(6.X Spoilers/Theory) Future WOL Content - Everything’s Coming Up…

[Shookbeast]

Yeah it's that all elements of that - our WoL becoming a being on the same soul density as a Unsundered and/or going to live in the UnSundered World are equally unlikeable to me, to put it mildly, and both are things that I would pick as the Bad Ending to my character, worse than dying. I know it's popular for others, but for me it is the last thing on Etheirys I would want for my character and something that I'd feel would invalidate all of the base game and expac storylines. If that's how FFXIV eventually ends, which I could see happening, then I'd accept it as an ending that sours my memories and that I quickly pretend isn't personal canon, but for an MSQ storyline, that's the thing that would get me to scene-skip.

My hope is that they’d find an elegant way to do it that wouldn’t undercut the story which came before.

As far as for living as Azem with the unsundered - it could be that Azem (us) hung out with the Ancients for a much shorter time than we think - but that we left a big impression. Perhaps Azem was only around for let’s say one expansion’s worth of time. That’s enough of a period to cover making friends, stopping volcanoes, and figuring out how to alter the events of the sundering. It might not even be the end of the story, but just another chapter before we tackle the next big plot point (:

[Rulakir]

I don't necessarily mind if they don't show certain things as long as they don't outright make them an impossibility. Like, my headcanon was it was Azem who saved Emet from being unsundered only to be told, nope, Venat did that on purpose. Meh.

My current headcanon is without Hydaelyn the barriers between the shards will dissipate and everything will eventually rejoin over the course of millennia. Even if the WoL doesn't 'collect them all', I still like the idea that their soul and Etheirys will return to the way it was some day.

[Tehmon]

Emet also tells the WoL at the Lift that if they survive the calamities they will become their equal, a complete being in a complete world. Their goal was to make things whole again, which is why I never bought into the interpretation that he meant to sacrifice the sundered on the Source. I can see how some arrived at that impression, but it doesn't make sense given their objective. EW further threw a wrench into that by showing that the souls of those sacrificed are trapped within Zodiark, so it'd be counterproductive.

As for remembering their past selves, there are hints of that in ShB. Alisaie in particular says:

"The starshower didn't awaken me to Hydaelyn's voice. But that vision of the Final Days, of Amaurot burning... It filled me with sadness to the very pit of my being. Things I once knew, people I once loved, promises I once made... It felt as though long-forgotten memories were dancing at the edges of my mind. But when I try to focus on them, they simply fade away. An effect of having a fractured soul, I shouldn't doubt."

I personally do not doubt the plan to sacrifice the rejoined Source. Majority of ancients already okay'd the third sacrifice in the pre-sundered world, I don't see how sacrificing the rejoined Source would be any different than the last time. Emet trying to lure us into the idea that the shards need to be rejoined for our benefit as well, and that we can work together peacefully (granted we can control the light), it is all just manipulation to me. But I confess that I am biased when it comes to Emet specifically in ShB, as I believe there is nothing redeemable or humane about him anymore, despite the story making us question his eagerness and conviction, that he might harbor guilt and pain for things he must do. I confess I always believe the worst of ShB Emet lol!

I forgot about that piece of dialogue. I'm not entirely sure how accurate or real those memories are to that one soul in specific, or if the starshowers just generally induced a very strong reaction to the past events that would feel like true memories. But Emet also said that we might have very vague memories of the past, so I'm not sure. Safe to say that we have yet to see any past memories of Azem though, even if we are eight times rejoined.

[Rulakir]

I personally do not doubt the plan to sacrifice the rejoined Source. Majority of ancients already okay'd the third sacrifice in the pre-sundered world, I don't see how sacrificing the rejoined Source would be any different than the last time.

I've no doubt they would've sacrificed non-Ancients. My disagreement is that they would've sacrificed the sundered which, as I said, would be nonsensical and counterproductive.

[Tehmon]

I've no doubt they would've sacrificed non-Ancients. My disagreement is that they would've sacrificed the sundered which, as I said, would be nonsensical and counterproductive.

I mean, you are correct, it would be nonsensical, but perhaps even the ascians didn't really know what a rejoined world would be like.

If the ascians saw the sundered as fragments of their unsundered brethren, I'd find their antagonistic and genocidal approach to rejoinings and the sundered counterproductive in itself. This would also eventually cause an even bigger rift amongst the fully rejoined who survived the rejoinings and the ascians. Ascians couldn't possibly think that the sundered would aid them in anything, especially in a sacrifice of innocent lives to bring back ancient people, especially when the sundered would have a stronger relationship with '' non-Ancients '' than they would with ascians. At least that's what I presume.

But alas, like I said, if they were just holding out for hope that everything would be fine after rejoinings, but in reality had no idea whether it'd work or not, it makes more sense.

And like you mentioned, maybe Emet just wanted the close likeness of the ancient people back rather than anything else. But even then, he and other ascians would most likely end up facing the wrath of the sundered would rejoinings come to completion. Perhaps that was the price they were willing to pay though.

[Rulakir]

If the ascians saw the sundered as fragments of their unsundered brethren, I'd find their antagonistic and genocidal approach to rejoinings and the sundered counterproductive in itself. This would also eventually cause an even bigger rift amongst the fully rejoined who survived the rejoinings and the ascians. Ascians couldn't possibly think that the sundered would aid them in anything, especially in a sacrifice of innocent lives to bring back ancient people, especially when the sundered would have a stronger relationship with '' non-Ancients '' than they would with ascians. At least that's what I presume.

I think in order to care about the people dying in each rejoining they would've had to care about who they currently were and the Ascians cared about the people they used to be before they were sundered.

As for the Source sacrifices, I imagine that involves a multitude of variables. Who/what are they sacrificing? Do the sundered regain their memories/identities when they become unsundered? How many of them have the souls of loved ones trapped within Zodiark? Likely all questions that'll never be answered.