Tales from the Dawn #3: "A Question of Life" (Hermes)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Enkidoh

I do have sympathy for Hermes too, but I'm not blind to his major flaws - my dislike of him particularly comes from his big rant about his reasons for what he did as just sheer hyprocrisy being that he thought the Ancients mistreated their creations, where side quests in Elpis showed that was very much not the case at all - Hythlodaeus after all during Ktisis lamented "having to put down the creations" and regretted doing so (and after defeating Lyssa immediately offers a prayer, wishing it's soul "would find peace in the Aetherial Sea"), and most of his researchers treated their charges with compassion and not as objects like he thought they did (I mean, they even hold funeral services for them).

---

Sure, but I guess I don’t really feel that those feelings are equivalent to the concern that Hermes felt. As it stands Hermes is really the only one we know of to have actually sought change in the Ancient world to prevent those tragic circumstances, and doesn’t feel it’s all justifiable in the name of the star. Whether others think that’s compelling is once again up to them, but I don’t think we can draw an equivalency between a group of Ancients having a small ceremony because a group of creations were cut down before they could see through their “purpose,” and Hermes who questioned the whole system to such an extent that he sought to change it entirely. I can at least say that Hermes’ concern was enough to motivate action, I can’t really say the same for anyone else in Elpis, even Hyth.

Idk, maybe I’m giving him too much credit, but I don’t see a monster here. I just think people are harsh to him for the wrong reasons. And I’m someone who thinks he should’ve spent the rest of his eternal life repairing the damage he caused.

Quote:

---

As was his wont, it took him more time to settle on its appearance than its more practical aspects, but at long last he succeeded in finalizing the concept.

---

Like so many of us, Hermes spends way too much time in the character creator trying to find the perfect aesthetic.

Hermes seems a little less foolish with the context that the Meteia were tested fairly extensively, and it was mostly his flawed directive that was the problem, not so much underestimating the dangerous potential of dynamis.

I still have very...mixed feelings about him that are hard to put into words, though.

it was sad to read how many meteia died in his quest for an answer.

I found this interesting. There's literally sentient planets out there. I wonder if they'll be part of a future space expansion.

https://i.imgur.com/kWLNK9B.png

I found it quite interesting how he was willing to sacrifice Meteia and Ktisis creations just to get his answers. I'm not sure how I feel about all of that in the context of his character quite honestly.

I liked how it went in depth into how Meteion was created, and Hermes thoughts during our rush to him in Ktisis. I sympathize with him, but the man went insane with grief when he discovered the truth. At this point I believe Amon is how Hermes would have been had he not wiped his memory of the Final Days coming and his part in them. Went mad from the revelation on how everything works.

I really liked that story, may be my favourite so far. Hermes is a really interesting character, its obvious he needed help as he kept smothering his feelings into a ‘ socially acceptable shape’ and that was a big factor in pushing him down the path we have seen, though of course he is not blameless. It was great to see a little more detail about Meteion’s production and Dynamis. Those planet descriptions where fascinating. Makes me kinda hope we do get to explore the Stars someday.

Its heartbreaking that many of Meteions sisters died over the time and that she bascially felt it when they did. That must have been horrible for her.
Also good to know that Hermes did feel conflicted about sending those creatures out to stop us.

Yet it also shows that he was a hypocrite too. Hating how the Ancients unmade creatures, yet send them to their deaths or in the case of Meteion, sent them outside to suffer alone. Even if he felt bad for doing it, he still did it. Instead of finding an answer himself, he wanted others to give him one, no matter the cost.

Also sad how the memory wipe and the loss of Meteion bascially made him give up on changing anything. Especially since he would have been in a position of power as Fandaniel.

I do believe that his actions were very wrong and that he was not really much better than everyone else (he did not care for those slain by the wolves for example, only for the beast itself), yet I can also sympathize with him. How bad must it have been to be someone with such negative emotions in a society where it seems to be frowned upon. As someone with quite the aniexty problems that has gotten more than enough stupid comments from other people (as if its so easy to just not be afraid...)I can feel him in the first few sentences.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Carin-Eri

Ah - missed that! Thank you, and apologies!

---

The printed versions of the stories in Chronicles of Light use They/Them pronouns if you were wondering.