Interview with Celestie, the abusive granny
by Alphaville Herald on 02/12/03 at 11:32 pm
Celestie is an avatar presenting as a granny, but one getting her kicks by verbally abusing and slapping newbies in the infamous Free Money for Newbies house. What’s up with that? In this interview we try to find out.
Urizenus: Celestie, a newbie recently came by the newspaper headquarters saying that she had dropped into Evangeline’s Free Money place and that you had called her ugly and slapped her.
Urizenus: What was that about?
Celestie: Well, a lot of folks come around and visit us at our home, and I can not account for all of those so called instances. If it is the case I think you’re talking about the Newbie broke house rules after being told twice to put on a helmet.
Celestie: She clearly rejected my order.
Urizenus: and why did you ask her to put a helmet on?
Celestie: According to the dress code, if a sim has died hair, and or you can not see the eyes, face etc. they must wear a helmet
Celestie: They come into our domain, and when we say we think they are ugly we will tell them to correct it.
Celestie: No one likes an ugly sim.
Urizenus: ic, but it’s hard to grasp what makes a sim ugly. why bears? why sims that look like SnowWhite?
Celestie: It is ridiculous to wear a bear outfit. It has so many hidden meanings to it, and when you swim you have the body of a human and a head of a bear. That is very unattractive. We are humans not animals
Celestie: As far as the snow white thing, I can’t comment on that because I wasn’t a roomie when the turmoil was happening with eva and her.
Urizenus: and this isn’t because Polie Bear destroyed Van’s house twice?
Celestie: I was unaware of that, but I suppose that could be a way to vent her anger. It’s not good to keep it bottled up.
Urizenus: so do you let Van dictate your aesthetics? i.e. it seems like you are letting her tell you what is an attractive sim?
Celestie: Well, I wouldn’t say that. I know what is ugly and what is attractive as do any other sim. Some choose to keep that opinion private, as do I when I am visiting a place outside my home.
Urizenus: ok, now seriously, you find this idea of ugly sims funny don’t you.
Celestie: A bit, yes. 
Celestie: And I think they do too!
Urizenus: Your sim is an old grandmother type in a nightie I guess. Why?
Celestie: It’s actually a house coat. I chose this character because I wanted to take on a type of house mother role. I find old women amusing and colorful, and I could relate to them in many ways.
Urizenus: do you think it is funny that a house mother would slap newbies and call them ugly?
Celestie: It is not as if I were slapping them for no reason. They choose to ignore me and my warnings and in many cases insult me for enforcing the house dress code. As a house mother I am expected to enforce the rules no matter what.
Urizenus: I didn’t ask if you had a reason. I asked if you thought it was funny.
Celestie: Oh, my mistake. Yes
Urizenus: ok, some readers won’t see the funny here. Can you help them to see it. Why is it funny?
Celestie: It’s funny that so many folks take things personally. It’s funny in an ironic way and funny in an amusing way. What isn’t amusing about an old lady who is irritable with others and has nothing to do but nag at folks about how they act and look when in reality her own looks are burnt and her own personality is sour.
Urizenus: do you think of your avatar Celestie as being engaged in a kind of theatre?
Celestie: Yes, Most Definitely.
Urizenus: What about the objection that you are ruining the game for people who are coming into it for the first time. Often these will be children as young as 13 years old.
Celestie: Sim=Simulation as in Life Simulation. Look around you … not everyone is nice and friendly. Just because I take on a role of a sour puss of a grandmother doesn’t mean I am spoiling it for people. If that were true then most real lifes would be spoiled. BTW there is a handy thing called ignore, and if they are upset in anyway they should leave the property. I won’t follow them
Urizenus: If you verbally abused children in real life and called them ugly it would not be tolerated. Why is it different if you verbally abuse them from behind your avatar?
Celestie: Because it is nothing personal against their own self. They pick and choose how they look. In real life you don’t get that option. Let me repeat myself in VR you have the handy thing called ignore/
Urizenus: are you sure the newbies know how to use it? and isn’t it too late after you’ve called them ugly and slapped them? Here I’m thinking of a 13 year old who comes into the game, goes to the number 1 lot in welcome, and immediately runs into you.
Celestie: Hmmm, I’m thinking if they are not mature enough to handle criticism they should have a parent with them to explain things. TSO comes with a manual and if you read it you should have a better understanding of it.
Urizenus: And the manual tells them that the number one house in welcome will have a granny waiting to slap them and verbally humiliate them?
Celestie: No, It tells them that not everyone is friendly in this game.
Celestie: I don’t slap them or actually “abuse” them until they reject what I say
Urizenus: Let me get philosophical for a sec…
Celestie: OK
Urizenus: in your view does the character Celestie have a kind of pscychology of her own? That is, are there things she won’t do? Things she typically would do?
Celestie: Yes
Urizenus: What is the phenomenology of that. Do you feel that the character in some sense dictates its own possible space of actions?
Celestie: Believe it or not I am not evil. I am just a bitter granny, If you are nice enough and don’t suck up I will recognize your innocence and be kind to you.
Celestie: Yes, actually you have a good point
Urizenus: so that is granny’s psychology. Does granny have a kind of rationality?
Celestie: What do you mean?
Urizenus: by that I mean, is there a class of behaviors that would look rational to granny? a kind of logic governing her motives and actions?
Celestie: Yes
Urizenus: and that psychology is quite independent of yours (now talking to her typist)?
Celestie: In RL I am a good person. Some things I do in the game are so rude and I do know right from wrong. I do this character in the smorgasbord of characters. It spices things up.
Urizenus: van thinks *she* is adding dramatic conflict that is otherwise boring. Do you think that is true of Van? and do you think you are doing that too?
Celestie: Yes, the chemistry me and Van have is outstanding. We are the Grinch who stole christmas
Urizenus: but do you guys think you are adding to the game itself?
Celestie: Yes, I really do.
Celestie: It seems fake when everyone acts a certain way just to please others, don’t you think?
Urizenus: there are lots of ways to be fake. I wouldn’t want to have to pickem.
Urizenus: anything you want to add?
Celestie: Yes, I have something to add. Don’t take thing so personally… It’s nothing against you
Fans
Dec 4th, 2003
OMG. You are so like mean. You accused me of being ugly and made me wear a helment. I am surposed the Real Life police hasnt came after you. You are so mean. I cant bleive you and you think its funny. Well its goign to be funny when I see your picture i nthe newspaper of saying captured.
me
Dec 5th, 2003
……..why would you slap newbies..
Alex
Dec 6th, 2003
You are obviously just another one of Evangeline’s drones. I do believe there will be a day when TSO is rid of you and your sweet Evangeline.
J-Fizzle Launfal
Dec 6th, 2003
I guess Hitler just wanted to spice things up too.
Hilari
Dec 13th, 2003
It is funny.. in a sick, twisted sort of way, but if you’re smart enough to stay out of their ways, and out of their lives.. then i suggest you do. You all must keep in mind, it’s a game, and people play it how they want, and if that includes slapping and teasing new players, then that’s their deal. But seriously, newbie’s should be more cautious and aware of these people… and they SHOULD read the manual to tso before they consider playing, just so they get a hands-on view of what people act like in the game.
urizenus
Dec 13th, 2003
I think what Maxis ought to do is set up a newbie safe landing area which would be monitored by a maxis helper at all times. Other games do this, I don’t see why TSO can’t especially since many new TSO users are not very sophisticated at gaming.
hilari
Dec 13th, 2003
Agreed.
- Greg
Dec 16th, 2003
Well I’ll give to you if you want to if you want and think this spices it up, go for it… but dont go after the newbies, I mean come on, If this happend to you the first time you started you wouldent have a very good impression of the game. If you want to do this do it to people who know how to deal with it, and maybe eaven know that this is just playing around, newbies dont know that…
Shawn Man X
Dec 18th, 2003
Curiosity killed the cat I guess.
Shadow Boy
Dec 22nd, 2003
OK, first of all, Fans, remember, IT’S A FREAKIN’ GAME! LOL! Police aren’t going to come after her for yelling and hitting virtual avatars IN A GAME! Haha sorry bro but I just thought I should point that out.
Paul
Dec 24th, 2003
Well actually, the police CAN come after you for being racist. like when eva put a black guy in a 4 walled room with no door and called him a monkey. Racism in ANY circumstance will not be tolerated
Granny Celestie
Dec 24th, 2003
Paul, OMG are you serious? I had no idea! Looks like the whole south is going to be in jail for awhile! I always thought it was somehow illegal for grandma to have an opinion about a man who she hasn’t seen in her life. She should get the death sentance don’t you think?
You’re so very silly
Granny Celestie
SilverDragon
Dec 26th, 2003
Poor deluded Granny… Actually in real life you are too afraid to do anything bad but secretly you want to tie the tin cans to the tails of the cats and tease children with pretended candy only to dash their hopes. You act this way online because you can and justify it by saying you’re adding spice to the game or that it’s not real… Do you think people can’t be hurt by imaginary things? Think again… Do you think racism is only something in the real world?? What do you think would happen if someone sued the company over things like this? Think you’d get away without any blemish…or maybe do you think they’d remove your account and ban you and Van…I think they would, especially if enough people threatened a lawsuit.
Oh…Don’t bother looking for me online in TSO, I’ve got better things to do…especially if I’d have to put up with a bitter loser such as yourself…
Muwahahaha
Jan 13th, 2004
You all SUCK! Celestie is the funniest sim I have ever been lucky enough to meet. If you don’t want your ugly ass to get slapped then don’t go to her house! You all make me SICK!
Wuzza Newb
Jan 16th, 2004
What a bunch of stupid idiots! Come on kids, get real with the unreal world. If you walk into a new world, you are the new-comer. You are treading where you have not tread before. What do you expect? The unexpected dammit! Always expect the unexpected. Use your gut and your instinct and your intelligence, at all times. If you don’t in games, and in real life, you will be the pussy, the pushover, the disenfranchised, the unhappy, the cheated, the poor sucker that never had the break that others had, and every other ‘it aint my fault’ lable you could possibly brand yourself with. Jump into Unreal Tournament as a noob and wham, you are owned from the get-go. Cry to momma and leave, and you will always be an owned noob. Practice and learn and get creative and soon you are the ‘owner’, getting respect and having more fun with the game. Jump into Warcraft: Frozen Throne as a noob and wham, you get towered, your army is defeated and your town is obliterated as you try to tech up. You will be called a loser noob by your team mates. Leave and cry and be that way forever. Ignore them (YES IGNORE THEM!!!) and try again, learn and be creative and soon you are the good player, and hopefully you learn not to call noobs what you were called (thats growth). Well kiddies, the same thing applies here, if you can extrapolate the examples here and apply them to TSL or real life, then you have a clue. If you’re too young to take the abuse, you are too young to play. If you take it personally, you are not emotionally equipped to play any games like these (and there are a lot of you out there). Get ‘real’, people. Or get whapped by Granny!
Michelle
Jan 19th, 2004
Personally, I like the fun of TSO, not the fake politeness. I love going to a house where the players are irreverent. I love the sarcastic humor and the insults. You can get away with this kind of stuff much easier in a game than you can in real life and that’s what makes it fun to me. When the humor becomes racist or threatening is another thing…that shouldn’t be tolerated and I think that’s the only time a CSR should step in.
???
Apr 2nd, 2004
Celestie, i came to your house about… 3 months ago and i was somewhat of a newbie. You would not awnser ANY of my questions! You were a B**** To somebody that was there. You used swear words on more than a few occasions. I think you are a bitter old hag that has nothing better to do than to make others suffer for your entertainment. Listen you senial old hag, people have feelings OK! Not everyone has the same preferences as you do. Some people find something that you think is ugly, beautiful. And not everyone wants to wear a friggin costume when they come onto a lot. Some newbies dont have a manual/lost it and need to learn the hard way. So guess what, you suck.
-Joe Irrelevent
Celestie Sucks My...
Apr 2nd, 2004
Fack off celestie. Hope you die.
Anonymous
Apr 6th, 2004
just to tell you all..TSO is a GAME..not RL! It might be taken as RL to some, but that isn’t our fault! And the quote for TSO is “BE Somebody..else” and that is exactly what Van and Celestie are doing! It would be very amusing to NORMAL people the way they run their house. I crack up when in their house! It is very original and it does spice things up. Hitler is a different story though…HE KILLED PEOPLE! AND NOT JUST JEWS! BTW WE LET HIM DO IT! EWE COULD OF STOPPED HIM! YALL HATAS! YALL TRASH!
flimsy
Apr 9th, 2004
People’s feelings can get hurt in rl or in a game. why should we leave our feelings at the door when we are in an online game? We certainly don’t leave our wallets b/c we definitely pay for it. As for the most precious commodity…TIME…which real money or simoleans can’t buy you…that is spent to a great extent by some on TSO. So if someone is investing time, and money, why shouldn’t or wouldn’t feelings come with it? Nothing is really a game. Even a game is part of real life.
Becca
May 9th, 2004
Pfft…
You are all sour little babies!Its a game you retards.Get an RL!
Anybody remember what the motto of this game is?
Oh yes,’Be somebody…Else.’.That means act different then you usually do!She can be a soupkitchen founder in Reallife,and you wouldn’t know.It’s called roleplay,you are all so damn stupid
-Yours Truely,
Becca
Becca
May 9th, 2004
Pfft…
You are all sour little babies!Its a game you retards.Get an RL!
Anybody remember what the motto of this game is?
Oh yes,’Be somebody…Else.’.That means act different then you usually do!She can be a soupkitchen founder in Reallife,and you wouldn’t know.It’s called roleplay,you are all so damn stupid
-Yours Truely,
Becca
Dan aka Lance Hedges
Jul 3rd, 2004
Ok hold up a minute. You were talknig about 13 year olds getting their feelings hurt well that isn’t supposed to be true becasue the game clearly states you must be 18 or older to play.
Ian
Jul 3rd, 2004
That’s true, but lets face the facts here, anyone can get there hands on a CC.
mafioso
Jul 13th, 2004
Frankly, I’m just happy there’s someone like Celestie around to make the rest of us look good. And while I find players like that a nuisance (although *SOME* aspects may be funny), I am happy they channel this negative energy into a game and not RL. And I am happy the people being hurt are being hurt via the game. It is a good way to smarten up for real life, and I will go so far as to praise Celestie for not hiding her malicious intent.
Granny Celestie
Aug 31st, 2013
I have some explaining to do…