To the Official Forums of FFXIV:

As a fascinating addendum to this thought experiment, I also shared this analysis on the r/ffxivdiscussion subreddit. The resulting discussion was dramatically different.

While the conversation here on the Official Forums has evolved into a high-level, respectful debate on narrative craft and interpretation, the Reddit thread quickly became a flashpoint for intense emotional reactions, accusations of AI-authorship, and even ad hominem attacks, before being ultimately removed by moderators for reasons unrelated to its content.

I am not posting this to criticize any community. Rather, I find the stark contrast between the two discussions to be an incredibly valuable case study in how different online environments (with their unique cultures and moderation styles) can shape the reception of a complex, controversial idea.

For those interested in the sociology of online communities, or in seeing a "wilder," less structured form of debate, you can find the archived Reddit thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxivdiscussion/comments/1lx0ddw/a_20000_word_deep_dive_is_dawntrails_70_msq_a/?sort=new

I believe that comparing the two threads provides a richer, more complete picture of the challenges and possibilities of engaging in deep public discourse in the modern digital age.