#Forspoken speculation

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Since the familiars are magical constructs created by the Tantas, how come they never got Corrupted like everything else?

[cruelfeline]

Because I am Totally Normal about this game and its characters, I spent the better part of my free time today considering Cuff's senses; namely, his sight.

It's occurred to me, after thinking about various dialogues and in-game situations, that I don't think he can actually see anything on his own. At least not, like, in terms of our concept of vision.

Cuff can sense things. His "compass" ability seems to work almost like a sort of echolocation, except with tiny birds instead of sound. And he appears to have some ability to sense magic, or power. He can, for example, sense the power of some of the necklaces Frey puts on and says as much. He can likewise sense the power in the Breakshards Frey collects after battle.

Actual sight, however, is different. And it's initially a little hard to pin down because, in certain circumstances, he appears very much able to see things that have no magical signature he could otherwise sense.

He can read, for one thing. At the beginning of the game, Frey cannot read Athian, but Cuff can, and so he reads things for her (while also teaching her, which I find perpetually precious!). Clearly, he is able to see with enough clarity that he's able to accurately make out Athian letters and words. He does this with generic signs and books: nothing that might have some sort of magic he could sense and decipher. It's all just plain old written script.

He can take note of various enemy characteristics, commenting positively or negatively on their appearances. He can see the paintings Frey finds on her journey and comments on them, too.

Then, of course, they're this fun example:

Essentially: Cuff appears able to visually see things when he needs to.

So! Why do I think he can't see on his own? And what, exactly, does that mean?

Well, take a dialogue like this:

Besides being deeply endearing to me, it's also quite interesting in that it appears to imply that Cuff is totally unaware of his currently very small surroundings. Frey and Cuff are in a Pilgrim's Refuge. It's a small space. There's not really anywhere for anything to hide. An enemy would be exceedingly easy to see. So why is Cuff momentarily panicked and asking Frey if there's something there?

Furthermore, why does Cuff, in various battle-related dialogues, ask Frey if they're surrounded, or how many enemies there are? A simple glance around would tell him, wouldn't it?

My personal headcanon is that Cuff sees through Frey's eyes. We know, after all, that he senses what she senses via the following:

What I believe, however, is that he only does so when he specifically focuses on the action. It's not automatic; he has to expend some effort and concentration in order to do it.

It would explain why he's able to do something like read to her: she's already looking closely at the text, and so he's able to reach through their connection and access her own sight. Same thing with something like the tower: she sees it, and he's able to briefly reach out and see it with her.

In other situations, it's simply not convenient or viable for him to look through her eyes. In sudden combat, it's quicker to ask if they're surrounded than to access her sight. It may also be a matter of... how to say... the stability of the image. If Frey is focused on reading and is looking at words on a page, her vision is more stable than if she is in battle, eyes flicking from place to place. In said battle scenario, it may be quite disorienting for Cuff to borrow her eyes, so it's easier for him to ask. Not to mention something like combat featuring much more stress and activity, hampering the concentration that may be needed for accurate sight-borrowing on very immediate notice. Especially if Cuff is more focused on, say, scanning or guarding.

In terms of the moment with the torana-teasing: I expect that, safe in a Refuge, he relaxed a bit and wasn't focused on gleaning information from Frey's vision. When he heard her supposedly opening a torana, he assumed there was an enemy immediately near and either felt he didn't have time to reach through their connection or - amusingly - was too panicked to focus enough to do so. Thus, he asks Frey if there's something there.

This is all just speculative, of course. But it makes sense to me! It offers what I feel is a reasonable explanation for why Cuff seems perfectly able to see at certain times, yet appears totally unaware of his surroundings at others.

It's also just... interesting to me. That this could be yet another way that he's so reliant on Frey. That without her, he's limited in what exactly he can sense and identify and interact with. To his perpetual frustration, I'm sure!

[phoenixiancrystallist]

If it wasn't for the fact that there's illusions or replicas or whatever of the Broken and Tanta minions and even the abominations in there, I'd be inclined to agree. I've been trying to figure out for a while now why the Labyrinths have guardians that look and act like the Broken.

going through all the labyrinths and seeing all the Nightmare-esque creatures, I'm wondering now if the Breakstorms are like an immune response for the land. because obviously the First Tanta could create them or they wouldn't be in the labyrinths and they absolutely waste the Broken creatures when the storm starts

[mistress-light]

Is it just me, or did Jennesh seemed to be acting extremely cunt-struck in a way? Could he have been in love with Cinta?

I mean, the way he talks about her? Her love and dedication to Athia in the beginning, as he so describes. How Junoon was the greatest of all realms according to him?? He probably knew he could never have her, as he would expect. He held her in the highest regards nonetheless.

But oh boy when he found out she got pregnant. His disdain for Frey. The way he talks about 'her eyes', the same eyes he knew way before she was born? Of course he saw it as a failure on Cinta's part and her obligations as a Tanta to Athia. But the way his anger is turned towards Frey is really something else. How her father made an impression on Cinta? Jennesh seemed to me as really betrayed. Not only as a part of duty, but personal too.

Also, his attempt of looking for someone? Could it have been her?

[zigmatism]

Some cat shenanigans. The one animal in Athia that truly unnerves Cuff.

Bonus:

[phoenixiancrystallist]

I will always headcanon that Farcoast Terrace is where Cinta spent the majority of her time in dragon form. Just shedding Break, concentrating it on that one area until nature is so unstable the Breakstorm is permanent even after her death.

There's also one that always pops up at the Mount Garrison belfry in Praenost, which is the same place that the Gigas abomination hangs out. This one has a Giant Nightmare the first time you trigger it, but iirc after you beat it the first time it doesn't always respawn. I'll have to go back in my save where I did beat it and see.

Then there's the one at the graveyard in the Opal Hills (also Praenost) that comes with a Giant Nightmare attached. Another one with a Giant Nightmare happens on Three Tree Mountain in Visoria. Oddly enough the third Giant Nightmare location in Junoon doesn't have a Breakstorm with it, but the Monument to Wisdom nearby leads to a Breakstorm in the past.

And then there's the one outside of Cipal that only appears after Prav sent the Break into the city. That one is the only one not near an Abomination, the only one not past the Depths of Corruption, and like the Farcoast Terrace it doesn't house a Giant Nightmare. All it spawns is Riven Carcasses—another unusual trait.

I might be missing other "permanent" Breakstorms. ("Permanent" in quotes bc only two of them never ever stop no matter how many nightmares you kill or how much time passes.) I'm sure there's one in Avoalet somewhere, but I can't for the life of me think of where.

ANYWAY to answer your question they seem to happen most frequently where the Break is the strongest. I've never encountered a Breakstorm in a labyrinth after clearing it, though.

breakstorms seem to happen pretty much randomly, except for a few places, in which they seem to occur every time Frey and Cuff enter the place. Like that mountain pass (fuck that area tbh) and labyrinths. you guys think the environment reacts to both the power of a Tanta and Susurrus' power? the two components the break was created by?

[bornt-urnge]

Okay so another big thought I had about Forspoken and the Break. Someone else may have already had these thoughts but I wanted to format it all myself.

(spoilers below obv)

So, keeping it short:

The Break is a mix of Tanta magic and Susurrus' magic (as explained by Cuff)

Despite having both of those now, Frey and Cuff still can't just voosh the Break away, which means there's more to it than that

In ITWT, we see that the Rheddig invaders' magic was noted to be similar to Cuff's magic, as well as effects of the giant tree in Visoria resembling Breakshards

It does seem like the Tanta of Rheddah was not allied with whatever faction invaded Athia, and instead wishes to help Frey defeat the Break, implying that she both 1) has experience with it, and 2) knows at the very least how it actually works (rather than Cuff's speculation)

Breakshards are able to be used as an ingredient to create things that enhance Tanta magic, implying Break magic can be beneficial if controlled

This leads me to think that perhaps the Break was the original form of the power that Tantas wield. A chaotic, swirling mass of energy that transforms and imbues power into anything it touches—dangerous to the weak of constitution, devastating to wildlife, but also transformative and lethally useful under very specific circumstances.

I think maybe the first Tantas gained their magic by separating the Good Parts of the Break from the Bad Parts, and then sealing those Bad Parts away somehow, to prevent the Break from happening again. This is what the invading Rheddig had: they unlocked and wielded the Bad Part of the Break, utilizing it to summon Susurrus, and either intentionally or unintentionally causing both parts to re-mingle and cause the Break to re-form.

[govindhtech]

AMD Fluid Motion Frames to Enjoy Gaming

AMD Fluid Motion Frames Technology

The long-awaited introduction of AMD’s Fluid Motion Frames technology has finally taken place in the Adrenaline preview driver, which offers compatibility for a total of twelve different games. This event has been the subject of much speculation and anticipation.

Because to FSR 3 and Fluid Motion Frame Technologies, AMD’s “Upscaling” Capabilities have undergone a substantial improvement in recent years.

Team Red has made great strides in the development of its upscaling technology with the release of FSR 3, as well as other games such as Forspoken and Immortals of Aveum. This is especially true when taking into consideration how recently FSR 3 was made available to the public. In comparison to AMD’s Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF), which provides support for a broad selection of games such as Starfield and Red Dead Redemption 2, the number of games that are compatible with FSR 3 is significantly smaller.

Radeon’s software and hardware are both compatible with one other

The most recent version of the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition Technical Preview Driver for AMD Fluid Motion Frames, which is version 23.30.01.02, is compatible with the AMD Radeon RX 7900/7800/7700/7600 RDNA 3 GPUs.

At this point, the feature is being tested in preparation for its imminent preview release, and AMD is actively requesting input from players (using its Bug Tool) to help it become more helpful in the future.

Now, please brief me on AMD’s Fluid Motion Frames technology. I’m eager to learn more. There are a lot of individuals that think of it as an alternate to what NVIDIA has called their “Frame Generation.” This feature accomplishes, in layman’s words, the highest number of “frames-per-second” that is practical by conducting frame interpolation on the driver side.

In combination with FSR 3, AMD Fluid Motion Framesplans to enhance a gamer’s experience without the player ever having to be concerned about the performance output from his or her Radeon GPU. This is part of AMD’s overall goal to improve the gaming experience. Although it is expected that AFMF will provide support for all DX11/12 games, the preview driver presently only provides support for 12 DX12 games for the time being. It is anticipated that AFMF will give support for all DX11/12 games.

In recent years, AFMF has become a topic of discussion as a result of the fact that it does not require support on a “developer level” because it is already incorporated into your graphics drivers. This integration is what makes it a unique feature. In spite of this, it is necessary to highlight the fact that if you were to compare it to any of the aforementioned technologies, it would not even come close to being as excellent as NVIDIA’s DLSS 3 “Frame Generation” or AMD’s own FSR 3 with “Frame-Generation” if you were to do so.

AMD Fluid Motion Frames in 12 Games

AMD Games with Fluid Motion Frames Support

Installing AMD’s preview driver will allow you to activate the feature; however, it is crucial to bear in mind that the AFMF is still in its developmental phases, and as a consequence, you may have interruptions while you are using it. bear this in mind before activating the function. We put the technology through its paces by employing it in Forspoken, and it was successful in performing its primary function, which was to boost your frame rate by a factor of two through the use of interpolation:

In the not too distant future, AMD plans to restrict access to its AFMF technology to only the Radeon RX 7000 line of graphics cards. This capability is not officially supported by any other Radeon GPU at this time. It’s possible that AMD’s choice will just be a temporary one given that AFMF is still in the testing phase. If this is the case, then in the not-too-distant future we could see it gaining support for architectures other than RDNA3.

Because of this, it is reasonable to say that Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has actually increased the amount of work it is putting into bringing its upscaling technologies closer in line with those of its competitors. Because this component would place them in a better position than others, it will be intriguing to watch what types of performance increases FSR 3, specifically AFMF, brings in supported titles.

[phoenixiancrystallist]

What if Frey is Thalia reincarnated and that's why Frey was able to hitchhike in her body and experience her emotions?

[cruelfeline]

This is an odd little line. It plays in one of the labyrinths (can't quite tell which one) should Frey enter and reach its end on her own, without Cuff.

Given what she says, I'm going to tentatively assume that the reward in this labyrinth was potentially the last writings of the Rheddig soldier, mentioning how said soldier had been fatally wounded in the quest to gather the pieces of Susurrus.

It's odd because... well, I feel like Frey is missing the bigger picture here. Hard to tell if it was a writing oversight, or if it's an aspect of her character rooted in automatically sympathizing with Athia, but the fact is that she doesn't seem to understand that the Rheddig soldiers weren't throwing away their lives for Cuff.

Like... their aim wasn't to free Susurrus, with Cuff's personal freedom as their goal. They weren't working in favor of him, so to speak. Rather, they sacrificed themselves to hurt Athia. They were throwing away their lives not for Susurrus, but for Athia's annihilation.

Susurrus was a tool to them. He was a weapon that would allow them to bring severe harm and destruction to Athia, and Frey doesn't seem to quite internalize this concept. She doesn't seem to consider that Cuff himself is not the instigator of this violence, but essentially a vessel for it. He is only in the position and the role he is in because the people of Rheddah put him there. Not for his own sake, but to fulfill their desire to see Athia destroyed.

It's interesting to me that she doesn't consider that. And I wonder if, one day, perhaps she will. I think her doing so would be vital to her better understanding Cuff's position in all of this. And perhaps serve to soften their relationship, or even help to resolve this ancient conflict.

[makapatag]

1-11 of PRINCESS MURDERS THE HERO has released, and so has the audio version of 1-2! Check it out, link 📷

PRINCESS MURDERS THE HERO is if Fullmetal Alchemist, Sabriel, and overblown Philippine Polytheistic Religion had a baby in Precolonial Philippines/Southeast Asia, with a dashing of K6BD.

1-11: https://princessmurdersthehero.com/2021/11/06/1-11/…

1-2 Audio: https://youtu.be/m1_IOjfDuls

More info under the cut:

It is a web novel set in the archipelago of The Sword Isles, a fantasy setting inspired by Classical Philippines. This is a bayani genre web serial, inspired by Filipino folk epics and martial art heroes. The singing star unfurls. The trembling star awakens. The hero has come. From the nest of crime and excess that is Ananara, capital of the Lakanate, begins the travel of the man known to many as the Mendicant Bayani. This Auspicious Beggar Hero is known more to others as… “THE HERO OF PROPHECY.”

Sent by all the gods themselves, this Hero of Prophecy travels the islands to gather the Six Godly Regalia of the First Rajah, which will be the key to create a powerful Empire that will finally conquer and unite all islands under a single throne, thus achieving peace and prosperity. The islands are alive and aflame in speculation.

What do they do now? That a hero of prophecy has arrived? The hero that will unite the Islands, forspoken by ancient singers.

That Hero who will call to arms the banners and mandalas of the various scattered peoples. The Hero chosen by the gods and ancestors. The people rejoice. The people have been awaiting him.

The prophet that first sung his story, however, was a demon goddess. And this demon goddess has other plans.

Follow, then, as an ostracized princess of the Rajah and her faithful royal guard travel the islands of violence, with a destiny that they themselves must choose to fulfill. This is not a story where the hero saves the day. Where a farm boy becomes a noble king who serves his subjects faithfully. This is a story where the PRINCESS MURDERS THE HERO.

This web novel series is inspired by various Fantasy Novels (notably: Earthsea, the Bas-Lag Trilogy, Tigana/Lions of Al-Rassan/Under Heaven, and Sabriel), Asian dramas (Amaya, Scarlet Heart Ryeo), Comics and Manga (Kill 6 Billion Demons, Full Metal Alchemist), and video game narratives (Tactics Ogre). It is lighter in feel, and a lot more shounen than my other works, although it will still butt heads with hard ideas. This is a content warning for the following: slavery, murder, genocide, classism, family death, violence.

[phoenixiancrystallist]

There is, I can track it down if you want me to. Off the top of my head I know there's one that says Praenost Castle was built either for or by Tanta Sila and it's been there for over 100 years.

There's nothing in the main game or DLC that suggests the Tantas lose their powers when a new one is made. All we know is that Athia had the First Tanta after Rheddah sicced Sus on it, somewhere along the lines that one Tanta turned into four, and Olas wanted to make Thalia a Tanta. There's no mentions anywhere of how Tanta's come into being (besides Frey's birth which was forbidden), and no mention of how Tantas stop being Tantas besides that their souls go to Svargana when they die.

Actually I'd argue the fact that Athia added three extra Tantas to the roster is good evidence that they don't lose their powers when a new one is picked. Otherwise the First Tanta could never have been succeeded by four of them. It would only be one Tanta at a time.

So In Tanta We Trust seems to imply tantas can be consciously made via choosing a human to like, ascend Twilight Sparkle style… anyway does that mean Frey could start tanta-fying other people. Begging Auden not to leave her alone for an eternity bound to a birdbrain. Pushing the girl’s people-pleasing personality to its absolute limit

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Question:

Why is the magic around Frey when she uses Flow gold?

Shimmy and Leap are properly purple

But Flow is pure gold, not a speck of purple to be seen

And she's coated in it when she first breaks into her sprints! Look at this, the only place it doesn't touch is her face:

Looks familiar, too, doesn't it? Where have we seen gold in these patterns before?

Oh. Ooooooh.

I'm sure it's fine :)

But it's really interesting, right? Flow isn't Frey's magic. It's Cuff's. All the rest of Frey's magic has purple in it—after all, Frey's magic is purple magic. But Flow is the only magic in her entire arsenal that has no color other than gold.

Trust me, I spent two-ish hours today going through every single spell.

I'm fascinated that of all the magics Cuff could have given her, it's the ability to run and escape. It's the one thing we don't see him do when he's fighting her as Susurrus. He could have given her flight, laser beams, forming weapons out of gold filament, fancy gold armor, summon 6d12 breakbirds per round, anything. But instead he gives her the power to flee, and that's before he really learned or knew anything about who she is as a person.

What an interesting and missable bit of characterization.

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Anyone else notice how the text in Cuff's scans is all warped? And the Athian text kind of wiggles and pulses sometimes, almost like it's glitching? I wonder if that's a result of the damage that's been done to him, the same way he doesn't sit in nice and neat coils on Frey's arm.

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Not even the best phone fresh out of the box will hold a charge on its battery for six months, no matter how minimal the use is. How was Frey taking pictures for the kids throughout her whole journey?

One could reasonably argue that she kept her phone turned off except when she was taking those pictures, but I posit a different theory:

Athia's ambient magic keeps it charged