7.2 MSQ opinions (spoiler obviously)

[Kozh]

Inter-planetary genocide in an attempt to revive a bunch of people while dismissing completely what is to be alive, what makes one alive, and understanding that their time has passed is quite shallow and ignorant to me. Even more, he spoke about how he tried and even had kids. That was the moment that my complete suspension of disbelief crashed down, and I could not see him past a bland villain. It just could not make any sense that he wasn't at the slightest affected by his life experiences, and wanted to pursue only the return of a very bland society, twisted and horrifying, settled in their own ways without noticing the ignorance path they have taken (which was hilarious given they were presented as scholars and always evolving under friendly debate of perspectives), at the cost of billions of lives? Yeah, no. It felt too much out there for me to relate, felt silly at every step. But it will devolve into another argument that's not really the point here.

If anything, he's the most affected by having to integrate himslef into the sundered life out of all ascian. Not helping that he has been a softie and sentimental person from the beginning. Emet selch character is basically someone who is torn between two sides. One side is him being the survivor of the Ancient world and therefore has the responsibility to being back his world and people; while the other side is him being personally tired of his mission and all the bloodshed. Emet selch justification of "eh they are not alive" is an attempt to detach himself from the cruelty he has to commit. Both the audience and himself know it's just an excuse (well, this doesn't touch the argument that sundered life are basically mutated form of his people and from his pov, it is messed up).
I think you need to read his short story, about the time he's emperor solus. When he had his first child, he has hope that the sundered isn't so fragile and broken. Unfortunately his son died young due to illness, which basically dashed his hope yet again.

Also, very much disagree with your assessment regarding the Ancient society. They're very far from being ignorant, I'll say the sundered and us human irl are way more ignorant and twisted than them. People love to cite the Nibirun as a sure end the Ancient society will end up, while ignoring how the other Dead Ends societies fits the sundered way better.

[OMGJesuis66]

Also, very much disagree with your assessment regarding the Ancient society. They're very far from being ignorant, I'll say the sundered and us human irl are way more ignorant and twisted than them. People love to cite the Nibirun as a sure end the Ancient society will end up, while ignoring how the other Dead Ends societies fits the sundered way better.

It's a matter of personal opinion. Ancient society always felt like an aberration to me, so detached of everything that made it feel absurd artificial and devoid of some very basic principles that composes people. Amourot irked me. Elpis irked me to an extreme. I physically cringed when Hytolodeus (can't type his name for shit), turned butterflies into the Ascian robe for the PC.

It just felt absurdly wrong and funny enough, what allowed me to rekate to Hermes and appreciate him, even with his issues in terms of writung that makes people disgruntled. And while I do not oppose short stories, if a certain story is important to create an ideal perception of a character, it should be in-game. Shadowbringers built the perception of Emet and my distaste for him, having bazillion materials afterwards just feel non genuine. He is a fan favorite, so the stories and everything would try to keep painting him as tragic as possible. It doesn't help to change a perception, much like Elpis Emet didn't, even if it was a more tolerable character.

[Lunaxia]

Also, very much disagree with your assessment regarding the Ancient society. They're very far from being ignorant, I'll say the sundered and us human irl are way more ignorant and twisted than them. People love to cite the Nibirun as a sure end the Ancient society will end up, while ignoring how the other Dead Ends societies fits the sundered way better.

You would be surprised how much of the anti-Ancient sentiment comes from simply "I don't like them because I think they're boring and weird", as if it isn't a ridiculous rationale that would seem borderline sociopathic if applied to any other group in the game as a reason for deserving to die. There's not much point in trying to reason against it.

Also, yeah, trying to claim Emet wasn't at all bothered by his experiences or affected by his "work" requires some pretty wilful dismissal of what is some loud subtext. There's plenty of valid reasons to hate him, but being unable to read between the lines and see the guy's a walking billboard for self-denial isn't on the writers, that's on you.

[FuturePastNow]

I do believe Calyx is being painted to be quite irredeemable as a villain, which THANK GODS, I was tired of this whole trope of 'sad, misunderstood villain' that Shadowbringers shoved in our throats since.
His presentation has been brief, and truth be told, all the characters that were villains had very vain and shallow motivations without being intimidating, literally, the only villain that carried an intimidating vibe was Zenos. Not even Emet was, and yes, Emet reasoning was shallow and very ignorant. People just love him because they made a simple trope right with an emotional gut punch that worked for some.

What I take from Calyx is that he is no longer capable of processing the will of mankind's survival and acceptance of a flawed nature of self and mortality. He is desensitized from the basic concepts of what it means to be a human at that point, even more so for living over 400 years, pulling all the strings behind all the events within Alexandria. His knowledge matching things that only our group of heroes know is perhaps the most interesting. The principle between shards, how each reflection is named, and even a degree of understanding of the Azem's Crystal. It has potential to become something interesting, and more of a villain that you debate morals/knowledge, not measure might. What comes from it, we have yet to see.

oh I fully expect his backstory to be as sad & tragic as they can make it

[OMGJesuis66]

You would be surprised how much of the anti-Ancient sentiment comes from simply "I don't like them because I think they're boring and weird", as if it isn't a ridiculous rationale that would seem borderline sociopathic if applied to any other group in the game as a reason for deserving to die. There's not much point in trying to reason against it.

Also, yeah, trying to claim Emet wasn't at all bothered by his experiences or affected by his "work" requires some pretty wilful dismissal of what is some loud subtext. There's plenty of valid reasons to hate him, but being unable to read between the lines and see the guy's a walking billboard for self-denial isn't on the writers, that's on you.

And this is why you don't share opinions about not enjoying something people fangirl about with this community!

Sadly, I did took the bait to respond to people, shame on me.

[Hallarem]

While I DISAGREE with the whole point of "not being swayed by the thousands of lives he lived, as he sired children too etc" some people are just that set on their ideals or goals, or power. You don't have to read too far into history books to see that even regular people like this exist.

I do AGREE THOUGH even more so with the appearance of the dull npc's of Solution 9 (minus Arcadion where normal people exist), that much like the Ascians they suffer from being dumbed down for the sake of the THEMES and the plot. They should really start working on building functioning believable societies like they did in ARR and beyond, instead of just putting a new colored hat on some new people and then rolling them around in their THEMES and ruining any believability of them being a functioning normal society outside of a few cutscenes.

While I enjoyed Endwalkers good parts. (hated the bad ones). I had to really cover and shut any logical parts of my brain when I went to Elpis and just focus on pure emotion.

[Andevom]

I do believe Calyx is being painted to be quite irredeemable as a villain, which THANK GODS, I was tired of this whole trope of 'sad, misunderstood villain' that Shadowbringers shoved in our throats since.
His presentation has been brief, and truth be told, all the characters that were villains had very vain and shallow motivations without being intimidating, literally, the only villain that carried an intimidating vibe was Zenos. Not even Emet was, and yes, Emet reasoning was shallow and very ignorant. People just love him because they made a simple trope right with an emotional gut punch that worked for some.

What I take from Calyx is that he is no longer capable of processing the will of mankind's survival and acceptance of a flawed nature of self and mortality. He is desensitized from the basic concepts of what it means to be a human at that point, even more so for living over 400 years, pulling all the strings behind all the events within Alexandria. His knowledge matching things that only our group of heroes know is perhaps the most interesting. The principle between shards, how each reflection is named, and even a degree of understanding of the Azem's Crystal. It has potential to become something interesting, and more of a villain that you debate morals/knowledge, not measure might. What comes from it, we have yet to see.

Nah, he is absolutely going to end up like the rest.

His little neck IV thing may as well be called the "Tragic Plot Patch".

[Carin-Eri]

oh I fully expect his backstory to be as sad & tragic as they can make it

Probably - I mean, that tube in his neck likely indicates that something was amiss before he discarded his flesh. Which is sort of interesting in itself when you consider that Endless from Living Memory took appearances based on the happiest moment of their life; I get the impression that this doesn't apply to Calyx.

[Lunaxia]

And this is why you don't share opinions about not enjoying something people fangirl about with this community!

Sadly, I did took the bait to respond to people, shame on me.

Because someone might point out the issues with what you're saying?

My guy, hate them all you want, I honestly couldn't care less. But it takes some serious media illiteracy and a determined lack of empathy to not even be able to get why the Ascians might miss or prefer their world, even if you disagree with them.

[Hallarem]

Probably - I mean, that tube in his neck likely indicates that something was amiss before he discarded his flesh. Which is sort of interesting in itself when you consider that Endless from Living Memory took appearances based on the happiest moment of their life; I get the impression that this doesn't apply to Calyx.

I think it was said in the story that he was suffering from an incurable disease from birth and was going to die from it soon enough.

Not related to this reply, but still don't get how we are supposed to be feeling empathy for glorified computer programs. Endless aren't people.