Aetherflow - Quarantine Issue

THE QUARANTINE ISSUE

TABLE OF CONTENTS 10

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Massive Giveaway!

Hydaelyn’s Hearth

We are so excited to announce a new and exciting giveaway for both NA and EU residents!

42 InterviewGoldenTot

GoldenTot gives us some tips on content creation, his thoughts on the community and his ideal date!

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We take a tour of the top 3 homes from our housing contest! Get ready for some serious inspo.

50 Fashion Focus

We talk a bit of K-pop fantasy fashion with Ni’ko Shae of Cactuar.

74 Hot Takes

Our resident crafter, Qih, talks some crafting hot takes.

Caution: these may be controversial and a bit spicy.

84 Coloring Pages

Fill your quarantine time with some incredible coloring pages, outlined by hand by our very talented Lead Designers Lolae!

86 Word Search

After you’re done with some right brain coloring activities, exersise your left brain with some word searches!

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Aetherflow Summer 2020 The Quarantine Issue

Dear r

We are

you, ou person

who are

This iss find ou

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Letter from the editors |

AETHERFLOW

stress a

focus o

Not pub

could a

filled to

our Dis even if

Be kind

With lov

AFM Ed

Serena

readers,

e living in inconceivable times, and our thoughts are not only with

ur readers, and the entire FFXIV community - who face unparalleled al and professional challenges - but also with people across the world

e suffering and affected in so many ways.

sue is a little more compact, that much is true. Due to the situation we rselves in right now, we decided it might be best to reduce as much

as possible for our staff members. In other words, they were free to

on more important things and stay safe until this madness blows over.

blishing an issue did cross our minds, but we soon realized that we

actually do something meaningful and impactful. By releasing an issue

o the brim with interactive content, partially submitted by members of

scord, we’d be able to take your mind of what’s happening right now, just for a few minutes.

d to and take care of yourself and others, and most of all, stay safe.

ve,

ditorial Team

a, Arya, Lolae, Vederah & Nana

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THANK YOU From the depths of our hearts, we would like to share our deepest appreciation

to each and every one of our Patrons. Without your generosity, the goals in

which we have achieved thus far would still be mere dreams. Every dollar counts when it comes to making ideas into realities and with your help we were able to give our project a complete makeover! Your donations allowed for the purchase of a more appealing website template, more efficient and user friendly plug-ins, and a rebranding that made our site better than ever!

Because of you we are able to not only embrace our passions, but share them with those who share the same sentiment. Your assistance has made our dreams and goals come to life on the very screen you’re looking at. We would be nothing without the help of our dear supporters, so that is why we have decided to give our Patreon a well deserved upgrade.

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K PAYPAL

PATREON

SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT TO OUR PATRONS Miu Asakura Arya Serena Elisa Shagaru Catalis Fishy Miri Zafflesia

Sykes Mikh’to Patricia Kelly Shyntyrr Zero Soll’a Tag

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Mini Aetheryte

Aetheryte Ticket

Grand Company Aetheryte T

$ 1-4

$ 5-9

$ 10-19

A personalized Thank You card signed by

Next to that fancy support page is going

We don’t produce everyt

the staff, plus the unedited version to use as

to be a Patron-only lucky draw you will be

first time. With this tier y

a high-quality wallpaper! You’re also going

automatically entered into for reaching this

the development of a full

in the magazine under our fancy supporters

tier. You can also have a say in the Patreon-

before the issue is released

page so you can show your Free Company

only area of our Discord. Give feedback on

access to the suggestions

how great you are!

content and vote in polls! You’ll also get the

the Patreon-only Discord!

preceding rewards!

preceding rewards are inclu

Priority Aetheryte Pass

Aetheryte

Crystal Tower

$ 20-49

$ 50-99

$ 100+

If you can’t wait for our release date, don’t

We’ve given you something to use, something

We’ll get you a physical copy

worry. Here we’ll give you the full magazine

to participate in, something before anyone

It’s that simple. If we meet

early. That’s pretty good. What’s better is you’ll

else and now…? We’re giving you something to

you’re holding it, we’ll offer t

get to be one of the first to see the screenshot

hug. You’re going to get a mystery gift mailed

meet you in person you’re a

of your character in the magazine! After that,

straight to your door. Right now, it’s the US-

firm handshake and a hug

if we need someone in our pictures for social

only sort of surprise, but things do change!

We’ll also ask you how your

media, there’s a chance you’ll be called upon!

Yes, you will also be the proud recipient of all

you’ll probably end up on o

Naturally, the previous rewards are yours too!

preceding rewards!

Along with the mystery gift

tier if you remembered to br

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Ticket

thing perfect the

you’ll get to see article, in stages,

d. You’ll also have

s and ideas within

! Once again, all

uded!

y of the magazine.

We get support from you, but what do you get in return from us?

SPECIAL SHOUT-OUT TO OUR PATRONS

you in person and

to sign it, too! If we

also going to get a for your support!

r day is going, and

our social medias! from the previous

ring it with you!

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IT'S TIME FOR A MASSIVE GIVEAWAY The world is going crazy, that much is certain.

Let us distract you from all this madness for a bit with a massive giveaway! Our EU readers get the chance to win adorable plushies, while our NA readers are able to become the proud owners of a mug or poster, featuring gorgeous artwork by Elisa Swann.

Entering this giveaway is simple as can be: click the blue button below, which will forward you to our contests page. Select the prize(s) you'd like to win and follow further instructions. Keep in mind that you'll be asked for contact information like your name, email address and mailing address. We need this information to send out these prizes.

Good luck!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER 10

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Try your luck and win one of lovable plushies. Every single one of them is looking for a new home. Think you can help them out? The Wayward Hatchling plushie even comes with an bonus item code, which allows you to unlock a "Hatchling Lamp" in-game item!

(EU residents only)

These beautiful mugs and 16" x 20" poster feature artwork by the amazingly talented Elisa Swann, and could be yours soon! Adding a little FFXIV to your daily life never hurts, does it?

Make sure to check out Elisa's social media on our contest page.

(NA residents only)

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TEXT BY FAE MORRIGAN | PHOTOS BY LAELE N

Welcome back to our newest a Hearth. Previously, we announce happily partnered with the Midg Center (MCC) and featured the hotspots for our Spring 2020 Issue may be new to Aetherflow Medi the latest edition, MCC is a created by housing enthusiasts - fo They welcome everyone to join their beautiful website if you’re lo housing horizons or simply adm

As we shift from springtime into the we find ourselves amidst another ho

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NORA AND LEVY BLOSSOM | LAYOUT BY ESE'AL BALDESION

addition of Hydaelyn’s ed that we were now gardsormr Community eir top three housing e. For those of you who ia or perhaps missed wonderful community or housing enthusiasts! their Discord through ooking to expand your mire others' handiwork!

There really aren’t many things better than welcoming the new season in besides seeing the flourishing creativity of others. The members of MCC were able to visit various locations on different servers and data centers before placing their votes for the next three housing kings and queens to ascend to the throne! If you’re unable to travel between data centers, create alt characters, or simply have a tight schedule, MCC does offer a regular “touring stream” that you can easily visit and tag along in spirit! No hassle and no need to ask the Allagans for an extra clone or two!

warm summer months, ousing tour.

Now, without further ado, let us go see what our three top-picks brought to the table!

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Our first place winner is owned by Ryu Uppercut and designed by the talented Daiyu Elani. Instead of Eternal Light, they have made their house emulate Eternal Night. Located in Shirogane, Ward 4, Plot 28 on the Midgardsormr server, their medium has been transformed into a gorgeous late-evening abode with plenty of seating for guests to have a drink or to just sprawl out with a good book.

Making good use of blue hues and dim yellows to offer some balance and highlights, ‘hidden’ lights to set the calming mood, and even coveted Aetherpool weapons to help with minute lighting and exquisite detail, they

have truly captured the aesthetic th for! By turning the lights down, Upp certainly took this theme up a no would love to find myself here with and a good novel!

When asked about their personal Uppercut responded with the indoo I highly agree is a great piece tha elegant. If you ever venture to this please feel free to leave a message congratulations to Ryu and Daiyu.

hey were going percut and Elani otch! I certainly a glass of wine

favorite piece, or patio - which at is simple, yet s establishment, and give proper

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Owner: Ryu Uppercut Designer: Daiyu Elani Size: Medium Location: Midgardsormr, Shirogane, Ward 4, Plot 28 Nearest Aetheryte: Northwestern Shirogane Specific Feature: The patio inside Inspiration/Information: I wanted it to feel like calm and night. But not dark. Midori and Rhaps help give my fat door a diet Specific Items: So many items

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Our second place winner of the summer housing tour goes to Esper Ouji who both owns and designed their own medium. Pink is certainly the new black when you step onto their property-- which is as light and airy as strawberries and whipped cream!

Ouji’s home is located on Siren, The Goblet, Ward 15, Plot 55 in a decadent medium receiving plenty of sunshine and they seem to have a very talented green thumb with all the planters and trees lining their walkway and that’s merely the outside! Upon entering their home, you’ll be immersed in gentle pinks and offwhites as you wander about their residence. Moogles, stuffed animals, and more flowers-- oh my! They have committed to the cutesy-theme and I can’t help but find myself enchanted.

There are certainly plenty of seating areas and tables for guests to sit down for a cup of tea before going to the common room for a movie on the big screen. When asked what part of their own home is their favorite hideaway, Ouji will point you upstairs to their private quarters. If you meander upstairs, you’ll find a winsome bedroom with its own walk-in closet spaces fit for royalty.

Make sure to go to this establishment if you’re in need of being enchanted and entranced-- but don’t forget to leave a compliment before you head back out on your adventures.

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Owner: Esper Ouji Designer: Esper Ouji Size: Medium Location: Siren, The Goblet, Ward 15, Plot 55 Nearest Aetheryte: Goblet South Subdivision Specific Feature: Inside/upstairs and bedroom

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Our third place winner was designed and owned by another from Siren by the name of Gig Faron. Their large plot is complemented by several fountains, ponds, and not-so-subtle Namazu-themes-- yes yes! One can certainly make a game of “find the Namazu” in this house if you’re wanting to make it a more interactable experience.

Located at the Lavender Beds, Ward 20, Plot 6, Faron has made sure their residence both in and outside is a suitable habitat for their Namazu pals-- many fountains and lush hedges will prevent any of their fishy friends from having dry skin. (Scales? They look kinda rubbery to me.) Upon making your way through the front door, you will be able to stay cool in the deep blue hues and rich, earthy tones dancing in tandem before your eyes.

Their house feels incredibly welcoming with a large modern kitchen and living room. Did anyone bring the popcorn? I’m ready to kick back and watch Finding Nemo-zu!

When inquired about what their favorite piece of their household is, Faron told us that their indoor water fountain is their pride and joy-- and certainly for good reason! This modern-styled house is a big catch, so please make sure to stop in and pay Faron a compliment in their message book!

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Owner: Gig Farron Designer: Gig Farron Size: Large Location: Siren, The Lavender Beds, Ward 20, Plot 6 Nearest Aetheryte: Lavender East Specific Feature: The water fountain Inspiration/Information: Namazu Specific Items: The Oasis mounted fountain

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INTERVIEW: GOLDEN TOT The Final Fantasy XIV community is filled with many different people from all sorts of backgrounds. Whether it comes down to streamers, youtubers, artists, or etc.

All of the likes are a great addition to our sociable dive into the game. I recently had a sit down with Tate or GoldenTot about his experience and beginnings as a FFXIV content creator. We talked about things such as his opinions on the content creation community, his experience interviewing Yoshi-P at the 2019 Media Tour and got some general advice for those that want to get into streaming FFXIV themselves.

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I know that we are a bit acquainted with each other already, but how about for the people that might not know you? Could you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Hey! My name is Tate or GoldenTot. I’m a streamer with a heavy focus on MMOs, primarily Final Fantasy XIV! I also make a lot of YouTube videos consisting of highlights and just silly shenanigans me and my buddies get up to. That’s kind of all I do, even outside of being live on Twitch so I’m afraid to say I’m a fairly boring guy otherwise!

I wouldn’t say so! A lot of people seem to enjoy the shenanigans you find yourself in! You have quite the background in content creation, how did you start? Was there any compelling factor for you?

I started creating content around 15 years ago in a game called MapleStory. My very first video was just screenshots put together in Windows Movie Maker and I had never been more proud of myself.

Honestly I’d say the most compelling thing for me was seeing other people creating content and wanting to be like them. I saw others at the time, who were making a name for themselves in this game I loved, and I wanted to do the same! Luckily I ended up with a passion for editing and creating, so that drove me pretty far as well.

Now for the people that follow you- some may not know that you used to have a background in animation, when and how did the switch from animating to video creation start?

Well, I animated for a solid few years, but eventually as a lot of people know, on a platform like YouTube, short silly animations became unsustainable and I wanted to make a career out of creating content. It was at this point I began to record and edit games I played, namely games that were immensely popular at the time like Minecraft and Left 4 Dead 2, loving the highlight style of videos that I stick with today. I still animate from 44

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time to time, whether it be for a sprite animation collaboration with some buddies, or just a new alert for my stream.

That is quite the transition! With that being said, at some point in your career you decided that streaming was what you wanted to do, how did that come about?

Well, it didn’t start out as a career that’s for sure. I started back before Twitch was even a thing and the only options for streaming were Livestream and Justin.tv. I streamed a ton of fun stuff with a buddy or two over on Livestream not even thinking about career opportunities until Twitch started blowing up and introduced their partnership program.

I’ve been a partner now for about 5 years, but I’ve been streaming and creating content, with almost no income, for much much longer than that. Whether or not it became a career, I’d still probably be doing it as much as I can, as it’s just something I love.

How about your day to day? What is your process?

Without giving up too much of your own secrets, how do you go about making your videos?

Outside of raiding, what do you like to do on Final Fantasy XIV? Is there much else for Tate to do when raids are not going on?

Well, there’s no secrets. I just play games, have a good time, then highlight the most interesting moments. Generally my editing process is to look for audio peaks in the footage, because I know that’s when something happened that caused someone to get loud so generally it’ll be laughter and funny stuff, so my process is pretty easy for the highlight videos. It’s a little harder for stuff like prog highlights since it’s all generally quiet chatter, that’ll just be a lot of skimming through stuff.

These days, not much. Shadowbringers feels a little shallow on side content right now. Luckily for me that’s fine since I’ve been playing so many other games as well. I’m not too big on crafting or anything like that, so back in Stormblood you could find me in Eureka quite a bit! Really looking forward to what content we may get in the future though, looking for something to be able to grind out.

You seem to always get good stuff in for those highlights though! While you do stream and play other games occasionally, people consider Final Fantasy XIV to be your “main” game, where were your humble beginnings?

I grew up on free to play games and the first MMO I really got into was MapleStory. It’s where I also started creating content, getting into sprite animations and meme videos (think YTMND style, or AMV Hell style for the boomers out there). I played the game for a solid... 7 years, and still kept up with it for another 4 or so. Now I just go back and check it out once a year or so, if that. But yeah, without MapleStory I doubt I would have had the spark to start creating content to put me where I am today!

A lot of people are putting out content now for FFXIV, how do you feel about the content creation community? What inspired you for FFXIV videos?

I live for it! Without other content creators I wouldn’t have gotten into it myself. I was inspired

by Denmo Mcstronghuge to make silly skit videos, and VeryMerri to start streaming the game more.

I don’t keep up with the content the community creates nearly as much as I’d like to right now (getting to know more streamers, seeing videos, etc) but content creation is always something that helps a game blow up and keep people interested, so without it I’m sure none of us would be having as good of a time as we are now.

Through and through, you can be considered a raider, what draws you in about the endgame content for FFXIV? It’s just so well designed. Every fight is this huge puzzle that you and 7 other people come together to solve one mechanic at a time, and it’s insanely satisfying. While I’ve become a little inactive outside of raiding, I will always remain subbed to the game specifically for the new raid launches. It’s the most fun activity in the game for me, and continues to sell me on the entire game itself.

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Some would consider you to be one of the bigger names for FFXIV Content Creators how do you feel about that?

Oh it’s great! When you create content, no matter what you’re doing it for, it always feels awesome when a lot of people see it and enjoy it. It feels great to get recognized in game, or have people tell me they love the stuff I put out. There’s obviously a downside with that kind of popularity though, there’s always edgy people out there who will just be rude to be rude, but that’s easily outweighed by how nice others are.

Do you have any advice for people that want to stream Final Fantasy XIV as their main game?

Final Fantasy XIV is a weird game where I feel like anyone can blow up within the community by streaming it. All it takes is consistency, and a good attitude. The community is one of the most supportive I’ve ever been a part of.

My suggestions won’t be too different than what would help for streaming in general, but consistency is key. It’s a grind if your goal is to actually climb in numbers, but if it’s just to have fun with a tight knit community, you’ll have a great time in FFXIV for that too. There’s a lot of bad light on the community on some social media, but I’ve never had a bad experience with the Twitch side of things.

Moving forward with the community, a while back you were invited by Square Enix to attend the 2019 Media Tour for Final Fantasy XIV. How was the experience and what was it like for you to interview Yoshi-P? It was a dream come true. I started getting deep into streaming FFXIV back when the Stormblood media tour was happening, and I remember making it a goal for myself to get big enough to get invited to the next one, if another was to happen. Hitting that goal was incredible for me.

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to hang out with a ton of friends I’d made through the community! Interviewing Yoshi-P was actually insane. He was just chilling on this big fancy couch while we sat acrossed [sic] from him. He was extremely kind, and did his absolute best to very intricately answer all of our questions. I was lucky enough to interview him alongside my friend Frosty, and I feel together we had a really great interview. It was definitely nerve wracking though!

The dude is like a god to some of us, hahaha!

"

The FFXIV community is one of the most supportive I’ve ever been a part of.

That sounds like quite the experience! If given the chance to do so again, do you already have in mind what to do for your next interview?

I do. At the last FanFest we had the opportunity for a media group interview, which was with a group of journalists as well as a few creators, and hopefully that happens again. What I want to bring up to him at that time is the request to split up the release of story/normal mode raids, and savage raids. At the beginning of the expansion, savage raids were delayed by 2 weeks so we could all level up, enjoy the story, and not feel pressured right away.

I wish they’d do that for subsequent raid releases, as this time around I really wanted to enjoy the new story content and side content, but being a hardcore raider I skipped everything and sank the next 4 days into raids. During this time I was spoiled on a few key story moments and it was extremely frustrating. I shouldn’t have to avoid doing one portion of the game in favor of the other when it would only help the game by delaying savage raids by even a single week.

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Being a raider myself I understand your sentiments. It worked very well when they split it up before. Now, we have FanFest 2020 right around the corner for this year, do you have any plans for making it out to the event and if so, what are you looking forward to the most?

I do plan to go, but as things currently are in the world... I’m really hoping everything passes by then, is all. Assuming everything is okay by then I’ll definitely be there. The event is great, but the best part about FanFest is meeting everyone.

Friends, viewers, and everyone in the community.

It was my highlight of the last FanFest!

It certainly seems as if FanFest is a great event not just for people who enjoy and play the game but for its content creators as well! I think that just about wraps up our time together. Do you have any closing remarks for our readers? Also, what would you consider to be your ideal date?

Nope! I appreciate you reaching out and having me on for the interview, it’s always fun. As far as my ideal date goes, we can duo in any game of your choice. I’ll get mad as we lose, you’ll uncomfortably try to console me until we stop playing due to me rage quitting, but it’ll be okay because afterwards we can fall asleep on voice cha- wait, did you mean a realHah! Just pulling your strings Tate, mostly.

Thanks for your time, I certainly appreciate hearing more about you! For anyone wondering, where can our readers find more of your content?

Thank you as well! You can find me on YouTube and Twitch as GoldenTot, and Golden.Tot on Instagram. Looking forward to seeing you guys there and thank you for your time!

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FASHION

FOCUS Eorzea’s most stylish individuals brought into focus.

Interview, photos and layout by Lolae Demort

Ni'ko Shae - Cactuar

How would you describe your personal style?

Sporty, modern, boyish, the quintessential youthful JRPG protagonist; delightful culmination of cool and cute. A bit of K-pop fantasy sprinkled with raver boy chill. As a host of Eorzea’s Neo Talent Management screenshot competitions I see a lot of different styles, but I strive for uniqueness that matches my personality. Plus, I've got an entire storeroom filled with metallic purple dye that must be used, no questions asked.

What do want your current style to say on your behalf?

That I'm a fun person who doesn't take themselves too seriously. That I'm loud a loud person, wild, and silly, but with a fashion sense that shows I'm approachable. That I'm comfortable in my own skin, and proud to be unmistakably gay. I used to be afraid to truly be myself online as gaming has always been my safe space.

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But I've since allowed myself to shine through my character, open up, show off my sense of style, and in turn accept myself wholly. People have come to recognize me for my metallic purple looks and compliment me, encourage me, and let me know that I was wonderful just the way I am.

I suppose in the end my current style says that I am happy.

Do you have a fashion pet-peeve?

Not particularly, but I do get a little bored of seeing the same niche pieces used so frequently. When scanning a crowd I'm going to gravitate to the people that look unique, not yet another Viera wearing No.2 Type B Leggings.

If you could name or label your personal style in (max) 3 words, what would it be called?

Kawaii AF Gaymer

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WEAPON: Edengrace Tathlums (Metallic Purple) HEAD: Ribbon (Metallic Purple) BODY: Atrociraptorskin Corselet of Aiming (Metallic Purple) HANDS: Boarskin Ringbands of Storms (Metallic Purple) LEGS: Nezha Lord's Slops (Metallic Purple) FEET: Nezha Lord's Boots (Metallic Purple) EARRINGS: Platinum Earrings of Aiming NECKLACE: Empyrean Necklace BRACELETS: Asuran Bracelets of Aiming LEFT RING: Vortex Ring of Slaying RIGHT RING: Judgment Ring of Slaying 57

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WEAPON: Paikea Eureka (Metallic Purple) HEAD: Replica Allagan Circlet of Casting (Metallic Purple) BODY: Makai Priest's Doublet Robe (Metallic Purple) HANDS: Republican Signifier's Fingerless Gloves (Metallic Purple) LEGS: Bloodhempen Culottes of Casting (Metallic Purple) FEET: Late Allagan Boots of Casting (Metallic Purple) EARRINGS: Platinum Earrings of Aiming LEFT RING: Vortex Ring of Slaying RIGHT RING: Judgment Ring of Slaying 64

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WEAPON: Sharpened Spurs of the Thorn Prince (Metallic Purple) HEAD: Scion Rogue's Bandana BODY: Gazelleskin Corselet of Scouting (Metallic Purple) HANDS: Pagos Field Dressing (Metallic Purple) LEGS: Ravel Keeper's Slops of Scouting (Metallic Purple) FEET: Exclusive Eastern Journey Shoes (Metallic Purple) EARRINGS: Platinum Earrings of Aiming LEFT RING: Vortex Ring of Slaying RIGHT RING: Judgment Ring of Slaying

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HOT A T KES Hi there, Qih here! Everyone has opinions, and sometimes they can be quite controversial in nature.

I have strong opinions about crafting as it’s the thing I find most engaging about the game we all know and love. I want to preface this article by saying that these opinions are mine, should be taken with a grain of salt, and if you disagree, that’s fine! I’m not out to make anyone upset with my thoughts on crafting, just wanting to give some insight as to why I think the way I do. With crafting taking multiple steps in the right direction in recent patches, I feel like there are good and bad changes that we have seen thus far.

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HOT TAKE #1

"

Leveling was clunky and needed to be more streamlined.

Now I don’t think this article will be ALL hot takes, mind you, but more of a stream of consciousness for my own feelings. I started crafting way back in 2.x but never got farther than a few dozen levels in a couple of crafters before I lost interest in the game (Read: My friends stopped playing), and I hung up my tools for a while. I came back to the game when Heavensward launched, and I found my love for crafting again and set out to dive back into the bottomless pit.

When I landed, I found that leveling was clunky, at best. The Ixali beast tribe were not good to new crafters as the debuffs they gave on their crafts were (at least to me at the time) not well explained and could lead to not completing crafts quite often. Levequests were nice, but the rewards on them were very small compared to what you put into them. They thankfully changed that by upping the rewards and streamlining the leves in Stormblood and Shadowbringers.

With the introduction of collectibles, there was a way to at least not have to worry about waiting for leve allowances and bang out as many crafts as you had time, materials, and inventory space for. And hey, you got some currency back to buy materia and other materials with as a reward!

SE upping the leve rewards and adding the Ishgard Restoration to the game made it so much more accessible to newer crafters that there’s really no excuse to not start crafting in the game now. Especially since you no longer have to level up every crafter for cross-class skills (which is a huge QoL improvement itself), you should at least do CUL or ALC for raid food and pots respectively.

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HOT TAKE #2

"

Reworking crafting skills was a good idea, and how I hate to love the specialization system.

We’ve had a major and a minor rework to crafting since Shadowbringers came out and both were huge improvements in my opinion. There was a crazy amount of skill bloat for crafters, and aside from a few insane people that loved to have bragging rights for crafting gear with low stats, no one I knew really used Whistle While you Work or any of the other specialist actions. It was a neat system, but now all it does is give you a small bump in stats, unlock a single action (That requires a delineation, no less) and lets you craft a few glamor pieces.

What I would like them to do is build upon the base they’ve set up for crafters at this point.

Push specialization farther. Personally, I feel like final tier crafted gear should be spec-locked, but I know that’s even too far for SE to bring back, so I can compromise with just having glamor be speclocked. That new shiny coat that needs materials from maps? You better be a weaver specialist to

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make it. Heck, go as far as to make raid food/pots specialist only and have people actually work at making the consumables.

I feel like making more items spec-locked adds a bit more of the community aspect back into the game. Crafting can feel very isolated at times and this is a multiplayer game. Get out there and make some friends!

HOT TAKE #3

"

Leveling a crafter/being a crafter for the sole purpose of making gil is the wrong way to craft.

Yes, gil makes Eorzea go ‘round, and having a nice amount of gil in your bank account certainly makes things easier, but if you’re only out for profit it’s just not a good reason in my book. I craft for the community aspect. Being able to help people is what brings me the most joy in this game, and how am I to put a number on that?

day in their FC house banging out craft after craft.

After a certain point, gil is inherently worthless.

The most expensive item in this game is buying a large house at a premium plot, setting you back a cool 50 million gil. Past that, all you are doing with gil is bypassing the time investment for gathering items yourself.

So very often I will craft for little to no compensation and that’s fine with me as long as I know that the items I make are going to be used by someone that would otherwise have no way of obtaining them.

The marketboard rat race is completely dead to me at this point in the game. Spending every waking moment making sure that your items are the lowest price on the MB so you get the next sale seems like a second job to me and is just not worth it. I play this game to have fun, not start a bidding war with another player that spends all

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HOT TAKE #4

"

Melding is the worst thing in the game right now but at least spiritbonding got better.

This one goes for crafters, gatherers, and combat classes. Melding sucks, full stop. Watching piles of materia blow up because 7% might as well be 0% is infuriating and in no way is an encouraging game mechanic. Why this system is still in place this late into the game’s life is mind-boggling to me.

I have an easy fix for it: every meld beyond the first that fails increases the chances for the next meld by 1%. That’s it. You still have RNG to remove the massive hoards of materia away from players if that’s SE’s angle, but there is eventually a failsafe that if for some reason you fail 90 melds in a row (and trust me, it does happen) you can guarantee yourself one at some point.

On the other hand, and this one probably isn’t a hot take, spiritbonding finally is where it should have been from the beginning. The fact that we no longer lose gear when extracting materia is

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a godsend for crafters and gatherers (and to a lesser extent combat classes) that will keep the same gear for months at a time.

HOT TAKE #5

"

Reuse was a horrible skill and I’m glad it’s gone.

Now we’re getting spicy. Reuse was just bad.

Horrible. A mess of a skill. If it had given you back a random item instead of a pre-determined item every time, I would probably not mind as much.

However, a single skill shifted the entire crafting world on its head and caused a new way of thinking that’s just unhealthy.

doesn’t say good gameplay to me. (There is also the fact that even with using Reclaim, you could still lose all mats and be left with nothing to show for your greed.)

They removed the skill thankfully and I seem to be in the minority of people that are glad to see it removed.

Once people learned that you could get back the rare material used in crafting glam/housing items, PFs were filled with people just begging to craft things for free! It must be because they’re so nice, right? Wrong. Selfishness. Not a single person doing it was altruistic in nature.

The best worst thing about the skill was that it didn’t proc 100% of the time, more like 1/3 of the time, so you were left with people breaking crafts ON PURPOSE just to try again for the proc skill.

I’m not sure about you, but if people are failing on purpose to try for a shot at one material back, that

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HOT TAKE #6

"

Ishgard Restoration was a great idea implemented horribly.

Call it whining or bad manners, I don’t really care.

Putting a leaderboard on something as easy as crafting (and yes, I’m even talking about the expert crafts) was a horrible idea and should have never been done in the first place.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that they added the expert crafts and gave us an actual challenge for once. And I love how they finally included the gatherers into the fold this time around and we got the diadem back! But making content time-gated with a leaderboard just leads to bad feelings and loses the reason for the craft.

If they must put a leaderboard in, then why not Server-wide? Or DC-wide? The fact that some people are able to play for 20 hours straight while others of us have jobs and lives that don’t allow us to play non-stop is unfair at the base level. I personally know a few people that put in 60+ hour weeks crafting so they could have their name at

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the top of the list when the rankings came out. I don’t know if that’s something to feel proud of as one, that feels like a job rather than something to do for fun, and two, it’s not healthy.

Now, I understand that this is a small niche of the game, but the fact that things were gated and timed lead people into a fear of missing out and playing the game in an unhealthy way.

I know the devs want people taking breaks and not marathoning the game too much, but adding leaderboards in this regard isn’t how they should have portrayed that message.

HOT TAKE #7

"

Teamcraft / The Balance / Other community tools are simultaneously the best and worst things to happen to this game.

Now please take a deep breath and count to ten.

Exhale.

Guides are just that, guidance, but not something that should be taken as the only way to do something.

I do not hate Teamcraft or The Balance. They are invaluable tools that many would be lost without.

I can’t imagine crafting without Teamcraft or not being able to see the rotation guides and melding stat weights on The Balance. The quality of life those two bring, and any other community-driven guide for that matter, go so far above and beyond anything the devs had imagined for the game.

I love seeing everyone come together for the greater good.

There is a darker side to having that much information at your fingertips, however, and it leads to players being lazy, hive-minded, and falling into groupthink far too often.

Just because someone made a guide and posted it online doesn’t mean it should be taken as law.

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BONUS HOT TAKE

CRAFTING HAS NO BIS. NONE. STOP SAYING IT DOES. 82

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SPEARHEAD SNAI L SANI TI ZI NG SALVE W hile a dve nt uri ng , i t 's i mp o r t an t to prot ect yourse l f o n t h e g o !

Th ank s t o M o t he r M i oun n e's patent ed S p e a rhe a d S n ai l fo rmu la , your ha nd s a re cl ea ner - a nd s o f t e r - t han ever.

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COLORING PAGES Download these coloring pages, created by Lolae Demort, by simply clicking on them. Make sure to send them over to aetherflow.media@gmail.com and we might just show them off on social media!

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WLFJASLFPA FJGJSLAPQP FKGJIOJIOPI QWORD WORDJLFIT JLFIT IHULKDEVPX VMAKROSDT QPSEARCH QP SEARCHBF BF WLFGTHAPEL CHWPTODFU 86

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Alisaie Alphinaud Aymeric Estinien Gerolt Haurchefant Hilda Hildibrand Krile Lolorito

Lyse Merlwyb Midgardsormr Minfilia Moenbryda Nidhogg Rowena Tataru Thancred Urianger

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Bluebird Brina Bullpup Chameleon Domakin Ghido Gigi Hecteye Hellpup Komainu 88

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Meerkat Morpho Mudpie OMG Owlet Poogie Seitei Smallshell Unicolt Venoct

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Aback Attention Blush Cheer Confirm Doubt Doze Elucidate Grovel Hum

Joy Kneel Lookout Me Pray Shrug Splash Stagger Wave Welcome 89

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Aero Anatman Assize Bunshin Displacement Excogitation Flourish Geirskogul Gravity Hagakure 90

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Infuriate Intervene Malefic Mangetsu Nebula Outburst Ricochet Souleater Stormbite Transpose

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MEALS Locate the given words in the grid, running horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Click here for a print friendly version.

Baguette Baklava Boscaiola Caramels Cornbread Gameni Kasha Konpeito Laghman Lemonade

Mors Oden Paella Papanasi Pixieberry Raisins Ratatouille Sachertorte Shorlog Zoni 91

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FISH Locate the given words in the grid, running horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Click here for a print friendly version.

Angelfish Blindfish Bloodbath Chub Copperfish Crayfish Cupfish Discus Endoceras Glimmerscale 92

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AETHERFLOW

Goldenfin Gudgeon Monkfish Mudskipper Namitaro Nautilus Plaice Rockclimber Seema Twitchbeard

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