My FFXI Wedding

Well after more than a year and a half of waiting and being declined month after month by SE to have an in-game marriage with my real life boyfriend Feli (Xean), we finally had our application approved and held our in-game wedding in Chateau d'Oraguille with our friends from our linkshell TheBrotherhood, on November 5th 2006.


Among the members we had: Josudes, Carste, Annabelle, Sethidus, Anderoc, Angeloxi, Shaoulin, Blaine, Soulstar, Airou, Ruffyreborn, Evanai, Sirivalin, Drimergirl, Raiderx and Crystalle (hope I didn't forget anyone o.o;;)

Myself and Feli had decided to have a traditional San d'Orian wedding, because our characters were both from that nation. The event was amazing, and the entire time I remember being nervous that I might accidentally say my lines too fast, or might forget to do something because there were a few parts where we had to switch to first person view. But in the end, we made it through and at the very end all our friends who came to the wedding went crazy casting their spells, using their job abilities, throwing crackers and cheering us on. It felt great to have so many of our friends there to witness our marriage.

Though this is just a game, the truth is that I am truly blessed to be in the relationship that I am in. I am with someone who always has my best interest in mind, someone that is always giving me his love, his devotion and shares everything about his life with me. He makes me laugh, he makes me smile, and he just makes my life feel complete. Having had an in-game marriage was only a mirror of what I know will one day happen, and a symbol of our desire to share our lives with each other. Even without an event like this, I know in my heart I will continue to love the man of my dreams and be at his side through all that he experiences because I can't imagine my life any other way.

Well enough with the sappy part! After the ceremony we all gathered and went to Kokba Hostel in Aht Urghan White Gate where we celebrated. Unfortunately we had only been allowed to have 18 guests at the ceremony and in order to make sure that any linkshell members that wanted to be apart of it all, we invited everyone to an "after party" which I think was a great hit. We were able to use items, and change into costumes making us look like child versions of all the races. There were a lot of jokes passed around and everyone enjoyed themselves goofing off to their hearts content.

Me and Feli were actually very spoiled too, a few of the LS members went out of their way to gt us some gifts. Among my gifts I received a Noble's Bed, a Chasuble, 2 Hi Potion Tanks, 2 Hi Ether tanks, a Gateau aux Fraises, a tableware set, a freshwater tank, a federation signet staff, the mannequin body (just need the head and hands now!) and uuh... I think that's it... Oh wait, Angeloxi gave me 17 Shihei, lol.

Then me and Feli exchanged our gifts. He gave me an Angel Flute crafted by him, and signed. One day i'll become a bard just so that I can play my flute! And I had spent all of last week getting guild points to get the ability "Patisserie" so that I could cook him a "Buche au Chocolat" which is a San d'Orian chocolate cake. Sad thing is I hadn't read but the recipe also needed woodworking, so the first time I tried to cook this the synth broke! Luckily my second synth worked, and I had it signed too.

So I have to say that yesterday was probably the best night in my 'FFXI' playing. Not only did we get most of our LS members together, but I was able to have a little re-inactment of what will one day come in real life. It was fun, and I finally get to wear the REAL wedding dress!!!! Not that opaline trash that guys spend a fortune buying for their online gf's most likely played by guys anyways, who end up selling the stuff after the relationship breaks off anyways! hahahaahahahaahahahaha! <_<.....>_>

{Teamwork}{Can I have it?}{Please}

For those that don't know what MMORPG stands for, it means Mass Multi-player Online Role Playing Game. This implies, that you will be playing among other players. Yes there are things you can do solo in MMO's, but generally these games are designed for teamwork, as you're playing with other players.

Well, last night I ended up partying with someone who apparently didn't understand that concept, nor the concept of "communication".

Like all monday nights, I got setup with my static that consists of me (WAR), Xean (THF), Annabelle (RDM), and Soulstar (SMN). We couldn't find a tank, so we decided to grab another WAR and have me and the other dual blink tank. I'm not fond of this, but I figured i'd do my best and try it anyways.

So, we decide to go to The Bohyada Tree. When we get there, I ask the other WAR if he has a macro set to let me know when his shadows are down, so that I can provoke immediately and avoid him taking any damage. His response is "No". I then asked him if he could make one so that I know when his shadows are down, and he then says "When I take dmg".

"..."

Yeah ok, so lets waste some MP so that you can get hit so that I know when to provoke? Riiight. I then tried explaining to him that if he made a macro, this would help me and possibly avoid him taking any damage period, to which he said "we will take damage, we have 3 shadows".

Oye.... I'm thinking to myself, does this guy not know that when casted properly, you can actually get off 6 shadows? Which is what I told him. He never responded. Now i'm usually not one to look down on people that don't know something, but this guy was already talking as if he knew better than me, and considering he's probably one of those WAR that never touched a Greataxe, and had NIN sub since dunes (people people.... MNK sub when tanking, THF sub when DD up until lvl 50!!!!!!) so with all of us being at lvl 55, I would assume he knew the 6 shadow trick... apparently not.

Well anyways, I just left it as is, and when we finally get to camp, first thing he says is {Haste}{Please}. I'm thinking to myself, "Um, give the mages a second? They're not retarded, they know to haste. Be patient -_-". A moment goes by while Annabelle, our RDM starts getting the refresh cycle started and buffs, and he says it again. My bf Feli (Xean) then told him to wait, and he went quiet. Then he said he was going to pull, and the rest of us were a little curious as to why, considering we did have Xean as THF in our party which meant that usually it would be his responsibility... but ok.

Well, first pull he ends up bringing a link. This pull was just a dumb one, there were two crawlers side by side. I have no idea why he pulled, but luckily we were all good in the end. Then about the third pull, Feli decides to go help pull. Well, the WAR pulls at the precise moment Feli does... only the WAR doesn't have a macro setup to warn us, and all you see is Feli's macro. Great, link again!

Finally, after some discussion as to who should pull and the fact that he should have a macro set to let us know when he's pulled, its decided that Feli will do the pulling. I think at this point he said something to the effect of us singling him out, to which Soulstar told him that he was only singling himself out by not communicating... and oh! That brings me to another point!

We had initially planned to have each WAR sc with Soulstar's Carbuncle (Poison Nails + Rampage = Distortion MB x 2 as we had a BLM and RDM) but the war had pretty much said he was going to solo his sc's for the most part. Well turns out he was soloing his rampage ALL the time, because he did not once communicate with Soulstar, as to when he had TP so that we could do a skillchain. This meant that we lost an easy +400 dmg with the sc........

Eventually, the guy ended up saying that I b***** too much, because I had said something to the effect that people should learn to use their macros to communicate and other comments had been made about no teamwork happening. I then responded "Yeah, I do when dealing with incompetence". Well, he ended up warping out and leaving party after that, lol.

Good news is that we got a PLD Sethypoo, who did a good tanking job and I ended up getting my WAR to 56!! Now I just have something like 14k tnl though *cries*

Long Overdue Update!!

Well took a bit of a break from posting here, only because by the time I logged out at night, I was usually ready to pass out. But i'll try to keep this place updated a little more often.

Lets see, since my last post i've been up to my neck helping LS members with their AF quests. Though most people really don't like helping with these, I really enjoy them because I can skill up a weapon, get Kindred Seals and occasionally a nice 100k item will drop from the mobs. Plus, its just fun being able to spend time with my LS members and get to know them better. I think me and Feli (Xean) are about 60% done all the AF quests needed for the members of our LS, and I think we're taking a bit of a break for the time being to let them lvl up a bit before getting the other pieces they need. Though its been a bit much at times trying to have enough time to get everything done, i'm really thankful for the new members that have joined up in our LS and have contributed hours of helping with these, its really made the process a lot faster.

Actually, I have to say that i'm really impressed with the members and the growth of TheBrotherhood over the last few months. We've had some people that have joined, and then just disappeared without a word but we've gained some really great people that are not only friendly, but also willing to help out and go out of their way to do this. More and more, I feel that the goal of having a family LS where everyone is there for each other, is really becoming fulfilled.

So aside from that, I'm currently doing a Monday night static where i'm lvling my WAR. I'm lvling with Feli (Xean) who is playing his THF, Bauer (PLD), Annabelle (RDM), Soulstar (SMN) and Vuufye (WAR). Then on Tuesday and Friday nights I participate in Dynamis with a LS called BadNFluenz. And on Saturday nights, I have a promyvion static where we work on getting the LS members their Lufaise access. We do one promy per week, and once a member has completed all 3, we recruit someone else.

And speaking of Dynamis, thought i'd share my streak of good luck. Last night, I ended up winning 2 lots for RDM AF2 feet and PLD AF2 hands. I had my PLD as my main, and lotted against 2 other PLDs which I won against. Earlier I had lotted for the RDM gear because no one in our shell had RDM set as their main, and only one other person had it as their sub.... and I won the lot! And prior to this, the week before I ended up getting RDM AF2 legs because no one had RDM as their main or sub that needed these. So needless to say, i've been spoiled by this LS and just hope that we continue to get awesome drops for everyone else. I'll post pics of the gear obtained from Dynamis as soon as I can get the uploading function to work >_<

Level 75 Paladin!

Well I started the game in April 2005, so just its just been a little more than a year and I am proud to say i've finally hit lvl 75!!!

To be honest, just a few months ago I thought I might take until december to finally see this acheivement but lucky for me, things worked out and I finally took my PLD all the way to 75.I would like to take this moment, to thank everyone who's had an influence in my gaming experience up until this point. First and foremost, I owe a lot of thanks to my bf Xean who brought me into this game. He's pushed me when I felt like giving up, and he's taught me everything I know about the game. Thank you so much sweety! ^_^

Next, i'd like to thank all the unskilled tanks I partied with when I took my first job to 30, MNK. Without you guys, I would of never touched PLD. It was only because you guys couldn't keep your hate, that I was determined to take the job of PLD and make sure I could keep my WHM alive because I would get so annoyed to see any party members die that weren't tanking >_<>_<)

I want to say thanks to those who i've partied with, those who have done static with me (and unfortunately of which ended). Without you, well umm... i'd just be a lonely PLD solo-ing mobs for an eternity ^^;And extra thanks to those who have helped me out when I made requests to get help on missions, or quests. Thanks to who have brought me along for quests i've needed, etc etc. I really appreciate everything you've done, and always happy to know that there are some good players on this server that don't mind taking some time out to help another player.

******

Aside from that, over the weekend I did missions 3.3 - 5 for my LS members: Kraksa, Mercambus, Zakuta, and Jdogg. (Thanks Shaou for the help!) It pretty much took us the entire morning and a bit of the afternoon, but it was well worth it because now they all have their airship pass and now its just a little push to lvl 50 before they can do the Rank 5 missions.

Now that I have PLD to 75, my next goal is to lvl up my RDM which is currently lvl 38. I am trying to get it caught up with my bf Xean's MNK which is currently lvl 50 as we will be taking these jobs as our next to 75. I'm eager to try and perfect my RDM skills because after being a PLD, i'm very familiar with what a "bad" RDM can be like, lol.

So now off to lvling, and farming to get my hauby! (Yes I want one ;_;)

42k to lvl 75! O.O

Well a few different things happened since my last post. First thing is that I went and helped my LS member Zakuta, a fellow PLD get his AF weapons "Honor Sword". We headed off to Ordelle's Cave and he then popped an elemental. Having done this ages ago for my own PLD, I wanted to solo the guy and so I did. Revenge was sweet!

Then there was the static that I joined with Airou (RNG), Arlenna (WHM), Ruffyreborn (PLD), Soulstar (RNG), Legaia (MNK) and myself as SAM. At first the battles were a bit tough for us, and there were a few deaths. Ruffyreborn just kept dying instead of progressing (felt so bad for him) and at one point we just decided to sit out on top of him for fun, hehe. In the end, we gained 2 lvls (10-12) and it was a lot of fun to be paryting with all LS members.

Then there was the NM I killed to get my weapon skill "Savage Blade". I had thought it would be hard to get this done, seeing as it's a bit of a lengthy quest where you have to go to various columns in Altepa desert. Lucky for me, a guy named Janos had posted about a run, which I had answered and he brought me along. I also had my Xean (<3),>

And last but not least, I managed to get my lvl 73 in a crazy party last weekend. I'm pretty sure we went through about 50k experience points within about 5 hours. Wish I could get a party setup like that again ;_;. And just last night, I was able to get my lvl 74 though the experience points were reeeeeeeeeally slow. I think we only managed to get about 10k in 4 hours.

Ding lvl 72!

I have to say that today was definitely a looooong day. At 10:00am, I went with my LS members to do promyvion-dem. It was myself (WHM), my bf Xean (SMN), Soulstar(SMN), Mercambus (WAR/MNK), Ruffyreborn (WAR/NIN) and Angeloxi (WAR/NIN).

Compared to all the previous promyvions, this one we managed to do extremely quickly. I think we got to the BCNM in under 30 minutes, very little aggro and no deaths. Then when we went to do the NM, I sat out as only 6 members could go. The group managed to do very well and they were victorious! We managed to get 3 LS members their Lufaise access (Ruffyreborn, Soulstar, Shaoulin) and hopefully next week we can get 2 more members theirs.




After that, I had agreed to helping a friend camp an NM that had a 21-23 hr spawn time, however it would only pop when the wind elemental was present. He had said the window would open 4 hours later, so instead of lvling as had been originally planned by me and Xean, I just did some muling and also went out for a bit. In the end, the wind elemental wasn't forcast and so we cancelled fighting the NM.



Me and Xean then went to go lvl with our friends Anderoc, Deude and Raiderx. Before that though, we decided to go and get Raiderx' weaponskill "Tachi: Kashi" which required us fighting an NM in Korroloka Tunnel. We picked up a RDM and headed out. After a very quick battle, Raiderx finally had his skillchain and we decided to get some experience points in so we headed for Caedarva Mire.

At first the experience points were decent, however me and Xean were having some problems. Our RDM wasn't keeping up with the refresh, and when we tried to address this we got a response to the effect of "Asking for refresh is the worst thing you can do to a RDM" to which Xean responded "Refreshing is one of the main duties of a RDM and expected". It was really disappointing because me and Xean had already partied with this RDM before, and in our previous party he had also been reminded to cast refresh.

As a paladin, there is only one effect I absolutely get annoyed with not having, and that is refresh. I like to have a full MP pool at the start of every battle, so that I can cast away to my heart's content and allow the other DDs in the party to unleash their insane damage with their weapon skills. If I do not have enough MP to keep casting, then all I have are my job abilities which unfortunately each have a long recast time, which means I can't use them all every battle. I have partied with many RDMs and those that contineously cast are definitely noticed. I have had parties where I NEVER find myself without and so I know its possible. This RDM however, didn't seem to cast continueously and so there were times where i'd go 30-60 seconds without refresh. While I don't expect new RDM's (lvl 41-50) to have this perfected, I would expect a RDM at lvl 72 to have this nailed. Lucky me I guess.

Anyways, later on we ended up moving camp to Bibiki bay where me and Xean finally managed to hit lvl 72! WOHOO! Now we only have 30k experience points to go until 73. -_-;

Well, either way i'm glad I got my lvl because now there's only 3 more to go. I'm just really thankful the expansion came out because without it, lvling would be much more difficult.

A New Beginning

Well i'm new to this whole blog thing, but kinda liked the idea and figured i'd start my own. I really like the idea of being able to write about my adventures and experiences in FFXI, because I spend so much of my free time playing this game. Hopefully i'll be able to keep up and post as often as I can.

Just to give a little info about my character, as of July 22nd 2006 here is my profile:

Character Name: Zerayla
Race: Elvaan
Rank: 7
Nation: San d'Oria
Rise of Zilart: Mission 14 - Ark Angels Chains of Promathia: Mission 2.2 - The Lost City Treasures of Aht Urhgan: Mission 5 - Confessions of Royalty
Crafts: Cooking 94 (Mule - Tahla: Clothcraft 22)
Main Job: Paladin 71



Hopefully i'll have more to add later this afternoon, as i'm headed off to do promyvions for my linkshell members!

And just as a note, if anyone happens to be from the Quetzalcoatl server and is interested in joining a linkshell that goes out of its way to help its members in quests, missions, etc please feel free to visit my forum The Mythical Realm and go to the "Sign Ups" thread and introduce yourself. One of our sac holders will be in touch with you to trade you a pearl. We're a really friendly group and have a little bit of a family atmosphere. We try our best to help the newer players, and try to get events going such as Garrison, Promyvions etc for fun.