Jilted Gamer Sells the Ring and Buys Halo Armor Instead

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Jilted Gamer Sells the Ring and Buys Halo Armor Instead


A jilted Halo fan did the only thing he could after the woman he loved dumped him: he sold her engagement ring on eBay and used the money buy a full suit of Master Chief armor.

Eric Smith was a man in love. And like every man in love, he wanted only to please his woman. So when it came time to buy her an engagement ring, it had to be special: white gold, with a canary yellow diamond, just as she said she wanted. But then it all went wrong. She met someone else. She fell in love. And poor Eric, ring in his pocket, was left a crushed and broken man.

The ring sat for months, untouched. Finally, unable to sell it locally, he disposed of it on eBay. But even though the ring was gone, the money in his PayPal account was just another reminder of his loss. Something had to be done.

And so something was done. Smith blew it all on "40 pounds of fiberglass and steel, dark green, built by an artist outside Detroit, [and a] helmet, with glimmering golden visor and bright LED lights, imported from a legendary Stormtrooper armor-builder in the Philippines."

A full suit of Master Chief armor.

It's not the most convenient outfit he owns. Smith said it's hot and uncomfortable, it takes two people to help him put it on and he has to walk very slowly when he's wearing it at conventions so he doesn't tip over and break the suit or himself. But he says he loves it.

He also says that despite the circumstances, buying the armor wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. "The Halo armor was a long time coming. For years, I'd mused over the idea, driving my closest friends mad," he wrote. "'One day when I have the money,' I'd say, thinking about that canary yellow diamond. 'I have to be responsible right now'."

And while he says that the most obvious "psychological diagnoses" about a broken-hearted man covering himself in armor are off-base, he did admit that the suit helped him work through his grief. "I'd wanted the suit for so long, and after such epic heartbreak, receiving each piece of armor - arriving in seven shipments, over the course of eight months - became an unintentionally cathartic process," he said. "As the shoulders, forearms, chest-piece, and helmet arrived slowly, one section at a time... well, with each part I got a small piece of myself back."

And I say to you, Mr. Smith, well done, sir. Well done indeed.

Source: The Bygone Bureau [http://bygonebureau.com/2011/11/16/master-grief/]


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TimeLord

For the Emperor!
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Aug 15, 2008
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Disregard women, acquire awesome cosplay items.

I would like to know how much it cost though!
 

kyogen

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Feb 22, 2011
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A broken engagement sucks, but even though I'm not a Halo fan, that's kind of a cool way to deal with it.
 

Dimitriov

The end is nigh.
May 24, 2010
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I would have bought a really awesome sword personally, a proper tempered and edged one. But, the basic idea is the same. Sorry to hear what happened to him, but that's a pretty sweet way to get over it!
 

Smooth Operator

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Oct 5, 2010
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Well that's one way to deal with break-ups, and far more legal then making a suit out of her new boyfriend... not that I ever considered that.

But anyway that armor doesn't look that good to be honest, and wasn't the big cosplay respect rule to always make your own costume... would be a far better distraction then one credit card swipe.
 

Piesadamus

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Jun 29, 2011
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DVS BSTrD said:
A REAL Halo fan would have known, rings only cause trouble.
I hate myself for laughing at that, but it's just oh so hilarious! And come to think of it, when my last ex broke things off with me, I just sent her on a guilt trip. Thinking back, I'd prefer the Master Chief armour.
 

Shoggoth2588

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Aug 31, 2009
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I now believe in life after love...a life in simulated battle armor that will get you all of the booth babes ever. Well maybe not all of them but the REAL ones. No, I don't know what that means either. Still, I hope this guy finds the right person for him eventually. In the mean time he's got a badass new suit. If I were in his shoes though I probably would have spent that ring-money on Virtual Boy stuff or other hard to find games/ equipment.
 

neonsword13-ops

~ Struck by a Smooth Criminal ~
Mar 28, 2011
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DVS BSTrD said:
A REAL Halo fan would have known, rings only cause trouble.
Bad pun is bad...


But seriously, Master Cheif armor?

Can his next fiance dress up as The Arbiter?
 

Mundus33

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Jul 13, 2011
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Deviate said:
It occurs to me that it is rather surprising that she left the kind of guy who'd blow this much money on something like an engangement ring.
fixed that for you.
 

Gamblerjoe

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Oct 25, 2010
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Shoggoth2588 said:
I now believe in life after love...a life in simulated battle armor that will get you all of the booth babes ever. Well maybe not all of them but the REAL ones. No, I don't know what that means either.
I assume it means the ones that didn't get a boob job. I know you don't mean the ones that are actually into gaming, because...well...you don't need a suit of Master Chief armor to invent an imaginary girlfriend.

Mundus33 said:
Deviate said:
It occurs to me that it is rather surprising that she left the kind of guy who'd blow this much money on something like an engangement ring.
fixed that for you.
 

Mundus33

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Jul 13, 2011
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Gamblerjoe said:
Shoggoth2588 said:
I now believe in life after love...a life in simulated battle armor that will get you all of the booth babes ever. Well maybe not all of them but the REAL ones. No, I don't know what that means either.
I assume it means the ones that didn't get a boob job. I know you don't mean the ones that are actually into gaming, because...well...you don't need a suit of Master Chief armor to invent an imaginary girlfriend.

Mundus33 said:
Deviate said:
It occurs to me that it is rather surprising that she left the kind of guy who'd blow this much money on something like an engangement ring.
fixed that for you.
lol you got me.
 

samsonguy920

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Mar 24, 2009
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Excuse me, someone's cutting onions here and I wish they would stop. I will be okay.

(Considering the number of women who cosplay Halo, I think this guy is in for some social upchange. Good on him.)
 

Lunar Templar

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Sep 20, 2009
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Deviate said:
It occurs to me that it is rather unsurprising that she left the kind of guy who'd blow this much money on something like -that-.
or .. she's just a *****?

he did after all, get the ring first, and had been putting such a frivolous purchase on the back burner, likely to please his lady. its not uncommon, i played a lot less video games when i had a girlfriend.

this is really just the method he used to heal, and despite it being a replica of spartan armor from Halo, long as he's happy again it doesn't matter what was bought to help get him there
 

Shadows Risen

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Nov 1, 2011
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Ok, that's a pretty damn awesome way to deal with getting dumped by the woman you're going to propose to, although I wouldn't do that myself. Wearing the armor would be too much hassle. lol.