[quote=@Flamelord]
If the Big Bad is defeated and the world does not come out of the story worse off than when it went in, it's a Good Ending, by most modern conventional definitions, regardless of whether said victory was 'earned' or not.  -_-
[/quote]

But that's the thing Flame. Given the actions of the PCs, we don't intend to have the Big Bad defeated. Hence, the Bad Ending.