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

[Lauront]

But as part of the overall picture relentlessly pushing that framing of Venat on us? Yes, it was tiresome, and I wasn't much into the "oh, you scamp" tone when Emet noted how very deeply Venat had screwed him over in particular. I was glad, at least, he fairly brusquely flipped Hydaelyn off and rejected her "apology" to him altogether.

It's just a pity that they didn't use the French/German wording for the scene in the EN version, because it's less susceptible to being twisted into some all-encompassing supposed concession on his that the ancients had no hope of dealing with the situation, which I think is not even a very plausible reading of it in the EN version, and even if it were taken that way, while very smart, he's not omniscient. But it's even more fraught with difficulty in those versions, because he specifically praises her ability as a matchmaker and bringing them all together at that place.

And again, though I've finally understood Venat (thanks Brinne) I still hate the scions. I realized that other than Estinien, the scions are generally privileged, all come from sharlayan and I don't feel should represent humanity in the game. The twins even come from a rich family. Estinien literally walked in the shoes of his enemy and got to know him and shared his pain. The most important thing is we got to see that and we were there with him.G'raha Tia's story was only in writing and we don't even know how long he stayed in the calamity world before he was shipped off to the past. We don't see it, we are just told, this happens.

I don't have an issue with their backgrounds as such, as ultimately it's just a starting point in life. I wouldn't've found it much compelling if they dragged a bunch of Estiniens to try force the point they were trying to make, because I reject the premise they're trying to push from the outset. It's more that they suffer very little in the way of any actual threats and are thickly shrouded in plot armour.

Honestly Fandaniel brightened my day whenever he appeared ever since 5.3. I think I just enjoyed my mental picture of a Joker-like, watch-the-world-burn Ascian finally set loose and making absolutely ghastly creations like the goddamned towers made of flesh from a dismembered corpse... better than what his whole character actually turned out to be. The gross flesh walls, the horrifying mass zombification of Garlemald, the creepy and weirdly amusing dinner date as you are incapacitated... I loved it honestly, I thought he had a real horror vibe going on that we didn't have in other villains so far (along with the Final Days when they actually matter – I absolutely loved the scene where it starts low-key, and I love its "musical theme").

Agreed, I enjoyed him as a character, as well as giving the impression that he might be serving some old god/Jenova type entity. I think the speculation surrounding him was far more interesting than what they went with.

One way I can enjoy Hermes is if I project that Fandaniel onto him, very deep inside of him, stifled by the society and culture he lived in. Like you though, the "but what is the meaning of life and death" angle did not work me, and the whole animal rights thing, while IMO an actually justified question to raise for debate in Ancient society, just grated on me because of how much the game seemed to be taking his side at the expanse of Ancients as a whole (also, real talk: I am arachnophobic and will irrationally not tolerate any damned eight-legged fiend in my bedroom; I have a good friend who always goes "NOOOoooOOO WHY WOULD YOU KILL SUCH A NOBLE ANIMAL" and while I know she's semi-joking, it still kind of annoys me... Hermes just reminded me of that lol). I was just... tired of him really quick. I became more engrossed when he finally let the villain inside him shine, but then, you know. The plot happened. The time loop plot. The Kairos plot. Venat actually complying with the conditions of his insane test and the game apparently telling me this is the right thing to do because Ancients just kinda sorta totally sucked and she's a hero, and, honestly, just everything Venat. Damn it. You're hired, Danny.

It's also not a particularly compelling angle to push when the sundered have a breezy disregard for life forms inferior to them and sometimes even similar ones, and when the Elpis sidequests showed some other ancients shared his sensibilities to some degree. It's why I believe the whole thing was more or less dropped from Venat's rendition of the 'test'. She didn't care about that, and neither do the player characters (or their companions) to any extent. I don't really buy into Hermes's POV, but he could've taken up a position at the Convocation and used that as you say to debate the matter and perhaps convince others to alter their methods. His reaction instead is one of petulant spite.

There's an interview with Yoshi-P, Ishikawa, and Oda in the next issue of Famitsu magazine. No translation that I know of yet.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comme...e_50page_ff14/

Some comment I saw of the poll results on that.