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

[Kaurhz]

Zenos arguably had the chance to redeem himself in the eyes of many during Endwalker but instead the story got derailed due to Hermes and Meteion. Aspects of his earlier life and relatives could have been explored and seen in-game as opposed to hidden away in side stories. I generally dislike Zenos but I would rather put up with him than despair incarnate, despite both being relatively weakly-written antagonists.

The only instances where I can remember Zenos doing something remotely interesting was when he grabs Yotusuyu by the hair in Stormblood, and the reclamation of his body during Shadowbringers. Hermes and Meteion didn't even have cool moments like that, just nonsensical ramblings about despair and his "test."

Zenos is nice if you like someone who is just doing something for its own sake, but personally, I felt that Zenos was so obscurely written for far too long, really. Unrivalled power? Check. Discovers bringing himself back to life by accident? Check. Seemingly carries on these absurd shenanigans even in the body of a random imperial? Check. Despite said body, still, manages to allegedly slam Elidibus and force him to tear a hole in the rift? Check. Has had several experiments done on him, yet having no expansion whatsoever on this, beyond missive comments regarding this from the equally poor Fandaniel? Where are the telophoroi? The supposed doomsayers? Or was this just a secret cult of Fandaniel and his best bud Zenos with the poor, helpless tempered imperials? The only explanation we essentially really got for him across 4-5 years was "So Emet found a way?". Both before and after that I felt naught but irredeemable disdain for Zenos. I liked the idea of Zenos acting as the antithesis of the Warrior of Light, but after his willing decapitation, he just felt so... Forced.

TL;DR I'd take more Meteion, and Hermes over Zenos any day. But then if I had the choice I'd have done so much differently, personally.

[tokinokanatae]

The most interesting thing about Zenos is how he views us, not his past. I think the time was better spent on Zenos crashing through Meteion’s nest and dunking on her than finding notes of Zenos’s childhood diary as we fought our way through Babil.

[Tarrinus]

By the way was Zenos meant to be a counterpart to Venat? In the sense that they are both high ranking oddities from highly collectivized societies they end up destroying because of the power they perceived the main character to have(remember Venat thinks our timeline is worth it because sundered humanity eventually ends up with our character)? Or am I thinking too hard about it? There's even Zenos's line asking if it would have made a difference if he had a "good reason" which I thought was referring back to Venat at the time.

[Brinne]

By the way was Zenos meant to be a counterpart to Venat? In the sense that they are both high ranking oddities from highly collectivized societies they end up destroying because of the power they perceived the main character to have(remember Venat thinks our timeline is worth it because sundered humanity eventually ends up with our character)? Or am I thinking too hard about it? There's even Zenos's line asking if it would have made a difference if he had a "good reason" which I thought was referring back to Venat at the time.

Mm, I think there are definitely parallels between Zenos and Venat in the text, but the degree to which they may be deliberate are sort of muddled. (Endwalker! It's a Very Confused Expansion!) If nothing else, they are both the ones who ask the significant question of "was your journey worth it?" and describe the WoL's existence in their lives specifically as a "spark."

I mean, I would also go on to joke that Zenos is clearly Venat's ideal form of humanity, as someone utterly immune to despair - the perfect counter to Meteion! - and who constantly seeks excitement and new challenges, and is willing to do whatever it takes and pile however many bodies it takes, to reach their "spark," but.

[Rulakir]

I, for one, as someone unable to live and do many activities without assistance, fully intend to keep living and, furthermore, posting, until all are converted to the following of appreciating Zenos. \o/

I was thinking more of a vegetative (or close enough to it) state. You're still not allowed to euthanize humans even if they'll never live any form of meaningful life, they must be kept alive as long as possible. I can't even say the end of their natural lifespan because nature would select them to die much sooner, but modern medicine can keep them alive to age 75+.

Since we're sharing :P, as someone who's dealt with major depression since childhood I have zero zest for life and absolutely would've "returned to the star" many years ago were that an option. The idea that maybe this dice roll of a reincarnation was a bust and I can just return to the aetherial sea and try again sounds fantastic.

[KageTokage]

The shards were stated as being loosely connected to the Source with the rejoinings basically being meant strengthen that connection by weakening the boundary between the two. so I don't think it's off the table personally, especially if it was Hydaelyn who was responsible for those boundaries existing in the first place.

That said, the notion of the First being destroyed after all we did even in the distant future doesn't sound terribly appealing to me.

[Rulakir]

Well, like I said, it's not something I figured would happen within the game's lifetime. At best, I suspect the 13th will be joined either with the Source or the First somehow. I don't see the point in restoring it unless there's a way to reverse being a voidsent, otherwise Cylva and Unukalhai are the only survivors and both are conveniently on the First.

Supposedly, a partial rejoining of the First was on the table at one point. I doubt it'd happen now for gameplay reasons, but Norvrandt had such a dwindling population if there were a way to teleport them to the Source it could've worked except for the issue of Black Rose.

The shards definitely aren't a cut apple, were that true then rejoinings and soul mergers wouldn't be possible. I believe Lauront said that Oda has already referred to the situation as being unnatural and nature tends to correct itself when it can, it just couldn't due to Hydaelyn.

Regardless, it's my headcanon. :P I posted it not thinking there was any evidence to back it up only for someone to say it's supposedly possible due to dialog from the Studium quests (that I haven't done). I mean, if we're not going to get an AU then, for me, it's the next best thing. I understand why it'd sit ill with others though, which is probably why it'll end up in the "come up with your own theory" pile short of the MSQ doing something to make it impossible. They already ruined my headcanon that Azem was the one who saved Emet from being sundered (without knowing the future).

[KizuyaKatogami]

Well, like I said, it's not something I figured would happen within the game's lifetime. At best, I suspect the 13th will be joined either with the Source or the First somehow. I don't see the point in restoring it unless there's a way to reverse being a voidsent, otherwise Cylva and Unukalhai are the only survivors and both are conveniently on the First.

Supposedly, a partial rejoining of the First was on the table at one point. I doubt it'd happen now for gameplay reasons, but Norvrandt had such a dwindling population if there were a way to teleport them to the Source it could've worked except for the issue of Black Rose.

The shards definitely aren't a cut apple, were that true then rejoinings and soul mergers wouldn't be possible. I believe Lauront said that Oda has already referred to the situation as being unnatural and nature tends to correct itself when it can, it just couldn't due to Hydaelyn.

Regardless, it's my headcanon. :P I posted it not thinking there was any evidence to back it up only for someone to say it's supposedly possible due to dialog from the Studium quests (that I haven't done). I mean, if we're not going to get an AU then, for me, it's the next best thing. I understand why it'd sit ill with others though, which is probably why it'll end up in the "come up with your own theory" pile short of the MSQ doing something to make it impossible. They already ruined my headcanon that Azem was the one who saved Emet from being sundered (without knowing the future).

I’d rather eventually the world come together again at some point in the distant future rather than staying incomplete and fractured due to one crazy persons mistake. It seems weird to just keep everything broken and unnatural.

[AziraSyuren]

I’d rather eventually the world come together again at some point in the distant future rather than staying incomplete and fractured due to one crazy persons mistake. It seems weird to just keep everything broken and unnatural.

Wouldn't that still cause untold destruction regardless of the cause? At this point I'm decently sure that things coming back together at any point would be far more destructive than the Sundering.

[Lauront]

I’d rather eventually the world come together again at some point in the distant future rather than staying incomplete and fractured due to one crazy persons mistake. It seems weird to just keep everything broken and unnatural.

Same here. And as for the Oda quote, it's the below: