Quote Originally Posted by Iscah View Post
And in the end, not every story has to be shades of grey, and having a clear "good side" and "bad side" isn't inherently bad storytelling. Especially if there's still complexity within those clear sides, and I think this story has it.
I think this is the relevant distinction, though. Many people in general (and by extension the FFXIV player base) are not big fans of gray morality or darkness in the media they consume. They don’t want the characters they’ve become attached to to do bad things or to suffer too much. But some people (including me) do like these kinds of stories for various reasons.

Shadowbringers is interesting because you could argue that we are straying into that gray territory. However, looking back on the tone and themes of FFXIV as a whole, it’s actually very doubtful that this is the case. In line with your preferences, the Ascian arc will likely conclude with the message Ancients = bad and new life = good. There are several ways this could happen which have been brought up as theories on the forum: maybe the Ancients themselves are bad because they looked down on mortal life, or perhaps Zodiark’s tempering made them that way (referring to those that approved the sacrificing of new life). There are also strong hints that creation magic was too powerful and for that reason staying sundered is best.

I think wanting Hydaelyn to turn out to be less good than we think might have to do with desiring some internal conflict with the Scions - having them struggle as their core beliefs are shaken. For me personally, that would add some welcome realism, but this whole thing just comes down to storytelling preference.