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

[EaraGrace]

Metion and her sisters were created by Hermes, so therefore ancients can interact with dynamis in that way, they can make creations with thin aether and dense dynamis.

Elpis flowers (made of dynamis) reacted to the ancients, they are always white in Elpis unless Hermes is near and they pick up on his depression. That’s a major plot point and proves that ancients can influence dynamis creations.

In Ultima Thule, a zone that we are led to believe is purely dynamis, Emet & Hythlo show up to create Elpis flowers using creation magic AND 'weave the fabric of reality' to make the zone survivable for us (oxygen etc.) as seen in this scene:

Hythlodeus:
“As you’ve called us to the stage, so shall we perform. And creation magicks never fail to please.”
“Drawing upon the hopes of your comrades, we will make for you a new path.”
Emet-Selch:
“What form that path takes depends on you. So focus - focus and envision that which rejects the claim that you cannot atain your goal.”
Hythlodeus:
“Ours is the wisdom to weave the fabric of reality…”
“Ours is the power to create!”
Emet *SNAP* The field of elpis flowers appears. (Dynamis flowers, created in a dynamis zone by aether dense ancients.)

Emet-Selch (later in this scene):
“In case the practical implications are lost on you, your comrades no longer need to fight their fight.”
“So go on, call them back to your side.”

So their power is not limited simple creation magic even whilst inside a dynamis influenced zone, they are easily able to alter that zone itself into one that is fully survivable for aether based creatures.

Also, judging by the fact that Zodiark's Aether shield held up for 12,000 years against the endsingers onslaught, despite Zodiark being sundered, seems to show that Aether is strong against dynamis and in no way shows that as a weakness.

So, where does the story prove the theory that "the ancients couldn't defeat a being made of nearly pure Dynamis"? I guess with my bad reading comprehension or short attention span I must have missed it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Now let’s not forget the line that precedes that.

Meteion: What are you?

Emet: Half-faded souls of the dead. Isn’t it painfully obvious?

Emet: Worry not - We haven’t the power to defeat you. Nor is it our duty to do so, not anymore.

So yeah you could actually have Ancients manipulate Dynamis.

You’d just have to kill them first, let their souls degrade in the sea, then have them use the hope fueled Dynamis generated by a group of Sundered and presto! Ancients manipulating dynamis.

[Fiel_Tana]

Now let’s not forget the line that precedes that.

Meteion: What are you?

Emet: Half-faded souls of the dead. Isn’t it painfully obvious?

Emet: Worry not - We haven’t the power to defeat you. Nor is it our duty to do so, not anymore.
So yeah you could actually have Ancients manipulate Dynamis.

You’d just have to kill them first, let their souls degrade in the sea, then have them use the hope fueled Dynamis generated by a group of Sundered and presto! Ancients manipulating dynamis.

Yes, that is possible that may have been the case IF it was shown anywhere in the story that ancients could not interact with dynamis. Otherwise this may also mean something as simple as being half faded souls of the dead makes combat more tricky... not having a body and all. That text can be read many ways and is pretty vague.

I've offered clear examples showing ancients fully capable of interacting with dynamis, my question remains... where does the story prove ancients incapable, or even show this clearly in any way?

[EaraGrace]

Yes, that is possible that may have been the case IF it was shown anywhere in the story that ancients could not interact with dynamis. Otherwise this may also mean that being half faded souls of the dead makes combat more tricky... not having a body and all. That text can be read many ways and is pretty vague.

I've offered clear examples showing ancients fully capable of interacting with dynamis, my question remains... where does the story prove ancients incapable, or even show this clearly in any way?

Then there’s the scene where only we could hear Meteion etc etc.

I like how you completely disregard the rest of their post which gives other forms of proof they found indirectly manipulate it

Right my point is that they have to reduce their aetheric density to do so, i.e. die and be half faded souls. Yknow, sort of like the Sundered, we’re their weakened souls.

[Fiel_Tana]

Then there’s the scene where only we could hear Meteion etc etc.

Yet, he clearly did manipulate dynamis as he is the one that created Metion so that is an obvious falsehood.

That also brings up a new question however...

If we were the only ones to be able to hear Metion and ancients can not readily be manipulated by dynamis... How then does her song of despair cause them any issue?

Seems to me like Hermes is not only an unreliable narrator, he hadn't fully thought things through and therefore is misunderstanding the power of dynamis. Though his entire plan wasn't thought out well, so I lean towards that theory as opposed to him knowingly lying in that scene.

[EaraGrace]

Yet, he clearly did manipulate dynamis as he is the one that created Metion so that is an obvious falsehood.

That also brings up a new question however...

If we were the only ones to be able to hear Metion and ancients can not readily be manipulated by dynamis... How then does her song of despair cause them any issue?

Seems to me like Hermes is not only an unreliable narrator, he hadn't fully thought things through and therefore is misunderstanding the power of dynamis. Though his entire plan wasn't thought out well, so I lean towards that theory as opposed to him knowingly lying in that scene.

I’m sorry but creating a being that can manipulate dynamis does not mean you can manipulate it. Venat couldn't manipulate dynamis because she Sundered the world and gave rise to beings that could after all.

For why it’s a problem here’s Hermes again.

I meant doomed in terms of if it hadn't been Hermes or Venat it would've been someone. Ironically, between the two of them (and depending on where Pandemonium goes) The Plenty is seeming like the best case scenario. :P

Venat merely kicked the can down the road and in the 8UC timeline her plan abysmally failed. The narrative tries to insist that the sundering was beneficial and the sundered are superior to the unsundered, yet never sufficiently makes that case. This is the problem with making everything revolve around the WoL. Had the WoL tripped and fallen off the edge of Ishgard it'd be game over for everyone, which is ridiculous.

She wasn’t just relying on the WoL though.

Hydaelyn: Long have I searched for a means to safeguard this star.

Hydaelyn: Though I knew failure after failure, by recalling thy tales - and my promise to thee - I found the strength to carry on.

While making everything about the WoL was clearly a writing decision, in universe there’s no reason to believe that any alternative plan would yield victory.