Zodiark's Codex entry what do we think about it?

[Cleretic]

For a while on these forums, I avoided the use of the term "genocide" for these exact reasons, and would say "mass-murder" or "exterminate" instead. Because I agree with you - using it about something that happened in a video game is really dumb and honestly pretty tasteless.

Personally, I try to use deliberately really ridiculous descriptions, to set the tone appropriately. Describing the Ascians as 'bashing planets together' and the like; it's hard to drag things to inappropriately real places when we're starting there. My one shortfall there is that I don't have one for the sundering, because I literally can't think of a succinct description that's more ridiculous than the actual event.

I do think fiction, even stuff 'aimed at teenagers', is a perfectly fine place to bring in heavier issues and take them seriously; I'm a big fan of Gundam, which is really good at approaching these sorts of subjects even with the 'Wow Cool Robot' element. I don't think they've broached the subject of genocide, but if they were going to I'd expect they'd do it well. But you absolutely have to handle that sort of thing delicately and sensitively, which these arguments... well, absolutely do not. I think the game's approach to this when it actually has done so has been generally quite good, although not perfect, and always really far in the sidelines to the point where it's hard to really point to and discuss.

And...

(which is exactly what Venat does once she start parasiting the atheral sea).

I'm sorry, but what? I'm used to seeing bad faith takes and misinterpretations, but I have absolutely no idea what you could've possibly misread to think this was happening at all.

Did you mistype and mean Athena, or have you misunderstood something so critically that I can't even recognize it? Because Venat never touched the aetherial sea, and deliberately abstained from taking in any aether of any form, even to the detriment of her own health.

[jameseoakes]

I'm sorry, but what? I'm used to seeing bad faith takes and misinterpretations, but I have absolutely no idea what you could've possibly misread to think this was happening at all.

Did you mistype and mean Athena, or have you misunderstood something so critically that I can't even recognize it? Because Venat never touched the aetherial sea, and deliberately abstained from taking in any aether of any form, even to the detriment of her own health.

No I meant Venat with her massive crystal of aether she's leached from the life stream after she sets up there after making herself a primal and entrenching herself in the aetherial sea

[MikkoAkure]

No I meant Venat with her massive crystal of aether she's leached from the life stream after she sets up there after making herself a primal and entrenching herself in the aetherial sea

She lives in the Aetherial Sea, but I don't remember dialogue about harvesting from it. I was under the impression that she IS the Mothercrystal and that it contained and was powered by the souls that were sacrificed for her summoning, with the souls being completely used up specifically because she didn't sip the aether of the world.

[Kozh]

She lives in the Aetherial Sea, but I don't remember dialogue about harvesting from it. I was under the impression that she IS the Mothercrystal and that it contained and was powered by the souls that were sacrificed for her summoning, with the souls being completely used up specifically because she didn't sip the aether of the world.

Nah, mothercrytal is aether from the aetherial sea she harnessed and crystalized over the years after she "became the will of the star". She probably did it little by little as to not damage the Star (that much). She hide behinds it every time she called people there, so people assume that hydaelyn = mothercrystal.

[MikkoAkure]

Nah, mothercrytal is aether from the aetherial sea she harnessed and crystalized over the years after she "became the will of the star". She probably did it little by little as to not damage the Star (that much). She hide behinds it every time she called people there, so people assume that hydaelyn = mothercrystal.

I looked up the scene and she says that after she became the Will of the Star, the aether drawn there began crystalizing to create the Mothercrystal and it became the Will of the Star in her place as a "faceless, omnipotent force of nature", which is probably the truest sense of "Will of the Star" over herself and Zodiark. She doesn't say anything about doing it herself or parasiting aether.