A Dark Thought on Amaurot

[Vyrerus]

Just want to say, upon review of this thread that I made, that when I have dark thoughts about Amaurot it's not intended to solely criticize the Ascians that we know and fight. It's also commentary on Team Hydaelyn, as they too were Amaurotines who would have lived under and partaken in this system.

I'm not sure, but I think some people forget that.

[dreamfisher]

Among the Amaurotines there were those who could discern the hues of souls, allowing them to identify specific souls, even after The Sundering.

...

When a newborn came into the world, they were looked at with the special soul sight. If they had the soul of a dissident from before paradise, then they were discarded, their soul sent back to writhe in waiting.

The comments I'd read—wherein people speculated whether or not there even was a cycle of rebirth before the Final Days™—must have been in a separate thread, but I wanted to latch onto that bizarre speculation.
One moment, putting on my tinfoil hat...

As Hades well knew, souls spontaneously manifested within creatures that were born in accordance with the laws of nature. It was a gift from the star itself, long held to be impossible to recreate.

Supposing that there wasn't a cycle of rebirth prior to the final days, but that such a cycle was introduced either in Zodiark's rewriting of the laws of nature or in Hydaelyn's act of sundering, I think it would be very interesting if this was the intent behind doing so: that dissidents could be effectively filtered out, claimed, etc.

Imagine if Zodiark had the ability to temper every individual the moment they're born into the world.
Conversely, imagine if Hydaelyn had the ability to control when and where certain souls would be reborn.
In a great, intergenerational civil war, this would be quite the weapon.

Also, having built up roles around the cycle of rebirth, I would think the terms "Mother" and "Father" fitting.

Wild speculation aside (to an extent), I also do want to touch on what others are saying, that while Amaurotines seem to have a a clear love for open dialogue, it does sort of seem as though beneath the surface, they have a predilection for cover-ups and secrecy.
Azem wasn't meant to have a job crystal, Venat's name was never even mentioned, and Hydaelyn (according to Elidibus) and Her creators desired that "the origins of the world remain hidden and its inhabitants ignorant of their broken existence."

In a way, it reminds me of Yotsuyu's parting words, though spoken of Doma:

[Our people] ignore the corruption which festers beneath the surface. Cast aside that which is dirty and broken. Speak not of things which would disrupt their dreary little lives.

It caught up to Doma in the form of a wayward daughter made tyrant. If there was corruption festering beneath the surface of Amaurot, I don't see how it wouldn't reach a boiling point, as well—as literally everyone on this forum has speculated, I know.

[YianKutku]

That's what I said above, when naming out the reasons, individualism and whatnot. Aside from the rebel theory. But they weren't a Utopia. They were ... dare I even say it, but a bit communist.

The original "Utopia" by Thomas More was literally a description of what a 16th century Englishman thought a socialist state would look like. Or perhaps what he thought a satire of a socialist state would look like. So Amaurot seeming rather communist is certainly on point.

(Standard caveat that what Thomas More thought was socialism does not actually bear much resemblance to actual socialism.)

[redheadturk]

In my honest opinion, basically committing genocide by sundering an entire planet's worth of people is just as evil and morally wrong as what the Ascians want to do. It doesn't make Hydaelyn any less kind to the ones She considers her Children. Just that the actions of Her Heart were very much morally questionable at the time she performed them.

[SentioftheHoukai]

Just want to say, upon review of this thread that I made, that when I have dark thoughts about Amaurot it's not intended to solely criticize the Ascians that we know and fight. It's also commentary on Team Hydaelyn, as they too were Amaurotines who would have lived under and partaken in this system.

I'm not sure, but I think some people forget that.

I haven't forgotten. I don't want a big, bad evil Zodiark anymore than I want a big, bad evil Hydaelyn. As per their nature as Primals, I personally disagree with the idea of Hydaelyn OR Zodiark having much true autonomy and the majority of responsibility of what they've done can be laid at the feet of their summoners. At the end of the day though, the Ascians while I hesitate to call them villains for personal reasons (though judging them solely by what atrocities they are directly and indirectly responsible for they would be in the eyes of most) are remnants of a race of people who just can't let go. The whole point, I feel of FFXIV's narrative so far is that all life is precious and the Amaurotines' era of glory is over. It's not as if the average person hasn't seen their character archetype before in other forms of media, their goals hardly ever end in anything good. There is never a good excuse for wanton slaughter, former utopia or not people's lives are at stake and they're gonna fight you. As is their right.