#very excited for those lore implications

[citrine-elephant]

me: *trying to not go feral over tiny details, trying to play it cool and focus on that amazing ass story*

also me: they did my mans so dirty 

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

What! Are your top five reveals in One Piece! Which ones made you go “holy shit” or “hell yeah” the most!

i'm taking reveal here to mean 'points at which previously-hidden information is revealed to the audience,' not just where we're told something new. so:

THE FREEST MAN ON THE SEA: maybe not as dramatic or seismic as some other things on this list, but to me luffy telling rayleigh that to him being the pirate king just means being the freest in the world is the single most important thing we ever learn about luffy's character, and it defines the themes of the whole series. it recontextualizes everything about luffy and the way he interacts with the world and the way he pursues his goal because now we finally know what that goal actually is, and what it means to him. and for the whole first half of the story we don't know this! it's easy to forget because we're, what, six hundred chapters past it now, but we get all the way to sabaody without really knowing what drives luffy, and then we get it and it slides into place perfectly.

WORLD SANK: a recent one, but so satisfying and well-placed. the sunken world reveal is the best kind of big lore reveal, to me, because it's something that makes so much sense it was completely possible to predict it years ago (and people did), and now that it has been confirmed, it's opened up a massive world of implications and questions that are incredibly fun to think about. i'm really excited to see where the story goes with it.

NIKA: i'm sort of rolling everything we learn about gear 5/nika/joyboy in the 1040 chapters of wano together here; i've written at length before on this blog about why i like the nika reveal so much, so i'll just say now that it takes one piece's most fundamental and powerful themes and symbolism (liberation and joy and the sun) which have been built up across the story and reveals to you that those things are a real literal force in the narrative strong enough to turn a draconic tyrant into a garden snake. and having established what he has now about nika, the way oda has continued to explore the implications of that figure existing in the world has been absolutely fabulous to read.

RAIZOU IS SAFE: a smaller and more arc-specific one compared to some of the others on this list, but i just really like the way this reveal is done. the interval between the dressrosa team's arrival on zou and the reveal that raizou was there the whole time isn't even particularly long, but it's the execution which makes it; the devastation of the city, the solemnity of the whole moment, inuarashi and nekomamushi bowing their heads, luffy and the strawhats' reactions. i like the minks a lot, and this is the moment that defines them as a group, as well as establishing the themes of loyalty and sacrifice that will go on to become very prominent in wano.

ROGER WAS DYING: i've talked before about how i really like the handling of roger as a figure and how our knowledge of him evolves and becomes more personal and human over the course of the story. the turning point in that evolution is the introduction of rayleigh; his reveal that roger was not caught, that he turned himself in because he was dying, and that they found the truth of the world there at the end of the grand line. it shifts the whole presentation of the story; we've been told about roger from the very start of the very first chapter, and it's here that we learn the information we thought we had about him has been woefully incomplete. there's a bigger mystery here, one greater than just 'what treasure did roger leave.' and i really like we get this context about roger in the very same scene we learn what it means to luffy to be the pirate king.

[padawansuggest]

Real take: I like Star Wars. I like the prequels because they have more fleshed out world building than the originals. I like the originals because it has a compelling storyline and character building. I like the cartoons because they do things that live action cannot. I like the children’s show Young Jedi Adventures and I think it’s both cute, extremely full of world building, and it’s designed to bring back the cartoon storyline of learning a lesson every episode that young children can relate to. I like the Mandalorian because it took a species with exactly two known people from it, and added a third, but made them a baby, and they were cute, and it shows the morals of Mandalorian adoption and love for children. I love Ahsoka because it took a favorite cartoon series and not only brought it to life, but also it’s funny and very full of world building for both the New Republic Rebellion scene, as well as more Dathomirian nightsister lore. I love a lot of other Star Wars off-shoots because they gave good storylines, they try to bridge plotholes, and a lot of amazing characters and new places to play with. I adore, fucking love, would give my life for Star Wars Visions; the lore and new concepts alone have captivated me and I can and HAVE made posts about things Visions did that no other SW series has touched and I’m so obsessed with the force and it’s aspects as well as just species and such you have no idea I would sell any of you for SW Visions. In fact, I would sell any of you for Young Jedi Adventures too. The worldbuilding alone for those two series is enough to have me vibrating with excitement with every episode. Sometimes I rewatch episodes of them just for random juicy facts that I can use for fics.

But you know why I don’t tell people I like Star Wars in real life? People always lookin at something they hate, and the most incel take on it is that it’s got too many women now. But irl non-fandom people who just want to ‘enjoy the ambiance of the original trilogy’ and me do not get along because they actually hate Star Wars. They genuinely hate Star Wars.

I can give you 50 plot lines in various sections of canon and legends that boiled my blood (tho not that one time Anakin at 12 literally boiled a man’s blood inside his body, that was hilarious his eyes turned black like a demons I’m so obsessed with him), but I’m not gonna talk about those.

Aren’t you exhausted? Wouldn’t it be nicer to gush about how amazing a certain costume design was? How the implications of a certain species makes you so excited you could burst? Wouldn’t you like to talk about how that one character just doesn’t get enough love and it wasn’t because they were fridged it was just because they didn’t get enough love from the fans for being black or female or disabled or something?

I am going to tell you this now, and you’re gonna hate me for it but I’m right: if you didn’t like Mortis because you think the force Doesn’t Work Like That? You don’t like Star Wars.

I’m tired of interacting with comments on commercials because it’s full of idiots crying about more women, a black character, the fact that ‘oh that wouldn’t happen’ as if the High Republic era didn’t literally have some sort of fucked up midichlorian vampire roaming the outer rim killing anyone force sensitive. Obviously they def would have acolytes set before the prequels shove it up your ass.

Anyways. Stop talking about what you hate. Yes, I get it. We are tired of rote pumped stories, but that doesn’t change the fact that there will ALWAYS be someone who hates the story you love, and loves the story you hate. You cannot please everyone, and I for one have found just about all off-shoot SW series individualized and compelling in some way or another.

You know what I did when I starting hating about 90% of all new Marvel movies? I stopped watching them. If I want back in the fandom I have older ones I can watch or simply only interact with fics.

Because Marvel, as much as they Need To Calm Their Shit, isn’t about me, and it isn’t for me anymore.

But I think a lot of you hate so much Star Wars content that you truly need to stop interacting with the series. It’s not for you anymore. And just because you didn’t like it doesn’t mean it’s not real SW. Not sorry, but this ain’t your scene anymore and you need to find a new one.

[emeryhiro]

My thoughts on TBOC 206 script & Caryl canon.

Before I get into my thought I want to clarify a few things, and this may come across as blunt, however, I feel that bluntness is nessary in this instance.

Firstly, I wasn't planning on adressing the leaked script pages, however, after reading some of the positive and negative posts about it, I feel like I should also share my thoughts and clarify some things that may be misunderstood about me as well.

Secondly, (and this may not sound relevant right now but bear with me for a second) I'm an engineer who works in the construction industry, I'm also a post grad architecture student, both of which are roles that require at the very least a competent level of critical thinking as a baseline skill. Why I'm sharing this information is becasue those skills are what I use to develop the thoughts and opinions that I share. I also want to say that I'm in no way familiar with the way things are run in the entertainment industry, whether that's production companies, directors, producers, or actors, I'm just a fan of the arts who loves delving deep into lore-rich stories and sharing my thoughts with others who also love the same things.

So now that you have my cridentials😅 you can come to your own decisions on how you approach and what you take away from the thoughts I share.

Where I stand on Carol and Daryl's relationship.

Over the past few months, I've had several messages saying that my opinion may be biased or that I'm just being overly optimistic because I'm a Caryl fan. So the first thing that i want to say is that this fandom is very dear to me. And even though I have only in the past year begun to be more vocal on these tags, I have been on this platform and a part of the fandom for a very long time.

As someone who had the opportunity to see episode one early, I feel that I have a responsibility to be honest with everyone who's relying on my opinion. I would never want to give false hope to those who (similar to me) love Caryl and are excited about canon, only for them to be even more disappointed in the end.

I respect and understand that everyone has their own reasons for watching/not watching and loving/hating a show. However, I myself will 100% still be watching season 2 and all the seasons to come, even if we never get canon. I love Carol and Daryl as individual characters, and I watched twd because I loved the show and it's premise. Daryl and Carol are a massive part of why I loved the show, they also happen to be my favourite characters in fiction, and Caryl canon is what I've always wanted for them, BUT I'm not, never have, and never will be watching for Caryl canon alone. Will I be disappointed if it never happens? Yes, definitely! But I'll still be watching because of everything else that I love about the show and the characters.

Even if the show was just about Daryl, or just about Carol I'd still be watching every single episode and loving it. So to summarise what I'm trying to say, the thoughts and opinions that I share publicly are not biased (at least not consciously) by my love for the idea of Caryl unless I specifically say that I'm "fangirling" which you may have notice me clarifiying in some of my posts.

SPOILER WARNING - Thoughts on the leaked ep 206 script below the line.

TBOC 206 Script

Implications on Caryl canon:

I don't see anything in these pages that implies whether or not canon has or hasn't happened, the whole scene that it describes can't be more than 5-10 minutes long, which is why there is no point assuming either way.

If canon has happened, I don't expect them to be mentioning it in a scene where they're seperated for the most of it, with one of them getting almost beat/shot to death, the other fighting several walkers and collapsing, and both of them most probably inhaling poisonous gas. Not exactly the type of scene where you can create the perfect romantic Caryl moments. And not so different from the TOWL finale scene between Rick and Michonne as they escape the walkers/gas.

~~~

The Parallel:

One thing I haven't seen anyone talk about is the parrallel of the scene between Daryl and his hallucination of Isabelle, and the scene between Carol and her hallucination of Alpha from S10 EP14.

Firstly, I don't think Isabelle is meant to represent an angel to Daryl in this moment, just like how Alpha didn't represent a demon to Carol. Neither actually represents the characters themselves, and both are just personification of the conflicts that's going on in each of their minds, and perhaps another similarity is that they're both personifications of people who they believe got them to the situation they're in.

Secondly, In both scenes Daryl and Carol seem completely overwhlmed by guilt and ready to let go and give up. The scene from S10EP14 didn't mean that Carol didn't love Daryl, on the contrary a reminder of him was what snapped her out of the physical and mental trap she was in and gave her the motivation and drive to fight again.

I think the same can be said about Daryl in the TBOC EP06 scene, he's "ready to let go" and this isn't becasue he doesn't love Carol but it's becasue he feels as though he's constantly failing everyone who relies on him, including Merle, Beth, Glenn, Isabelle and in his mind Carol could be next. But what gets him to fight again? Isabelle saying:

"Not like him."

refering to his grandfather. In season 1 we learnt exactly what Daryl didn't want to do and in what way's he didn't want to be like his grandfather. The main one being that his granfather left his family behind, which resulted in generational trauma that he couldn't protect his family from, only becasue he went to fight someone else's war.

What I've taken away from this is that in that moment he believes it's too late, he failed the ones he was supposed to protect from the Nest, and now by losing and dying the fight in that moment it would mean that he also failed his real family and won't be able to protect them. Like everything he did was in vain.

This is exactly what "Isabelle" reminds him of, that yes maybe he did fail to protect her and the people from his past, but unlike his grandfather who died "bloody and bullet riddled" Daryl is still breathing and as long as he's alive there's still the possibility and "hope" of protecting his family. He becomes determined and starts to fight back becasue he's reminded to "Bet on hope".

~~~

The fight scenes:

It appears that Carol and Daryl are in a tunnel with Cordon, and two new characters named Angus and Fiona. I want to point out that it looks like the fight between Codron and Daryl is once again becasue Codron blames Daryl for killing his brother, however, I find it hard to believe that we're in episode 206 and that issue hasn't been resolved yet, which leads me to believe that perhaps there's something paticular about the gas in the tunnel that's causing helusination and all at the same time making:

Codron see his dead brother and run after him like he's hipnotised

Carol seeing, speaking and interacting with Sofia

Daryl seeing and speaking with Isabelle

The pages also show that the fight between Angus, Fiona, and Daryl was about gas masks. It sounds to me like Angus and Fiona perhaps used Daryl to help them get the masks and when finding that there's only two masks, they try to knock him out and have to kill him so that they can take the masks for themselves, gas masks that Carol and him need to get through the tunnel to get home.

I can't wait to see how that fight scene plays on screen! I have a weakness for the way Daryl and Carol become so brutal when fighting to protect each other. Because Angus and Fiona don't sound like antagonists when they're speaking with Daryl, and saying:

"Sorry, friend, ain't enough masks for the lot of us." "Got people waiting back home."

They just sounds like two people who, like Carol and Daryl, are trying to get back to the people waiting for them.

This is more of a personal guess than a proper thought: after the fight as Daryl hands one of the masks to Carol he says "It was us or them." and what I think he really meant was "it was you or them" because he was ready to die moments earlier until he was reminded of her, emphasising my earlier points on how they fight for eachother and live for each other.

~~~

The Tunnel:

Lastly, and probably most importantly, these script pages don't tell us how Daryl and Carol ended up in that situation or which part of the episode this is in, without that context there's no way to know what anything really means.

Some of the questions that I think are important and thoughts that I have:

What events lead up to the fight?

We know that Carol is outside the "camp" as described in the script, and that Carol faught at least 3 walkers and collapsed on the ground, but did Daryl know where she was or if she was okay before he saw her after his fight?

Why would his first thought/guess be of Carol when he saw a "blurry figure approaching."

Would they really end the episode like this, leaving Codrons fate as a huge questions mark? (I don't think they would, seems harsh and like they're throwing away such an interesting character)

As seen in the trailer, the tunnel that they're in is the Channel Tunnel which connects France and England, BUT, we also know as it has been offically announced that season 3 is set in Spain not England, so logcially Carol and Daryl aren't gonna be going all the way through the tunnel only to turn all the way back, which leads me to believe that either they don't end up going through, the season ends as they're walking further into the tunnel, and season 3 will explain how/when they turned around, OR, this isn't actually the final scene 🤷‍♀️

LITTLE (hopefully interesting) HINT ABOUT THE OPENING CREDITS: There's a scene that's described in one of these script pages that's also included in the opening credits.

~~~

Some additional thoughts:

The fireflies that appear as Isabelle walks away. I have a few different ideas on what this could mean but it's impossible to tell without the visual context. Also Dary's "wtf?" reaction to the fireflies had me laughing out loud! That right there reads like some good comedic timing.

We're getting another "You okay?" moment!! Those moments are some of my favourite and most tender/affectionate moments between Carol and Daryl. I can't wait to see how they play this one 😭💖

Sorry but I can sense more tension between Codron and Daryl in their fight scene than all the Isabelle and Daryl scenes combined... 🤣

~~~

To Summarise:

These scripts don't cover enough for any level of resonable doubt or concern. How something reads on a script can turn out sooo different on screen, and what I know from all the other season of twd, is that Norman and Melissa can turn something that may come across as basic, misleading or confusing on script into something incredibly magical on screen which also often turns into some of our favourite scenes between the two of them.

I completely trust Norman and Melissa with the story, and if the story never goes to canon and we end up getting something different I know that it's still gonna be an incredible story.

Although, I do still stand by my thoughts that we're heading towards canon. If Carol and Daryl need season 2 to finally heal and then approach canon on more solid ground in season 3 than so be it, because that would make sense and it would be a fair way to begin a canon relationship between the two. However I can also see the beginnings of a conversation about canon, or even actual canon happening in season 2.

It all seems possible to me and it's now all up to how Norman and Melissa want to tell the story, which I'll be anxiously waiting for and respect no matter what.

~~~

Thank you @celtic-crossbow for giving me the push I needed to share my thoughts on these matters🩵🩵

And thank you to all of you who read through this extensive post. I appreciate all of you who read my thoughts, engage with it, share your thoughts in return, ask me questions. I'm sorry for my bluntness in some areas within this post, I think it was important for me to address and clarify some things in order to avoid further confusion.

I'm so excited that we are now only 8 weeks away from the offical premiere of season 2!!! After a long wait we're finally gonna have our favourite characters sharing a frame on our screen again, and if that in itself isn't a reason to celebrate than I don't know what is.

[doks-aux]

I started reading Five Nights at Freddy's: The Week Before, and as you can see, I'm being very normal about it.

I've avoided as many spoilers as possible so I can experience the lore hunting on my own for once. Never been as deep into the fandom during a book release before. The pages on the right are my notes while reading, whatever I think might be important to the worldbuilding or mysteries or just interesting minutia like how the restaurant is run. These were the notes after getting through Night 2. I've finished Night 3 by now (so please no spoilers beyond that), so there's a bit more.

The page on the left is where I'm recording my "official" playthrough. It's an "interactive novel" (because Choose Your Own Adventure is off-limits), and the way I'm reading it is by committing to one route each night and playing it to the end or until I die and have to get back to the last branching decision. And then when the night is over, I go back and read the branches I didn't take. (Except for the Bonus Item route. I've heard it's best to leave that until the very end.) The inventory is only items I pick up in the official playthrough (I probably didn't have to cross out screwdriver and paperclip after I used them, whoops), and I'm only recording Game Overs I reach organically (there are more of those now, too).

It's a lot of fun. This was a smart way to present new information and provide some different gameplay experience. I've never been able to play the video games when they actually come out, so it's nice to have a way to discover things firsthand and not have to rely on watching other people's videos. And since there are so many diverging points, there's still the question of which version of the story actually happened (if this is indeed canon to the games' timeline instead of it's own slightly-to-the-left continuity) and what information we can actually trust. Maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome talking at this point, but a straight answer wouldn't be quite as much fun.

There are some WILD implications if it's even adjacent to the games' timeline though. Like, at this point it really seems like a night guard's actual purpose is to keep the animatronics in the building than to keep anyone out. The idea that they would just up and fucking leave if they had a means to honestly never occurred to me (or at least it would have died off quickly after the earliest games), but apparently they will do exactly that. And it's largely been accepted that at least the original Fazbear four weren't malicious toward children (The Silver Eyes said as much and I think one of the games did, too), but in this story they're straight-up obliterating kids if given the chance.

Good shit. Excited to read the second half.

[munchkinmarauder]

My (slightly unhinged) review of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver #2

4.5/5 stars 🤩 - potential spoilers below the cut

Loved this issue and really wish this series would be longer, the twins are at their best together! It's also resolved a lot of doubts I had from the first issue. I liked this more than the previous issue. It got the balance between the twins right. Showed some really cool uses of Pietro's powers and let him be powerful in his own right. Orlando immediately puts limits on those abilities but that's what writers should do with their characters and this is the most creative a writer has gotten with Pietros powers in a long time so props to Orlando for that.

Loved that protective big sis Wanda is back. The minute she hears the Wizard mention her brother she goes Cthon. There was an interesting emphasis on the twins hands in the first few pages of the issues.

And ofc our boy Tommy is back and he is glorious!!! Love that we have confirmation Pietro and Tommy regularly spend time together.

Thank god Vision was only there for three panels - I hate hate hate him being shoved into Wandas stories. They've been divorced 40 years marvel stop trying to make things happen cause of the MCU 😂 Though going back to your toxic ex when you've lost everything - kind of sadly relatable lol. I know there will be more of him in the next issue but I hope it's not loads more as I'm honestly more interested in Pietro and Tommy which are bound to be the more fun and interesting dynamic.

I do wonder if the Vision is there to reveal what he learned about the twins in the uncanny avengers counter evolutionary arc back in 2015. Hopefully he reveals it and leaves! Id rather see Luna or Monet back.

I am so curious about the idea of Wanda being the power and Pietro the catalyst (Does it have implications for Billy and Tommy?). This idea does center Wanda in a way and treats Pietro as supplemental but I don't dislike it I feel it matches the twins existing lore. I think were gonna see a combined twin power perhaps, otherwise why would the Giver refer to both of them - they specifically say the "twins can affect all realities and break them" and "the twins cannot be allowed to effect space time" and thats significant. looking back Pietro has nearly always been a catalyst for Wandas biggest shows of power - HoM in particular stands out. I alway thought about him promising to help her create the new reality and wondered how he did that. Very excited for this series - hopefully Pietro becomes a regular in the new SW solo because Wanda's stories are for the better with her brother! 

[iamthekaijuking]

Gigabash character overview: Gigaman

You probably saw this one coming since I’ve repeatedly emphasized the importance of Ultraman for inspiration when Passion Republic Games was making Gigabash, it only made sense they’d make their own Ultraman! With all the fun cheesiness that comes with it.

Gigaman is the combo heavy speedster of the roster, with quick flurries of punches and great combo potential. He also has a few aerial moves as well, making his anti-air game really good. Gigaman also has a block breaking punch that can stun opponents as well. His single ranged attack can bounce off of buildings, and ricochet several times. It helps that he deals reduced damage to buildings as well (destruction of public property isn’t a good image for a hero after all), meaning those buildings stay around longer, so use them while they’re still around!.

Something fun about his ultimate is that if you don’t hit any buildings when you use it you can hear a crowd of people cheering you on, so don’t hit public property if you want to keep your fans happy!

Design

In some ways there isn’t much to talk about. I mean Gigaman is an Ultraman expy. He does have a few specific references though.

One of his skins is named Multi-Type, a reference to Ultraman Tiga, and another skin is yet another reference to Ultraman Belial.

Gigaman also has a dad bod, and this is because he actually was retired for 8 years but suddenly came back in modern day, so he’s let himself go a bit and age is catching up to him. But I think he’s still got it. One of his skins depicts him in his prime.

Here’s some concept art. I think my favorite is the shirtless one with G plastered on his face, it’s so stupid looking.

Lore

Gigaman is very secretive over who he is so let’s cover what we do know before getting to the implied stuff.

Around the 80’s a teenage Gigaman would make his first appearance in the San'ya district of Tokyo to defend it from a kaiju. And for around 30 years, up until 2012, he would defend Japan against monsters. This also meant that Japan didn’t need to rely on the Global Titan Defense Initiative.

Gigaman made sure that people were safe… and that he entertained them while he was at it. Every single time he appeared he brought something new to the table; a new technique, catchphrase, or move. Every time he showed up it was exciting. While he definitely liked the attention, he primarily did it all to spread hope to people. Showing that underneath all his showmanship, Gigaman is truly a humble dude.

Of course, when the person defending your country from monsters is a 132 foot superhero who likes posing for the camera, it’s understandable that there might be fanaticism. Indeed, there was a time when Japan was overflowing with “Gigamania” and a movie called “Rise of Gigaman” was even in production during this period.

Eventually though Gigaman would retire in 2012. He was getting around middle age at that point, and he couldn’t keep fighting kaiju forever. But this didn’t last long, and in 2021 he would come out of retirement to help the world deal with the new rise in kaiju activity.

Few other things to note are that Gigaman’s power is tied to the Giga Core and he personally knows Dr. Otama Kazuo, and even knows the inner workings of Thundatross, meaning he was present for its development.

So… is Gigaman a human who can transform into a kaiju, or a humanoid kaiju who can speak and understand technology and culture? There is some implication that it might be the former. His lore files follow a reporter trying to uncover his identity and his findings led him to the San'ya district and eventually Kamikuzu Orphanage, which was packed with orphans at the start of the first kaiju crisis in the 70’s. Sadly only a few were ever actually selected to receive formal education. There was one kid named “Sho” though, who was a big Gigaman fan and skipped class whenever he appeared. It’s possible that Gigaman is this “Sho” but there’s no confirmation. Sho would probably be in his 50s by now, and presumably so is Gigaman. Also I’m wondering, did Dr. Otama grow up in the same orphanage?

Sadly there wasn’t much to talk about this time, but I think we can all appreciate Japan’s masked hero. He’s certainly the first to come to my mind when people say “Ultraman expy”!

[eluviannaa]

I had an idea weeks ago to post a letter in a few places that was a sort of call for correspondence RP. People can be shy about engaging and thought it might be an interesting idea for getting to know other characters that align with Elu's path.

I was inspired by the letters and journals authors like Lovecraft and Stoker explore in their own works. We even see this influence in Umbral with the cryptic narrative exchanges and Hespera's letters.

While I wasn't expecting so many replies, it's been an amazing experience. Tying into the lore developing in The War Within and inspiring my own work.

Somewhat unexpectedly, it has helped in developing both her current story, interests, and motivations as well as connecting everything to Azeroth's larger story.

While much is yet to be seen in Umbral, a recent reply I wrote ended up being a great example of how this "project" has connected everything.

While not perfect, and it certainly pushes existing lore (The Council of Relics is my own invention), this recent reply is probably the most exciting one as it hits on all the notes above. And it's my longest reply yet, apart from RP that's been ongoing here.

📜 A reply arrives by unseen courier, a heavy scroll announcing itself with a slight shimmer among the Kaldorei's belongings.

Your words reach me at a most opportune time. The headaches you speak of have been more than just a common affliction to those of us attuned to that which lies beyond mortal understanding. I, too, have felt the dissonance of these visions—the pull of something unfamiliar, yet... not altogether unknown. It is often in the convergence of such disturbances that one must tread carefully—knowledge can be as dangerous as the enemies we face, if not more so.

I am intrigued by your observations, especially your comparison to the Illidari's rite of ascension. You speak of this as something distinct from Fel, Void, and Light, and I must agree. Whatever this force is, its call cannot be ignored.

My own time in Dalaran during the third invasion was a similarly harrowing experience. Having only just arrived at Netherlight, I had my own battles to tend to. My time with the Conclave also found me on Argus, under the arm of the Kirin Tor—specifically the Council of Relics—perhaps you know it. Though my attentions were focused on understanding Eredar relics, a means to aid in the war efforts.

From my research, both within the Broken Isles and at the enemy’s doorstep, the implications became truly disturbing. Something of anomalies tangled with forces darker still. Though I would be remiss not to share that I learned many harsh lessons through my own transformation. And have since dedicated myself to understanding, taming, and even strengthening my Void abilities.

Though I now call Boralus home, I have recently spent much time in Azj-Kahet. I follow whispers, rumors, of a unique bazaar with dark relics and trading in secrets. A guarded labyrinth that suggests more than the mere discovery of lost things. To say nothing of terrible implications in the very environment and flora, suggesting that these objects are tied to a corruption burrowing even deeper below the surface.

It is my belief that the nature of these visions is tied to something older. I suspect there are more, scattered beneath Azj-Kahet, still waiting to be uncovered. These things predate our current understanding of the cosmos and its powers. The echoes, the migraines—they suggest a resonance from a plane we have yet to fully comprehend, even among the Ren'dorei that walk with Magister Umbric. Those of an entity now awakened.

Indeed we may be witnessing the emergence of this long-dormant influence, one that seeks to assert itself as Azeroth trembles under the weight of so many converging threats. Though its role still remains unclear.

I would welcome your continued correspondence on this matter, as your perspective from the shadows of the Illidari may reveal further insights. Your letter has rekindled my desire to return to the past. There is much to be gained from our combined efforts, and perhaps more to be lost should we dismiss opportunity.

Should you find yourself in need of more practical counsel, I may be of service. The balance guides us, after all.

To the unknowable,

Eluvianna Umbralstar

[thunderberryart]

I am a little sad Silent Hope didn't get as much attention from Rune Factory fans as I was expecting it to.

It's definitely a flawed game due to how repetitive the gameplay is and that the later floors of the Abyss do very little to change the overall formula outside being larger and having different area-specific traps, but the graphics are lovely, it has a very likable and interesting cast of characters, and the story, while simple, conveys such an important message about the very nature of human language itself; the same words people use to harass and hurt each other are the same words we use to help others and tell them that we love them, and saying nothing can be just as hurtful as saying the wrong thing. Hell, the lead singer of Kami Wa Saikoro Wo Furanai, the band who performed the game's opening theme, described the game's plot and themes as feeling like an antithesis to social media.

Honestly, the thing that excites me the most with Silent Hope is the potential lore implications for the Rune Factory series, as the game was originally conceived as a title to expand the universe. I mean we now know regular animals in the Rune Factory universe look like those from Story of Seasons games that use the bubble cow design, and the whole "monsters are the reincarnated souls of the dead" thing I highlighted in a previous post potentially provides insight into just how monsters are created within the Forest of Beginnings.

If Silent Hope gets a sequel in some form, I'm excited to see where it goes in terms of plot and setting; Rune Factory has so much potential due to its fantasy setting, but has always been somewhat limited in terms of greater world building due to how the games are structured. The protagonists are almost always confined to the region where the town they wake up in is located and while certain recurring elements ensure that the games are connected, they never get expanded on beyond what necessary for the current plot; for instance, the capital of Norad, Palermo, has been brought up multiple times throughout the series, but there's never been a game where you actually get to go to it. A sister series would be an excellent opportunity to expand on such elements, how ever indirect.

[disastercit]

well. new episode time! feels really different with what we know now, but. here's my thoughts anyways I guess

big spoiler warning because this episode is paywalled and might be paywalled forever but rooster teeth isn't even going to be around forever so idk what that means for the future of this episode. warner bros being the one who owns it seems like a bad sign.

-yeah I know the feeling (florida moment)

-"maybe he's dying?" "I'm dying..." ":D"

-max being excited about david dying feels like a very season 1 kind of joke but I laughed anyways

-holy shit air conditioning???

-i vote muppets!!!

-i also know that feeling unfortunately (the ac broke at my high school literally every week)

-"we can't afford hide and seek" DAMN

-david this competition prize feels HIGHLY unethical

-is this the same spooky cave where nikki found all those bear skeletons or is this camp and just the area in general completely overrun with spooky dangerous caves within walking distance

-HES CLAUSTROPHOBIC THIS TECHNICALLY COUNTS AS DAVID LORE

-okay I'm just gonna start filling up the qm square on my bingo card with as many trees as I can fit at this point

-however I will draw attention to the fact that quartermaster did try to steal Max's blood back in season 4. do with this connection what you will

-aw, CJ. it's on sight.

-oh hey it's throwaway side characters, at least I've got that going for my bingo

-overly detailed popsicles time!!!

-ooh I could write a million essays about the hose scene it's the cutest thing ever. I'm emotional

-did anyone have sasquatch making an actual reappearance on their bingo card

-today's "next time on" is completely unseen! and..! oh no!

-theres a lot to unpack there, we can deal with the implications of that next week

well! I only filled in one more bingo slot and I'm starting to think I was a bit too ambitious with my predictions. oops.

[oldiesstationlover11607]

Heyyy….how ya doing….its me…💛 Before I start with my request, I find it imperative to let you know that you have inspired me to start writing my own TØP related story. It’s only for me right now and I currently don’t plan on posting it here or anywhere else for that matter, but maybe as it grows that will change (it’s multiple chapters after all).

Anyways, due to the band deciding the middle of a concert was the perfect time to drop a crazy amount of lore implications, I’m on a lore kick…🎉

Okay, but this one I think could be fun and fluffy, especially with how you write torchbearer. Could you do a oneshot where the reader and torchbearer are in an established relationship and torchbearer takes the reader out on a “date night” in trench. Personally, I think this would include them sneaking away from the Bandito camp for a bit, but if you have a different vision feel free to do that one. I just feel like, even though torchbearer can seem like a stickler, he can be a real softie at heart and, especially for those he cares about, he tries to make life in Trench feel more normal when he can.

I hope this ask makes sense. I know it’s a bit vague, but I also feel like it could be fun to see how you interpret it. If you don’t want to do it, that’s all fine. Don’t stress. ❤️

Anniversary Date - Torchbearer!Josh Dun x Reader

Pairing: TorchbearerJosh x Bandito Reader

Warnings: none

Word Count: 940 (sorry it's a bit short, wasn't too sure where to take it but I think it's cute)

A/N: HEYYY! Hope you liked the lore fic (I was excited to write something as soon as I saw the prompt and started to write pieces of dialogue down on my phone asap. Tyler’s little lore kit was so cute imo). I love that I’ve inspired you to write your own thing! Hopefully you’ll still want me to write tøp stuff for you. This Torchbearer idea is awesome :) Also… wondering if you’ve read my Blurryface fic? I’m so proud of it and have a feeling you’d like it. And if you’re into the lore you should try Break the Cycle, it’s a Clancy x Reader fic. 

The sun had set in Trench and the Bandito camp was silent as Torchbearer and I returned from our patrol. Every night we wandered through Trench looking for escapees–not that they were very common. We’d gotten news recently that the Bishops had locked down the borders, set up extra security and boarded up the catacombs. I thought about Clancy, how he’d been taken back to Dema, how none of the Banditos had heard from him in months. But tonight was special. It had been exactly one year since I’d escaped Dema. 

As we hiked back up to the camp Torchbearer reached out and grasped my hand. 

“Wait,” he demanded, keeping his tone low and trying to not wake anyone up.

“What?” I stepped towards him and he let out a relaxed sigh. 

“We should do something for your anniversary. Something together, me and you,” he started walking away from the camp and out towards the hills. I followed him, feeling like I was running due to his large steps. Torchbearer and I had been together for six months, both him and Clancy helped me adjust when I first arrived but Torchbearer had really been there for me. He checked in every day, offered to take me out on patrol, and even asked me about my time back in Dema. Despite the fact that I didn’t want to talk about it, he seemed to know exactly what I needed. 

“Come on, we really shouldn’t. It’s not that big of a deal,” I whined. Torchbearer chuckled and continued to lead me up to the top of a nearby hill. 

“It is and we’re doing something,” he stated. I rolled my eyes and continued after him. We passed patches of yellow flowers, reminding me of the first time I met him. I had run as fast as I could through the catacombs before escaping out the other side and a small patch of yellow flowers was the first thing to greet me. That and a man in a green hoodie with a yellow bandana covering his face and yellow tape strapped across his chest. Little did I know that man would end up here with me a year later. Eventually he stopped and sat down, pulling me with him. I positioned myself between his legs and he wrapped his arms around me, yellow flowers surrounding us. I remembered when he first explained the significance of the flowers to me, I had no concept of the color yellow and it took a while for me to figure out all the different shades. The Torchbearer pointed out in the distance towards a small blue light. 

“See that?” he asked and I nodded, squinting a bit to see better. “That’s Dema.” I hadn’t seen the city, even if it was on the horizon since I’d left. It shone beautifully, as if it were safe–as if the Bishops weren’t keeping Clancy held there.

“Is it weird to say I miss it? That I miss my friends?” I held the Torchbearer’s hand and snuggled in closer to his chest. It was warm, raising and lowering with every breath. I couldn’t help but feel guilty that I missed the city, that people were still suffering in there and I wanted to go back. 

“Not at all,” he hummed, pressing his lips to my neck. His lips were warm against my skin, trailing from my collarbone and up to my jaw. “I’d miss it too if I still had people in there.” I ran my fingers through his curly brown hair, feeling every bit of the love he was showing me.

“God I hope Clancy’s okay in there,” I shuddered, trying to not let my thoughts go dark. Torchbearer pulled his lips away from my skin, giving me his full attention. He knew that every night in our tent I struggled to fall asleep, my thoughts darting from scenario to scenario. 

“He’s stronger than you think,” he reassured. “He wouldn’t want you to worry, Y/N.” I knew he was right–the Torchbearer knew him better than any of us did. 

“I love you,” I whispered, untangling my fingers and turning around to face him. He smiled softly at those three words before returning them. 

“You know, when I first met you all I could think about was how cute you’d look in yellow,” he started. “Clancy knew straight away that we’d end up together. I don’t know how he knew but he would tell me every time we were alone that I should talk to you.” He brought a hand to his pocket and pulled out a yellow piece of fabric. His eyes were filled with love and I couldn’t help but blush at his words. “This is the bandana I wore when we first met.” He handed it to me and I brought it up to my face. It smelt just like him, like hope. “I want you to have it, to wear it. I heard earlier this morning that Clancy has made it out of Dema and onto Vøldsoy, which means that sooner rather than later he’s going to be back–that the battle with the Bishops is fast approaching. I want you to have this because I want you to have a piece of me Y/N.” Tears of joy poured from my eyes. It was the best news I’d heard in months. Clancy was coming home, the battle with the Bishops would put an end to everything. The Torchbearer had trust in me. 

“He’s coming home?” I sniffled. 

“He’s coming home and soon, you’ll be able to go home to Dema–you’ll be able to save your friends.”

//

Hope you enjoyed it :)

[tobiasdrake]

2-3's handling of its killer is... this is another one of those things I have mixed feelings about. Because it's about halfway good and halfway bad in my book.

There are two issues I have with it.

Like. Let's get the good out of the way first. Monokuma's been offering to restore people's memories since the 2-1. Here, he goes through with it, bringing Mikan back to her full Remnant of Despair persona.

This reveal is handled really well. Remnant Mikan's persona feels strongly rooted in Mikan's personality; Just twisted and perverted by Junko's despair-emphasizing ideology. This feels like exactly what it's supposed to be: A Mikan who's succumbed to hopelessness, who's internalized that nothing will ever get better for her, and who is now lashing out at a world that's offered her nothing but cruelty.

I said before that Mikan Tsumiki did the Cycle of Violence stereotype except she tripped over her own foot and fell into medical care instead. Remnant Mikan, on the other hand, is straight-up Cycle of Violence.

Which is a noxious cliche given the way it shames and demonizes abuse victims. It's in the same ballpark as Genocide Jack and Chihiro. Danganronpa's pretty fucking tone-deaf.

The problems here are two-fold.

The first is that, while this is a really cool and interesting reveal that adds to the mystery and horror of the Remnants' missing pasts, it's not really about Mikan. The killer is "Whoever Had Their Memory Restored". This literally could have been any one of them. It's completely arbitrary; Her name might as well have been drawn from a hat.

They try to make it feel more meaningful that it's Mikan with the implication that she caught the Despair Disease while tending to everyone else. So that's something, at least. But the initial infections already happened seemingly at random, so that doesn't really mitigate the feeling like this could literally have been anyone.

The other problem, as I touched on earlier, is the seemingly meaningful but actually arbitrary identities of the victims.

Remnant Mikan, upon reasserting herself upon Mikan's persona, promptly murders her abuser and the one other friend she had from before. People very close to her. People she has a strong relationship with. One of whom she has every reason to hold a profound grudge towards.

And the reason she killed them?

Circumstance. Nothing more. Nothing less. Ibuki, infected seemingly at random, happened to be infected by an ailment that made her convenient to kill. Then Hiyoko, strictly by coincidence, walked in on them.

This isn't an engaging character-driven mystery at all. Monokuma killed three people at random. That's all this amounts to. And it absolutely sucks that the end of the TSMC clique happens in such a way, with zero regard to who any of these characters actually are.

This could have worked. Remnant Mikan could still be a thing, but she could have killed Ibuki and Hiyoko for reasons that are rooted in their actual history together. But the creative team got so excited about their really cool lore moment for Remnant Mikan that they forgot to write these women as characters.

[pomegrnteseed]

artificial intelligence is not whimsical magic, it's theft

AI is to art and creativity what the Dementor's Kiss is to wix: extraction of the soul

Artificial intelligence technologies work like this:

Developer creates an algorithm that's really good at searching for patterns and following commands

Developer creates a training dataset for the technology to begin identifying patterns - this dataset is HUGE, so big that every individual datapoint (word/phrase/image etc) cannot be checked for error or problem

Developer releases AI platform

User asks the platform for a result, giving some specific parameters, often by inputting example data (e.g. images)

The algorithms run, searching through the databank for strong matches in pattern recognition, piecing together what it has learned so far to create a seemingly novel response

The result is presented to the user as "new" "generated" content, but it's just an amalgamation of existing works and words that is persuasively "human-like" (because the result has been harvested from humans' hard word!)

The training dataset that the developers feed the tool oftentimes amount to theft.

Developers are increasingly being found to scrape the internet, or even licensed art or published books - despite copyright licensing! - to train the machine.

AI does not make something out of nothing (a bit like whichever magical Law it is, Gamp's maybe? idk charms were never my main focus in HP lore). AI pulls from the resources it has been given - the STOLEN WORDS AND IMAGES - and mashes them together in ways that meet the request given by the user. It looks whimsical, but it's actually incredibly problematic.

Unregulated as they are now, AI technologies are stealing the creative ideas, the hearts and souls of art in all forms, and reducing it to pattern recognition.

On top of that, the training datasets that the technologies are given initially are often incredibly biased, leading to them replicating racist, misogynistic, and otherwise oppressive stereotypes in their results. We've already seen the "pale male" bias uncovered in the research by Dr Timnit Gebru and her colleagues. Dr Gebru has also been vocal about the ethical implications of AI in terms of the ecological costs of these softwares. This brilliant article by MIT Technology Review breaks down Dr Gebru's paper that saw her fired from Google, the main arguments of which are:

the ecological and financial costs are unsustainable

the training datasets are too large and so cannot be properly regulated for biases

research opportunity costs (AI looks impressive, but it doesn't actually understand language, so it can be misleading/misdirecting for researchers)

AI models can be convincing, but this can lead to overreliance/too much trust in their accuracy and validity

So, artificial intelligence technologies are embroiled in numerous ethical issues that are far from resolved, even beyond the very real, very important, very concerning issues of plaigarism.

In fandom terms, this comes to be even more problematic when chat bots are created to talk with characters, like the recently discussed High Reeve Draco Malfoy chatbot that has some Facebook Groups in a flurry.

Transformative fiction is tricky in terms of what is ethical/fair transformation of transformative works. I will argue, though that those hemming and hawings are moot since Sen removed Manacled from ao3 because she is creating an original fiction story for publication after securing a book deal (which is awesome and I'm very excited to support them in that!).

Moreover, the ethical problems redouble when we take into consideration that feeding Manacled to an artificial intelligence chatbot technology means that reproductions and repackagings of Sen's work is out of their hands entirely. That data cannot be recovered, it will never be erased from the machine. And so when others use the machine, the possible word combinations, particular phrasings, etc will all be input for analysis, reforming and reproduction for other users.

I don't think people understand the gravity of the situation around data control (or, more specifically, the lack of control we have of the data we input into these technologies). Those words are no longer our own the second we type them into the text box on "generative" AI platforms. We cannot get those ideas or words back to call our own. We cannot guarantee that someone else won't use the platform to write something and then use it elsewhere, claiming it's their own when it is in fact ours.

There are serious implications and fundamental (somewhat philosophical, but also very real and extremely urgent) questions about ownership of art in this digital age, the heart of creativity, and what constitutes original work with these technologies being used to assist idea creation or even entire image/text generation.

TLDR - stop using artificial technologies to engage with fandom. use the endless creative palaces of your minds and take up roleplaying with your pals to explore real-time interactions (roleplay in fandom is a legit thing, there are plenty of fandoms that do RP; this is your chance to do the same for the niche dhr fandoms you're invested in).

Signed, a very tired digital technologies scholar who would like you all to engage critically with digital data privacy, protection, and ethics, please.

[bestillmyfoolishheart]

Scaramouche’s characterization and his Cynicism (3.3 spoilers)

First off, I really enjoyed this archon quest and the way they fleshed Scaramouche very well.

Namely the the cynicism he has— the way he knows that he is unliked and plays into it—the intentional provocation towards the traveler, even if it is unneeded.

The awareness he has in general about his actions,  especially now that he knows the whole story. It really fleshed him out because he is often reduced to being angry for the sake of being angry without taking into account his history and the context—the fatui failing to each his standards etc.

Even if he did say would prefer to step on pests but also realizes the need for nonchalance if it doesn't affect him.

The  subtle bitterness about himself and his relationships, especially with the other harbingers. His relationship with EI or even the lack of it (expanded in here: Link ) HIs time under the organization being nothing  more than a glorified lab rat/errand boy for them.

For a story focused whose premises talked about fitting in with humanity—he also did not fit in with the organization even if he was part of the high ranking people. The line that signora said about how he was only no.6th because he was able to with stand more things than a normal human—encapsulates this clearly.

The conclusion with him spending more time on himself and maybe discovering what it means and working on what he did because what else can he even do? Kazuha's personal quest is about moving on—extend the same to him, he has to live with the fact that all he did result in nothing and the only way he can somehow get repentance is moving forward and living with that guilt.

The questions he would ask Nahida RE: being a puppet and being evil—maybe as a way to hear her answer, while already have one referring just needed that one final thing solidify his choice.

Even when he has forgotten what happened there is still a lingering feeling that something was wrong and he was empty—another interesting because even as the balladeer he had the same sort of emptiness due to the gnosis ( is he then required to have those horrible emotions such what was referenced in his artifact lore where he would rather have the gnosis and all the pains than feel empty—More expansion here: Link– and is experiencing grief and suffering part of what it means to be human, I’m straying away but this somehow made an implication to it.  )

In a way, we get to see his outlook on his life and the events that shaped it—we can’t put the blame the fatui because he admits he also did wrong so it becomes a mixture of both his circumstances and his actions leading him to where he is as of now. With or without his memories, he can never truly fill the void that was bothering him, but the difference now is that can find a way to do so—and learn from the mistakes. 

( I haven’t even touched the aspect of his wanting to be used and finding purpose in being used in the sense that the reason was discarded was because he failed to be useful for Ei and so that can be seen as a motivating factor as to why he would want to help and be useful because if he can prove he has a purpose and a utility—then there is no need for him to be discarded. At the same time, most likely as kabukimono, he would be used to receiving such help from the people of Tatarasuna, and we’ve seen how he gladly accepted the task of helping them out when given the chance to.) 

Currently, I’m excited where he goes from here on out and what he plans to do on his sort of rebirth

(also short one about what the removal of voicelines talking about him entails: link )

[dandelion-wings]

Seamus, at least, feels like the type who’d want more power, even if Varka doesn’t really care for it. We know he’s definitely more politically inclined than Varka at least, as indicated by him actually being present for the meeting with Dottore meanwhile Varka just sent Kaeya to do his job for him. And rarely are religious figures the paragons of virtue they often present themselves as, especially in the pre-modern era—rising through the ranks of the Church was, after all, the primary route to power for those who had neither noble blood nor great physical talent/combat prowess.

Then you look at how Barbara ended up under his parentage (i.e. not good) and yeah, I could see a Seamus as someone who would be just fine with eroding away Mondstadt’s democracy for his own personal gain.

As for Varka, if he really does get involved in such as plot (as unlikely as it is), I could only maybe see it happening because Seamus ropes him in with the reasoning of ‘less democracy = less bureaucracy and paperwork for him to deal with = more time for having fun and/or fighting monsters’—but that would very much be Seamus luring him in as a lackey, rather than Varka doing it of his own accord or even doing it as an equal partner to Seamus.

It’s more likely he’d just not notice that anything’s going on at all.

I'm gonna be honest with you, Anon, I'm... not really sure where you're getting this? Seamus' one appearance is in the manga, where he shows up for a fancy party with political implications, as a major figure in the civil side of government should, brings Kaeya in to ask a loaded question, then thanks Diluc for delaying the Fatui and expresses distress (that we have absolutely no reason to believe insincere; the manga even gives him a panel on his clenched fist) that innocents have suffered because the Ordo can't more firmly keep the Fatui out. And then tells Kaeya the Fatui have left town in what seems to be drunken excitement. (It's been a while since I re-read the manga, and I hadn't caught it before, but the way he and Kaeya coordinate there suggests an interesting relationship between those two....)

Which, overall, suggests a guy who's somewhat politically savvy, but not tremendously politically skilled (since he is polite with Dottore and gets him out of the way, but relies on Kaeya and Diluc to actually handle him), feels responsibility and/or compassion for the innocent people of Mondstadt, and participates freely in Mondstadt's drinking culture. (The last of which I am contrasting to my own headcanons about Fredrica. XD)

Religion was a path to power in pre-modern times, but there were also many, many people, including in the power structure, who genuinely believed and were doing their best to follow their own tenets! Their interpretation of those tenets may also have benefited them--that's human nature, I say as a religious person who is very aware that I am deliberately following an interpretation of my own religious tenets that many other people who share them would disagree with--but we have no evidence or reason to believe that Seamus is cynically or deliberately using his position to erode democracy and consolidate his own power. I'd argue, in fact, that his manga appearance argues against that particular take. Now, from what he says there about how if the Ordo was stronger they could have prevented the Fatui from hurting people, you could get someone who's seeking more power for himself and the Ordo with the belief that they'll better protect Mondstadt that way, but that doesn't seem to be how you're presenting it?

(Also, how Barbara turned out seems to me to be pretty explicitly, from her lore, Gunnhildr Trauma, possibly with a side of Seamus being neglectful and/or just not having a clue how to deal with it. Her lore has a lot about how her feelings of unworthiness stemmed from her mother, and only mentions him as encouraging her to become a healer; I agree that becoming a healer was bad for her mental health too, but the root cause there is the mental health, not the healing. She could be a pastry chef or a clerk and she would have the same issues.)

Now, if this interpretation is one you want to run with for a story, or even a headcanon, you can do so! We have very little on Seamus, and it's possible to say he was putting on a front in his manga appearances. That's just not the first conclusion I'm going to leap to when there's no other indications or hints of it (and Hoyo is pretty good at hinting when someone is lying or putting on a front. By 'hinting' I mean 'painting a signpost twenty feet tall.' They ain't subtle). If what you are proposing is the plot for a specific story, then... well, that's not how I'm reading the asks, but I may be missing a cue; feel free to continue exploring it yourself, but it's not really one that I'm interested in building upon myself. If what you're proposing is an overall drawing-from-canon character interpretation, then I'm sorry, but I just don't think you have the evidence.

[the-leyline-directory]

I may be biased cause of Silvaire's lore but---

[no fault to those who'd enjoy that angle! I would also enjoy, I'm gonna love whatever happens I just love ff11 honestly I don't care--- but if there's an entire world history somehow buried behind 8+ Calamities with no surviving knowledge or sudden entire race/lore changes and/or the entire Shadowlord and Zilart things I'm gonna be v confused about the implications that has to the current 14 lore....... I already had to soft-canon most of Sil's lore with the general theme overlap ((Like Altana being Hydealyn ofc, or Selh'teus being a sundered Ascian that gets reformed, or Promathia being a shard of Zodiark--- Even 'Paradise' unknowingly being The Source, 'The Emptiness' = 'The Flood of Darkness',,, many things it's an entire fucking write up for a reason)) So I know If the Raid says 'Nope 11 is an ancient civ or direct connection to the source' then I'll just be big AUing Silvaire's lore cause it cannot change - fundamentally every part of him is ironed in too deeply :( He's always going to be the warrior of crystal from ff11 > cursed by Promathia and Altana > turned voidsent > comes to the Source via a reaper contract > serves under Emet for the founding of Garlemald > a foil to the WoL in MSQ > Eventually learns to be his original self again (trauma recovery post EW). So, whenever patch 7.1/Raid drops, I doubt I'll change any of his lore but I'll have to put so many disclamers of when it was all written... Cause if you told past me YEARS ago I wouldn't have EVER thought I'd get a ff11 Raid. I'm so very excited!!