And YOU are?

Mat is not, repeat, NOT, having an identity crisis. Her human may be, though.

You may find the use of third person omniscient voice in this narrative may be a bit weird; and, I, writer, have thought that from time to time, too.

Aside from that, getting to know the dynamics of a group who's been working together for some time is tricky for anyone.  As the rounds of introductions are being made in the new guild, leader has decided that "Mataoka" is too tangled (this is all in Vent, by the way), "Mat" makes him think of dudes, (and apparently cross-dressing Draenei females are not as appreciated), so Mat's name is transmuted to Mathilda.

No, please.

Now, it's all in good fun, but human nor toon is a "Mathilda."

But that's an unexpected consequence of having others step into a narrative.

So, perhaps it's time to give a brief background check into human's toons' names (Note: perspective, point-of-view abrupt switches happen suddenly and without explanation):

• Mataoka is a derivation of Matoaka. Matoaka is Pocahontas' formal native name. Romanticized and European-centric views aside, I still think that she was a fascinating historical figure, and deserves to be researched and considered.  Mat is not a cross-dressing Draenei shaman. All acceptable: Mat, Matty, Matty-cakes, or real ID if you know it.

• Luperci is from the Roman priests who were in charge of the Lupercalia. I'm thinking this would have been a better name for a shaman, you know, with the spirit wolves and all, but what's done is done. Lupe (loo-pay) is fine.

Red? Blue? Is there a purple option?

• Zeptepi is from Egyptian origin myths.

• Morphemia, the most neglected Death Knight ever, is a derivation of Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams. Yes, and a pivotal character in the Matrix. Morphemia is not a pivotal character in any narrative right now. She chose the wrong pill.

• Haanta is a derivation of Hanta, or "hunter" in Japanese, kind of; not being able to speak Japanese, I just did my best with Google translator. Yikes. Original - no, hardly. The names of Haanta's pet have more of an interesting history. Haanta is currently cooling her hooves in Mt. Hyjal, sporting the greens, a level 83.5, and will get to level 85 someday. Her pets include Sweater,  Huli, and some other pound puppies and kittens. She's thinking a  monkey would be great from Deadmines.  If such monkey is procured, name: Archie. Less talk, more monkey. And what is this Loque more masterful players speak of?

We've all looked ourselves and others up and down in the armory, too. Come on. You know you have. Admit it. And when you check the name rankings, it's interesting to me how many other players share the same toon names. Mat shares her achievement rankings with a few under-20 level-something Tauren girls, and otherwise, remains fairly firmly ensconced as the queen of the Mataokas. There are a few more Lupercis, and quite a few Zeptepis. (And I thought I was being so original--nothing new under the Azerothian sun, eh?) So if there are many incarnations of your character, and you've reached some top rankings, that's quite an achievement indeed. You could be like me and name your toons silly, unpronounceable names, and be at the top of the list without much time or effort.


To that end, as we're all getting past the "My Name Is" meet and greet phase, I promise to:


* not to refer to myself in third person during play --I've tried not to do this, and don't plan on starting now, especially knowing how annoying, weird, and bizarre that would be to other players. That being said, all bets are off if it's a "/me (orange) Mataoka  (space) taps her hoof impatiently" emote. Okay. Wait. I don't promise I won't use third person for emphasis sake, but how about, "I'll try not to annoy you?" vow?

* keep my sense of humor. If you want to call my shaman Mathilda, fine. I'm over it.

Let me get the curlers out of my hair, please...

*try to show up, on time, to events, just as I try in real life, to be punctual, prepared, and pugnacious (always ready for a fight, if need be). But if you call on me last minute to get my tail somewhere, just know I do move as fast as I can. There are some real life obstacle courses in the way, though, on occasion.









Little Urban Achievers Post of the Month: I Like Bubbles

Ghost in the machine - Mat's Current Resume

Theme song: David Bowie/Fame

Postscript: Need more ponies.
Oh: Why does Billy's voice sound a lot like Mr. Bill's?