My MMORPG Double Life

Inspired by Riykere posting an image of himself and my alter-ego, and Mophia's post on the same subject, I thought I'd do a quickie post on my double life.

I've always loved role-playing; not surprising, since I chose to role-play for a living with the whole acting thingamajig. My first introduction to fantasy roleplay was AD&D, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. My first love (we were both 15) was our DM, and he invited me to play with the guys. I had a Lawful-Evil cleric named "Nightshade," who seriously kicked ass, until she read a set of runes on a wall and was busted into oblivion. Naturally, I created many characters since, but she was my first, my best. Next, this same young man got me hooked on the Ultima-series of games, which had the adventure though not the roleplay.

After I moved to the US, I got introduced to my first MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). I started playing one of the first to exist, on ImagiNation Network, INN, called "Shadows of Yserbius." I was a fetching wizardess named Nightshade (surprise, surprise), with a purple cloak and flaming red hair, though most called me "Nightie." I even belonged to a guild, and eventually became Questmaster.

At this point, yours truly got seriously addicted. I would play every waking moment—textbook case of addiction. It got to the point that I had to go cold turkey and simply quit. I even had physical withdrawal symptoms — I would be fast asleep on my back, my hands in the air typing into an imaginary keyboard on air. YIKES!  It was much, much later that I dared again to play anything. My first foray was into a text-based MUD (Multi-user Dungeon), which was kinda lame, but I did it to see if I could play and not get addicto. Success. For ages I didn't play anything, because life was so damned hectic, but then a few years ago I stumbled on another MUD, Legends of Terris, where I joined the Battlemages' Guild as Aleyara, and made lots of friends, some of whom I'm still in touch with.

Two years ago, I was in a play with someone who played FFXI, or "Final Fantasy XI", and I had to check it out. Wow, had the graphics and complexity of online games improved! I loved it. This game even had gardening and fishing, in addition to the usual quests and orc-slaying. I started out as an Elvaan Red Mage named Alaydhien, and one day in West Ronfaure, as I was fishing at the pond, I met a very silly elf named Shinjo, who cursed a very creative and constant stream, and a wonderful, sweet Galka named Riykere. These two were so much fun, and I joined their "linkshell" (a chat channel, similar to a guild in the old-fashioned way). Everyone on the linkshell is very nice and helpful, and I'm now a lvl 60 Blackmage, 37 Redmage, 15 Thief, etc. I mostly play blackmage, because I like to nuke baddies into smithereens with offensive spells.

The game takes power and a good graphics card, and the computer on which I play is in my "Basement of Doom," so until I fix that situation, I can't play. But I can't wait, so maybe very soon.

Riykere posted this picture of the two of us sitting in the Queen's Garden in our hometown of San d'Oria. We do a lot of that. Just find a pretty spot in the game with soothing music and just chat about life, Riykere's Latin homework, pizza, and what quests, armor, etc. we wanna go after next. Alternately, we go fishing until it gets too boring.



Riykere is my bodyguard, and he keeps bad monsters from killing me, over-zealous admirers from getting fresh, and cheers me up when I'm down. Even though I haven't played for almost 3 months now, Riykere and Mophia are both in touch often, which is so totally cool and sweet. Not bad for a second career, playing an elf-chick with nuking powers and fun folks to hang out with!