Just a few screenshots I liked.

I wish SE would increase the quality of their screenshots.  I have a PC with plenty of disc space, so it’d be nice if they let me set the resolution.

Alternatively, I need to remember to download and purchase a copy of Fraps.

You are standing in an open field West of a white house, with a boarded front door.

There is a small mailbox here.

Although it is generally known, I think it’s about time to announce that I was born at a very early age.

– Groucho Marx

While it never surprises me to find out that most of the linkshell is populated by twenty-somethings, which renders me in the age bracket where I can tell most everyone “I’m old enough to be your parent,” one recent LinkShell conversation left me nonplussed.

One of the members was talking about how progressive their dad was when it game to entertainment.  They explained that he’s an avid gamer, but sticks to old-school FPS genres like Bioshock, Half-Life 2, and any number of the WWII games.  This member went on to say that upon seeing his kid play Final Fantasy XI, the dad in question thought he might start playing to try it out.

Of course everyone in the twenty-something age bracket has to make some remark either expressing wonder and/or bewilderment that someone that old would want to try a MMO, particularly one as grindish as FFXI.

Then the realization hit me.  Instead of Mialyn talking about her dad, Irisnyx could be talking about me, and the conversation would exactly fit.  Suddenly I started worrying about the Sandmen showing up at my door.

I tell you what, I’m not reporting to Carousel for Renewal.  I don’t care if my palm flower is black. I’m heading for Sanctuary.  Hopefully there’s an outlet and WiFi there so I can keep gaming with all the Greens and Reds.

“The search for the mot juste is not a pedantic fad but a vital necessity. Words are our precision tools. Imprecision engenders ambiguity and hours are wasted in removing verbal misunderstandings before the argument of substance can begin.”

— Anonymous Civil Servant

My static mate in game and good friend Ardra has made the decision to stop playing the Elvaan Samurai Ardra and pick up their previous character again — Naal. I understand the reasons behind this decision, but I find myself feeling an odd emotion of seperation, and very much like a sulking child.

With Ardra we had essentially set out on our jobs together from level one.  My choosing Paladin, Ardra going with Samurai, and Darrian eventually going with White Mage.  We hunted NM’s together, farmed, made our way through teh d00nz o’ d00m not only with our mains, but also our sub jobs, and our sub job’s sub job.  Occasionally we reached back to our higher level character to help out in impossible situations (my using Gentoo, Ardra using Naal), but for the most part we forged our way through by our own grit.  As we did this, we became a force to be reckoned with, and to my surprise, I formed a bond with these characters as much as I did with the players behind them.

With Naal being 75 or nearly 75 with 3 jobs (plus merits), I find myself both pulled with the desire to do things with my friend, but also pushed away because there is no more challenge or feeling of accomplishment.  So long as I trail along behind Naal saftey or achieving whatever goal is never in doubt.

Truth be told, I’m not all that into lolcats proper, but this one did make me lol, and this is the lolCats LS, so it seems appropriate to share.

It is with some small twinge that I’ve come to find that my previous character, Gentoo, is officially gone.

I decided, in a moment of weakness that I would take advantage of Square-Enix’s Return to Vana’diel campaign.  Bringing back Gentoo would have given me access to a character that had moderate crafting skills in Alchemy and Cooking, as well as a few bits-and-ends of gear that would be helpful to my static mates, or to myself as auctionable goods.

Alas, after going through the restoration process, SE has no record Gentoo.  Or of my other characters that matter (Redhat and Xubuntu also appear to be gone without record).

I’m not really upset about it.  I am disappointed, of course, that SE thwarted me getting access to a source gil.  But the there’s a darker undertone, that’s hard to put word to.

I don’t have the desire to play Gentoo any longer.  But knowing that a character that serves as a touchstone to various friends is gone for good is something of a somber note.

Update:

After a fair number of calls to SE technical support, Gentoo was retreived — although in a very odd state; equipment an gil that I know I had given away when I quit was back, equipment I know was not given way had disappeared, and equipment that I had tossed in early levels was back in my Mog House Safe.