Anyone else feeling disappointed by Endwalker MSQ? MAJOR MSQ SPOILERS!

[MilkieTea]

Maybe it’s because I was a homestuck kid/teen but I found a lot of the story extremely easy to understand and follow (which is good.)

You create a closed time loop (as evidenced by Elidibus saying he might’ve remembered seeing you there at some point… *before* you get there.) You were always going to talk to Venat, and because Venat remembered you talking to her she created Hydaelyn to stave off the threat of Zodiark. Because you helped find Meteion, Hermes heard her report and developed a deep-seated disregard for life that lasted across millennium. This stuff was always going to happen, you were powerless to stop it and infact you were always a part of the catalyst.

A lot of what you’re describing as disappointing seems to be disappointing because you have reader-omnipresence. You are able to see what others (even your player character) cannot. And it seeps into how you view the story and the characters and their motives.

[Raiya]

Maybe it’s because I was a homestuck kid/teen but I found a lot of the story extremely easy to understand and follow (which is good.)

You create a closed time loop (as evidenced by Elidibus saying he might’ve remembered seeing you there at some point… *before* you get there.) You were always going to talk to Venat, and because Venat remembered you talking to her she created Hydaelyn to stave off the threat of Zodiark. Because you helped find Meteion, Hermes heard her report and developed a deep-seated disregard for life that lasted across millennium. This stuff was always going to happen, you were powerless to stop it and infact you were always a part of the catalyst.

A lot of what you’re describing as disappointing seems to be disappointing because you have reader-omnipresence. You are able to see what others (even your player character) cannot. And it seeps into how you view the story and the characters and their motives.

Another thing to mention was Venat was present for Meteion's report as well, she doesn't just learn of the final days, she learns of all the civilisations that had collapsed because they pursued their vision of perfection to the point they were undone by it. When the final days happen the majority of the ancients are so desperate to bring back their loved ones they're literally risking walking into the EXACT same trap that had undone those other worlds. Hence the only choice was to sunder the world not out of simple choice but out of necessity as only through adversity could they ever have a chance at defeating the source of all despair.

Zenos even despite being that guy who just want's a rematch the entire expansion ends up unironically playing his part: his role in releasing Zodiark was what ultimately leads them towards the true cause of the final days and hell he even ends up HELPING bring an end to the final threat just so he could get the attention he craved.

In all honestly replaying the ENTIRE MSQ from ARR after this is all over is probably the only way anyone is going to truly appreciate the entire story as you'd be suprised how much you'd miss the first time around and go "hey i remember that!"

Also I'm going to state based on our information on our Original Selfs, Venat, Hytholodaeus and Hades its's very likely the characters were the absolute mad lads/ladies of the ancient world and I will be VERY surprised if at some point down the line those 3 don't end up reincarnating in the future on another shard for another round of shenanigans only were the team leader this time.

She kinda was like Necron. She's almost completely out of nowhere and only shows up in Elpis, with a slight hint right after you kill Zodiark. It was a clever twist. I thought it was gonna be she made contact with an evil entity. But nope it was that she embraced nihilism and due to Hermes fucking up since he didn't understand how to properly control dynamis she became a god. There are slight hints of her via the vision of the Final Days in 1.0, but her being the cause isn't foreshadowed.

To be honest when you think about it Hermes fatalism was a result of seeing so many creatures he helped create being made disappear as they were unsuitable and questioning what right they had to do so. He lost his reason to keep going and became melancholiac about existence. Meteion remember is a familiar who would absorb the feelings of those she encountered to learn about other people and their civilisations and she shared a collective mind with her sisters. When she linked up with them she is basically overwhelmed by the sheer amount of despair the others had experienced. You can only help but feel sorry for her as she ends up doing what she's doing as she has comprehension of what it takes to keep going in the face of that.