Day 1: Unbridled Enthusiasm and it's Dire Consequences

I remember the first time I set foot in Bastok. The gray stone roads, the gray houses, the gray sky...it was very gray. I arrived in Port Bastok and was perhaps too eager to explore for my own good. I ran up the stairs and down the stairs and over the bridge and then back over the bridge and then into my Mog house and then out of my mog house and then around and around and then I went down some other stairs and I was lost. I did not know it at the time, but this would become a frequent status for me throughout my time in Vana'diel. Shortly after reorienting myself and feeling very enthusiastic, I headed towards North Gustaberg.

Giant bees and strange whack-a-mole-esque worms dotted the bleak, brown landscape. My red magey excitement could not be contained, and after the closest bee I went! Stabby stabby stabby and it was dead! Before the thrill of my first kill wore off, I was already engaged with a stupid tunnel worm, of which I made short work. Two in a row down and what luck, my third victim was in sight! Without hesitation I ran, did my rdm stabby stabby thing...and died. Shocked and appalled, I inquired of my linkshell as to how this could have happened. Unbeknown to me but known to everyone else, I needed to rest between fights, lest my hp fall dangerously low and I die...again.

Starting Fresh

My friends, I leave FFXI for one semester to focus on research, and what happens? The last of those with whom I first embarked upon my journey into FFXI have gone. It is to be expected, I suppose, as life carries us all off on our own paths, and while it is not so difficult to make new friends, the absence of my cohorts is almost too much to bear. My linkshell has fallen silent, and I am no longer bombarded with purple text the moment I log in. There are fewer and fewer new players, and it seems as though the sense of community on my beloved Midgardsormr is not as strong and vibrant as it once was.

As such, I think that it is time I put down FFXI and devote myself more fully to the eager anticipation of FFXIV. While I wait, I will use this space to share fun, exciting, and often silly stories of FFXI. Once FFXIV comes out, it will be dedicated to my new adventures there.