Quote Originally Posted by Ryaz View Post
Yes, they're pixels. I was exaggerating a bit when I said people are sociopathic, however, it does show an empathy difference. They actually did a study on it when it comes to horror films that people who really enjoy them tend to have less empathy than people who don't. It doesn't mean they're killers in real life, they just don't get invested in the characters as much. I'm not sure why you don't like the scions much, because a huge part of the last two expansions was showing just how much you meant as their friend (especially to Alisae and G'raha), but to each his own. I fall into the latte camp of being a pretty empathic person, so I get invested in the characters quite a bit. Do I believe they're real? Of course not. I'm not insane. But I still have an emotional investment in them, which is what any good story should do.

And yes, Y'shtola said to not bring them back-- because doing so would cause the pathways forward to collapse. It was their souls keeping the place going. Once you summon Emet and Hythlodeus and the field of Elpis flowers, you instill some hope back into Meteion herself, so the Scions souls are no longer needed to keep everything together. Emet actually says as much just before you summon them back. It wasn't a deus ex machina, because Venat clearly tells you what the crystal is capable of.
It still goes against the themes of the story lol. Loss and fire and faith yet loss is never felt on the protag side, purely the antag side or minor npcs. As far as empathy goes, i’m a very empathetic person irl, so i don’t think we can jump to those conclusions based on films or video games. I feel far more for the antagonist side actually because they lose a loooot more than the protag side ever does because as i mentioned before, the story is very one sided. Horrible things happen to the antags but the protags are kept safe and sound or magically come back to life. It’s very boring and predictable.