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[Dorrie]

I have been unable to reach the staff at Bioware, if anyone can help me contact them, or would just like to read my story here it is. Hopefully this will reach them. If anyone has criticism or comments I'd love feedback.

To all the wonderful humans at Bioware who have changed my life greatly,

I will try my best that this reaches the developers, designers, artists, programmers, and whoever else that has put time, thought, energy, and love into the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchise. But for now I'd like to spin a story for you. My story.

It all started when I picked up a copy of Dragon Age: Origins. I was just kicked out of my third house after my father passed. I couldn't afford the rent my grandfather was demanding, so I worked commercial fishing that summer and was able to rent a trailer and eventually bought a car. I wasn't able to live by myself or I'd have to go to Mclaughlin, a juvenile detention center. Not that I was bad, I just wasn't permitted to live on the streets because of the noose the Alaskan State Government had around me after my Dad died on work site. So my cousins Kyle and Chuck moved in with me. I hailed them as my saviors and Kyle in particular reminded me everyday that I should be grateful.
Now that the season was over I was working at Wal-Mart. With my first paycheck I went to Cash America and purchased a used Xbox Slim and Dragon Age: Origins. I was drawn to it because I've always held a deep love for fantasy games and books. I loved the reality they painted in my head for me to adventure into. My favorite creature of these stories was the powerful dragon, a creature that demanded respect, and all were in awe of their beauty and ferocity.
Anyways I began playing Dragon Age and was immediately sucked in. I was a human rogue who I customized to resemble myself. I was making choices and decisions right of the bat. It was amazing, I was choosing my fate! The tragic beginning of the human storyline drew me in even more, life isn't all sweet rolls as I have come to realize at a young age. The twists and turns of the plot had me up til' the wee hours of the morning and had me speeding home after work. I fell in love with the characters and treated each one differently to my likes, my character was now developed and was her own unique person. She was selfless, brave, witty, and gentle. Sometimes to gentle for the likes of Morrigan and Sten. But they grew to love her. Each character had tragedies, faults, and weaknesses, but even with those blemishes they laced up their bootstraps and trudged on, alongside the to-be Hero of Ferelden. It was all so real, it was all so wonderful. As my life darkened more than it already was previously, I still had Thedas to return to. I played the second Dragon Age and did it all again. And again. And again. I couldn't return to other games, they didn't draw me in, capture my attention, reach out and stab me with the pains of the story, or caress me with the love of my friends. Nothing helped me escape the reality I was living, the dark reality that was spinning out of control and growing more hopeless and endless each day. A friend who knew of my struggles and my attachment to Dragon Age gave me the trilogy set of Mass Effect, I will be honest, it did not appeal to me in the slightest. I played another run through of Dragon Age to avoid it. Finally with his pestering I begrudgingly began the first Mass Effect. I was thrilled at the character customization and individual story line I could create. Again, I made Shepard's life similar to mine, an Earthborn Survivor. I always liked that kind of a story, where the hero comes from humble beginnings and has combated sadness and strife almost as great as the act of their heroic deeds, from which the story is based upon. So that was my Shepard. Within 15 minutes I was absolutely hooked. I have always loved space and the thought of other life, that has grown and evolved completely differently than we could ever imagine. I have often been caught in daydreams after watching Star Trek, and Star Wars, thinking of other life in the universe. The game started with so much intensity and had me 5 inches from the T.V. I couldn't believe how action-packed it was so early on. Again the plot twists, mystery and purpose of justice was overwhelming. It was amazing! I started meeting these alien species all who were beautiful and magnificent. I was in love with the Mass Effect Universe. It was so deep and well thought out. I grew closer to my comrades and was sucked deeper into their stories and the history of the galaxy and it's species. Meanwhile my life was absolutely unbearable, the pain of losing my best friend, my only parent, my father was small in comparison to the hell I was living. My wonderful dog Hank was my reason for life. He was my best friend, the only one I had. He too suffered as I did in that house, but still he greeted me with such love when I came home and all throughout the day and night that I knew I too had to be strong. He was always happy to cuddle with me as I played Mass Effect. So that's what my happiness was, Hank's warmth and love and Shepard's glorious mission to save the galaxy.
Everyday it got harder, I spent more time harming myself and using various substances than I spent in Shepard's reality. I began showing up to school with a thermas full of alcohol. Life was meaningless, life was hopeless. Even though my two joys were at home, home meant abuse, manipulation, molestation, substance abuse, violence, and fear. I went to school early in the morning to study math, the only subject I wasn't a whiz kid at. I also was staying two hours after school getting tutored. I needed help in math, but really school meant safety to me. Why didn't school last longer? Why did I have to leave at 5? Why did I have to go home every night? Why did I have to keep on living? When I began harming myself or staring at my prescribed pills thinking how simple and easy it would be... I would hear Hank whimper from the other side of the bathroom door. For him, I would tell myself. I'd take him for a walk and being Alaska, it was freezing cold all the time and dark at 3pm. While I've always hated the cold I loved the early darkness. My backyard was a tundra and it's keepers were mountains that reached the sky. I'd get a ways out and as I'd walk, my eyes never met the ground. I'd be looking up at the stars, feeling small and insignificant. I'd identify the constellations that I remembered from my dad's teaching. I'd think of the wonderful Mass Effect Universe. If she can do it so can I. I'd run back home with Hank leading the way. I'd spend the night with my warm pup snuggled close beside me as I took down mercs, gathered my team, explored planets, and fought the corrupted Protheans. My life would melt away as Shepard's reality consumed mine. Everytime I turned on my Xbox my friends welcomed me, Tali, Garrus, Wrex, Mordin, Grunt, Joker.. the list goes on and grows with each game in the trilogy. I smiled as my good friend Wrex, with his fierce appearance and gruff personality, welcomed me warmly once I reached Tuchanka. I was stoked to finally reveal who the Shadow Broker was with my badass friend Liara. I not only gathered my squad together to embark on a suicide mission, I gained their trust, I heard their stories, I shared in their sorrow, I built them up greater than when they first arrived. And we did it. Just as we defeated Sovereign, Saren, and the Geth. We did the impossible and everyone made it out alive. All because of Shepard's, my idol's, compassion, determination, courage, ferocity, and willpower. She knew her team, she knew what each one's strengths and weaknesses were and she planned and acted accordingly. What an amazing game, I control the battlefield with my chosen squad mates and direct them to where they need to go and tell them what they need to do, all the while executing my own relentless skill onto my enemies. Amazing.
Life was looking up. My home life wasn't any better, but with the help of my woven reality and my companion Hank I made it through each day. It was less than 6 months before I was turning 18. I got accepted to all the colleges I applied for and was fighting internally of what I should pick. I applied for both art and science based colleges. It was time to decide, game designer, or biologist. I chose to go to The Evergreen State College and pursue a career as a biologist. I was looking forward to that and the freedom I had dreamed of for so long. I didn't tell anyone, I'd be in trouble if my Guardian knew I was planning on leaving Alaska. I turned 18 on the day I graduated and planned for the unveiling of my "Screw You All," announcement.
As I played the third Mass Effect game, with my loving companion at my side, I said hello to my friends once again and we quickly and frantically banded together as **** hit the fan. After years of being silenced the whole galaxy saw the truth. Shepard was right. And now they all needed her help. She started out unyielding in her mission, but I started to see my hero breaking. As her friends died and missions failed, her sassy bold attitude faded away. Terrible dreams kept her up at night and she was unsure in her efforts. She put on a mask to continue rallying the galaxy and keep her squadmates spirits up, even as their homeworlds fell and their friends and families died. Although, Shepard had her doubts she tried her damndest and stretched herself to her limits, but she never forgot to stop and help even the smallest refugee. She still cared for her friends deeply and made sure that their needs were attended for. Mordin. Thane. It'll be okay. Legion. Thessia has fallen. I can do this. I have to. Shepard's headstrong personality and witty jokes were consumed by the darkness that poisoned her. Javik was the only one who saw past the walls she built. But her friends on her ship and the ones dotting the galaxy constantly supported her.
Her motivation is seeing her bring the galaxy together, the plan will work, it has too. In the midst of this Shepard gathers all her team mates and they come together to fight an unusual foe. Shepard is surrounded by all those that she loves, they dance, drink, party, and joke. She feels even wearier than before. But like a match her flame is rekindled. She must protect them. She will not watch everything she knows and loves be consumed by the reapers. And in the end, broken and beaten, she saves them all. I felt the pain as her squadmates saw the Citadel explode, they knew she was not coming back. Not this time. I felt the pain as billions grieved as they rebuilt. Even though, the evil was vanquished, that would not bring back their loved ones. And how could they forget the fear that life as they knew it had nearly been wiped out. The reality I had lived in for so long dissipated. I cried. I cried for the mother and brother I had never known, I cried for my dad, I cried for the abuse I had suffered, that my own family had put me through, I cried for my uncertainty of the future, I cried for all the unloved children in the world, I cried for all the pain, hunger and suffering that people I had never met were experiencing and dying from. I cried for the first time in a long time. I wasn't allowed to cry, it resulted in a smack or another round of yelling in my face. But I held on to Hank tightly and I cried. At first I was angry, I had invested my whole being into this game as my escape from reality. It was over. Then, I did it again. And after I beat it once more, I saw the happiness. I felt the happiness of Javik, as he saw his ancient foes, the ones who wiped his people out, fall. I felt the happiness of the galaxy as they rebuilt, Shepard had brought them together and they were reborn as one out of the ashes. I felt the happiness as Shepard's squadmates made it to their homeworlds and found their families. I felt the joy, and a flame was rekindled in me. I can do it, I have too.
I graduated and gracefully said "**** you" to all those who had hurt me and with my companion by my side I moved to Washington. I spent the summer traveling all over, I saw the Grand Canyon, the Redwood forests, I saw the Golden Gate Bridge, I saw the Plains. I was in awe, I felt alive, I felt reborn from the ashes of my past. It was Hank and I against the world.
I started college and for the first time made friends who cared about me, I felt lonely at times knowing I had no family to fall back on but I've created my own family. For the first time in my life since my dad's passing, I've had real human love. I struggled with my health this past year and with the realization that I may have run away from home, but the memories still haunt me. I'm still affected by the suffering and neglect I have endured. I have people who care about me and I fiercely care about them, but now I have my own big journey to embark on. Perhaps even greater than the story I've already told, I need to learn to love myself. But like I said I have always liked the kind of a story, where the hero comes from humble beginnings and has combated sadness and strife to get where they are at. Those are my favorite kind of heroes.
Mass Effect gave me the strength to embrace my past and to have the courage to move on, all the while doing good for others. While some may make fun of my story, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect especially are real to me. I felt real emotions, learned real lessons and it helped me make real progress. It may just be a game to some but for a time, and whenever I choose to play, it is my reality. Although, it is true that a video game did not MAKE me escape from life, learn, and grow. As EDI put it. "Years ago it was the Illusive man that ordered my creation. Jeff was the one that allowed me to think for myself. But only now do I feel alive. That is your influence." I did not ask to be born, I did not ask for my family, I did not ask for my suffering, but that is what happened. I can never change that. I was lost and it is because of the dedication and hard work of all who work for Bioware that I was able to have a helping hand into the future. Through the influence of laughs, anger, hatred, and sadness from Shepard and the gang, it is only now that I feel alive.

So that is my story. Thank you to whomever has listened. I cannot thank the Bioware team enough for what they have done for me. Thank you for building such a beautiful Universe as is the Mass Effect Universe. Thank you for creating a world as intense and wonderful as is the world of Thedas. I look forward to the extension of these realities with the upcoming games. I am so excited for Mass Effect Andromeda and I know that the Bioware team will not disappoint. People I have never met but admire so deeply have given me so much. I just hope my gratitude and my story will reach each and everyone of you. For I could not be more grateful. Bioware specializes in so much more than video games, you are masters of your craft, pioneers in a new world, and dreamers bringing their creations to life. From the bottom of my heart I thank you.

This is Dorrie Wamser, signing off.

[Killroy]

Pics or it didnt happen

[Synthetic Turian]

Text wall!

 

[goishen]

Dude.  Paragraphs are your friend.   I'm not saying the content of your story isn't great, as a matter of fact I was with you up until you bought your first XBox.  But then I saw the next 257 lines.  

 

 

EDIT :   Okay, made it through.   Glad you've got a better life now.  

[Salarian Master Race]

paragraph moar

[Aesa]

Hey Dorrie. I read everything you wrote. I'm glad you found solace in these stories when you needed it and it's good to hear you're doing better now.

 

Take care.

[CronoDragoon]

Sounds like college is suiting you well. BioWare does read the forums so there's a good chance they'll read this. Take care of yourself.

[Yaroub]

 

Congratulations you've made it.

 

Now can you answer this quiz?

Spoiler

[Thermopylae]

I am betting the "wall of text" is because your in college, your mind is developing and you can write really quickly. It is interesting the sources of narrative we find that provide schemata to understand experience. Interactive media is a bit like a shaman telling stories to his tribe, adapting the story to fit the issues of the day and adapting the narrative to carry points across. The games tend to contain a number of narratives that, at least some will resonate, because of choice, will reflect your experience to some degree. Bioware's science fiction is also interesting, because it is entertainment and tailored to have an appeal to target audiences, it reflects meta narratives about modernity, where there is progress and the described future features the idealized developments of current society, the Aliens are descriptions of the "other", thematic elaborations of difference from the individual as portrayed by the protagonist.

 

I can empathize with your narrative, Dorrie and recognize this as a kind of synchronic (snapshot) representation of your described experience. Life is a journey and I will iterate the previous invocations of taking care of yourself.

[Shinobu]

Thanks for your moving story. I'm glad you and Hank are in a better place now.

[Salarian Master Race]

Now can you answer this quiz?

Spoiler

 

The image is real.  What the image depicts is fake.

[Kalas Magnus]

one day the rib cage will be real

[Filament]

I read something in the middle about alcohol, sounds like you had a good time.

 

[Wolfryck]

Believe it or not. I read every word. Hang in there kid.

[KaiserShep]

one day the rib cage will be real

 

I feel like there's a Jaden Smith brand pearl of wisdom joke to make out of this. 

[Catastrophy]

The image is real.  What the image depicts is fake.

Whoa there, don't go all Magritte on us!

[Chealec]

Whoa there, don't go all Magritte on us!

 

ceci n'est pas une ...

[Catastrophy]

ceci n'est pas une ...

Magritte should have done one with a fish, so we could have a Krogan muse about it deeply in-game. Maybe there is lost Krogan art with a similar notion.

 

Ceci n'est pas... hey, what's Thresher Maw in French?

[Chealec]

Magritte should have done one with a fish, so we could have a Krogan muse about it deeply in-game. Maybe there is lost Krogan art with a similar notion.

 

Ceci n'est pas... hey, what's Thresher Maw in French?

 

Ceci n'est pas un poisson-chien:

 

 

 

Thresher Maw hmmmm... ceci n'est pas un ... MERDE! OM NOM NOM NOM...

[themikefest]

If you're  playing Mass Effect again, here's a thread you can post your playthrough. And if you play Dragon Age again, here's a thread that you can post your playthrough