Sitting here, staring out.

As I'm writing this, I'm sitting in a seminar room that isn't in the english department, listening to someone who isn't a part of the staff. She's talking telling us about sound and radio publishing. I can say without a doubt it's not for me, although it has made me think about the story of final fantasy. At face value, who the fuck do the writers think they are? There is a golden rule amongst writers worldwide; show, don't tell.

The difference being if a man misses his wife, you write something along the lines of

"he came home that day soaked, and dried himself with a pink towel not marked for him. After snatching a beer from the icy jowls of the fridge, and tapping it's broken thermostat, he sat down in his chair that faced the fire. He turned the photo frame next to him face-down, and wondered how he'd get the smell of hospital and blood out of his skin."

If one were to tell us, it'd sound like:

"he wept, the rain hiding the tears on his face and he dried himself on a towel, her towel.

He needed to drink, his only sanctuary, and like his heart, the fridge was broken and cold.

He sat in the chair where they made love, and, un able to look at her face, turned the photo frame down lest he find her again and cry. Her blood was still on him, and the synthetic stench of the hospital where're she died."

Do you see where. I'm coming from? Th first has an element of mystery about it. What is happening to this man? I wonder why he's doing all this? I must read it again and think about it, so I may decipher!

Te second one makes the man sound like a whining bitch.  Sure, you know what's going on, but without the element of mystery nor character development. Te reader is being told that he's upset, rather than having to apply themselves that keeps them reading.

Now think on this: when in the history of ffxi have we Ever had the former? Think on it; our characters are limited by the fact they can't respond, bar the line chosen unsaid responses we're given, that often can't change the way something is done. Te closest we get to this is the unintentional choice of more or less coins in the treasures of aht uhrgan, which in the long run is actually bugger all.

I don't think FFXIV will change this state of affairs. Yeah, we've been given a bit more story, but revolving around a mute character? I think we need to take some advice from more recent single player RPGs to make the MMO that little bit more exciting.