did I know I was training one of the most powerful warriors I would ever know who would save my life MANY times," reflects Stacker. "We just sorta clicked and the hunt turned into 2, then 3, then a daily event." The couple built a home together south of Trinsic. It was there that Venom proposed. "I handed him a book and asked him to read. In it was a paragraph which said, 'Stacker, will you marry me?'" The proposal took him by surprise. He asked her to give him a few days to consider it. He told her he felt it best to decline her proposal, feeling that it was the man's priviledge to make such a proposition in a relationship. Venom's heart sank, only to be revived moments later when he exercised his "manly right" and proposed to her. She happily accepted. What started as the union of two friends who'd come to know each other through a fantasy on-line game began to grow into something far beyond the server boundaries of Britannia. According to Venom, "I realized I had feelings for Stacker a few months after the marriage took place. I was the first to profess to him. After all this was a game; this was not supposed to happen in real life. But if you really look at it, our true feelings and emotions come through the game and you know each others' feelings so well. I felt as I've known him for a long, long time. My feelings were very strong and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him." Stacker admits it was difficult for him to accept the feelings he had for the player behind the "toon," as well. "About two months after we started 'running' together, I started having problems with the situation. It had dawned on me that this was more than just a game and I was starting to like the person I knew as 'Venom'. This was not setting well with me, as I thought I was playing a game..." The two began exchanging photographs, e-mails, and telephone calls. Eventually, Stacker invited Venom to travel to Texas for their first face-to-face meeting. The "short visit" nearly ended tragically before it began as Venom's flight experienced some serious technical difficulties. "On the way to Texas, my plane had to land in San Fransico," explains Venom. "We had an emergency landing, for we had lost an engine. They had covered the landing strip with foam and many emergency vehicles were on stand by. I overheard a man ask the flight attendant if we were going to be ok. She turned around, stone-faced and said, 'I don't know.' I thought I was going to die, and thought I would never get to meet my Great Love." She continued, "Thank God all went fine and I got on the next flight and arrived a few hours later in Texas, where Stacker awaited impatiently. He had a grin on his face and I was a nervous wreck! But when I looked into his eyes I knew everything was going to be alright. My first thought of him was he was as handsome as his picture and I was happy to be with him. Best part was when he held me closely into his arms and kissed me on my check. My heart wanted to explode with happiness." When asked what the best part of the initial meeting was for him, Stacker declined to comment, but *blush*'ed instead. An anniversary party was held for Venom and Stacker in Moonglow last Thursday night. Friends who had not seen each other since the wedding met with new friends gathered along the way to offer congratulations and share in the happy occasion. Even Elder Counselor Bakura, who officiated the wedding as a counselor and has since been promoted and moved to Chesapeake, travelled across the shard lines to pay his respects. It was the first wedding performed by Bakura. When asked his reaction to the news that the love had overlowed the confines of Britannia and taken root in the Real World, Bakura responded, "I was very happy to hear it. It is like a fairy tale. I feel honored that I had a big part in it." Future plans for the players behind the characters of Stacker and Venom are to find a bigger place, seeing as the "short visit" doesn't look to be coming to an end. Will they continue playing UO? Stacker answers, "Will we play??? Just try and stop us :)" Adds Venom, "My future plans are to be with my real life Romeo. My life is so complete now that I have Stacker.Yes, we will continue to play UO. After all, if not for this game we would never have met!" Happy Anniversary, Venom and Stacker. We wish you every happiness and all the best in the days to come. - Wallis Gerard
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