A small request of SE

[Dalvy]

While I personally would have been suspicious the moment we recruited random people off the street, people who say "I could have turned this around!" are forgetting a few things.. The PC is not supposed to be this mega strong Superman. Remember that everything we've done up to this point, was done with a lot of help from npcs or hired mercs (other players). We got outplayed and outclassed by the Syndicate, and had no time to react or counterattack because this scene happened very fast. You would go down very quick if you tried to fight; its a handful of people versus two armies, plus the Immortal Flames being forced to act. More importantly, any aggression would just further prove the case made against you and the scions. We the player know its false, but npcs don't.

[MXMoondoggie]

While I personally would have been suspicious the moment we recruited random people off the street, people who say "I could have turned this around!" are forgetting a few things.. The PC is not supposed to be this mega strong Superman. Remember that everything we've done up to this point, was done with a lot of help from npcs or hired mercs (other players). We got outplayed and outclassed by the Syndicate, and had no time to react or counterattack because this scene happened very fast. You would go down very quick if you tried to fight; its a handful of people versus two armies, plus the Immortal Flames being forced to act. More importantly, any aggression would just further prove the case made against you and the scions. We the player know its false, but npcs don't.

I think what people need to remember in all this is all those foresight scenes we saw in the storyline our character didn't. This was a big surprise and we were betrayed by people we thought were ours. A lot of pockets have been lined and a lot of political manipulation went on to give certain people an advantage to get to this position. People can say "Oh i knew he was bad why is my character dumb!" but what we see in scenes is not always the same as what the character sees.

[Cilia]

I think we've forgotten what OP actually said in all this discussion. Reposted for your edification:

OP is asking the writers to throw out every remotely interesting tool in their toolbox and instead write a pleasant fluff fanfic where the player character never suffers any hardship on their way to victory. That's not a hero's journey; that's shooting fish in a barrel and it's stupid.

Hey, that's not fair! If you're going to proffer an argument at least include the full context! Here, like this:

Please, never include the PC in any cutscene that involves negative things happening that any job/class could possibly prevent. It's immersion breaking and amateurish storytelling at best, a case of "They didn't care" at worst.

OP isn't mad about how negative things happened to the PC, but that there were ways to prevent or avoid some of them depending on your class (or, just so it's included, how perceptive they were of the frame job).

However as I've gone over before, there are simply too many options that X class could take and Y class couldn't, or too many things Character A would or could do that Character B wouldn't or couldn't and vice versa. Since they can't program for any and every eventuality, SE just made the PC solemnly accept their arrest, and people going with "spitfire" personalities feel like their character was hijacked.

Immersion breaking? Yeah. Not in character for some players' PC? Yeah. Necessary evil? Yeah.

Immersion is broken in every cutscene anyway though, so I don't understand what the fuss is about.

Minfilia: "You're a great and selfless hero! We all love you!"
Player: These people love me! Screw characterization, that's awesome!

Teledji: "I'm arresting you for regicide!"
Player: Hey, that's not fair! My PC would totally fight back or something!

... there's no difference in immersion breaks, but this is probably what things went like for a lot of heavy RPers. I'd extrapolate that in regards to escapism, but I've not the time right now and that's not the topic regardless. Nope, I'll just tell you how I felt at the end of 2.5.5...

Minfilia: "You have to escape! You're the Warrior of Light, Eorzea's hope!"

...

(in Camp Dragonhead)
Cilia: "I never asked for this."