What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[Gemina]

I look forward to seeing the reception of a game that sees the Scions up to their usual business in the middle of New World's jungles in a world void of Gods or interesting antagonists. Bonus points if they bring Lyse along for the ride. At this point I think I'd rather put up with her than some of the present cast members because at least she is somewhat attractive to me compared to the likes of G'raha Tia, which the game insists on pushing onto me at every possible opportunity.

Of all the men in this game to push on to us, why did it have to be him and Haurchefant? Strangely enough, no women in this game even remotely seem to take on such an overtly "affectionate" role, though I suppose over time that would become as equally aggravating given the lack of an option to avoid such interactions when you're not interested.

Alisaie would be the one filling that role. Whether the player interprets her admiration for the WoL as a simple girls crush, or a mentorship and inspiration, it is there nonetheless. That's it though. As far as the close company we keep anyway. I would also argue that no male is pushed onto the WoL more than Zenos.

[Theodric]

Alisaie would be the one filling that role. Whether the player interprets her admiration for the WoL as a simple girls crush, or a mentorship and inspiration, it is there nonetheless. That's it though. As far as the close company we keep anyway. I would also argue that no male is pushed onto the WoL more than Zenos.

As much as I dislike Zenos, his obsession can at least be seen as entirely one sided. Most games have the good grace to allow players to consent to whether a particular character fawns over their chosen hero. As another poster pointed out, Alisae is underage and although G'raha is an adult he acts like a child at times. It's incredibly off-putting for a lot of reasons - especially when player characters have the ability to perform an eternal bonding with another player character.

It's effectively marriage, so if a character is eternally bonded...why are some of the Scions treating my character as if that isn't the case? Why are they actively trying to be homewreckers? Why is there no option to tell Alisae that my character is into men and let her down gently rather than unintentionally stringing her along?

Furthermore, Yoshi-P has already referred to Alisae and Alphinaud as the 'waifu' and 'husbandu' of some players which...is pretty questionable in itself for obvious reasons.

[HollowedDoll]

As much as I dislike Zenos, his obsession can at least be seen as entirely one sided. Most games have the good grace to allow players to consent to whether a particular character fawns over their chosen hero. As another poster pointed out, Alisae is underage and although G'raha is an adult he acts like a child at times. It's incredibly off-putting for a lot of reasons - especially when player characters have the ability to perform an eternal bonding with another player character.

It's effectively marriage, so if a character is eternally bonded...why are some of the Scions treating my character as if that isn't the case? Why are they actively trying to be homewreckers? Why is there no option to tell Alisae that my character is into men and let her down gently rather than unintentionally stringing her along?

Furthermore, Yoshi-P has already referred to Alisae and Alphinaud as the 'waifu' and 'husbandu' of some players which...is pretty questionable in itself for obvious reasons.

Ngl I always felt weirded out by ppl who basically ship themselves with random fictional characters, but seeing as one of the most active threads related to FFXIV is the most vapid attempts at finding a partner, I'm not surprised.

[Theodric]

Ngl I always felt weirded out by ppl who basically ship themselves with random fictional characters, but seeing as one of the most active threads related to FFXIV is the most vapid attempts at finding a partner, I'm not surprised.

Yeah, it used to bother me less but we're now stuck in a situation with no compromises. The game insists on pushing the Scions front and centre at every turn to the point where new characters struggle to integrate themselves properly into the story. As much as I liked Shadowbringers, I think it would have been better if more of the Scions had been left behind.

I'm indifferent to Ryne, though I appreciated that she was a new face and travelled with us across every part of Norvrandt. Heavensward was enjoyable as a consequence of having most of the Scions take a back seat which in turn allowed Estinien and Ysayle to shine properly.

[Gemina]

As much as I dislike Zenos, his obsession can at least be seen as entirely one sided. Most games have the good grace to allow players to consent to whether a particular character fawns over their chosen hero. As another poster pointed out, Alisae is underage and although G'raha is an adult he acts like a child at times. It's incredibly off-putting for a lot of reasons - especially when player characters have the ability to perform an eternal bonding with another player character.

It's effectively marriage, so if a character is eternally bonded...why are some of the Scions treating my character as if that isn't the case? Why are they actively trying to be homewreckers? Why is there no option to tell Alisae that my character is into men and let her down gently rather than unintentionally stringing her along?

Furthermore, Yoshi-P has already referred to Alisae and Alphinaud as the 'waifu' and 'husbandu' of some players which...is pretty questionable in itself for obvious reasons.

An obsession is always one-sided. It kind of goes with the territory in that regard. Zenos and his obsession doesn't change that he is forced onto the WoL whether they want it or not. There isn't anything written in stone that you have to accept characters who are smitten like G'raha and Haurchefant. Their feelings can very much be one-sided as well.

I already addressed Alisaie's age in my last post, but in addition I also know and understand that a lot of the Japanese culture is questionable to westerners. Especially in terms of what is considered acceptable when it comes to age gaps, and adult/teen relationships. That doesn't mean I condone it, but I don't believe they are conditioned the way we are. Especially someone like Yoshi who very likely is one or two generations older than most of the people playing this game.

[KageTokage]

People seem to be under a weird misconception that primals are suddenly going to be absent from the story and/or are no longer a threat simply because means to counteract and cure tempering exist now.

At the core, they are still extremely powerful entities that were noted as taking entire regiments of trained soldiers to keep in check even in the case of the lunar primals that were undeniably weaker then their willfully-produced counterparts.

Foreign lands are not at the leisure of having access to those countermeasures, either, so I think it's a given we're still going to be running into them on the overseas continents and likely even in Ilsabard despite the strong Garlean presence.

[aveyond-dreams]

Alisaie would be the one filling that role. Whether the player interprets her admiration for the WoL as a simple girls crush, or a mentorship and inspiration, it is there nonetheless. That's it though. As far as the close company we keep anyway. I would also argue that no male is pushed onto the WoL more than Zenos.

Alisae is a child. Not an adult. I am not interested in a child having a crush on my character. There are no adult women in this game who behave the way Alisae or G'raha do. Zenos was insufferable from start to finish. Never make another villain like that.

This cast at present is too stale to carry me through a 7.0 in a setting that doesn't click with me on top of the moralizing and nation-toppling agendas that would inevitably come from the likes of the Scions.

The events of Endwalker have robbed the world of the elements that made it interesting to be in, the Empire, the Ascians, and the Gods, and now we are left with the Scions, a community that feels that Meracydia must=Africa/Australia and that the New World must=the Americas, the twitter fandom surrounding G'raha and Y'shtola, and people who believe that "ugh another castle/European nation would be boring."

Forgive me for being a little abrasive here, but I promise you with absolute certainty that nobody here is that concerned about making sure you keep paying.

Is the goal of SE to sell me their product or not? Is their goal not to keep me paying my sub? The interesting things that brought me here and got me to stay are done and resolved-I didn't come here for a visual novel where nothing of consequence happens in niche settings I fundamentally have little interest in compared to Ishgard or Garlemald.

[Gemina]

Alisae is a child. Not an adult. I am not interested in a child having a crush on my character. There are no adult women in this game who behave the way Alisae or G'raha do. Zenos was insufferable from start to finish. Never make another villain like that.

Alisaie is a fictional character, in a fictional universe. I can't recall a single NPC in the game refer to Alisaie and Aphinaud as children except in the context of when being referred to as the offspring of their parents, or it is very sporadic. Them being children also has not excluded them on being at the forefront of the chaos and destruction they oppose either. Even if technically children in the world of FFXIV, these events would rob them of their childhood and force them into adult situations and decisions; hence making them grow up at a much faster rate from a maturity standpoint. IOW, don't be surprised if either of them could develop romantic feelings for the WoL, or anyone else for that matter. I would suggest keeping the pedo adversity at bay in order to keep things in the context of FFXIV.

As for older female NPCs fawning over the WoL. No there really isn't outside of headcanon, but I see it as it is just how the chips have fell rather than deliberately avoiding it. That doesn't mean that it's not in the cards, but I also don't see much difference in shoehorning an NPC to adore or hate the WoL, male or female, if you feel they are being forced on you. Also, Zenos is subjective. Not everyone despises him as you do.

[KizuyaKatogami]

Alisaie is a fictional character, in a fictional universe. I can't recall a single NPC in the game refer to Alisaie and Aphinaud as children except in the context of when being referred to as the offspring of their parents, or it is very sporadic. Them being children also has not excluded them on being at the forefront of the chaos and destruction they oppose either. Even if technically children in the world of FFXIV, these events would rob them of their childhood and force them into adult situations and decisions; hence making them grow up at a much faster rate from a maturity standpoint. IOW, don't be surprised if either of them could develop romantic feelings for the WoL, or anyone else for that matter. I would suggest keeping the pedo adversity at bay in order to keep things in the context of FFXIV.

As for older female NPCs fawning over the WoL. No there really isn't outside of headcanon, but I see it as it is just how the chips have fell rather than deliberately avoiding it. That doesn't mean that it's not in the cards, but I also don't see much difference in shoehorning an NPC to adore or hate the WoL, male or female, if you feel they are being forced on you. Also, Zenos is subjective. Not everyone despises him as you do.

They are, for all intents and purposes, children. Theyre what, 16? 17? Not even 18. Personally i feel uncomfortable to have anyone fawning over me who i dislike and not having the option to tell them to keep their distance, but its especially worse when its an underage child. It does weird me out though that the devs refer to both of them as husbando/waifu, and then theres the whole problem with Shiva Ryne but thats a whole other can of worms entirely.

[Gemina]

They are, for all intents and purposes, children. Theyre what, 16? 17? Not even 18. Personally i feel uncomfortable to have anyone fawning over me who i dislike and not having the option to tell them to keep their distance, but its especially worse when its an underage child. It does weird me out though that the devs refer to both of them as husbando/waifu, and then theres the whole problem with Shiva Ryne but thats a whole other can of worms entirely.

16, 17, 18 means nothing. You're talking like our prohibitions and laws apply in this world. They don't unless specified that they do. Otherwise they are arbitrary at best. It's fine if it makes you uncomfortable, and it is understandable if it does. But they are fictional characters dude, and makes zero sense to me how people are ok with children risking their lives in battles where the odds are against them, but all of sudden cringe at the knees because a young NPC has an innocent crush on your character. Do you not see how backwards this is?

Ryne isn't much different. She's a teenager, and could easily develop a crush on the WoL, Gaia, or one of the other Scions or adult males/females on the first. The line gets crossed when it is an adult that has desires or pursues a younger NPC. However, teenagers developing crushes on adults is totally friggin normal bud, and happens all the time. I know we live in clown world now, but that is the actual reality.