So, eight years ago--it's 1996--the family is over at our grandmother's house, it's sometime in the night, and I'm sitting on the carpet watching television. My father, though, he's on the phone talking to his chief about various crap. During the show, he calls me over (I come reluctantly) and tells me that his chief is playing this interesting new game, and since I played the MUDs, he thought I'd be interested.

I shrugged, so he gave me the phone, and let his chief tell me about it.

A few weeks later, after coming to the conclusion that it would be rather nice to play such a game, we purchase it from Software Etc., where I discovered that I was very impressed with the front cover of the box. I still am.

The day we managed to get it up and running, dad was going to a party, and asked if I would like to come along. I declined, as I was too damn amazed at how beautiful Cor Noth was--how wonderful the music was!--and how amazing this game was. I never imagined killing rats could be so exhilirating, so heart-pounding, so rewarding.

Server 103, if I'm correct. I figure I ran as Kythe, 'cause that's been my name for awhile.

I'm so sold on the game that I begin to skip school to play. I'm in the seventh grade at the time. Unfortunately, I'm caught, but not without having won a diamond pendant in the process. When my father demands to know why I was skipping, I blame it on the fact I had no clean socks.

I don't think he--or the dean--bought it.

His chief, meanwhile, apologizes for introducing me to the game.

I still think it was worth it, though.

I never got to see 3DO Meridian to its end, sadly. After awhile, father tired of my Meridian craze, so he cancelled my account. I suppose that's just as well, as I needed to make it to high school. Even with a lack of an account though, Meridian 59 never fell completely off the radar for me. On any random month, in some random year, on some random day, I'd go to google and search for Meridian 59 to see what I could find. For the longest time, the best I could find was the old meridian59.com reference website, but it seemed so defunct I still thought the old world dead..

.. until I noticed an updated thread on their forum, one hinting at some Russian server.. and when I discovered what it meant, I returned to Cor Noth--and now, one illegal server later--I'm here.

So, it's eight years later. Man, that's amazing.

I no longer have the pendant anymore, obviously. I want one, though. For no real reason other than to have one, to replace the one I lost so long ago for skipping class and being online--to tease that old memory. I still run with the music on, even if some of the songs really suck. I wouldn't mind running with my old guild-mates, either, but I don't really remember any of them--but if I did, I doubt any of them would realize the old world is back. I miss people broadcasting about trolls being in BOB. I don't know if we're that much smarter, or trolls are that much weaker, but it's something I think that needs to be addressed.

I also miss the -lack- of asshats.

Just one of those things, though.

Meridian 59 has changed so much. The world, the magic, the monsters, the mechanics--and, hell, even the hands. If it hadn't been for NDS, Meridian 59 would be celebrating its latest with green miniature "grass yetis" and upside-down spiders.

Woah. Talk about innovative content. That's wild.

Anyway, I've rambled along enough. Even more, I've a trip to Attisburg or somesuch in Mississipi to help Best Buy out for seven days--and it leaves in an hour and a half, so..

I suppose the point of this is as follows:

Damn, I've spent eight years of my life on this friggin' game.

Let's see if we can go for twelve.

- SG