Lets talk about Starlight!

[Kesey]

Also the Rising from this year had a glass picture accidently broken by kids, which referenced the world's most expensive glass sculpture--which was an all glass model of Disney World--was accidently broken by kids playing near the exhibit.

So there is a precedent for real life events being referenced or transpiring in game.

[Enkidoh]

Considering FFVII Remake has references to pandemic panic-buying and toilet paper shortages, that was pretty clearly a reference too. Ferne and the FFXIV writing and localization teams after all are well known for refering to not just pop culture but real-life events in FFXIV's story and dialogue (a good example is in when the Antitower dungeon was added during HW's post-story patch perod, it featured among other things a spriggan-head golem boss named 'Ziggy' that used celestial themed attacks (including 'Stardust'), which was clearly a subtle reference and tribute to David Bowie, whose passing was then still very recent).

So this is pretty clearly intentional (but still just subtle enough so as to be fittingly sensitive to a global event that has affected pretty much everyone).

[rainichan]

Who was the Chocobo letter from?

Some SB raid spoilers:

Alpha and the OMG from the Omega raids.

[Noitems]

Def the best Starlight in terms of events and story we've had in a long time.

Not only was the main story fantastic, but getting letters from multiple NPC's both new and old was a treat. They took the best element of last year's Rising and gave us a bite size version to go along with this year too.

[Rannie]

Some SB raid spoilers:

Alpha and the OMG from the Omega raids.

I didn't even think of those two... I was thinking about the chocobo and his trainer from last years event but who you said makes sense lol