Quote Originally Posted by MikkoAkure View Post
But we don't see the characters treat Hydaelyn any differently from ARR to the end of EW and is never maligned by anyone after the fact.
Most of the cast cannot interact with Hydaelyn with any regularity. For some of them, this was their first interaction with her, ever. Even the WoL who gets the most interactions with her is basically forced to just listen to her lie and vague speak in every story event till now.

In her trial she was supposedly fighting us with intent to kill, so that it'd be a true test. It's not a friendly sparring match like you're making it out to be. Which really just chocks up another lackluster quality of Endwalker. The Scions weren't even breathing hard afterwards, and none of them even got minor wounds.

Stories are wide and varied. In some stories, antagonistic forces don't even need to be people.

Imagine we were allowed to actually lose to Hydaelyn and have the story progress. What happens? We get on Crystal Mommy's Moon and ride off to god knows where. That is the outcome we oppose. Again, if Hydaelyn wasn't ever an antagonist, then she would not have fought us.