#glorious rivals theories

[downrightbooks]

Okay so I finally solved the number sequence and…..

It says: Love is Power, Love is Weakness, Love will fall. 💀

Like miss Jennifer, I’m not really liking the implications of those words. Like what do you mean love will fall, now I’m I’m actually scared for what’s about to happen in Glorious Rivals 😬

I also searched up the word phase and found this.

“Even the strongest love can eventually fade or crumble.”

WHY WOULD SHE PUT THAT IN THE HINT FOR GLORIOUS RIVALS!!!!! IM ACTUALLY GONNA HAVE A STROKE, LIKE WHAT IS SHE GONNA DO 😭😬💀

Also I swear if something happens to Avery or Jameson I will be driving my car off a cliff 😭

If anyone has any thoughts or theories about this please share🙏

I think am gonna need a support group when Glorious Rivals comes out.

[wish-i-were-heather]

Any thought on TGG?

YES YES YES YES YES SO MANY THOUGHTS UHM HELLO

okok so i wrote like an essay of predictions and what i thinks gonna happen next on in the notes app on on my phone bc i was camping when i finished reading it so i had no service and couldn't go online and tell people my thoughts 😭😭

uhh im gonna put my main points (spoiler warning ofc also this is gonna get really long)

i think eves whole kidnapping thing is bc of eve (obviously bc like slate is working with her) but because eve wants gray's attention

i cant remember if she knows about lyra or not but still

i just think this because i dont think she would really want anything to do with gigi, just using her bc gray

basically my main point is i think the main plot glorious rivals is going to be about finding gigi (i hope im right and she doesnt get dropped of at home in like chapter three or these will all be incorrect)

when gray finds out what happened to gigi he will flip out. obviously savannah will too probably moreso bc like thats her twin but gray is very protective of them both so he'll freak out like crazy

especially once they inevitably put the peices together and realies why kidnapped her, he'll probably want to kill eve (i'd say not actually but i wouldn't be surprised if he genuinely did. i do so like)

i think that both grayson and savannah will like actually refuse to participate further in the grandest game until they find out what happened to her

and obviously avery and the others arent apathetic so theyre gonna understand and its either gonna be cancelled/postponed

and when they do pause/end the game, they arent gonna tell people why cause that'd cause more drama

omg also im forgetting her name but gigi and savannah;s mom. i feel like she's either gonna be a really big character in the next book or not in it at all, i dont think theres really gonna be an in between.

also xander was really starting to grow a friendship with gigi, so he'd be concerned too.

i want gray and xander to have more "screen time" together and like grow their relationship bc they have a funny dynamic but we dont see it a lot

also i keep forgetting to mention her but SAVANNAH

shes gonna be so worried omg and she will be even more angry and worried than grayson will be

she is going to blame it on avery, i mean she already doesnt like her because she "killed her father" and whatever but just like yk

i have a feeling that the teams from this book are gonna come back

like rohan is gonna be on savannah's side about this whole situation, also like avery and jamie dont like him bc the whole jamesons rib situation lmao so that wont be hard to convince him

and theyre gonna be against avery and the hawthornes because savannah doesn't like her

and then lyra and gray are gonna be on the same side obviously (excluding odette bc idk where she fits into all this)

and not gigi obviously but then knox and brady, theyll probably be doing their own thing??

idk knox is obviously kinda a jerk and i dont like him and hes not in the game anymore

but brady he might try to help gigi? im not sure what to make of him

i feel like each "team" is gonna be trying to figure out what happened with gigi?? idk like i said if finding her isnt the main plot this is gonna be a little embarassing

ok but stepping away from that...

so we've known alice is alive but now thats to odette everyone knows

what did she want tobias to do when she came back? and just idk i have so many questions

WHO IS THE WATCHER???

my first thought is alice but thats too easy, too obvious

for the same reason i dont think its eve nor whoever the heck knox's sponsor is.

what if its this calla girl??? bc brady says shes alive?

why is everyone alive tho tbh first alice then calla, everyone but sheffield sorry sav

UNLESS HE DID COME BACK THAT WOULD BE SO BAD BC HE WOULD BE SO MANUPULATIVE TOWARDS SAVANNAH AUGH

ok anyway idk hes not coming back (hopefully)

i do think whoever the watcher is is the same person who gave lyra the ticket

ALSO KISSES KISSES KISSES I SCREAMED THEY KISSED SAVANNAH AND ROHAN AND LYRA AND GRAY FINALLY OMG THEY WERE SO HORNY THE WHOLE BOOK TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH

especially rohan like woah chill theres other people reading this book save some thoughts to yourself

but overall i loved it and i need glorious rivals right now

[elif-in-wonderland]

I like the cover for Glorious Rivals!!

[swiftreader1989]

🚨🚨🚨

new theories I will consider going into the glorious rivals

FIRST THEORY: KAILEY IS LYRA'S MOM - kailey is alive and is lyra's mom. when reading the games untold I found the small bits of kailey and lyra's mom to be too similar: these are my reasons ↓ @emreads294 introduced this theory and made a great post abt it (go check it out!)

1.) kailey loves to dance, it's all she ever does and even in hannah's dream she appears to tell her to keep dancing and to teach her future daughter to do so as well. now I imagine kailey aka "lyra's mom" to also hold that true to herself, putting her daughter in ballet and what is basically so much of who lyra is. OFC lyra is going to be dancer if kailey loved it too. I can also imagine kailey being distraught, confused, and upset when lyra quits dancing her senior year of hs.

2.) kailey and lyra's mom both have very bubbly personalities and so much optimism just by the short bits we've seen of them. also kailey is said to have a bit of a short temper, who has that as well? LYRA. kailey LOVES to curse and say "bitch". guess who also loves to curse and has her own trademark aka "asshole", LYRA.

3.) kailey saying "you, glorious thing, you" comes up about five times in the hannah and toby's story. what's the next title of the next book? GLORIOUS RIVALS. now you're probably like yas you sound crazy rn and you're probably right... I do. but jlb never does anything unintentional especially if this phrase comes up so much in the span of such a short story. could this be foreshadowing of role kailey has in the next book and the rivals at play?

4.) @emreads294 brought up another great point as well and said kailey was known to be very nicknamey. meaning she loved to give people nicknames and what does lyra's mom call her? YOU AVOIDER. because she rarely calls her mother. something kailey would say...

5.) this is also random but kailey and catalina both have the same meaning aka pure. which I thought was cute and interesting if that's lyra's mother. we also do not know lyra's mom's name but her stepfather's? that's a little fishy and mysterious if you ask moi.

SECOND THEORY: TOBY SENT LYRA THE INVITE FOR TGG

-toby sent lyra the game invite in hopes to redeem himself for the guilt he's had for "killing" hannah's sister kailey.

-he says he will always be sorry for what he did to her and carries that burden. so when he finds out that kailey IS ALIVE & has a daughter named lyra. he's probably shook and thinks to himself that hannah not only had a niece but avery has a cousin.

-AND by reading toby and avery's relationship they are daughter and father. making lyra in a way his niece. so toby as an "uncle" gives her the invitation because if he can help anyone related to hannah out he will do so especially if he thought kailey was dead.

-who else would say "you deserve this" not eve or alice. they're both psychotic bitches who care for no one but themselves. I like to think uncle toby ate and sent lyra to the game!

what are your thoughts?!

[lil-luvxo]

THEORY/PUZZLE!!

so, i was watching the NOVL’s new instagram reel and came across this:

the person recording the reel said that it was a clue that was included in ARCS and tells us something that happens in glorious rivals.

but 🥁🥁, you need games untold to solve it and i don’t have my games untold copy yet 🙁 when i do i’m gonna try and figure it out, but for now i thought i would share the clue (picture^^)

we’re literally masterminds if we can figure this out because it was created by QUEEN JLB herself!

[boinin]

Batten down the hatches: Rin's ego is about to land

The latest chapters show Rin playing with an unfamiliar aura: what looks like swirling rivulets of water.

This represents the refinement of his ego and playstyle since the under-20 match. But what exactly are they going for with the swirling water? Here's my two cents.

Rin is strongly associated with water, specifically the sea. He grew up by the coast; he and Sae shared a love of watching the sunset over the water after training together. Those childhood memories are turbulent now, like dark clouds on the ocean's horizon.

It's here he realises that he can no longer play the puppetmaster football that helped him thrive in Blue Lock. As good as he is, it wasn't authentic... and it's nowhere near where he needs to be to compete with his brother, or even Isagi.

Rin's flow state is the most unique out of any others we've seen. Let's dig into it. All panels are from the official translation, which is important as the translation choices are 1) consistent and 2) likely chosen carefully.

In the dying moments of the match, Rin complains about feeling restrained. Being Itoshi Rin is eating him alive.

Cool, calm and aloof.

A genius. Prodigy. Puppetmaster.

Team player. Team captain.

Isagi Yoichi's partner. Shidou Ryuusei's rival.

Itoshi Sae's little brother.

The prospect of defeat rudely wakes him up. His pretence comes crashing down hard, triggered by his ineffectiveness in spite of the teammates around him. It's one of the best rugpulls in sports manga.

When the power of friendship comes knocking, Itoshi Rin tells it to fuck off and die.

What a glorious moment... and not just because it posits Rin as a Uchiha Sasuke kinnie. I prompt you to examine his eyes in this panel.

They're a swirling vortex of hate and destruction, befitting Blue Lock's angstiest character. The shape reminds me of this:

Satellite images of Hurricane Franklin and Hurricane Idalia, August 2023. Image credit: NOAA Satellites.

Rin's true ego, which he unleashes against Sae, is a storm.

Optional soundtrack for the rest of this post (because Rin 100% listens to this once it comes out in Blue Lock's universe).

Although it isn't portrayed visually as such in the under-20 arc, the metaphor fits Rin's evolving playstyle. What is more destructive, more uncontrollable, more senseless than a hurricane? A violent force of nature that we can predict but never avert?

When a storm approaches, all we can do is rank it, track it, then attempt to mitigate the inevitable damage.

In football terms? Sounds a lot like playing Rin.

It's even alluded to in chapter 250: the graphics for Rin's formation are similar to the satellite images of large storms.

Within the U20 match, there are exchanges that support this theory. Darai calls Rin's evolving playstyle arrogant and avaricious. The latter (meaning extreme greed) is evocative of a force that pursues what it wants without regard for anything in its surroundings. What it can't have, it destroys.

Niou is confident enough in his physicality to try withstand his opponent's attrack. Rin literally flips him into the air. Niou's hubris brings to mind all man-made constructs which are supposedly storm-proof... until a cyclone comes along and proves otherwise.

The contrast between Rin and Sae's egos are interesting. If we accept Rin's is a storm, i.e. a destructive force of nature that cannot be controlled, Sae's is the opposite despite being as impossible to defy. Sae's motif is defined in the manga as "beautiful destruction", plays and passes depicted in graceful data strings. Rather than natural, his playstyle is sleek and controlled, and dominant to the point of appearing pre-ordained by his opponents.

Their attitudes are equally different. While Rin drools and loses composure in the final minutes, Sae does little more than raise his eyebrows throughout the entire game. He's completely emotionless.

It's the extremes of human nature: animalistic rage versus robotic detachment. This time, the latter wins. Will Rin have an opportunity to face his brother again, with a better grasp on his ego? Here's hoping.

My final thoughts on Rin are speculative. How does one beat a storm? Not just endure—but subdue and calm one?

It's beyond human capability. The ability to control the weather exists only in myth and fantasy, and even then it's usually in the hands of powerful entities, not mere heroes or wizards.

Subduing something as powerful as a hurricane would require a god.

Is this Isagi and Rin's endgame?

Time will tell.

[two-braincells-in-total]

You are definitely onto something with the sisters thing, but I don't think Thomas is the mutual parent. Calla's father was mentioned and it doesn't make sense for Thomas to be having a double life since it's Lyra's mom who left, but they might have the same mom.

Maybe that's exactly why she left, she already had a kid. And maybe it was Calla's dad who killed Thomas, because I'm pretty sure it's impossible for someone to stab himself in the stomach, write on the wall with his blood and then blow his face off, he was murdered.

The writing on the wall brings me to my theory about a cult (because of the mention of 3, "the grandest of games" and the omega symbol) in which both Alice and Calla's family is part of and that's why it was Alice who killed him, following orders from Calla's dad

TGG SPOILERS‼️‼️‼️

i have a feeling that lyra and calla are sisters.

HEAR ME OUT, jlb has done it before with cassie and lauren it wouldn’t surprise me that thomas killed himself (or maybe he was killed) because he had a double life with lyras mom.

AND HE GAVE LYRA A CALLA LILY. A NICKNAME FOR LYRA IS LYLY AND IF LYRA’S NAME IS PRONOUNCED LEER- A, HER NICKNAME WOULD BE PRONOUNCED AS LEELEE.

[zeldatoriadiangelo]

Glorious Rivals Theory Time!!!

So there is the scene is TGG where Grayson is all stressed over Lyra going too close to the cliff's edge. We know his trauma there. And I have no doubt that Eve knows this trauma as well. It feels like a bit of foreshadowing

My theory is that Eve will at one point threaten Grayson (because in The Brothers Hawthorne she is still targeting him) by saying she would throw Lyra off the cliff. That or like Gigi because we know Slate has Gigi. Or even Savannah (who I think is working with Eve in some wack dealio) jumping to trap Grayson for Eve.

Regardless, someone Grayson cares for dearly is going off a cliff and he is gonna relive his trauma in the worst way.

[balladofareader]

Mrs. Barnes asked me who my favorite tgg character is, I told her Gigi and she told me, 'You know, I can't tell you much, but I'm excited for what's to come for Gigi in the next book.'

Me: *D.I.E.S*

Any theories on what happens to Gigi in Glorious Rivals??

[downrightbooks]

‼️POSSIBLE GAMES UNTOLD SPOILERS ‼️

✨Theory Time✨

Okay so I finished Games Untold yesterday and I have SOO much to say.

And………

I HAVE A THEORY

This is probably going to be the craziest theory you have heard, and you honestly might think that I’m crazy and connecting dots that in no way shape or form have anything to do with one another. And to that I say you are probably correct.

MY CRAZY THEORY

Okay so we all know by now that JLB loves to create very messed up family dynamics (like family members who are supposed to be dead just casually living out in about). So I was reading Toby and Hannah’s story I bawled my eyes out and at the very end in the epilogue we get see that Alice Hawthorne who everyone knows died a year after the fire on Hawthorne Island actually visited Hannah and Avery at the dinner even before Tobias did.

So basically she pays a visit to Hannah and gives her an offer we don’t know what that she turns down but can’t stop thinking about it. Then she creates the “Secrets” game that her and Avery play growing up. And here’s the thing is that one of her secrets Avery finds out is about the day she was born when Toby signed her birth certificate. My theory is that secret was not the biggest secret she had, I think whatever she knows about Alice and whatever she offered her is.

What I find strange is that from what we have learned about Alice so far is that she would literally kill even her own grandchildren to hide that fact that she is alive. She has practically said that anyone who knows about her being alive, or even the people close to that person are being watched and could be in danger. So why go up to a girl you’ve never met and basically tell her who you are and that you are alive and give her an offer.

What I think happened is that whatever offer asked for or things that she told Hannah, I think she somehow got involved with the whole Alice thing. Because I don’t believe that Alice would just let Hannah just go on and live her life after knowing that she’s alive. I think that she probably had people watching both her and Avery at all times.

Soo sorry if this all sounded like nonsense but I just had to yap about it since I finished the book. I really think that Hannah somehow got mixed up in whatever Alice is doing.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

With Playful land ending soon, can you try which part of the Halloween event is better which is either Playful Land or Glorious Masquerade? For example, the topic is characters and you picked Glorious Masquerade because of etc like that. (NRC cast design, NRC cast role, Yuu and Grimm's role, New character/s, Movie-inspiration event, Plot, Music, Place Setting, Opening, Ending) You can add more topics if you want.

By “better”, I’m going to assume you mean which (between Glorious Masquerade and Stage in Playful Land) I preferred in each of those categories? (I say "preferred" here because I'm judging based on my own tastes; obviously everyone will have a different opinion on how the two events compare.)

It’s quite a few to get through, so I’ll just quickly summarize each. This post will also serve as my general thoughts on Stage in Playful Land.

***Spoilers for those two events below the cut!!***

NRC cast design — I’d say the designs are pretty split down the center?? In theory, I love the concept of masquerade balls and marionettes, but in practice the designs look all over the place and I really only like a select few of them.

NRC cast role — GloMasq was stronger in this, especially the choices for the SSR trio. Malleus and Idia are a deliberate rival and foil to Rollo, whereas Azul’s UM comes in clutch during the final showdown. Meanwhile in Playful Land only Kalim seemed to be very significant story-wise; he was the one trying to convince everyone to sit down, eat, and try to understand Fellow’s motives, is the last to be captured, and gives the big speech about how he’ll never abandon his friends + the importance of school. Ace has his usual schtick of being brutally honest and there are some parts where Ortho’s robotic abilities come in handy (like playing sounds to distract the puppets), but these seem like very minor roles compared to what the GloMasq trio did. Perhaps they were good choices for the end when they all decided to destroy the amusement park though??

I also feel like some things the SSR trio does in Playful Land (like dispersing the puppets by using a “lost item”) could have been done by any smart or deceptive character (Leona, Vil, Cater, etc.), not just the SSRs (ie Ace). Furthermore, the other cast members in GloMasq seem much more important in how they split off and battle—there are good reasons or synergy given as to why they pair up the way they did (ie Riddle and Epel needing to be good flyers, Ruggie and Jamil willing to use others as meat shields, etc), while in Playful Land it seems more random (like Floyd losing interest) or obligatory (mostly the third years stepping up to defend the younger students).

It’s also anticlimactic how Fellow just let them all go??? Especially compared to Malleus, Idia, and Azul and Rollo squaring off to the bitter end.

Yuu and Grim’s role — Once again, this goes to GloMasq. In Playful Land, Yuu is automatically caged and tossed into a corner to wait it out to the climax. At least in GloMasq Yuu is actually doing something (even if it is offscreen): they’re with Grim and Trein, helping the townspeople from the flowers. (Note: I’m not entertaining the “but Yuu is magicless! It was a wasted opportunity for them not to have a bigger role in GloMasq!” thing because I’m talking only about canon and not hypotheticals here.)

New character(s) — … Do you even need to ask 😭 Obviously, I’m loyal to Roro-chan Rollo; I just find his story and character to be super interesting, especially with the root of his conflict being inner turmoil and an inability to move on… It makes him an excellent foil to Idia.

While I do also enjoy Fellow and Gidel, I feel that I’m not as invested in them because despite the terrible dark shit they're doing, the conflict they get wrapped up in gets resolved in an underwhelming manner. Plus, there was not a lot of elaboration on their own backstories?? It was mostly told to us via Fellow, yet kept so vague that the fans are left to fill in many missing details on their own. I’ll have another post out later going into more depth with how I feel about Fellow and Gidel.

Movie-inspiration — I think both events have their moments of film inspiration. A lot of GloMasq's comes through in the traditions and culture of the city, whereas Playful Land's are embedded into the games, foods, rides, and attractions in the park itself. Playful Land feels more overt because of how flashy everything is, but also because it's not really based on any real-world area (unlike the City of Flowers/Fleur City, which is fantasy Paris and therefore also has Paris elements) it has to stand on its own. They don't need to worry about developing a unique "culture" for a smaller area like a park; they can just cut loose and have everything be fun and whimsical like Pleasure Island is. For this reason, I feel that Playful Land has stronger movie ties.

Side note: I want to put out the disclaimer that I personally don’t think how much an event references its source material should be counted when evaluating the quality of its writing. Just because you mention things from the film or reinterpret them doesn’t mean the story itself is good.

Music — I’m going to give this one to Glorious Masquerade because while the tracks are nice for both (I love the dramatic bells in GloMasq and the eerie music box of Playful Land, and both songs with lyrics are also great!). However, the narrative context and meaning behind the songs with lyrics are very different, and I feel that this makes Let My Wish Resound performance that much more meaningful. Additionally, Playful Land introduced a sung version of Rave Up! Up! in part 3 (even if it was just the first half of it) whereas GloMasq saved its sung version for part 5, which grants us more time to get hype. (I also like the rhythmic/twistune of the boys dancing over the boys… idk, dancing and doing property damage for funsies.)

Opening — Both openings do a good job at building up the hype for the ominous events to come, but again GloMasq wins on a technicality… which is the quality of the evil laughs given during them 💀 Fellow’s is kinda weak (like it stutters and sounds like he’s out of breath), at least Rollo can do a slow, unabashed laugh like a proper villain/j

Setting — This one’s suuuuper subjective; I don’t really like amusement parks I know, I’m boring so that automatically means I don’t find Playful Land to be a compelling or interesting setting (even if it fits thematically). I’d much rather just be allowed to wander and explore a city unsupervised, get to learn about its history and culture by experiencing it myself. GloMasq’s City of Flowers/Fleur City allows Twisted Wonderland to be expanded so much more (like, thinking about how this city relates to other cities and countries), whereas one isolated floating park doesn’t add much to the overall world lore.

Plot — Playful Land was so… boring 🤡 I’M SORRY, IT’S TRUE (to me)????? Like, they were just aimlessly wandering around during the second half of the event (even though it should be obvious that Fellow is at the theater)???? While at least in GloMasq they knew where to go (the bell tower) right away and strategized around that… Plus, we keep switching perspectives between the captured boys and the action, which bogs down the pacing. GloMasq keeps the action going and only takes very brief pauses to check in on our villain for the evening. There was way too much time spent meandering and not enough time spent actually Doing Things in Playful Land.

Stakes — GloMasq’s were higher. This isn’t to say that higher stakes automatically means the event itself is good. It’s just that the same urgency isn’t present in Playful Land because the scope of it is not as grand. If the crimson flowers/fire lotuses spread, there is no stopping them—and it endangers many people, communities, industries, etc. if they do. Meanwhile, a handful of people go missing in Playful Land. It’s still tragic, and their losses will still impact their loved ones—however, that’s still on a smaller scale than what the flowers would have done to their world.

Ending — GloMasq trumps. It’s just perfect how Rollo indicates he won’t give up and then drops ominous lines foreshadowing Malleus bringing ruin to them all (ie book 7) 😂 Love the pettiness of the banter, the ballroom setting, the perfectly timed delivery of the gift/song, and especially how Rollo’s punishment was so perfectly fitting for someone as neurotic and self-righteous as he is!! Also loved little details like the gargoyle and Trein wanting to keep an eye on Rollo 💕

The conflict resolution for Playful Land felt like a deus ex machina…? Fellow’s literally about to win (he caught them all) and the boys get let off the hook because Fellow had a change of heart. The boss told him it will cost a lot to repair the destroyed puppets so it’s coming out of his paycheck… That, and I guess all the stuff the boys were saying about how great school is finally got to him? Fellow got so fed up he called the whole thing off???? So he releases everyone and they all go around busting up the park???? I mean, they did foreshadow it by pointing out earlier how Fellow isn’t loyal to his boss + showing more phone calls where the boss is getting increasingly annoyed 💦 so it’s not as anticlimactic as Endless Halloween Night (one of my least liked events). I just mainly dislike how the conflict is triggered in part by Fellow’s boss being rude 😭 Like damn, what if his final straw hadn’t been claimed??? Then everyone is screwed.

At the very end, Fellow and Gidel decide to go on the run?? Which… isn’t an easy thing to do but it’s hand waved away so fast. If the staff meant for it to feel this way because the original Pinocchio also left Honest John and Gideon’s fates ambiguous and they did show remorse for their victims 💦 idk, it’s cases like this that make me think TWST is at its best when it does more of its own thing rather than strongly stick to the source material…

I also have?? Mixed thoughts on how TWST doesn’t follow up on the whole “yeah a bunch of rich people are caught up in running a human trafficking operation using this scary ass magic”. I know crime must exist in TWST, so in a sense this is… realistic??? But it feels odd to see such a big thing being casually mentioned and not being treated with full gravity?? (Maybe these are the types of crimes that special mage police defense forces (like the one Deuce wants to join) investigate??) Guess that’s just going to sit in the back of our heads from now on… It’s not satisfying seeing a story “end” like this, but I understand why it had to be 😭

The cathartic release of breaking down the park that once trapped them all is fun, but too goofy. I know it symbolizes a lot more than that, but it’s just not for me.

And so (to no one's surprise, given the frequency with which I talk about R*llo), I much prefer Glorious Masquerade to Stage in Playful Land. It's not even a contest to me. A certain pseudo-French boy aside, I just think the former has much better writing overall. By comparison, Stage in Playful Land has a very strong aesthetic and start, but not much else to keep me engaged??? It was an entertaining if not mid event aside from the big scare when the twist is initially revealed (because none of us expected it to be that dark) and minor other parts like Kalim’s big speech. The rest of the event felt like walking around and not doing anything useful.

I honestly think the failure of Playful Land to execute on its ideas comes in part from the hype of Halloween events (like, so much attention is put onto them that when Halloween events flop, it is SUPER noticeable) and the legacy of GloMasq (which set the bar VERY high) 💦 A shame, really…

Anyway, round of applause for Roro, who stays winnin’--

[bamfwizard]

I've posted a few times about it on and off, but I have a concrete theory that I need to repost for how Viktor's side of Arcane S2 will pan out.

[SPOILERS, duh.]

I've been researching since 2021 because I REFUSED to believe that Sky would be introduced just for her to die for the sake of progressing Viktor's arc. and now that S2 has been released, the details that Act 1 peppered in have only further led me to go down this stupid, obscure Runeterra lore rabbit hole.

so there's a Chembaron in the Legends of Runeterra lore named Corina (sometimes called Corina, Mastermind; sometimes called Corina Veraza). she shares a lot in common with Sky in that she's a talented scientist, a born Zaunite, and really just looks SUPER similar. (also, the scars on the side of her face in her LoR art seem to mimic a certain Arcane character's current form.....something related to a Hexcore incident.....but hey, call me crazy.)

not only is she a scientist, she's a botanist. something that aligns with Sky's later work, as she was experimenting on plants in her attempts to help Viktor. which brings me to her talents being a foil to Viktor and Jayce's work, as per this quote from her wiki.

so she looks almost the exact same and has the same talents. pfft. ok. but the introduction of The Grey and the importance of the Chembarons in S2 really solidify the possibility of Sky being Corina for me. one of Corina's main objectives is her creation of a flower that feeds off of the Zaun Grey and clears the pollution, which, again, holds similarities to Sky's work in trying to help Viktor.

oh, and I think it's important to add that Corina is a major rival and enemy of Caitlyn.

so do I think that all of that lore would stay the same if Corina were to come into the world of Arcane as Sky? no. and do I have any clue how they exactly would/will bring her to life as a character rather than a hallucination? nope. but if we know one thing for sure, it's that Riot is FULLY WILLING to shift the lore to make it work in Arcane. there's probably a bit of Sky left in the Hexcore, and we know that Viktor still cares deeply about her, even as he begins his Glorious Evolution.

anyways, that's my Ted Talk. all I know is that if I'm right, I'm TOTALLY popping back in to say "I told ya so".

[reminiscentreader]

GUYS I HAVE A THEORY BUT NOT REALLY ABOUT PAIN AT THE RIGHT GUN, since we know both these facts : games untold ends on a cliff hanger, pain at the right gun is the last story THEN THAT MUST MEAN PATRG IS A STORYLINE THAT WILL BE CONTINUED IN GLORIOUS RIVALS!!!

[starrzhao]

masterlist  ❛ CURRENTLY WORKING ON . . .

oneshot ! love theory — park gunwook. ( fluff )

people always ship you with your best friend, gunwook. you've always told other people how you would never see him more than a friend and that it'd be quite impossible to happen. however one day, he started to act strange, pulling all his tricks in hopes of showing his potential as a boyfriend

oneshot ! kiss me, you fool — shen quanrui / ricky. ( fluff )

wherein you ask your best friend, ricky to pretend to date you to fulfill a bet.

oneshot ! as the world caves in — shen quanrui / ricky. ( angst )

it is your last week on earth as a meteor has been reported to strike on earth soon. you had no plans for the last of your days knowing that you had no future to look forward to, thinking that you have nothing to lose. however your first love comes back and you start reliving the joy of the past once more, thinking of the what ifs and now, maybe you’d think otherwise. ( based on the songs, old friend, two slow dancers by mitski, smile in the face of the devil & as the world caves in by matt maltese )

oneshot ! stupid cupid — shen quanrui / ricky. ( fluff, angst, humor )

you had been harboring feelings for gyuvin for awhile now but due to your fear and lack of experience in romance, you were hesitant to even approach him. you download some new mysterious matchmaking app, an app with the goal of teaching someone how to ask someone which you found embarrassing to download but felt was a need to have. it was stuck on a loading screen so you thought it was some scam but on the next day, you find a random man in the living room of your apartment, proclaiming himself as your personal cupid.

— requests

oneshot ! — sung hanbin ( fluff , slight angst )

enemies! to lovers. you and hanbin absolutely despise each other. hanbin is known as the glorious top student in your class while you on the other hand…was the least brightest. One day, an incident occurs where one thing leads to another and true feelings are revealed.

oneshot ! — shen quanrui / ricky ( fluff )

ricky’s been trying to court you for a year but you always shut him down, never saying why.

oneshot ! — kum junhyeon ( fluff )

based on the kdrama of the same title. wherein you decide to leave the bustling streets of the chatic city and move to a small town to gain some rest and peace from all the chaos in your life. There, you meet an introverted boy who you find solace in.

oneshot ! — han yujin ( fluff )

friends to lovers au wherein yujin thinks you have feelings for someone else.

— other wips

oneshot ! academic rivals! to lovers — zhang hao

[your-mommy-ems]

i keep seeing all the games untold and glorious rivals theories and they're all so smart and intricate and like YOU GUYS ARE SO SMART WTF?? I'M OVER HERE STRUGGLING TO EVEN WORK OUT THE FREAKING VAULT CLUES HALF THE TIME 😭

[blade-liger-4ever]

Okay, so I’ve been thinking of Smokescreen from TFP a lot, and I’ve decided to share some thoughts/head-canons involving him

First of all, we tend to ignore the fact that Smokescreen is a scarily adept thief. Just think about it: he’s always snitching the Phase Shifter until they allow him to keep it, and he manages to sneak away from the others to the battlefield or elsewhere with no one the wiser. So realistically speaking, Smokescreen is no stranger to sleight of hand tricks and stealth, meaning he likely stole - at least a little - before he was inducted into the Elite Guard, probably in order to survive.

And another thing about Smokescreen that always stuck out to me was how, despite his excitement for joining Team Prime and his insistence on “it being destiny/[he’s] destined to be a great warrior”, every time something went wrong, he blamed himself. He never shirked it onto someone else, or accused them of being at fault (come to think of it, he never pointed the finger at a teammate for anything). Instead, Smokescreen kicked himself for the failure and held himself to an unnecessary degree of accountability. It’s almost like he’s expecting too much from himself, so that, to me, says that Smokescreen thinks poorly of himself most of the time. Additionally, this leads me to think that he’s desperate for approval and acceptance from people, especially Team Prime and Optimus in particular. And I personally believe that Smokescreen’s ego early on is what he holds onto in order to convince himself that he is actually a worthy ‘Bot in his own right and not worthless or a burden.

So that’s left me to a couple of conclusions and theories: One, Smokescreen initially grew up in a darker part of Cybertron (clearly unaffected by the war); two, he was likely used by other Cybertronians for infiltration/recon/courier missions, and three he was often told what his worth was by others, half being condescending and the other half being sarcastic, with the occasional genuine praise from others, specifically his guardians.

And now we come to the real head-canon aspect of this: Smokescreen’s mysterious past (note, this is all from my own musings).

So, I imagine Smokescreen was a kid who grew up in a little known place of Cybertron called the Mithril Sea. Like the Sea of Rust, it was primarily rust and heat, leaving only the strong to survive. An area largely ignored by most for their poor living conditions, the denizens of the Mithril Sea have to make frequent trade and excursions through the various run-down cities and markets to make a living. Taken in by the Axelerators merchant group, Smokescreen was the youngest and fastest of the group. Seeing the advantage of his youthful exuberance, the leader of the Axelerators often sent him to spy and steal from their rivals within the arid Mithril Sea. Despite the lack of empathy by most of the Axelerators, Smokescreen enjoyed the thrill of racing through the streets, jumping across the rooftops, and occasional chases by enemies. He would also get a kick out of pranking some of the better off and vain ‘Bots in the vicinity, or taunting his pursuers when they were unable to follow him into a particularly small passageway.

But this still left him restless. The Axelerators were always just using him for their next deal, for the next undermining of their opponents. It was a thankless and condescending life, but Smokescreen refused to believe that his life would always be so dull. Somehow, he always had an innate sense that he would leave the Mithril Sea and become a warrior - an idea that grew as he learned more about the ongoing Autobot-Decepticon War. He loved hearing the tales that would filter down into the market streets about the great battles, and the glorious cause of freedom for all that the new Prime, Optimus, spoke of. Hearing these stories drove Smokescreen to the knowledge that he was meant to be a soldier in the Autobot army, and he vowed to join their ranks after the passing of his guardian in the Axelerators.

Taking another mission on behalf of the Axelerators, Smokescreen instead stole a week’s worth of energon cubes and left the Mithril Sea. Arriving in Pellechrome, he bought more energon and supplies before searching for the nearest Autobot recruitment center. After pestering and waiting outside for a solid cycle, the sergeant accepted him into the Autobots and had him inducted into the Elite Guard for training. Overjoyed, Smokescreen joined the last unit of young Autobots to be trained under Rocket Plume, herself a deadly stealth agent. Smokescreen soon found that his background made him stand out to the more insecure ‘Bots, who would use him as a scapegoat and target for their actions. This naturally resulted in fights, but to the surprise of many, Smokescreen always came out on top, something that caught the eye of Rocket Plume. Taking him under her wing, Smokescreen’s skills at evasion, stealth, and battle truly flourished, although he was still considered an outcast by his fellow cadets. For that, as well as Rocket Plume’s teaching of changing one’s voice for covert operations, Smokescreen learned to suppress his natural Mithrilic accent to the point that no one who met him for the first time suspected his heritage.

When the war began to escalate, Smokescreen and his fellow cadets were given a hasty and unceremonious graduation, something that would forever disappoint him. With Rocket Plume pulled back onto the front lines, Smokescreen and the other graduates were sent to Iacon to bolster its defenses. Although pleading for a role on the Iacon front, Smokescreen was disheartened to learn that he would be given the position of security detail to Alpha Trion. Initially resenting this task, Smokescreen gradually built a rapport with Alpha Trion, whose grandfatherly nature and care earned the respect and loyalty of the young ‘Bot - especially when he was encouraged to speak with his natural accent. Seeing potential in the young Mithrilic and learning more of future events through the Covenant of Primus, Alpha Trion, under the pretense of old age, regaled Smokescreen with tales of Cybertron before the war, as well as those of Optimus and his past as Orion Pax.

To his great relief - and a certain amount of pride - Smokescreen was an eager learner, absorbing every fact related to Optimus and the battle techniques that Alpha Trion passed on to him. Eventually, the time came for Iacon’s fall, and Smokescreen eagerly waited near the doors to fully embrace and live up to the Autobot cause. Then, of course, Alpha Trion knocked him out and entrusted him with one of the Omega Keys, knowing that he would escape to Earth and help bring the Keys to Optimus.

Personally, I would have given Smokescreen a new human partner, and I’d reuse Tripp Summers from the 2018 Bumblebee film. Their bond would mostly focus on helping Smokescreen relax and realize his worth isn’t in his actions or what he can or can’t do for the team, but in his desire to do good and promote an end to the war. On Tripp’s side of things, Smokescreen would probably help him learn autonomy (I swear, that pun wasn’t intended) and to stop appeasing his haughty peers, whom he tries to please on behalf of his family.

And there we have it - my expanded history for Smokescreen. My boy deserved more attention and care in TFP, although what we got was good, too. To just further elaborate, the names of unknown locations and ‘Bots - Alpha Trion and Iacon notwithstanding, of course - I searched the Teletraan 1 Wiki for these places and expanded on them. So, if you’re curious, you can check them out there.

Additionally, I picture the Mithril Sea as stylized after ancient Persia, with the accent being Persian. The biggest reason for this is because first of all, I’m deeply interested in ancient Persia, the second being that Nolan North had previously voiced the Prince of Persia in the 2008 game. He’d wanted to do that accent for the character, but for some incomprehensible reason, the studio wanted his “Nate Drake” voice for the character.

Yeah, I don’t get that either. But at least this way, not only does Smokescreen have a larger and more colorful history, Mr. North would have the chance to use that accent whenever Smokescreen is agitated, excited, or frustrated by something. Who knows, maybe he’ll come across this and do that accent after all. I know I would certainly love to hear him use it!

See you around, folks!