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

[Graeham]

Is exciting. Guild making story analyser video now. All must support first video. Will be more to come.

[Atelier-Bagur]

Dont need a video analysis to see that Hermes being the one who instigated the entire ordeal with allowing Meteion to end the universe was a real piece of work.

[Rosenstrauch]

I’m not actually writing the part of them taking the fight to her in the alt timeline, but it seems that you’ve done it, so I’ll most certainly give it a read.

Ah, I should clarify. I haven't actually done that yet—only alluded to (some of) the Convocation, Hermes, and Venat eventually doing so. And while I do intend to write their first contact with the Meteia, I don't believe I'll do the whole of Ultima Thule. Better to leave that to the imagination, as otherwise I'd only be treading ground Endwalker itself already covered.

The majority of Ashes is dedicated more to the WoL (Galbana Lily) seeking to prevent the Final Days and the Sundering from occurring at all. I'll also make a confession—if you're expecting the story to portray any of the characters involved as evil, it's not like that. Everyone is given as fair a presentation as I could manage. It's actually kind of tricky, writing like that. If Fire Emblem has taught me anything, it's that having a villain or villainous group that exists to be hated goes a long way to keeping morally gray characters sympathetic. But I couldn't put a villain like that into this story.

… Well, aside from Ifrita. But that's spoilers.

[Thenightvortex]

Ah, I should clarify. I haven't actually done that yet—only alluded to (some of) the Convocation, Hermes, and Venat eventually doing so. And while I do intend to write their first contact with the Meteia, I don't believe I'll do the whole of Ultima Thule. Better to leave that to the imagination, as otherwise I'd only be treading ground Endwalker itself already covered.

The majority of Ashes is dedicated more to the WoL (Galbana Lily) seeking to prevent the Final Days and the Sundering from occurring at all. I'll also make a confession—if you're expecting the story to portray any of the characters involved as evil, it's not like that. Everyone is given as fair a presentation as I could manage. It's actually kind of tricky, writing like that. If Fire Emblem has taught me anything, it's that having a villain or villainous group that exists to be hated goes a long way to keeping morally gray characters sympathetic. But I couldn't put a villain like that into this story.

… Well, aside from Ifrita. But that's spoilers.

That’s fine, I’m sure it will be an interesting read nonetheless, any WOL that doesn’t blindly nod along and accepts that the ancients are doomed is a better character than what we see in the game.

And I have no problems with the fair representation approach. I tried not to present Venat or Hermes as outright villainous either as to not make it entirely one-sided. The only character that I decided to lean in with the “pure unapologetic evil” angle is Amon, I think that’s what they should’ve made him in the game and not dropped the ball with trying to make him sympathetic in the Aitiascope cutscene.

[Vyrerus]

I look forward to future videos from that channel. Wonder what they'll do next.

[FlatLined]

If that video taught me anything its that they had no idea what they wanted exactly from Hermes as a character. There seemed to be a huge difference in what they wanted to say versus what they showed and due to this Hermes is constantly mischaracterized(IMO). Even more proof for me to believe this expansion was rushed honestly.

[KageTokage]

Just the fact that they had to go on at length about what they intended for people to take away from both Venat and Hermes in Endwalker Q/A sessions makes me feel like there are a lot of things they could've gone about explaining better in the story proper.

Like...it's obvious Venat is troubled by the contents of Meteion's report, but it's not obvious that it was a major driving factor in her decision to cause the sundering due to fearing the Ancients would meet the same end as the Nibirun...which ultimately ends up feeling really silly with how easily they're convinced life is still worth living at the end of the Omicron quests.

[Absimiliard]

The whole thing comes off as rather asinine. To claim you intend one thing while providing an experience that very clearly illustrates another is.... special. The nature of the message is somehow even worse in the original JP localization of the game, versus the EN version's curiously altered dialogue.

To note; most other localizations do align with the JP version. There will always be a handful of areas where some creative wording is required simply due to certain terms/ideas not being possible to translate on a 1 for 1 basis, but the context provided generally winds up being the same.

[Britha]

I look forward to future videos from that channel. Wonder what they'll do next.

Probably a variation on "Venat bad!" since it's from that camp of people we've seen all over story discussion since Endwalker came out.

[KageTokage]

The only reason they even consider these analyses necessary is because the community at large has been shouting down certain negative interpretations of characters despite there being ample basis for such. It's gotten ridiculous to a point of people citing misogny as one of the only reasons you could dislike Venat.

I personally think there is a problem when I feel like there is a huge disconnect between my own feelings and how my character or the cast at large is reacting to someone in the story (The stated example with Amon/Fandaniel being one of them), and I never really got that vibe anywhere prior to Endwalker.