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

[Nayukhuut]

I believe its a mix of both of that and some people overthinking things. Although I dont want to outright dismiss those interpretations since honestly anyone can interpret a lot of things about the story and thats fine. I dont mind that people like Theodoric believe Venat is some twisted vile villian, I just dont necessarily believe that to be the absolute case. Especially when its clear thats not what the writers's intention was for the character (again, Venat's character is supposed to be a reference to Venat from FFXII where they also served a similar role as someone who rebelled in favor of mankind rather than the gods) I more so criticize in how they handled the story rather than debate on her character. Because if we're going to try to pull the "why didnt x do this" then ok, how about why didnt the Ascians just wiped us out at the Waking Sands if they knew we were a threat in ARR? We clearly were at our most vulnerable at the time. Considering they've done this song and dance numerous times with other shards and their WoLs, I find it stupid that Lahabrea or Elidibus wasted their time prolonging their plans inadvertently causing their own demise. We didnt criticize that because video game plot, just like with why are we trying to play the semantics game with Venat and the Sundering.

I am sure that someone out there has a "wow, that person was a moron" moment for basically every character in the series. My problem with Venat specially though is that you are never really given the chance to call her out in the main story. She committed horrors worse than all of the people we have fought in the game so far, but the game treats her as a hero and expects us to do the same. It rightfully calls out the Ascians for the acts they committed even though they were trying to save their world, but it doesn't call out Venat. The theorycrafting on the Ancients is just a fun what if, but the story could have at least acknowledged that while this is the world we have now, and that there is a lot here worth protecting, Venat's actions were still not good.

And I don't mean she herself saying she wasn't kind and then having us make her feel better, like it currently does. I mean the Scions actually acknowledging the damage she did to the people and the planet, and the damage her actions continue to have. Instead the story gives us scenario after scenario were we are fighting for freedom and choice, and helping the people who seem hopeless, but then it turns around and says that in this one scenario that the destruction of an entire people is okay. It's a disconnect. It makes me feel like a hypocrite as I go through the story spouting morals and performing acts that quite clearly come with conditions on who is worth saving. It's just something that instantly brings me out of the tale, and sadly makes it much harder for me to enjoy it. I just end up wondering if the new people we meet will be considered one of the good ones by our team now. Makes me not what to get attached to any of them just in case they are not.