「Life & Return to FFXIV」

← Back ・ 5/8/2026

Good afternoon people of the world wide web, I recently awoke from stasis and am now in a position to contact you! As always things have been rather uneventful lately this blog is a general life update and will not contain any substantial or necessarily interesting dialogue. A quick, "you thought I killed myself? Not yet!" confirmation. You have been warned.

Organized badges on a metal rack, secured with magnets

To no one's surprise one of the most detrimental things to my mental health is a disorganized space. I'm fond of clutter and while it aids my focus, adding one too many things on the ground or desk will throw me off balance and disturb my well-being. Consequently, I've been attempting to prioritize cleaning at least once a week...though in all likelihood I will neglect to do so and find myself irate once more. Organizing, however, is something I find riveting―the ability to touch the trinkets I've accumulated over the years and admire mine own possessions brings me great joy. Against my better judgment I recently purchased one of those large wheeled metal racks and have been using that for additional space. Figures which I'd previously displayed in my living room (less than ideal) now have a place, even if it looks a bit haphazard. There are dozens of plushies lined up on the wooden lining above my curtains so I've been considering relocating those as well out of fear of earthquakes knocking them down (side note: you cannot make fun of me for owning plushies or you'll be labeled as perpetuating gender stereotypes). It's now extremely cramped in my bedroom with my futon practically pressed up against the new shelf to the point where I doubt more than two people could fit in there comfortably.

My kotatsu was previously located in my living room but I moved it so I could have a place to sit. There are books I want to read, CD jewel cases to assemble and projects to manage that take up far too much space for my desk, where figures & acrylic stands are displayed. Impractical but cozy.

There was an unfortunate impulse purchase I made. Allow me to confess I tend to stay far away from any sort of auction sites because I have neither the heart nor money for them but on Mercari there was a listing that was impossible to ignore...a random assortment of flip phones the lister's parents had purchased a decade+ prior, starting at 10,000y.

Flip phones in the midst of receiving care

Well, it was truly stressful. I fear several years were shaved off my lifespan during the final hour or so of the auction, one other person attempting to beat me in 100y increments. Not only did my pride disallow my dropping out, a keen eye might notice there are several rare items in the pile, namely the Q-pot. collaboration phones.

docomo x Q-pot. SH-04B & SH-04C

Both models are limited edition and quantity with SH-04B having 13,000 models produced and SH-04C 30,000. There's been more eyes on dumbphones/flip phones with the increasing hatred of the modern internet and social media, not to mention "visual aesthetic accounts" on Twitter & Tumblr posting these particular phones ad nauseam. There's no set price because listings are relatively infrequent and vary heavily in condition but I've seen all of these go up to 60,000y/ea (on the high end). They're very cute so yes, I did feel compelled to spend a considerable amount of money to purchase them. For full transparency, I received a little over twenty phones for 50,000y. They're all in varying states of distress but the Q-pot. ones are not only in good physical condition but work as intended. I'll rip the assets at a later date as I've been too busy with other things to pick up a debugger. Sadly three of the phones were ruined by vinegar syndrome and rendered dead. Despite the box the seller packaged everything smelling like an old Japanese house, surprisingly, only one phone had an inflated battery and ~~needed~~ needs to be disposed of. A bit of Windex, 雷神, paper towels, toothpicks and q-tips proved sufficient enough tools to get everything cleaned.

ID, Ace & Naruru.

Other not-so-interesting occurrences include the organization of my arcade game cards. Do you know of Otoca D'or (オトカドール)? It EoS'd many years ago now but I remembered its existence and have been jamming to the soundtrack lately. It had really cute characters and an interesting plot so I lament its fate, though were it to release nowadays it'd be a shoddy B-rate gacha that dies after a year. Cabinets are disappearing as time marches on so I highly recommend at least checking out the official website and looking through what once was!!

But yes, prior to my landing of a good job I was an avid arcade-goer. The obvious games like Maimai, Chunithm and Ongeki aside, I was a diehard fan...of KanColle Arcade. It's a truly lamentable confession. My dearest friend and I would often hog the two cabinets and sit side by side, sharing the cards as there was no player lock and indulging far too emphatically in the helm steering mechanic. Is the game good? Hmm...no, I'd be reluctant to refer to it as such. It's extremely greedy (on par with FGO Arcade if I'm not misremembering) and the gameplay loop can be repetitive. The saving grace is that (You)r waifu is lovingly rendered in high-definition 3D with badass animations that surpass the original game in every way. No, I don't want to listen to imps laugh every time an attack misses―I want to see Murasame wink at me and shoot torpedoes. Anyways, I had a good amount of cards before retiring so I sorted everything according to class in a binder and tucked them away.

Like everyone else I also began playing the new Tomodachi Life. On one hand the abundance of customization options is a dream come true, on the other I wish they put more effort into everything else, like additional hair options or a color slider. Nevertheless I am enjoying myself even if the majority of the time it's too much of a hassle to whip out my tablet to create a new Mii.

Fun times between Erichthonios & Themis; a budding romance?!

Comment te dire Adieu...

There may or may not have been a few posts on a certain website that featured my island and therefore I possibly do not feel comfortable showing some of its inhabitants. I'd like to make more but as I said it's a hassle and I'm relatively content with the amount of residents for now, even if adding more visual novel characters seems enticing. Some of my friends have taken to the game as well! It's rare for me to have overlapping interests with most so I'm always eager to see everyone post or message about the various happenings...I've been struck by inspiration several times and doodled some of them. Yes, all-in-all it's a lovely experience. Let's enjoy ourselves.

Many a time have I told my friends to assume I've been lobotomized were I to return to FFXIV. One was seemingly performed without my knowledge as my subscription is active once more.

For the record, I don't think FFXIV is a terrible game―it's simply not without flaws & I've been notoriously eager to point them out. Still, after spending a considerable amount of money on the Dawntrail preorder only to leave the expansion highly disappointed, I'd figured my time on Hydaelyn had come to an end. This is hardly a tale unheard of...many people I know quit during or upon completing Dawntrail and those who stayed were very vocal about their dissatisfaction.

The changes detailed in the most recent FanFes rekindled some of my hope for the game, also like many others. Much-needed changes to the combat system and a ramping plot brought me back, not to mention some of my friends experiencing the story for the first time! As much trash as I talk, witnessing other people go through everything is extremely satisfying. I missed my Warrior of Light and am happy to see him once more.

The lighting in this area was terrible.

My friend group has put a temporary pause on daily VC rituals and will resume at a later time, leaving me with the opportunity to fully invest myself in Eorzea. Being gone for over a year, there's a lot to catch up on, no doubt worsened by my apathy prior to quitting which led me to forego interacting with new content. I recently completed the Sahagin Society Quests and began Ixali with the latter being the most tedious and generally unpleasant due to the length. I collect minions so I do all Society Quests, with ARR Intersocietal Quests unlocking five or so additional minions. A hassle for sure but to me it's worth it.

Since my return I've managed to get DRG, RDM, VPR, MCH, BRD, BTN and BSM to Lv100. RDM was genuinely one of the most unpleasant experiences I've ever had leveling in this game...the VFX for most of your skills aren't interesting and the burst window isn't satisfying at all. If you held a gun to my head and told me to play another minute of the job I'd rush to rip it from your hands and pull the trigger myself. I finally caught up on Dawntrail's patch MSQ as well as the Arcadion and FFXI raids. As of writing, last night I completed my first Anima Weapon and am working on Zodiac & Resistance next with the long-term goal of obtaining all SCH relic weapons. Am I having fun? I think so.

That is everything I have to say.

Being overwhelmed has severely impaired my health and I am admittedly a bit slow to get anything done despite yearning desperately to accomplish anything productive. Thank you to my dear friends for always supporting me & to those who have remained patient while I neglect to send your packages...truly, kindness does mean much. I would also like to thank the people who left messages on my guestbook.

I will see you again soon. Stay well.