Episode LVII! – Y’all’s guess is a good as mine for this weeks’ Fashion Report Adventure. However, Aikirees is running with the whole outfit while I try to process the practicality of it all.
A Pink Cat Left Notes
A little while back, after a rather long day, I came home to this note being in the HQ’s guestbook. It made my evening seeing little adorable pink paw prints in the book. Nothing much aside from that, just appreciate my cats post really.
Y’all have a wonderful one!
Happy (Belated) Valentione’s 2025!
Little belated, but we hope everyone had a very wonderful Valentione’s 2025 Season! We adored the story this year, and have enjoyed that it’s been slowly building on itself over the years. It was pretty quick for a seasonal, but that didn’t deter it at all.
We also got to recreate this photo like we did a couple of years back before Aikirees went on her journey, and that was a wonderful time too. Lots of hugs to everyone on this Wednesday morning! Y’all got this!
Status of Things 2025
I really, really didn’t want my first Status of the year to be rough, but well, it’s going to be. Disclaimer as this is kind of my way of venting and not necessarily directed at any person(s) in particular as that seems to be a concern. This time its just observations that I’ve noticed over the last few months and collectively just want to talk about.
Social Media Paradox
At this point, I am pretty much done/permanent hiatus from social media. My link for Mastodon will still be maintained here, but… I’m basically done. I may come back when Donald Trump leaves office once and for all, but until then I just don’t have it in me. I did try to give it one real good push back in the fall of 2024, but everyone was just so… angry. There was almost nothing positive or productive being talked about – not none, just minimal at best. Most of my interaction was either dismissed or cold shouldered, which I assume was my own doing for leaving for a near year, so I knew my time was done. Again not all, just… not a lot.
That in itself is very disheartening as I have met so many wonderful people on social media from both Twitter and Mastodon. The thought of poking around on Bluesky has crossed my mind (realizing I know that backtracks my original thoughts on it), but it sounds like the follower count craze and exhausting clout chasing exist there too. Not to mention the perpetual anger that the internet has gladly come to embrace. I just don’t have the time or energy to spend on all of it.
Anger, Anger, Anger
Why.. just… Why!? Why is there so much anger out there now? Look I get the world is not a friendly place currently, but why add to it!? When I mean kick tails, I mean get out there and make a difference! Take that anger and use it for something good! It becomes so tiring to keep seeing this over and over and over again. Make the cycle stop, please. This also has bled into Final Fantasy XIV…
The above was from a Jeuno raid that I, personally, did. The poor feller was having a rough evening, and let’s be real for a moment EVERYONE HAS THIS HAPPEN. I do not care if one has ran the content 1,000 times or once, you’re going to mess up. Bashing & bullying someone this harshly is garbage behavior. Miss Laureine had a similar incident happen where her party’s tank was kicked in a World of Warcraft fashion for messing up a mechanic. She, of course, did not vote yes to kick, but it still went through all because someone was having a petty tantrum about the mistake.
Do not take one’s own anger, go into a piece of party content, and do this. Just… go play something on your own please until you can come play nicely with the rest of us who usually are wanting to have a fun time after a long day’s work. It’s not just this either, there’s been a lot of coldness in group content as well, and from someone who has been around since Stormblood, it makes it a lot harder to want to continue to play a game that I/we have enjoyed for such a long time.
Other whispers of anger being directed at Dawntrail itself is also incredibly exhausting. If one doesn’t like the content, just don’t play. I will never understand why this is such a difficult thought to process. I honestly don’t like the current MSQ either, but there’s parts of Heavensward, Stormblood, Endwalker, and yes even Shadowbringers (albeit very minor) that I didn’t like as well. I still play nearly daily because I enjoy the game regardless – even the parts I disliked I knew would eventually lead into a part I did. So please shush about this and move on – I am so tired of hearing doomsaying nearing the level of WoW: Cataclysm. The mention of lack of content is mind boggling – there’s so much to do; so unless one has been around since A Realm Reborn, I can’t see how it all has been tackled.
Content creators and even folks who write articles in regards to XIV that I used to enjoy are starting to slip down this slope too, it’s all just… so tiring to see.
I was going to add a couple more things, but I stopped myself, as it just wasn’t helpful energy. I know it’s really rough for a lot of folks out there right now; really I truly get it. There’s a ton of anger floating out there about what to do, but please just take a moment and remember we’re all having our own battles, and just to lend out a hand or an ear can go such a long way – far more so than a fist or harsh words. Please, hug people, tell them it will be alright, and get together to kick a lot of tails.
We all got this in the end and it will be beautiful.
Wayward, but Trying to Return
It’s been a spell since I’ve been able to sit down and write some things. Overall it’s been good, but just chaotically busy across the spectrum. RL has, and probably will be for the foreseeable future, incredibly busy. Been also trying to see family more frequently like it used to be, and that has been really nice.
We’ll go into Final Fantasy XIV in a moment, but for elsewhere: nearing the end of Sea of Stars – its just tying up loose ends and items at this point before taking on the final dungeon. It’s been an incredible game/story the entire way, so I am wanting to see it through till the end still. Cannot recommend it enough. Horizon Zero Dawn is mostly progressing main story now, albeit 30+ levels higher than it is so it’s been a rather comical progress now. Haven’t decided on what to tackle after these two are done, but I know I’ll find something pretty quick in my backlog!
Other parts of RL is the trainscape, which aside from one major setback, has been a nice learning and constructive continuous hobby to resurrect. It’s getting to a ‘self-sustaining’ point now until I decide to start the next phase, and even with it being early in the stages is a really nice little project to watch run as-is. Ideally do need to get to other other projects that have been placed on the backburner for a long spell now eventually, but nothing is on a major deadline like last year’s and that is a nice feeling to have.
I think I’ll discuss more of Final Fantasy XIV in a new ‘Status of Things’ post, but overall it’s been going well. The Valentione’s event was short but absolutely adorable. Being able to recreate an old photo from a few years back with Aikirees when she was a Miqo’te was really fun to do as well. We’re kind of on a breather until Patch 7.2 for the most part now aside from the basic weeklies. I doubt I’ll proceed with posting about the Vana’Diel raid now, or anything else of that longevity as I just don’t have the time to do it like last year for better or for worse.
It shouldn’t impact posts returning to the daily but we’ll see – weekends are probably going to be more impacted for the rest of the year, which is when I usually schedule posts, so it could.
We did finally do the new Hildibrand content, and I’d like to talk a little about it, but best not to go into it. I would like to eventually get posted all of our silly Hildibrand outfit posts from Endwalker and continue that into Dawntrail, but just haven’t had a moment to think about continuing it. Just… I don’t know, there’s something amiss right now but it’s not what anyone is thinking or assuming. Only time will tell I suppose.
Oh, movies and things from the Saturday evenings. The notable couple I watched were ‘Catch Me if You Can,’ and ‘The Black Cauldron.’ Both I highly enjoyed but for very different reasons. Definitely recommend those if y’all haven’t seen them. Not a whole lot on the horizon that perks my ears up just yet, but have been kind of out of the loop on upcoming stuffs, so it can change on a whim really quick.
Probably enough rambling for a Monday Morning. Y’all have an absolutely wonderful one, kick some tail!
Wayward
Just kind of a quick one to say ‘still here, but very busy’ sort of update. I have a few things/thoughts in a holding pattern until I can get them written out and posted here. The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind with very little desk time. The trainscape hit the first milestone last weekend, so that’ll free up that time to work on catching up here as well as moving onto other smaller projects that I’ve been holding off on.
Happy Thursday y’all! Y’all got this, and kick tails!
On This Day – 5 Years Ago…
I can’t believe it’s been five years since this happened: the day that changed everything and sprung board the spark that would grow into what became Eorzea Cartographers. This meeting led me down a path to meeting so many wonderful folks, which a lot of them have become great friends, and so many memories to go along with them.
The story behind this being that I saw the early Burgundy Room perform at an open RP event a while prior. It enamored me so when they announced a full-blown show coming up, I wanted to figure out how to get there as back then I had no idea how to really navigate residential districts. Upon finding the location, I went inside to make sure it was the right place only to be ‘ambushed’ by folks rehearsing for said upcoming show. It was a hoot and that tweet came about from it, then a week later was the big event. A lot of folks I met that evening I became fast friends with and some still to this very day.
I’ll never forget when this happened in my adventures through Eorzea, and without it, I’m honestly not even sure EOCA would have ever came about, nor would I have met so many talented folks along the way. Never would I have thought this chance moment upon starting out my own adventure through Eorzea would have done such a thing, but I am so thankful for it.
The Nintendo Switch 2
There’s a couple of others things I’d like to post about from the happenings this week, but they’ll take a smidgen to get my thoughts on beforehand, and this week has been a rather rough one. However, just right-quick thoughts on the Switch 2 I can do.
The official announcement of the Switch 2 after an absurd amount of rumors over the years is both a relieve and also just exhausting. However, the console itself looks like a nice uptick from its current predecessor and the fact it can play everything the Switch can is a colossal boon. I am excited for it, and I’ll more than likely jump to the Switch 2 near its launch assuming that I’m not knee deep in a project or a cost that would deter such a plan.
The official launch video that Nintendo put out is both really nicely put together, but to me a bit somber. I have a launch Switch, and the only difference is that I changed the reddish/cyan Joycons out for neon green/pink many a years ago. When I was early in my traveler year, my mom – Mama Kosmikros (or Mama K) asked what I wanted for Christmas the year it came out. I was with my trainer at the time and he was coming home for the holidays, and since we lived so close it worked out for me too. So, when Mama K asked me this, I responded with just simply ‘a Nintendo Switch.’
We return home for the holidays: my trainer spends it with his family, and me with mine. I swap the early tales of my journey thus so far with the family, and spent a lot of time with them since I know I’ll not see them all again for quite some time thereafter. Christmas Day rolls around and there was just the one box for me, and it was the Switch. I was so excited to take that back out with me, and I had two games from the get-go (neither of this writing have I still completed): The Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. I played Breath of the Wild a lot before heading back out and a lot while with the trainer.
Once I was out on my own traveling the country, the Switch became an integral part of my daily life. I’ve played so many games on it, and continue to do so to this day – and was a lifesaver during the latest Hurricane, Milton, when power was very limited. To see the Switch 2 coming this year and saying goodbye to such a wonderful console that has been like a good friend all these years makes me a bit sad.
When the time comes, I won’t fully say farewell to my Switch; it’ll still play a part in my life in some way shape or form, and I’ll be sure to take good care of it for many more years hereafter as well.
Soul Trains
Kind of ‘off-the-cuff’ this morning, as I didn’t really plan anything for this week. RL & projects have kind of pulled me away from the usual PC work & play that I’m accustomed to. Not that it’s a ‘bad’ thing in any way, in fact I welcome it as it’s been really fun to step away from all the screens for once and do some more handsy-onsy things.
Of course there’s still the usual Final Fantasy XIV routine, but with a lot of the legwork done from previous expansions and mostly everyone caught up to par, there’s a bit more rest-time that can be allocated to other things. One being the never ending train project. Over the weekend I soldered all of the joiners to make it one whole circuit, well most as I still need to be able to relocate it for the new track bed to be placed first. Once the new track bed is down, then the remaining joiners will be soldered and then finally re-mounted once again.
I’ve tested the wheels on the soldered track and it runs so gosh darn smoothly, so I am very much looking forward to seeing this all done and running again just on that factor alone. It’s still a long ways off for it being completed, but seeing the trains running again will be a nice milestone.
Also watched Pixar’s Soul over the weekend for the usual Saturday Dinner/Movie routine. It was pretty good, but not what I expected in a mostly good way.
I think that’s really it for now; doing well aside, still not really interacting with Social Medias. There might be some ‘new challengers’ appearing here and there here aside from Aiki, the Cousins, my dear cats, and I but that will wary on everything else happening.
Happy Monday, y’all! Kick some tails! Remember that y’all always have and will got this.
Sisters’ Fashion Report Adventure LVI?
Episode LVI..? – H-hold on a mome–… hmm… T-this week’s regularly scheduled Fashion Report Adventure is interrupted by the cousins it would seem. W-when one is a damsel, but not in distress, and comes prepared for anything that is thrown at them – in Lizicus’ case that might as well mean literally with her trident at the ready.
The Desk
If anyone has ever visited EOCA HQ, they’ll more than likely run across this large and messy desk just past the lounge area. My old map making desk, still covered in old scrolls, notes, drawings, and just rather unkempt all this time. However, there’s a few mementos and memories placed on here that I cherish very fondly with priceless sentimental value.
1 – Star Globe.
This is a double-edged reason for being here. The first being that no cartographer’s desk should be without some sort of globe on it, and the other being that I’ve personally had a globe on my desk ever since I was a very young bun. My Dad got me a globe when I was either 3 or 4, and it’s so old that it still has USSR along with East & West Germany on it. Certainly had a lot of love, and a lot of solar bleaching happen to it over the years.
2 – Azelma’s Flowers.
Back when EOCA hit Rank 30, which as of this writing is the max rank for a Free Company, I was gifted these flowers from our dear friend Azelma in congrats of achieving the feat. This is something that we honestly thought would have taken a lot longer to accomplish, but with perseverance we managed to do so well before the end of Endwalker. I made sure to give them a place on the desk as a memory.
3 – Kibby’s Flowers.
During my more active tenure with The Burgundy Room, I would assist with staff and handling tips at the end of the shows. One show, once it was all concluded, I was gifted these lovely red flowers from Kibby who was performing at the show that evening.
4 – Burgundy Flowers.
These flowers I can’t remember who personally gave them to me, but given the red ribbon I dyed on it, someone from Burgundy during the earlier years did so during the end of a performance. I have been gifted several other flowers, including one from Sirena, but those have been placed in my apartment instead. Sirena’s in particular has a pink ribbon on it.
5 – Coffee Mug.
There’s a lot of these around HQ, and certainly my desk is no unfamiliar place for a nice hot mug. Representing a lot of aspects of my life, but also when I would work on maps, there usually would be some coffee in close proximity!
6 – Winery.
This one not many folks would probably know the story behind it. Years, and years ago when the Aether Event Center was around (it’s been gone a long while now), and I was just starting out before EOCA was established, I was making the maps for the Aether Event Center and working/participating in events they hosted. It was a very fun and wild time, but once the AEC’s mansion was acquired/established, I was surprise gifted my own desk within it! The desk was so gorgeous, and it had these bottles of wine and glass on top of it. I wanted to keep those early days’ memory close.
7 – Carbuncle Lamp.
Kind of part of the above, one of these was on my desk as a nod to Aikirees’ love of Carbuncles during the AEC’s tenure. It has since been placed down on my desk for that reason, and I think Aikirees appreciates one just being there to help illuminate the desk overall.
8 – Envelopes.
Kind of a self-jab with how I tended to organize requests, and other items that came across my inbox. Rest assured, everything was done and addressed in a timely manner, but was just not well organized for the longest time.
9 – Notes, schematics, old drawings, etc.
Another self-jab: my catch-all of everything that is not sprawled out all messy-like on the desk. Various things piled within these mountains of paper. The rest of them have made it with moderate success into The Archives proper.
I think that coves the basis of that desk. The walls have maps and schematics on it, along with a bunch on the desk too. It’s a chaotic mess for certain, but the memories it holds are priceless and timeless to me and I wouldn’t want to change it for anything.
Sharlayan Northern Lights
It’s not often I get to catch this phenomenon while traveling around, but happened to be in Old Sharlayan at the right time to catch the Aurora Borealis over the city. I’ve only been able to see it here a handful of times, but it’s always so pretty to see those auras just dance across the clear night sky.
Heavensturn 2025
Last week, we got around to enjoying this year’s Heavensturn event. It was a little different with trivia questions, but was enjoyable, and enlightening. It’s not a very long event overall, but still fun! The fortune draw came back once again this year as well, and we all pulled to see our annual fortune.
Most of us faired rather well, except for Aikirees.
What’s good even with the misfortune ones is they give advice on what to do to turn the fortunes around, so it’s not necessarily an ‘ominously bad’ fortune to get.
Hope everyone who went forth to get a fortune got what they hoped for! Just remember, even ones like Aikirees can be spun around to become great ones too!
New Year – New Project(s) Planning
Now with the holidays passed us, it’s time to take on the first full week of the year! Past weekend was more the usual, but still tinkering with the train scape as that has moved to a full blown project now. It’s had some ups and a lot of downs, but with each down is another thing learned about it all. Ms. Frizzle always did say ‘make mistakes!’ and they have certainly taught me a bit about what the hoobers I am trying to accomplish with this!
The train’s first phase of the project should conclude in a week or so, mail deliveries withholding, and then it’ll be off to plan the remaining phases between everything else going on this year. It’s not as bonkers as the last couple of years with me trying to slow down on working on projects (sans the aforementioned and one other), which will be a nice change of pace.
More of the normal things with regards to Final Fantasy XIV, and still moving along slowly with both Horizon Zero Dawn and Sea of Stars; not much else right now beyond those three things. It will be nice to get back into the usual routine of things and hopefully slow down enough to relax like it used to be a while back.
Happy Monday y’all! Let’s kick some tail!
Happy New Year 2025!
Here we are, 2025! The year of 2024 has passed, and we’re now heading forwards into the new one.
Personally, it was a pretty good year – multiple unique weather scenarios aside (*glares meanly at Milton*). It’s still been an insane perpetuation of busy that doesn’t seem to want to end, but we made it through. I know folks have had a year of varying journeys, but tails were still kicked and have gotten through it as well.
I truly hope that everyone has a very amazing year ahead filled with all the best moments with the most wonderful journeys throughout. I realize it’s not always the smoothest paths while out there adventuring, but even the trials we have to climb over make us ever the more stronger afterwards. Every single one of y’all is strong, and will kick so much tail. Y’all got this, we got this, and we’ll show the year what we’re made of!
To a wonderful 2025, and beyond! Let it be ‘zee awesome’sies!’
Merry Christmas & Happy Starlight!
Merry Christmas & Happy Starlight Celebration y’all! Here’s to best wishes on a wonderfully Happy Holidays, and conclusion to 2024! From all of us to y’all, we really and truly hope it’s been a wonderful one!
Let the countdown to 2025 begin, as we keep kicking tails into the new year!
The Final Full Week
Hard to believe this is the full final week of the year! Past weekend was brisk, but went well. The model trains scape is finally back up and running with a few minor adjustments to be made, but for now it runs well thankfully.
Finished Doctor Who’s latest season, and caught up with Star Trek: Lower Decks as well, along with clearing out a few lingering RL items that were in dire need of being addressed. So now it’s just cruising to the holidays and seeing family with a nice dose of rest.
Not much else; Sea of Stars is moving along, as is the usual Final Fantasy XIV tasks for now. Patch 7.15 comes out tomorrow, which I feel is a smidgen early, but that’s alright. Looking forward to it, but will probably be over the weekend instead of during the week itself as this is to be expected to be a very arduous week ahead. This will impact posts unfortunately.
HQ itself is festive for the Starlight Celebration that started today, and always love to see the decorations for that up around the city-states as well. Apparently even Jeuno has some festiveness happening, and I suspect I know what that all entails – Aikirees and I will pay a visit there during the event and see for ourselves too.
That’s it for this one, y’all have a wonderful Monday and week ahead! Kick tails, and y’all got this!
Abrupt Interruption
I had some ideal concept planned for today, and I don’t think it’ll be ready for tomorrow either. I might squish in a Fashion Report adventure from last week for tomorrow, but due to primarily some RL mechanical interruptions (there’s the usual RL things too in there), will have to postpone a smidgen.
I still got a handful of longer story-styled posts to get up here eventually, but need a good amount of ‘quiet time’ to do so, and it’s just not really happened yet, but it will soon enough.
Y’all have a wonderful Thursday! Y’all got this!
All Through the House
Not a creature was stirring, not even a… Hrothgar?
… w-wait, that’s not how that’s supposed to go! W-well, I guess it’s better she decided to sleep under the tree rather than try to get into it. I.. really don’t want to find out exactly how sturdy that base is versus her. I know it’s capable of holding its own against Miqo’te as in prior years it has certainly attracted the HQ’s residents towards it, including a Cabbit who to this day doesn’t understand exactly why.
In the meantime, we all can enjoy it’s lovely warmly presence; whether it’s around, under, or.. as very close as possible to the Starlight Tree.
Under the Starry Night
During our gathering and crafting adventures over the weekend, Aikirees and I decided to sit down under the beautiful starry night in Lakeland. She got a nice warm fire going while I churned out some bolts of cloth we were needing to get some items all sewn up right.
I feel like some moons ago, I did something similar for her when it was heavily snowing out closer to home.