Sad Ending but Bright New Beginnings

I have returned to Vana'diel. But it's a different Vana'diel than when I left.

I left my social LS grown into an 'endgame' shell. Valour was doing pretty well, attempting to camp kings, etc. They did Apocalypse Nigh and so on and so forth. Later I got some text messages from my friend Eckardt telling me that Vlacatocc had left for Oceanids. Then I heard about a lot of issues going off in the background.

I returned to FFXI to level my RNG with Eckardt and Lorddocster. However, with a new job I've become very busy and was not able to make it every night to level. Then one day I hear that Lorddocster has left and gone to Kujata. Basically I came back to a broken social/endgame shell.

Now I had talked to Lorddocster on Teamspeak and he was on my friend's list. He helped me out with a lot of things, camping NMs, AF, etc. And I tried to do the same. Yet I find out that he applied/got into Demo, one of Gardua's most infamous LS that moved to kujata. And ironically one of the shells he used to quote disdain for. And he left without a single message explaining (and yes he was on my friend's list).

He has had some tough times in real life. Not sure what his motivations or what exactly happened. All I can say is I was sorely disappointed in how it was handled. Now there are two others that apparently have moved servers with him. I've had my share of disagreements with those people, and they were a part of issues that people had with the social/endgame shell as well. I'm sad, disappointed, and somewhat angry.

So now people are scattered to the winds. We have created a new social LS called AlwaysFUNE with Boktai as the leader (FUNE was based on a mistype I had a long time ago). The new LS captures the same spirit and fun the old LS had when I first started. We're no longer together in terms of endgame though. That makes it sad. Vlacatocc and Enedin have spread their wings to Oceanids completely. Dukenukem may be applying for SA. Eckardt has been doing things with PwnShop. Hypnotizd has joined an NA dynamis shell.

I've decided to break with most endgame activities. I never really enjoyed doing sky/camping kings. I had turned down other endgame LS that used to salivate when they heard I had BRD, WHM, and BLM (although so many people now have leveled those jobs, I doubt there is a shortage). I only did them because it had grown out of my social shell. I've joined Oceanids for Dynamis since it has a lot of old LoHDyna members.

Right now I'm just having fun talking in the social shell. I've joined up as a permanent member in Hypnotizd CoP static. I had helped them out before but with some members moving back to Shiva they asked me to be part of it permanently. I've had a blast going through CoP a second time. Demesis (WAR), Hypnotizd (WHM, BST), Endril (RDM), Ashur (RDM, BLM), Nojoke (THF, BLM) and I have been progressing well. I joined up permanently with them at 4-3 and we've made it past the 3 paths and are ready to take on the airship. Let me tell you Snoll Tzar with 3 RDM chainspell Fire II + Flare from a BLM + Mighty Strikes/icarus wing GAxe WAR, and a WHM for cures was super fun. And bonus, I get xp now! Yes, they made CoP a little easier, but it's still a challenge of staying power to do all the CS and come back week in and week out to do battles and farm the needed items.

I'll post more about my recent adventures with pictures later. And lastly I left Bastok for the greener pastures of Windurst. After languishing for almost a year on Bastok Rank 7 and blitzing through to Rank 10, I have turned my eyes toward the other nation storylines. I've enjoyed Windurst's story very much. And have achieved Rank 8 in the short span of 2 weeks (well 3 days to be precise).