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

[Lunaxia]

snip

It wasn't necessarily what I hoped to happen, per se, but what would have made more sense if taking the direction the writers chose. What I hoped for was a much more critical review of Hydaelyn and the removal of her crystal pedestal, more of Zodiark similarly painted in a less black and white view, more on the original Final Days itself, how they dealt with the mounting crisis and the original summoning of Zodiark, and the possibility that some day, at some point, even if far into the future, that the Ancients might be given a second chance, just as... pretty much every single other previously doomed collective in this game has been given.

As you can imagine, EW was a very satisfying experience for me.

[Lauront]

Yes, I'd heartily second all those points. I'm still somewhat peeved that they chose to depict the Sundering visually in the crossover with that Nier game, but at least they did it somewhere.

I'm going to begin (though others may have a head start) semi-facetiously referring to this as our EW group therapy thread.

[BaconBits]

Yes, I'd heartily second all those points. I'm still somewhat peeved that they chose to depict the Sundering visually in the crossover with that Nier game, but at least they did it somewhere.

I'm going to begin (though others may have a head start) semi-facetiously referring to this as our EW group therapy thread.

I beg your pardon?

They chose to depict the Sundering in the Nier crossover and not the expac touted as the finale to a 10 year saga?

[Rulakir]

I just legit find the concept anti-thetical to what characters preach if you think about it. It inherently implies you should stop making things better at some point which feels so antithetical to the whole 'for those who walk after' spiel constantly uttered in the game.

Hydaelyn embodies everything the Scions have consistently fought against, so their disregard of the fact that she's actually worse than an Ascian made them appear as self-serving hypocrites. "It's okay as long as it benefits us." Having said that, I can't even argue it's character inconsistent as all of the Scions have been on a spectrum of zealotry when it comes to her with Minfilia being the worst. Lest we forget they hand waved Hydaelyn pressuring Minfilia to kill herself and using her as a puppet as somehow "free will".

Krile allows herself to be possessed despite questioning Hydaelyn's intentions at the end of ShB, apparently because she was just too charming to resist. Y'shtola credits Hydaelyn with having forestalled the Final Days after she knows better from the moon. Thancred, the person who should have the most ire towards Hydaelyn, never expresses discontent with her and places his faith fully in her simply due to Minfilia. I'll say again, Hydaelyn tempering makes EW make more sense. The WoL, in particular, has no reason whatsoever to trust her. This is the woman who ended their original life and groomed them to be her champion based on a history of deceit. This whole bit of "she's on your side this time" doesn't work for me. She's shown to have no love or loyalty to anyone but her ideology and if sundering the Scions would've furthered her goal she 100% would have done it and they would not have been okay with it.

In any case, I've unsubbed due to the story and its direction

I wonder how many people have unsubbed due to the story. I know of several in this thread and I've one foot out the door myself.

I didn't necessarily hate Emet and Hythlodaeus in Elpis, but I wonder what we might have gotten without the fanservice lens, especially with Hyth.

What was wrong with Hyth? I didn't hate everything involving Emet, but it became obvious once Venat was introduced in Elpis that his character became manipulated. I'd initially glossed over it, but he hails her as having a "wealth of wisdom and experience" that is "unmatched" with "extraordinary" achievements in creation magicks, going on to to say her "singular brilliance" sets her apart and she's a "force of nature". So, essentially she's the smartest, most talented and accomplished Ancient who ever lived? Really? Why didn't she just single-handedly stop the Final Days herself? :eyeroll:

Much like the Scions with Hydaelyn, Emet's intellect seems to be drained from him whenever it concerns Venat or the sundering. We get brief moments where it seems clear he doesn't like her despite his praise in both Elpis and Ultima Thule, but I found it inconsistent. UT especially after Ishikawa doubled down on his 12k years of "hatred and heartbreak" in NieR. It simply wasn't believable and the fact that I see his UT dialog quoted incessantly (often by people who hate his character) to "prove" Venat was right further demonstrates that point. Yoshi-P's already admitted to using Emet because he's a fan favorite to push messages, so I suspect this is more of the same. Made worse by the fact that his takes on Emet's character and why he's popular are... bad. He has no business writing for Emet at all.

They chose to depict the Sundering in the Nier crossover and not the expac touted as the finale to a 10 year saga?

Accurately depicting the brutality of the sundering would've caused people to question the righteousness and benevolence of "crystal mommy" and they couldn't have that.

[Dikatis]

Y'shtola credits Hydaelyn with having forestalled the Final Days after she knows better from the moon.

This is straight up false. Here is what Y'shtola says:

By sundering the world into fourteen shards, the aether of all living beings too was divided. This reduction would in theory allow us to more easily interact with dynamis. Having seen mankind brought to the very precipice of extinction, you wished for us to develop a means to overcome despair. You believed we had the potential, and sundered all creation to see it fulfilled. To deliver us to that swirling maelstrom of dynamis in which our foe hides, and grant us the power to defeat her once and for all. Is this not true?

[ElizanderNorisse]

The story seemed good to me except for the destruction of the Garlean city. But eh, there are indications that we’re rebuilding it so.

[Rulakir]

This is straight up false. Here is what Y'shtola says:

Your move.

[KageTokage]

I'm curious as to how that line was translated in other languages because I'd like to think such a blatant contradiction wouldn't have slipped through the cracks multiple times.

[KariTheFox]

Your move.

That quote is from At World's End, which is before the visit to Elpis. Y'shtola had an innacruate understanding of the situation, and then after you visited Elpis she had a different understanding based on what you told her.

This isn't a contradiction, you're just being dishonest.

[KageTokage]

Y'shtola would have to have known that Zodiark was the one who stopped the Final Days after all the research she had done in Anamnesis Aynder, moreso then any of the other Scions.

I think mistranslation is the only logical explanation in this case.