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[Rosenstrauch]

Personally, I don't find it too hard to reconcile these emotions with his usual state of mind, because they're not always emotions expressed in showy displays, but who knows, some trigger may switch his behaviour to be more overt about it in 5.5. It's worth noting the JP version also says something similar from translations I've seen of it, so EN seems to be the odd one out as usual; it does tend to take a bit more poetic licence with things.

This dialogue from 5.1 in the French version is interesting:

Because it almost sounds like he is aligning to that state of mind.

Every time I read this stuff, my exasperation with the English localization flares up. I can't help but wonder now just how different the Japanese/French/German Zenos is to his English counterpart.

As for Nerva—as I'm fond of reminding people, he's only been mentioned twice so far, and only one of those mentions came with a take on his character. And that take, the "weak and a coward" thing, came from Lyon of all people. He'd probably call Larsa a coward, too. I don't know where this nepotism angle came from other than theorizing, unless that, too, was scrubbed out for the English text.

Gods, I need to start learning Japanese...

[Mansion]

Every time I read this stuff, my exasperation with the English localization flares up. I can't help but wonder now just how different the Japanese/French/German Zenos is to his English counterpart.

The thing is, that doesn't mean the French version is always right though. I always play the game in French, but with English voice acting (and I sometimes check YouTube videos for the English texts of specific dialogues), and I remember thinking that sometimes the English version was more explicit / understandable than the French one. A translator could feel some kind of emphasis on one element in the original text, when another translator could understand it with more nuance.
But coming here on the Lore Forums is always great to compare the translations anyway on such precise elements anyway!

[Slatersev]

Nerva has been described multiple times in story as a gutless coward and shining example of nepotism. His dad the same.

The exact opposite of Larsa and his father.

Nerva and Titus are pretty clearly set up to show the more "normal" flaws in the royal family, and whey Emet preferred his first son so much.

[Lauront]

Sometimes that is the case, but usually it is the French version which spells things out in greater depth (whereas the EN glosses over it through poetic language) and is more direct in its language, and which also tends to track closer to JP. I think in this scenario though they don't really clear things up much, because we could easily see what the EN version is mentioning play out, as the tangible manifestation of what he's saying in the other versions! Also reading the JP again, it almost sounds like he is exhorting someone (probably the MC.)

[Theodric]

At the end of the day, even if Lord Nerva is an opportunistic coward it does not mean he has to remain as one.

As an aside, the expansion itself is leaning heavily on references and throwbacks to FFIV, the very same game that just so happened to have a cowardly Prince as a temporary playable character. Of course, unlike Edward, Nerva isn't a bard (to our knowledge) but FFXIV rarely does a straight copy and paste of character elements and weaves in some new elements to accompany the familiarity.

I'm inclined to think that Lord Nerva will have a role to play in the expansion. How big that role is remains to be seen...but someone is going to have to step up and rally the surviving Garleans to their side. It might be Nerva, it could be Gaius...maybe it'll be someone else. We'll see.

We'll almost certainly be allying with Garlemald against Zenos and Fandaniel, though!

[Riastrad]

I think it will be Cid with Nero and the Ironworks establishing a true Technocracy. "Freedom through Technology!" and all that.

I mean, some of you folks do want a Garlean restoration, don't you? Giving former war criminals any chance to be the leader of a civilization that has done nothing but upset any semblance of peace for the last 25+ years doesn't seem a smart play, no matter how earnestly they feel about setting wrongs right. Execution or exile are really the only options if the current Alliances are to survive a post apocalyptic scenario and rebuild a better world. We need those brave few that would fix the world to lead the survivors to rebuilding what is lost in the process. Not former tyrants and neophytes.

Besides, Cid and company already took charge of the survivors in the original timeline and due to their ability to create solutions to impossible problems are the only reason anyone can have a change of heart at such a convenient time. A good quote from a not so great show.

“You served him well. When serving was safe.”
— Eddard 'Ned' Stark, Game of Thrones Season 1: Lord Snow

[Theodric]

Thankfully it doesn't appear as though the writing is going in such a direction as the writers themselves have made no secret of the various in-game conflicts being a matter of perspective rather than black and white morality. Garlemald is very much based off of the Roman Empire, which is pretty complex in itself - but there's no reason for the Eorzean Alliance to swoop in and start executing people just because they previously supported expansionist policies. (Something which every nation, real world or in-game has done at some point).

Though if you insist on such a route, I look forward to you shoving the likes of Aymeric, Artoriel and Edmont into a guillotine for supporting the former regime that led Ishgard. Ignorance isn't an excuse, right?

Jests aside, Cid's good at engineering but has shown very little nuance in regards to political or cultural matters. He's a defector who turned on his own people instead of working to reform things from within. That he falsely blamed Varis and Solus for shooting him rather than his father due to trauma also leads one to question his mental stability.

I think it's pretty likely that Garlemald will go in a similar direction to Ishgard. It'll undergo reform, but the Eorzean Alliance isn't going to obsessively seek to punish the Garleans. Especially since the only reason Garlemald became an Empire in the first place is due to the Garleans themselves being unable to use aether in most cases and being driven to near extinction by their neighbours.

If anything, it'll be a story about breaking the cycle and establishing Garlemald as having a seat at the table as Eorzea's equal.

[Lauront]

Indeed! It's a no thanks from me as well.

[KizuyaKatogami]

I think it will be Cid with Nero and the Ironworks establishing a true Technocracy. "Freedom through Technology!" and all that.

I mean, some of you folks do want a Garlean restoration, don't you? Giving former war criminals any chance to be the leader of a civilization that has done nothing but upset any semblance of peace for the last 25+ years doesn't seem a smart play, no matter how earnestly they feel about setting wrongs right. Execution or exile are really the only options if the current Alliances are to survive a post apocalyptic scenario and rebuild a better world. We need those brave few that would fix the world to lead the survivors to rebuilding what is lost in the process. Not former tyrants and neophytes.

Besides, Cid and company already took charge of the survivors in the original timeline and due to their ability to create solutions to impossible problems are the only reason anyone can have a change of heart at such a convenient time. A good quote from a not so great show.

“You served him well. When serving was safe.”
— Eddard 'Ned' Stark, Game of Thrones Season 1: Lord Snow

I don’t think the Alliances have any right to dictate what’s considered wrong considering each of them is corrupt in their own way.

[GoldStarz]

I think it will be Cid with Nero and the Ironworks establishing a true Technocracy. "Freedom through Technology!" and all that.

I mean, some of you folks do want a Garlean restoration, don't you? Giving former war criminals any chance to be the leader of a civilization that has done nothing but upset any semblance of peace for the last 25+ years doesn't seem a smart play, no matter how earnestly they feel about setting wrongs right. Execution or exile are really the only options if the current Alliances are to survive a post apocalyptic scenario and rebuild a better world. We need those brave few that would fix the world to lead the survivors to rebuilding what is lost in the process. Not former tyrants and neophytes.

Besides, Cid and company already took charge of the survivors in the original timeline and due to their ability to create solutions to impossible problems are the only reason anyone can have a change of heart at such a convenient time. A good quote from a not so great show.

“You served him well. When serving was safe.”
— Eddard 'Ned' Stark, Game of Thrones Season 1: Lord Snow

As much as I love Cid, running a country is very different from running a country and if you take Jessie's opinion to heart, he's not even that great at the first one. He's very smart in the field of technology, but we've not really seen him demonstrate a great grasp on political maneuvering, to say nothing of whether the Garlean people will accept him. Right now there's no perfect choice for who to take over running Garlemald once the conflict is over and the dust settles, but we do know that whoever is put in charge will be in charge of dismantling a large empire that has existed for about half a century (forcefully or no). I think the best fit for that would probably be Maxima, but we have no idea how popular he is within the country compared to someone like Gaius who is (or was) very popular, but was also a figure who helped expand the empire into Aldenard. Among other candidates I've seen mentioned: Nerva, I think should go without saying, is a bad choice since he's of the line that helped propagate Garlemald's imperialist expansion and would no doubt attempt to retake as much land as he could once they gather power and Noah is literally trying to make a new empire right now.

I don’t think the Alliances have any right to dictate what’s considered wrong considering each of them is corrupt in their own way.

I mean there's no country in existence that ever been ideologically pure and free of corruption, but that's not stopped them from making the terms of surrender before. I doubt that any of the lands subjugated by the empire would care that the Eorzean alliance are free of flaws once they're liberated by whatever terms are put in place after Endwalker.