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besiegedhunter · 4 days

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Lappland Event

Theorycrafting a Lappland event from information from Terra: A Journey and information found in game. Also to further the Siracusa and Red agenda.

Continuing below:

To be more upfront about what this is, it's of course discussing this from the 4th PV trailer shown in the 5th anniversary livestream:

I think that there's opportunities that only work with 5.5 that could lead into the setting and plot points of Lappland's event that I want to discuss.

I suggest cherry picking what you think are applicable because I naturally don't work at HG, I'm just saying what I think works. I also don't know the direction that Lappland's story is going in, I have thoughts where it'll be set and some characters and things involved but her motivations I'm not entirely sure on. Il Siracusano was rather vague on it but if you have thoughts, I'd love to hear them!

Also I'm not as knowledgable on Zwillingstürme im Herbst as I'd like to be for this post. Which is to say this will spoil that event.

Now I'll be breaking them down into chapters:

Setting and Signora Sicilia

Relevant events and history

Signore dei Lupi and Projekt Red

The Bocca al Lupo

There'll be some other things placed here and there, with the first certainly getting into the lorebook the most and if you want to skip to any of these that's all good.

With that stated, let's get into it.

Setting and Signora Sicily.

So I'll be delving into the lorebook for this part however I don't have access to it right now and so only have so many screenshots I can use, which will be machine translated.

But for the setting of the event and the crux of my theorycrafting, I believe that it will take place in the capital of Siracusa: Montelupe.

I've got several reasons but the first one is that, as it's the capital of Siracusa, it's very probable that it's where Signora Sicily operates out of and Signora Sicily aught to be very important to Lappland's story ever since "To Be Continued" but throughout Il Siracusano we were purposefully left in the dark in regards to the scope of their history.

To be more specific:

When the Texas family declared independence from Signora Sicily, she ordered a purge of the family. Lappland led the Saluzzo forces in this event but her obsession with Texas and failing to kill her got her exiled from her family.

However next we hear, she's the one sent to deal with Gambino and Capone for Signora Sicily and in Il Siracusano, Signora Sicily offers her the chance of joining her Bocca al Lupo.

Since the Texas family purge Lappland has been working with Signora Sicily and was trusted enough by her to be offered to join her elite group. On top of that, Lappland's goal after Il Siracusano is destroying Siracusa which is an impossible task but the most easiest way to go about that would be by killing Sicily who acts as Siracusa.

That's an unfounded claim however and Il Siracusano really downplays the Lappland and Sicily stuff if she's planning on killing her. Just the point stands that Sicily is important and likely acting out of Montelupe. (You could also say Lappland as business with the Bocca al Lupo which I'll get back to.)

Relevant Events and History

The next reason is the meat of this, why it being 5.5 is important and what Montelupe really entails. So to begin, this is what we hear about Montelupe in the lorebook's section for Siracusa, in it's intro:

So from this alone we learn that Montelupe was at the head of Siracusa's drive for Independence from Leithania, a thing that we don't really learn much about from Il Siracusano. The only thing we really learn connects the two points:

In the chaos caused by the mafia following Siracusa's independence, Signora Sicily installed "Pistole e Ordine“ and the "Grey Hall" to establish order in the country.

We actually learn more about in the 4.5 event: Zwillingstürme im Herbst, set in Leithania.

As it explains: Siracusa was one of the ten founding tribes of Leithania, bound together by the magical pact of the Golden Rhythm. In breaking the Golden Rhythm, as seen in the lorebook passage, Siracusa gained it's independence and the Witch King did the impossible by fixing it and restoring order to Leithania.

The purpose of this is that we learn Leithania's side in 4.5 and in 3.5 the extent of it is Sicily dealing with the repercussions.

What if Lappland's event touches on this?

Perhaps her plan is to destroy Sicily or the Bocca al Lupo, returning Siracusa to the time just after it's Independence, contextualizing it and taking place in Montelupe which drove Siracusa's independence?

5.5 is the only time that can most accurately capitalize on the theme of Siracusa's Independence because of 4.5 depicting Leithania's side of the story.

But there's more to 5.5 being perfect.

See, the lorebook actually tells us why Siracusa joined Leithania and what the catalyst for it's Independence was.

Before there was a Leithania, the tribes that would found it were threatened by Sarkaz invasions. Siracusa particularly compared to the other nine tribes were in danger because of their harsh environment impeding their civilization from developing.

So Siracusa joined the other nine tribes to create an alliance against the Sarkaz invasion, which this being thousands of years ago likely meant that Kazdel was much larger, right on the edge of Siracusa and Leithania.

It was the Crusade led by Kal'tsit against Kazdel that all but destroyed Kazdel, did Siracusa feel it was safe enough to seek their independence.

Which not only connects it to the main story which of course focuses on the Sarkaz's story but more personally to IS5 where one ending appears to depict the crusade that would facilitate Siracusa's independence:

Since Chapter 14 and IS5 will come out before 5.5, we'll learn more about the Crusade and then 5.5 can show us how Siracusa was affected and Siracusa's Independence from Leithania that is rooted in these events and 4.5.

5.5 is the only time that can capitalize on the timing of 4.5 and IS5 to fully contextualize Siracusa's Independence, with Montelupe and Signora Sicily being ideal to do so.

As for looking towards the future, I think that the 4th pv trailer might provide us an idea for another event that it might tie into afterwards:

As stated before: Lappland and especially Sicily are connected to Laterano. And we don't know yet what Lappland's BoC skin is referring to:

Maybe we'll learn the full context inside her event and it'll tie into the Laterano plans that are coming up. If I'm right on her event delving into Siracusa's Independence and the Sarkaz, we might see whether Siracusa has any plans with Laterano in regards to the Sarkaz in her event also.

Signore dei Lupi and Projekt Red

Next is what I believe to be a subplot to the event akin to Lappland or Lunacub's plot in Il Siracusano but first I need to clear something up:

Lappland is not a Fang of a Signore dei Lupi and is not participating in their game. When Bernado took his own life in IS-9, Zaaro lost that round:

Red, Lunacub and an unnamed Fang are the only Fangs left in this round per what Bernado said and until only one of them is left, the next round won't begin:

I also believe that Lappland has her own idea of how she'll destroy Siracusa than using the Signore dei Lupi and doesn't really know or care what they are:

Which I don't think is to say that the Signore dei Lupi and the other Fangs won't play a role and interact with Lappland and be in her event. I actually think that this offers a unique circumstance to give us a fun scenario and insight into Red's story at the same time.

It's established early on in Il Siracusano that, go figure, Lappland works and stays at Rhodes Island:

It's obvious but I just wanted to establish that Lappland's time at Rhodes Island has been established and referenced which is important for this voiceline of hers:

Unless it's changed, I believe that Red and Lappland are the only 5*s with an Outstanding Combat Skill and this is a very interesting voiceline because you don't really see Lappland afraid and her saying she'd lose is nigh unheard of.

Il Siracusano depicted her playing everyone else like a chessmaster and scaring seasoned mafioso like Demetri just by her presence. Signora Sicily also personally invited her to join her Bocca al Lupo and she stalemated against Zaaro.

Saying she'd lose to Red coming from her isn't without cause but perhaps more importantly: this sets up them fighting and Lappland knowing of Red ahead of time.

There's also an OPERATORS page focusing on Lappland where she steals Pozy's coat thinking it was Red's probably, which sets it up as well.

I'd provide Red's comment about her but it doesn't exist, which arguably is more interesting than anything that could've been said because there is an official image that confirms that Red knows Lappland.

But it goes further than this because as interesting as it is for them to fight, it might be just as interesting for Red and Zaaro to meet. The reason being this, just before the Zaaro bossfight in IS-10:

Later on when Crownslayer discovers Red it's described in a very similar way and Red's skill is called Chill. It's also not something that Fangs do normally as Lunacub nor Bernado at any point are shown to exhibit the same effect.

Only Zaaro and Red. So if Red and Lappland fight, Zaaro could probably point out something about it that we otherwise wouldn't learn about. It'd also be an excuse for Zaaro to develop and be explored as a character, faced with another Fang or even another Signore dei Lupi if Grandma gets introduced.

Also it'd be really cool to see Lappland and Red fight as the 3D PV for the event.

But also I think it's possible that the "Unnamed Fang" could get involved as well. Either Red and them are drawn to Lappland, mistaking her for a Fang because they work off of smell or are both in the area and mistake Lappland as one and both fight her at separate times.

Either could serve as a miniboss before the main one and Red's subplot could end with her killing this Fang.

It could also tie into Montelupe's history and a theme of Siracusa's Independence as the "wild man" who tore apart Siracusa's "Golden Rhythm" was compared to what I'm pretty sure are the Fangs and maybe even one himself.

It could also further the themes of the wilderness and it's violence that Lappland's playing into and serve as a direct comparison to her, her beliefs and her methods.

The Bocca al Lupo

Another character who I'm even more sure will appear is Ben. I'm so confident I might even go as far as to say that he could be the main boss.

So firstly, he's already quite connected to Lappland. Firstly because of his monologue about her after she crashed into Texas's court case:

But also because this monologue of his effectively prophesizes where Lappland's story is going and the themes playing into it as well as how similar he is.

This is through how he is the one primarily driving the wilderness/violence vs civilization theme, which you could see Zaaro and Sicily being two ends of. Or Lappland and Texas. Which of course, the event ends off on:

Which contrasts Vigil and Penance's in the scene earlier that ends on: Civilization. In the same manner.

I also think that he holds similar views to Lappland but that he's come to accept Siracusa's current state as opposed to destroying it. He perceives himself as an outsider and Siracusa just being a wilderness where the people dress in civility but are no better than the wolves in the wilderness.

He despises it but where Lappland deems that she will destroy it, the wilderness and violence that stole her childhood, family, happiness away, he accepts that that's Siracusa.

And the thing about him as well as a parallel may be being drawn between them even further. As I've gone into before, Lappland was invited to become an Bocca al Lupo and Ben is the only other character who's been name dropped as being one:

And Il Siracusano really liked it's parallels with how Vigil and Penance mirror Sicily and Agenir. There's a possibility that Lappland and Ben are set up in a similar way but that's yet to be seen.

Either way, as one of the Bocca al Lupo, Sicily's wolves, if Lappland goes against her then they'll likely come for her and Ben would be one of them. And with his closeness to Sicily and his connections to Lappland, it's possible that he'll be an important adversary.

He also has an important talk with Lunacub in his Azione Solo so I wouldn't be surprised if he interacts with like, Red or the other Fang if they are in this event.

Wrapping it up

Those are my ideas for things that could feature in Lappland's event. I also think it's possible that this could be Suzuran's Mum or Dad:

We'll have to wait and see.

Also with W Alter being a Flinger Sniper, it's very possible that Lappland Alter will be a 6* Guard for anyone theory crafting what she could be.

Also y'know... Texas and Yato Alters being so close and Executors, Logos being the 4th Core Caster and 4th and 5th anniv non-limiteds being Core Casters, there's nothing to say Lappland won't be an Arts Guard or something.

Have fun. I hope this at least fuels ideas and uh, join me in hoping Red makes an appearance because if it's anything like 3.5 > 5.5 I could be waiting till 7.5 for her to get something if she doesn't feature in 5.5.

Please, she's been in Siracusa for two years already. Let her throw Lappland around a bit so Lappland can tell Kal'tsit back at Rhodes that she's fine, to make the next two years wait bearable.

#arknights #cn spoilers #cn server #spoilers #lappland #projekt red

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besiegedhunter · 8 days

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Shining and Nightingale: Connection, Plot Beats, and How Their Story Makes (Even) More Sense If You Read It As Romantic

Introduction

Belonging to the Followers faction, Shining and Nightingale were among the first 6* operators introduced at launch. With damage mitigation as their niche, Shining is a single-target medic who specializes in reducing incoming physical damage, while Nightingale is an AoE medic whose specialty lies in reducing incoming Arts damage. This post will delve into everything we know about them and how it's so gay, oh my god

Design Analysis

Upon first glance, you notice how they compare and contrast each other visually: Shining is dressed mostly in black, Nightingale in white. Shining has long, thin white horns that gently jut outwards, while Nightingale has thick, black horns that fold inwards. Shining keeps her hood on by default, giving her a mysterious and secretive appearance. She has dark brown eyes, Liz has light blue ones. Shining’s outfit is tattered and ragged, really giving off the vibe of a wanderer (a “roaming doctor”, as she puts it), in stark contrast to Nightingale’s clean and put-together attire. If you squint, Shining almost looks like a harbinger of death, whereas Nightingale is angelic. Both of them wear the insignia of the Followers, a Terran version of the Caduceus. Shining wears it on a necklace (and is the actual leader), while Nightingale has it etched onto her clothes. One of the black straps on Nightingale’s outfit also reads “The path to light is dark”.

The predominant colors in both their respective skins are the complementary blue and orange. Just as black and white are opposed, so is the contrast between blue and orange. Within Shining's Silent Night, there are flickers of red-orange accents in the form of crystals, while in Nightingale's Elegy, there is the vibrant blue of her bluebird and its wings/feather. Despite Shining’s skin being a summer/beach outfit, the overall atmosphere is foreboding, given the moonlit background, presence of crows/ravens, and color choices. The backdrop in Nightingale’s is very characteristic of Gothic settings.

The strongest theme tying both their designs (and stories) together is The Gothic, an atmosphere and aesthetic best exemplified and symbolized by moody, somber colors (often black) and the gnarled, twisted branches of dead trees found in both their designs, as well as pertinent cast. (We will discuss more on their narrative ties to The Gothic)

Nightingale is featured (alongside Myrrh) in the song “Spring’s Pulse”, while Shining’s song is called “Winter Absolution”. Spring and Winter are opposing seasons, different times in which life either flourishes or hibernates. Green and red (as well as blue and red) are contrasting colors, highlighting life and death. As well as white and black, often symbolic of purity and sin.

Additionally, one of the Latin verses in Shining's song translates to:

"Sing, my tongue, redemption. Of my flesh, the mystery sing. Of the blood, all price exceeding. Shed by my immortal being. Destined for the world's redemption. From a noble womb to spring."

Profiles/Voice Lines

For the longest time, the most we could gather from their past was that Nightingale was a victim, a prisoner, forced to heal others while captive and that Shining had rescued her before they came to Rhodes Island. She has a host of ailments that mere Oripathy can't be the sole cause for, including amnesia. Through other clues, we eventually learn that Shining had a connection to someone called "Confessarius" ("Confessarii" when referring to a group), something she is noticeably evasive and uncomfortable about.

Later, the mystery slowly began to unravel as many theorized that Shining herself was involved with Nightingale's imprisonment, evidenced by Liz drawing the similarities between Shining and her captors. A shared past dripping with intrigue.

It was these seeds that provided a tantalizing story of atonement, of redemption, from someone who had committed a terrible transgression against another, complacent in her pain and suffering, whom she eventually grew to care about--so much so that Shining decided to sever all ties to her former compatriots, slaughtering many and freeing Nightingale, running away together. Shining, disgusted with her actions, spending the rest of her life atoning for her sins, of which she feels she can never be forgiven for.

The juxtaposition of Shining, unyielding with her sword, covered in the blood of her once-fellow Confessarii, and her being exceedingly gentle with Nightingale as she leads her to someplace safe, away from that room, her captors, that tower, where they (she) can’t hurt Liz ever again. The fanon that Shining was complicit in what made Nightingale the way she is, and that she is currently atoning for those sins, was largely embraced by fans.

Nightingale’s Operator Record #1 - A Song and a Blue Feather

The Op Rec is a good showcase of the Followers dynamic (with Liz as the Lady and her two knights), but it also serves to show more of Liz's personality. We only get a very baseline interpretation of who she is as a person via her official file, but seeing her interact with Nearl and Shining gives us a clearer picture of just how strong-willed she is. She goes against Shining's warnings in order to soothe the pain of an Infected child, particularly because his father was inadvertently exacerbating his condition through what Liz calls "a cage of love" (foreshadowing?).

Throughout, we learn more about Liz's Arts, specifically that they give her empathic qualities and come with the drawback of shortening her lifespan every time she heals. The game-breaking ability to reverse Oripathy symptoms comes with equivalent exchange. Liz takes on the pain of others in order to make them feel better.

Near the end of the record, Liz asks if Shining is mad and to not blame Nearl for helping her. Shining's original call to avoid the town was born out of being concerned with Liz's health, but she admits that she should've respected Liz's decision. This is a stance that we then see get repeated in their future appearances in both side stories and the main plot--Shining prioritizing giving Liz agency, when she previously had none. Even when it results in Liz's condition worsening, something that Shining struggles with accepting at the same time, communicated through her asking Liz if her feeling more pain was necessary.

Nightingale’s Module #1 - Closed Hope

The module basically states outright that Nightingale views herself as a burden for having to rely on Shining and Nearl to help her navigate through life. This is another example of Liz's strong-willed personality peeking through.

"But for me, results speak loudest. Because I endured a little more pain, others can be born anew. This is very good. But… if I could be like ordinary people, without this physical pain, that spark of hope in my heart would surely shine a little bit brighter. Unfortunately, as I am now, I can only rely on others to survive. Like a light crystal in a lantern. Even if the lantern door is open, even if the light can bring warmth to others, the crystal itself is still fixed inside. It is fixed there, because it has no ability to move on its own. 'Nightingale, Nightingale––' I hope that one day, I will also be able to spread my wings and fly… just like the bird next to me. 'Nightingale, wake up already––' Until then, I must impose upon them yet more to take care of me.

...

'What's the matter, Shining?'"

In her Op Rec, she had even told Shining that if her legs had cooperated with her, she would not have asked Nearl for help, and that she would've gone out to heal that boy on her own. It's letting us know that she longs to be independent, and that she can't idly sit by as a passive observer when she has the ability to help others. Liz won't even let her own disabilities stop her from doing what she wants.

It's not a coincidence how Shining's presence in her module is represented by the analogy Liz uses to describe her predicament. Shining rescued her = the cage door is open. However, the crystal itself can't move = Liz's debilitating condition. Shining played her part in putting Liz in the cage to begin with. Shining is not only her savior, caretaker, and companion, there's a darker undercurrent as well.

Near Light

In Maria Nearl, Nightingale and Shining get a brief mention and cameo around the time Nearl crashes into the Major stadium. A connection can be made with Liz's Op Rec in which we evidently see that she and Nearl have a more physical (and arguably openly affectionate) dynamic compared to Liz and Shining. Before Nearl leaves to help her sister, we a get a brief look into her and Liz's parting conversation, in which Nearl assures Liz that she'll be okay and that Liz still has Shining with her.

In Near Light, where they get more screentime, we have the iconic Nearl and Nightingale slow dance underneath the streetlights. In the CG itself, Shining can be seen hanging back, sporting a smile. She calls Liz beautiful unprompted, which results in Liz getting a little bit flustered, already so from dancing with Nearl.

Beyond these instances fleshing out the NearLiz leg of the triangle, it's also a purposeful depiction of Shining intentionally distancing herself from Liz, presumably due to her guilt for her past actions. And how that can be extrapolated into Shining feeling as though she is unworthy to partake in that same kind of intimacy. This self-loathing mentality is once more reflected in Nearl the Radiant Knight's second Module--here's a rough translation:

"I suddenly felt a little regretful - after all, I have always hated my bloodline. I have never tasted the beauty of home and the meaning of family. She deserved to have it all, deserved to be noticed and blessed and I deserved not to be a part of it."

However, at the end of Near Light, we get the scene where Shining makes a decision to go back to Londinium with Nightingale, preparing us for their subplot with Confessarius. This exchange hangs over them like a cloud, as well as further cementing Shining's firm resolve to always remain by Liz's side, no matter her own misgivings about everything else. Even if the rest of the world is muddled in her eyes, the only thing that stays clear and in view, is Nightingale. Nothing else matters more.

Chapter 10-18

The depth of Shining’s feelings for Nightingale is truly something to take note of. "My place is always at your side" is practically a textbook subtextual/indirect confession. "I will always be at your side... for as long as you’ll have me." Because we must know that Liz has a choice. She will not impose her own wants onto Liz. Should the day arrive where Liz no longer wants her, Shining will honor it, as much as it hurts.

The way Shining navigates and conducts her feelings towards Liz in this manner is very reminiscent of the medieval concept of courtly love, which is essentially a kind of romantic love without ever imagining it to go any further. The lack of consummation is not only expected, but ideal. That the love existing in and of itself is satisfying.

The scenes where we see Shining holding back help supplement this reading. It also plays well into how the Followers are basically the "knight in shining armor" idea codified into three individuals with corresponding dynamics. For bonus points, courtly love has ties to spirituality, which coincides with another aspect of Shiningale's story with identity, fate, and their conflict with Confessarius.

The fact that Shining 's most immediate plans for the future all have to do with Nightingale is only the tip of her unending devotion. "I’ll stay with you, and go wherever you want to go, as long as you want me". And for Liz to quickly ask if Shining will come with her wherever she wants to go suggests that the love is reciprocated.

Chapter 11-10

Through a series of revelations, we discover that the current head of the Confessarii is Shining's father, who is possessing the body of her younger brother. And that Nightingale was an experimental subject whose physical body is a construct, making her the equivalent of an artificial human/homunculus.

The whole scene we see just how both Confessarius and Salus view Shining, Nightingale, and their relationship. As randmsapphic puts it, the method in which they talk about Liz as an object with a purpose and that Shining's attachment to her is nothing short of a phase speaks volumes as to how dismissive and strangely self-assured that Shining will come to her senses and do the right/rational thing and bring Liz back to help her. They entertain the notion of saving Liz by way of pushing Shining to return to them, because they are the only ones who can save her. Instead of immediately resorting to threats, they rely on manipulation, pulling the "family" card, preying on and weaponizing Shining's guilt and desire to help Liz. It's not subtle--this dynamic could very easily be seen as the reactions homophobic relatives would have.

In particular, Confessarius's fixation on bloodline purity is insanely creepy and not only comes off as very homophobic, but ableist as well. Him suggesting they can build Liz a new body is coercion to get Shining to obey him (which also implies that he thinks Shining's attraction to Liz is purely physical). Salus emotionally abusing Shining by saying that all of Liz's pain is Shining's fault. Attempting to shame Shining by claiming she abandoned her family for a stranger. Does it not have the vibes of homophobia saying that Shiningale's love/relationship isn't real and will never work?

Chapter 12-10

The way Shining utterly ties her sense of self-worth to Nightingale, literally describing herself as Liz’s sin… she will not refer to Liz with possessive pronouns, but will do it to herself for her. The longing, the guilt, the resolve, the codependency… is incredibly yuri. Back in Chapter 10, Shining has an exchange with the Nachzehrer King where she says the moment she was born, she had carried sin. After the dinner in Chapter 11, she tells a Confessarius soldier (before cutting him down) that she hates herself most of all.

Of all the ways to describe her relationship with Liz, Shining decides on "I am her sin". There is poetry in how she refrains from using any kind of possessive language about Liz. Shining belongs to Liz, but Liz belongs to no one. "I am hers, and she is everything to me". It goes back to how she somewhat keeps her distance despite the overwhelming devotion. "I cannot touch her with these sinful hands".

Shining truly exemplifies devotion. Whoever was responsible for writing Shining’s dialogue is pulling out all sorts of stops to have her express her love for Liz in every way without outright making her say the words "I love Liz".

Chapter 13-9 (unfortunately tumblr has an image limit so i can't cap the entire subchapter; you really should read it yourselves for that delicious Shiningale goodness)

Kal'tsit: The way you look at Nightingale isn't just with compassion. You're not just her doctor—she's healing your fears too. Her body has its issues, but she's a member of the 'Followers', as well as your companion, and not a delicate flower that needs your protection.

Nightingale: I'm fine, Shining. You don't have to look after me so meticulously.

More examples of Liz's strong character! A dynamic becomes even more interesting when the one you thought was less-dependent turns out to desperately need the other. By this point, you should know that Shining places Nightingale incredibly high up her list of priorities. The narrative makes it no secret. They continue to hammer home that, despite being her caretaker, just how much Shining is dependent on Liz. Liz has already internally talked about how she hates having to rely on Shining and Nearl because of her ailments. In her other appearances, she makes it even more apparent with her dialogue. While Shining mends Liz’s aching body, Liz is the one who soothes Shining’s hurting heart.

Confessarius: Poor 'Liz'. She think it's all her fault, because of the momentary kindness you showed her.

When you remember that Liz's Arts make her empathic to pain, it takes on another layer of meaning when she wants to take away Shining's suffering. It's reasonable to assume that Liz also had an attachment to Shining, even if you see it as such because Shining "brought her to life". But the vibe you get from her dialogue shows a strong affection and compassion for Shining. Arguably instinctive, considering the "nature" of who Liz originally was. A wandering spirit, a memory, a soul that was drawn to Shining because she felt her crushing pain and wanted to help her. An intangible presence given life by an achingly lonely and hurt individual.

Another post by randmsapphic suggests that Liz's "childhood memories" of her and Shining were in fact fabrications that Shining had imposed onto Liz, in some desperate attempt to have a connection with another person, which this scene confirms. Shining was so happy with Liz's creation that she quickly became attached to her. Is this a sort of twisted love/affection that was born out of Shining's self-loathing? Or her being born into a very dark and messed up lineage in which her fate is a doomed one, and so she latched onto Liz as a means of escape and a way to feel close to someone? It may have started off as such, but by the time we reach this point, the love grew to be genuine.

Remember in Liz's Op Rec, where she described the father hurting his son by keeping him in a cage of love?

The bluebird losing its strength the farther it travels away from home is a metaphor and reflection for how the Confessarii treat Liz, their experiment. This is the basis for her captivity. Combined with Shining's sudden shift into a cold demeanor when she had previously been warm to Liz, this only served to psychologically and emotionally damage Liz, as well as compound Shining's guilt for having continued to follow the wishes of her family.

At some point, prior to deserting, Shining had wiped Liz's memories, perhaps out of said guilty conscious, or a means to a fresh start, or even her own way to stop Liz from feeling any pain associated with those memories, but she was still afraid of what would happen should Liz recover them, which had been happening little by little. Shining had resigned herself to believing that Liz would hate her, would want nothing to do with her, if she ever found out the truth. She had to wrestle with the very real possibility that attempting to save Liz could mean losing her, or being separated from her. Shining never once saw Nightingale as a burden; she was only ever happy that Liz exists.

Credit to randmsapphic again: Every time Shining draws her sword, it's a viscerally unpleasant reminder of her eventual destiny. It's both the only way to truly free Liz, and is the bind that keeps her shackled to a doomed fate. When Confessarius offers her the sadistic choice between killing him (thus giving up her soul) or return Liz to captivity... what should she do? There is no choice here.

The way Confessarius keeps (creepily) phrasing it as Shining “giving birth” really does paint him to be a disgustingly vile patriarchal figure set on destroying not only Shining’s autonomy, but her life and relationship with Liz. How a woman is treated as an object, her worth limited to only serving as a breeding ground for the next generation. This read continues to make even more sense because remember the Confessarii dinner scene? The way they talked like they expect Shining to come home after having had her fun with Nightingale reeks of how society views lesbian relationships as not real/practice for men/just a phase. The proverbial Class S? Shiningale really is just Arknights-flavored Class S Yuri. If a Shining Alter has her pick up her sword again, it could very well symbolize her reclaiming her bodily autonomy and fighting for her love, and for the chance to have a life outside of what the patriarch(y) wants for her.

The more I read about the Shiningale in Chapter 13, the more I’m thinking that this can’t be anything else but yuri. Even the role Confessarius is playing as a villain/obstacle they have to overcome. A man getting between them by manipulating their feelings for nefarious purposes?

Liz telling Shining that she prefers her current name, how it encapsulates so much of who Shining is as a person; she's not just a means to an end for the Confessarii, she's more than what they've instilled in her since her birth. The Followers are all light-themed, and Shining is no exception. She broke Liz out of her cage and showed her the world. And Liz is the light of Shining's life, as was mentioned all the way back to her voiceline.

Liz telling Shining that she's always loved the name that she gave her... that she holds dear any and every part of Shining that's a part of her. Her gently chastising Shining for making the decision to sacrifice herself to save Liz... Don't give yourself up for me, especially without asking me. That's not what I want. For all the times that Shining made sure Liz knew she had a choice, this was the one time she didn't. Couldn't. And Liz won't have that. Whatever trials that await them, she wants to face them together with Shining.

The way Confessarius described Shining’s feelings towards Nightingale as “your rebellious love for her”. He knew that she would love Liz and factored that into his plan/manipulation of Shining. I don't know about you but… I don’t think there’s any other way to interpret that. No heterosexual explanation.

Realistically speaking, we know actual gay characters can’t make it past the censors unless it’s tragic (see Scavenger) or unrequited (see Tomimi). But Shiningale have like… playable immunity. It’s “implicit” enough to not trigger the censors but at the same time how can you not see it as romantic?

Their relationship is basically up there with Talulah/Alina. And I'd even go so far as to say that it's more explicit than Talulah/Alina. To my knowledge, they never used the word “love” to describe how Talulah felt about Alina. Just "friend". I know there's a point where subtext gets ridiculous enough to become maintext, but then that leads you to question why some get the "friends" label while others are allowed to use "love".

Could it be platonic love? Sure, of course you can love your friends. But would you pledge your entire life to a friend? What's so "rebellious" about loving a friend? (Interestingly, I think the JP translation calls it "immoral love", which is even more eyebrow-raising) Regardless, love exists between Shiningale. Confessarius knew it, and factored it into his schemes. He counted on Shining to love and cherish her. Shining loves Liz, that much is undeniable. And Liz loves her back, enough to stop Shining from sacrificing herself to save her. He's literally weaponizing the love they have for each other.

Shiningale and The Gothic

I had mentioned before that both characters' designs as well as the narrative beats of their story have Gothic literature elements. I want to make a list of the ones I could find that relate to them as characters and as a narrative:

A focus on medical conditions, doppelgangers (the "pure" Confessarii looking like each other), forbidden power/knowledge, the dichotomy between light and darkness, imprisonment, rebellion, isolation/seclusion, gloominess or a gloomy setting, the grotesque/macabre, terror/horror, justice vs revenge, good vs evil, fear and suspense, the supernatural/paranormal, female victims, prophecies/curses/omens, mystery and secrets, involvement of the clergy/religious figures (confessor/absolver of sin), the dead don’t stay dead/hauntings, romanticism

The Gothic hero is “weakened by love”, they either rescue their love interest or pine away in despair

Significance of blood (relations) and inheritance, the duality of giving and denying life

An examination of family structure, patriarchy, hereditary suffering

Dreams/nightmares, memories

Secrets, past sins, sins of the father, darkest deeds

Driven by love, duality of man (appearance)

Dwelling on the melancholy, of wistfulness and regret, but not overcoming kindness

Concept of “othering” from society (Shining split herself away from her blood family to be herself and with Liz, her chosen family

The protagonist’s passionate love is torn between his desire to achieve the beloved and the family’s disapproval, control, and choice. Gothic novels also tell the tales of love in vain. The lovers are parted due to the conspiracies of the people opposing them being together

Gothic sexuality is usually somewhat repressed—women are expected to be pure and somewhat helpless while men are expected to be quietly predatory. It's also patriarchal, with men making moves and women reacting to them

Homosexuality = the love that dares not speak its name. Repressed sexuality, forbidden desire

Female Gothic protagonists are often committed to justice, unwilling to compromise their values, loyal, respectful of others, curious, intelligent and devoted to their faith. Some are gentle, kind, likeable, clever, witty, quiet, supportive, thoughtful, hard-working, independent and strong. Others are courageous, witty, brave, determined, knowledgeable and socially competent. On the flip side, some are also strong-willed and outspoken to a fault. They’re often socially awkward, depressive, melancholy, brooding, solitary and selfish. Some are jealous, fiercely territorial, deceitful, powerless and deceptive. Others, like their male counterparts, are prone to violence

Male Gothic protagonists are often conflicted, solitary, tortured, brooding, and secretive, self-loathing, wracked with guilt, have a self-hate of their own existence

Female-centric Gothic stories often trend towards obscured/anticipated fears, focuses on persecuted women and the domestic space she risks entrapment within/disturbed spaces

Food for Thought

Ryuzakiichi has a knight original character. Tell me... this doesn’t just look like Shining without horns? THE RESEMBLENCE IS UNCANNY.

Knowing this, I'm convinced that he split the concept of a "knight in shining armor" into two characters: Nearl and Shining. Nearl embodies chivalry. Shining embodies devotion.

The followers dynamic can best be summarized as two knights swearing fealty to one lady, but what's interesting is that while Nearl is the most obvious depiction of a knight, it's actually Shining who serves the role even harder, because she is quite literally Liz's knight. Which tracks with how Shining looks nearly like a carbon copy of his OC. She's the one who rescued the princess from her tower, while simultaneously being the "wicked witch" who put her there in the first place. And just like a Gothic hero, is tormented and sees herself as a monster.

Comparison to the main plot of Shadow of the Colossus. The driving force is that Wander commits acts (largely agreed to be treasonous) in order to revive Mono. The relationship between Wander and Mono is left up to interpretation as to whether it's platonic, familial, or romantic, but most fans of the game seem to theorize that Mono is indeed Wander's love interest.

Normally I despise turning the Followers into a nuclear family unit in any direction (especially people saying Liz is a minor and infantilize her to be the designated "child"), but for a moment, seeing Shiningale looking at Nearl’s portrait, my brain interpreted them behaving like Nearl’s (substitute) parents being proud of her accomplishments.

This was not helped by stuff like Shining’s teasing ("Look at you, our knight acting snarky"), Liz asking if she and Shining were also Nearl’s family, and some apparent discussion about Mlynar being a "bad end" Margaret who lost his own light (his brother and sister-in-law, Margaret’s parents).

If Shining and Nightingale are to Nearl as Schnitz and Yolanta were to Mlynar, then that might also explain why he dropped his jerk behavior for one second just to compliment how the two Sarkaz were good for his niece. If Nearl had never met Shining and Nightingale, her own light might’ve gone out too...?

IN CONCLUSION

Shiningale are complementary in so many ways. It really feels like several aspects of their characters are tailor made to match; you can’t have one without the other, their development is tied together… soulmates. Hopefully this post helps encourage you to consider their story in a certain lens if you hadn't before.

To quote a CN post I saw on the matter after Chapter 13 was released (rough translation): "Shining's sword pieced Nightingale's heart, and Liz came alive. Liz's existence helped give Shining emotions. Liz became Shining's redemption. Shining renounced her old name and Liz cherishes hers, a transformation of two people choosing to fight and change their destiny. Although Liz is physically fragile, her spirit and will are very strong. Although Shining has excellent swordsmanship, her self-hate and inner turmoil weigh her down. They are truly complementary in every sense."

They each want to take away the other's pain. Shining doesn't want Liz to die. Liz doesn't want Shining to die for her. They are each other's mutual salvation.

#GO READ #arknights #shining #nightingale #Shiningale

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besiegedhunter · 16 days

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Ascalon and Projekt Red.

Talking about their relationship and similarities.

Spoilers for things not in Global yet.

So when Babel got announced I was excited to see what Ascalon and her event would give us in regards to her relationship with Red and while there's not much in her files, there's actually a lot more than I thought there was. It's actually kind of funny but this is going to be split into two parts: their relationship and similarities.

Then a conclusion to top it all off but without further ado:

Their relationship.

So to cover the basics, Ascalon, Projekt Red and Scavenger are all a part of S.W.E.E.P: Rhodes Island's counterintelligence and covert operations, with Ascalon being the director and therefor Red's boss.

There is possible implications that there was more about their relationship prior to the Babel event. One is how close Ascalon is to Kal'tsit, the two working together during Babel and even more closely upon Theresa's death and the forming of Rhodes Island. Another is that Red's promotion record is Ascalon talking about Red and specifically the line: "All I'm here to do is sharpen her fangs and her knife."

Not exactly stellar evidence of anything, but that's where Babel comes in and gives us Ascalon's File 1 which focuses on her position within Rhodes as well as a glimpse into how S.W.E.E.P operates:

(Hong is Red)

This is all that we get about Red within Ascalon's files: that Red cannot smell her and that she holds S.W.E.E.P's special training record for putting a ball of tail hair into Ascalon's pocket by what is theorized to be Ascalon's own technique. With Ascalon making an inconspicuous comment.

The most important part being how it's theorized that Ascalon herself taught Red this technique. After all, it's the one thing that Red managed to do as she didn't get much information so it's entirely her planting the tail fur onto Ascalon that is impressive and a feat that not even Ines has done. So it's possible that Red alone was taught this trick.

It adds more context to Red's promotional record as Ascalon saying she'll sharpen Red's fangs and knife has reason now to belief she really did mean personally teaching Red:

But also, this isn't the first time we've seen Red planting something on someone without their noticing. Her module starts with her stealing a chip and planting a fake one onto her target without them noticing which with this context, might've been her using this technique she learnt from Ascalon:

If true, they're adding further context and bringing up an inconspicuous detail from Red's module that could be a coincidence but if not, is possibly emblematic of thought being put towards their relationship.

Before I move onto the similarities as revealed in the vent, I want to expand upon why no further connection between them is displayed in Ascalon's files.

The entirety of her File 1 is to demonstrate how little information is known about Ascalon and what exactly is. The rest of her files are mainly various physical documents on hand that could be added to the file, like voice recordings (File 2), intelligence regarding her (File 3) and a letter from her to the Doctor (File 4).

If Ascalon and Red have a closer relationship it wouldn't be mentioned in the file because Ascalon is so unknown that likely no one found out to put it into the files. Hence it being theorized that Red learnt Ascalon's technique (possibly being a hint by the game writers that there is more.)

*cough cough* Red or Ascalon oprec *cough cough*

Similarities.

So actually this bit is the reason why I'm talking about this and my smoking gun that Ascalon and Red have a deeper relationship than simply being boss and employee. I will say however that I've not read the entire event. I skimmed through the early sections and only read Ascalon's parts.

Nonetheless, before I even read the event and was reading through Ascalon's files, I was surprised to discover this line in her File 2:

The event goes more into this. The Catastrophe storm that is mentioned here is referencing when she first met and subsequently was taken in by Theresis and Theresa. Before that she was surviving on her own in the wilderness, hunting wild animals just to survive and from a very young age.

This is very similar to Red, who through the information found within Il Siracusano and her module, we learn also grew up surviving in the wilderness. It's very much implied that Red came into frequent contact with wild animals in which she had to defend herself:

But that's not all, though it is the root for the next similarity that they share.

A noticeable thing about Red's speech is that it's broken. She speaks in short sentences or with sizeable pauses between her words:

And we know from the vignette: Operational Intelligence - After-class Homework, we know that Red is doing homework, at least on English in which she does have problems understanding:

And her files say that she has educational problems, all compounding Red's problems with speech. But when we see Ascalon as a child in the Babel event, especially when she first meets Theresis and Theresa, this is how she speaks:

She has broken speech, a thing that continues into the next scene of Ascalon when she was young and it's deliberately explained as being because she spent so long in the wilderness:

The both of them grew up in the wilderness, not having anyone else to talk to or perhaps rather not having reason to talk which leads to them having broken speech when they finally do enter civilization.

And as shown in the first meeting between Ascalon and Theresis, Ascalon's first action was to try and kill him since that's how she learnt how to survive with wild animals, which she didn't see other humans being anything else.

Well later on, when she was taken in by Theresis, a younger Manfred bursts into the room they were in and I believe it startles Ascalon who's reflexively attacked him:

I've not read the entire event yet as I said but nothing before this showed them meeting and rather push that they shouldn't know each other and the scene moves on from this with nothing implying she attacked him because she recognized him. (I might be wrong however.)

So likely, Ascalon felt threatened by him bursting into the room and reflexively attacked him which is another thing that Red does because of her similar past:

And from their similar paths come similar struggles. Only knowing how to kill, not having their own beliefs, struggling to interact with the rest of the world.

For Ascalon it's highlighted in scenes like these:

And for Red, it's the entire point of her module but particularly this section of it:

When she came into civilization it broke her, she had no guidance and to this day she doesn't fully interact with civilization, doesn't know how to spend money and by the time of Il Siracusano she returns to Grandma, yet to form her own beliefs.

Also she routinely defines herself as a wolf hunter which really is an assassin for Grandma. A weapon if you will.

In conclusion.

Red and Ascalon have many many things in common and they are things that we know Ascalon are aware of as she comments on Red's problems in Red's promotional record. And it feels like there's too much similarities, that they practically share the same past that combined with what little is said of Red in the file I'm all but certain that Ascalon and Red's relationship is more than just boss and employee.

And I also think an interesting part about these scenes in the event about Ascalon is the questions it raises about Red, as we see how Ascalon met Theresis and Theresa, as well as got her name.

Because there's still many mysteries about Red we don't have answers to. How she met Kal'tsit and the origin of her name, because Projekt Red is ever a curious one, being two that are highlighted here.

But you could also see Ascalon and the paths she took as examples of where Red's character is or could go. Maybe even flip that around: Ascalon meets someone who is practically identical to her past self. How does she feel? How does she interact with Red on this basis?

It's all brainstorming and me being hopeful that this means Red can finally get an oprec, we see the two interact or that Red Alter is on the way but I am 99% confident that these similarities are purposeful and we'll see something on them.

Thank you for reading all the way through.

(Also there's not enough information about S.W.E.E.P to make it it's own post but from Terra: A Journey and Ascalon's files:

Theresa was killed and by extension Babel fell apart in Autumn of 1094. But from voice recordings in Terra: A Journey, we know S.W.E.E.P was founded as part of Rhodes in 1094 also and Red being a founding member means she likely joined within a year of Rhodes creation.

So she's known Kal'tsit and Ascalon for three years before the Doctor and met them likely not very long after Theresa's death.

Also S.W.E.E.P officially has an office. Idk if it's the room from Ascalon's theme or not but it exists. Red and Scavenger probably sit around talking about Provence there.)

#cn spoilers #arknights #ascalon #projekt red

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besiegedhunter · 1 month

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Sette Colli

Because I want to talk about it after reading somethings from various pages of Terra: A Journey, which this post will include spoilers for as well as the CN server in general and so I'll put them down beneath:

So, for anyone not up to speed or needing a refresher, Sette Colli is a city in Siracusa with a legend attached to it that was first mentioned in the "Rewinding Breeze" event's "Stories from the Sky" story:

It's a fairy tale from Siracusa and so likely very fictitious but as stated afterwards, this city does exist in modern times so that much is real:

This is the real only mention of the City in the game, while the She-Wolf does get a Play in Integrated Strategies - Phantom and the Crimson Solitaire, which is just referencing the story told and not really the City.

Now my intended purpose of this post is to discuss the City itself but because they're really intertwined, like if the She-Wolf ends up being important it'd have to be alongside Sette Colli and there's more context in game regarding her than there is Sette Colli.

There's also the context behind the city and the story's inspiration which is that of Rome, seeing how the She-Wolf is also what the wolf that suckles the founders of Rome in it's creation story. The Seven hills also references the seven hills that Rome was founded on.

As for the context around the story of the She-Wolf: in the poster of the play you can see the She-Wolf and her children depicted as actual wolves and the story doesn't clarify that they were Lupos, in fact the She-Wolf leaving to the moon implies that in the least she was a different type of entity and her children may follow in that logic.

Meaning you have a group of supernatural wolf siblings that once existed in Siracusa. This is an identical description of the Signore dei Lupi, Beast Lords who reside in Siracusa and whose relationship with each other is described as siblings:

What's more is that the Signore dei Lupi fight among each other:

So with the similarities between the two, it feels likely that they could be one in the same, with little changes here and there that didn't get into the fable and gives more legitimacy to the tale.

Now for Terra: a Journey, Sette Colli doesn't appear in the Siracusa section of the book, however it is mentioned in the Terran Technologies section.

There's a twist:

The Sette Colli city established by the She-Wolf's tribe does not exist. There's no historical evidence that it did and if there was, it is said to be outside of any known country. But as stated by Shamare: Sette Colli as a city does exist. And Terra: A Journey backs this up, just in an unexpected way.

See, there was a Seven Cities Federation that seemingly has no connection to the story of the She-Wolf, although I'll say that all of the origins of the name offered in the book are entirely speculated and with modern day Sette Colli existing in Siracusa and the book referencing the She-Wolf's story that, in my opinion, this federation likely at least took some inspiration from the tale.

Putting that to the side for now. This Seven Cities Federation would create the, let's say template, for mobile cities. The first mobile city the book calls it, however they didn't have the resources to fuel it, at least then, and so the Seven Cities Federation disbanded and to quote the book: "Now the only thing that holds that name is the place."

Confirming that this hasn't retconned Sette Colli out of the lore in it's entirety. I believe it just means that the Seven Cities name from the federation was attached to their mobile city, which assumedly wasn't retconned to have not been taken over by a mafia and hence: still in Siracusa.

I suspect that Sette Colli being chosen as the first mobile city might be because of the saying "Rome wasn't built in a day."

But to gloss over what this means:

The Seven Hills region that the She-Wolf's tribe settled is either purely fictitious, lies in the wastes outside of Siracusa's current borders or it is within Siracusa but possibly due to the terrain/changes in the geography from that time has yet to be discovered.

A new Sette Colli was built, being the first Mobile City to be created but of which the Seven Cities Federation did not have the resources to fuel themselves and so it was returned to Siracusa wherein a mafia family would absorb it into their territory.

I'll wrap back around to this in a bit with a curious theory, albeit one I'm confident in and for now return to the story of the original Sette Colli and the She-Wolf's story, because as much as this raises the question of it's legitimacy, I also think the Siracusa section adds some historical context.

See, the original She-Wolf's story takes place, sure in an possibly fictitious location, but likely not an actual time period in Siracusa's history, for Siracusa did have a time period of constant fighting among tribes due to famine:

And as shown, the Famine was caused by the presence of the Signore dei Lupi, a group fitting the description of the She-Wolf's children during the earliest days of Siracusa. I'm going to draw attention back to me saying that it's possible that the Sette Colli from this time period or at least the region the story was founded in, might've really existed, since everything else did.

The "Changed the name of their tribes to families" belying the origin of the mafia is also found in this time period and because of the Signore dei Lupi... in a way.

Really, the only thing of question is whether the She-Wolf existed and if she did, was she a Beast Lord like the Signore dei Lupi or maybe even a Feranmut. It's not too out of the question when Ya from Vernal Winds, another Feranmut, has some features more removed from the typical dragon and more Canine like in appearance.

There's also the Will of Sami's true form that also does not appear fully like a typical dragon:

And statistically speaking, Feranmut are often there when a country is founded or prominent enough. Take Sami here or Kjeragandr.

There's even a possibility that the relationship the She-Wolf has to her children is replicable with the She-Wolf and the Beast Lord Signore dei Lupi, thanks to the apparent treasure trove that is Sami:

Anma is the Beast Lord Amma that features in Skógrinn Svartr Vill Einn Draumr and Expeditioner's Jǫklumarkar. The timing between Sami's rest and the Ancestral Twins being born, with the Father of the Ancestral Spirits being attached to Sami making it possible for a Feranmut to create a Beast Lord, hence She-Wolf's children being Signore dei Lupi.

And maybe without the She-Wolf being there to balance the Signore dei Lupi, it resulted in the abnormal eco-system and famine.

Simply a theory.

Wrapping back to the city itself, there's one probably one more reference to it in game, though it's impressively annoying.

See it doesn't refer to Siracusa or really any other country that this 'Seven Cities' are a part of and casts an impressive amount of doubt on everything about itself because, well,

What I'm talking about is the "Seven Cities-Style Restaurant" dormitory theme:

"A room that reproduces the atmosphere of a Seven Cities restaurant. Is the food to your liking?"

How it draws doubt to itself is that it's the description of the "Upscale Menu Display" says the following:

"A detachable hanging price list. A Seven Cities-style restaurant opened by Victorians, in Columbia? How strange..."

Which goes further because it's a "Seven Cities-style Restaurant" opened by Victorians, in Columbia, further recreated by Rhodes. There's another line, being for the "Seven Cities Patterned Floorboards", that cast doubt on it:

"A commonly used floor style from the Seven Cities? The natives might disagree with that."

And besides a possible reference to: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind, where the setting is in Italy, in the description for the "Large Notice Board" there's nothing exactly linking it to Siracusa.

But to quote what Terra: A Journey, has to say about 'seven-cities': "The only thing with that name now is the place" and with it referencing the possibly fictitious Sette Colli from the story, it's likely that this Restaurant is supposed to be a recreation of a Sette Colli restaurant.

Maybe something propping this up is the description for the "Real Wooden Accent Wall.":

"Decorate wall laminate to be placed on the wall behind the front desk. After all, the soul of the Seven Cities resides in its wood."

How? Well, the Terra: A Journey's Siracusa section puts massive emphasis on wood cutting, mentioning it several times:

Axes led to Siracusa's civilization, woodcutters and a logging camp who would find an surprisingly important man and where he'd be kept, forestry is one of Siracusa's most considerable resources.

So to say that 'The soul of Sette Colli, a Siracusan city, is in it's wood' is genuinely very probable.

Now, here's where I bring up Projekt Red because I always have to:

In the story of Little Red Riding Hood, Red's inspiration, you have Red Riding Hood herself, Grandma, the Big Bad Wolf and the Huntsman/ Woodcutter.

We see in Red's story how she is Red Riding Hood and her relationship with the Signore dei Lupi called Grandma is inspired by the Grandma and Big Bad Wolf of the Red Riding Hood story.

And while Red herself is also the Huntsman who slays the Big Bad Wolf or "Wolves" for Red, there's room for the Woodcutter variation of the story.

And with the historical context behind the She-Wolf of Sette Colli and the almost undeniable proof that the Signore dei Lupi are the basis for the She-Wolf's children, and that HG would bring Sette Colli up again in Terra: A Journey in such an important role as the first Mobile City,

Well I think Sette Colli deserves to be the setting for a Limited Event and that Red would be the perfect candidate for it with her ties to the Signore dei Lupi, themes of family and possible forestry.

But regardless, Sette Colli is an interesting place.

(Projekt Red for 5.5)

#arknights #siracusa #projekt red #she-wolf of sette colli #been meaning to talk about the she-wolf for awhile #and this book #and I think this has finally pushed me to do just that #I've never felt more ready for red alter #and no #it's not just this #but it is from multiple things in the lorebook

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