iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Breaking my social medial hiatus just to come gush about how *perfect* their facial expressions are, oh my god. These two catboys and Bramble are the crossover I needed tonight.

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🌙Moonbeam🌙 @7.5 @unassumingvenusaur.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

And here is Chapter 4. This is a bit shorter than the last chapter, some interstitial setup for the intended conclusion of Chapter 5. Sahri is successfully wrapping up all their loose ends except one, conspicuously Leih Aliapoh-shaped knot hanging overhead... archiveofourown.org/works/794592...

Shaking her head, Sahri does not look Lukah's way.

"It… It is only…"

Yet her ability to vocalize flees her, a specter of memory stealing away her tongue. Memories of her time with Leih and the sentiments they leave lingering in their wake.

Memories of a sunny day in the Shroud, sweat dripping down Sahri's brow and upon her grinning face. Of an afternoon for joint training turned hunting game, a rematch for their impromptu competition on the day they met. The glimmer of pride upon Leih's face when Sahri edges out a victory, a late afternoon meal shared while pressed closely together beneath the trunk of a tree. Laughter and delight shared in a conversation winding between fanciful and ribald and everything in between, cut short only by the rising of Menphina overhead. Then come the farewells, the touches and glances lingering between them far longer than ought those of friends…

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Ser Shotbuns, Lady Knight @shotbuns.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Doing more roleplay of late, some of that involves slow-walking or just existing in those ARR and Heavensward zones and enjoying the ambiance and it's genuinely magical. We've seen it for years so it's easy to be sorta desensitized, but this game is genuinely, truly beautiful.

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basch @captainbasch.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Alisaie Leveilleur | Scion of the Seventh Dawn ____________ The red twin! #ffxivart

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

As someone who is also large, curvy, and trans masc I would personally love to see it

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Ser Shotbuns, Lady Knight @shotbuns.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Hey followers! I’m putting out a call. I am currently working on putting together a primer on the discipline of Arcanima in FFXIV, a guide for lorehounds and roleplayers. I’m already using Mirke’s Menagerie and the Encyclopedia Eorzea to pull from. Does anyone have any other resources?

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LEON 💥 @howlingbite.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

being obsessed with your friends oc is the best ever. its like loving canon characters but you have a direct line to the author.

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

My first time there, when I stepped out of Reunion and first heard it playing I swear I just gaped and sat there until the song looped. I was so struck by it. Like, it made something in me *ache* - like a sudden homesickness for a place that doesn’t exist.

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

A close tie between Painted Skies and Drowning in the Horizon. Both pieces have such a sense of place that fit their environments extremely well and highlight both the vastness and grandeur of their respective locales and the lives of the people that call it home.

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surfaçage @surfacage.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

nice simulacrum bro

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Today, I learned that my partners had been conspiring together to get me an upgraded PC - something I have needed for a good while, but had to put off to pay for my hearing aids instead. I am verklempt. I feel lucky and so loved.

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Bina @binart.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

>:3 Bloody G'raha... BLOODY G'RAHA WOOOOO!!!

POV ur someone who just tried attacking the WoL and G'raha beat ur ass and now has his staff pointed at ur throat nyehehehe

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Aside from the obvious applications of healing magic for a good ol' "you're done when I say you're done," I like to think that somanoutics has the potential for some very targeted pain play.

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Jenn Odd @jentranslations.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

More and more I see people say "it's ONLY used for translation" when it comes to genAI in games. As if the act of writing into another language is not worth respecting. As if people in other countries (both gamers and workers) don't matter at all. Translation IS writing. Translation IS art.

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

I've been on a bit of a break, but I still can't believe it was less than six months ago that I started writing.

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

My first published fic from a few months back has reached an important milestone.

a screenshot from Ao3 that reads "Kudos: 69"

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

One of my favorite meme images, for reference.

A photo of a Walgreens sign that reads “GET YOUR SHONGLES SHIT TODAY”

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

I don’t know what’s going on but I had THREE cases of shingles at work today. Tell your eligible family members to get their shongles shit.

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Zin! @ GwF prep! @disesteem.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Gonna pipe up again that if you went to FanFest and want more of that gathering of community, or you couldn’t attend and feel FOMO about it, please consider attending GATEway FATE in October! gatewayfate.carrd.co

gatewayfate.carrd.co

GATEway FATE

An unofficial FFXIV meet-up, convention style event!

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Shisui Glam Enjoyer | Carbuncle Connsoisseur @st4rd1ver.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

The idea that the WoL is a god killing invasive species is funnier if you play as a Miqo'te or Hrothgar. Like yes, my cat roams outdoors and sometimes brings me dead Gods as a gift and likely fucked up the local ecosystem

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nate @psychra.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Alright friends and folks, as requested a thread on various "Norse" symbols (and other potential misrepresentations), with a focus on where they are from and if they were co-opted. First! The Valknut.

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nate @psychra.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

HEY FRIENDS! your local pagan here to add into this! Because fuck white supremacists and fuck Nazis! WATCH OUT FOR THESE THINGS!! I will transcribe the info in a thread below when I am at my PC but tl:dr; Fuck Odinists and Folkish! It's Allfather not some-father!!

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Low Country Matt @lowcountrymatt.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

This is from a panel on writing lyrics for game music. In an official Square Enix panel

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Orcspiration @orcspiration.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

DO HARM TO YOUR ENEMIES; TREAT YOURSELF WITH KINDNESS!

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Jack-O-Leanntern 🎃✨️ @nerdygirl89.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

🫶🏻 happy saturday nerds 🫶🏻

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B'alith Tia | 7.56 spoilers @inmyleylines.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Roll out the ship manifestos and dust off your "hear me out"s: Rarepair Week is back for its fourth year! As with previous years, you have a choice of two words for each day. Pick whichever one speaks to you more, or do both if you feel so moved! #XIVRarepairWeek #XIVRarepairWeek2026

$FFXIV Rarepair Week 2026 June 8 - June 14 Day 1: Forge / Temper Day 2: Decay / Bloom Day 3: Reflection / Refraction Day 4: Denial / Indulgence Day 5: Mentor / Sprout Day 6: Mirth / Reverence Day 7: Free day OR Choose an unused prompt from a previous day #XIVRarepairWeek #XIVRarepairWeek2026$

FAQ/Guidelines

What can I make?
Whatever your creativity desires, as long as it came from your amazing human mind! (Generative AI use can get fucked, though.)

What counts as a rarepair?
Your guess is as good as mine. Follow your heart, I'm not your dad.

OC/NPC? NPC/NPC?
Both. Both is good.

Polyships?
HECK YES. "Rarepair" is the common term, but you are absolutely not limited to monogamous couples. (Polyships are sort of rare by default in most fandoms, after all.)

NSFW?
Bring it on. Please be courteous and tag NSFW works as needed!

Lastly, and more importantly: DO NOT USE THE EVENT TAG TO HARRASS PEOPLE
Sometimes a ship is a rarepair because of its transgressive nature. If you see something you don’t like, block or mute as needed and move on.

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Boneji ☠️ @bearji.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Been thinking about the use of imagination in video games lately, or how I feel there are few and increasingly fewer games that ask the player to use their imagination to engage with them. This post Kazuya Niinou wrote to accompany Etrian Odyssey often comes to mind so I decided to remake it.

How to use your imagination

When your party stays at the Inn overnight,
what do they eat?

If you ever catch yourself wondering that then
you know you’ve formed an attachment to
your characters.

With Etrian Odyssey’s characters, you only give them a name and a portrait,
so no matter how you think of the character it’s technically just your imagination.
But even in that case, without your imagination, the character is nothing.

For example, a landsknecht who uses an axe might eat his meat with his bare
hands and no utensils, but one who wields a sword might prefer a knife and
fork at dinner. You might think differently, but... if you can imagine small
details like that, you might find that you enjoy this kind of RPG even more.

The essense is an RPG is using numbers to make calculated decisions, but if
you invest those “numbers” with your own feelings, you can spice up the game
little. Think about this:

In your party of five, three characters are dead. Two of them are alive, but they
only have a couple of HP left and no TP. They’re certain to die in their next
turn, giving you a game over. Number-wise, those characters are useless, but
how do you imagine they feel about that? What kind of people are those 2
characters who are about to die? Try to imagine things like that in the brief
time before your game ends.

Are they a landsknecht and a ronin, who’ll die facing the enemy and laughing?
Is it a protector, ordering the weak medic to run with his last breath?

The game over screen looks the same every time, but in your imagination, it
could play out very differently.

The game itself isn’t that big of a thing; what you imagine for yourself is much
more fun. We hope that the player uses this game as a tool, to create dramatic
and fun situations in your own minds.

—Kazuya Niinou

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toasted @imtoast.bsky.social · 22/10/2024

my favorite lizard pairing #ff14 #ffxiv

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

I need to re-listen to so many tracks now to find out what else I've been missing. My gast is flabbered.

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

I was wearing my new hearing aids last night under my headset when I arrived in Rak'tika on my Shadowbringers replay, and I don't think I had ever really noticed before what a richly layered track Civilizations is. I always liked it, but holy shit? It's not just lahee, y'all. I was missing so much.

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Am I making hyper-specific memes just for myself to cope with my feelings about getting my first pair of hearing aids tomorrow? Yes.

Kermit the frog as Bob Cratchet in the Muppet Christmas Carol singing One More Sleep 'til Christmas, except Christmas is covered up with he words "hearing aids"

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Ohh gods, I'm jealous. That looks delicious.

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mimi 🩵💛 @knightlyaffair.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

happy #transdayofvisibility 🏳️‍⚧️ my name is mimi and i'm a disabled gay trans male artist who loves my silly guys. i draw trans men in a 'nontraditional' manner because it gives me gender euphoria to be seen and desirable the way i am. 💖 my kofi if you'd like to send tips! ko-fi.com/heirakka

Digital art of my trans male ex-prince character kneeling and gently kissing the hand of his younger pre-transition princess self. Behind them is an ornate background frame with a sun setting behind the ex-prince's head.

Digital art of my prince and knight characters Mattias and Emil as children shy about being next to each other. Mattias has very long hair and is wearing a princess gown. He is pre transition.

Emil his knight is still taller and shyly looking at Mattias from the corner of his eye.

Art of a no-op trans man, Mat, and his cis male knight, Emil, standing shirtless embracing and staring into each other's eyes in a dark inn room. Emil looks a bit somber as he stares down and right through Mat because Mat has amnesia but would lay with Emil anyway. Mat doesn't remember their past relationship and Emil's sacrifice.

Portrait art of my trans male prince character Mattias facing his back to the viewer and looking over his shoulder with an elegant and calm expression. He has a unicorn horn and his hair is a lot longer than usual. He is wearing elegant shiny earrings and glitter under his eyes. Behind Mattias is the silhouette of a castle with a moon and stars pattern over it.

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

I don't have data on hand to back it up, but there seems to be a wave of acceptance not just for disability aids, but disabled identities in general that I feel I'm seeing amongst our age group and below. And I feel like examples like this and the mental shift that comes with them is a part of why!

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

I remember how stigmatized glasses still were when I got my first pair at seven, though, so maybe we'll see other disability aids more normalized in our lifetimes as well!

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Rain'li, Contrarian Chirurgeon @healstick.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

This is one of my favorite examples when I'm teaching accessibility as well, and I'm very much leaning on it as I'm getting fitted for hearing aids this week. They're much more heavily stigmatized in spite of being a very similar type of disability aid.

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Laika L. Gagarin @laikalgagarin.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

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B'alith Tia | 7.56 spoilers @inmyleylines.bsky.social · 18/01/2025

Florists in Gridania:

A tweet from @_sashayed:

florist informed my mom the chapel we're doing our tiny ceremony in is full of ghosts.. my mom was like "oh! ok! wil they...will they enjoy the wedding?" and the florist said confidently "oh, YES."

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[Derogatory] @pioyua.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

[been in the expac for practically 5 minutes] when does he go freakmode im sick of waiting

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Ama @ama-aarts.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

#marchofxiv Lyse 🧡

Sketch illustration of Lyse Hext, posing as if ready to fight. She looks at the viewer confidently, smiling.

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🌸Bibi🌸♿ @bibiblossoms.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

It costs 0$ to Repost a Black disabled queer small business! It could lead to my next sale. Here's new patterns for my carbon fiber foldable walking sticks!! Each pattern needs to sell at least 50 each to make them a reality!! Or else I'll have to refund them. Please support! Store: Bibipins.com

Moon Bunny, Froggy and Mushroom walking sticks.

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♰ Gabe ♰ [ ADOPT OPEN 👀] @ghastlygabo.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

🩸 Im a transmasc latino artist with a love of horror, and queerness that I explore in my work. 🖤🦇 As a fulltime starving artist, any and all support directly helps to keep a roof over my head and a pen in my hands. 🙏💞 →🩸 linktr.ee/Ghastlygabo → ☕ ko-fi.com/ghastlygabo →🔶 patreon.com/ghastlygabo

A collection of pieces made by me, the artist Gabe, depicting red scenes of grief, rage, sorrow, isolation and more.

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