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Aywren

@aywren.bsky.social

A middle-aged gamer girl just blogging & creating fantasy webcomics for folks to enjoy. #Gaming: #FFXIV, RPGs, Simulations, MMOs, Survival, & Cozy Games #Blog: Aywren.com #Webcomic: Wayrift.com Like what I do? Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/sygnus

718 Followers  |  245 Following  |  1,627 Posts  |  Joined: 12.11.2023
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Posts by Aywren (@aywren.bsky.social)

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This was the very first TV commercial for the NES that aired in 1985.

Notice the term "video game" wasn't mentioned once. This was after the video game crash of 1983 and Nintendo was very careful to separate themselves from it.

And it paid off. The NES was in 30% of US households by 1990.

03.03.2026 17:46 β€” πŸ‘ 159    πŸ” 39    πŸ’¬ 9    πŸ“Œ 3
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FFXIV: Completing Dawntrail Again -- Grappling with Burnout I have a goal of finishing up Dawntrail for all of my alts before Fanfest in late April this year.

I finished #FFXIV Dawntrail for the 5th time, and faced the dreaded blight of almost burnout last week. I'm doing better now, but for a while, it was rough.

#Gaming #VideoGames #Blog

aywren.com/2026/03/03/f...

03.03.2026 17:43 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image 02.03.2026 23:41 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2
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Nook Roundup: Permadeath Snails, Steam Deck Emulation, and DPS Commendations in FFXIV | Sygnus Stories Get more from Sygnus Stories on Patreon

Here's this week's #gaming #blog posts in a nutshell including #FFXIV and #SteamDeck #Emulation!

www.patreon.com/posts/nook-r...

01.03.2026 18:06 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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FFXIV: 1,000 Commendations – FINALLY! Last night, I finally scored my 1,000th commendation in FFXIV.

I've finally earned my 1,000th commendation in #FFXIV as a DPS main. And it has been... rough... especially lately. DPS folks, share some com luv with each other, maybe?

#Gaming #VideoGames #Blog

aywren.com/2026/02/28/f...

28.02.2026 18:29 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
A drawing of a pink barn owl looking into an oracle ball. The caption reads, "in every possible future... you matter, a lot"

A drawing of a pink barn owl looking into an oracle ball. The caption reads, "in every possible future... you matter, a lot"

πŸ¦‰

27.02.2026 22:17 β€” πŸ‘ 1965    πŸ” 846    πŸ’¬ 12    πŸ“Œ 9

It hasn't crossed his mind that there might not be a lizard down there anymore. 😏

27.02.2026 17:43 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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#Wayrift #Webcomic Update 🌟

"Trust me, no one is going to recognize him as Lord Browning."
-Rye

Click here: wayrift.com/comics/ch93/...

#Comic #Art #Fantasy #FFIV

27.02.2026 15:23 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Steam Deck: Emulating Retro Games One of the first things I explored on my Steam Deck when I realized what it was capable of was emulation of retro games.

Today I talk about retro game #emulation which the #SteamDeck does a fantastic job at! There's some hoops to jump through to set it up, but I think it's worth it, even as someone who rarely emulates.

#Gaming #VideoGames #RetroGames

aywren.com/2026/02/26/s...

26.02.2026 18:07 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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NotSSG | Scott's Site Build your multi-page website/blog with a shared layout the simple way!

Announcing NotSSG 1.0. Build a site (or blog!) with just files. Update your layout once, all pages are updated! And many more features.

scott2.neocities.org/notssg/

#webdev #neocities #blog #html #cms #css #hobbydev #gamedev

@neocities.org (hi! xD)

25.02.2026 22:35 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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#Wayrift #Webcomic Update 🌟

Rye wastes no time dropping the bomb about the Lizard situation today!

Click here: wayrift.com/comics/ch93/...

#Comic #Art #Fantasy #FFIV

25.02.2026 15:21 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Practice Time: Theme of Love from Final Fantasy IV by Nobuo Uematsu (23/2/2026 at Brunel University)
YouTube video by Dr. B.A. Ferguson Practice Time: Theme of Love from Final Fantasy IV by Nobuo Uematsu (23/2/2026 at Brunel University)

Rough cut of this, need to work on middle section especially. Otherwise, please enjoy the Theme of Love from Final Fantasy IV by Nobuo Uematsu

#practicetime #buenowoodworking #bruneluniversityoflondon #nobuouematsu #finalfantasy @square-enix-games.com

youtu.be/uLTwp34qDUY?...

23.02.2026 14:48 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Glad you enjoyed the post! Thanks for the shout out! ✨

25.02.2026 03:05 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Final Fantasy VII is now on GOG. on sale for $4.79 (and Final Fantasy sale) buff.ly/V4YvTAS #ad

24.02.2026 17:11 β€” πŸ‘ 100    πŸ” 32    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 3
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Review: Don’t Touch the Snail – Anti-Cozy Idle Game with Permadeath Take a long moment to think about this experimental game concept – the permadeath in this game is truly permanent.

Ponder this: An indie idle game with a cute retro style that features... true permadeath. As in, once you fail, you can never play again.

See my explorations of Don't Touch the Snail here!

#Gaming #VideoGames #IndieGames

aywren.com/2026/02/24/r...

24.02.2026 15:19 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Steam Next Fest - February 2026: https://aywren.micro.blog/2026/02/23/steam-next-fest-february.html

23.02.2026 22:37 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Nook Roundup: Getting the Most of Steam Deck, Fall of Sims 4, and Tiny Bookshop | Sygnus Stories Get more from Sygnus Stories on Patreon

This week's #Blog roundup includes posts about #SteamDeck, #Sims4, and #TinyBookshop!

#Gaming #VideoGames

www.patreon.com/posts/nook-r...

22.02.2026 17:16 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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The melodrama of a big cape is divine. I finally feel like I'm doing Rosa Farrell justice.
#finalfantasyiv #ffiv #finalfantasycosplay #retrogaming

21.02.2026 03:16 β€” πŸ‘ 56    πŸ” 13    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 0

Oh no! Sending healing vibes to the kitty! :(

21.02.2026 01:22 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
A sketch of Gikata in her Blizzard Behemoth form setting a satellite dish on top of a building. A biplane with a banner saying "Thank you!" is flying past her head, close enough the banner is brushing her ears. Gikata is looking up at the plane with a smile.

A sketch of Gikata in her Blizzard Behemoth form setting a satellite dish on top of a building. A biplane with a banner saying "Thank you!" is flying past her head, close enough the banner is brushing her ears. Gikata is looking up at the plane with a smile.

A fun sketch from @aywren.bsky.social of Gikata in Blizzard Behemoth form engaging in some city building. :D She may usually use the form for getting in kaiju battles, but she also enjoys doing something constructive with it when she gets the chance.

20.02.2026 23:23 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Glad you liked it! :D

21.02.2026 00:56 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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A Return to Micro.blog: https://aywren.micro.blog/2026/02/20/a-return-to-microblog.html

20.02.2026 20:20 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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#Wayrift #Webcomic Update 🌟

"Rye? Like the bread?"
-Ben

Click here: wayrift.com/comics/ch93/...

#Comic #Art #Fantasy #FFIV

20.02.2026 15:05 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I agree! Having good fun with it. Sometimes you just need a good unwind game.

20.02.2026 15:04 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Perfect! πŸ˜€

20.02.2026 04:36 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Steam Gaming: Tiny Bookshop Tiny Bookshop is a cute indie game about running a mobile bookshop in a small town.

I've been playing Tiny Bookshop which is a lovely indie game about running a mobile bookshop and meeting small town folks. It's far deeper than I expected it to be in a good way!

#Gaming #VideoGames #Blogging

aywren.com/2026/02/19/s...

19.02.2026 22:25 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Horses Steam Horse Fest 2026

Literally the best! Steam Horse Fest! 🐎

store.steampowered.com/category/hor...

19.02.2026 18:13 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A Final Fantasy 14 illustration for Little Ladies' Day 2026. Nanamo Ul Namo is wearing a pink turban and robes while waving glowsticks in her hands, surrounded by falling pink flowers and petals. Raubahn and Pipin stand behind her watching with smiles on their faces. A group of characters are seen next to Nanamo cheering with glowsticks in their hands. Pink trees are seen in the background.

A Final Fantasy 14 illustration for Little Ladies' Day 2026. Nanamo Ul Namo is wearing a pink turban and robes while waving glowsticks in her hands, surrounded by falling pink flowers and petals. Raubahn and Pipin stand behind her watching with smiles on their faces. A group of characters are seen next to Nanamo cheering with glowsticks in their hands. Pink trees are seen in the background.

The Little Ladies' Day festivities are drawing near once again, starting Feb. 26! 🌸 sqex.to/pv4YD

Gather under a canopy of fragrant blossoms and prepare for some "fan"-tastic rewards as the Songbirds and the Seneschal Prince grace the streets of Ul'dah with their annual concerts! 🎡

19.02.2026 12:01 β€” πŸ‘ 1211    πŸ” 404    πŸ’¬ 17    πŸ“Œ 66
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RetroDECK Discontinues Switch Emulation Support After Nintendo DMCA Strikes - Steam Deck HQ RetroDECK has discontinued Switch emulation support after Nintendo DMCA strikes all the current Switch emulators.

RetroDECK has discontinued Switch emulation support after Nintendo DMCA strikes all the current Switch emulators:

steamdeckhq.com/retrodeck-di...

19.02.2026 12:18 β€” πŸ‘ 21    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 2

Oh yes. Ultima Online was alright, but when I tried Dark Age of Camelot... slideshow. Sad thing was, I didn't know the difference and the long loading times didn't bother me!

Worst part: When someone called in and knocked you off the net!

19.02.2026 17:15 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0