Astra Edris and OOPS

I bought Nightfall needing a break from WoW and the collectors edition was on sale. So Jer (calling him Jer in this so he does not get confused with Jeremy as they have the same name. Jer is my fiance) and I tried it. I had many characters the one that became my main Solaris Raven has the most played time, my ranger. I had hopped between many guilds never staying for more then 2 weeks, either someone would say something stupid and I would decide I didn't want to read that shit regularly or I would just be bored of the guild being either so dead that no one was online at the same time or that it was just too crowded.

One class at this point in time I had not tried was the Mesmer. This seems to be Tifa's favorite class and I was online with her, just got into Kamadan. I still remember how long it took me to make her, couldn't decide if she looked better blond or as a red head (Those who have seen Solaris will know I try to make my characters appearance fit with what I feel they will be. Solaris is made to look native american and is a ranger). I cannot remember hair colour now, only that I was standing in the middle of Kamadan on a little level 4ish Mesmer when I was approached by a level 20 one (Tifa) I had just quit another guild about an hour earlier and wasn't in the mood to be spammed like so many people do when they want to increase their guild numbers. So when he asked by chance would have it I was already annoyed and decided "What the hell at least this will stop the messages" Plus the cape didn't look like complete crap. lol.

So I joined. Since then I have been called Astra Edris, the character I joined the guild originally with. She has long since been deleted.

My journey with that original guild was quiet for the most part. I refused to speak much in vent and for the longest time had people thinking I was one of the younger members of the guild due to my high pitched voice. I wasn't asked to confirm my age and therefore did not offer much personal information. I think for the first month I was in the guild I would often wonder why I stuck with it. Telling myself that it was because I wouldn't be bothered by others to join a guild. No offense to anyone in the guild currently but I just kept to myself mostly. Didn't offer information up but answered questions when they were directed to me. The person I talked to the most was Tifa who for the first bit often talked to me about miscellaneous topics. That is until Zelda joined, at which point he spoke with her more often.

It was Zelda that made me open up and talk to the guild a bit more. Once she spoke on vent her and Amber's banter is what made me speak more. It was hard not to become friends with her, though even that took a while before I called her friend (longer now than I would care to admit).

I don't remember much from that time. Just brief glimpses into it, then came the falling out. I have been told since what happened though I will not relate it here as I was not present when it occurred.

Tensions in the guild were mounting. Tifa complained to me some about trust issues with Jeremy and Aaron. Told me many times to watch myself with them and some choice words about them. Now for those who don't know. Up until this time while I had begun to talk with Kat and Amber I rarely spoke to Jeremy, Aaron or Andrew (who at the time I only knew as Bate). I had begun talking a little bit to Jacob (Killer) and Steve (Lime) but for the most part the only person who seemed to try and draw me out of my shell was Tifa.

I remember Tifa asking me many times whose side I would take and if the guild split where would I go. I told him many times I would remain on his side and I would stick by him if the guild split though I paid very little attention to guild politics and the mounting tension often turning guild chat off and just leveling on my own and replying to Tifa's whispers.

The catalyst for the blow out as stated above I did not find out until much later. What did happen is I signed into the guild one day to find over half the members out and Tifa asking if I would join them. To which I told him again I would stay with him (at this time he was one of the only member who would talk to me on a regular basis).

It was a few days before I got back on again only to find myself guildless with an invitation to join a new guild. I would be lying if I said I haven't thought back on that day and wondered what it was that made me accept that invitation. My first reaction was anger. I remember looking at my screen mad as hell saying "What the fuck?" My first thoughts at seeing the invitation were "Fuck you" I sat with my arrow over the rejection button for a good 3 or 4 minutes before I moved it to the accept button. The closest I can come to saying why I hit it then was I wanted an answer. I was raving mad and I wanted answers. I wanted to know why I had been pestered so much to stay by Tifa and to not trust Aaron and why when I had done exactly that I was sitting here having been kicked by Tifa and was looking at an invite by Aaron.

The exact discussion about what happened eludes me. I just remember the emotions that rolled through me as Tifa, Kat and Aaron tried to placate me, trying to explain what happened. Again I don't know why I stayed, I asked myself that many times in the aftermath of that. I don't know if I asked them directly but I do recall asking my screen why I should stay. I had left guilds for half this much drama many times over through out WoW and Guild Wars. But what matters is they did calm me down some and I did stay. This was the opening ground for Aaron and I. The first time he really talked to me. I kind of cringe at the devil of me he had to face that day. My temper is not a pretty thing, though mostly it was reserved for Tifa who after that day I very seldom talked to and I had no use for. I refused to speak much with him and added him to my ignore list a couple times (I have a tenancy to hold grudges).

Things calmed down for a while after that. Aaron and Jeremy being extremely focused on gvgs and drawing the guild in that as a main focus. I calmed down and tried a little harder to get to know them. By this time I had heard the story from Kat, Jeremy and Aaron's point of views. The three of them had grown close and I who had never done much PvPing (still rarely partake) decided to find out more about the gvgs and when they were putting together their core group asked to join in knowing that their core ranger had to for reasons beyond his control play less often. They accepted me and I remember having fun despite their planning and half hour meetings before games. They gave me tips and helped me capture skills so my ranger could be more effective. Slowly I build a gvg gear set and a pve gear set. This went well for a while, I was practically addicted to it. Even when we had to wait an hour until someone could come online cause we needed Jeremy or needed Aaron for them. Many times if I couldn't make it to a match because of work or college it bothered me. lol.

Then came the day we were getting ready for a match. We'd waited a while for someone to get online so we could do it when I got a call from Jer. He was sick at work and needed a ride home (for those who don't know him he is a very hard worker and even when he hated his job would go in when he was super sick). I told everyone I would be 15 minutes to drive down to get him I only live about 5 minutes away from where he was working and explained this but gave 15 minutes tops in case of traffic. I got up and was out the door in no time and drove to get him. He was pale when I picked him up and fell into bed with a bucket when I got him home. I was back on the computer in just over 10 minutes not even having hit the 15 minute mark I gave. Couldn't believe my luck I hadn't even hit a single red light either way.

Well I got back to the computer to find I had been replaced. I wasn't fast enough or as I felt didn't mean enough to wait ten minutes while they waited half an hour for anyone else. Don't get me wrong I don't feel bad for needing to leave and pick up my very sick fiance. He comes before any video game. I was just extremely hurt but the actions. People had said it wouldn't be a problem so I was under the impression that they would wait. Maybe finish up their planning while I was gone. I can't remember now if I left the guild or not. I know I was going to. I signed off vent as soon as I seen and heard what they were doing and had almost signed off Guild Wars to. It was Kat that brought me back, asked me not to leave the guild and bitched out Aaron and Jeremy something fierce for that move.

Needles to say after Tifa and that incident I pretty much quit Guild Wars I would go online to run around the guild hall and talk to Kat, it wasn't long after that that the guys all started trying out other MMOs that were free to play. I went back to WoW for a while, tried LotR online and Age of Conan. Now most of the time I just play one of the pay to play games listed above. I keep in touch with everyone through vent when I am online and if Kat really bugs me to I get on Guild Wars for any big events that she wants me to partake in.

Hope you enjoyed the read. There are more smaller stories that could be told. But these are the major marking stones for my time to date in [OOPS] We Pressed Reset.

Guilds I have been a part of with current OOPS members were (not necessarily in order):
WINDS
GOD or GODS can't remember exact tag