It does feel insulting because "going out in the blaze of glory" is forced on the player. I didn't pick this ending because I wanted my V to be a legend, and I'm not the only one. V has other reasons to want to stay in Night City: they actually like living in the city, they don't care for the nomad lifestyle, they have people they care about living there but none of that appears to matter because major leagues.
I didn't really put much importance on classic literature datashards but you're correct about it not being an accidental placement. However, this makes it feel even more insulting. What makes The Star ending so special that V gets to live only in that one? In The Sun ending V has resources to help them, why aren't they enough but the power of Aldecaldos friendship is a magical solution? Night City isn't some Lovecraftian horror, bad things that happen there are a result of a dystopian society, life isn't better elsewhere.
Seems that they can because there is a hopeful ending for people who romanced Judy and Panam but people who choose Kerry and River get either breakup or depression. They could have easily made The Sun ending a little optimistic, but now all we have is a couple of straws to cling to so the situation wouldn't feel even more unfair because we didn't choose Liaras of Cyberpunk.
Ehhh, I would love to give them the "artistic vision" pass, but I think there's a difference between a creative choice and punishing players for playing a gay man or a straight woman. There's no meaning it adds to the game, no over-arching theme that plays out. What would the vision be, if they only had those specific types of V without a happy-ish ending?
I cannot discuss that unfairness,is completely true (and maybe they decide "devil" is cannon, so everybody is equalized). But I really think, that they wrote story without romance in mind (is an uncontrolled variable, you can play as a loner all the endings I think). Judy was already planning to leave, Panam is a Nomad ,Kerry is not suitable for a road trip and River has family ties that need him in NC. I read people complaining because Takemura was not a romance option, how would he have played in "sun"?. They could have done a "star" ending without Judy and killing Panam actually, I suspect that they didn´t kill Panam (that I was expecting) since killing her + 6 month timer would have been too much for too many people (already seems many people finds the 6 months too sad).
Another simplier altough maybe worse theory: they know players demographics, so I will not be surprised that there is a huge ammount of straight males that played and romance Panam or that they did a female lesbian for Judy.
Well, here is where I don´t agree... the game puts a lot of effort to convey a message "run away from NC".V has other reasons to want to stay in Night City: be it because they actually like living in the city, they don't care for the nomad lifestyle, they have people they care about living there but none of that appears to matter because major leagues.