fandom + art blog

#1 Magnai fangirl

[samairuart]

I do not follow or play lds but im nosey can you explain the valko situation cause I’ve been seeing it around lol

Haha omg of course I’ll try my best because it’s such a mess! I don’t want to give attention to rumors, so I’ll share what factual info I know. Valko’s videos have been deleted or archived by infold so I’m trying to run off my memory here on dates but 🙏🏽 here’s my best take:

To preface, I’ve been playing lads for 2 years now. While I do play a lot, I do not participate much in fandom.

Since the game’s beginning, 6 love interests were always expected. The game started out with Xavier, Zayne, and Rafayel. Sylus was introduced in mid 2024, Caleb in 2025, and a 6th was expected this year (Valko). It was no surprise that the 6th love interest was coming, since the game always teased “coming soon” characters and lore drops within the main story that to me, feels like would all connect later down the road.

When Valko’s teaser came out on June 22, he became very meme worthy amongst global players (y’know, wolf theme and all). The general vibe I got was that fans seemed unsure about him, but quickly warmed up to Valko after his main trailers dropped on June 28 in preparation of his debut in the game for the July 9 update. That being said, there seems to have been critical backlash within the CN server, related to various reasons that I just do not have the proper information to explain.

A lot of players had 1 star review bombed lads, citing abuse to women, referencing the number 731 (tied to a gruesome and painful history in China), commenting negatively on his looks and size, and other other political controversies. There were people sending funeral flowers and cow dung to Infold’s building. Now to briefly mention rumors for the sake of sharing what fuel was added to this fire, it was speculated that the government had to become involved and that some CN players were gathering up a lawsuit.

I think the core reason for the Valko hate was that the game has had many issues since day one that just have not been addressed or fixed. To name a few, there are lighting issues on MCs that have black or brown skin tones, there is a lack of communication and transparency from infold itself, there is a lack of main story updates and character story updates. We wait months if not a whole year for the story to update. Releasing Valko seems to have been the breaking point in CN servers, and unfortunately he became a scapegoat in my opinion.

On June 30, after his full trailers dropped, a notice was posted on Love and Deepspace’s instagram that Valko’s debut in the game would be cancelled and no further love interests would be added to the game.

This sparked shock and outrage throughout the fandom, especially amongst global server players. When lads instagram earlier this year celebrated having 1 million followers, since the notice was posted they have lost over 70k followers. The news also started a fight between CN and Global server players, which led to bigoted and racist attitudes being shared and expressed by both groups. This is not ok on either side, we need to remember that the real problem was Infold and how they handled this whole mess.

Removing Valko prematurely before his debut was a huge mistake. It was a rushed decision that blindsided everyone, and we still have not received news or updates regarding the situation since. Fans around the world have been expressing their disappointment and also finding community in sharing their grief for a character they were eager to meet but now will not get the chance to.

This removal also brings about potential other sticky lawsuifs in false advertising or damages because many players had set aside money or bought in game materials to prepare for his debut.

I truly am not good at sharing the full weight of this debacle, I wish I was better at properly sharing all of the pieces that made this mess. But it really is a mess and I feel so bad for the entire creative team behind Valko.

I was eager to meet him and to learn his story, and how he connects with the rest of the plot. My interpretation of the timeline of the story would be that we would have gotten main story updates after all the love interests were introduced, because to me it still felt like there was set up that was necessary (which would have come along with Valko’s intro to the game). Idk 🤷🏾‍♀️ I hope they do bring him back because the amount of work and love his creative team put into him deserves it.

[lambylingames]

there was a first panel but i didn't feel like drawing 300 moon bunnies

[shmz042]

I should name the series: Sing with me Once More

prints now available

[hexakarm]

well? are you??

immediately thought of the grimace mcnuggies meme when nopalitender was revealed before dawntrail

[lilyshear]

Donate to hit by a car on sidewalk, please help, organized by Lea L

Hello, my name is Lea and last year, wearing this neon get-up, I was hit by a car on the s… Lea L needs your support for hit by a car on sid

hey y'all. cross-posting from twt but it would mean a lot if you'd consider helping evie out if you have the means to 💕 any amount at all is helpful but if you can't contribute financially, sharing is also very much appreciated.

if you're interested in a little doodle of a character/your wol/oc like below in exchange for your contribution to their gfm, you're welcome to contact me (here or twitter dms is fine) with sc proof that you've donated and i'll make you a little guy :) i also have a tentative ko-fi listing that i'll use for the same purpose.

[hexakarm]

· aureole · Fanart of Hydaelyn from Final Fantasy XIV

[uriangerswife]

Posting this here too, in light of Everything™

[lordklemmbaustein]

My FFXIV themed entry for the "Kinetic Rush" render challenge is finished. It was a long journey but I'm really glad how it turned out. Learned a lot in Blender and also did all the compositing in Nuke which was kind of fun.

You can watch the render in higher quality https://youtu.be/FfBYpeB9fAo

There will be a breakdown of the render in a few days/weeks but I need a small break first.

[ungrateful-cyborg-moved]

Thank you, Estinien, for staying true to yourself. We’re fortunate that someone in the team has his priorities in order.

[opteekaal]

G'raha whenever he sees the WoL being cool.

It's a redraw of a meme that I've been wanting to do for a while but seeing people post their Next Challenger images I realized I needed to do it ASAP!

[aazulean]

WHO PUSHED HIM??!!

[toweringclam]

I get a kick out of how nobody ever recognizes the Warrior of Light. I mean, there are widely circulated newspapers, but mass distribution of information is still in its infancy. People will be like, "You there! I need someone to shovel shit for me!" and the WoL is just like "sure, fine with me." Then they realize they have someone who literally saved the world shoveling manure and fall all over themselves apologizing. Or they'll be like, "Watch out! There are bandits on the road!" And the WoL will just smile cryptically like "They don't know I kill gods."

[fabienlaguna]

Tataru: 1        Nero: 0

[cutiepotata]

I want to point out: While that scene plays out like a funny joke that is prime meme material, this might be one of the specific moments that allowed Shadowbringers and everything after to happen, actually.

Nero not only accepts that statement and his loss against her, but would have respected it to almost irrational degrees, if we hadn’t resolved Shadowbringers in the way we did.

In the sidestory about the 8th Calamity, we find out that Wedge tragically dies while trying to make a well (aka offer clean water in poisoned lands). The story ends with Cid making himself and Nero a coffee, using ‘a boilmaster’. At that point, Nero and Cid are around 70 years old, so Wedge’s Boilmaster was kept in working condition for at least 40 years. Sure, one could claim that this was all Cid.

But in Shadowbringers, we can enter the Crystal Tower and can find various notes and magitek creations. One of the enemies that protect the main center of the tower, the core where the very thing that allowed the tower to traverse time and space, THE most vulnerable and important part of the whole tower… One of the enemies guarding that center is called the “Mark CXLIV Thermocoil Boilbuster”. It’s a levitating watertank that attacks via boiling water.

So sure, one could say, that was probably also Cid. But Cid was never into things that can attack people. So maybe it was Wedge or his descendants? But Wedge also never had any interest in war machines unless they had a smart AI (which the Thermocoil Boilbuster has not), and this likely was the same for his descendants. Biggs is more or less like Wedge. But NERO. One of Nero’s main characteristics that Cid keeps complaining about is that Nero’s biggest passion is making weapons. Every time he creates something, it’s meant for battle. Every time he helps out, he can be caught suggesting uses for battle, attaching weapons, etc. He loved the Allagan’s Ultima Weapon, he adored Omega Weapon, he was jealous that he missed out on seeing Alexander, he is in fact very disappointed when the one time he doesn’t make a weapon and instead the brush during the Omega raid (decidedly not a weapon), he doesn’t get praised for it. As such, it is quite possible that Nero had either built or made the schematics for those boiler machines.

Why would he make boilers of that size and aggression though, when there would be much more efficient weapon designs than something trying to scald you with water? Because, as the shortstory mentions, the world is overrun by bandits and monsters after the 8th Calamity, there is sickness and a severe lack of food which led to the collapse of entire nations. A boiler can make clean water. Wedge DIED for clean water. The Mark CXLIV Thermocoil Boilbuster is as big as a Roegadyn, thus carrying plenty of water. It can spontaneously boil, so any impurities can be quickly get rid off. And it can fight, so anyone trying to threaten its water or those who have come to it for help can be fended off. It levitates, so terrain doesn’t matter. It has arms (and in fact looks like a mixture between Alexander and Omega, which Nero was obsessed with and which he and Cid researched as they neared the ends of their lives) so it might have been able to carry things, making it also a utility or perhaps even rescue machine. For being based on something as silly as a kettle, the Termocoil is incredibly strong, advanced and efficient. I’d argue that the Thermocoil and its previous iterations are one reason why people had survived that Calamity as well as they had, despite the tragically heavy losses. It also is likely one of the reasons why neither humanoid nor monster could mess with the tower when it arrived in Novrandt, having been deemed one of their best and strongest weapons, and thus sending it along to protect the tower. I’d argue that Wedge’s boilmaster was the small droplet that accumulated over the course of 200 years into giving people on the brink of survival the means to live and defend themselves, loooong after the man died.

Nero heard Tataru tell him that the best magitek of the Scions is a waterboiler. He shrugs but doesn’t say that her statement is false (likely because he hasn’t see said kettle). He most likely checked it out, and since we never hear him say something bad about it (which he loves to do) or tease Wedge for it (which he also enjoys), he likely acknowledges it as ok or even good. And we know he deems it a good kettle, because HE HAS IT. It’s with him and Cid during the Omega raids (or at least the same kind).

Ironically, through it he also learns first-hand that properly boiled clean water is imperative, when he accidentally drinks boiled sea water from it. I believe he (probably in cooperation with Cid) spent the rest of his life improving on the waterboiler as a side project, latest after Wedge’s death. It’s the CXLIVth Thermocoil. The 144th boiler. Wedge made 14 before he was proud enough to gift his to Tataru. And I think Nero went and made over 100 more iterations after Wedge’s death before he was satisfied…or died. Because he had respect for Wedge as an engineer. Because Tataru told him that it was the very best technology they had. Because Nero thinks Eorzeans are primitive, but he loves smart Magitek.

When the Scions all died, whose mission it had always been to keep the realm and its people alive? When, if not then, is a machine that gives clean water to the thirsty the most brilliant thing one could make?

Tataru didn’t win that argument with 1 vs 0. In the grand scheme of history? She won that argument by thousands of points, because it IS the finest technology, of highest innovation. And all Nero can do about it is shrug.

[sebille]

Oh the little change in his expression

[aazulean]

checking out limbal rings in the benchmark's character creator be like

[miqo-tales]

Twitter-Meteor is once again having a day.

[marieriina]

I was watching Jesse Cox's stream last night and someone said before the Oschon fight "All the monks use the opo-opo form to make him feel bad", and I've been thinking about that all day.