Hello all,

Lots of busy times for me on this end since my last update. Maybe in a future update I will touch on them.

Maybe.

This will not be a nice, happy update. This will not even have any pictures. So for those of you who are used to seeing those, feel free to skip over this.



To the 3,000 odd page views I've accumulated, and to the people who took the time to leave a comment, I will never be able to express my appreciation.

Until next time, people.

Toodles~

Hi all,

For once I do not have as massive as an entry in terms of screen shot fodder, so let's see just how big it gets from text, shall we?

It's been a helluva time since my last update. I have been, like, dying I think up until recently.

It could of been from anything really. Perhaps stress from school, stress from home, my ridiculous schedule and lack of eating/sleeping in amongst so many other things, but I got sick.

Really sick.

H1N1-esque sick.

It was really bad there for a while. As a result things got rougher than they already were and I had to back away from the game for a bit to rest of up and get caught up lest my situation ended up unrepairable.

So yeah, this update is not that big. It's also not completely FFXI-based either, but I will get to that after I get through some of the pre-bedridden stuff first.

( FFXI. )

With being sick (and intensely dizzy all the time) and not being able to do much else besides lie in a bed/on a couch/on the floor, there was not a whole lot to do. I was hesitant to move around alot as it made me extremely nauseaous in a short period of time. I was hesitant to log on and run events as I am usually delegated to a healer job and I did not want to endanger anything with my sudden need to ofuckigottastoplookingatthischatlogitsrapingmyeyes, so it did not leave me much else to do.

I couldn't get away from Peter's incessant nagging anymore, either.

He brought his laptop over and I had nothing else to do so I ended up watching him and some of my other RL friends play a bit of Aion.

Yeah, I know. I KNOW.

Ever since talk about this game started I was always vehemently against even thinking about playing it. Talk of it in my presence usually ended in "Hey guys, stfu, I don't care."

Boy did that go out the window when you're insanely bored and unable to do anything else. He ended up letting (read: forcing) me to make a character under his account for me to dick around with one Sunday afternoon, so I thought wtf let's see what all the hoopla is about.

( Aion. )

Toodles all~ I have an essay to write before tomorrow morning that I have to finish and then maybe I can attend events tonight =X

 

A lot has happened. It's been so long since the last update that I go back and look at it, and it's totally alien now. I've been so busy lately I don't know up from down and it's been a roller coaster ride of goods and bads, both in terms of real life and in-game.

This update is massive. I am aware. This is your disclaimer warning right here. Do not open this if you are on some iffy hardware because it might just die on you.

Game life is changing for me. It's one of those times. With the loss of Lulz, Drae and I floated silently amongst friends and did our own stuff over the summer. With the start of the fall, and recent changes in both of our lives, he has not been on often and I ended up coasting through days on here doing not much of anything. I have come to a crossroads, and hopefully, this time I made the right decision.

I'm not really sure at this point, but I am going with it.

Let's backtrack. I got a backlog of shit to go through, so let's start with Kouk.

( Backlog of Stuff. )


( The Lead Up. )

( Winds of Change. )

( Recent Events. )


( Random Stuff! )

Have a good weekend, everyone. Any takers on how long before my next update?

Hello everyone! This is becoming a real bad habit in really late updates but at least this time I have a pretty good excuse for it!

I'm moved into my new home now. Another year in college has begun and once again I am bogged down by tons of assignments, both circular and my own personal stuff. It's busy but it's also exactly what I want to be doing so I cannot complain too much.

This year I decided against Res in favor of living in a house off campus with 4 other people. We are a very colourful group of people from all different backgrounds and different programs and personalities but somehow we are getting along.

I also had the issue of my photobucket account reaching it's maximum which just kind of killed any tiny effort I had of updating. Peli was cool enough to give me access to a section of his account to use so I am very grateful for that.

I've got a lot to talk about and a lot of updates to make. My SCNM Guides are all sitting half-finished on my HD that I have to get uploaded to but let's just go one step at a time, shall we?

( Salvage. )


( Nyzul. )


( Einherjar. )


( EXP. )


( Merits. )


( Campaign. )


( Dynamis. )


( Limbus. )


( ZNM. )


( Misc. Stuff. OMGBB!!!! )

That's all for now guys~ Thanks for sticking with me and I'll have more later!

Big backlog of screenies. This time, I didn't even realize I had so many waiting to go into a post. Seems I've been busy over the last little bit since my last post. Now that I sit and sift through everything, I've also accomplished quite a bit. There's actually a lot I did recently that I just failed to take any screens of, so I'm gonna start with those.

We had our first Nyzul runs with Teamwork. The goal that night was to climb Jes to 60, however, both Drae and I failed to pick up 4th tags after such a long absence in Nyzul, and Sandworm was heading into lot so we only barely managed 3 runs before Peli and Yuri had to peace out.

We did however get Jes to 60 during a quick boss run with members from his LS, so that is good. 40 more floors Jes!

We also did a Bhaflau Remnants run with a new member of the shell and it went fairly well. I got to DRG it up so can't say I was bored. No NM pops on the first 2 ramparts but we did get a Zachary on the third who dropped nothing of significance except Pelican. I think Arrapago is tonight, though I am not sure.

On to stuff I actually remembered to screenshot!


( EXP/Merit Parties )


( Dynamis )


( ZNM )


( SCNM )


( Campaign )


( Merits )


( Einherjar )


( Random Stuff )

Gonna get ready for Assaults and maybe hit 59 on PLD before Salvage tonight.

Toodles all~

So you're bored in Whitegate, chilling at the AH window-shopping or maybe just trying to find a party and accomplish something in the day. Perhaps you're so bored that you have resorted to perusing through online forums or clicking through random links over at the wiki in order to keep yourself from entering a catatonic state. My personal favourite is the crack that is FFXIgear.com, but that is another story entirely. Perhaps you are an aspiring RDM trying to optimize to the best of your ability, perhaps not. Perhaps you have stumbled across this little interesting morsel in your boredom. Perhaps you are RNG interested in this little tidbit. Perhaps not. Perhaps you just want to see firsthand the epic explosively awesome TP move I mentioned in a previous entry.

Regardless of your whereabouts in the above paragraph, ultimately, perhaps you are interested in quelling your boredom and trying your hand at some of the sealed container NMs located throughout the lovely little zone known as Beadeaux [S]. There are 8 in total, and collecting all 8 boxes will grant you and 17 others of your choosing access to the SCNM fight "The Buried God", which drops the aforementioned items alongside some others.

I have to say, I am quite surprised at the overall lack of interest I have seen in this SCNM, compared to the La Vaule [S] one, and even then, there is not as much interest as you might expect looking over the potential spoils. I'm sure there are many reasons for this, with one being the effort involved in farming up a popset if you do not have access to a massive LS, which is usually the case nowadays. At one point, I had completely written off the mufflers as being an obtainable goal since I did not have a LS that could operate on a high enough level to overcome the fight, nor did I believe that my RDM was up to snuff enough to even remotely handle the NMs to try and bargain with another shell. Therefore, it was quite amusing to me to realize just how overlooked the mufflers are in favor of the very nice Barbut. This is to the point where you can even, depending on your server, dangle Barbut bait in front of a shell capable of killing the BC and perhaps net yourself some shiny mufflers.

So these entries, while not serving as a guide, as I believe that every RDM playstyle is very, very different and as such, they will develop their own rhythm over time, will be a sort of captain's log of my own personal observations and strategies when dealing with the specific situations. It is my intention not only to give information for a veteran player to make use of, but also to encourage players out there who may think they are not good enough, or ones who are beginners, to give it a try. As always, your mileage may vary when trying this out for yourself, and as always, I would love to hear anyone else's thoughts on the subject.

( Getting to know the zone. )

( Observant Zekka. )

( The pull. )

( The fight. )

Happy hunting and good luck!

I'm a bad fan.

( I know that. )

Tiny little update of sorts while maintenance is going on since I've got a little bit of news and some free time to put it up. Not too much done this last week but that's just the way I like it.

( Stuffs~ )

Until then, toodles~

This update is way late. Yes, I know. Yes, you've been bugging me to update. Yes, I am working on it. There's been one in the works for forever now, but every day on game just collects more and more screenshots until it gets to the point where I am sitting at over 150 raw screens to sift through and decide what to include. This, coupled with some recent events, both in and out of game, have just led me to continuously put it off.

So here we are, with a massively huge update with way too many pictures and a lot to cover in a short amount of time. Let's get started, shall we?

Where to start... perhaps it's best with an overview of where I am now in-game.

I resigned from a leadership position in Lulz. Back-to-back nights of ridiculous fighting and the culmination of everything that has happened since it's conception just took it's toll. We paid people their shares, and I took the pearl off. It has not been back on since. As I am aware, since no one else wanted to step up to lead, the shell is broken. Well, not broken in the sense of really broken, because it was originally one of Drae's goofy socials (hence the name) and we did not want to break it, but broken in the sense that the shell no longer operates and most members have dropped their pearls.

Which really is not that bad. It was a hard decision to make. I contemplated and bounced back and forth over the idea, decided to wait and see how the shell was the following day. Those involved with the drama wished to forget about the whole thing once again. Sweep it under the carpet once again. Let it fester and culminate until the next time there was drama and then we could all just threaten Ro with leaving the shell, once again. Of course that was to be the decision, as long as those involved were first in line on a piece of gear, it was no problem to just forgive and forget. I am not so naive to believe the next time it happened, with said pieces already handed out, that the same decision would be made.

I wasn't going to let it happen. I wasn't going to let people abuse the shell's system or my forgiveness until the next time they decided to quit coming to events over the most ridiculous, completely avoidable, bullshit. It is a shame really, since surprise, surprise, the drama was mostly only between the older members. All of the newer members of the shell were the reason I stuck around as long as I did, the reason I gave second and third and fourth and fifth chances. Teh had just recently offered to help me run things, and I had been looking forward to the extra help. But when I sit and think about it, Teh didn't deserve that kind of shit either, especially considering her past involvement with leading shells. The new guys were nice and I loved them all to death and they were also, the ones who took the news very well, rather than bitch and moan about it being the nth shell to break while being first in line on something. Most still talk to me. Aoshi makes it a point to poke me at regular intervals.

As for the drama group, I have severed myself from them completely. Drae and I sit happily in BK, free of drama and the two-faced, sneaky, backstabbing that existed in select members of Lulz is gone and will not be missed. Not even remotely. I have a new Nyzul home, whose leaders were kind enough to let me drag Jes along so he would not be left in the shithole that was my previous one. I still have my Salvage home, and above all, I have my friends and I do not have to weed through the fake and the conniving.

None of them have approached me since the decision. Though, sending hateful tells to my friends is apparently an alternative. Some have even gone so far as to approach Drae with emo, victim cards. I'm not interested. I am in a better place now, without any kind of fakery, any kind of clique-y shit, and absolutely no eggshell-walking involved when dealing with people. It is a lovely place to be and I will gladly take it over anything I could have received out of Lulz.

Now that that's over with, let's get to what I've been up to with no events.

( Life without Lulz. )

With the update, the first thing Drae and I did logging on was the Moogle Add-on. There are spoilers incoming, please skip to the next section if you wish not to spoil yourself, though I tried my best to keep text out of the shots.

( Moogle Add-on. Potential Spoilers! )

( Recent Events. )

It's been fun guys, and I'm sorry about the late update again.

Toodles, all~

Shell's been pretty quiet for the most part. Not a whole bunch to talk about in terms of progress. Had a few new members for both Sky and Limbus, but nothing major. We've yet to use pop sets in Limbus in forever while waiting for people to be on so things have slowed down quite a bit.

( Stuff. )

Toodles, all~

She breathes again.

Turns out it was a RAM problem. No problem right? Wrong. This particular RAM type is apparently nowhere to be found short of specialty stores and ordering them in for an arm and a leg.

So Drae and his personal techie had the genius idea of swapping the RAM sticks around and turns out only part of the main one was damaged, and it still functions in the second slot.

Yeah, I'm not exactly sure either, but the good thing is this hunk of junk is still runnin'.

So while it is going to be massively late by almost a month, I would like to commemorate the two year anniversary of my LJ with a huge post, of the less emo caliber.

This post is gonna be split between stuff that happened pre-last entry and stuff that happened post-last entry. So let's start it off, shall we?

( The Before! )

( The After! )

Once again, anniversary posts make me come full circle and think back on all the fun times and how far I've come since the last year. I think this year has been hugely productive. I'm going places and feeling better about myself when I stop thinking of all the garbage that happens around me. It's July 4th and most of my LS is off celebrating so me and my Canadian self is going to go eat pizza and chillax.

Toodles, all~

 

[Note: This entry got a little bit more emo/angsty then I had originally planned around the middle. Blame it on too much self-reflection and perhaps a large lack of sleep. Also, this is pretty incoherent. If you're not familiar with the workings of my mind, please beware.]

[Note 2: It was not my intention to offend anyone. If you feel I am speaking directly to you in a less-than-friendly manner, then my apologies, but that is not the point of this entry.]

Sorry, no pictures this time.

I had a large update stored. Ever since last update, there's been progress. I acquired a few key pieces of gear in terms of RDM solo, and I also updated some other jobs as well. I even scored some gravy pieces which I had not been working towards but made off with anyways.

Things were looking up, but like a lot of things, those don't really last.

( Stuff. )

That is all.

Surprise, surprise, there is a maintenance. But also, I promised Jes I would make an update soon to commemorate the events of the last couple of days. This update isn't as big as usual, and there may be another one in the next few days since the 2 year anniversary of this journal is coming up, but there were some pretty big accomplishments.

( So how did it go?!?! )

So it's my birthday today, am 21! I'm going to leave you guys with that epic pic and head upstairs to party with my family and friends before I have to come back down here for Salvage. The stupid maintenance is dicking me out of AP so I am hoping Drae has enough for a permit...

See you guys later~!

 

Ugh...

I really have no excuse anymore other than being lazy and busy constantly. Whenever I find time to update, something pops up in game and I get dragged away from LJ. So, I happen to be having a bad bout of D/Cs at the moment and now that that distraction is gone, I can get down to work.

There are a massive amount of pictures in this update, so I apologize in advance for those who have slow load times, and know that you are warned. I usually try to make some semblance of organization in my pictures but there are just so many this time so I updated them all in chronological order, and as such, this update will follow that format.

( Uh... lots of stuff. 56k Warning! (Does anyone even still have that?) )

Again, sorry for the late update guys, I will see you later.

Toodles~

The last couple weeks of school have kicked my ass. It's been rough trying to make all the deadlines and yet still make it on to lead events. As such, I clearly have not had time to make an update and am now stuck with another massive one that is probably not 56k-friendly.

However, school is finally over, and I am finally moved back home. It's nice to be back with the family and see my sister and my cats again. We're having some small adjustment issues in regards to my cats getting used to the new fish tank and therefore some new family members. Nexxa hisses and spits at the tank in fear, what a predator. All in all, it's kind of... strange to have a lull at the moment. It feels weird not having anything due. I do have to go out job hunting but my sister just got over a bad flu and I am starting to show signs of one myself, so I am hesitant on lots of running around and have been content to just spruce up my resume and prepare for the mad dash around town in the near future.

But enough about me. In terms of the game, as just a precursor to everything, I'm going to take the time to write my thoughts on recent issues in an effort to not forget about it later when I start getting into the picture spam.

The main issue right now is the state of affairs in Lulz. Despite various attempts involving adding myself to TTTO, increasing the search hits on the sites, and even spending 6 hours making a KI account to set up a link on their Linkshells list site, I am still struggling to find a few more good, reliable members. We've had members join and stay for a few runs and then leave, and others who have horrible compatibility issues with the scheduling just not working out. It's been discouraging. It doesn't help at all when a couple of our members have some massively abrasive personalities and can be set off at the drop of a pin. In my effort to not lose members, I try to be a mediator but that is no longer working as things seem to be getting worse when it happens.

It's a real shame. When the shell is alive and on game, we get along amazingly, and we destroy shit. And we make it look easy and effortless. Things get done and they get done well. But just one little personality clash and suddenly the shell is up in arms with each other, and we fail horribly at events. I know lately it's been escalating, up to a really bad fight on Sunday which resulted in what will definitely be the beginning of the end if I don't step up. I need to start be willing to step on people's toes and possibly lose members who are not helping the stability of the shell. It's been getting worse lately and I can't help but wonder... well, I shouldn't say that. I know for certain, that it's my fault. With school lately taking up most of my energy, I haven't really stepped up and been a leader, nor have I really handled situations in the shell as good as I could have.

Now that school is over, I can hopefully make that step and stop pussyfooting around when the heavweights clash. I'm not completely sure how to deal with these people. I guess I am still used to leading BK, where everyone was pretty laid back and arguments weren't exactly as petty as these feel like. But for the sake of the shell, and for keeping the members who I feel have been a great asset to the shell, I have to learn, and learn fast.

There's a new post up on the LS site which, while nothing big, may increase communication and therefore lessen the chances of huge blowups during events. Drae and I recently were introduced to Skype, and have been using that during event times for obvious reasons. Of course, I will never make it mandatory, but if people wish to have that form of communication with us available, then my username is in the post.

On to game stuff, here's something fairly old.



( Very, very large update. Lots o' pics in hurrr! )

That's about it for now. That took longer than I expected it to...

Before I go, I'm going to leave you guys with a bit of a spoiler for my next update, should it come. Not going to spill the beans, but here's a bit of a hint!



Toodles, all~

 

I went out to see my family last weekend and somehow picked up their germs and have been bogged down with a headcold/stomach flu all this week. Been lovely. I took some medicine an hour ago or so, so getting this update out of the way before I pass out.

Been really really busy in-game. So much so to the point where I really need to just take a break and rest and get better. With only 3 weeks left of school, all of the major assignments are starting to be right around the corner and I am definitely going to need my health for them.

( Events! )

Finally got a bunch of Suzaku out of the way which is great, meaning we have a ton of Kirin to pop this weekend. Sky is well when people show up, but I find that it takes a good hour to get enough on to attempt anything major. Which I am looking to change, so once again. if you are on Leviathan and you are looking for a Sky/Limbus LS with the upcoming possibility of Sea, please please please send me a tell or check out the site in the Links bar. With a few more people, we won't have to wait so long to get started, or be crippled if someone doesn't show up, so I would really love to hear from you!

( PLD and random things! )

Sorry about the express nature of this update. I am feeling really worn and tired, so I hope I have appeased the waiting crowd with mostly SS and random flavor text. Update in 2 days and I still need to buy the expansion, but looking forward to it very much so. I have the next 2 days to get all my homework done before the update and the busy weekend this week. So, without saying much more, I am hitting the hay.

Toodles, all~

This.

And this.

Oh man, it's like fucking Christmas!!!

Granted, RDM update is nowhere near wtf as the WHM one, but for a job that's pretty in demand and all around useful (minus a few small things), I can't honestly come forward and complain. Composure looks scary for /NIN, but possibly useful for Campaign, or for ending a Refresh cycle, or possibly prolonging buffs on yourself in a solo situation. Depends on how bad the recast is. I'm not even going to bitch about tier II Enspells until I get them on my weapon. Then we'll see just how good/wtf they are. I am really hoping for a nice resistance down effect, but I won't hold my breath. I would have loved if in addition to that, having an Enspell II on would increase magic accuracy for the associated element, but people would have cried foul and tossed tomatoes at me.

Regardless, as my mother so eloquently puts it, it is better than a kick in the dick!

The SMN blurb at the bottom was lovely. Can't complain about increased ward ranges. Updated merit BP might make them actually worth a damn in more situations. The Haste thing was funny, but a boost is a boost. I was saddened not to see the fix on out of range messages, but maybe they will be in the notes on Update Day?

But holy sweet shit! +80 inventory you can carry on you? FOR REAL? SE is so clever. They know exactly how to get our money. Mog Bonanza + mini-expansion + security token = $$$ within the next few months. Clever, clever SE...

I'm working on an essay for class this morning, so been busy :o

PS. That update is coming, I promise... >_<

This.


Oh my dear sweet lord. What is this?

Gonna be late for class so I will edit this post later with my insane flailing rant that I had when I saw this on BG this morning.

( [Edit!] )

 

... this fascinates me.

I woke up this morning to this little tidbit en route to sending home Drae on the train, and was quite distracted. I have been putting off on pre-ordering this thing, waiting to see exactly what these pieces would offer, but I'm fairly certain I am sold now.

It's silly of me really, to think I wouldn't get the expansion...

It's funny. I saw the base pieces and figured they were examples of finished sets, then scrolled down and saw all the options... and am now confused. There's so many options, usable options at that.

I think it's going to be an interesting way to see how people think, though lots will probably follow the masses like usual in this game. I haven't read all of the thread so I don't know what is being said, but my brain is racing with all of the possibilities.

Taia is a lot easier to make a decision for, seeing as how she is only BLM BRD and upcoming RDM. Looking at it, I can see a somewhat working nuking piece in the form of [INT+5] Magic Accuracy +4, Magic Attack Bonus +4 (and the same goes for Ro's RDM), but I truly wonder how worth it it is over Weskit and future Morrigan's.

What jumped at me immediately was a setup that I could use on both jobs, that being Magic Accuracy +4, Fast Cast +5%. Not only could she make use of it with Stuns, Drain/Aspir, Stoneskin, etc, but it's usable on BRD too with the CHR+5 on the base. With the HQ pieces Ro still needs, and the process of also HQing Taia's BLM, Sha'ir Manteel is just not a priority, and with Nyzul tags, Yigit isn't either. This is a situable replacement in my opinion, that I can make use of on more than one job.

I'm still mulling it over.

Ro is a lot more complicated. RDM is obviously my career main, but I was trying to think of what my RDM could use. There's the pre-mentioned nuking set, sure, but to me, that isn't exactly worth it. I wouldn't waste the piece on making a TP set on RDM, and the only other thing I can think of (and this is reaching here...) would be Enmity+5 Fast Cast+5% for a weird, roundabout tanking body piece.

Technically I spend more time on WHM than anything lately, but I don't see a WHM-y piece either. There's Fast Cast, but that involves a lot of multi-swap macros that just doesn't seem worth it with my dying laptop's lag. I can potentially see a Repose piece in Magic Accuracy +4, Fast Cast+5%, but again, it isn't the end all, be all.

My eyes immediately went to the all the pet buffs. I saw that and the SMN inside my head slapped the RDM in the face. Of the 23 buffs, a grand total of 6 of them are pet-related, and not only that, but incredibly sexy.

Given that my magic merits are devoted to RDM in the form of 8 Enfeebling/8 Elemental, the idea of Pet Accuracy +15 is huge. I just cannot decide on the second buff if that is the route I take. Pet Attack +15 seems like a no brainer, but how useful would Pet Double Attack and Critical Hit Rate+2% be? Then there's the Magic Accuracy and Attack+7 buff... I just can't decide.

While the Avatar Perpetuation cost -2 is wow, I just can't bring myself to OK that when all those other buffs are screaming at me. I don't know, if anyone has any suggestions or advice, feel free to spit it at me.

There's also the fact that with Accuracy +10, Attack +10, DRG FINALLY HAS A HAUBY! Though I will almost certainly choose the Mage body, it was nice to finally see it happen!


[Mid-post Edit: I just realized that in my SMN-esque shortsightedness, I failed to realize that BSTs and PUPs must also be pretty excited?]

Anyways, I woke up early to go put my two weeks notice in and make sure Drae got on the train on time, so now I am heading back to bed. There is an update in the queue, but I'll get to it later! Toodles, all~

I should make it clear now that this entry is going to be massive. I have been putting off updating due to just the chaos of my life right now, and I have been slowly watching the update grow and grow...

It is also going to be the first entry since joining TTTO that is not completely FFXI-based, so the readers from there, feel free to stop reading after the giant cutoff line down below.

The last little while has been rough in terms of me, both in-game and out of it in the real world. Assignment deadlines are all but raping me, and in trying to balance work, school, homework, and Lulz, it's been hard to keep up with everything. I feel drained as of now, and find myself just submitting to sleep often instead of taking a break to live the fun college life. I just keep telling myself, a few more weeks, a few more weeks, and I will have 4 months off school where I will find myself with a lot more free time. My biggest concern in terms of the game right now and my hectic schedule is being able to be on to lead this shell. Any and others continue to express interest in sea and particularly Faith, which has me both shocked and pleased considering our horrible track record with the bastard flower. Since we do not have an exact time specified for sea at the moment, due to the high demand for Sky still and the crowded event lineup of our members throughout the week, most of our sea shenanigans are late into the evening, where I am losing sleep or using time where I could be studying. It's a horrible feeling to feel like I am not supporting the shell in sea, but at the moment, completing my assignments take centre stage and it's just something I have to deal with.

( FFXI. )

Until next time~
___________________________________________________________________________

( Bleach. )

Anyways, I will reserve judgement, and much squeeing, after seeing the next couple of chapters. Please Kubo, please don't torture me for too long!