(ShB Spoilers) Didn't Hydaelyn, uh...

[Absimiliard]

(If Zodiark created the lifestream, it has a finite amount of aether, where is it getting more from? Why would Zodiark need a living sacrifice as opposed to just pulling extra aether out of the lifestream?).

There's no telling if they've decided on a retcon by now or not, but the lifestream was stated a long time ago to operate in much the same way it does in FFVII. Every creature receives a tiny amount of lifestream at birth. The quality and quantity of this lifestream increases over the course of the entity's life before being reabsorbed in totality after their mortal demise. Everything they are - memories, abilities, identity - is stripped away, their contribution allowing the lifestream to gradually increase with time.

What we don't understand at this time is the relationship between soul and aether. They cannot be one and the same, at least not completely - the void proves this to us. If soul and aether were one, there would be nothing living in the void at all.

[Kokomi]

There's no telling if they've decided on a retcon by now or not, but the lifestream was stated a long time ago to operate in much the same way it does in FFVII. Every creature receives a tiny amount of lifestream at birth. The quality and quantity of this lifestream increases over the course of the entity's life before being reabsorbed in totality after their mortal demise. Everything they are - memories, abilities, identity - is stripped away, their contribution allowing the lifestream to gradually increase with time.

That explains a lot, thanks.

What we don't understand at this time is the relationship between soul and aether. They cannot be one and the same, at least not completely - the void proves this to us. If soul and aether were one, there would be nothing living in the void at all.

Wasn't it said in the MSQ that the lifestream is made out of aether, which means that souls are aether arranged in a particular way? I'm sure there's a reason why the sacrifice to Zodiark needed to be souls and not just plain old aether, especially since with lesser primals all they need is aether from crystals, but it's a mystery to me right now.

[Deusteele]

The fact that they talk about cultivating life in the post-Zodiark world would indicate that a properly functioning Lifestream would be resource positive. If that was not true then the whole plan would be rendered void from the beginning.

Per Hydaelyn's actions, yes she did. Beyond that her actions have ever been beneficial to life. We have no idea why she was granted such a specific ability and what circumstances lead to the Sundering. The only evidence we have that she holds any agenda contrarian to life has been presented by a tempered biased genocidal megalomaniac.

Lahabrea told us no differently then Emet-Selch. The only difference was that the former talked down to us, the latter did not.

[Alleo]

To an extent neither did the new life deserved what was done during Sundering either if that choice was not their own.

Of course but that is again the fault of those that wanted to sacrifice the new life. Hydaelyn and her summoners wanted to let them live their lifes but the Ascians did not. If she was not summoned then this life would have been killed of. It was seemingly just the choice between complete extinction and being sundered but still alive.

And we have no idea how much of the old character was still there. Seemingly Ardbert and the WoL are similar in their character even though they grew up in two different worlds. Maybe those that got split did remember everything but lost it after the first cycle of death and with time people simply forgot that part of their history.

[Absimiliard]

Of course but that is again the fault of those that wanted to sacrifice the new life. Hydaelyn and her summoners wanted to let them live their lifes but the Ascians did not. If she was not summoned then this life would have been killed of. It was seemingly just the choice between complete extinction and being sundered but still alive.

A sacrifice of presumably non-sapient life to bring back heroes that gave their lives to save their world and people really doesn't sound that bad, if you think about it. Hydaelyn and her summoners may have wanted to preserve the newlly cultivated lifeforms, but they were knowingly sentencing sapient life--heroes--to remain imprisoned within Zodiark forever by doing so. Granted, these individuals were put there by their own wills, but it's still an awful way to repay their sacrifice. In any case, whatever life was sacrificed to Zodiark could easily have been recreated by the Ancients themselves once their numbers were fully replenished. From my perspective, the sundering itself was no less an act of genocide than what the Ascians planned to do with the all that life Zodiark made. Innumerable sapient and non-sapient organisms were altered on a level that essentially made them into completely different beings.

And we have no idea how much of the old character was still there. Seemingly Ardbert and the WoL are similar in their character even though they grew up in two different worlds. Maybe those that got split did remember everything but lost it after the first cycle of death and with time people simply forgot that part of their history.

The Warrior of Light's nature is largely up to the player to decide. It has little direct canon interpretation at this time beyond being an excessively powerful mortal with a penchant for killing false gods. Dialogue choices made available to us during the course of the game can even be used to paint a picture of them as embittered, lonely, and sick of always having to be the hero. Some dialogue options even indicate a strong bloodthirst while others lean toward a desire for vengeance. The Dark Knight questline also brings to light several negative aspects of the WoL's personality that aren't explored elsewhere.

As for their memories, well, we've no way to know for sure if they retained anything before their first trip through the lifestream. In-game text appears to indicate that it was the sundering itself that robbed them of all they were, however.

[odym82]

In general people don’t like gray morality. Think of all the hapless people you as the main character have slaughtered “for the good of the world”
To the families of any one of those people you’d be a villain.
I actually really like that they tried to trigger people’s cognitive dissonance about morality with this recent expansion. They even talk about how saving the world in the way the main characters wish to save it is ultimately for selfish reasons
Of course where they take it from here and how they end up explaining all the loose ends will really give us a fuller view of things. But again, thats part of gray morality is making choices you think are correct with the information you have and pretty much just dealing with the fallout as you move forward. Its a welcome piece of reality in a fantasy world in my opinion

[Gula]

In general people don’t like gray morality. Think of all the hapless people you as the main character have slaughtered “for the good of the world”
To the families of any one of those people you’d be a villain.

My thoughts everytime MSQ roulette. Hits home if anyone's ever talked to the Garlean Triple Triad NPC in Mor Dhona beforehand. Kid doesn't want to fight, but his mother made him do something with his life. And the one soldier who had the hots for Taru. They're still people, and oh what's that, a fully manned airship crashing to the ground? Pfft, whatever gotta get my EXP.

[Brightamethyst]

Most Garleans don't want to fight. The overwhelming majority of Garlean soldiers are conscripts. That doesn't change the fact that they're all trying to kill us though. It sucks for the soldiers unlucky enough to be in our way, but if it's them or us, I'm choosing us every time.

[Kokomi]

I actually really like that they tried to trigger people’s cognitive dissonance about morality with this recent expansion. They even talk about how saving the world in the way the main characters wish to save it is ultimately for selfish reasons

To add onto this, we aren't actually fighting against the Ancient peoples as they're all dead or sundered minus three. Even if they didn't want the fate that befell them, they no longer possess the ability to hope for a different outcome. It's very much Emet's personal battle against the world and even if he is right, there's no way the peoples whose existence are threatened can let him win.

I still feel sad that we had to kill him, but now that he's gone I doubt Elidibus will be nearly as compelling. Hope we dumpster him and Zodiark quickly and move on to a new arc.

[Absimiliard]

Most Garleans don't want to fight. The overwhelming majority of Garlean soldiers are conscripts. That doesn't change the fact that they're all trying to kill us though. It sucks for the soldiers unlucky enough to be in our way, but if it's them or us, I'm choosing us every time.

They are trying to kill us, but some of their leaders are actually in the right. The Twelve really are slowly bleeding the land dry, Eorzea's leaders really are pretty awful at their jobs a lot of the time, and lasting peace can only be maintained through a willingness to use force. Of course, there are just as many Garleans (likely more, in fact) that just have a massive chip on their collective shoulders because of how much abuse their race suffered prior to its discovery of ceruleum.

To add onto this, we aren't actually fighting against the Ancient peoples as they're all dead or sundered minus three. Even if they didn't want the fate that befell them, they no longer possess the ability to hope for a different outcome. It's very much Emet's personal battle against the world and even if he is right, there's no way the peoples whose existence are threatened can let him win.

I still feel sad that we had to kill him, but now that he's gone I doubt Elidibus will be nearly as compelling. Hope we dumpster him and Zodiark quickly and move on to a new arc.

Could be wrong here, but Zodiark seems to still be connected to the world on a fundamental level. The sundering itself appears to have been an unintended consequence of Hydaelyn's attempt to divide and seal him. If just splitting and binding him did that, what would ending him do? And Elidibus... yeah no, I agree with you there. He has some big shoes to fill, and I just don't think the character is up to the task.