iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

anyway i've had my cu sith for one hour and if anything happened to this baby i would sunder everyone on this star and then myself

A screencap of Summer, a redheaded Miqo'te, wearing the Beastmaster level 50 artifact gear and seated on the Cu Sith mount.

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

this is what it looks like to be the happiest and most unkillable DPS on earth, or at least in the Occult Crescent

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

WE PUT LEYLINES IN YOUR LEYLINES SO YOU CAN LEYLINE WHILE YOU LEYLINE #BLMThirdWalk

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

THREE TANKS. THREE HEALERS. EIGHTEEN BLACK MAGES. FINAL DESTINATION. #BLMThirdWalk

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

FORTUNATELY THE ADVENTURE INTO THE BASEMENT WAS NOT IN VAIN

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

@bloodwhet.bsky.social asked me for a fic in which the Vault goes a little differently, and I am as ever happy to oblige. (Technically featuring Summer as the WOL, but any black mage Miqo'te will do without much difficulty!)

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

More ends Utopia by saying "look, I don't necessarily agree that Utopia is perfect (obviously, the caveat of Utopia is the implicit bit about "oh yeah people just act like this and there are no problems") but those sure are some ideas worth considering, huh?"

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

With regard to the bit about returning to the star and Hyth's expressed take on how to process society's treatment of it, that also comes pretty textually out of a piece of Utopia - which interestingly also touches on the bit about Hermes's reservations about it!

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

But anyway, back on the subject of the disabled - this piece actually falls under the header of "Their Laws And Punishments", meaning it is codified in Utopian societal law that you don't talk shit about people differently abled than you and that's seen as a negative reflection on YOU if you do.

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

This is also notable with reference to Hermes - involuntary death, or death without the approval of the societal body, is actually DIShonorable and Fandaniel's whole little "uwu I want everyone to die forever" is societally reprehensible and would get him thrown into a ditch.

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

They also don't categorically euthanize individuals with untreatable afflictions - on the contrary, they actively work to make them comfortable. However, they DO ask said individuals to weigh living in misery (and being denied the pleasures of life) against an assisted death, and give counseling.

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

For one thing, not only do they have hospitals, but supplies for the treatment of the sick are taken first from the common fund of supplies (they do a thing where all the resources are heaped in the middle of town and everybody just goes and takes what they need) - the sick get tended first!

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

The use of the phrase "a mind already corrupted by cruelty" is interesting because it goes to the idea of what Utopians would perceive as a fundamental defect in the lykaon's concept design. For the lykaon to be violent for the pleasure of violence is a pitiable state for both its prey AND itself!

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

According to Utopia, what Hermes was societally supposed to do in Elpis was to go to a priest or a "grave man" (used generally in context as an elder) and talk to them about his opinions in the hopes that his "passions" could be addressed through reason (and thus he would be happy again).

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

With regard to Elpis, I found this part interesting - the 1st dictate of Reason is, essentially, fidelity to the star. The 2nd dictate is to try to be happy and keep your mind "free of passion" to help try to produce happiness for the collective. In other words, Hermes' depression is "irrational"!

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Sometimes it's a "sit down and read all 138 pages of Thomas More's Utopia to better think about the portrayal of Amaurotine society in critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, the free trial of which now includes the award-winning Shadowbringers expansion" kind of night. Reflections within! 🧵

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

i swear everytime "thancred in shadowbringers" discourse starts floating around i always get tempted to post something like this so this time i'm just gonna do it.

PAUSE FOR CRITICAL THINKING:

1) In what portion of the narrative does this moment occur? Why might
it be located here and not somewhere else?

2) Why might the writer be creating a parallel between Thancred and
Ran'jit? Does it serve to inform a divergence that happens later?

3) Does this sound like something Thancred would say at the end of
Shadowbringers? Why might his opinion have changed?

4) Is Thancred a flat character or a round character? How might this
interaction support one over the other?

5) Why might it be important to show Thancred struggling to accept
loss? To show him eventually embracing the present?

6) How does Thancred's story tie into the theme of Shadowbringers? Does Thancred succeed where other characters may have failed?

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

wake up babe, new ritual just dropped: spit rhymes like shantotto in alliance chat throughout windurst, roll a 97 on her emote

Summer, a redheaded Miqo'te, does Shantotto's cackle emote.

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

This all comes to a head at Ghimlyt Dark (again, she's not able to separate Elidibus's actions from Zenos's face) when the Exarch's call leaves her paralyzed and disoriented with her imminent death at his hands the last thing she perceives before blacking out. This shit? Haunts her nightmares.

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

god it's been so long since there was ALLAGAN BULLSHIT in my life. no more of this SOLUTION NINE BULLSHIT, i open my arms to once again embrace the forever GOAT that is ALLAGAN BULLSHIT

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

The keystone aspect of their education revolved around the Ananta concept that the things that you make must embody beauty in some fashion, which is not just "make thing pretty" but more like this except about smithing:

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

and an obligatory thancred version, because i know what i'm about

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

making my triumphant return to bluesky with a g'raha tia shitpost

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

I realize this is just me being frustrated and annoyed but I'm honestly so fucking tired of Dawntrail and its "git gud casuals" mentality when I have literally never failed a lockout of the final boss of a variant dungeon before, yet apparently this too is now going to be content Not For Me anymore!

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

bringing this back in anticipation of the new #ffxiv variant dungeon tomorrow. WHERE WILL Y'SHTOLA'S SISTER FALL.

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Bonus Round: selfies forwarded to both Marcel and Thancred, the former to establish how much cake Summer will be getting from him this Valentione's Day, and the latter so that Marcel will remember the Ul'dahn Rolanberry Incident and threaten to stab him with a fork until he also makes Summer a cake.

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

POV: You are Koana and your dork-ass boyfriend is trying to send you signals about how he wants to spend Valentione's Day with you. (You are perplexed and mildly concerned by his apparent newfound fascination with fruit.)

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Summer is trying real hard to get into Archon school and neither of the cats in her life is helping.

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Surprisingly similar personalities, yet vast differences in method of presentation.

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

mods are asleep post summer doing an akira slide on grani who is itself doing an akira slide on a motorcycle (thank you @bloodwhet.etheirys.social)

In the midst of an apocalyptic backdrop, a redheaded catgirl (Summer) is mounted on the back of a large horselike demonic construct (Grani) who is itself mounted on a Garlean motorcycle, appearing to slide away from the camera at a perpendicular angle in the iconic "Akira slide" configuration.

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Niko if his tempered obsession was CUL instead of BSM

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

or perhaps you were merely being observant of the fact that Kissing Is Gross

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

it's always a good day to repost my favorite handcrafted artisanal Thancred meme

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

america: the marcels of milk we are very strong

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Not strictly speaking a "defeated foe", but certainly a confrontation with an antagonist - from a fic I wrote (full excerpt below) where Summer went back to observe tribal custom and pay respects to her dying father, the former nunh: "Father, see what I killed - your daughter."

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

truly the most rewarding thing in the world when a homie understands your blorbos so well that they can be hilariously accurate about them in impeccable ways also, some AU notes presented without context:

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

I did not expect the Namazu quests to be profound but holy damn.

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Doing the beast tribe quests in reverse order has unintentionally produced the extremely funny outcome where I, a level 100 black mage, am getting razzled by a chuuni catgirl about being an inadequate hunter. Meanwhile I just imagine the Brotherhood of Ash all standing there cringing mildly like

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

And a happy Starlight to you, @ishgardofficial.bsky.social! Thank you for your unfailing commitment to keeping us all apprised of the breaking news of Ishgard this past year, and here's to many more to come!

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

soken right now hearing that tom morello likes the primals like

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

ooooo naughty naughty white mage wanna fuck me so bad it makes you stupid

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

sometimes i don't write anything for several weeks and then wake up one morning and bust out a narrative dissociative episode featuring two centenarians having nasty tragic UST before finally fucking about it and then, like, killing each other god i love emet/exarch and all its wild potential

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alex playing FFXIV @voidgates.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

(sia voice) I'MMMMMM GONNA SWIIIIIIIIIING FROM THE CHANDELIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER FROM THE CHANDELIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRR

Summer, a redheaded catgirl, stands atop the chandelier mount earned for achieving eight completions of Pilgrim's Traverse floor 100. Her surroundings are Il Mheg as sunset approaches.

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