Popoto Street Fanfest: A letter from Luna Aequor

Rakuza has come to expect a summertime explosion. As a crowd of loving gremlins try to scale the iconic Kugane Tower—only to fall to their near-death, leaving behind a trail of screams—locals laugh and shake their heads.

It has become the Popoto Street Fanfest tradition to watch the Anklebiters march Lalafell and talls from the pier, around the city, and up to the tower as they wait for Rakuza to open up to everyone. This year, pinks, reds, whites, and florals filled the streets to match the cherry blossom festival theme. Attendees decorated themselves in crowns of florals, vibrant wings, painted faces, and Eastern garb. Even treasured weapons and accessories were especially dyed and coated to match the event.

The final thuds of tower jumpers hit the ground in rapid succession, and excited attendees sprinted towards Rakuza once the street was set up and open. From one end, there was a bustling gamba alley hosted by Seiryu’s Den, Arcadia, and friends. From the other was a concert in the hot springs featuring DJs Cookie Gremlin, Quade, and Potate; next to it were the bards Scarletta Vendetta, Peloton Party, Melodic Musicals, and Liline Line battling it out on the deck overlooking the Ruby Sea.

In between both was a street full of artists and venues taking up posts at the numerous stalls: Apothecafe, Cactuar Cantina, Papashan’s Pizza, The Tipsy Tonberry, Short Stack Breakfast Bar, The Cozy Treehouse, and tarot by Aureate Emrys.

Attendees flooded the area, offering their patronage to all the participants and excitedly bounding between musical acts and artists. Lala Security Service patrolled and engaged in their own patronage and chaos throughout the night. And if you saw a naked gobbie running through the street, consider yourself lucky if they didn’t try to rob you for cheese.

Framing the entire street, N’yandre Rhel set up a post on a railing by the gamba to take official photos for attendees who requested a special way to remember the occasion.

And the most excitable guests had pulled together their best glams for the glam contest—a contest that was open to Lalafells and talls, but three adorable Lalafell took home the third, second, and first place prizes. What can we say? It wasn’t biased; Lalafell just do it best.

(Though, there was a tall or two who said it was rigged.)

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You know, I’m writing this now with Popoto Street Fanfest behind us and autumn settling in. Each year, I am always so appreciative of the people who join us for the event and put in the time to make it as amazing as it is.

When you spend months planning large-scale events, things fall apart and come back together over and over again. Soon, obstacles start to look like speed bumps; mountains dwarf to ant hills. In the end, it is seeing how excited people are to experience the event with friends and explore all the talent in our community that makes at least some of the stress worth it.

Popoto Street Fanfest started as a way to celebrate the Lalafell community in tandem with Fanfest three years ago, and now it’s a staple event that people ask for every year. I really don’t know how we got so lucky… Well I do, it’s hard work and a love for the community.

The greater Lalafell community is so vast these days—a countless variety of servers, venues, and events that are delighting in the same thing as us. The fact that anyone gives us any of their time to come see who and what we want to show off every year at the festival is a gift I never want to overlook.

Pulling back the curtain—no, not the same one at The Great Train Robbery, I’ll never reveal Doc’s secrets—this summer wasn’t easy. Many of us helping run the event pushed through all sorts of personal and real-world issues to make Popoto Street Fanfest come together. I always marvel at how well we all work together to make it happen.

What I think makes it always work is how quick we are to pick up the pieces when another needs help. That sort of collaborative spirit is also why it’s so hard to pull away when you might need to. You want to be there to help, too. These teammates picking up the pieces are more than affiliates.

They’re friends.

There are people in the Lalafell community whom I truly treasure. I’d go so far as to say they’re some of my best friends. I never would have figured when the Popoto Patch started as a community four years ago that I would have met some of the incredible people I have. They have been people I can lean on when I am struggling. They have heard me on days where I just desperately wanted to be heard. And on the days where life isn’t tough, they’re simply there to do what friends do best: laugh and care for each other.

That’s something I want and hope to give back to each of them when they need it.

The day of the festival is always a little intense. I have people in my ear, people in chat, people in tells, people in servers, and people in DMs—people involved with the event, people that find me and chase me for sport, and people who are just excited to be there with all of us. I end every year mentally exhausted but so very happy we saw it through to the end.

(Sometimes I’ve been known to get a bit sappy when it is time to wrap up the next day and think about how cool it truly was that we made something big happen.)

I thought this year would be a Herculean task. Enough was happening outside of the game that stepping into it started to feel like less of the escape that I wanted. But then flyers came together, participants were joining our forces, and even if someone had to back out, we had more jump in to help. Every difficult day was made up for by a brighter one.

I think it’s important that I say to the people who make up the Anklebiters, LALAPOP!, the Huckleberry Saloon (and Doc’s many ventures), Eorzean Lalafell Network, The Lalafellowship, The Gobbie Factory, Chiisai Smol, friends supporting like Dynafell, and all of the folks reading right now that make up the Popoto Patch staff and community… I appreciate you. Not just the folks who are on our organizing staff, I mean all of you.

Wherever you find yourself in this community, I hope that it is a space that always feels warm, welcoming, and safe. I hope you find the same wonderful friendships I have found here. Whether you play FFXIV for a season or for what feels like a lifetime, I hope you get a chance to be as lucky as I have been—even more, for that matter.

Cherish these friendships we make and treat folks with kindness. The world outside of Etheirys can be divisive and tough. Having a worthwhile support system and a soft space to land can make all that the real world throws at us easier to handle.

That safe space doesn’t even have to be the Patch. I sure hope you find yourself at home with us, but really I just mean, find your people and love them dearly. Sometimes you never know when the last DM might be, or when life might pull us away from the game or each other.

Life doesn’t like to slow down. Things will happen, they’ll continue to happen, and you might get a break from time-to-time, but life moves forward whether you’re ready for it or not.

I obviously don’t know what my life and my future will look like. I want it to still be here with all of you.

I hope it is.

But from the bottom of my heart, thank you for every good and bad time I have had here in this community. Thank you for all the grace you’ve given me to be me.

Give yourself that same grace to make mistakes, let loose, and remember that there are people in this community who are waiting to get to know the real you and cherish you like the folks I cherish so dearly.

There’s a quote that punches me in the gut every time I read it, and I really should stop turning to Joan Didion when I’m already being a sap:

“Life changes fast. Life changes in the instant. The ordinary instant.”

Communities can be difficult; so many personalities in one place, it’s bound to have pitfalls. But all communities are built upon the same thing: togetherness and belonging.

I hope every year we bring you Popoto Street Fanfest you find a sense of somewhere to be where you can tune out the noise and appreciate the quiet of the ordinary before it changes on you, too.