6/13/2008

The other woman

The "other woman" is around my height. She's lean without looking like she's aspiring to be a man. Leather and chainmail are her preferred garb. She's got a mane of red hair like an 80's metal girl and bright green eyes. So bright, they glow, literally. Her ears are pointy and as long as her feathery eyebrows. Her make up's minimal but always perfect, and she can be a haughty bitch when she's not running around with a big white gorilla -- no not me. She's Nithia, and she's my female blood elf hunter in World or Warcraft. I've been a gamer for 28+ years, so I'll forgo justifying playing a girl.



I didn't realize she'd become "the other woman" until recently. My addiction to the game has subsided somewhat -- i.e. I'm able to work and do other things without thinking about it constantly, stealing glances at thottbot.com, and playing it the second I get computer time. Or at least so I thought. Apparently, this particular "char" or "toon" as they're called now, holds a special place in my subconscious. Jokingly I'd say I couldn't stop looking at her, but there might be a deeper more sinister side to that.



A few nights ago, my wife awoke from being bumped as I was rummaging around the bookcase that is our headboard. "What are you doing?" was the natural question -- keeping in mind my wife doesn't need to include the word"hell" as she can masterfully communicate that with the tone of her voice.



Apparently, my quick answer was: "Looking for a flashlight."



"Why?"



"Because Nithia needs to be able to see in the dark..."



I remember none of this ofcourse -- walking and talking in my sleep and the occasional night terror are nothing new t0 me -- but somewhere in the bowels of my brain, Nithia's got a life outside the confines of WoW. Creepy, but perhaps beneficial I have to believe as I thumb through the new Player's Handbook and DM's guide of D&D 4th edition. Maybe it's her that needs to hand me the flashlight and show me where in my head she's living, because that area of creativity has been beyond my reach the past few years.



Here's "my girl", "the other woman", Nithia as she stands now in WoW: