so on Saturday I cleared an ultimate for the first time. we were on the grind for over an year, with breaks, spells when we were lucky to get a couple of hours of week

and for the clear we had auto markers for the gaols on but we'd also done them enough times, including in the week leading up to that (since dalamud was updating) that I know that was more for convenience than actually needing it (we also only started using them once we strated consistently getting past them on our own)

then the next evening we started eden savage in the way we'd been doing fights since we started as a static, aka just synched, and we did the first one in two pulls and our static leader just registered us for the second with no echo and none of us really objected (we cleared that, and got most of the way through the third before we called it a night)

the way the group has grown has been really interesting to me. because I hear Stories about statics and feel incredibly lucky. I knew back when we beat our heads against a8s for four months and instead of breaking up we opted to try to do things twice a week instead of once that this is a comfortable static but damn

and the thing is, yes, we're slow. we have things that are always a Thing. (our main tank is a Situation all on his own, and our summoner tends to die a lot. my damage is abysmal but also I'm a healer so it's never been a problem but I am Aware.) but we're having fun together. we actually learn the fights.

I know that just about any fight I've beaten with this group, I can clear in pf on another alt. but also I'm very much, it's less fun when it's with random people

I've definitely improved in how I handle fights in the game. recognizing mechanics and being fast enough to handle them, especially. healer triage and recovery as well. I'm in sore need of learning to efficiently coheal, though my current cohealer is working on mentoring me on that, since he's acquainted with the fights and can spare the brain power

anyway the point somewhere in this. when I started, years and years ago - I began shortly before stb came out, I believe, or very shortly after - I would legit get anxiety attacks over getting into dungeons. I'd written off harder content as an impossibility. and a week in, I still can't believe it happened.

mind you, on sat we cleared on the second pull. and it wasn't the first pull bc the mt pressed the lb3 at the end of titan in a most hilarious what.

we did earn that fight (some fights we clear with two people alive and a lb1)

it's just. interesting

I want to comment a cute emote but plurk isn't loading

there we go

aww thank you

but yeah, I had some idea that I'd gotten more confident when I was doing panda day one and aglaia week one, which was a huge change from obsessively watching and rewatching guides before I reached for that register for duty button

I keep finding jocat's 'the only difference between a good player and a bad one is not a good player has died a lot more times' because it's so gd true.

Congrats on the clears!

thank!