Blacklist Achievement #1: Cid Wasn't the Problem

There are bad runs.

There are annoying players.

And then there are the exceptionally rare players who manage to annoy a Mentor enough to actually earn a place on the blacklist.

Welcome to the Blacklist Achievement.

🏆 Reserved for the exceptionally rare person who manages to annoy a Mentor after years of tolerating absolutely everything.

And for our very first recipient, we have a special contestant from everyone's favorite mandatory sightseeing tour:

The Praetorium Dragoon.

Or, as I like to call this achievement:

🏆 Cid Wasn't the Problem

Before we get into the actual disaster, I should probably clear something up.

I am not a Lalafell hater.

I played a Lalafell myself for about two and a half years.

 

On the Korean server, Lalafell are generally considered adorable, and honestly, I agree. I can absolutely see the appeal.

There are plenty of people on the global servers who dislike the whole "baby" aesthetic or simply don't like Lalafell in general.

I am not one of them.

So when this Praetorium party happened to contain a bunch of Lalafell and I was the only Miqo'te, the kindergarten-teacher comment wasn't what got this Dragoon blacklisted.

It was just one more item added to an already impressive list.

Cid, Stop Talking

The run started normally enough.

Well...

Normal by Praetorium standards.

At some point, the Dragoon decided that Cid was the problem.

Apparently, Cid was talking too much and not doing anything useful.

"Cid, stop talking. You don't do anything."

Which is a bold statement to make in the middle of the Praetorium.

But fine.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion about Cid.

The problem was that the person complaining about everyone else was about to demonstrate a rather unfortunate relationship with mechanics.

Mechanics Are Apparently Optional

The first boss arrived.

And the Dragoon promptly stepped into an AoE.

Then another one.

And died.

Okay.

It happens.

I'm a White Mage. That's what the Raise button is for.

We continue.

Then another pull happens.

More AoEs.

More floor inspection.

Then we get to Gaius.

And somehow, despite having already demonstrated that the floor was their preferred location, the Dragoon continued to stand in basically every AoE available.

And died again.

At this point, the pattern was becoming difficult to ignore.

AoE appears.

Dragoon enters AoE.

Dragoon dies.

Repeat.

And this wasn't even a case of some brand-new player who was struggling to understand their job.

They weren't exactly putting up impressive DPS either.

Meanwhile, the Summoner and Gunbreaker were doing the heavy lifting, while I was trying to keep everyone alive and get us through the duty.

Which made the earlier criticism of everyone else just a little more amusing.

And Then I Became a Kindergarten Teacher

Now we arrive at the part that probably sounds worse without context.

I was the only Miqo'te in the party.

Everyone else was Lalafell.

Apparently, this meant I had been promoted to kindergarten teacher.

You know.

Because Lalafell.

And Miqo'te.

Therefore: kindergarten.

I have to admit, under normal circumstances, I probably would have laughed.

I've been playing FFXIV for years. People say weird things in duty chat all the time.

But remember what was happening at the same time.

The person making comments about the party was:

• Standing in practically every AoE.
• Dying during the first boss.
• Dying again during Gaius.
• Not contributing particularly impressive DPS.
• While the rest of us were doing the actual work of getting the dungeon cleared.

At some point, the kindergarten teacher joke stopped being funny.

Not because I was offended by being compared to a teacher.

Not because I hate Lalafell.

And definitely not because someone made one dumb comment.

It was because this was becoming a pattern.

The Thing About Mentors

I've been doing Mentor Roulette long enough to have developed an absurd amount of patience.

New player doesn't know a mechanic?

I'll explain it.

Someone dies?

I'll Raise them.

Tank makes a mistake?

We'll recover.

Someone doesn't know their rotation?

That's fine.

People are learning.

That's literally part of the reason Mentor Roulette exists.

I've tolerated some spectacular nonsense over the years.

But there is a difference between making mistakes and spending an entire duty criticizing everyone around you while repeatedly dying to mechanics yourself.

Eventually, even a Mentor reaches the point of:

"Okay. That's enough."

And apparently, this Dragoon found that point.

🏆 Blacklist Achievement Unlocked

Achievement Title: Cid Wasn't the Problem

Duty: The Praetorium

Primary Achievement: Finding every AoE on the battlefield

Secondary Achievement: Dying to the first boss and Gaius

Bonus Achievement: Criticizing Cid while contributing very little to the actual duty

Hidden Achievement: Calling the only Miqo'te in the party a kindergarten teacher

Mentor Patience: 0%

Blacklist Status: Earned

And that's the thing about this blacklist.

I genuinely don't like blacklisting people.

I don't do it because someone made one stupid joke.

I don't do it because someone is new.

I don't even do it because someone is bad at the game.

You have to really, truly earn this achievement.

And this Dragoon did.

So congratulations.

You are officially the first inductee into the Blacklist Achievement series.

And for the record:

Cid wasn't the problem.