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

[Atelier-Bagur]

She could have at least told the world's leaders. She knew as much about what was happening about the situation as Hermes did at the end, and Hermes wasn't the only person who knew about Dynamis. Instead she basically just decided to go with her plan and then got annoyed when people didn't take her on blind faith.

Hypothetically isnt her telling them immediately after Ktsis also on blind faith?

[Allegor]

When did this happen? I'm looking through the journal, but as often happens lately it's rather unhelpful, and watching through all the cut scenes again will take time.

When we fly with her to the little floating island where Hermes taught Meteion how to fly. We went for the specific purpose of spying take a peek at their past. The quest is called "A Flower upon Your Return"

On a sidenote, I'm slightly annoyed we now literally know how the Echo works thanks to both Venat and Cyella, yet we still get the uncontrollable random exposition plot device sequences. It'd be nice to see our characters intentionally channeling the ability for once /shrug

[Nayukhuut]

Hypothetically isnt her telling them immediately after Ktsis also on blind faith?

No, that would be giving your race a fighting chance. They could have looked into her story and actually verified the facts. What Venat did was basically go around and expect everyone to follow her because she was convinced her way was correct, and she gave no one the truth of what was happening. She just expected them to agree with her.

[Absimiliard]

On a sidenote, I'm slightly annoyed we now literally know how the Echo works thanks to both Venat and Cyella, yet we still get the uncontrollable random exposition plot device sequences. It'd be nice to see our characters intentionally channeling the ability for once /shrug

The WoL seems to be the only person completely unable to control their echo at this point. Bit odd considering how prodigiously talented in every other area their status as Azem's reincarnation makes them.

[Theodric]

Venat successfully tagged Meteion and had the coordinates of her nest. She was also a well respected member of her society so the idea that the Convocation wouldn't listen to her is highly flawed - particularly if she came to them before the Final Days occurred. In addition, she had access to the Echo and we even see her using it to show the Warrior of Light what Hermes did with Meteion. Then, of course, there's the simple fact that many researchers throughout Elpis would have seen Azem's familiar travelling with Emet, Hyth and Venat. So Kairos ridding Hyth and Emet of their memories is largely irrelevant.

Zodiark was an essential part of her plan, so her opposition to summoning him was always feigned and exploited as a convenient excuse to misdirect her own followers (who she never revealed the truth to, either...)

Furthermore, the first two sacrifices were entirely willing and born of a plan painstakingly forged after other alternatives were pursued. A necessity to return Etheirys to a state of habitation.

Ultimately the game established that the protagonists belief genocide, eugenics and racial replacement are lines in the sand never to be crossed no matter how sympathetic the motives behind them.

She dithered on how the ancients would react to the report, in Ktisis saying most would simply be content to continue as they were with this knowledge, other than Hermes of course, then resorting to the convenient nonsense about the masses panicking later on. Even if that were a possibility, there is nothing stopping her from just telling the Convocation and handling the matter discretely with their aid. Besides, I'm not sure what this is about the ancients' attitude; we see from some of the Convocation crystals, e.g. Emmerololth, Mitron, Lahabrea and Elidibus, how resolved they were to save their star.

Venat gave her people no opportunity to succeed and actively sabotaged them - which makes her no different to Thordan or Ilberd who are both called out for doing as much even in the name of a greater goal.

[Atelier-Bagur]

No, that would be giving your race a fighting chance. They could have looked into her story and actually verified the facts. What Venat did was basically go around and expect everyone to follow her because she was convinced her way was correct, and she gave no one the truth of what was happening. She just expected them to agree with her.

True, but I think its more so that she realizes as well as the audience that the Ancients's way of life and civilization of eternal paradise would eventually be its downfall, because of Meteion's report confirming that many other civilizations strived for the same paradise as they did but wound up destroyed. The game shows to us the flaws in their system through both the MSQ and quests in Elpis and Dream Amaraout. There's also the factor that the WoL being there and the events and experiences he/she shared to Venat privately convinced her there was some worth and hope for the star's future due to mankind having to learn to adapt and grow from what we consider the everyday struggles of life. Most of these stories in jrpgs are always written in criticism of the concept of a "utopia" so its most likely the reason why the writers wanted to make Venat come off that way as a Prometheus like figure; which goes with both her character in this game and in FFXII where the Venat the Occurria rebelled against her own kind to give mankind true freedom.

[Atelier-Bagur]

Venat successfully tagged Meteion and had the coordinates of her nest. She was also a well respected member of her society so the idea that the Convocation wouldn't listen to her is highly flawed - particularly if she came to them before the Final Days occurred. In addition, she had access to the Echo and we even see her using it to show the Warrior of Light what Hermes did with Meteion. Then, of course, there's the simple fact that many researchers throughout Elpis would have seen Azem's familiar travelling with Emet, Hyth and Venat. So Kairos ridding Hyth and Emet of their memories is largely irrelevant.

Zodiark was an essential part of her plan, so her opposition to summoning him was always feigned and exploited as a convenient excuse to misdirect her own followers (who she never revealed the truth to, either...)

Furthermore, the first two sacrifices were entirely willing and born of a plan painstakingly forged after other alternatives were pursued. A necessity to return Etheirys to a state of habitation.

Ultimately the game established that the protagonists belief genocide, eugenics and racial replacement are lines in the sand never to be crossed no matter how sympathetic the motives behind them.

She dithered on how the ancients would react to the report, in Ktisis saying most would simply be content to continue as they were with this knowledge, other than Hermes of course, then resorting to the convenient nonsense about the masses panicking later on. Even if that were a possibility, there is nothing stopping her from just telling the Convocation and handling the matter discretely with their aid. Besides, I'm not sure what this is about the ancients' attitude; we see from some of the Convocation crystals, e.g. Emmerololth, Mitron, Lahabrea and Elidibus, how resolved they were to save their star.

Venat gave her people no opportunity to succeed and actively sabotaged them - which makes her no different to Thordan or Ilberd who are both called out for doing as much even in the name of a greater goal.

I think the reason why it doesnt get called out because it would acknowledge the paradoxical ethics of mankind. In which villians actively trying to destroy your life is considered wrong but if the Scions criticized Venat/Hydaelyn for her actions then they would have to deny their own existence. Ilberd, Thordan, Emet-Selch etc where all active antagonists wanting to kill us so of course they are the villians but to them we arent worth as living beings because they value something greater (which was the theme behind Shadowbringers and Emet-Selch). And the event of the Sundering happened millenia ago by the time of the game so there was no point to judge Hydaeleyn for her actions because its the whole crux for why we exist in the first place.

Because seriously how would you even respond to this?

"How dare you do this thing to your people which created our existence!" Should we just accept that the Ascians are in the right all along and that we dont mean anything?

[Absimiliard]

I don't believe they would need to deny their own existence to acknowledge a past wrongdoing. Many of us are descended from murderers and worse. Many countries were built upon foundations of blood and sorrow. Does acknowledging the wrongdoings of our forebears mean we must deny the value in our own lives?

Sometimes it isn't even a case of looking to call someone out. Sometimes one simply needs to acknowledge wrong was done and go on with their lives afterward. What's done is done, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth a moment of reflection. This is especially true in the case of past atrocities, whether or not they in any way impact people of the modern age. To disregard them is to risk repeating them one day.

[fulminating]

There's a world of options between sycophancy and "you repulse me". And yes, being appalled that the purportedly good god of the planet has the blood of millions of innocents on her hands would be an appropriate response, with the possibility of character development and scions being anything other than 7 yes men. I think it would be entirely acceptable to ask if the reason everyone is as they are is that, like the allagans and ixal, venat was breeding a weapon. Ironically fractal continuum deals with this in a more nuanced manner than the main story, but that's not a high bar.

[Vahlnir]

Venat successfully tagged Meteion and had the coordinates of her nest. She was also a well respected member of her society so the idea that the Convocation wouldn't listen to her is highly flawed - particularly if she came to them before the Final Days occurred.

Yeah. The worst they really said about Venat was basically "Yeah, she's a little weird, but we respect her." Literally everyone viewed her in a favorable light. If they only knew what she kept from them...