What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[Berteaux_Braumegain]

This isn't really a complaint, but since we're poking at the story I had a thought I wanted to share: do you think the Ascians ever just found it awkward that The Watcher was likely always observing their evil plans? Like, Elidibus goes to meet Ardbert on the Moon and there's just this 11 foot tall guy in the background most likely watching them for any signs of shenanigans?

It's easy to paint him in such a way but I don't think either he or Varis were just being that way for the sake of it - Garlemald's entire credo stemmed from a history of other nations trying to trample over it, so it built up an ideology valuing strength and self-reliance and harboured deep-seated distrust of its neighbours and any "peace" offers. Completely understandable, IMO, whether one agrees with their methods or not. I think there's even some parallels with the Ascians in the injustices it suffered and the harsh methods it resorted to in order to remedy them. Symbolically, Quintus's death was similar to the "out with the lingering obstacles" stuff we saw in Ultima Thule, which rubbed me the wrong way in a sense, and I hope we're not just going to have more rather empty nonsense that they need to give up their hope to reclaim Locus Amoenus and "move on", even if it need not end up with those who took up residence thereafter in shackles.

I will admit that I didn't really care for how two of the three big "deal with the depression of these dead races" moments in Ultima Thule were basically just the Scions going "Eh, who cares?", with only G'raha displaying an alternative point of view that was designed to help the person he was talking to.

For that matter, they had the same reaction to Thancred seemingly being killed by Meteion, which was also jarring.