It was still early. The coffee was hot and the game had loaded. I was preparing to spend an hour killing Kor'kron baddies and stealing their lumber, oil, and other resources while the rest of my family slept in on a rainy Thursday morning. I had just killed my second Kor'kron butcher when I got a little pink whisper from a toon called Konen demanding to know why I had banded him or her from the website.
"What?" I typed back.
Sip some coffee. Mmm.
"Why did you ban me from Daily Kos? I'm as liberal as the next woman."
Okay....
"I'm sorry. I think there might be a mistake. Who is your toon in the guild?" There is no Konen in the Wreck List and never has been, according to HAL.
"I know that you are Kos's mother or wife, so why was I banned."
"What! I'm not any relation to Markos."
"Okay then, his mother-in-law."
"Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, often known by his username and former military nickname "Kos", is the founder and publisher of Daily Kos, a blog focusing on liberal and Democratic Party politics in the United States." I cut and pasted from the Wiki page. "I have no relationship with him whatsoever."
"Then how do you explain your name?"
I could almost hear the glee in that zinger. How indeed?
"Um, well, my UI on Daily Kos is Grassroots Mom. And that was the name of my first toon here. And everyone started calling me Mama. So when I transferred this toon to the server I changed the name just to make it easier for people." There. That's gotta cover it.
"Well all I know is that I was banned on Daily Kos and then kicked out of the guild."
That doesn't sound right, I thought.
"We have many members who aren't even members of Daily Kos, and even a few, including officers, who have been banned there. If you tell me your UI at DK and your toon's name when you were in the guild, I can find out what happened."
"It was back in 2011. I got in a fight with Laura Clawson."
"What? Laura Clawson has nothing to do with the running this guild."
"Well she must, because I was banned from Daily Kos and then I was kicked from the guild."
"The only way you could have been kicked from the guild is if you hadn't played in a year and I was cleaning up the roster. If you are back now, I would be delighted to readmit you. What was the name of your toon when you were in the guild?"
Long pause
'No, it was just a couple hours after I was banned. I get that you are Kos's mother or something..."
"Who are you? Is this (fill in the blank with former guild member of your choice who left in a huff way back when)"
Konen logs off.
So my quiet morning was ruined and my coffee, which I really needed, was cold.
And now I have a mystery on my hands. Anyone have any clues.
And, for the record, I am way too old to be Markos' wife and way too young to be his mother. I only ever exchanged emails with him once, right after his son was born about baby stuff back in 2003, before there were even UI numbers. I am happily married to my own husband and Papa and I are still only just good friends.
I still need coffee.