The real stars of this show...

So I've told you that this journal is going to be the story of Arislan's life-- so let's begin by meeting and getting to know some of the wonderful characters that will feature prominantly in my past and future adventures (in alphabetical order, except for Mr. Italy because he's a cheater):


LESTATH (aka 'The Bro')
Job(s): Paladin, Ranger, Black Mage, Dark Knight

He really is the consummate best friend, always ready with a dirty joke or a generous laugh-- who could ask for a better companion. He and I have been inseperable since we met in that hole named Crawlers Nest when we both were not-so-amateur Paladins in an amateur's world and having great fun while getting pissed on by caterpillars. Through it all, we've been white bros (PLD), black bros (BLM), started a linkshell together (Valor), and have terrorized all the real and fake women of Vana'diel in our never-ending harem's quest and have left some serious collateral damage in our wake. ^^

As you can imagine, to have two people who spend this many hours together day-to-day, to be partners in countless static parties and to manage a linkshell together, and after all this time still being able to get along so well is a real sign of a lasting and genuine friendship. Lestath is really a big part of the reason why Vana'diel has been so enjoyable and fun for me, and I really owe him a debt of gratitude (or at least some 0.14 with my mules) for making it so fun that I look forward to logging on everyday. ^^


DEBO (aka 'The Noob')
Job(s): Samurai, Warrior

AF-static team member, thrice static-party team member, and welcomed LS-mate, even though Debo doesn't make it online very much he's still a static part of our online lives and we always have a hell of a good time when he's around-- maybe because we have a hell of a good time giving him a hard time. ^^ Whatever it is that makes this mysterious kid so fun, it's probably the same thing that is responsible for him being the hands-down biggest noob of anybody around. Cheers to Debo, don't ever change! ^^

I believe I first bumped into the noob in Valkurm Dunes, then kept bumping into him as our jobs kept pace into the AF levels where we formed what would be the core of our little circle of friends. While I was still a Paladin, we formed what would be Arislan's first static party and we reached the summit of 75 together, along with 4 other friends.


KRUEMEL (aka 'Her Highness')
Job(s): White Mage, Black Mage, Summoner, Bard

Although I had met Krue the last of anybody here, the most memorable thing about us is that we literally 'met' in real-life when she flew into town for a week and we spent an afternoon of blisters and books-- the former being my fault, the latter being hers. ^^ I first came across Krue in a 3-day static-party with Teddyweddy and Tilanna, and I could tell instantly that she, although small in stature and weight, was going to be a force to be reckoned with. ^^ 2x Freeze just to see Til's hate go up in thin-air was a sign of good things to come. Since then, she's been stalking me in order to recruit me for her harem (elvaan man-sluts only apparently) and I have been happily stalked since, with /tell Kruemel almost macro'd into my fingers. ^^


MENELWA (aka 'My Herooooooo')
Job(s): Summoner, White Mage

I had the unusual privelege of first meeting Mene while being dead (taken down by a monsterous crab ^^;), and from that day Mene has been saving my butt and being my perpetual hero ever since-- I must owe a few levels worth of experience points to his mighty RB3 magic at least. Since then, Mene has been a wonderful ls-mate, a dependable and sweet friend, a great CoP companion, and the very best SMN/THF to ever go into Monarch Linn ENM. And I've even managed to get White Mage to 70 just so I could return the favor and RB Mene a few times too. Forget that ugly little Carbuncle, Mene, I'll be your pet anyday!! ^^


TSP (aka 'don't call me teaspoon!')
Job(s): THF+1

I used to see T all the time while farming Cockatrices in Sauramogue, and I would always see this little green blur beating me to every pop. Let's just say I didn't exactly expect to become good friends with this elusive fellow, but somehow we managed to do all right in the end. ^^ For the past 18 months, he has been one of the most enjoyable and dependable friends anybody could expect to encounter-- we've finished CoP together, took on countless challenges at each other's side... and he's even got a sexy tail and ass to boot! ^^ Talk about a friend with benefits! ^^


VEROHAWKE (aka 'Veve')
Job(s): Red Mage, Ninja

What can I say about Veve, other than the fact that she has the most patience with me out of anybody outside of my gf-- believe me, I bring the BS! On-again-off-again, we've been together for over a year and we've had some really tender moments (think Purgonorgo Isle), some really grand moments (think Wedding in Chateau d'Oraguille), and we've also had our share of not-so-happy moments where we drive each other crazy, but like any marriage, it's a process...

Outside of us being officially intertwined, Veve has always been a nice ls-mate and a fun influence on everybody around her, and always willing to lend a hand where a hand is needed (mmm sounds dirty... /slap Les). It's really very hard to fight the smile that comes across your face when she saunters by because she really is just that charming. ^^


Not to be Forgotten: Til (my lovely piece of hume ass, oh how I resent WoW for taking you from me!), Phan (aka 'Moms'), Xadie (aka 'Xiexie' 'Mom da Sequel') & and many more that are near and dear to my heart but I've run out of nicknames so I'll stop the list here. ^^

The adventure begins!

Over 2 years ago, I created a surpremely handsome elvaan on Shiva Server named Arislan. It was no small accomplishment considering that it was my first foray into the murky waters of online gaming, and I was completely unprepared for what was in store for me on FFXI. I had thought the game would be more or less your run of the mill Final Fantasy game with some chatting involved, but I did not anticipate that it would really fascinate me to the level that it has and capture my imagination and attention for so long. What started as just an innocent diversion has become something more of an unhealthy obsession, but in the end it's been fun to meet new friends and experience new things along the way.

So this character, Arislan, has been 'alive' for over two years and a great deal has happened to him during this time. And it is sad that I have neglected to attempt to begin a chronicle of his existence until today, for I am sure that when they put the servers to sleep and the friends I've made have long since departed, I will have had little more than a few screenshots to remember them by. So to avoid this, I've started this journal for my poor friend Arislan. I hope to write any significant future happenings here, as well as maybe take the time to make some historical entries as well for posterity. In the end, I hope this will serve as a fun scrapbook of my time on FFXI for my dear friends and I to enjoy. ^^

So it is from this entry that our story begins... as life on Vana'diel for Arislan continues.