Logging on

I got home after Hyu's barbecue, happily holding that shiny box. First thing I did was turn on the PC and go pee while it loaded (yeah... that is the protocol!). Then I sat on my chair, logged on gmail and msn and messaged Hyu, while inserting the first CD on the drive.

Jessie: Got it?

30 secs later, no answer. So I started installing the game. 6Gb were needed to install it and I started wondering how big the game was because I barely installed games that required more than 1Gb of free hard disk.

Jessie: ???
Jessie: Are you there?!?

As you might have noticed, I lack patience.
Well, let me rephrase that: I lack patience when I am extremely curious about something.
What happens all the time...
Just try the good old "Hey, I need to talk to you! Hmmm, never mind.". That will do the trick. You just got yourself a damn curious Jessie! <Congratulations!>

Jessie: Talk to me! -_-

Hyu: I was at the living room talking to my mom. Can you calm down? ^^;;

Jessie: Nooooooooo! I wanna play!

Hyu: You are in such a hurry for someone that was always saying for me to stop playing, aren't ya?

Jessie: Shut up! Where are my CD-Keys?

Hyu: He is not on yet...

Jessie: o.o But haven't you said he is always on?

Hyu: Yeah... I'm even starting to worry about him already! hehe

Jessie: T_T oh, well... I'm gonna finish installing here then. I hope he logs soon.

So, CD after CD, a whole new world was being installed in my computer while I bited my nails in excitement.

Well, this must be a good time to say that I had already some knowledge about MMORPGs. I had played Ragnarok Online free trial and then spent lots of time jumping from one private server to another, hoping to find one that wouldn't make full wipes every week. I also played in the beta tester of ROSE Online, which looked all pretty and cool in 3D, but really sucked. So I knew where I was stepping. Or did I?

Jessie: Is he online yet?

Hyu: Yeah... yeah! I'm talking to him right now.

Jessie: omg!!! Is he cool with it? Will he sell his FF to me?!?

Hyu: I think so. He said he doesn't intend to play FF anymore. ^^;;

Jessie: Great.. great! Get those CD-keys for me! Go go!

I was absolutely ecstatic. I would be soon playing a new game. A damn good one by the looks of it. So, while Hyu was getting my CD-keys, I started going through the Play-Online account creation.

Jessie: Ok, I need the CD-keys now... :/

Hyu: ^^ Got it! Here you are:

Playonline Registration Code- XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Tetra Master Registration Code- XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Final Fantasy Registration Code- XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Final Fantasy: Rise of Zilart Registration Code- XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Playonline ID- XXXXXXXX

Playonline Password - XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jessie: omg! So many codes... Why they need so many?

Hyu: hehehehe... create your account already!

Jessie: What do you think I am doing? :) But, hey... how am I paying that friend of yours?

Hyu: hmmm... I'll take care of that!

With that, I started filling in all those CD-keys and was amazed that they worked. I didn't know that friend of Hyu, hence the fact that I really didn't trust him. So the second I logged, I started frantically changing all passwords and info I could to make it really my own account, but I faced a problem.

Jessie: Damn... this game doesn't know Brazil exists. It won't let me change the address to one in Brazil.

Hyu: Well, leave his address there. It's not really a problem.

Jessie: Ok......

My account got as close to being mine as it could get. Square-Enix thinks my name is Anthony Day and that I live in US but who cares? I was finally starting playing the game!

I got to the true game screen and choose the create character button. Now it was that cruel moment. The moment I had to make a choice and pick one race and look that would represent me in this fantasy world for a long time. So I had to choose it very carefully...

Ok, ok. I confess. All that I just said is just an excuse for my huge indecision. I took more than half hour watching all races movies, even the male ones, and pondering which one looked cuter. Finally I got down to two races. I would either be a Mithra or a Tarutaru. While I was in middle of this big issue, my phone, my phone rang.

Hyu > What is taking you so long?

Jessie > I am trying to pick a char...

Hyu > Still?

Jessie > Yeah... I don't know if I pick Mithra or Tarutaru.

Hyu > Hmmm... what job do you plan leveling?

Jessie > Not sure...

Hyu > Melee or mage?

Jessie > .... I don't wanna level mage. You have to rely on mana and all that... It's a pain!

Hyu > So you're going for melee?

Jessie > erm... but melee you just press a button and swings some weapon at an enemy. It's boring... Is there any hunter alike job?

Hyu > Yeah, ranger. But you don't wanna level that...

Jessie > uhh... ok... what jobs can I level?

Hyu > At first, black mage, white mage, red mage, warrior, thief and monk.

Jessie > hmmm... red mage... any good?

Hyu > Well... you can both cast magic and melee with it.

Jessie > I guess red mage it is then!

Hyu > Great! Well, Tarutaru is a good mage race, Mithras are better as melees, thief for instance.

Jessie > As I dunno exactly what I am, that's no help at all!

Hyu > Well... your pick!

Jessie > Meh... I guess I won't really level mages, so I'll go with Mithra.

So I went for the Mithra that looked less hairy and with less marks on her face (yeah, at that moment, they were annoying to me). And of course, the brunet one. I never liked blondies very much.

Jessie > Now I'll pick a name and I'm in!

Hyu > Yay! Go go!

Well, finally something that would be easy. I had no problems with nicknames, I have been using mine for quite a long time. So I went on and typed "Jessie" on the box and clicked ok. Just to receive a "Name already taken." message. I tried "Jess" and nothing. Then "Jessica", and no good either. Then I gave up for short nicks, I'd have to use my surname! But "Jessiebond" would be too long, so I went for "Jessbond".

Jessie > Done! I am Bond, Jessbond!

Hyu > haha.. nice!

Jessie > Oh, what is this? It's asking for me to pick a city.

Hyu > Ah, that will be the city you start in and do missions related to that. I'm from San D'oria. Pick one!

Jessie > Ok.

I read the text they give about each city and choose Windurst. It was Mithra town after all. Well, Tarutaru town to be truthfull but who cares? Mithras live there, so I'll start over there.

Jessie > Ok, I'm logging now! Picked Windurst.

Hyu > Finally!

Then I went through the start cutscene where a Tarutaru named Ajido-Marujido said bad things about Mithras and got scolded by his sister.

Jessie > What the hell? I didn't even started playing and they are already making fun of me!

Hyu > Hahahaha...

Jessie > Ok, I'm in! "Welcome to Quetzalcoatl" or however you pronounce that...

Hyu > huh? ... oh yeah, damn! You are not in my server! You gotta come to Asura.

Jessie > Damn! And how do I do that?!?

Hyu > Log off, delete your char and log in again until you get on Asura.

Jessie > Hmmm. Is this random?

Hyu > I think they give preference to the servers that are less crowded.

Jessie > And how is Asura?

Hyu > Pretty much crowded, I think.

Jessie > ... are you kidding me?

Hyu > No... now try!

Well, I logged off after Hyu kindly told me where the log off button was, deleted my char and created a new one. This time was fast, because I already knew what race, face and name I wanted. After watching the custscene again...

Jessie > "Welcome to Phoenix"

Hyu > Well, try again.

So, there I went again... and watched the cutscene once more.

Jessie > "Welcome to Valefor"

Hyu > I got hang now. Keep trying and I'll phone you back soon.

Jessie > heh... ok

I kept on trying, being assigned to many servers with funny names, but no Asura.

"Welcome to Alexander"

"Welcome to Caitisith"

"Welcome to Leviathan"

"Welcome to Alexander"

It was even repeating servers! And it didn't seem to let me log on Asura anytime soon. I was already tired of thar cutscene making fun of me, but I wouldn't give up! I wanted to play with Hyu very much, so I kept going. After 40 minutes or so, the phone rang away.

Jessie > What?

Hyu > Are you in Asura?

Jessie > ...... no!!! I have visited 9 different servers many times already, but nothing about Asura!

Hyu > Damn! Do you think they are not accepting more people in my server?

Jessie > But I wanna play with you! I won't give up until I get on Asura!

Hyu > Hmmmm.... I just remembered of something. I think there is an item you can use to get a friend to the same server as you.

Jessie > And you say that now................

Hyu > I didn't think it would be so hard for you to get on the same server as I am!

Jessie > Go get it!

Hyu > Ok, I'll phone back to you in a sec.

I kept deleting and creating new chars, trying to get on Asura while Hyu went to get me that item. Hey, I had nothing better to do, so don't judge me! And I started to wonder if Hyu was just that stupid or if he made me redo my account and watch that cutscene so many times just to make fun of me. Anyway, I really didn't care. I would be soon playing Final Fantasy XI! YAY!

After 15 minutes, my phone rang again.

Hyu > Got it! After you create you char, choose "Use Gold Pass" option and write this code: XXXXXXX.

Jessie > Ok, doing it. Hmmmm... Cutscene... damn, I hate that Ajido-Marujido! Ok... finishing.... YAY! "Welcome to Asura!"

Hyu > Hurray! Congratulations!

Jessie > Thanks! Uuh... what now?

Now that our heroine is finally in Vana' diel, what kind of crazy stuff will she do? Will she pwn some monster? Will she be the new Vana'diel empress? Will she be a lost noob? Stay tuned for more of the Jessie's adventures series!