The Seventh Dawn

If I like something, I will hoard multiple identical copies of it – the more the better

If a person I like is about to sit down, I will quickly and stealthily sit there first with the explicit goal of tricking them into sitting on me

If someone is looking for me, I will silently follow behind them, taking care to remain just outside their line of sight for as long as possible, then act surprised when they finally notice I'm there

If I see you eating, I will insist on being offered a taste even if it's something I know I don't like, and I'll be offended that you offered me something gross every single time

At some point the populace of Alexandria are gonna try to learn about the outside world, not just Tural. Once they get trade going they'll get to obtaining some history books. Imagine cracking one open and soon later going "why the hell is the arcadion champion in every chapter?"

They wonder if it's really them cuz the WoL seems to be involved in everything revolving the past decade. (Honestly Eorzea's recent years is a rollercoaster of historical events- like what do you mean the moon fell? And a dragon popped out??) Imagine they get their hands on Heavensward. Not even just in Eorzea but other continents.

I love imagining NPC's slow realization to the WoL's whole thing. It's one thing to be a celebrity but another to be a walking historical figure. Like oh ur coworker faught terrorists and deposed multiple foreign governments.

Final Fantasy 14’s Wuk Lamat won our last poll so here she is~

I haven’t gotten to Dawntrail myself yet but all the art I’ve seen of this lady has been amazing. Love me a big buff kitty! I bet she gives great hugs…

That everyone takes the WoL for granted. Especially the Scions. And that most people simply view the WoL as a convenient tool.

I feel like a lot of the fandom in general tends to view how many npcs interact with the WoL through a lens biased toward a negative interpretation. While I believe that a straightforward, unbiased reading of what is actually said and done in game, leans toward a much more positive reading. Canonically, our WoLs signed up to be part of organizations that bare a responsibility toward the people of Eorzea. (The fact that we had no choice about our WoLs signing up is irrelevant to the game's story.) They are not taken for granted. They are expected to do their job alongside their colleagues. And as the story goes on and the WoL, due to their Special Status, takes on more and more, the response of the people they interact with becomes more and more admiring and appreciative. NPCs are constantly expressing their gratitude for what the WoL does and demonstrating how they care about the WoL's well being.

It truly boggles my mind sometimes that so much of the fandom seems to simple forget? or maybe ignore how much everyone loves the WoL. I think a large portion of the fandom has become invested in how they want to develop the narrative of their own individual WoL as someone who is very down trodden and constantly suffering on behalf of a world that doesn't appreciate them. And don't get me wrong, that's a fine theme to explore in your own writing. But the prevalence of it in fic seems to have clouded many people's memories of the actual MSQ. It's simply not the story that SE has written.

hot take?? but hard mode dungeons are amazing and I hate that they stopped making them because they

allow the devs to get more use out of old game assets

allow for fun new views of familiar environments (nighttime vs daytime, lush & pristine vs immense disrepair, normal fucked up vs supremely fucked up, and so on)

provide opportunity for microcosmic/hyperlocal non-MSQ storytelling (that people will still actually be motivated to do because of the dungeon requirement!)

provide opportunity for PROGRESSION of perhaps "forgotten" story beats

offer more options for gear progression and glamour

free us from the 50/50 chance expert roulette hellscape

help endgame not feel so completely stuck in the current zone or lore environment (feeling that right now in 7.3 especially)