Is 'Hydaelyn' a misnomer based on a misconception?

[MikkoAkure]

Could someone point me to the place in the MSQ where it's made clear the the WoL, Minfilia, Krile etc haven't been tempered by Hydaelyn?

One of the Warriors of Light from Ivalice straight up betrayed Hydaelyn.

Also Zenos and Fordola have artificial versions of the echo and are immune to tempering as well so you can’t say “WoL can’t be tempered bc they’re already tempered by Hydaelyn”.

I really don’t understand at all why people seem to think Hydaelyn is subversive and is using us and has us tempered. Sure, I don’t think Emet was lying about her being a primal and he has no reason to, but her whole schtick is free will. What is the point of enslaving our minds to do the right thing and save everyone? She does other things that aren’t like normal primal too, such as lack of religion/worshipers. Per Koji himself, Other than the Path of Twelve, the city leaders, and a few others, most of the world doesn’t know anything about the mothercrystal and they don’t even know the planet is called Hydaelyn.

[Elladie]

One of the Warriors of Light from Ivalice straight up betrayed Hydaelyn.

Also Zenos and Fordola have artificial versions of the echo and are immune to tempering as well so you can’t say “WoL can’t be tempered bc they’re already tempered by Hydaelyn”.

I really don’t understand at all why people seem to think Hydaelyn is subversive and is using us and has us tempered. Sure, I don’t think Emet was lying about her being a primal and he has no reason to, but her whole schtick is free will. What is the point of enslaving our minds to do the right thing and save everyone? She does other things that aren’t like normal primal too, such as lack of religion/worshipers. Per Koji himself, Other than the Path of Twelve, the city leaders, and a few others, most of the world doesn’t know anything about the mothercrystal and they don’t even know the planet is called Hydaelyn.

We infer from the evidence we have that it is the Echo that prevents people from being tempered by Primals. But Fordola and Zenos have a manufactured Echo. However the evidence shows that this prevents Fordola from being tempered too. Nothing about any of those three statements demonstrates that the WoL hasn't been tempered so I'm confused how you are inferring that.

I'm not sure where the concept that Hydaelyn represents free will comes from. Hydaelyn represents a last ditch, desperate attempt by the 14th and (possibly) others to stop the rest of their people from sacrificing the new life Zodiark created. Her existence is predicated on opposing Zodiark and his followers. That's it. She certainly didn't offer Minfilia a choice when she had Minfilia run back into range of Y'shtola's Flow spell. It may be that Minfilia would have agreed, but she was never offered the option.

I have no idea whether the WoL has been tempered or not, I am just genuinely confused by the ardor with which people embrace the idea they haven't. Just as they embrace the idea that Zodiark is bad, Hydaelyn good. Personally I am waiting until I have something definitive to base my conclusions on.

[MikkoAkure]

We infer from the evidence we have that it is the Echo that prevents people from being tempered by Primals. But Fordola and Zenos have a manufactured Echo. However the evidence shows that this prevents Fordola from being tempered too. Nothing about any of those three statements demonstrates that the WoL hasn't been tempered so I'm confused how you are inferring that.

Because the idea that the echo is us being tempered and that's why we can't be tempered by others comes up in the lore forum at least once a year.

I'm not sure where the concept hat Hydaelyn represents free will comes from.

The song Answers, which the writers have said is canonically sung by Hydaelyn. Plus inferring from everything that we've seen in game. She's a great and powerful primal, yet lets life do its own thing without worshiping her or knowing she exists and only gets involved when an outside force threatens all life. She just wants us to live. And she doesn't want to guide us either, that's the role the previous generation of life has for the next. Warriors of Light from the past have had free will too. Per the Ivalice quests and the lorebook, the Zodiac Braves were WoLs like us and had the blessing of Hydaelyn, yet their leader Ajora went and summoned Ultima, who is trying to corrupt Hydaelyn. Doesn't sound to me like something a tempered person without free will would do.

I have no idea whether the WoL has been tempered or not, I am just genuinely confused by the ardor with which people embrace the idea they haven't. Just as they embrace the idea that Zodiark is bad, Hydaelyn good. Personally I am waiting until I have something definitive to base my conclusions on.

I'm confused why people feel like they need to mistrust everything we know in the game. We've spent the better part of a decade fighting Ascians who have been killing millions across the eons so that they can eventually destroy all 13 extra shards of reality with people living on them just so they can summon their god who will rule in darkness. Yet people think whether Zodiark is bad and Hydaelyn is good is ambiguous? What is there to doubt that Hydaelyn is acting in our best interest and not that of her own?

And I'm pretty sure Koji came out once to say that we're not tempered, but I can't remember when or if that happened.