On Themis [6.4 SPOILER]

[Lunaxia]

Y-you keep calling my takes "charitable"! What can I do to convince you I'm not so soft and naive?

I'm sorry! Perhaps "gracious" might more apt, and closer to what I'm trying to say. It's not a bad thing! It's a very healthy mindset to have. It enables you to offer a fresh understanding on a situation that others may miss or be unable to express, and sometimes even create a possible middle ground to meet on in the centre of what otherwise can feel like a considerably yawning chasm. It's an admirable quality, especially when I find myself struggling to take anything seriously after having to hear how Amaurot is a commentary on fascist states, or how the Convocation supposedly resembles an oligarchy, and I'm incapable of much more than [looks at an invisible camera like I'm on The Office.]

And likewise, there is actually a lot about FFXIV overall and yes, even parts of EW that I could enthuse about endlessly if invited (I did play the game this long for a reason, after all), and it's unfortunate how it gets lost in the mix of the endless controversial debates. Personally, my enthusiasm - as well as my criticism - revolves primarily around the game's approach to storytelling and its ability to establish tension, create atmosphere, induce (the appropriate) emotion in the player and organically develop the characters and the story in a subtle but skilful way (have I mentioned lately how much I loved In From the Cold?) which sometimes it does do so very well and other times, uh... well.) And in less stringent circles less focused on an us vs them narrative regarding the overall view of the story, perhaps I could express them, but there's not really much room here to do that.

SannaR was literally describing...

But it's so inanely repetitive by now it's become by and large redundant, and winds up used as little more than a shield to justify bad faith takes and encourage a hive-mind approach to interpreting the story rather than considering it from a personal and more nuanced perspective. Can we not just report these people and let it go once and for all?

Edit: You know, it's worth mentioning I have seen many instances of posters calling out their own and acknowledging the mistreatment of other users from the critical side, but rarely if ever have I seen even one poster acknowledge the hostility or attacks inflicted in the name of supposedly defending the story - it always has to circle back to making themselves the victim, somehow.