Quote Originally Posted by Belhi View Post
Im going to be honest, I don't really know where people are getting the sense that the Ascians aren't villains from. Regardless of their intentions they are responsible for carnage and suffering on a massive scale throughout history with no sign of regret or remorse even if necessary, and frankly seem to hold those who live on Hydaelyn with little regard and frankly sometimes a fair degree of contempt. That's ignoring the fact they are basically stealing the bodies of people to use has shells.

I'd also point out again that nothing in game or out of it except the Ascians themselves has pointed to Hydaelyn as being anything but benevolent.
ffff
I'm not saying the Ascians aren't antagonists, but their reasons for doing what they do haven't been explored yet beyond "Hydaelyn is bad and we need to resurrect Zodiark to off her." While what they do is very detrimental to us personally, on many levels, we still know very little about the big picture of what's going on with Hydaelyn (the Goddess) and Zodiark. Thus while their goal does seem to be genocide of all the mortal races on Hydaelyn (eventually)... the why is the big question.

Good villains aren't the kind who sit around thinking of ways to be evil. They're normal people forced into it, be it by their own personality or the situation they're in. Granted the Ascians are nigh-immortal sorcerers who command magicks far beyond mortals, and all of them (save perhaps Elidibus) fail to have any sort of sympathetic personality), but that still leaves their situation ambiguous. Why they believe Hydaelyn is a parasite that has to be burned out or the physical and aetheric planes will get messed up, why they need Zodiark back, what resurrecting Zodiark will do to Eorzea, what happened to Zodiark in the first place... etc etc. There's too many unanswered questions to just label them "generic evil overlord(s)." That's taking the easy way out.

As for Hydaelyn, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions - just because you mean well doesn't mean you do well, and what Hydaelyn's been doing doesn't sit well with the Ascians. Why?