Because I'm silly and haven't been checking my Twitter as often in the last couple of weeks, I missed this and had to hear about it from *shudder* the news media. But nevertheless, it's awesome and I wanted to share and show my support for this lady.
Rae Johnston is an editor for TechLife, an Australian tech magazine, and she's a gamer. Well apparently, gents in Australia never got the memo that girls game. She was wearing her Bioshock Infinite t-shirt and given the stink eye by some Troll in a coffee shop. He then accused her (in what I'm sure was a nasty condescending tone) of not having played. So she straight up told him the twist ending of the new Bioshock game.
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| BOOM! |
I doubt he learned his lesson even though she says she could see in his
face that she crushed him. But score a point for the ladies!!! So after this, she's been interviewed and re-blogged and re-tweeted by the likes of Forbes, and The Mary Sue, and Sir Wil Wheaton.
Go girl!
I haven't encountered too many Trolls IRL, but I find them much easier to deal with in person than online, despite my social anxiety. I think they can be more vicious online and it's difficult to get them to back down when they are typing away from the safety of their hidey-hole. It's easier to take them down a peg when in public, because they have no where to run to and if you stand your ground, they will either admit defeat or mutter "Psh, whatever" and go sulk in a corner. But then, they'll probably go home and take out their aggression on the internet anyway, so it does feel like we fight a losing battle sometimes. Hopefully someday Trolls and harassment will only be something that happened "back in my day." Keep fighting the good fight everyone. Just because the other side screams the loudest at times, doesn't mean they are stronger than us.
Last night Boyfriend and I stumbled upon a live video chat session on Geek and Sundry's YouTube Page. I've never watched The Story Board before and I'm kicking myself because last night's was awesome! Patrick Rothfuss hosted a discussion about memoir writing and blogging featuring Jenny Lawson, Wil Wheaton, and John Scalzi. I love Jenny and Wil, and am familiar with Scalzi but was not as familiar with Patrick Rothfuss. After their poignant and hilariously inappropriate 3+ hour discussion last night, I feel better about myself as a writer and I am even more in love with these people. If you are serious about writing or maintaining a successful blog, I highly recommend watching the video. It is a long one, but I found it very interesting.
I've been a little absent from my usual blog consistency of late and to all 2 of you who probably read it regularly and enjoy my words, I'm sorry. I was gone the week of Thanksgiving and have been slightly busy since then, but I really have no excuses for not writing. The person that kept me from writing was me. As much as I loathed my full-time job with every fiber of my being, I have felt kind of like shit ever since I lost it. As much as I hated my job, and said I wish I didn't have to work there anymore, it sucks ass to be let go. Especially right before the holidays. I'm scared. I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't. A dirty rotten liar. My job was consistent. It was a miserable corporate environment where I was a verbal punching bag and chained to a desk for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for crap-all pay. But, it provided a sense of security. I had a consistent paycheck and health insurance (that I could barely afford but it meant I could get the health care I needed desperately) and now everything is unknown and it's scary. I'm afraid I won't be able to afford my share of the rent or food and that will drive a rift between me and Boyfriend and it will ruin our relationship. I'm afraid I will no longer be able to afford going to therapy and my mental state will decline again. I'm afraid I will go insane. I'm afraid I'll never make it as an actor, a voice actor, or as a writer. And before you know it, in 3 short weeks self-doubt and borderline depression have made a cozy home inside my brain.
Unfortunately, that fear is seeping into the other aspects of my life including my writing/blogging. The fear and uncertainty and self-doubt morphed into a fear of failure which turns into a nasty voice inside my head that says, "You're not good enough, so bother even trying?"
Now, I say all of this not to throw myself a pity party, but to say that the episode of The Story Board could not have been stumbled upon at a better time. It lifted my spirits and sort of rekindled that little flame of wanting to write and succeed again. It helped me ignore that voice deep inside that points and laughs at me and repeats all of my failings in my ear. I can't recommend that video enough if you are struggling. Knowing that people I look up to struggle with the very same things that I do, sometimes on a much larger scale than my own struggles, and they still succeeded gives me hope. It also made me thankful that I do blog. I have a written account of not only my struggles and mini failures, but I have a record of my success and my awesome experiences. It w=makes me want to continue on. Keep keeping on.
So, while I'm a little off-kilter at the moment, I will be better soon, I can feel it. I can't let the fear overpower me like it did once. I am stronger now. I am better now.
Thanks Wil and Jenny. You have given me more strength and hope than you know.
I've had a rough couple of days lately. I mostly blame The Hunger Games trilogy. I just finished Mockingjay last night. That book seriously screwed up my sleep patterns last week. I would stay awake reading it and then when I could finally settle down at night enough to sleep I would have Hunger Games nightmares. When my sleep patterns get thrown off, I get cranky and my depression threatens to take over in my brain. I feel so much better now that I finished the series, though. Whew. I got a great night's sleep last night, and now I feel like I can think clearly about real life now that I'm not obsessing and stressing over what's going to happen in the books. And yes, I realize I am late to that party, we have Barnes and Noble to thank for not having the box set delivered eons ago when I ordered it.
I think this all goes back to the wiring in my brain that makes me become stuck on an idea or a thought or a word or a song until I get some sort of closure or cleansing of it. So the lack of sleep, my obsession with The Hunger Games, and my depression that seemed as though it were bubbling just under the surface all have made me feel extra sensitive, especially when I received my first troll comment on a YouTube video I posted. However, last night after finishing the book and watching a VidCon video of Felicia Day and Wil Wheaton talking about trolls, I was able to just let it go. I feel even better today after I got a good night's sleep. It feels so free to just let it go! Breathe in the good air and let out the bad. I know that letting go of stuff can be so difficult sometimes, but I feel much better today now that I have.
Thanks Wil and Felicia. This is why I love you!
