Quote Originally Posted by Cilia View Post
You're missing the point (and running on one quote that doesn't exist in-game for your argument). While we are given support, we're still just following orders. Nobody really cares what we want.
I don't really know what quote you're talking about, I didn't quote anybody from in-game. If you're talking about your own quote, I wasn't referring to it specifically, but rather just to the general idea behind it. You can't say that we're "just following orders" though, our input is asked for several times and we fight the Primals because we agree that they're a threat, not merely because we were asked to. Even if you wanted to use the orders argument, the other Scions all follow Minfilia's. If she sends them somewhere, they go, and if she asks them to return and report, they also do. It is simply the way that their organization is structured, but there is no coldness to it, it is simply for the sake of order and clarity.

Ilberd's comments on how we're just a tool during "Keeping the Flame Alive," combined with many of the things Fray says during the DRK 30-50 line, really hit close to home. Nobody really cares what we want - not the city-states, not the Scions, not even Hydaelyn Herself - only what we can do for them.
And why would you listen to Ilberd of all people? As for Fray, of course your dark side would find all of your doubts and insecurities and prey on them. Lahabrea did the same thing to Thancred, remember? Just because they bring it up doesn't mean that it's true; all it means is that in one moment of despair, people are inclined, or at the very least tempted, to believe those things.

Even if we're provided support, we're still just a tool. (But this is really off-topic...)
I can't agree with this. Having abilities and being useful, and having people around you make the most of those abilities while providing you with support, does not make you a tool. Besides, the tool argument would hardly apply to only us: the Scions have been at it since they were the Circle of Knowing and Path of the Twelve, for over 15 years (and they didn't get a 5-year magical break like us either), while at most we've maybe been around for one year (maybe two in total for legacy players if you consider that they might have been at it for one year as well). They've pretty much been single-handedly responsible for all the good that's come both before and after the Calamity, even being responsible for the Grand Companies, and yet they've lost Louisoix and it had a huge impact on them. As a whole, the Scions get used by everyone and don't even get paid much for it if we're to believe Tataru's complaints about money always being an issue.

This is why it always upsets me when people say things like we're just being used. Of course the bad guys would say it, out of ignorance at best and as an attempt to lead us astray and get us to turn on our friends at worst, but anyone who has really observed the Scions should know better than to think we're just being used by them. Losing them in 2.55 was not just a temporary loss of purpose for us, it was a devastating, crushing blow to our spirits, in addition to being a huge loss of resources. And this is the other thing: we use them as much as they use us, if not more so. All we do is fight and solve people's small problems, we're never asked to overthink things and all the resources and information we need are provided to us by others with the skills to gather them for us. We don't even have to deal with politics because others handle that for us as well. Were we just a lone adventurer bumbling about, we wouldn't know half the things we do, nor would we be able to accomplish any of the things that we have. I think it's extremely important to remember this.