update

Haven't journaled here in a while...so just a quick update:

lv'd hana to 14
lv'd merl to *almost* 14

updated scrolls and armor

repaid panq for the onyx rings and justice badge and whatnot...things that I'm gonna keep for a while.

Got telecrystals holla, dem, and mea

Got damselfly worm for merl, crab apron for hana

Panq also sent the following to me:

Onyx Ring
Brass Hammer
and something else.

I think I might just pay her back...I don't think the agreed amount was enough... ><

stuff I borrowed

bee spatha +1
lizard ledelsens
justice badge
onyx earring
willow wand

cape
brass hammer
lv 12 hammer

hmmm can't remember the rest, must make note tomorrow

lv 10

Hit lv 10 today. Got Scale Body and Scale Cuisses? Didn't have enougth gil for headgear or boots. Must to farm some more. Panq was very gracious today and lent me some equipment. She's just too good to me.../em feels warm and fuzzy inside. There's alot of ppls who play in the morning on the LS...which I'm very happy about.

lv 9

Hit lv 9 today. Farmed 4 stacks of fire crystals. Managed to pay panq off. ^^ 7k total. ^^

lv 8

Levelled to 8 today. Sent Panq 2k today. Went to Ghelsba but it was empty for some reason. Went back to Ronfaure and levelled there. Panq wanted to join us levelling so we did. It was fun, but I was kinda being lame since I hadn't PT'd with a thrid person for a while now. We couldn't really kill that well, and just when we get the hang of it, an orc aggroed hana and we ended up all dying.

Her HP was in Jeuno, so there was really no point in continuing. It doesn't really matter tho because PT with her is pretty fun. Who can say no to a girl that shows up in her undies and a big scythe? ^_~

lv 7

Hit lv 7 today. Went and got a Brass Axe from the Royal Armory...as a 700 gil discount from AH.

Also grabbled Protectra for Hanashino. Sent 3k gil to Panquador...gonna wait until my stuff sells to send her more.

Winds of change ... and origins of Berdain hahaha

I have been very fortunate in FFXI, met many many very kool people from all over the world. I've stayed away from many bad experiences from what others tell me. I've set some goals when I first started this game, and they're the same as the goals that I've set for all the other FF games that I've played.

- Try different races
- Try different jobs
- Explore
- Do quests

The themes that I've loved about FFXI are:

- Meet other players and interact with people who shared the love of this virtual world.
- Thrive in a world where the lines are drawn more clearly than in RL. Live by example as they say, and others will follow. There were sooooo many players that have come before me that I've learned from, and I always try my best to better my skills. Why you ask? So that others that come after me can continue the legacy that had come into this world.
- Hard work will be rewarded - in RL, this is not the case...but in FF, it certainly is. Hard work, dedication, and perserverance will pay off in the end.

What's funny is that whether players know it or not, these themes grab hold sooner or later and become a part of you, just as you spent countless amount of hours injecting yourself into a seemingly lifeless digital shell...bringing it to life...on your tv, your computer, laptop, etc...

Some of us are older(not necesarily age, but maybe wisdom?), and know that this is a game, a dangerous game because it provides a perpetual sanctuary from the harshness of real life. Some of us are clueless and basically play because they can't explain why they like the game so much...maybe uber, leet or whatever you wanna call it...to gain respect from your peers...dunno

When I first started playing, I wanted to be Elvaan above all else. Elvaan PLD as a matter of fact lol. My RL friend was lame and he didn't give me the right numbers for the world pass haha. So Validor was created on Quezacoatl and it was fun. It was my first MMORG, and I was overwhelmed. It was during February of this year, where the first generation NA players have long since moved out of the newbie zones and into Khazam, some were well onto their adv. jobs and whatnot. People were friendly, there were always Cures+Protects+Shells being throw at me and all the other low lv chars. They were genuinely courteous and even if they didn't always speak english, they would always wave or nod or /cheer your progress.

I thought I had found paradise on Quezacoatl, and levelled pretty quickly.

Then my RL friend asked me if I wanted to try world shift again...he said he would help me along and it would be fun to play together. I said, yeah, it would be great to play with someone that I actually know in RL...not realizing the implications.

So he gave me a worldpass to Fenrir (Correctly this time) and I started playing a Hume to see what it was like and in Bastok. Bastok was amazing...I've never levelled quicker in my life than in Gustaberg ... plus I didn't miss as much as an Elvaan meleer lol.

Since I played in the mornings, it was hard to PT with anyone, especially my RL friend because it turned out that he only plays the game on the weekends...plus he was already lv 19 at the time so there was no way we could PT together...*sigh*...

I levelled Berdain to 16, soloing and what not...during this time I got powerleveled by none other than Takalo the high lvl taru whm. I had no idea those little dudes can do so much...I also met Dandare that day, who turned up six months later and we became really great friends...(Berdain and Kamitaru are now in Dandare's LS, WreckingCrew)

When the PS2 NA version Launched, I knew that I wanted to try a taru mage for sure...(due to the marvelous Takalo, who probably will never remember me lol). Kamitaru was born, and I duo-leveled with him as whm and Berdain as a thf (bad bad horrible idea)...Berdain still didn't get his subjobs yet...and it was a freaking disaster with no provoke abilities...lol

We did that until lv 13, and one morning I did a suicide run thru Konschtat -> Valkurm Dunes -> La Theine -> West Ron -> Sandy. It was the most horrifying day in my life and I'm still amazed that I survived til this day.

Anyway, things were smooth sailing from there. I gave in and created a second char (Validor was already taken on Fenrir), Valius - an Elvaan Warrior. He was fun to play, and with Kami PL'ing him it was easy.

So some reason or another, probably because Berdain had more jobs levelled at the time, I grouped Kami and Berdain again after kami hit lv 16. Took them all the way to 30, got adv jobs, and got to 20 pretty quickly....but something happened along the way. Secretly I really started to hate the way berdain looks... Especially when I saw his same char type on a whm wearing holy breastplate at the Maze ... bleech. It also didn't help when Berdain's archetype is the same as the cruel master in the Chocobo License Quest Cutscenes hahaha.

It's funny how fate plays her hand....a couple of days ago, I get this gracious invite from Panq to start over on Hades....out of all the people that shifted, she was the one that hurt the most...I really missed her presence on Fenrir and her going out of my way to help Kami on her last day on Fenrir...just tore me apart...

So now I got two chars on Hades...an Elvaan and Mithra lol...and playing them made me remember how fun it was to play from the beginning, building empty shells of characters and all possibilities open to them...yeah these chars have their faults as well, but that's what I like about them...it's not about stats, but how they overcome their handicap...a wierd insight into the human condition in a video game no less, hahaha

^_^

fresh

Loggin and bought Merlore a shield with the quest Money from Rosel's Armor. Also bought Dia and Banish for Hanashino. Went and levelled, hit 5, then 6 and then delevelled back to 5. Merlore got killed went to HP, Hanashino ran towards town. Merlore runs out and meets Sheep again and gets killed again and kills Hanashino in the process.

Gotta curb my thrist for revenge......

Oh and put 3 stacks of earth crystals on AH for 700 each, also sold 2 Copper Ore for 50, 2 zinc ore for 200, and a silver ore for 400.

Hopefully these things will sell and I can begin to pay Panq back...

I think I owe her for following:

Bronze Harness
Bronze Cap
Wax Sword+1
Blood Amulet
Scroll of Protectra
Scroll of Silence
Ash Club+1
Leather Bandana
Leather Vest
Leather Leggings
Leather Boots
Circlet
Rabbit Mantle
Ascetic's Ring
Hermit's Ring
Worldpass

first day in hades

Logged in and started clearing out Merlore and Hanashino's inventory in preparation for the world shift. Delete the chars and created new ones from Panquador's gracious WP. Decided to create Hanashino on the PS2 acct and Merlore on the PC acct. I'm just so used to playing whm on ps2 and war on pc that it's a hard habit to break. The closest analogy would be if one had to play the piano with crossed arms where you have to all of a sudden play chords with the right hand and melody with the left.

Settled in San D'Oria, and went out hunting, got lv 2 when I get a /tell from Panq! She graciously gave us a linkpearl and bought equip and helped PL us to lv 4! Needless to say, I'm indebted to her....not just in equipment but something more intangible. The only thing to do besides paying her back monetarily is to play the chars well and pull our own weight in Genesis LS.

Met some of the other folks from the LS via chat, they seem friendly enough. I thought I would miss playing Berdain and Kami seeing that they're about 600 tnl 21 on PLD and BLM. But I had such a blast playing morning that the first thought after I logged was "Can't wait until I can play Merlore and Hanashino tomorrow...."

The thought of a new beginning is kinda daunting, but relatively benign compared to what's ahead of Merlore and Hanashino in high levels. Can't wait to get PLD + BLM combo going with Merlore and Hanashino.

productive day

1k tnl 21 on Berdain and 600 tnl 21 on Kamitaru. Chatted with Ab and Chyn some more this morning. Really like my ls WreckingCrew...great people.

Got an invite to come to Qufim for kami's blm...lol. Turns out to be someone who Ab escorted thru Meriph but died twice because he accepted a {raise} next to a yagudo lol...