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

[SpectrePhantasia]

That's the problem with the Scions; there's no change, and thus no ability to really grow closer with them. The reason there is no change is because there is no conflict. They are always in uniform agreement on essentially every issue and function as yes-men machines to get the plot moving in whatever direction the writers want. They are not characters now, they are vehicles.

There is a reason why people loved the Heavensward light party of the WoL, Estinien, Ysayle, and Alphinaud so much, (Bear with me and try to remember the Alphinaud post ARR that had some true depth to him) and that's because it had conflict. Ysayle was the leader of the heretics, a woman who defied the predominant faith of the culture you've just grown accustomed to, and who you've fought before. Then you have Estinien, a staunch believer in Ishgard's side of history who fights tooth and nail to justify his hatred of dragonkind due to what he's experienced in the past, and it shows in how he acts (who you may have also fought before). This clash leads to genuine arguments and tense moments that the WoL and Alphinaud contribute to as neutral 3rd parties, mediating and urging focus on their larger goal. In time, they all come to bond over their pasts and form a desire to find an agreeable solution, in spite of their disagreements. Even now, people are yearning for the chemistry this group had in their short time together.

I would urge the people who write these characters to remember that having two people stand next to each other and work towards a similar goal does not make them friends. It's growing closer through conflict and resolution, no matter how large or small. No amount of burger outings are going to make me feel something for these people. The closest we've gotten in regard to the scions is Urianger lacking trust, but I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that never really goes anywhere meaningful.

[Skyborne]

That's the problem with the Scions; there's no change, and thus no ability to really grow closer with them. The reason there is no change is because there is no conflict. They are always in uniform agreement on essentially every issue and function as yes-men machines to get the plot moving in whatever direction the writers want. They are not characters now, they are vehicles.

There is a reason why people loved the Heavensward light party of the WoL, Estinien, Ysayle, and Alphinaud so much, (Bear with me and try to remember the Alphinaud post ARR that had some true depth to him) and that's because it had conflict. Ysayle was the leader of the heretics, a woman who defied the predominant faith of the culture you've just grown accustomed to, and who you've fought before. Then you have Estinien, a staunch believer in Ishgard's side of history who fights tooth and nail to justify his hatred of dragonkind due to what he's experienced in the past, and it shows in how he acts (who you may have also fought before). This clash leads to genuine arguments and tense moments that the WoL and Alphinaud contribute to as neutral 3rd parties, mediating and urging focus on their larger goal. In time, they all come to bond over their pasts and form a desire to find an agreeable solution, in spite of their disagreements. Even now, people are yearning for the chemistry this group had in their short time together.

I would urge the people who write these characters to remember that having two people stand next to each other and work towards a similar goal does not make them friends. It's growing closer through conflict and resolution, no matter how large or small. No amount of burger outings are going to make me feel something for these people. The closest we've gotten in regard to the scions is Urianger lacking trust, but I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that never really goes anywhere meaningful.

It's been said many times before and yes... it's just peculiar when you notice it. The Alliance leaders all seem to get along very well with no heavy disagreements, despite all being from very different cultures and having different values and different needs (no, I don't count the comic relief bickering between No-Wenches? and Jolly Ol' Boy)... and somehow I kind of doubt 6.2+ will do anything in regards to that, even though the main threats are now gone. I would like to be proven wrong... but EW showed propping up and swaddling the player with a feel-good blanket to be the main priority.

Even the Ancients, who had the 'humble and benevolent collective' (or 'omg bad oppressive stagnant hubristic decadent circling the drain dystopia' if you see it that way) thing going on was implied to have disagreements all the time that they worked out through debates with the one we saw in Amaurot as an example, with their society only being totally torn apart post-Final Days.

[Rulakir]

The closest we've gotten in regard to the scions is Urianger lacking trust, but I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that never really goes anywhere meaningful.

Urianger is the Scion I like the least specifically due to his duplicity. I'm frequently reminded of that old saying, "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me." We're long past that to now accepting this as an immutable quality of his character and I'm not okay with it.

The Alliance leaders all seem to get along very well with no heavy disagreements, despite all being from very different cultures and having different values and different needs

It irritates me to no end how Aymeric throws Ishgard into every Eorzean conflict now as some sort of reparation, particularly as if he owes it to my WoL. I keep wanting to remind him that I was a refugee, forced to flee due to being framed for regicide. I was not acting as a representative of the Alliance during the Dragonsong War, in fact, I was irked at the treaty signing.

[Cach]

That's the problem with the Scions; there's no change, and thus no ability to really grow closer with them. The reason there is no change is because there is no conflict. They are always in uniform agreement on essentially every issue and function as yes-men machines to get the plot moving in whatever direction the writers want. They are not characters now, they are vehicles.

Most Scions would have been better served by pulling a Lyse and taken 2 steps to the side. I would have been more than ok with Thancred dying in ShB to finish his arc, for example. But I guess the JRPG party death quota is already full. I could barely contain my eyes from rolling every time Ultima Thule tried to fake death a Scion. Yeah game, sure.

I'm hoping we swerve away from the almost Whedon-esque style. Don't get me wrong, levity is okay, specially after a lot of heavy stuff has ended. But 6.1's tone was all over the place.