A long critique of the Scions.

[Thenightvortex]

So, back to the arguably dead horse of Ultima Thule. There has been a lot of discussion about how non-existent the stakes there were and there were many debates whether one or more of the scions should’ve died there. But I want to go deeper and delve into the scenes itself and whether they’re are the powerful moments many view them as. A bit of an essay that I’ve done on the topic.

Scions of the Seventh Dawn, along with the Warrior of Light, are the protagonists of Final Fantasy XIV, around whom the story is centered. They are introduced early on in A Realm Reborn, and while their membership has changed over the expansions, the group as a whole remained by the WOL’s side until the very end of Endwalker, where they travel with Ultima Thule with them. They are meant to be seen as the moral compass of the story, as well as an example of people who went through much adversity and prevailed. All in all, examples to follow.

Their trip to Ultima Thule is meant to be seen as a culmination of their story arcs and character growth. During the course of their journey from Ultima Thule, they are unmade one by one until the Warrior of Light is left alone. Most of them, however, are allowed to claim a spotlight in certain areas of the zone. All of those encounters follow a similar structure, as the party encounters an alien race recreated by Meteion and blocks their path towards the nest. After exploring the philosophy that drives each of those races and beings, the scions give their refute before sacrificing themselves in a moment that are supposed to be seen as heroic and uplifting, as is the opinion that is held by many in the community. However, are those scenes actually good rebuttals to the struggles the alien races face?

The first one to get an opportunity to say his speech in a confrontation is Estinien. He gets to encounter one of the dragons from the scorched Dragonstar, who is broken due to the atrocity they had to suffer at the hands of the Omicron invaders, believing that “their pride is crushed” and there is “nothing left for their kind”. To this, Estinien tells him about the journey undertaken by Midgardsormr which eventually brought him to Etheirys. He also has to tell about the Dragonsong war and its ramifications, that further pushes the dragon into his despair and belief that there is nothing left for them. However, the speech Estinien gives afterwards to supposedly ‘inspire’ the dragon and push him out of his despair seems contradictory to the lessons shown by this game before.

[Thenightvortex]

While Estinien has gone through a horrific trauma of losing his family, he did not have his entire world be wiped out by an unstoppable machine force, seeing the land itself get poisoned and all of his brethren being brought to extinction. While Estinien was never known to sugarcoat his words, his speech to the dragon is rather flawed. He beings by claiming that “lasting peace does not come to those who simply retreat from conflict”, contrasting this with the ephemeral possibility of the dragons of Etheirys making another choice and cease the fires of war before Estinien’s family has perished. Yet the fact that the dragon race even survived is because Midgardsormr did not follow this advice and retreated from conflict. We’re he to stay and face his enemy head-on, he would’ve perished along with the other dragons, therefore ending their kind as a whole.

The story of Heavensward also somewhat contradicts this, as it shows the importance of making the exact same choice of ceasing the fires of conflict by any means, making Estinien’s claim that this is the “only way to break the cycle of torment and tragedy” make little sense. Both Nidhogg and Thordan followed this advice, choosing to continue the war and confront their enemies while having the opportunity to stop it, and characters like Aymeric and Hraesvelgr are praised for choosing to let go of conflict and are portrayed as noble. Estinien’s advice might apply to the choice Hraesvelgr made in 3.3 in choosing to confront Nidhogg, but he conflates it with the choices of Nidhogg and those of Midgardsormr whose situation was so dire it was impossible to do anything but escape. In light of this, Estinien’s last words sound more like arrogant diminishment rather than anything inspiring or thought provoking. He shows little sympathy for the traumatized dragon, reducing his grief to “wallowing in self-pity” and proudly proclaims that he will not stop them after “everything they’ve endured”, which is considerably less than what the dragon had to suffer through. This makes his supposed “triumph” over despair ring hollow, as he offers conflicting advice and dismisses the being with an experience more traumatic than Estinien’s own.

[Thenightvortex]

The second such scene is Y’shtola’s interaction with Ea. They are a race who have progressed far enough to make a discovery about the imminent heat death of the universe. They argue that to continue a fulfilling existence, other races should remain primitive and ignorant, so they don’t know the truth about the heat death and when it will occur. In response, Y’shtola staunchly claims that the truth is in “the eye of the beholder” and that she would never stop seeking knowledge and enlightenment, no matter what are the answers she discovers.

While she has the right to deny Ea’s guidance and reasons to believe that this would only hold her down, her response still doesn’t have any personal stake in it to make it a character defining moment. While the lifespans of the Ea prior to their transformation are unknown, making it difficult to determine how relevant the issue of heat death will be to them, there is much more information about Y’shtola. She is a mortal with limited lifespan which is minuscule in cosmic scale, and will never live to see the death of the universe. Perhaps the answer is symbolic of Y’shtola seeking all knowledge, including those more relevant to her, but the example picked for this is so abstract that it makes Y’shtola’s tone towards Ea unearned. Adding onto that, there are no prominent examples of the story of Y’shtola being hurt by her seeking knowledge and then choosing to seek it anyway. All of this makes Y’shtola’s speech a culmination to a character arc that never existed in the first place.

The fate of Urianger that unveils along with Y’shtola is an example of cheap emotional thrills taking precedence over common sense and cohesiveness. He does not have a speech of his own, but he joins Y’shtola seemingly without reason when she sacrifices herself before the Ea. Judging from him talking about his wavering resolve and decisions he regretted later, this scene is designed to serve as a culmination for Urianger’s story. This would entail him finally coming out of the shadows and instead of working behind the scions’ backs, he supports them openly. However, this results in there being no one left by WOL’s side after the twins sacrifice themselves, and they are still unable to reach Meteion’s nest. If Urianger hadn’t joined Y’shtola and waited until the end, he could’ve made a sacrifice of his own and paved the road for the hero. In an attempt to create a character-defining moment for Urianger, the writers, ironically, have made him be a hindrance on his friends’ path yet again, going against the intent of the scene.

[Thenightvortex]

The next on the list is G’raha Tia’s interaction with one of the Omicron, where he faces a race of people that modified themselves into machines for the sake of both protection and conquest. This eventually led them to reaching a point where they doubt whether there is anything of their original selves left. G’raha’s approach is notably different from that of Y’shtola and Estinien as he is shown to be much more considerate, posing his perspective as something open-ended for the omicron to be about rather than an absolute. He attempts to relate his experience by mentioning him “merging his soul with a tower” and then with his younger self. His experiences are unique among mortals and in some way, can be related to that of the Omicron, as G’raha is the one who has travelled through time and space himself. He was also the subject to his body altering irreversibly before discarding it for another.

However, his pitfall comes immediately after that, as G’raha claims that this makes him “the same as everyone else”. It is an inspiring thought on paper, seeing one of the setting’s heroes as an everyman who goes through struggles that both other people from his star and those from another can relate to. It would also serve as a bridge between the people of Etheirys and the Omicron. However, this is categorically untrue. G’raha is not the same as everyone else, his experience are unique among the mortals, as no other has ever travelled back in time in the way G’raha did, or lived for over a century witnessing generations change, nor merged with another version of himself. While his struggles are indeed comparable to the Omicron, the attempt to make himself seem just as confused as everyone else on the matter of identity is faulty, and quickly takes form of empty platitudes and “feel-good” words to people that are dead.

[Thenightvortex]

Another example of glaring hypocrisy in G’raha’s speech is him saying “whatever came before, what matters most is the present”, addressed to the Omicron whose people were wiped out and their echoes are consumed by an identity crisis and despair. This goes against G’raha’s story in Shadowbringers, where he found himself in a similar predicament to the Omicron, in a broken world stripped of all the people he cared for. He did not follow his own advice back then and was not content with the present, eventually causing him to travel back to create a ‘better’ timeline. This is immediately highlighted by the next phrase of him saying that his friends are of most importance to him. Those are the friends that would never survive in the first place were it not for G’raha not accepting the present and attempting to change the past. This makes his final line about looking to the future, as well is his entire predicament, extremely hypocritical. When scrutinized, G’raha’s entire journey and character arc in the past expansion is found upon him doing the exact opposite of the advice he gives to the despairing Omicron.

The final sacrifice scene is that of the twins. Alphinaud and Alisaie do not get to talk to a representative from a race, as the star they visit is completely desecrated and abandoned. Instead, they talk to Meteion herself, attempting to relate their experience to hers and motivate her to regain some hope. This is, again, based on a false predicament and equating what cannot be equated. It is worth saying that the twins have not witnessed Meteion’s descent into despair, and the only account they have is the WOL’s retelling, already putting a big wedge in the connection they are trying to establish.

“Like us, you explored the devastation. Like us, you were stricken.”

[Thenightvortex]

This is the premise the twins begin with when addressing Meteion’s visit to this desecrated star. However, what they fail to address is that once again, Meteion’s experience have numerous worsening factors that the Twins do not suffer from. She is an empath by design, directly influenced by the emotions and despair of others, she will be changed in a way the twins would not be, being natural born mortals. The, there is also the question of time. Meteion has spent wallowing in despair that slowly consumed her for thousands of years, and it was an amalgamation of the experiences she felt from countless other stars. They also speak of having support from their friends which helps them “get up”, a luxury Meteion doesn’t have. Ultimately, it ends with Twins speaking of their failures and how they always “rise, again and again”, using those to create a supposedly triumphantly moment against Meteion. ‘Supposedly’, but because of the factors mentioned before, it’s just as meaningless as any other platitudes the scions exhibit in Ultima Thule.

But this goes deeper than the unique nature and experience of Meteion. While none would be able to understand exactly what she goes through, there are mortals who would be more inclined to understand than Twins. For example, Jullus, a garlean who lost his home and entire family, suffering through trauma he will never let go of. It could also be Thavnairian father who saw his own son transform into a blasphemy before him. Perhaps someone from the lands that were ravaged by war and conquest such as Bozja? Emet-Selch, Lahabrea and Elidibus would have an easier time understanding Meteion’s despair after the trauma and loss all of them have gone through. But what about the twins? They face no loss in Endwalker at all, even when their father disowned them, they still have their mother to care for them, eventually ending with them reuniting and rekindling the connection with both of their parents. Their homeland remains absolutely untouched by the Final Days, and no close friends of theirs perish. They feel sympathy and pain because of dead garlean sisters or people dying in Thavnair, but it never hits close to home.

And this brings the issue that plagued the writing and the scions ever since Papalymo’s demise, arguably getting worse and more prevalent with every expansion, culminating in the story in Ultima Thule. The scions are clad in layers upon layers of plot armor, meaning that they are not a fitting representation for the suffering and challenges mankind goes through, and especially not the alien races.

[Thenightvortex]

While scions had their share of struggles throughout most of the story, there is a point where those struggles began to wane. Ever since losing Papalymo, there is not a single scion death over three expansions, as well as no deaths of those close to them. The closest it came to that was the death of Tesleen who Alisaie bonded with over her time in Norvrandt, Thancred having to come to terms with Minfilia being gone and Arenvald’s crippling, arguably very low stakes when it comes to the two expansions that were advertised as culmination of what came before them and a story where the stakes are at their highest, especially Endwalker. One has to look no further to the constant reminders about Haurchefant’s death going as far as Aitiascope, adding onto them Minfilia, Papalymo, and Ysayle. All of those characters have died in Heavensward and are still being focused on in any moment relating to remembrance and sorrow. When it comes to expansions after that, there is simply nothing to grapple onto.

Stormblood has also began a trend of fakeout deaths which became more evident with each expansion. They were present in Heavensward and prior as well, but they were combined with real deaths that happened in the same storylines, making one wonder if this will be a real death or if the character will be saved. Y’shtola’s fakeout in Heavensward came with consequences, she was absent from the story for half of an expansion and became blind. Her falling at the hands of Zenos in Stormblood has consequences as well, but there isn’t any doubt if she will survive, or at the very least, it is greatly diminished. The worst offenders, however, are Shadowbringers and Endwalker, where in both cases she is brought back almost immediately after dying without any consequences to face. In Shadowbringers, the only reason for this death is to serve as a plot device for Emet’s development, while Endwalker attempts to focus on Y’shtola herself. Both of those leave no room for doubt, as by that point the story has been purged of real and meaningful deaths.

A similar situation is present with G’raha Tia. He was close to dying in 5.0 and had a tearful goodbye with the Warrior of Light in 5.3, the effect of which was immediately diminished by him returning, and not only not having any consequences, but becoming free from his imprisonment in the tower and getting a chance to do everything he wanted. The Endwalker scene repeats this thread, bringing back the “promise” G’raha asks of the WOl, but this scene is considerably bleaker and less memorable than the one in crystal tower, as there is no doubt that he will come back.

[Thenightvortex]

Instead, the common technique used by the writers to pretend there are stakes is to create new characters who they kill off in dramatic scenes. Tesleen, Quintus, and Ahewann exist solely for that purpose. They have a short amount of screen time that gives them the focus, endears them to the player only to culminate in them dying. They are created with a singular reason, creating an emotional thrill while maintaining a convincing illusion that this is a story with stakes. Knowing this, what many people dubbed “welcome to Shadowbringers moment” is nothing more than a manipulative way to convince players that they are watching a story where the characters are not safe, where there is pain and struggle ahead of them which may result in anything else but the total victory without much loss.

Incidentally, the increasing plot armor of the scions also correlates with how they are presented in the story. As mentioned prior, the writers see them as paragons of morality and examples to follow, and this becomes evident in Shadowbringers and Endwalker. They are presented as contrast to the antagonists, be it the ascians, the Eulmorans, the garleans, or in this case, the alien races. The more preachy scions get, the less experience they have to back it up, the more untouchable they become.

Some argue that there was never an intent to create a sense of realistic death for the scions in Ultima Thule, but rather the emphasize their belief in the WOL and how ready they are to put all of their trust into them alone to save this world. Is this a powerful moment? Well, scions’ faith in the PC has been evident for a long time now, and there is no realistic sense that the WOL might fail. The last time they struggled was in Shadowbringers when consumed by the light, since then it has been an uninterrupted flow of constant victories for the Warrior of Light. There are no recent failures to think of to make the characters or the player doubt the WOL and hence make this belief the scions share more dramatic and effective.

[Thenightvortex]

And this brings the pitfall which surrounds the scions in Endwalker. One of the themes of the expansion is that of loss, even should one open their game they will immediately hear a line of “tales of loss and fire and faith”. However, for themes to work, they have to apply to the protagonists in some form or another. With scions and the Warrior of Light in Endwalker, they do not. There is not a single moment where scions lose someone or something close to them or have to make a sacrifice that is not immediately undone. At most they reminisce on their past losses such as Urianger thinking of Moenbryda, but even those end up in moments of reconciliation and gain for the scions. The twins are the most egregious examples, as they completely make up with their father and get to keep their family intact with any prior conflict amounting to distrust between them and Fourchenault disowning the twins.

It has been a problem for a long time with FFXIV’s writing, but nowhere is it as evident as in Endwalker and Ultima Thule specifically. Those scenes are full of irony as scions preach to the dead races about how they should overcome their despair while being hypocritical and self centered in their responses. The amount of suffering and trauma scions went through is nowhere near those of the races they see, especially the dragons and Meteion. And all of this moments before they go on to commit a ‘sacrifice’, a bravado which has emotional music and passionate yet meaningless words before being undone in an instant, time and time again. Writers pushed for two directions, to maintain scions as the paragons of virtue and the exemplar protagonists who go through struggle and suffering and rise up from it while simultaneously keeping them as safe and unscathed as possible, bending the plot and themes of the story for them.

With this, the outcome becomes predictable, even if disappointing. Twins speak of “wounds that do not heal” that they have in their speech to Meteion, only to have Thancred complaining about him not even getting a scar to brag about later. If the writers continue in this direction, it becomes evident how the story will develop. Five years later there will still be callbacks to Minfilia and Haurchefant any other patch, while no new struggle or lass will be enforced on the scions. They will continue to preach about their scars and pain to the antagonists and other characters, trying to relate, while not realizing that there are simply no wounds to heal.

[RyuDragnier]

Protip, you can edit your first post to bypass the character limit, no need to keep making posts one after the other. And if you need to condense some parts, don't be afraid to put things in [ hb][/ hb] brackets (remove the spaces). An example.

The example.