âIn a world of diminishing mystery, the unknown persists.â
â Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland
c h r o n o g e n e s i s ; ffxiv blog for my muses and au ideas. selective canonâsome lore-bending for coherent and cohesive storytelling. not spoiler free. dark, sensitive, and mature themes ahead; do not proceed if youâre not ready for the underworld of etheirys. do not use my content for generative a/i. no rps. see below cut for more details.
Minors DNI. Expect lots of dark, mature and sensitive themes ahead; do not interact if you cannot handle them. No trigger tags for my own sanity; only #nsfw will be tagged accordingly.
Not spoiler free. No spoiler tags to reduce unnecessary clutter; instead, I follow the general community guideline of a two-week embargo before posting latest patch contents.
Selective canon; there will be some lore-bending and exploration of existing canon with my own takes. Radical lore enforcers will be placed behind block buttons.
DM for mutuals only. I keep the askbox open in case people need to contact me for whatever reasons, but anon is off. I ignore/block people at my own discretion.
No RPs. Iâm no longer interested and prefer to focus on my own projects. Collab projects open to mutuals only.
Sporadic updates; mostly run on queues. May post stuff on a whim sometimes, but donât count on that to try tracking my online presence.
CHRONOGENESIS, by isorawrites (@xivgenesis).
Final Fantasy XIV, by Square Enix. All Rights Reserved.
All other fandom(s) belong to their respective copyright holders.
This project is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Read this document for full credits and terms.
Do not repost, modify, and/or claim any part of this blog as your own.
Ask permissions first before sharing my content on other platforms.
Use of my content for commercial purposes or A/I training is strictly prohibited.
Kindly reblog from source, where possible.
All cover image edits by yours truly; FFXIV belongs to Square Enix.
My thoughts after coming across @/sasslett's post here:
From personal observations, the writing side of the ffxiv community has been very bleak for many years, compared to fanart and gpose; it's also often restricted to a select few writers who are more well-known, and I know of some who pretty much had given up with ffxiv and are now happier writing in other fandoms instead. I'm a writer myself too, so it was quite demoralizing at first, seeing the almost-zero interaction with my fics. It took me a long while to come to terms with it: focusing on just enjoying what I want to do and honing my own writing skill, other people's engagements and unsolicited opinions be damned. I'm currently still experiencing writing blues after a hectic, deadline-peppered June, but I've been recovering quite well and already back to work on some drafts and wips. Original works and poetry are still my main focus with the goal to get more published internationally in print, while fanfics are fun writing exercises cum hobby for me at this point.
That being said, please, please, do your best to support ffxiv writers. Many of us are often overlooked and underappreciated; the attention or engagement level we'd receive have never been on par with artists and gposers in this fandom, and there are obvious statistics to prove that. It's a shame that a lot of really interesting ideas and reimagines of the game's story go unnoticed, especially when these wonders are best represented through the art of writing, giving readers the creative freedom of interpretations, rather than just pure images and not allowing others any room to conjure up their own imagination.
I will also reiterate that fandoms thrive on mutual engagement between fans in the community, both creators and consumers alike, much like a conversation between people in general. When this becomes one sided, eventually more people will choose to walk away and seek connections or opportunities elsewhere. It's already happening to me, where my focus is more on original works and poetry nowadays. It's going to happen to more ffxiv writers who turn to other fandoms where they are better appreciated, or they might even quit writing completely.
Analyze your word choice and writing style to compare with famous writers.
While I am no fan of A/I due to various legal issues and blatant misuse, that's mostly limited to generative ones such as Chat GeePeeTee. This style analyzer is different; it was kinda fun to play with. Rest assured that all your writings are stored locally on your device only; the website has no access to your text!
Depending on the excerpts or chapters I use, the results were... very interesting. I'll only highlight a select few that are worth mentioning:
Ian Fleming
Best known for his James Bond series
Crisp, precise, and dynamic prose; direct, succinct, and remarkably visual narrative style
Short and punchy sentences, injecting a sense of urgency and pace
Never skimps on detail; descriptions are rich with sensory info, while dialogue is used to reveal character's traits, drive the plot forward, with a touch of British witty humor
His style reflects his background in journalism, and his experience in the navy as an intelligence officer. I worked as an intern in investigative journalism many years ago, and I guess that probably bled into my writing for mystery and thriller genres. Of course, I have read almost all of Fleming's novels (I'm not up to date with the movies, though), so I might have been influenced by the author himself too.
Edgar Allan Poe
Pioneer of the detective fiction genre, major contributor to the science fiction genre, best known for his narrative poetry, "The Raven"
A mix of meticulous craftsmanship and psychological complexity, making his works enduringly fascinating and profoundly unsettling
Immersive and haunting quality of his narratives; very careful choice of words, emphasis on atmosphere, and keen use of rhythm
Complex sentence structure, featuring liberal use of punctuation that help build suspense and emphasize thematic concerns, while also shaping the rhythm of his prose
Rich (and sometimes archaic) vocabulary; serves to elevate the tone of his stories, lending a certain gravitas and formality Ă la the Gothic tradition
Explores complex psychological states and unreliable narrators, blurring the lines between reality and madness; reflects his themes of order and chaos, mirroring the internal struggles of his characters
It's truly a great honor to see his name appearing in some of the excerpts I used for the analysis, but also equally interesting to note that, while those works were originally inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories that I adore so much, somehow I ended up writing stuff that were closer to Poe's style. Many of my works contain dark and disturbing themes, and I do love exploring the human mind and emotions in fictions (while also making good use of what I've learned in psychology and criminology). "The Raven" is one of the poems that got me into poetry writing, which also has a strong influence on my poetry style.
Mary Shelly
Best known for her Gothic novel, Frankenstein
Blending Gothic and Romantic elements, characterized by eloquent prose, complex sentences, and rich descriptive detail
Intricately layered, employing a story-within-a-story framework; challenging the reader's perspective and inviting deeper inquiry into the ethical and philosophical questions she poses
Adept at using a mix of long, elaborately constructed sentences and shorter, more impactful ones to build tension and emphasize key plot moments; variation enhances the rhythm of her prose, and skillfully manages the readerâs engagement and emotional response
Rich (at times, archaic) vocabulary, chosen for their connotative power
Use of literary devices such as foreshadowing, metaphor, and irony contribute to a style that is both intellectually rigorous and deeply expressive
This is both a delightful and surprising result, because I was half-expecting either one of the Bronte sisters to pop up when I tried the analyzer with my more, ahem, "flowery" prose. I had read Wuthering Heights (which I still don't enjoy even now, it's just not my cup of tea), and Jane Eyre for language classes back in my high school days. Admittedly, I do prefer to put more emphasis on the philosophical aspects and compel readers to think deeper about the conflict, rather than just the dramatic and send readers straight on an emotional roller coaster ride. Perhaps it's a reflection of how I perceive the world around me and the various issues plaguing the current society; it's also important to stay rational and objective when working on academic writing.
Link to the analysis site can be found at the top of this post. Give it a try, and you might be surprised at some of the results (like I did)! I've also included links to full description of each author featured on this list, in case you're interested to read more (the bullet lists are a summary of key points taken from those pages).
NOTE: I decided against mentioning any contemporary authors of the modern era due to many of them being involved in various controversies. Owing to this month being a fairly sensitive one to certain groups of people (and I've already seen first-hand how crazy things can escalate in one of the fandoms I'm in), I prefer to avoid unnecessary discourses that have nothing to do with this post, which is supposed to be something fun. I do not welcome unsolicited politics in my personal spaces.
The Gift of Fear; from The Strange Cases of Sora Holmes
by isorawrites (@xivgenesis)
This was originally written way back in November 2024 for the FFXIVwrite challenge. I wanted to flesh out the idea into a more polished mystery oneshot so I decided to rewrite the old fic, but as you can see I'm already turning the opening chapter into purple prose ahaha...
After many years of hard work, I'm finally ready to share my personal archives to the world! Whether it was searching and testing various platforms to find something that would be most suitable for my own needs, or setting up the databases to organize my works properly, every step was done by a single human being (namely, myself), on top of real-life commitments and difficulties. Long story short, I'm happy with how everything has turned out eventually. I'm also working on similar folio projects for other fandoms I have written fics for.
Link to my FFXIV folio â here.
Moving forward:
New fics and chapters will be available on my personal folios first. You are strongly encouraged to visit the folios for full versions of my works. Please note that all AO3 and Ellipsus reprints are preview only given their clunky limitations, among many reasons why I've chosen Notion over those two.
Some bonus contents will be folio-exclusive due to formatting reasons. That being said, all my fanfics are free to read and will remain free forever. I write fics merely as a personal hobby, and I have zero intention of getting tangled with messy copyright lawsuits.
Your are more than welcome to support me and my projects through donations to my Ko-fi tip jar.
If you see certain sections of the site tagged "No Access", not to worryâthey are just private pages, for now. They will be ready and open to the public when the time comes.
I'll be realistic that I do not expect any significant changes to the engagement level of my works even with this switch (the ffxiv fic community is pretty dead compared to other fandoms that I also write for). This is only one part of a bigger personal project I'm working onâto create a professional writing portfolio that showcases both original and fan writing.
My thoughts after coming across @/sasslett's post here:
From personal observations, the writing side of the ffxiv community has been very bleak for many years, compared to fanart and gpose; it's also often restricted to a select few writers who are more well-known, and I know of some who pretty much had given up with ffxiv and are now happier writing in other fandoms instead. I'm a writer myself too, so it was quite demoralizing at first, seeing the almost-zero interaction with my fics. It took me a long while to come to terms with it: focusing on just enjoying what I want to do and honing my own writing skill, other people's engagements and unsolicited opinions be damned. I'm currently still experiencing writing blues after a hectic, deadline-peppered June, but I've been recovering quite well and already back to work on some drafts and wips. Original works and poetry are still my main focus with the goal to get more published internationally in print, while fanfics are fun writing exercises cum hobby for me at this point.
That being said, please, please, do your best to support ffxiv writers. Many of us are often overlooked and underappreciated; the attention or engagement level we'd receive have never been on par with artists and gposers in this fandom, and there are obvious statistics to prove that. It's a shame that a lot of really interesting ideas and reimagines of the game's story go unnoticed, especially when these wonders are best represented through the art of writing, giving readers the creative freedom of interpretations, rather than just pure images and not allowing others any room to conjure up their own imagination.
I will also reiterate that fandoms thrive on mutual engagement between fans in the community, both creators and consumers alike, much like a conversation between people in general. When this becomes one sided, eventually more people will choose to walk away and seek connections or opportunities elsewhere. It's already happening to me, where my focus is more on original works and poetry nowadays. It's going to happen to more ffxiv writers who turn to other fandoms where they are better appreciated, or they might even quit writing completely.
I'm so done having a field day on this hellsite when all I wanted was to take a break after my mid-term exams
My scam/bot bingo card is almost filled within the past two days or so, go figure - from AI girlfriends to fake donations/fundraisers and even art scams
Oh, and the fact that Tumblr staff did nuke my legitimate poetry blog a few days ago (I got it back eventually but it's still an unpleasant experience)
Would appreciate if people can shower me with birb photos (bonus if owls) or even virtual photography from games like ffxiv, ffxv, or nier. Something to let me believe that there's still some good on the internet at this age
i was on mobile when i first saw this post, so only really had my vulture photos. but i have some ffxv screenshots, too! now that i'm at my computer and it is behaving (important). i'm always so obsessed with trying to get a good shot with ansel ever since i started using it instead of just relying on prompto's auto snaps. and, uh...well, my favorite subject should NOT be surprising at all.
and here's one that just makes me giggle every time i see it. :>
I'm so done having a field day on this hellsite when all I wanted was to take a break after my mid-term exams
My scam/bot bingo card is almost filled within the past two days or so, go figure - from AI girlfriends to fake donations/fundraisers and even art scams
Oh, and the fact that Tumblr staff did nuke my legitimate poetry blog a few days ago (I got it back eventually but it's still an unpleasant experience)
Would appreciate if people can shower me with birb photos (bonus if owls) or even virtual photography from games like ffxiv, ffxv, or nier. Something to let me believe that there's still some good on the internet at this age
Here is Humble hanging out with some avian friends (who are sort of owl-adjacent) and doing a communal dance to scare off bastards. I'm unsure if this would help in your situation, but maybe you could keep it as an option?
And here is an actual owl - a barn owl, which used to scare me when I was little, but are actually quite cute in their own way.
I'm so done having a field day on this hellsite when all I wanted was to take a break after my mid-term exams
My scam/bot bingo card is almost filled within the past two days or so, go figure - from AI girlfriends to fake donations/fundraisers and even art scams
Oh, and the fact that Tumblr staff did nuke my legitimate poetry blog a few days ago (I got it back eventually but it's still an unpleasant experience)
Would appreciate if people can shower me with birb photos (bonus if owls) or even virtual photography from games like ffxiv, ffxv, or nier. Something to let me believe that there's still some good on the internet at this age
I'm so done having a field day on this hellsite when all I wanted was to take a break after my mid-term exams
My scam/bot bingo card is almost filled within the past two days or so, go figure - from AI girlfriends to fake donations/fundraisers and even art scams
Oh, and the fact that Tumblr staff did nuke my legitimate poetry blog a few days ago (I got it back eventually but it's still an unpleasant experience)
Would appreciate if people can shower me with birb photos (bonus if owls) or even virtual photography from games like ffxiv, ffxv, or nier. Something to let me believe that there's still some good on the internet at this age
i don't have any owls, but here are some vultures that live on my family's property! they mostly nest in this broken down rv that my parents can't find someone to help get rid of.
Today I bring you a little thread about a specific type of art scammers, which is already well known by many. Because there's plenty of those on every social media there's no use in calling those out separately, instead I will show you how to spot them đ§”
Here you have examples of their profiles: usually a stolen or AI generated profile picture and banner (there were some cases with them using stolen gposes as well). There are several groups of them aiming for specific communities who likes to commision artists, for example ffxiv or Vtubers.
Their bios will usually contain some stuff like: "if you are looking for customize commision for your ffxv character I'm here for you", "ffxiv addicted", "Professional Artist" etc. Some will show very bot-like activity when you check their replies. Also reposting random posts of others.
Their art is either not shown on their profile despite claiming to be pro artist or you will find some "another respectful and satisfied workâ€ïž" which is either badly traced with abuse of airbrush, genAI or a mix of the two (mostly genAI backgrounds)- with very specific watermarks (usually "preview")
Please note that above examples are all from different "artists", despite looking the same. They will also abuse tags, also adding those not related to the work they are showing- also worth to note that they never tag the customer who supposedly commisioned them and if they do it's one of them.
One of most important things that should give a red flag about such- they are coming to your DMs, for example complimenting your OC, then pushes towards comm offer- please keep in mind that no real artist do such thing! Artists will post about open comms' slots etc and won't hunt you in your DMs!
This type of scammers is active on every social media, discord etc- it's always the same stuff, same type of posts, same DMs. If someone like this DM you- block. Stay safe, don't get scammedâŁïž
if anyone would be so kind to send pet pics, or gposes of their wols fucking shit up for me to live vicariously through, that'd be awesome! also very welcoming of any estinien or prompto shares!! i am going to lose my mind!!!!
As you know, Yiuno is too stoic to fuck shit up, but you can trust other people around him to do the job better. NamelyâEmmanellain. He presents you with:
Emmanellain's SPECTACULAR Summer Shenanigans.
This is just one of the many WIPs that had been sitting in my cloud storage for some years. I have the plans and drafts done, but I'm just too embarrassed to post until I have the time to polish them. I hope this can cheer you up :3
I am not holding a bday AP this year since I'll be travelling soon after, so I thought a call for people to share some creativity would be nice!
Set for July 13th, feel free to write, draw and/or gpose pieces inspired by the Kingdom of Dalmasca and its history and tag #RabanastranRevelry!
This is not limited to Dalmascan characters in the slightest, open to all to show off whatever they like, be it a snippet of history you wish to document, a small piece of prose, a GPose of Ivalician inspired fashion or locale, a landscape sketch or an illustration of a Dalmascan NPC. Anything goes!
Looking for ffxiv blogs to follow! If you post about your ocs, oc asks, housing, glamours, or just like chatting with your mutuals about how much you love your characters and the game, please reblog or like so I can follow you!
This is my FFXIV blog! It looks a little empty for now because I'm often busy with thesis papers and original writing, oop. I also have a gpose-only blog @xivacademia if you are interested. :)
At the edge of the universe, stories of the stars are waiting to be told. Following the trail of broken records left behind by a mysterious little bird, a lone adventurer traverses the worlds to collect these fragments of forgotten talesâŠ
(Complete) A Collection of Tales â A Realm Remembered.
FFXIV: 6.x EW. Epistolary, Photostory.
â ïžDark and disturbing themes. (AO3 Tag List)
[folio] Notion / [pdf] Ko-fi or Payhip.
Preview under cut.
man. i'm sorry to be this but i am having an Atrocious day mentally so if anyone has like. funny horse pictures. wols being pretty. idfc. anything. pls.
I could probably make a poll for this, but I want to hear more nuanced and potentially detailed answers to this question.
Is there another character that your OCs hate/dislike but you love/like? And conversely, is there another character you hate/dislike but your OCs love/get along with?
A lot of people have already mentioned Zenos and largely have a common consensus about him, me and my OCs included, so I'll pick another NPC instead.
This might get me blocked by many in the fandom, but... G'raha. Just to be clear, I don't hate him per se, but there are some aspects about his characterization that I'm just not okay with. As a player, I'm generally neutral towards everyone's favorite catboy. I mean, he's just a fictional character and I'm not going to lose my sanity over someone who isn't real, you know.
But to Yiuno and Sora (who is a WoD, while WoL is the SE poster boy, Meteor), they seriously despise him. Regardless of his "good" intentions, Yiuno just can't turn a blind eye to G'raha's selfish recklessness that had put the lives of others at risk - especially to Y'shtola and Sora, with the latter being left to die to fend for herself in a light-corrupted land crawling with Sin Eaters. Y'shtola and Sora are the most important companions in Yiuno's life - imagine a stranger who suddenly kidnaps your family or partner without warning, and this will kill them eventually if they aren't rescued in time. Not something you can forgive and forget easily, that's for sure. "Oh but they did return home alive and all is well, right?" No, don't you dare try to write off the permanent damage you have done to others. You can't just erase traumas on a whim and pretend nothing bad had happened, period.
Hot take, maybe, but that's just how my OCs perceive G'raha due to their negative experiences with him.
