Ammo

August has been ... not a great month, IRL.  I'm not going to delve into things, but it's been the sort of "not great" that causes me to basically withdraw from and not be around as much in certain places.  Unfortunately, that means Blaugust was sorted into the pile that I couldn't mentally deal properly with, but hey - I've got a few days left, and the blog won't be self-destructing and deleting itself off the internet come September 1st, so let's forge onward.

A pair of my favorite in-game events in XIV happened this month.  I was glad to see the return of the Eorzean Nimble Warrior jump puzzle for Moonfire (and with the new 'hoofin' it' debuff that barred all Behemoths from entry).  I didn't even bother trying to get allll the way to the top of the 'extra' puzzle, but the little deck on the side was a cute touch and another great spot to chill with pals and watch the fireworks.  Allowing players to get tokens with fishing and cooking again was great, and very welcome.
The above screencap is from The Rising, and it's only been out for a day or two, so no spoilers here, but once again the devs managed to make me get a little emotional with the clever use of minions and heart-felt words from the XIV team.  I can always feel how much Yoshida and his crew care for the world and players every year with this event, and I'm grateful for this place they've given us.
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Meanwhile, I also managed to complete the achievement for the Raigo whistle - 60 wins in Frontline battles (the non-ranking PVP zones) while wearing a special Garo title.  I nearly gave up hope on this out of general frustration, but a few days of landing in good groups that really wanted to coordinate and I was well on my way to finishing.  I will never use the title "Makai Summoner" title ever again.  Phew.

One of my favorite things to do in XIV is mess around with housing.  While the housing system isn't perfect, it's certainly not the worst and over the years several handy 'bugs' have been discovered, leading to a larger variety of ways that decorating enthusiasts can design their homes.  Many designers feature their newest builds on their blogs, and even offer their services to other players.  I enjoy checking out some of those blogs for random inspiration, and try to design cozy interiors fitting of my characters.  I'm gonna show off some of Isalenne's house today with a small screenshot spam...

Plot 36, 12th ward in Mist on Cactuar.  Isa's house is still a WIP - I was lucky enough to snag a medium a month or so before Shadowbringers.  I managed to get a lot of it done, but there are a few rooms and areas that I haven't finished yet, but I do like what I have so far.

The yard is ... I haven't really figured it out yet, but at least this corner has a nice view of the beach.

Still playing around with the main floor... right now this leads to a comfy room with a fireplace on the left, and an unfinished kitchen on the right.

I've probably spent the most time in the upstairs library ... lining up a bunch of lofts, windows and planters.  It was frustrating at times, but I'm really happy with the end result. I was inspired by the popular false ceiling look that a lot of designers have been using, and I wanted lots of light and plants. There's also the bathroom, master bedroom and guest bedroom up here, but only about two of those are finished.  

I decided on a small bar/recreation room theme for the majority of the basement.  The corner next to the bar has some couches, and the loft above it has seats, too.  On the other side of the fountain is another fish tank and some musical instruments.

The sewing room is in the back and also the dreaded junk storage area - please don't look, it's a mess!

Feel free to stop by Isa's place, hopefully I'll be finishing up the last few rooms and details soon~!