Quote Originally Posted by Saraide View Post
Utopias never hold up under scrutiny. This is an extremely well explored concept. Holding everyone in a single moment in time is functionally not different from oblivion and also, as we've learned from alexander, takes insane amounts of aether to sustain. Which is the same problem zodiark has, it's not sustainable to just shield the planet from the song of oblivion because it will increase in strength, while zodiark's shroud does not.
While I'm glad you brought up such an original concept, the Elpis arc takes extra special care to demonstrate just how little the Ancient's society truly resembles utopia. While my purpose in posting this thread is for my own benefit, others have pointed out and provided ample evidence as to how and why Venat did not need to destroy her people's entire way of life (and indeed, their very bodies, souls and culture) to solve the dilemma of Meteion and the Final Days. Though I don't doubt that this is the outcome the WoL would have preferred, seeing as how their loved ones exist in a timeline that ultimately persists at the expense of everything that came before. As for me, my sole unshakeable belief is that their loss is a tragedy. One I've yet to get over. Time will tell if I'll be strong enough to "Forge Ahead", though by Venat's philosophy if I fail to overcome the depression Endwalker's given me I deserve to die and have my soul expunged.