at the start of 2025, everything felt off. the internet, once full of possibility, now felt performative and overwhelming… except for one little corner: heatherjustplay. what began as a gaming channel became something so much more, and in february, we launched a 6-week experiment to see if we could grow the magic together. this is the story behind operation: rising tide.

the HJP community came together to surprise me on April Fools Day 😜

last night, we had the first of what will probably be many trivia nights in HJP. AND IT WAS AWESOME! 🤩

i’m in a discord voice chat meeting with four others: 2 from japan, 1 from Connecticut, 1 from Texas, and there’s me from California. we’re meeting tonight because these four people have volunteered to be the inaugural historians of the HJP community.

Operation: Rising Tide is an invitation to all of you to take an active role as part of the crew in creating more opportunities for more magic for more people!

today, i wanted to share a bit about what’s going on behind the scenes because THERE’S A LOT!

yesterday, we streamed the official chartering of our FFXIV free company inspired by the HeatherJustPlay community, called Kraken’s Call! 🥳🐙