(MAJOR SPOILERS) Just beat Endwalker MSQ...

[Gemina]

Oh no. Hide, you poor thing. You've just activated the Emet fanclub. Their seething, raging, venomous loathing of fictional character Venat is a sight to behold. Prepare for a small but insistent flood that she's the most spiteful, evil, wicked, hateful, deceitful, vicious witch the canon of fiction has ever produced, and the Ancient utopia "deserved" to keep going forever. No, explaining story themes isn't a deterrent.

Glad you enjoyed the story.

We were lead to believe that she struck down Zodiark and imprisoned him on the moon to save mankind. I know it isn't like we met with Hydaelyn for tea on Wednesdays or anything, but omitting the whole, "I kinda killed everyone too." was a bit convenient towards accomplishing her goals. Obviously, the WoL cannot know this early on in order for this story to progress, but it also doesn't change that Venat was all of those things you mentioned. Every one of them. Even Evil. The ancients are capable of both good and evil acts, and the most powerful ones like Elidibus, Emet, Lahabrea and Venat have the ability to produce phenomenal feats when fueled by either of those pursuits.

[Nav_Fae]

We were lead to believe that she struck down Zodiark and imprisoned him on the moon to save mankind. I know it isn't like we met with Hydaelyn for tea on Wednesdays or anything, but omitting the whole, "I kinda killed everyone too." was a bit convenient towards accomplishing her goals. Obviously, the WoL cannot know this early on in order for this story to progress, but it also doesn't change that Venat was all of those things you mentioned. Every one of them. Even Evil. The ancients are capable of both good and evil acts, and the most powerful ones like Elidibus, Emet, Lahabrea and Venat have the ability to produce phenomenal feats when fueled by either of those pursuits.

I think a lot of the distaste people have with EW is that we keep trying to apply modern-day real-life morality to a fictional video game Ancient. Especially in a society that had completely different ideals of life and death. A society where being sent back to the star was considered an honored and a privilege. A society that is fully aware reincarnation exists. A society that is fully aware of the Aetherial Sea and the life stream. The Final Days was a problem because it would have prevented reincarnation and birth of any kind. In one way of looking at things, the sundering increased the population of everything by times 13 of its current. The game even goes the extra mile to try to point out that even though you share a soul, you're still your own person and your past self doesn't follow you. (at least until death when all your memories of all your lives collects together before reincarnation in some weird curl fate)