Dandie Torrow was always a curious Miqo’te, with a moderate talent for storytelling and an intense desire to shine. Born and raised in the city-state of Gridania, she found herself drawn to the world of journalism, and saw it as the perfect way to combine her love of writing with her drive for success.

For a while, she did work as a beat reporter for The Raven, writing small articles about local news and events. Her colleagues thought she had a great future ahead of her. But Dandie wanted more. It was during this time that she had a revelation: While she loved writing, she also wanted to be rich and famous, and could easily make a publication of her own.

So she set off and did just that. She started reporting on and interviewing popular up-and-coming adventurers, with the hopes that they would use their own followings to promote her work, as well. She used gil and giveaways to attract would-be readers, and threw parties and special events. She quickly gained attention from other adventurers, who jumped at the chance for extra exposure, or a way to line their pockets. Through it all, Dandie acquired a nice following and relished in her newfound attention.

However, Dandie’s fame came at a cost. In her quest for popularity, she spent all of her gil on giveaways and promotions. She started to notice that, while many congratulated her on writing her articles, no one ever mentioned actually reading them, and they took far more than they ever gave.

In the end, Dandie realized that the audience she had built wasn’t actually interested in her at all - they were adventurers seeking to tell their own stories for clout, and sell their own products. They were not actual readers. They cheered her on, but continued to demand more and more gifts and prizes and exposure, when they decided to say anything at all.

While she struggled to make things work, eventually Dandie could no longer sustain the expectations of her following, and faded into obscurity.

Dandie’s fall from grace was a hard lesson for her, and she was forced to come to terms with the fact that success in the world of journalism was not always what it was cracked up to be. In the end, she was left with nothing but a broken dream and a reminder of the dangers of chasing fortune and fame over passion and talent.