Dear Matty: Cupid and Psyche Edition

Dear Matty:
I've had it. I foolishly told my RealID and Battletag to any Manny, Moe, or Jack who asked for it, and now I'm constantly getting whispers and greetings from folks, though are very nice, are just kind of there. Also, many of them are players that we needed to exchange this information for a quick raid or group, and now I feel bad if I 'unfriend' them. What a word, right? Unfriend? What if we weren't 'friends' in the first place? I mean, it's not like they bought me a puppy or anything, or picked me up from the airport. I can't even unfriend people from Facebook without political/social ramifications, although no one seems to have an issue 'unfriending' me if it's necessary. I know Blizzard should really come out with an "invisible" button/option, but until then, I am feeling very exposed. How do you handle this, Matty?
Death-to-Privacy-Death Knight

Dear Privacy:
I am reminded of the story of Cupid (Eros) and Psyche. Theirs is a tale of love, lust, betrayal, and redemption. Yeah, yeah, that old chestnut. Seems that Cupid's mom, Aphrodite, was hearing rumors of some poor, but incredibly gorgeous, girl's encroachment into her territory. The girl's name was Psyche, which means 'soul.' Heart and soul, get it? Anyway, Aphrodite (Venus) sends her boy Cupid to go slay this girl. Long story short, he falls in love with her, and whisks her away to his luxurious crib, complete with talking teapots and stuff (please don't think fairy tales are original, and certainly not the Disney Co.), with one promise: she must never, ever look upon his face or know his identity. Since the nights were so full of, how shall we say, made worth her while, she kept his trust. But--typical. Her sisters come to visit and they are jealous, and put fear and distrust in Psyche's heart. One night, she goes to see if Cupid is indeed the monster (who can kiss and hug like a rock star, but Psyche forgets this) her sisters say he is. She holds an oil lamp a bit too close to the bed, and some hot oil or candle wax, depending on the version, drops on Cupid waking him. He awakens in physical and emotional pain to see that Psyche betrayed him, and years and pain and suffering later, along with the ultimate evil mother-in-law, and well you'll have to find out what happens.

Why this tale? Well, it seems to me that much of what we enjoy in Azeroth is the fantasy: we enjoy being in our own tale of heroism, battles, love, loss, hatred, rivalries, (nothing in there about Tiller rep, but sure there's a story in there, too). But knowing the real identities of others may spoil the fun. It might surprise people to learn I've known my friend Señor since almost the beginning of my entrance into Azeroth, but I know very little about the man behind the characters, and I respect that. Am I curious? Yes, very much so. But curiosity does indeed kill the cat, if by cat I mean the opportunity of immersing myself in just having fun -- no real life responsibilities, no demands, and no expectations. If anything, he probably just expects me to keep the electric bill paid on the guild bank, but other than that, nada. 

There are a few folks on my battletag/realid roster I'm sure would be relieved if I just deleted them: they probably don't remember one thing about me, and it adds a social weight. There are some real id/battletag friends, however, I would be devasted to lose. I consider them "real" friends, and would mourn their departure from my social world(s). I'm sure my dear friend Señor wants some time in Azeroth that is just his, just like any of us do.

In the future, be more cautious of 'keeping the cat alive," I suppose, and if you do need to prune your rosters, go right ahead. You owe no one in Azeroth a single thing.