Quote Originally Posted by SannaR View Post
Sorry for not responding and letting this drop off. I just haven't really felt as enthusiastic or passionate about talking about the story this time around. As I've said some of these things are only possible if you assume that regulators are preloaded with a soul. And I am starting to think that with these and a few other things the writers didn't really think about them too hard or past the initial idea.

Which sucks as I liked the story while going through it and enjoyed Wuk Lamat. I even understood why she continued to come along with us. I just hope they explore more about how the Alexandrians and the few Turali who wear these think about the regulators and what it really means to wear one. Especially when they barely scratch the surface of this life style via the side quests and how some are just now feeling a bit uncomfortable about it all. Not being able to remember a parent/person who fed you such wonderful meals that they might as well be a living person eating food in living memory. Or that there's a little regret in not being able to clearly remember a friend who talked you into using them after having a talk about it over a few drinks at a bar. And even if it wasn't explored what would it mean if a child had lost their parent during the attack due to running out of banked souls.

All I know is this system isn't really sustainable and probably started up at a high price. That and had a lot of trial and error if the lines in Alexandria are anything to go by.
Based on what you are saying, I believe you are under the mistaken impression that regulators destroy souls. They do not. A person wearing a regulator keeps the soul they started with and when they meet what would be an accidental death, the lifeforce out of a soul cell is used to revive them. So now they have both their soul and a drained soul inside them. Their memories are imprinted on top in order to maintain their personality as the dominant one. When someone dies of old age or illness wearing a regulator, then the souls they've used during their lifetime are then released to the aetherial sea and their soul is stored in the regulator to be cleaned and packaged into a soul cell.

So while it's delaying people's return to the aetherial sea it's not soul killing anyone or draining all life from the planet or anything. Because FF7 is very popular, people think this is a mako plotline, but it's not, which is why the characters didn't stop them from doing it. They find it distasteful and sacrilegious, but it's not actual a threat to the star. At least not from the information we've been given thus far.

The Endless was a different situation as what they needed to be maintained required people to die. And while they were able to coast on natural deaths for four centuries, they've reached a point where Sphene feels she must cause some deaths to get the corporeal aether she needs to sustain the Endless.