You're totally fine, but thank you so much for checking in!

Ohhh, I love this!!!

I'm also sitting here typing and deleting but this shit sucks and it's so hard. Queer men have consistently been some of the most tender and intuitive people in my life and we need more art that speaks to those stories too.

IT'S SO GOOD!!!

And, respectfully—the fact that this thread is mostly generating discussion about In from the Cold rather than the overall avoidance of the antagonist whose entire arc grapples with the refusal of those in power to liberate his occupied homeland is also very relevant!

This is absolutely a huge part of it that almost never gets talked about IME. Not everyone was a big fan of the series in 2013 but there was a much bigger understanding of the history and foundations XIV drew from, for better and for worse.

This isn't even getting into textual analysis of how (every) WOL's role in the MSQ inherently raises questions about their agency and power dynamics, especially re: oppressed groups, because if anything HAS changed over the years, it's a general willingness to have those kinds of discussions at all!

This thread's breaking containment so to sum up: There have always been players who view any challenge to their notion of (their) WOL's power and agency as bad writing at best and harmful at worst. Unfortunately these players tend to be the most vocal about MSQ.

I am not currently in the position to share my professional expertise for free but I will happily elaborate for a modest speaker's fee of [ALA MHIGAN GRIFFIN SCREECH]!

YES!!! YOU GET IT.

YEAH. And just like in Stormblood, it's had such a chilling effect on any analysis and criticism! ESPECIALLY from players from the relevant cultures looking to engage with the text in earnest!

I feel like Elmdore is also a difficult one for me when his demon hipster chicks are right there!!!

It's all "I want WOL to get hurt more" until it happens in a way that's cool and interesting and actually questions/confronts WOL's agency, then it's an affront to the MSQ and "unsafe" for players. See also: the 4.0 scripted Zenos fights, In from the Cold, literally anything to do with Ilberd,

This game's culture has absolutely shifted since it exploded in popularity and took on a more general audience during the pandemic; on the other hand, time is a circle, people are people, and a LOT of the same bad-faith reads we see now have been part and parcel of the fandom journey from the jump!