Quote Originally Posted by Lunaxia View Post
(snip)
The biggest crux of such society that renders me to not see them as believable is that, given what I spoke, there's no dissent between them. People are naturally unique beings, each individual having different tastes, emotions, preferences, aspirations, etc. To suppress such matters while highlighting duty, it should have created frustration. Internal turmoil. Rebellion against norms. Instead, there was nothing of it.

And in the same prospect, this is what I find the perspective of other side of the coin not believable. Faced with such adversity, how come there was not discordance within the Ascians in their methodology? Not a single individual was capable to think that perhaps their ways were wrong? That they could rebuild in this new place, their lost utopia instead of pursue something that even if successful in the rejoining, would never be the same? None of them truly realized the futility of the act? None of them, upon realizing they are not so different than these "false lives" felt like they should be preserved instead? Even upon such loss, they had time. And with the 13th being their first attempt and a vast failure, there should be a moment to reevaluate the efforts, instead, they just doubled down to refine them.

I do not condone Hermes actions after he heard Meteion report. There was indeed his inner turmoil, but his turmoil came from the isolation. Why no one else felt like he did? Was he the wrong one, or the others were wrong? There was no one to talk, for no one would understand. Why did he felt guilt and sorrow over creatures denied the chance to live, grow and prove themselves, when others didn't and discarded them on whims to completely erasure? And ultimately, the hope that perhaps there was something different out there. Someone he could reach, talk and understand him. The expression of the Ancient cruelty over other lives but their own, acted in ignorance but still in cold-hearted cruelty due sheer indifference, is indeed a personal whim of mine in the whole concept, that deepened my appreciation.

As I said, I cringed when I was given the robes at the cost of the butterfly. To see that a character there expressed the same level of issues and concerns, was a surprise, given how since Shadowbringers such concerns existed. Things were not perfect. And it was good that they brought that over as the major hubris of their society, as a narrative point.