#i mean lunoct already makes sense to me. hence the quotation marks

[flowers-of-tenebrae]

the romance in ffxv would "make more sense" if it was written or read as josei (you guys the tropes are there)

but that would require 1) sqex writers to invest more effort into fleshing out and showing romantic relationships onscreen. this includes writing female characters (or other genders, it's just thus far the main romances in ff have been m/f) as more than an afterthought, a guiding motivation or quiet support for the main character. that is, give them their own motivations and full character arc, show their journey (literal and figurative!!) or pivotal parts of it on screen, and for gods sake don't write them into contrived situations that ignore logic (i.e. the characters' mindset and abilities) and only serve to push the plot along

and 2) players to view the characters' relationships from a perspective other than their own for once, i.e. disengage with one's own irl preferences or morals and consider the mindset of the characters involved - why would they be romantically interested in the other character(s)

(ffx still is the best written ff romance imo. it doesn't overpower the narrative but it is strongly intertwined nearly every step of the way. it invites the audience along for the ride, but it's actually more grounded, more normal than epic despite the stakes. most importantly it is satisfying for many players, y'know bc yuna and tidus are both major characters, protagonists who are never sidelined in their own game)

p.s. epistolary romances are great; try reading some! (yes ffxv could have, should have included actual personal letters between noctis and luna. at least dotf tries to amend that, but i don't really buy that they never EVER sent each other long drawn out and/or embarrassingly personal letters they regretted sending until they received a reply that nearly made them weep with relief)

p.p.s i am the #1 advocator for "they should've showed us more of luna's journey (or let us play as her!!)" and "luna should've joined the party" and "noctis and luna should've interacted more (on screen)"