7.3 cliff hanger (spoilers, obviously)

[SkankyRoe]

So it is the Ascians again? I thought we were completely done with them by the end of Endwalker.

Nah the ascians were all about accepting death, these 'winterers" seem to be operating on a different, seemingly polar opposite MO

[SkankyRoe]

I'm really hoping Calyx is just a jobber the Ascians are using and the first sign he is not needed anymore they just end him. He doesn't have a main villain vibe at all to me. Better for him to get used and spat out by the Ascians I say

I think showing an ascian is a red herring at the very least, it seems much more likely that Calyx may essentially be an "anti-Emet" character given how his entire worldview is completely and irreconcilably at odds with the worldview of the Ancients. And the irl mythological connections add a ton of interesting context and implications that I don't think were just inserted willy-nilly.

[Zackneifein]

Don't think the Ascian are the new "big bad". Just that some Ascians (all the rest of them ?) are part of those "Winterers", and it would be quite "logical" that the leader, if there is one, isn't an Ascian since all the Ascian were under the "surveillance" of the Unsundered and the Winterer are definitely hundreds of years old from probably multiple shards.

Calyx didn't seemed to be subservient at all, and he talk about "their" Winterer peer talking to the Ascian, not "my".

[AntoniusQuil]

Nah the ascians were all about accepting death, these 'winterers" seem to be operating on a different, seemingly polar opposite MO

It’s quite well established with Fandaniel that the goals of individual sundered ascians can differ greatly from the goals and philosophy of the og ancient trio.

It makes sense that others have their own agendas like Fandaniel had

[SkankyRoe]

Don't think the Ascian are the new "big bad". Just that some Ascians (all the rest of them ?) are part of those "Winterers", and it would be quite "logical" that the leader, if there is one, isn't an Ascian since all the Ascian were under the "surveillance" of the Unsundered and the Winterer are definitely hundreds of years old from probably multiple shards.

Calyx didn't seemed to be subservient at all, and he talk about "their" Winterer peer talking to the Ascian, not "my".

I mean it's not entirely out of the question that these "winterers" are ascians that weren't on board with the Unsundered, we already had one ascian exposed as such(Amon/Fandaniel). And now that the Unsundered are out of the picture, they aren't constrained in operating as they actually wish to.

[Ath192]

I don't want any more ascians in this game. Apparently this entire world only had one group of people that really mattered and they can't come up with anything else from the looks of it. With these level of villains hit me up, I can give you better ones.

[SkankyRoe]

It’s quite well established with Fandaniel that the goals of individual sundered ascians can differ greatly from the goals and philosophy of the og ancient trio.

It makes sense that others have their own agendas like Fandaniel had

True, but those agendas wouldn't typically go against everything the Unsundered stood for and worked to bring back. Fandaniel was an exception, or so we thought?

[Zackneifein]

I mean it's not entirely out of the question that these "winterers" are ascians that weren't on board with the Unsundered, we already had one ascian exposed as such(Amon/Fandaniel). And now that the Unsundered are out of the picture, they aren't constrained in operating as they actually wish to.

Well, Fandaniel was acting low and hiding from Elidibus, and only truly acted when he had the confirmation that Elidibus was dead.
The Unsundered, mostly Elidibus, were monitoring all the Ascians, so there is no way he would have let some of his "friends" join a different with objectives that are so against everything he was for.

And like I said, Calyx talk to an equal, not a superior here.

I'm convinced that the Ascians aren't the "true" threat, it's just to make us think that, only for the reveal that they are just "part" of a bigger group to be more "interesting", under a leader that will become the true villain for multiple expansion.
We can't be "threaten" by simple Ascian after Emet, Elidibus or Fandaniel, it wouldn't work.

[MicahZerrshia]

I don't want any more ascians in this game.

I 100% do not believe they will be full ascians. I would put money on the new guy and Cylex or whatever that stock anime scientist #2943's name is, turn out to be Zenos and Fandanial shards. Because that is the level of creative bankruptcy I expect out of this team.

[PaleYonder]

I'll take anything at this point, at least a(n excuse to bring back) Zenos would bring some life back into this. If someone on the team was capable of writing either of them. Calyx so far is more entertaining than the rest of the new cast to me but makes it to Asahi shard at best.