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tears-of-taelia · 2 months

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Hi Sophie!

So I don't know much more specific things to ask, but what are some of the most prominent headcanons you have about Rejuv characters?

Hi—thank you so much for the ask! It’s nice to meet you. Sorry it took a while for me to answer it. I have come to the devastating realization that I am, in fact, boring, and do not have many headcanons of my own. So, I decided to include the few I could think of in addition to a few random theories with little to no context or explanation. May go into detail in some of these in the future if anyone’s interested~! I would love to hear your headcanons and theories too! :)

Spoilers under the cut!

Headcanons:

All of the member of A-Team (Aevis, Aevia, etc.) have prominent Sanpaku eyes

Erin’s voice has a lower register than Melia’s (based on that one comment she made about Melia’s voice being annoying lol)

Ren and Aelita have feelings for each other but won’t act on them until Team Xen is no longer a threat. I mean this is p much confirmed on Ren’s end (thanks Nastasia!)

Amber has a crush on PLAYER!

Kenneth eventually developed a bit of a drinking problem (relatable). Alexa, play Talia by King Princess

Tho they aren’t technically related, Jenner passed his love for death metal onto Melia

PLAYER inherits skills from A-Team. Like piano playing! (confirmed in an old version, rip)

Mini Theories:

(Some are move obvious than others. Some may conflict. This is just for fun pls don’t come for me)

Geara’s Giratina is Griselda (say that five times fast lol). And this is the same Giratina we explored Darchlight Caves with. Also she’s Spacea and Tiempa’s sister, but is somehow trapped in her Giratina form. What the hell (pun intended) was in that chalice???

Crescent’s father is Vitus. Not sure how this would work since he technically can’t reproduce (according to what Vitus said in the past). But it would explain why Crescent’s fate is wrapped up in Melia and Erin’s

PLAYER is Missing.EXE from the Paragon encrypted files. Which means they’re supposed to be the embodiment of Zygarde. OR Madame X is Missing.EXE

Vitus’s soul has (somehow) latched on to Maria’s (using the crystal thingy she was trapped in maybe?) and he uses the power of the Archetype to move between different bodies. Password: unbound soul and all of that. All to achieve immortality

Nim is Nymiera! (not a huge leap at this point lol). But a version corrupted by Storm-9 / Rift Matter. She is constantly being drained by something… but what exactly?

I think there’s a chance that Maria actually was an only child, but used the Archetype to wish for siblings. This then altered the memory of Vitus or something. Idk there’s a good chance this is not the case. But like, seriously, how many “Archetypes" are there? How would you “split” an Archetype? Crack it like a wish bone??? Is it split evenly??? Would love some clarity on this

The “past” Aevium isn’t actually the past—it’s someone’s MEMORY (or perhaps, the Core’s memory?) of the past. And therefore, sort of an illusion. That’s how the time crystals worked in Alamissa, at least. Erin also hinted at one point (I think this is still in the latest version? But correct me if I’m wrong) that the “past” Aevium may not necessarily be what it seems. Or, the past is a different dimension or world

In order for the Paragon world to survive, the Renegade world must be destroyed. This is renegade!PLAYER’s motive. (“With life, there is also death. With death, there is also life.” “I gain nothing. They gain everything.” “The light within the belly of Ouroboros shall never cease, lest the flames be doused by the will of the suffering.”)

In the “corrupted future” Blacksteeple Castle event where Melia dies and her power is awakened, she successfully transforms a “wilting” world into a “blooming” world using the power of the Archetype. On that vein, Madame X’s goal is to turn the current world into a wilting world to save the world she comes from. That’s why Madame X bemoaned that “this is was an outcome… I prayed to never see”

The SS Oceana is a vessel between worlds and part of the Interceptor program’s (and therefore Variya’s) design. I mean it FUSED ITSELF WITH THE SEABED ma’am that is not normal. Also the pillars and stuff. I’ve written a longer post on this that’s coming soon~!

Melia is the manifestation of a wish made by Maria—a wish so strong she somehow transported half of her Archetype’s energy to her. Or there’s maybe a scenario where Maria knew Melanie and wished Melanie was… different? Or something? Lol. Possible also an Interceptor. Like PLAYER, she remembers people after they were deleted. Core motif and whatnot.

#axelcreations #pokemon rejuvenation #headcanons #theories #i need sleep

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tears-of-taelia · 2 months

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This day still terrifies me. To my core. With the strange weather that happened before, I expected something to occur. I could have never predicted the magnitude of that event. I assume you're here to wake me up then? You want us to face that evil again? I'm… We're afraid... Of everything. Of everyone. I don't know what I'm supposed to do! WE DON'T WANT TO GO BACK!

#pokemon rejuvenation #aevia #nightmare realm #god i love this scene #it isn't easy to make a teenager with pink hair and overalls look menacing but i did my darndest #ive been art style shopping #trying to find out what resonates #this one is emulated from hiro mashima #i've always liked the way he draws faces #maybe someday ill just be able to sit down and shut my eyes and draw what comes naturally #until then i will drown myself in reference photos #recently i finished another playthrough #i sat down and compiled my notes and i have a lot of different theories but not a lot of concrete revelations #mostly freaking out about the ss oceana. i might scream some of my thoughts into the void soon. ish. maybe. perhaps.#if u read all my notes ily and i hope you have an amazing day <3

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tears-of-taelia · 3 months

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First of all hi!!

And regarding your last post omg I been fearing for Ren's life the *moment* we learned Madame X can get rid of grunts who fail too much remotely. Like- like????? They have his body in HQ???? His soul in a mechanical body????? She can so *so much harm* whenever she pleases I'm so scared for the raid-

Nastasia's protection can only get so far hhhh-

omg hi! it's nice to meet you, i'm Sophie :)

(i see on your blog that you're infj and taurus! i'm intj and capricorn! earth introverts rise up!)

i got excited answering this and went off on a couple of spoiler-filled tangents, so I included the rest under the cut.

I 10000000% agree, especially about the upcoming raid! Team Xen grunts literally sign away their bodies and souls when they join, so it's no wonder why seemingly redeemable characters like Eli and Sharon are forced to stay on.

[aside: I'm pretty sure that Team Xen "recruitment" in general follows a standard format where people in life-threatening or easily manipulable situations are offered either a second chance at their own life or the chance to save the life of a loved one. I mean, there's Neved with Francesca, Madelis with Lisbeth, Keta with Aelita. I mean, there's a grave marked "Eli" at Carotos Peak and I don't think that's a coincidence. Why else would all these people fight (presumably) for the destruction of the world? All those fires in Aevium's past (like the lab fire with Jenner, Maddie (prob Madelis), and Cas (prob Cassandra)), could in part be a massive recruitment effort.]

Anyway, I think the only hope for Ren in the upcoming raid is what I mentioned before, about how he is somehow integral to Team Xen's overarching plans, as per renegade 13.5. My best guess is that these plans include using the energy emitted from a Xenpurgis rampage in GDC to fulfill the dark prophecy, using "the four shadows" mentioned on the Absol Statue back in Blacksteeple to bring back Storm-9.

The shadows that shade the earth shall be known in the end. The one of raw evil, the one of obsession, the one of betrayal, and the one of greed. These four shall see the world be lost forever.

We don't have enough information to definitively say who the one of raw evil, obsession, or greed could be. But betrayal? It fits Ren. In the scene where he is first "hired" or whatever and meets Madame X, I feel like this idea is pretty spoon-fed to us.

MADAME X: Have you brought him? The one I've detailed. NASTASIA: Yes. Please, come forth. Introduce yourself. REN: …Hello, Ma'am. My name is Ren. NASTASIA: Ren used to be comrades with [player] and the rest. But based on what he's told me, if accurate, would display the attributes of the one we're looking for. MADAME X: And just why would one of [player]'s comrades want to betray them?

I mean, the word "betray" is explicitly used here.

On Nastasia: Yes. Absolutely. She's strong as hell, but she can't stand up alone to Madame X. Like you said, her powers can only go so far. After all, presumably, her body and soul are in the control of Madame X as well.

In general, Nastasia is an absolutely fascinating character imo... and I have a feeling the Ren might not be the only double agent working for Xen. Nastasia is "the woman who sacrificed everything for the one who loved her." I think we can say with 99.999999% certainty that she is the grown up version of little Anastasia, Katsu's daughter. Out of all the Execs, she seems to be the most devoted to Madame X. That tracks if Madame X is somehow tied to Maria, or is Maria herself. Is Anastasia, by working for her, possibly trying to save Madame X/Maria from herself? Is Madame X/Maria perhaps even being controlled by a darker force, and "unbound soul" like Vitus? In that way, is Nastasia still the little girl trying to reach her best friend?

All this to say I think Nastasia may be more on our side than we think. She is seemingly the most devoted Xen Exec, yet she has gone on multiple dangerous, rogue missions--including one that really did nothing but aid our side--helping Aelita get to the Spring of Rejuvenation and saving the lives of Venam, Erin, Allen, and Alice. She clearly knows that Ren is a double agent, and she hasn't ratted him out (or, possibly, she has ratted him out and Madame X simply does not care, because with Xen having completely control over his soul and body, he can still be used to fulfill his purpose, regardless). There's the fact that Nastasia, an apparent wunderkind with machines and technology, "missed" the fact that the Sigils in Blacksteeple were being sabotaged by Nancy (something Melia immediately noticed). And there's the fact that she clearly trusts and loves Ren (in a maternal way, I think), cheering him up, helping him sneak out of HQ in his actual body. You know, usual mother-son activities. But yeah, I guess the point I'm getting at here is that I could see Nastasia doing her darndest to protect Ren, maybe even sacrificing herself to do so, but I don't think that would be enough to save him, with the level of control Xen has over the both of them at this point.

Back to Ren, there's another things that's been bothering me: the whole twin prophecy with Reina. I have... thoughts... about this. I def could see it playing out exactly how Reina expects: one twin (Ren) fights for the destruction of the world (likely against his will), and the other (Reina) fights to save it. But another part of me (that's read way too many thrillers) feels like this is too cut and dry, and that this presumption is going to be flipped on its head. Let's say Ren does die in the upcoming raid, and he dies fighting to save the world. What if... destroying the world, following Madame X's plan, would undo his death somehow? What if it would save him, or bring him back? We know that souls get recycled in this universe, after all. Would Reina consider switching sides to bring him back? That would be a betrayal, for sure. And that would also play into the whole Life is Strange moral quandary pervasive throughout the game--save the one you love, or the lives of millions? This would also fulfill the prophecy, but in a way that we do not necessarily expect. Because otherwise, I feel like this prophecy is pretty superfluous. By the time we hear it, we already know that Ren is Xen [hehe], so what new information does it really present?

Anyway, yeah, um, thank you so much for the ask! Sorry for the long winded response. There's way too many theories about this game bouncing around in my brain and it's nice to have an outlet for it. Thank you for your support on my art, it really means the world to me! Particularly since you're so talented yourself<3

#tlozypaka-tina #pokemon rejuvenation #ren #theories #nastasia #reina #madame x #maria #dark prophecy

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tears-of-taelia · 3 months

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#pokemon rejuvenation #ren #player character #aevia #(appearance-wise)#her new design is EVERYTHING #spoilers in tags #i love ren's arc #i'm so worried about him #it's not that i wanted him to die in renegade but somehow the idea of him being necessary for the bad ending is even more terrifying #after the whole amber situation #(which i am still in the process of recovering from)#i feel like they're going to make the deaths of these characters are tragic as possible (from a thematic perspective)#so for “the boy who wanted his loved ones safe and well”#who lost his dad #and then melia #then destroyed his life for the chance it could bring his friend back...#it seems p inevitable he's going to go out in a way that forces him to hurt his friends and family #he's prob going to be used as one of the four prophesized darknesses against his will #you know #the whole “betrayal” thing #and the prophecy reina keeps bringing up #team xen has control of his body and soul so that's concerning #he's been playing with fire for far too long tbh #id say his greatest hope is nastasia swooping in but i still don't fully trust her #when he revealed that he snuck out of xen hq in his real body and he sTILL WENT BACK ANYWAY i screamed at my computer screen #the paragon quest where u found the seven wonder beads together was so cute and i feel like the rugs abt to get pulled out from under us #contextless i prob sound like a lunatic rn #if you made it this far though you prob know what i'm talking about #anyway lol thanks for reading my dumb tags!

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tears-of-taelia · 3 months

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re: melia & emma

I've been thinking about this for awhile now. The way that the newest version of the Blacksteeple Castle chapter has presented Emma is interesting. There will be spoilers ahead, so don't read if you're still working your way through version 13.5!

My ramblings begin below. Here are some official pics (by the amazing Zumi) for reference.

As we know, during the events of Blacksteeple Castle, Melia wore a disguise to hide her true identity. This disguise is removed when Madame X slashes it with her sword. There is a small animation that follows, where a dark magical aura envelopes “Emma” before she is revealed to be Melia.

After the subsequent chaos, the disguise is not brought up again. However, the character of Emma is revealed to still reside in Melia’s cognition, apparently unbeknownst to Melia, as she says, “I thought I left you behind at Blacksteeple”. How odd.

Then, (a long time) later, while exploring the 3rd Layer, Melia stumbles across a deathbed journal entry written by a Garufa Inc. volunteer named Emma. It reads as follows.

My name is Emma. I undertook the Archetype's power today, and it failed miserably. I was unable to manifest its power and was mortally wounded during a test. I thought I actually had potential... but I guess not. The doctors say I don't have long left. It's cruel, isn't it? Life is just so cruel. But this is the path me and all the other volunteers chose. Humanity has nothing left but us. ...Is it all worth it in the end, though? What do we want to survive for? ...Anyway. I'm losing energy fast. Garufa Incorporated is our last hope. Please, save us.

Melia expresses to Nim that she finds it odd that this person and her Blacksteeple cover share a name. Nim passes this off as a coincidence, and understandably so. Emma isn’t exactly a rare name (though perhaps things are different in the world of rejuvenation?). The coincidence still seems to bother Melia for some reason.

Now, there are a LOT of theories about Melia out there. Despite hours and hours of gameplay, her true identity has yet to be revealed.

People have theorized for years that she is Maria, and the game seems to heavily imply that that is the case. If Anathea had four children, Erin, Maria, Alice, and Allen, and Erin, Melia, Alice, and Allen know that they share a mother, Anathea, then it would logically follow that Melia is Maria. In addition, Melia and Maria physically resemble each other, Melia is unsure of her origins prior to meeting Jenner, and Maria has not otherwise made an appearance in the current timeline (besides the whole Marianette ordeal in Gearen Sewers). So, it’s not exactly a dramatic leap.

It is eventually even addressed by the characters themselves. When Erin directly asks for her opinion on this matter, Melia balks, and seemingly contradicts herself.

MELIA: Hahah... I guess I've known for a long time that I was Maria. Ever since our interaction with Angie, that name has been going through my head in my dreams. But I have to disagree, Erin. I am not Maria. ERIN: But out of the process of elimination, you must be. MELIA: Sorry, but it's true. That's what my mind is telling me, desperately. I am not Maria. I am not Maria. That's what echoes in my head.

If Melia is and is not Maria, then… how…? In what way? Who is she? Why would she share a connection with Erin? Why is she the only one with Genesis Syndrome? And what does Emma have to do with all of this? I don’t really have an answer. But there is something I want to muse on.

Let’s circle back to Melia’s “disguise”, if we can even call it that. Her cover as Emma made her look like an entirely different person, unrecognizable to the Player character. She has a different outfit, hair color, and eye color. If we are to believe that this is an ordinary disguise, we would need to believe that, with one slash, Madame X was able to tear through a wig, two color contacts, and an entire outfit, including thigh high boots. We would need to believe that Melia conveniently decided to wear a different outfit underneath this disguise, and that Madame X was able to slash off her exterior outfit without marring the one underneath. We would also need to believe that the special, dark, magical animation the occurs at this moment was purely aesthetic and meaningless.

So, yeah, I don’t really believe it this disguise is your regular, run-of-the-mill costume.

We learn that Melia was sent to Blacksteeple through the powers of Spacea and Tiempa. She was on a mission as a Storm Chaser, to save the Player character and gather information. As we know (all too well) from V13.5, Spacea and Tiempa are powerful. Specifically, they have powers over space and time akin to Palkia and Dialga. They use these powers pretty recklessly to manipulate many characters throughout the story. However, every instance of power they exhibit is strictly tied to their dimensions, space and time. Spacea does magic related to space. Tiempa does magic related to time. So, how, then, would they be able to create such a magical disguise for Melia? Through Garufan dress-up magic? Creating an illusion? Maybe. I wouldn’t be shocked. But I think it’s more than that. I think that Spacea and Tiempa used their magic to revive a version of Melia from the past, a different dimension, or a different “layer” (past world?). Perhaps… the third layer. A different appearance. A different life. Emma.

I think of it sort of like what happened with Narcissa during the Dufaux sidequest. But, instead of S+T directly swapping Melia with Emma, they just projected the appearance of Emma onto Melia.

There isn’t much to support or detract from this speculation. What we do know? We know that Melia is and is not Maria. We know that both Melia and Emma struggle to manifest the Archetype's power. We know that Emma resides in Melia’s cognition, like Melanie. We know Melia was deeply bothered by Emma’s journal entry in the Third Layer. We know that the outfit Melia dons when using her powers is very reminiscent of Emma’s.

We also know that Emma is dead.

Or, at least, presumed dead.

Just like Aevis, Aevia, Aria, Axel, Aero, and Alain.

You see where I’m going with this?

We know Emma dies disappointed, having believed she had “potential”, according to her journal entry. Did someone else think she had potential too? Perhaps, her “majesty” herself?

I know I’m not the only one to theorize that Melia is another Interceptor. I mean, it is heavily implied throughout the story. Melia is one of two characters for which we have seen Variya appear. The other, of course, being the player character. Melia is able to enter Zeight. In fact, she enters her own Zeight a couple of points during the game. She is shown with the triangular core motif a couple of times as well. She has led a lot of the research about the Interceptor phenomenon, in the Blakeory Athenaeum, for example.

How this all ties in with Maria, though? I don’t know. In the case of the Player character, we know that A-team didn’t want to live, and agreed to let Variya choose a different soul to take control over their body. Presumably, that soul is us, literally, the player, the person playing the game. Could Maria be the soul taking over Emma? Could Emma be the soul taking over Maria?

Who knows.

I do know there are holes in these theories. I know the events of the Renegade Route may complicate everything. (truthfully, I am too much of a wuss to complete the renegade route myself. I watched a youtube video of someone else's playthrough, so I know the broad strokes of what happens, but I definitely don't know the renegade lore in the same way I know paragon. maybe I should rewatch it at some point and take notes)

But this has been bouncing around my brain for too long and I wanted to put it in writing to help organize my thoughts. If you made it this far, wow, you rock! Thanks for reading. I’m interested if anyone has thoughts about this, if anyone can potentially disprove it, or if anyone has their own version or counter version of this idea! I live for this shit.

#pokemon rejuvenation #13.5 #theory #melia #emma #maria #just wanted to dump this somewhere

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