V is for Valor

In a game where membership is fleeting and fluid, Valor is the place where I hang my hat.

What is Valor? It's a linkshell. A very small one at that. I think most of the FF community would find it rather underwhelming and boring, but those who 'get it' love it, and those who don't probably weren't meant to anyway. ;D At the heart of Valor, is a small group of long-time friends, who have gotten so used to being around each other day after day that they naturally and easily coalesced into a milky-white-pearled gang of a little over a dozen or so.

To most it seemed that Valor happened quite out of the blue, but Les and I had been batting around the idea of a linkshell for some time. We were unhappy with KoS and all the fall-out that resulted from Gauln's mismanagement, so we wanted to really make a place where the good friends we had could just be themselves and feel at home. Seeking a third accomplice, we pitched the idea to Phantoma and that very day, in South San d'Oria just inside the Tanner's Guild, Valor was conceived by three eager and hopeful parents. I'm sure some of you have wondered about this so we might as well let the cat out of the bag: the wonderful off-white color was Les' idea and I lobbied hard for Valor as the name and got my way. XD

The first days of Valor were really exciting, as we shot pearls to everybody that we loved. Ari, Dark, Debo, Fab, Kaih, Les, Mits, Phan & Til were the first inductees, setting the tone for what would forever be the Valor-spirit. Shortly thereafter, the original group was followed by many more of our cherished friends and the linkshell truly blossomed into the f-list orgy that we had hoped it would become.

The LS has matured in it's almost 2-years of existence, and when thinking back I'm pleased that I am able to easily recall so many fond memories of things the LS has done together, and also wonderful and personal moments that I've shared with every member individually. We're grown so much since those first days, welcomed so many good friends into the fold, and have waved goodbye to many good friends who have moved on to other things... their spirits live on in the LS and stay with us as Valor moves forward. I'm really very proud of what we were, what we continue to be, and the statement that we make to the rest of the server that friends are the most important thing during our short stay on Vana'diel.

As time has gone by, and as things have whirled and changed around Arislan, Valor remains my rock to hold on to through it all, the thing that keeps me coming back to FFXI. I am inextricably tied to Valor and all its members, and I couldn't imagine life on Vana'diel any other way. To me, Valor is forever.