lore-discussion-spoilers

[keen shore]

been playing with the idea recently that they did not cause it but just failed to stop it

[young ledge]

this could be interesting, would what they’re trying to stop be like a volcano or something?

[frigid tinsel]

they might have caused the downfall.

[keen shore]

Probably the same thing we are, darkness taking over the world, the stars falling etc. — and since they failed everyone died and now it’s our job

[rigid mural]

EDEN PRANK GONE WRONG !!1! not clickbait

[frigid tinsel]

since the prince/king are not present, they are not here to speak for themselves and make easy scapegoats

[rigid mural]

Resh apologist /j
Fr it's a bit too tropey for my taste, having a big bad evil guy who might or might not still be there, I really like the idea of this being us against the environment thing where parts of the kingdom are still warped by darkness hence the hostility, as opposed to the scheming of an antagonist.

[keen shore]

I agree. Having one big bad villain just feels boring in comparison to everything els.e if that’s what Sky wants then they will have to confirm it to be directly, because in this matter, I am taking the open to interpretation route and running with it

[sharp lichen]

Might, but they were around with Eden

[rigid mural]

Yeah but you can't confidently say they caused the fall of the kingdom.

[sharp lichen]

The Sky King is a good antagonist to mold to your desire.

Do you want an anti-hero that’s remorseful for what they did? Or an idealist that genuinely saves the Sky kingdom?

Maybe they’re a virtuous figure who made a big mistake, but has no way to fix it.

And then there’s the big bad videogame villain route.

So many ways for ANGST to happen I love it. No need to break children necks, the King is perfect for this

[rigid mural]

I'd get it if I was told I'm nitpicking but it's presenting details like this as facts that makes the old lore doc pretty misleading, especially to new arrivals who might assume king/megabird=evil when neither are really characters within the game

[sharp lichen]

We really need to make a new lore doc. If we do, should we make one large lore doc or multiple smaller lore doc?

[rigid mural]

Knock yourself out, I'm in an art phase rn

So this is a bit random but you know how the sanctuary geyser has these golden things like in the shipreck in GW ? What if it represented the glimpses of scary stuff from the adult life kids may see ?
Kinda stains the otherwise beautiful environmemt of childhood...

[keen sierra]

Hello lore chat! What’s up today?

[keen shore]

gay pepol

[rigid mural]

gay wrath

[lyric isle]

this is a wonderful thing to come into

[rigid mural]

This year's DoR is not even that "in your face", bigots just like to be dramatic

[frigid tinsel]

and i'll bite them anyways

[rigid mural]

go off king

[lyric isle]

still gonna hold onto the “Rainbow in-universe is a festival of diversity” theory because Yes

[rigid mural]

I have strong opinions about that event, ngl.
IIRC TGC doesn't outright state it's a pride event, which, I guess they can't do because they are making us pay for stuff (as opposed to just giving free stuff like Little Big Planet did or just mentioning it like other brands), but they don't really correct people that claim DoR is litterally about rainbows to queer people's face.

Likely they stuck themselves between a rock and a hard place trying to do a nod at gay people while not making governments and bigots uncomfortable, but with how monetized the event is (only one of the IAP items actually sends your money to charities), it just adds salt to the wound.

[lyric isle]

unsure if I have much of an opinion aside from anger that it might be only in the off-season which is when I want a break so badly but that’s irrelevant

[rigid mural]

Last year's DoR had a lot of controversies as well so as much as I was hoping it would be the contrary this year, I am... not too surprised either.

[uncut pond]

I haven't been on Sky for that long, what happened last year?

[rigid mural]

Oh, they just cut off a charity from the roster without warning us because it made Netease upset

[lyric isle]

why I want break?

mainly because off-season [derogatory…long story] but also the fact I have been so stressed with grinding lately also stressed over many things

[uncut pond]

Oh wow. That's. Wow. Damn.
I wasn't expecting that. But honestly knowing a few things about NetEase I can't say I'm completely surprised, but I'm forced to ask... Why not just cut the charities from the NE version? Or did NE seriously threat to cut ties off with TGC for something only in the Global version? (Not sure if I'm expressing what I'm trying to say very clearly)
But yeah that's kinda screwed up regardless

[lyric isle]

was so frustrating to hear people accuse the devs of being evil when I Knew it was probably because of NetEase that it happened but it still should’ve been warned about

[rigid mural]

I will give to TGC that they're trying to make a change by giving to charities as opposed to superficial support from the usual company, but it just goes from disaster to disaster because they are trying to appeal to both sides of a conflict, when you can't really expect the system (capitalism, cisheteronormativity, the status quo in general) to make it sustainable for companies to support and not just pay lip service to the lgbt cause

[lyric isle]

I wish I had a justified view like yours - I want to enjoy it but the timing sours it for me

[uncut pond]

Honestly yeah, it's a hard situation for a lot of reasons (most of them boiling down to "the current system was a mistake") but it still sucks. Absolutely everything happening with the world tends to be very bleak lately and companies like TGC can't do much without getting burned down to ashes by the system in the process (which doesn't completely excuse a lot of this stuff imo but that's a different discussion)

[lyric isle]

dunno if I’m in the mind for heavy discussions. I’ll be back

dunno if today or not but yeah

[rigid mural]

They set a precedent by repeating DoR, so removing it would cause righteous outrage in the community, as well as being hypocritical coming from a company wanting to unite us no matter our differences or whatever

But on the other end, they may be monitored on more than just the game, and governments do pay attention to where the money goes with the charity stuff

So TGC has to pick between being banned in several countries (and not only losing money, but also cutting off a way to subtly celebrate pride month for queers in countries where it's outlawed), or making the event dissapointing to who it's a wink at

To a company, it's way easier to let down minorities than their patrons, in the end

[frigid tinsel]

the current system wasn't a mistake – it was deliberately made that way to uphold a minority and force the rest to conform or kill them all

[lyric isle]

ok this is kinda too much. I’ll see you people later

[uncut pond]

That's what I meant by "mistake"; I didn't mean it as it resulting this way unintentionally, I meant it as "shouldn't exist." (I have seen many people use the word "mistake" like that I think, but English isn't my first language so I apologize if I'm using the word incorrectly)

[rigid mural]

I wish there was a way to know how things work behind the scenes for DoR, because I want TGC to at least mention the LGBT community on social media but if they simply can't do that because they are monitored there too, then that feedback would be a loss of time for everyone.

[frigid tinsel]

TGC has to decide between supporting a marginalized group or taking money from bigots. unfortunately, the company wants money. unsurprising but very disappointing

[rigid mural]

Unlike some triple A companies, I am sure that somewhere in there we are seen and there is a genuine will to make us feel seen, I am sure a dev shares our frustrations about DoR being lackluster. I may be angrily emoting and complaining but that's because I know there is still hope and what we say doesn't fall into deaf ears.

[rigid mural]

Capitalism (derogatory)

[eternal totem]

The first ever DoR 2020 wasn’t even acknowledged as a pride event (no charities, no IAPs, no nothing) it was only various rainbows to be found throughout the realms 😟 the amount of backlash was terrifying & saddening

[frigid tinsel]

don't get me wrong, I love this game, I love the friends and community I've found within it, but just hhhhhhhhhhhh the blokes in charge of it clearly have the potential to do so much more with Sky but they just don't.

[rigid mural]

Afaik they're not even crashing, they're gaining enough money to sustain themselves (tbf according to secondhand account that is more knowledgeable on videogame costs than I am), it's just that being a venture capitalism product pushes them to make more and more profit even if they already making a lot, so to please investors they gotta prioritize profit over anything else, I hate it here.

btw sorry to lore moths, it's just that discussing the topic anywhere else always ends in conflict

[frigid tinsel]

lorechat lads are mature enough to have this conversation. the rest of the server are some buffoons.

[rigid mural]

this server is all gay indeed

[frigid tinsel]

sorry not sorry for being harsh, I'm mad about other queer-related things

[calm jay]

yeah DoR has really fallen short of what it could be, and what people want it to be. to be honest, it's really just rainbow capitalism, both in in game currency and in app purchases. the igc rainbow cape from 2021 costs 175 candles, which is. a very high price for a cape that's pretty dull imo. in the first beta iteration this year, all new cosmetics were in-app purchases, and reskins of pre-existing items at that. the whole event basically boils down to. look theres rainbows in the realms.
i have more thoughts on the matter and i could have reworded this better but i am eating dinner atm and thats drawing all my attention. ooogugugh

[torn eagle]

Idk if its the right time for this but.. may I know whered you find this info? I also wanna know the statistics behind it TvT

Sorry if it isnt the right time for this YvY

[rigid mural]

tbf according to secondhand account that is more knowledgeable on videogame costs than I am
on the gaining enough money to sustain themselves, basically this warning means "don't quote me on this im just saying what someone else said"

As for the venture company thing, Jenova Chen deals with a few venture capitalists officially (Mitch Lasky, Ed Catmull), and just looking up you can find them on sites for venture investors. iirc they got 160 millions in investment early on, unfortunately I can't find something more recent right now.

[torn eagle]

Thank you 🥺

[rigid mural]

It's even more frustrating because the last few events (especially Days of Bloom) set the bar higher, so DoR being on par with something from last year feels like an even bigger letdown.

Coming clean and going "Yeah we can't do what we were aiming for without putting ourselves in a vulnerable position, sorry." would still cause an uproar but at least it would have the merit of transparency, compared to last year. Maybe sprinkle in a clear message of support instead of a message of general acceptance and boom.
I think we're smart enough to remember TGC is a company and not our friend, and thus they have to balance between us and capitalism-related things.

(TGC lore theory lmao)

[frigid tinsel]

today in lorechat: TGC licks capitalist boots

[rigid mural]

More like "Won't rip the bandage off and admit they can't have it both ways."

[frigid tinsel]

it's the damn money

[rigid mural]

Not to mention that as much as they tell you they're doing it for charity, only one of the upcoming IAPs actually sends money to charities. Like I get TGC needs money but at least make the other IAPs give a percentage to charities so it's a bit less obvious TGC sees us as cash cows.

[gleaming fog]

I wonder what the player stats are for this game

[frigid tinsel]

children who steal their parents' credit cards

[gleaming fog]

But like in general. Things like “percentage who pay”, “average age group”, “number of concurrent players”, that kind of thing.

Kind of like what you get from steam charts

[calm jay]

i wonder if thats why they do those surveys sometimes.

[rigid mural]

I'm still at the bargaining stage TGC, there is still hope.

[frigid tinsel]

usually there's more people who pay for for IAPs than f2p players, although those who spend money on the game vary. I've heard from a reddit thread that some spend as much as $40-100 on this game. I'm in another discord server where some have admitted to spending $300+ on IAPs and candle packs.

while I have some IAPs and the adventure pass for Flight, Abyss, and Performance, most of it was gifted to me and the rest I used iTunes gift cards, so technically I have not spent anything from my actual pockets on this game, but that's still a lot of money.

believe it or not, Sky is profitable, but apparently the bigots' money is valued more.

[gleaming fog]

Yeah but I don’t think it shows the full picture. The main thing is “is the game’s player base increasing?”, “what does the retention rate look like?”, “how many have everything unlocked vs just getting things they think are cool”?

If it’s just a bunch of whales, having a good f2p model is great, but if the whales are leaving, that puts more pressure on the avg player to start paying up.

[sharp lichen]

Days of events in general are conflicting to me. Should they be simple sales of stuff, or should they strive to succeed seasons? Surely there’s a solution.

[gleaming fog]

I thought they were just excuses to re-use old content…that and make candle running easier XD

[sharp lichen]

Yeah, to me they shouldn’t focus on the Days of Events that much and instead work hard on the next season.

[frigid tinsel]

Days of events are sorta celebrations of irl holidays, so they are sorta Sky holidays. they usually show up in lulls between seasons. on one hand, they are used to increase player activity, to shake things up. on the other hand, they will be milked for profit as every irl holiday has too

[rugged jackal]

Kinda different topic, but when was the last day we had neither a season or days-of event going on?
Like, abyss was immediately followed by bloom the same reset, and then when bloom ended, that same reset performance rolled around iirc.
When was the last day we had at least one day between them?

[gleaming fog]

I know that flight had a lull period

[sharp lichen]

Good point, it could be that TGC wants for there always to be an event to go on, so that Sky players already had a new event to look forward to

[gleaming fog]

Apparently they hired a guy from Pixar

[calm jay]

it's the kind of thing these games do. lure you in with a nice game that you become invested in, and strike the trap of "this thing you want is behind a paywall." and you purchase one thing. and then there's another. and another. and the prices raise, and the items get better. and you're already so invested in the game that you want, something in your mind tells you that you need it. so you make the transaction.
the other day, a zine creator made off with 20k of donated, raised funds, scamming people of their money, to spend on genshin impact.
*head in hands*

[rigid mural]

Ed Catmull yeah. I suggest you look up the controversies that guy got in, because I am extremely wary.

[sharp lichen]

At the very least, the things you buy in Sky are cosmetic. Genshin has a different problem altogether

[frigid tinsel]

thing I like about Sky is that it is not pay-to-win. everything that requires money is cosmetic.

still, people will pay for those digital items that don't really impact gameplay

[gleaming fog]

What’s the scoop on him? Aside from the antitrust stuff, he seems pretty ok (genuinely curious, not trying to say you’re wrong)

[rigid mural]

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/business/pixars-ed-catmull-emerges-as-central-figure-in-the-wage-fixing-scandal-101362.html
oh, would you look at that

Dude's not just involved in the antitrust stuff, he was one of the guys orchestrating that.

[frigid tinsel]

company makes a butt ton of money but won't pay their employees fair wages, ah late-stage capitalism

[sharp lichen]

It becomes an issue of who to blame: TGC or the players. After all, some will spend quite a bit just to get an Owl Hair account.

[frigid tinsel]

TGC because they are the ones encouraging and capitalizing on FOMO and fast fashion.

[sharp lichen]

I agree a lot, but don’t forget the community’s absolute obsession with candle running and cosmetics. Look at #looking-for-group-live!

[frigid tinsel]

there's a reason I have the majority of the channels in this server muted

[sharp lichen]

I have this entire server muted.

Anyways, I’ve been thinking about this lore document, and I’m deciding to split it up into multiple layers or tiers. So one of them would be basic things about the Elders and Skykids, one of them could be about Light and Dark creatures, and one could be about seasonal content. I’m thinking of doing this to try to avoid a Theory Vault situation

The first would be about Elders, Skykids, and Ancestors, and their origins, the second would be about the King, Prince, Megabird, and Eden, the third would be about the flora and fauna of the Sky world, and the fourth one would be about Seasonal Content. This way, we can mix and match if someone wants to know a specific part of Sky lore, or present all of them if someone wants to know the entirety of Sky lore

[pallid gull]

What if the krill are just the dark version of these guys? Like how skykids become corrupted by darkness on eye of Eden and turn dark/crystal-y

What if that’s why krill have blue? Like how the dark plants have the blue trapped inside them because it’s light?

[young ledge]

is there even anything ACTUALLY set in stone about the lore, or is everything kind of just speculation
like even the confirmed stuff from staff seems pretty wishy washy
so would it be better to compile all of the important lore scenes (cutscenes, murals, spirits etc) and give that to people interested, so they can make a theory themselves. Instead of just telling them “hey this is what we all think”

idk it’d be fun to hear new theories is all

[sharp lichen]

We already have that, in the Mural Doc. The problem is that it may be a bit too big to just hand to someone wanting to know a bit of Sky lore, so that’s why I want to make a more complied version

[torn eagle]

Theres a theory that supports this

[torn eagle]

Iirc light is symbolized by the color orange, connected to megabird, blue is disconnected from megabird

[blazing nova]

a specific number was bragged about at the GDC talk this year, 1 million concurrent - which is a bit difficult to believe tbh

[young ledge]

Ah I suppose
i just worry that people will be swayed into one way of thinking, bcos it would be boring if we all thought the same thing

[boreal hearth]

Tbh if you do a whole thing on this I will tune in 100%

[sharp lichen]

I’ll make sure to make it as neutral as possible, although I’ll definitely need others if I want to truly do that

[boreal hearth]

I watch a lot of Elder Scrolls guys on YouTube. They really keep their content neutral so if you want an idea of how to set things up I can send you a link for one of their videos

I also love reading so if there’s any research you need help with Im down to help

[keen shore]

I get this and agree with it 100%. To be honest, as one of this channel’s many queer members, I would have almost preferred tgc didn’t do days of rainbow at all if it ended up like this. It’s an event that is obviously related to pride to some extent, but somehow with every mention of support towards queer people - which pride is meant to be a celebration of support towards - removed. With only one IAP item going towards charity and the clear feeling that TGC is profiting off of us rather than supporting us, it feels more like an insult than anything else.

[rigid mural]

I like the charity idea tho, TGC just can't execute it in a satisfactory manner. Because they are trying to straddle the fence so they don't lose support.
I think they are trying to do more than just say "Happy pride ! Here's us but wearing rainbows :)", but someone up there doesn't want to let go of "now buy our products".

I wish we could ask a dev what they can and cannot do, because it would help a lot to know where they could make a clear statement of support for queer folks.

btw if we're done exchanging our thoughts on that topic, we can cement that by sending them to #live-feedback, at least to know we did what we were asked to do when unhappy with something.

[boreal hearth]

Whenever companies do anything for pride month I know it’s just for sales and it makes me sad. Im pansexual and it would be nice if my sexuality (and others in the community) weren’t just a fun little promo item in a shop

[frigid tinsel]

ik it's just for money and such, but on the other hand it is a good sign that companies find it profitable to dowse everything in rainbow and pride, even if it's just for a month. it goes to show the societal shift that queerness is becoming more acceptable thus profitable. in the past, no company in their damn mind would consider openly marketing toward the LGBTQ+ community because doing so would run them out of business or even get the government on their case. while rainbow capitalism is crap, it's a sign that the bigotry is becoming less prominent

it doesn't feel that way in the moment considering the current political climate, but those are the reactionaries making noise. the present is a major shift from when the Stonewall riots broke out

[rigid mural]

I think I should precise that I separate the company and the devs; a queer dev may have suggested the idea in a genuine attempt at making fellow queer folks feel seen, got other devs to agree, but then getting the idea out meant running it through other folks who are hired to optimise profitability.
Capitalism...

[frigid tinsel]

yea, it's good that queer devs even feel safe enough to suggest such an idea, that they're not jeopardizing their job and the concept actually has a chance of going through to reality

granted, they can't be open about it publicly and what we got is lackluster in comparison to other events, but it exists

[rigid mural]

TGC: a company, definitely not an entity individuals are on equal bargaining footing with, definitely not your friend, and does not really have your best interest in mind
Devs: people you could talk to and ask questions to. that's where being this close to them is a huge advantage to this server, because they can see us and we can see them, I'm sure there must be a way to pull their attention to tell us what went wrong even if we likely can't do much as consumers

_ _
wildly gesturing at how huge that is, you would absolutely not get that with a well-known franchise such as pokemon who would simply ignore fans unless the dissatisfaction was overhelming and their numbers going down, i am really invested because there is still hope guys, i saw the game change due to feedback !

[noble ferry]

hmmm yes tgc lore the best kind of lore /j
sorry, just that lurking here feels a little scary rn so sorry if this joke feels dumb

[rigid mural]

why is it scary ? /gen

[noble ferry]

idk just the talk of tgc stuff for some reason but eh it's probably just regular company stuff
also i dont have much time with my wifi hotspot rn

[sharp lichen]

I do hope that calmly talking about the problems of TGC shouldn’t scare you.

[tranquil harbor]

Some people just get nervous about stuff.

I'm in vault right now, and I kinda noticed Polite Scholar has hologram trees leading up to the final area, where, if you're doing the memory, a huge tree sprouts forth. The other 2 trees on the way has the first start small and the next one is growing even bigger... Could the Polite Scholar be teaching the skids some kind of school lesson?

[keen shore]

I will help with that and want to but I am so struggling with words and all at the moment so sorry

[violet sundial]

“If you say please enough, you can do anything”
-polite scholar

Later, a moth is in the Eye of Eden
“Please stop hitting my ribcage with darkstone crystals!🤓”
the storm in PNR subsides

[tranquil harbor]

Polite Scholar single handedly saves sky by teaching manners to moths

[violet sundial]

Yeah the dev who worked on rainbow mainly is queer themselves as I understand it

[tough coral]

i'm thinking about megabird right now... spaghettimom i love her skymama...

i think megabird is actually fairly involved with the lives of her skykids- she can't physically visit them and can only really appear to them in dreams or the afterlife but she truly sees them as her own children and tries to be a real mother to them despite the seperation

And i don't mean "mother" like "motherly goddess" here- maybe she was that to the ancestors but I think megabird really treats the skykids like her children- she'll comfort them in their dreams when they're upset, she lets them stay with her in the afterlife until they're ready to head back down to the living world, she'll try to be involved and give them all attention but it's just difficult for her because there's so many skykids and she's stuck in the afterlife

if she was physically capable of doing so i think megabird would bake so many cookies i think. she'd be the type of mom to go "oh you're playing pokeymans? my favourites Pikachu :D" because she doesn't really understand your interests but still wants to be supportive and involved

Completely unrelated but r we allowed to talk about personal sky fanfictions in here or is that like. another beast entirely (ive seen mentions of people fics b4 but always in the context of another discussion)
itll all circle back around to Sky Headcanons but i cant think of another way to phrase my words than thru the lens of the fic im workin on

Nvm found a way to phrase it that doesnt require northwind

i think to an outsider, skykid "society" is very, very odd. it almost seems like there's a thousand unspoken social cues or even a hivemind sometimes but it's the exact opposite really- skykids are just very, very good at... Definitely not social cues but just telling what people need. the average skykid will be able to tell if you're uncomfortable with something even if you think you're hiding it and quickly change the topic and it can be kinda creepy at times but theyre not, like. reading eachothers minds. they're just deeply empathetic little beasts who can just Tell If Something Is Wrong in most situations, social or not

[tranquil harbor]

I am all about deeply empathetic sky kids

[drowsy spoke]

ooh are you talking about skykids as in the "species" (in the game) or skykids as in the playerbase. because i definately agree with the playerbase having their own language almost. people know when to follow and when to lead and the emotes honestly do a lot for conversation. it's really interesting watching two people dance around each other and then head off in a certain direction together without saying a single word

[tranquil harbor]

If a standard hello and wave is not an option, me must dance
I think they mean sky kids as their own species tho

[tough coral]

yea as a species

[drowsy spoke]

ahhh okay icic. i also agree then. i mean -- the spirits/skykids in sky literally don't have mouths. It makes sense they'll evolve a different form of communication or just get better at reading people naturally

[tough coral]

Headcanon that moths are mentally like how the tbh creature looks i will explain what this means

[dusty leaf]

Sniv, i really like your headcannon its so wholesome--

[tough coral]

basically when a skykid first falls and wakes up they're not really toddlers- they're as aware and mentally capable as any other skykid, just missing most of the information theyd need to make use of this. under normal circumstances thisd just mean they're born into the world as chaotic good ten year olds, HOWEVER. Bear with me here,

i think moths kinda... their mind genuinely works a bit different for their first few weeks so they don't get overwhelmed. They're just as much of a person as an older skykid, sure, but for a few weeks after a skykid first lands, they're... the best i can describe it is booting up a computer in safe mode, or, and this might not make sense, it's like feeling like ur brain is covered in dust. everythings working fine but it's dulled and a bit disconnected and simplified to stop them from freaking out from how New and Sudden everything is.

so for the first little while of a moth existing they're distinctly different from a normal skykid, completely unrelated to how much they really know. its a sort of learning mode- they'll tail behind any other skykids they see and grab stuff and learn how the world works but sorta run on a semi-autipilot as they do so. Moths tend to rarely talk, generally be a bit quieter, make more eye contact and be more physical with the world around them (picking random things up, staying close to other skykids, trying to touch animals, mimicking gestures before they understand them, that sorta stuff.)
Then after a week or two they'll just Stop being like this over the course of a couple days at most, like that "safe mode" turning off. Generally, this is when theyre not considered a Moth anymore by other Skykids, since there's a very real difference between New Skykid and Everyone Else. This sudden switch to really being present in the situation can be a bit overwhelming, but a lot of skykids don't even notice that anything's changing or different when they go through it. but usually they only realize a minute or two after it rlly kicks in, or just when someone points it out

Hooh that was a wall

[tough coral]

more thoughts sorry for the wall. Ill be callimg the moth mindset safemode for convenience
moths rlly are kinda... a whole different beast to skykids i guess. they're just as capable as other skykids, but what Safemode does is basically keep them in a stare of... essentially far less awareness of the self. They're focused on the world around them and how to do things and how skykids act, and during this crucial time theyre less aware of their own existence, their thoughts kinda work differently (it's all subconscious for 'em rlly, they don't have a full internal monologue yet.)
while moths r in safemode they tend to follow older skykids around and learn from example, and they also tend to stick to one specific group and don't wander off. this means that its actually really easy for said group to tell when safemode is wearing off- usually they just act a liiittle different for maybe a day at most and then there's this sorta. snap forwards. theyll be a moth, then over a minute or two safemode just fizzles out almost completely and they'll spend the next couple days with the rest of that state wearing off. you just! you don't forget what it's like. that first real full memory of safemode wearing off sticks with you forever even if it was during an otherwise mundane moment. it can be a bit confusing and overwhelming but by then theyve usually got a bunch of friends there to help them out because! yippee you're officially not a moth anymore! one more buddy to the friend group!

[alpine moth]

does anyone have megabird theories im bored and feel like listening
any facts abt megabird work too haha

[calm jay]

hmm a sweet little megabird headcanon for you:
she is a supercluster; a large group of galaxies. she is huge, the largest structure in the universe and the creator of everything and the origin to all life within her universe: the elders, the first spirits and skykids, and all light creatures. when they are born, skykids live with her before beginning their descent to the kingdom. they don't remember her or their life before landing in isle for the first time, but they still feel love and warmth from the stars and space above, even if they don't know why. when they collect their first winged light, when the light runs through their body for the first time that they can remember, their cape is almost an homage to a pair of wings that once lovingly protected them. they glow a bright gold when supercharged and at their strongest; during the end of their trials and during their ascent to orbit. they were created in her image, after all.

[spark cairn]

In one of the assembly teasers, tgc said that 'Each individually related to the ancestors of sky' or something a long those lines that made people think they were related to the elders. I think it was just talking about character design and not lore. Look at Adventurer, who we assume have correlation with valley. Both them and the valley elders are missing an eye.

[wanton ivy]

hi everyonee, im not too caught up with the lore so m trying to figure out where to start... what's a megabird?

[alpine moth]

im not sure myself but i believe it originates from ||eden||

[calm jay]

the megabird is that golden cluster in space after the credits. they are thought to be the deity of sky world and created skykids

[alpine moth]

i was wondering what that shape was since i see it everywhere, you can even kinda see it in sanctuary

[young ledge]

going off of the supercluster idea, maybe that could mean skykids come from part of megabird. Since we are seen falling from the sky in the games beginning it could make sense if we are like a shooting star or meteorite
(if that makes any sense, made it up right now)

[alpine moth]

skykids being fallen star fragments does seem logical enough

[high bison]

I mean animals have been communicating without language for millions of years
It really is fascinating, although I don’t experience it much because I friend and put down a chat table to anyone I have some kind of interaction with because I can’t handle the existential dread of probably never ever seeing them again

[young ledge]

yeah, I’m adopting the idea into my take of the lore now!!
pretty excited since I was conflicted on if I would include megabird before :DD

[high bison]

What if the megabird and the Sky kids are one and the same? Like she spit herself up into millions of parts to enter the physical world?

It would explain why we don’t see her ingame

[alpine moth]

technically we do at the end of the credits scene before rebirth

[high bison]

But I remember that there was also a theory that the sky kids are the reincarnation of the uncorrupted prince/king, a figure we also never see in game

[alpine moth]

people commonly call him resh from what i hear

[torn eagle]

Its literally what we are right? Cutscenes in game support it

[calm jay]

going of the idea that the megabird is a supercluster, superclusters are hugelarge, like. literally the largest structure in the universe. they can span 200,000,000 light years. skykids could be a part of her, she may split a fraction of herself off to create skykids.

[young ledge]

ohhh that is another good take!
maybe she split herself so that she could help to stop/fight the events of eden?
hence why (arguable) depictions of her exist in like statues, but not actually physically

[torn eagle]

Alef/Resh

Alef the Prince and Resh the King

I like to think that the name change signifies him embracing the darkness and disconnecting himself from megabird

[calm jay]

that is a popular theory, but another big theory is that the skykid we see after dying in eden is the prince

[alpine moth]

i was always fascinated with space as a kid and now one of my interests is sky, oh how things line up

[young ledge]

does it not make more sense that those skykids are well other players. we return their light so they can be reborn.
since we turn into a statue once we lose all light (I’m pretty sure this is in the game at least)

[calm jay]

ah no, i'm talking about the lone skykid you hug in the dark room after death!
the statues in eden are other skykids you give light to

[young ledge]

ohhh right! gotcha now!
that’s an interesting theory tbh

[high bison]

I originally interpreted it as another player coming along and giving us light, like we gave to the statues

[alpine moth]

i always thought of them as a reflection of ourself, when we first started out flightless and lonely
and when we hug them to move on to orbit thats like resembling self growth sorta

[young ledge]

i interpret it as coming back to life. our light soul is binding with a physical stone body
^^i like the self growth idea!

[alpine moth]

ive always wondered how skids are so flexible being stone and all

rip message but i was like "i bet its gonna be the noot noot" before i clicked
it was the noot noot

[high bison]

When Sky kids first enter the world, and maybe when they come back from Eden, I imagine their bodies are probably very stiff and heavy, and it takes some time to ‘wear them in’

[alpine moth]

id say it gets easier to re-break in the more you go through eden
considering after the first time you can skip the getting up emote

[high bison]

Yeah I deleted it because the link didn’t embed, but it was the noot noot

Just

…

[alpine moth]

"hehe funny rock"
"hmm,,,,"
"😦"

[high bison]

moth and older Sky kid are chilling
moth stands still, eyes wide
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
“I have gained awareness.”

[pastel brook]

A "moth" is a new player. They have brown wings, they flap around uncontrollably, and they are drawn to flame!

[alpine moth]

yes i am aware thank you skybot
also i imagine the older one looking at them as if the moth just said their first word then going "gaaAASP"

[high bison]

“MUM GET THE CAMERA!!! MOTH IS COMING OUT OF SAFE MODE!!!”

[alpine moth]

well anyways its like 2 am so im gonna head to bed, been a fun chat tho! gn

[high bison]

Also here
Also I have a sky fic idea with a newborn moth, fresh from the sky

It takes several hours of fumbling and falling to stand on their own to feet

Then it’s a few more hours to learn to walk five meters without tripping over their own feet

Oh and I love the pfp, me big Splatoon fan

Although…
What if the ‘bodies made of clay’ is more metaphorical, and their bodies are just made of ‘earthly material’ (like our bodies), while the light creatures are made of light, pure divine/spiritual energy without a solid physical form

oh god I just had a brain blast like a moth turning off safe mode

What if all creatures in sky possess a physical and spiritual body? But their consciousness lies in one or the other? Crabs and Ancestors are predominantly physical beings, and see the physical world, while mantas are predominantly spiritual/light beings, and see the spirit world? Sky Kids are in the middle, we see our earthly bodies and our divine light capes. So we see both worlds, blending together

[scenic siren]

Whatever fantasy material sky kids are made of, it must be super durable and lightweight material, so durable that they can withstand the impact of falling down from space and bonking, and lightweight so that they can fly easily (try fly straight up then free fall down, they fall slow like a leaf 🍃). Also the material must be durable with high temperature, since they literally have a flame burning inside.
Sky kids shell may be used to make good space ship. Excellent material

Or gravity on that planet is very weak, which explains how boats made of stone can still fly and a kid can lift a big stone easily (in air prophet's memory sequence if I remember correctly)

[harsh pecan]

Dang now Im thinking about what if someone got sky kids and used their bodies to build a ship...

[sturdy wyvern]

Does anyone have any theories as to what the prophecy trials actually are?

[sharp lichen]

I need to create a Prophecy document…

I think they’re pocket dimensions designed to test us, the Skykids, so that we could become more patient, resilient, balanced, and courageous. There is an alternate theory that it was meant to find out the next ruler of the Sky world.

[high bison]

I don’t think it’s in a pocket dimension, but inside the Sky Kid’s mind
An illusion almost

[sharp lichen]

That is a valid theory, even if I don’t believe in it myself.

[high bison]

Sky Kids are made of graphene confirmed

But seriously, it’s probably just magic. Orbital impact? They fall while enwreathed in a bright light. This is probably magic that might protect them as they fall.
Flight? Sky Kid cape wings probably don’t work like bird wings. They probably use powered flight, using magic to propel them forward.
Inner flame? Magic
Flying boats? Again, magic based powered flight
Lifting big stones? Magic

tl;dr, it’s magic

[sturdy wyvern]

Now that i'm starting to think about it, I think that white candles in general might have the power to create illusions. Think about it. There's white candles that we have to light to get into the trials, there's white candles that we have to light to see the elders, and we have to light white candles in order to see some murals (namely in the beginning of isle and around sanctuary).

[high bison]

But the ones in sanctuary also activate those bell thingies
Maybe they were used to activate power and magic before power diamonds came into widespread use

[sharp lichen]

Yeah, we’d need a SKY PHYSICIST to solve this mystery out

(context later, can we please talk about physics to scare everyone else)

[sturdy wyvern]

It would make sense, as the memory/knowledge storage containers seem to do something similar, but with power diamonds

actually, that wouldn't make complete sense as there are white candles at the top of vault too, for the elder

maybe it's because although the power diamonds could do something similar to the candles, it wasn't a 1:1 replacement, so they still had some use (although not much)

[high bison]

We don’t really see the white candles after prairie, except in the wind paths

Perhaps they still used white candles to contact the elders out of tradition? Or maybe they couldn’t do it with power diamonds, since they are portrayed as dangerous, corruptive and dark aligned, especially when things go wrong

[sturdy wyvern]

I didn't think about tradition, good point.

also, maybe it's because light is more powerful with illusions and spirituality, while darkness is more powerful when dealing with physical things.
That would also explain why the ancestors switched to relying more on power crystals, as although using the power of light had less consequences, they wanted to be able to innovate and create physical things, such as flying boats.

[drowsy spoke]

i love theories that combine like... game 'lore' with the actual mindset players are in when they play the game

[high bison]

Hmm
Maybe

[drowsy spoke]

they're so freaking cool because it's like you're playing into the lore of the game while not even knowing it?? this theory/headcanon works esp well because most people who play sky are probably not super experienced gamers who know how games work, and have to be led by the hand for a while

[high bison]

I mean
It also ties in with how humans work
As infants and children, we learn how to move through the world by looking at others and copying them, and using that as a base to move from

[tough coral]

Hehe! Thanks!!!

most of my headcanons stem from the idea that, since Skykids aren't humans, they shouldn't act like humans. So I give them a bunch of strange little traits and behaviors and generally make them... Skykids, and not just reskinned human kids.

[high bison]

A young Sky kid exiting the moth stage, 2022, colourised

Hello? @tough coral

[dreamy pond]

The world turns from honk to HONK

[tough coral]

AH sorry i was watching a video where someone parried an entire shark
hehehe silly!!!

the moth headcanons r something im rlly proud of because like. i did sorta come up with it on the spot but then it very quickly fell together coherently? Idk i like making headcanons that both emphasize the fact that Skykids are just... Kids, while also making it very, very clear that they're not human kids

i've never really been a fan of nonhuman characters acting like a reskinned human. In my opinion if you could replace a non-human character with a human one that has all the same powers and the story would be exactly the same, then there's not really a point in that character being non-human. In my opinion

[high bison]

https://youtu.be/o3uJCCa5w2A

[tough coral]

So i've taken it upon myself to make skykids Weird Birds sometimes! give them weird little quirks and traits and things that work differently. What i keep in mind the whole time to figure out those little things is that I think the Ancestors would find them a bit uncanny, though not actually offputting or bad

[tough coral]

Yea its that video

[high bison]

I imagine they’re maybe similar to ancestors in mind, but closer to megabird and the light, which makes them ‘better’ in a sence.

There was a post about Sky kid society being weird and
Here link

#lore-discussion-spoilers message

ohwaitit’syourpost

[scenic siren]

Magic caves to test leg ability of the new king, since this land seems to choose its king by platform jumping skill instead of brain

[high bison]

@tough coral tl;dr they’re just… not afraid to display if something is wrong and help eachother work with it, something we humans can struggle with because it makes us vulnerable

[high bison]

I imagine the ancestors were very human in mindset, and thus vulnerable to greed, corruption, manipulation, fear, classic human stuff

Skids would be spiritually stronger, and less vulnerable to these influences and lapses of judgement, or at least have greater potential to learn to overcome it

[tough coral]

i sorta believe that, but more like... skykids legitimately wouldn't understand why the ancestors did those sorts of things? Their minds work very differently from the ancestors, they're constantly living in the moment or only thinking about the immediate future because they've got forever ahead of them and, yknow. theyre kids. kids aren't great at making serious plans.
that, and the fact that most skykids don't settle into a home means they don't have much of a use for greediness anyways

[high bison]

I’m sure some would understand, and pity them for it

[scenic siren]

I think sky kids may behave like birds, flying in flock with V formation, dance in fancy cape to impress others, may migrate to warmer realms in winter and build nest and stuff.
They are like wild animals, will honk at technology and pluck up dark stone from dangerous deep sea just because human say it with no understanding of its purpose. They just poke their candle in anywhere their instincts tell them is burn-able (door, plants...)
They do not understand their purpose, just feel that unresistable urge to get in that beam of Eden, too much that it overwrite the fear of rock rain. For the first time, later times may have more purpose of saving their friends.
Of course friendship still works. Just like birds

[high bison]

So your saying Sky Kids are essentially near-mindless drones

That’s totally not depressing at all

[scenic siren]

Kids that obsessed with beam, not mindless. They plays, chat and place furniture. Just not good with technology.

[tough coral]

you see my skykid headcanons are shifted HEAVILY by my other headcanon that eden runs are pointless and the only reason skykids do them is because they think its important

to sum it up the crystal is very, very dark and darkness draws in and consumes light, so once you get close enough to eden it starts tugging at the light within you. To a Skykid, this feels like they're being called towards it. The statues... are just dead, everyone who dies there gets reborn right away, but Skykids don't know this because that sort of petrification is usually a reversible defence mechanism. And all that stuff after you die with the winged light bursting out? Well, they're kids. They're bound to have pretty active imaginations, and they can't really see what's going on while they're dying.

[sturdy wyvern]

(it could also be the time travel theory)

[tough coral]

some skykids go through it a second time because they think it's important! however even MORE skykids go through it again because they realize dying in eden is a direct path to see megabird and That Is Their Mom and they want to hang out with Mom for a while again

[scenic siren]

Actually, it may have purpose. I think stars can not stay out of Megan for a long duration. At sometime they need to get back, even when Orbit is actually kinda boring despite the beauty. That's why they think they need to get in that beam.
Same reason why the elders go crazy about going back. Life on the land is good, they were worshipped, pampered in their temples. But after hundreds of year, they just can't wait longer, Isle elder already grew weak and Prairie elder sleeps all day. Even if they has to destroy the entire land to do it, they need to somehow find way back

[tough coral]

i get that headcanon i rlly do! Just never been a fan of those kinda depressing things

[high bison]

Says the one who just said the headcannon that the entire eden journey, and thus the game, is completely pointless..

[sturdy wyvern]

Now I want to see some fanart of a groups of moths talking with the megabird about how many statues they saved like it's a grade report and they got an F

[tough coral]

??? i said it was pointless because nobody's trapped, the skykids just think something is wrong at first
If anything that's a HAPPY ending- the eden cycle isn't some horrible thing it's just kids being a bit clueless and trying to help people who are already okay by now

the point of skykids existing is to have fun and be friends with eachother and be someone who can experience the big, wide, wonderful world around them now that the last civilization is long since dead! And dw im not mad

[scenic siren]

Calm down ^^ All are just headcanons, everyone has their own favor

[high bison]

Yes but Isn’t the cycle implied to slowly fix the world? Y’know, all the darkness corruption and stuff

[violet sundial]

I feel like skykids are terrible architects. I think if they wanted to build something they’d have to take apart some old stuff to build it

[high bison]

“Bring our lost stars home” and stuff

[violet sundial]

And also have to be in a realm where they could learn the basics ykyk?

[scenic siren]

They can build unimaginable weird architecture wonder with furniture

[sturdy wyvern]

The problem about this theory combined with the megabird theory is that then, there is no longer a clear answer to the question of "why did the megabird create the skykids in the first place?"

[tough coral]

maybe it does, maybe the skykids just think it does. Honestly i believe that there's no "fixing" the world, but not in some sad, hopeless way. The world will never be what it once was, but you can pick up the pieces and make something new and wonderful with them. Nothing lasts forever, after all, but that doesn't mean when everything falls apart, that it's pointless to start over.

[tough coral]

Easy! because the ancestors were dead and she either didn't know how to make more, or she wanted to fill the world with people who wouldn't make the same mistake as them.

[violet sundial]

I mean, the Skykids have to go into eden to save the last skykids who went. And i do think theres a purpose related to the spirits

[sturdy wyvern]

good point

[high bison]

I don’t mean restore the civilisation to it’s former glory, but help the world heal from the wounds inflicted by the civilisation and its abuse of power

[tough coral]

And that's completely fair and probably canon compliant. My headcanons are based on what makes me happy and what fits in with the rest of my headcanons. I go into this lore thinking "okay how can i make this bittersweet with a heavy heavy emphasis on the sweet"

[tough coral]

I dont even mean restoring the civilization honestly. The world itself has changed, things will never be the same. The spirits will never return to life. The ruins of the world won't crumble to nothing, but they can't return to their former glory. The Skykids are the start of a new era of the world, not built or repaired, but nestled into the remains of the old one, playing in its broken castles and crumbling walls and discarded relics. This is their home, full of everything that once was.
The world has been healing for hundreds of years, as I believe it. The Skykids can only do a little bit to help.

[young ledge]

i like to think that the goal of eden goes from “how do we stop it” to “saving friends/fellow players”
and finding joy and friendship in the post storm world

[tough coral]

i guess a better way to put it is that the world ended. The world is dead, the apocalypse came and went and the world literally ended and it's still like that. The end of the world doesn't mean the end of life, because with death comes a whole new ecosystem thriving in the rot. The world has a thousand eternities ahead of it now, it cannot crumble further. The Skykids are here to enjoy the forever ahead of them.

[sturdy wyvern]

You raise a good point, we do have different ideas for what our head cannons are based on. For instance mine are based around finding out how the ancestors lived and why they switched to using darkness, how did they bring about the end of the world, as well as figuring out why the skykids were create and for what purpose?

[tough coral]

My headcanons are based on the idea that the skykids are silly little dorks and i want them to be happy and silly and take care of eachother and I don't want their existence to have a purpose. Their skygod spaghettimother loves them very much and she made them because she loves them and when they die they can hang out with her for as loooooong as they want before going back to the living world and maybe take a nap in her tendrils if they want. hold gently like hamburger. i think they deserve that. sorry i'm rambling about how i think megabird is an amazing mother given the circumstances (i worldbuilt this background element of the lore into Good Mama to the point that if megabird adopted me i would simply say "okay this is cool")

[high bison]

But still… with the whole ‘being the lost stars home’, and saving the spirits and everything. There has to be more to the Sky Kid’s existence than ‘just chill and play in radioactive wasteland lol’

Also, just so we’re clear, I’m not trying to argue with you over whose headcannon is better. In fact I’m really enjoying this conversation, even if it is just bashing opposing ideas like action figures until one of them buckles or a limb drops off

[polar veldt]

Hi guys anyone have any lore related back story for this fellow?

[scenic siren]

The lost stars may be the elders who can't fly up even when you slap winged light at their back, so maybe sky kids found some other way to ascend them by buying their hair or give them enough candles... then they can have fun play with shrimps ^^ What should they do if they already done their job?

[scenic siren]

They are just concept art, former design of Prairie elder

[tough coral]

Im enjoying this conversation too! I actually do have an explanation for the whole "bring the lost stars home" thing, and it's... a bit hard to explain but basically the events of the game are set early on in the era of the Skykids, when they’re still working on fixing what they can, so what we play through is a brief period of time where the Skykids do have a goal. Basically the spiritual equivalent of vultures- a sort of cleanup crew for the remains of the kingdom, helping guide home whatever spirits aren't too far gone and waking the Elders back up and opening the world up for those who come after them. but this was a very brief period of time, maybe like five years at most.
but my headcanons are centred around everything after the game. Megabird is making more Skykids simply because the world deserves to be full of life again, and the Skykids deserve to be in this wonderful world. Eden itself was never really... somewhere they were supposed to go, though. Megabird tried to warn them away from it, but they didn't listen, and once they figured out that they can visit mom by going through eden it was impossible to stop them

[high bison]

God now I’m just imagining some fanart of this majestically horrifying eldrich god but instead of flesh it’s light and biblically accurate angel parts

And a crap ton of skids just vibing, sleeping in it’s tentacles, playing on its back, one of them is falling off and looks mildly disappointed

Pls be my friend

[tough coral]

i don't rlly like filling up my friends list but we can be Buddy Pal Acquaintances how about that

[polar veldt]

Waaaaaaaaa
bring him back he looks Awesome

[scenic siren]

Megan is just a simple spaghetti bird that loves vibing with all its kids honking on it tentacles

[tough coral]

hold on want me to dig up a drawing of what i think megabird looks like

[scenic siren]

Current Prairie elder is cute too ^^

[polar veldt]

Facts
I want a BIG hug from him

[scenic siren]

Anyway I have a headcanon about Vault elder. Going up one floor at a time is definitely not the right way to use elevator. May have a hidden control board to select floor somewhere sky kids don't know, or even...

[scenic siren]

His hug will sure be BIG

[tough coral]

Unfortunately the only reference image i have for megabird is outdated so uh take this for now while i draw a new one

[high bison]

Ohhhh yea
In the future maybe, when all the spirits are saved and the world is less hecky, yes the skids would probably just vibe for eternity. Opposed to the greedy ways of the Ancestors, their society would be tribalistic, with no real formal organisation or structure. Their culture would emphasise spiritual health and enjoying one’s life, and they would abandon the advanced technology of the ancestors in exchange for the spiritual health of living as a part of nature

And hey, by that point eden might be less dangerous and painful to go, essentially serving as a launch pad for skids to go visit their mama

[high bison]

Actually, new headcannon my 2am self just cam up with.

Sky kids always had a finite lifespan, and can only reincarnate by going to the highest point of the world: Eden. So they basically have no choice. It’s just part of their lifecycle

Maybe they don’t ‘die’, but after a certain point they need to go back to orbit to get rejuvenated. If they don’t, they’ll gradually weaken and wither away

[tough coral]

here she is! here's mom! here's my favourite pile of cosmic spaghetti <3 (also she does actually look like a bird this way so it fits i think)

[scenic siren]

Yes, same with the elders

[high bison]

I think this fits with the idea that each realm represents a stage of life

Isle of Dawn: Birth and Infancy
Daylight Prairie: Childhood
Hidden Forrest: Adolescence
Valley of Triumph: Early adulthood
Golden Wasteland: Middle adulthood/midlife crisis
Vault of Knowledge: Old age
Eye of Eden: Death

This wouldn’t really make sense if 1, Sky Kids were Immortal as long as they stayed outside of Eden, and 2, the journey to and sacrifice of Eden was basic pointless, so there was really no need to go there in the first place

[tough coral]

eh i just like my silly little fun headcanons. my mindset is that if i want my funny weird kiddos to be Edgy And Sad (not saying ur takes r that mind you) i can just think about hollow knight for a while. the skykids are the beasts i rotate in my mind when i want to be happy

[high bison]

But there’s one question I’ve never known the answer too

What are the winged lights???

And with that I’m going to sleep bc it’s 2am

faint emote

[tough coral]

Goodnight! Meanwhile im having breakfast now bc its noon and i slept in

[keen shore]

sniv I can’t think of anything 2 add right now but I really like ur headcanons 💛

[tough coral]

!!! Thank you!!!!!

[sharp lichen]

I’m trying to figure that out. I’m making a document that tries to explain winged light, but even I need help…

[frigid tinsel]

frankly, there's no clear answer. there's been sooooooo many theories suggesting what winged light could be and where they come from, but they are all shooting as blind as the other. it doesn't help that there are almost nil hints to what they could be. in-game, they are regarded as "the light of the fallen." devs once referred to them as "shiny bois" then "imprints of the children of the light." some people call them "children of light." in the dearth of evidence, theories are just filling the gaps on a blank sheet of paper.

[tough coral]

personally i treat the winged light like a gameplay mechanic and just say that skykids can store more and more light internally as they get older

[frigid tinsel]

I've spoken my thoughts on winged light before

Winged light is like extra power to skykids. They only need their flame to function, but winged light is an addendum that grants them a new ability. Perhaps it’s presence wasn’t intended as a power-up, but once skykids became plentiful, they were made to be or came to be able to utilize winged light as a power-up, whether to fly at all or the strengthen our cape.

Since winged light are imprints they are merely the impression of skykids, not skykids converted into something else but something their presence has left behind. One cannot become winged light, but one or more skykids do make them by just existing in the world in addition to some other factor.

One theory suggests they appear where many skykids have been and coalesce into winged light, like creating a well-treaded path in the woods by many footsteps — hence why they appear in the same spots. In-game they may be in the same spot for gameplay accessibility but in-universe they could land anywhere.

We do know that winged light did not exist before skykids existed because they are never depicted in murals or spirit memories.
and
I’ve been favoring the idea that winged light are the imprints of skykids, specifically a mark where many of them have been, hence why they appear in the same places (tho that may be gameplay mechanic, but I like to think in-universe they also appear elsewhere less often) like a well-treaded path in the woods made by many footprints walking the same way

[keen shore]

I do think the WL are lore related, but I definitely want more info on them so it’s more clear what that relation IS. my current take is that they’re like the skykid versions of spirit memories for the kids petrified in Eden, and as we collect their souls to bring back their light strengthens us, but I’m not sure.

the main way my theory differs from alasdairs is basically instead of being skykid desire paths, each WL pertains to a specific petrified skid, like spirit memories. Unfortunately due to lack of explanation, the only reason I chose this explanation is bc i like it a bit better, not because I have actual evidence for it…

[hushed steeple]

[frigid tinsel]

where this come from it's precious oml

[keen shore]

the only thing I dislike about my theory is that, if those are basically skykid’s souls, does absorbing them imply our skykid’s personality gets affected as well in some way?? it’s a cool concept, but unfortunately super limiting for oc creation — especially because after a while everyone would end up with an extremely similar personality

[keen shore]

Thank you Caellyn for posting this image. My day has improved drastically since viewing it and it is so cute I am going to cry

I think this is the only art I’ve seen where you can actually kinda see their skin tones which is extremely cool to me!!!!!!

[eternal totem]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[eternal totem]

https://twitter.com/thatskygame/status/1541496666259324932?s=21&t=aee3bK8IaLSQmn-cDOGaBg It’s official artwork!

[calm jay]

WAAAH thats so cute

[hushed steeple]

oh no nothing ^^
I'm happy if it makes you happy! ^^

this is the first time that tgc we share an art to conclude the season ^^

[keen shore]

I really hope it’s the first time of many this is so cute. I love their faces and how happy they are I am crying

[eternal totem]

This is the second time Rhythm appears in exclusive artwork

[frigid tinsel]

happy ending, I–

[keen shore]

I would actually Kill for happy ending artworks of other seasons . I didn’t know I needed this it is so

[raw crypt]

SEASON OF PERFEOMAMBXE I LOVE U <//333 BREAK MY WHOLE HEART

[eternal totem]

This is Rhythm’s end artwork, you’ve probably seen it everywhere already but it was the “season is wrapping up” artwork originally

[frigid tinsel]

I never knew the context behind that pic

[eternal totem]

It was probably because they were so unbelievably popular at the time exclusive artwork had to be made

[keen shore]

judging by what I see in this channel performance guide has a similar affect <3

[frigid tinsel]

performance guide is lorechat's gender blorbo

[keen shore]

RIP canonneer performance guide is our new friend

[frigid tinsel]

Cannoneer is the the queer blorbo.
Crab Whisperer is the vibes blorbo.

[eternal totem]

Why not both 💔

[keen shore]

the holy trilogy

[rigid mural]

trilogy

[keen shore]

Wait trilogy isn’t the right word. What is it. When there’s three people. Help. I can’t remember???

[frigid tinsel]

trilogy would be the right word because theres three of them

[raw crypt]

trinity?

[rigid mural]

That art is making me MELT i would die for the performance crew, they must be protected at all costs

[keen shore]

TRINITY YES THAMK YOU SLINK

[frigid tinsel]

oh right, trilogy is for books

[keen shore]

YEAH ME TOO I FORGOT AT FIRST

[eternal totem]

WAIT. Rhythm FINGERS are a reality

[keen shore]

the crimes I would commit for end of season artwork for enchantment and prophecy and flight and assembly and dreams and

[rigid mural]

Also, headcanon that Performance Guide got a bird mask because they take on multiple jobs, including that of a greeter (as seen in the final production), while it's possible Rhythm Guide takes on jobs that are more behind the scenes (they aren't even a director since we got Thoughtful Director already, perhaps they are more like a producer).

[frigid tinsel]

producer and jack-of-all-trades twins

[keen shore]

rhythm guides mask is most comparable to the assembly masks, but I’m not sure if that means anything. They could also be the group navigator I’m not sure

[rigid mural]

just noticed they forgot the eyebrows on dancer's mask

[rigid mural]

TRUTH
egg crackers

[frigid tinsel]

didn't Ash say that Rhythm guide's mask was designed to be a "basic" commoner's mask? Dreams guide and Days of Bloom/Nature guides also wear similar masks.

[eternal totem]

Originally the Rhythm ult mask was a common NPC mask, it was due to feedback it became an ultimate

[keen shore]

there’s a very specific subgenre of spirits that just crack peoples trans eggs and I love them

[rigid mural]

teth

[frigid tinsel]

devs designing spirits: I'm gonna give the gays everything they want

[keen shore]

OH GOOD POINT I FORGOT ABOUT THEM. I wonder if they actually have a fancy mask, but we just see them in the basic one… troupe juggler also has a similar basic mask. The only other thing I can think of is that both them and juggler are still learning for their roles, maybe bc whatever jobs they want take longer to learn

[frigid tinsel]

I'm saying Rhythm guide died in street clothes rip

[keen shore]

known egg crackers: cackling cannoneer, light whisperer, rhythm and performance twins, chill sunbather, is there anyone I’m missing

[rigid mural]

Yui and Ash designing respectively Commodore, Cannoneer, Navigator, Chimesmith, Musician and Performance guide.

[frigid tinsel]

🤲

[rigid mural]

chill sunbather has a lazer beam that makes you gay

[eternal totem]

Speaking of Rhythm, a common theory is that they are a bird at the end of the season’s cutscene, but I never understood how it would work & why only Rhythm? The only way I would see it work if Rhythm is some sort of cluster/hivemind that lived for eternity…..?

[keen shore]

chill sunbather has an aura that attracts trans masc people specifically

[rigid mural]

chill sunbather burns grill cheese

[calm jay]

fursuit

[frigid tinsel]

I know Rhythm guide wasn't present in the season's final cutscene so given we know now that Performance guide was their twin, perhaps Rhythm guide refused to ascend until they found their sibling

[rigid mural]

oh my god

[tough coral]

are you implying that rhythm is the grimm troupe

[eternal totem]

The answer was here all along how could I be so blind

[keen shore]

new headcanon

[eternal totem]

Not me! I don’t necessarily follow that headcanon

[tough coral]

(Pulls up my five hundred slide powerpoint about how skykids technically have the EXACT spiritual-ecological niche as the grimm troupe) /lh

[frigid tinsel]

by the color scheme and vibes, Performance crew would be the Grimm Troupe (if you mean the one from Hollow Knight)

[lyric isle]

hello I hear Hollow Knight

listen I have had this joking comparison for ages if funny bird hair with bat cape wasn't tainted for me I'd wear it as a joke to be Grimm

[tough coral]

and by spiritual ecological niche i mean theyre like vultures, but for Dead Kingdoms instead of Dead Animals

[keen shore]

currently sobbing bc I wonder how long it has been since the twins saw each other and

[eternal totem]

That would make the most sense, Director was absent too. A theory I saw back then was that the Director remained at Vault with Praying Acolyte (as in, a relationship)

[rigid mural]

YEAH 💔

[lyric isle]

I think everyone knows who I want to see meet up one day but idk if that's ever ever happening because I have No idea if it's even canon or a thing Ash made up that isn't true

[frigid tinsel]

oh so that's why blokes call them lesbians, I thought it was just shippers gone wild again

[keen shore]

I HOPE THIS IS CANON PRAYING ACOLYTE NEEDS SOMEONE TO TALK TO. ANYONE

[rigid mural]

they're lesbians and they kiss under the starry ceiling

[tough coral]

honestly i forget the spirits have any real personality outside of stagehand (i like their design and find them relatable) and cannoneer (because i can imagine them VIVIDLY to the song Jaws by Lemon Demon)

[eternal totem]

Praying Acolyte does appear in the Director’s memory

[keen shore]

The last rhythm cutscene is just them going to brunch, & rhythm guide and thoughtful director got sick so they couldn’t come

[lyric isle]

ash is this canon

speak of the devil

[frigid tinsel]

Ash jumpscare

[eternal totem]

Ash jumpscare

[karmic ledge]

fun fact there was a Before(TM) version of the right image that had more defined fingers but i got feedback to make it like how it looks today

hello i bring secret finger illustration lore

[lyric isle]

that is a sentence I have never heard spoken before

[karmic ledge]

im not actually here though I should be working on this thing which has a deadline today goobye...my apologies friends

[frigid tinsel]

godspeed, Ash

[eternal totem]

Does that version still exist somewhere- Oh, goobi

[karmic ledge]

it does

[sharp lichen]

One

[lyric isle]

burning question. are off-season and sanctuary guides actually cousins or was it just made up for this

[karmic ledge]

in my google drive

[raw crypt]

the forbidden art,,

[sharp lichen]

Two

[keen shore]

Losing it over someone asking you to remove the fingers I want to know the reasoning

[tough coral]

oh. Oh no i just figured out why my sky headcanons r the way they are... i literally cannot handle a "good ending" where innocent/not Horribly Evil people die. Regardless of whether its what they want, if a character dies in an otherwise good ending and their death is not what MAKES it a good ending, i get rlly upset. thats why my sky headcanons are so innocently sweet

[frigid tinsel]

Sniv, idk how to tell you this, but all the ancestors are dead /hj /lh

[sharp lichen]

As are all the Elders (debatably)

[calm jay]

love wins!

[eternal totem]

Good for them! Good for them

[tough coral]

I KNOOOW but they can do alive things and generally do not act dead and ergo are not "dead" in the definition i used in said thing. them ASCENDING is what i mean by dead

[lyric isle]

(ok but is my query worth asking or should I move on)

[keen shore]

that is incredibly good art but I think you need to remove the fingers /j

[rigid mural]

make your own art

[eternal totem]

Perhaps another time, Ash won’t be able to answer now

[keen shore]

I am strigglig to make a joke scroll up<3 sorry

[calm jay]

strigglig

[tough coral]

if a deceased character is still sentient, able to move around and perform at least half of the tasks they were capable of before their death, i do not count them as dead dead. The spirits are not DEAD dead, theyre just dead.

[rigid mural]

lesbians, psorntoo edition

[keen shore]

I am struggling in every since of the word

[lyric isle]

• I am strigglig in every since of the word

[rigid mural]

since

[keen shore]

my brain shut off bc of seeing the art I am not normal atm

[eternal totem]

Fair enough!

[lyric isle]

fair I am going vifjhdudfghfuhfguhfgb too

[raw crypt]

feeling that, not normal hours

[rigid mural]

love your pfp slink

[keen shore]

I am sorry to anyone this may inconvenience I am just 💔💔💔💔 rn

[lyric isle]

I'm half [feral screeches] half "are they cousins pls"

[frigid tinsel]

their living bodies are dead but their spirits are thriving. honestly, as they are still capable of interacting with the world around them, I can see why you consider the ancestors not dead. if anything, I'm finding them integral to the revival of the world what with them hosting Days of events, Granny, and whatever else they do off-screen in the world interacting with skykids

[rigid mural]

im extremely normal about it, not tearing up at musician looking kinda bashful or stagehand with an arm around storyteller

[tough coral]

fun fact at least once i have looked at the cackling cannoneer and was like "yeah she could catch a fish with only her hands and or mouth like the worlds worst bear" and this was entirely a compliment

[keen shore]

should I post catoneer in chat

[frigid tinsel]

pure precious sibling relationships held to my heart–
yes Salem post Catoneer

[rigid mural]

CATONEER YES YES YES

[raw crypt]

the flower in musicians hair is everything

[calm jay]

the fact that rhythm was included too..........aauauauauauuauauauau season of all time

[keen shore]

Hehe

[lyric isle]

have been obsessed with spirits since Sanctuary but this seems to seal it

[lyric isle]

AWWWWWWWWWW,, YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[eternal totem]

My heart is racing but the sound its making is a slapstick cartoon SFX compilation

[tough coral]

i only understand two of the spirits personalities (cannoneer and stagehand) but i know them well enough to say that stagehand would go out back to chase the raccoons away from the trash with a broom but the loud clattering noise is not a raccoon, it is cannoneer teaching innocent skykids what a speargun is. stagehand shoos them away with the broom anyways they are not paid enough for this

[rigid mural]

YES !
YES !
THE FURRY IS OUT OF THEIR CAGE !

[lyric isle]

I wheezed like a kettle at this I kid you not

[tough coral]

am i correct about this? I have no way of knowing if i am

[keen shore]

out of the limited amounts of spirit cats I’ve drawn, catoneer looks the most like they’d be someone’s fursona

[lyric isle]

I'd say so

[frigid tinsel]

the glorious feline

[sharp lichen]

Season of Rhythm but good

[eternal totem]

It does feel like what Rhythm was always meant to be all along

[frigid tinsel]

while I hate the "Sky lore is up to interpretation" line, it rings true here – we don't get much to the spirits besides the few on-screen impressions we get. their presented personality is rather flat in-game, so I like seeing other people's takes on the spirits cos it rounds out their characters

[rigid mural]

as an ex-theater teen i can tell you nobody doing theater is both straight and cis

[sharp lichen]

I headcanon that the Assembly children take themselves way too seriously. Like when they play a game of hide and seek, they pretend it’s elite military training

[frigid tinsel]

what I am saying is that Stagehand could break up a fight with just a look and if that doesn't work they are unafraid to use their claws hands

[lyric isle]

someone I know thinks of Storyteller as aporagender and that makes me way too happy
that.........that is what the Me is................same as the jester friend

[tough coral]

okay okay so. I know nothing about the spirits and my smooth skykid filled brain cannot glean anything from spirit cutscenes. could someone briefly describe random spirits they think ill like

[rigid mural]

stagehand lifts

[frigid tinsel]

I think you'd get along with Light Whisperer

[keen shore]

O WAS JUST ABOUTNE ME TION THEM

[nimble ingot]

Stagehand would defuse a fight backstage so fast, not even the Percy (Fanon nickname for Perf. guide) would even notice it happened.

[lyric isle]

I love all spirits but a select few are on my brain at any time which sucks but I can only think about so many at once

[rigid mural]

alasdair wrote a fic and now crab whisperer lives rent free in my head

[keen shore]

light whisperer paints the word “CRIMINAL” on light creatures who keep getting injured in ridiculous circumstances using creature safe paint

[untold notch]

as a theater teen, this is wholly correct

[sharp lichen]

I only need the guides. All the seasonal guides are amazing (excluding one)

[tough coral]

light whisperer is uhhhh one of the flight spirits right? With the bird cape?

[lyric isle]

does anyone have any Nod headcanons because yes

[untold notch]

ofc they do they're the only crew member (someone please help them)

[keen shore]

Inaccurate, the second part happened before the first

[eternal totem]

Who?

[sharp lichen]

Correction: Anyone who thinks about being a theatre kid is neither straight nor cis. Now it applies to me!

[frigid tinsel]

you put Crab Whisperer in my head and I wrote a fic as a result

[rigid mural]

wait what when
who was patient 0

[keen shore]

my favorite base game spirit is praying acolyte and I don’t talk about them a lot but 💔

[sharp lichen]

SOMEONE IS POINTING RIGHT THERE

[lyric isle]

have been oddly interested in Polite Scholar recently

[untold notch]

the crew kid in me going feral seeing frantic stagehand is the only crew member please this is not ok

[frigid tinsel]

Sneaky Survivor has me like

[rigid mural]

earliest memory of being normal about CW i have is me reading Al's fics

[calm jay]

i hc that dreams, director, performance, rhythm, and flight are siblings, w dreams being the oldest and flight being the youngest. i just think theyre neat :]

[keen shore]

what about me bullying them with the forgotten ark stuff

[tough coral]

im holding up a ton of spirits like "what do i even do with these things" because i struggle to get attached to human/directly human-adjacent characters for whatever reason. I need my faves to be weird beasties and critters or they do not stick

[rigid mural]

Bird whisperer is #goals but I also like laughing lightcatcher because their legacy is their laughter and that's so sweet

[frigid tinsel]

nah you were going off about them in lorechat and drawing doodles that made them so cool and I cherish their vibes

[celest violet]

so I uh

[lyric isle]

no, that makes sense! I'm the inverse with this game; I have little attachment to the creatures unless about spirits' attachment to them

[untold notch]

we're all so normal about these spirits huh

[rigid mural]

weren't these doodles inspired by your fics tho
also salem i think teh ark crashing allegations were after the dair fics

[celest violet]

i finished
it

[tough coral]

I want to be a spirit enjoyer i really do! I really really wanna enjoy the games ACTUAL CHARACTERS but... ???? they slip from my mind like a wet bar of soap slips from my hands. I see them and just. i want to get attached but i struggle with connecting the dots or even remembering what happens in their cutscenes

[frigid tinsel]

no that was before

[nimble ingot]

Greater Wooly manta!??

[eternal totem]

I’m normal

[rigid mural]

i am not patient 0

[lyric isle]

it's so hard to find people who like spirits much beyond their cosmetics. have struck gold here

[nimble ingot]

The legend grows stronger with each iteration.

[celest violet]

I have attachments to the guides the most, as well as the season spirits
They have cutscenes that give them depth

[rigid mural]

i blame days of bloom for the feral crab whisperer joke

[raw crypt]

i remember drawing and liking cw after LOCALIZE ME and then becoming ts, a legend

[frigid tinsel]

Vela and I blaming each other for Crab Whisperer obsession syndrome

[untold notch]

haven't played this game in like ages but I am just sitting here mostly

[lyric isle]

Bloom confirmed how I thought of Crab Call even before the event

[celest violet]

Crab whisperer has a weird obsession fr

[raw crypt]

cw has always been like this </3

[frigid tinsel]

I think Days of Bloom was patient zero

[eternal totem]

I honestly only truly, deeply love one spirit, many slip my mind

[nimble ingot]

LOCALIZE ME
XD

[eternal totem]

Vol

[tough coral]

im planning to have a scene with the flight spirits if i ever write my crossover fic eventuallt but. I don't rlly get their personalities (itd HAVE to be the flight spirits because 1: theyre the most likely spirits for Goggles to be on good terms with and 2: they most likely at least dislike the king which is crucial for the scene for. reasons! reasons that i am sure you could guess!)

[raw crypt]

spirits are just fun to draw but ive been mostly been drawing my skykid ocs recenetly </3, i should do some more spirit art AGH

[lyric isle]

I promise I get it,, you're ok

[sonic ocean]

i don't know what the context for this is but this is the first thing i saw and (nods) yeah

[frigid tinsel]

Days of Bloom really shifted CW's vibes from "elegant mystique braving the terrors of the Wasteland" to "beats children in a Denny's parking lot at 3am"

[spark cairn]

Why not both?

[lyric isle]

Twirl and their network of relationships of various kinds has been on the brain a lot thanks to Bloom and Performance

[calm jay]

i love light whisperer and festival spindancer because two of spindancer's ts hints were “would likely be friends with light whisperer” and “is an avid birdwatcher in their spare time.” they are friends :] they watch their birds together !!!

[frigid tinsel]

tbh my rendition of them does have both

[tough coral]

If anyone does not get this i am firmly grasping the king by the scruff of the neck and dragging them out of purgatory because theyre just a kid and this is gonna be a HUGE comfort healing Everything Will Be Okay In The End fic so they deserve to be involved with it

[eternal totem]

#girlboss

[raw crypt]

OMG YESSS, i love when ts hints show spirit friendships, its the best, performance guide and postman coffee hangouts canon

[keen shore]

I love the enchantment spirits and they also make me very very sad, bc it is impossible to think about their storyline without it getting deeply depressing,,
also considering my history with murals I think it would be an actual crime if I didn’t like the one canonical muralist spirit

[lyric isle]

listen I wanna write and draw and stuff but only after this week..........busy

postman playing mario kart on stream with juggler competing

[frigid tinsel]

who's the Enchantment spirit who came as TS with the hint "afraid of storms?" cos... yea

[rigid mural]

Tsadi: "Mom, can I get a lightseeker ?"
Megabird: "You already got a lightseeker at home."
The lightseeker at home:

[lyric isle]

good. you should. [not compulsory but yeah]

[keen shore]

PLAYFIGHT HERBALIST 💔

[eternal totem]

I focus way too much on the guide because I am TRYING to figure out just what their purpose was

[tough coral]

iiii unfortunately do not have a swear-free outline to my fic as i curse OFTEN in the bulletpoints however. i am very normal about my beloved Northwind project (i am not normal about it it is my heart and soul and whole life and comfort project and passion project even tho i havent even gotten past writing the prologue yet). I don't want to seem Self Centered And Ignorant but i would happily talk about this darn thing for days and days on end if given a nudge to do so

[lyric isle]

QG definitely died in the crash

I think the Nod fixation mainly comes from the fact that I was Really upset at the time they were then announced and them being there provided comfort after disaster recently striking
and it snowballed from there

[sonic ocean]

i would write sky fanfics but the lore is like. barely accessible 😔

[spark cairn]

Make the lore

[lyric isle]

I HAVE 22 PAGES WITH THE WORD NOD ON IN SOME FORM

[keen shore]

I MIGHT be able to answer this question but take it with a grain of salt. I think they were the group leader, bc the murals depict the largest member disappearing in the crash implying that they HAD a leader. making the leaders of groups larger is a really common motif in murals esp with elders. also they are the one outlier of the group, not having an elemental light and not appearing in other spirit memories, further adding to the implication that they died first and are the larger figure depicted

[frigid tinsel]

(context: Fritjof is Commodore)

Fritjof: you’re their prisoner but you have your own room?
CW: after they let me out, they put me in the barracks with the rest of the crew. That night, I crept out and killed the one the crewmembers in their sleep.
Fritjof: you what
CW: I'll be honest, I didn't mean to kill them. I may have been... overenthused at the opportunity.
Fritjof: so you killed one of them and they gave you your own room for it?
CW: first they locked me in jail again. Then they decided I was better off locked up for the nights but treated well so I wouldn’t off any more of them. So now I have the first mate's bed. Funny how that works.

[keen shore]

there’s actually a similar theory with assembly guide bc they didn’t show up in any of the other assembly spirits’ memories, making them an outlier, so 🤝

[tough coral]

(do i have the nudge to do so please be honest i am vibrating at IMMENSE speeds. I dont even have to get into the crossover aspect bc its a rlly niche game and can easily be summed up as "the main character is a young, skykid-aged child who was forced to be the "hero" and kill a lot of people and they're deeply traumatized from that event")

[rigid mural]

they're mentally healthy and a normal ancestor

[frigid tinsel]

where's the blood

[keen shore]

EDITED THE BLOOD OFF WJDJWOFJENFN

[rigid mural]

i childproofed this picture so the mods don't nerf me

[frigid tinsel]

make the blood pink DanganRonpa style

[keen shore]

crying at how you can still see where it bled into the linesrt

[torn eagle]

Then theres the end cutscene

Literally assembly guide fixing the treehouse so other members of the gang will be attracted to the treehouse

[rigid mural]

I know their track record isn't stellar but skycord mods are smarter than anime publishers

[tough coral]

okay scrap that scrap that i am going to literally explode if i do not talk about northwind PLEASE tell me when to stop i am soooo so totally normal about this project of mine ^-^ let me get typing

[keen shore]

imagine being enchantment guide and watching all your friends die one by one and being unable to stop it

[rigid mural]

crab whisperer getting their due respect through violence, #grillboss

[eternal totem]

Oh most definitely, that’s what I also think. Although they were depicted holding a white light with the season’s symbol in early artwork (I think the blacked out version is still being used at the Ark FAQ page) so I really wonder what they specialized in before tragedy struck, what were they like?
I’m praying they’re used in a future “Days of” event to get a further glimpse into the crew’s dynamic

[frigid tinsel]

love how there's one serious conversation about the dead guides and the one that's about Crab Whisperer doing violence

[lyric isle]

and it begins

it only got worse from there

[torn eagle]

nods

[eternal totem]

Cause… Enchantment guide just stands around, I always thought they were just a voice/personification for the spirits to speak through

[keen shore]

I WOULD KILL FOR AN ENCHANTMENT VERSION OF DAYS OF BLOOM …
My headcanon is that the other spirits only absorbed /got attached to the lights post crash, and the guide was very obviously dead during that time, so they couldn’t and so don’t have a light — but honestly, who knows

[rigid mural]

could have had enchantment for DoR, these guys got rainbow spells

[keen shore]

enchantment guide also might not remember enough about themselves to be super distinct from their crew members and the people they’re trying to help. Like they were so close to their friends they remember more about them than they do about themselves

[lyric isle]

ENCHANTMENT FOR MISCHIEF IS ALL I ASK

[eternal totem]

Alas gay Enchantment will never be real 😔

[frigid tinsel]

Enchantment crew representing the themes of the colors on the pride flag

[keen shore]

IM STILL SO SAD/MAD THIS DIDNT HAPPEN IT WOULDVE BEEN SO GOOD… TNE LORE IS RIGHT THERE 💔

[tough coral]

essentially, there's this kid. Let's call him Winter, source material doesn't rlly matter (underhero but its rlly not important to know the crossover stuff here).
Winter just completed his biiig important hero's quest, dont need to know what it is, just that he was manipulated into doing a lot of bad things at the tender age of "a very similar age to the skykids". This kid gets sent into a void in the aftermath of the final battle, and is off heading to... whatever other dimension it leads to, when the void suddenly caves away into a bright, warm light.
They wake up in the Daylight Prairie, dazed and confused but luckily with all their belongings and memories. There's a Skykid there, tries to wake 'm up thinking he's a moth, there's a lot of confusion because the Skykid (lets call 'em Lanius) thinks Winter is a newly fallen Moth, while Winter just... well technically he is a Moth, by technicality, since he knows NOTHING about how Skyworld works.

[rigid mural]

they can be with enough fanart

[lyric isle]

the meanings of the pride flag:
void, fire, life, earth, wind, water, mind

[eternal totem]

That’s what my little evil hands are doing

[eternal totem]

OH MY GOD NOOOO

[frigid tinsel]

Though wouldn’t their friends be able to use their collective memories to help restore the personalities of each other? Especially if they were so close and cared about one another

[rigid mural]

he/she scarecrow

[lyric isle]

HE/SHE SCARECROW POGGERS

[tough coral]

So these two kids wander around for a bit, Lanius is talking to them and telling them about the world and generally trying to be helpful. They give Winter a cape (basic moth cape), Winter finds that he can soooorta control it enough to glide but since he has no light and is physically incapable of absorbing light he cannot use it to fly.
They wander a bit more, but it gets dark and they sleep in a cave. Lanius curls up next to Winter so they can use their cape as a blanket for him (they were trying to be nice since he looked cold) and, whaddyaknow, Winter ends up having a nightmare. A nightmare quickly cut off by Megabird visiting his dream, her presence is comforting and soothing despite neither of them knowing who the heck the other is. Winter wakes up, never mentions his dream to anyone, sets off with Lanius to go wander around some more... aaand they get swept up in a wind current and tossed into the Isle of Dawn.

[keen shore]

YEAH that’s what I think happened post season, but bc the other spirits hadn’t been ascended until the end of the season, we didn’t get to see its effects. (I didn’t actually think of this before you mentioned it but now I am jumping at the chance for a happy ending)

[eternal totem]

More must have died from the crash, it actually must’ve been terrifying, I don’t think a group of 7 can operate a vessel this large on their own

[rigid mural]

@lyric isle whats the flag on the left side of your icon

[eternal totem]

Aromantic…?

[frigid tinsel]

Yea that’s the aro flag

[rigid mural]

definitely not gonna do evil deeds

[raw crypt]

YIPIIIIIII

[keen shore]

imagining a third performance guide icon but with the aro flag this time

[raw crypt]

made that already <3

[frigid tinsel]

Eating

I’m gonna do something sacrilegious

[lyric isle]

I have projected aro onto Nod I admit

[tough coral]

They wander around a bit more, this fic is mostly wandering for the first little while. Lanius rlly likes the isle bc its warm and sunny and comfortable and winter is convinced that its cursed and trying to steal their souls or something (this kid has serious trust issues). They pass by a bunch of murals, whatever whatever, everythings pretty slow. Eventually, they get to the base of the temple. Winter is TERRIFIED of getting up there since he cannot fly and, understandably, does not want to be five million feet above the ground. Lanius reassures him, tells him that they will not let go no matter what, and carries Winter the whole flight up there. Keep in mind that Lanius is a bit smaller than Winter and Winter's heavier due to not being a Skykid, so it's a very rough flight, but they make it to the temple.
Lanius assumes Winter will meditate alongside them. Winter does not know what to do, and kinda just sits there watching Lanius stare at some candles and hallucinate dead people. Lanius is confused as to why Winter didn't join them, but doesn't try n force it. He's a mooooth, he's GONNA be confuuused.

is it ok if i keep talking about this fic btw i dont wanna seem. Interrupty u guys can talk around me or tell me to stop whenever

[frigid tinsel]

Lorechat can have six convos at once

[keen shore]

I DIDNT EVEN RECOGNZIE UOU AR FIRST FUAIFJ

[torn eagle]

Its not at full power yet

[lyric isle]

I'm having a very intense Nod moment but am kinda listening

[frigid tinsel]

I’ve committed heresy. Thank Slink for enabling me

[torn eagle]

Nod

[lyric isle]

aroace commodore,,

[rigid mural]

more enchantment pride lessgo

[keen shore]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS PUMPING MY FIST RN

[rigid mural]

NO WAY ALASDAIR FINALLY ACHIEVED GENDER ICON

[lyric isle]

THE 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

[tough coral]

so, they head to the prairie AGAIN. Lanius sees a second group of Skykids, and asks Winter if he wants to just... go with them, since they'd be able to help him more. Winter gets confused and a bit upset, thinking that Lanius doesn't wanna be around him, but they clear everything up pretty quickly and it's all good and happy. However! One of the Skykids in that group, Goggles, overhears that WINTER IS NEW HERE! Xey're, of course, the Good-With-Moths skykid of the fic, and, without even asking if it's cool (it is cool but xeyre excited) shoves xeir way into the discussion because Sweet, New Moth Buddy.

[frigid tinsel]

Totally not projecting Yup yup

[torn eagle]

Annnnddd rhythm guide with performance crew eyoo

[lyric isle]

offtopic but I have always headcanoned Nod as having a particularly monotone voice

[keen shore]

I hear “sky lore is up to interpretation”, pull out my laser that turns people aroace, and get to work

[rigid mural]

THE TRANS SPRAY

[untold notch]

ah yes the gay laser

(hits u with my autism beam)

[violet sundial]

Enchantment guide will pay you 5 candles each if you find nod’s hidden garden gnomes (they are scattered across the ark)

[frigid tinsel]

I got DMed about my pfp two minutes after changing it, like I said, this is sacrilege

[keen shore]

my nodding muralist headcanon is that they’re really into astronomy and the stars they painted on the ark are a replica of the summer night sky where they’re from (isle), because they couldn’t see it behind the clouds in wasteland and missed it

[rigid mural]

AUTISM BEAM LESSGOOO
aiming it at the entire flight crew

[lyric isle]

I aimed it at Stagehand I admit

[frigid tinsel]

Have

[rigid mural]

when nobody got my back, i know alasdair got my back

[calm jay]

THE LPS PIC?

[keen shore]

I don’t need to use the non-binary spray in Sky bc everyone is already agender >:3

[lyric isle]

days of mischief gnodding gnome iap

[covert carbon]

Slink, where on EARTH did you get that pfp I am shaking

[eternal totem]

Check #news!

[tough coral]

Goggles drags the two of them around for a bit, asks how much Winter knows about Doing Stuff (the answer is Not Much, according to Lanius). Winter's too nervous to explain that he's not a Skykid.
Goggles is desperately trying to teach this kid to fly, and it's just... not working. Because Winter can't fly, he's a Masked Kid, not a Skykid. Running out of Skykid Things to try and teach this strange little moth, Goggles tries to at least teach Winter how to get his candle. By teach, I mean "distract him and then shove xeir hand directly at his chest to see if he even has a candle because this is kinda concerning".
Winter does not have a candle. Goggles only succeeded in punching Winter in the chest. It's a very awkward moment for everyone involved, nobody comments on it, but now both Goggles and Lani know that something is really weird with this kid. They pretty much know that he's not a Skykid, but... honestly don't care, he's a good kid, he deserves to be at least shown the ropes, have some friends. So Goggles joins the party, now a group of three.

[lyric isle]

I will be back. Nod on the brain very much

[violet sundial]

Yes

[covert carbon]

Thank you thank you!!

I would eat sawdust for the performance crew

[untold notch]

projects my crew experience onto stagehand cutely

[tough coral]

They wander some more, haven't fleshed out this chapter much past that, but they head to the Prairie Temple and this time Winter does meditate, because Lanius actually tells him what he's supposed to do.
needless to say it's a horribly confusing situation for both Winter and the Prairie Elder, the former of which did NOT expect to hallucinate dead people, and the latter having no clue why this kid is freaking out. Lanius and Goggles calm Winter down, Goggles discreetly explains the situation to the Elder, it's a very "ah. hm. okay." Sorta moment but winter doesn’t know what Goggles told them.
Now, for the entire fic so far, Winter was planning to find a way home. He felt like he needed to, he was their Hero, he didn't have a choice.
This changes in Forest.

[frigid tinsel]

Fun fact: stagehands back in the day were often former sailors, useful backstage due to their knowledge of ropes and knotwork

[eternal totem]

Same

[tough coral]

In Forest, winter actually... starts to like Skyworld. Like, for once in his sad, lonely, terrified life, he feels safe. Mind you, this is a kid who... literally spent his whole life knowing that the Hero would show up and kill him, because he's a monster. This is a ten year old deeply and horrifyingly aware of his impending death, and now he's finally somewhere where he's having fun, where he's safe, he has friends... and that wall he built up around himself, rolling with everything everyone says, starts to crumble. He's actually talking to his friends, not just asking questions. Starting to lead the way every now and again. Generally just... Opening up, because, for once in his life, he's happy.

[untold notch]

what if I cried (but in a good way)

[tough coral]

then i have achieved what i came here to do! /lh

[tough coral]

they watch the stars for a bit, Goggles and Lani tell winter allllll the constellations, they find a nice dry place to sleep for the night, everything is okay. Good, even.
Then Winter has another Megabird dream. Now, in the first one, she calls him "little one", now he's "little wanderer" to her- She doesn't know who he is, what he is, even where he came from, but she's still trying to appear welcoming and unintimidating. The dream is very hazy, since Winter's not a light creature she can't really get a good hold of his dreams, but she can tell that he's upset about something, and she tries to comfort him.
Winter wakes up, doesn't tell anyone about this recurring dream about a mass of light comforting him and telling him that everything's alright, and they set off again. Winter isn't affected by the rain, so he tries to use his cape as an umbrella for the others. It's appreciated, even if he's only tall enough to do it for Lani.
They do some more Silly Kid Stuff, the Skykids try n teach winter how to honk but he can only manage a pathetic little squark and its very silly sounding, they send some paper boats down the river and have a good time, and eventually reach the temple.

[tough coral]

so, Winter meditates again, this time the Forest Elder definitely knows something's up with the kid. Doesn't put 2 and 2 together that he's from another world, maybe thinks he's an ancestor kid who somehow didn't die in the explosion, but generally is just freaking winter out with these vague questions until Goggles steps in with some nonsense excuse about amnesia and that "you're scaring him!". While Lanius is talking to Winter and actually explaining who the Elders are, Goggles slips over to the Forest Elder and tells them the truth, that xey have no clue what Winter is, and that xey honestly don't care as long as he's happy.

also is it ok that im just rambling. I dont rlly care if anyones listening but sometimes i need to talk about my projects or i get vibratey

[eternal totem]

It’s an interesting read so far, I’d recommend condensing into a doc for next time. I totally get how it feels, I’d explode if I don’t get to ramble about stuff & things

[tough coral]

The valley is an interesting part. Lanius seems rlly on edge over here, neither Goggles nor Winter can figure out why, but Winter does his best to distract Lanius from whatevers stressing them. They slide around down the hills, take some harmless tumbles, mess around on the ice, and Winter grabs a couple sticks and actually teaches Lanius how to swordfight. Granted, Winters not the best at it since he had only wielded a sword for three days prior to arriving in Skyworld (the sword is also sentient, able to talk and present throughout the whole story but i havent figured out how to incorporate her in yet), but he's okay enough at it to try n teach his friends some self defense.
This comes in handy in the Valley Temple.

[tough coral]

You see, when they meditate this time, there's no warm welcome or confused Elder. Winter's immediately caught up in a fight- Seemingly, something had SERIOUSLY upset the twins. They parry every attack Winter throws at them, knock his sword away, aaaand... lanius pulls one of their sticks from their hands and manages to sweep them off their feet.
Turns out, that was a test. And by test, I mean "they were very very bored and saw that Winter had a weapon and wanted to mess with him for a bit". They were also VERY impressed with Lanius jumping in to help.
Something to note here is that Goggles isn't present.

[tough coral]

So, they wake up, the twins open the door for them (its the only door that was actually closed when they got there. The twins are very serious about keeping their fellow Skykids safe from the Wasteland- if you REALLY wanna go there, you gotta get through them.)
Lanius is terrified, staring down that slope. Winter decides its a good idea to turn back. He's getting bad vibes from there, too.
Goggles, however, was a bit late. And very fast. And wasn't watching where he was going. And... doesn't stop in time, knocking the three of them down the slope to the Wasteland.
Keep in mind, the Social Spaces don't really exist in this fic. While the base of the hill and the first cliffside in Valley and Forest exist, they aren't particularly special... and the wasteland just doesn't HAVE that space. It's a straight drop down to the whirlwind.

ill sum this area up by saying lanius is TERRIFIED, turns out they were trapped in the wasteland for a year. Goggles gets split from the group. A krill attacks Lani and Winter. Winter kills it to protect Lanius. Lanius is terrified by this, runs away, they reunite eventually (goggles found lanius first) and winter apologizes and they're both just "its fine you were trying to help" and they eventually make it to the vault. Vault is just emotional discussions for most of the chapter, winter admits their troubled past, theyre all friends.

Then eden happens. And they make it deep into the storm before lani dies, and then WINTER dies. Permanently, since he's not a Skykid.
Well. It wouldve been permanent. Lanius, in their dying moments, managed to drag Winter's soul into orbit, begged Megabird to help. All she can do is make him a Skykid and hope for the best.
Meanwhile, in Purgatory, Winter meets the king. They talk for a while, winter's barely conscious in there and is absolutely terrified but happy to have company.
Winters brought back when they go back to the living world, he's a skykid now, he tells them about the king, aaand the rest is a story for another day. There's a LOT more, but thats the main story.

[hushed steeple]

Hey Lorechat! Lore question, how technologically advanced were the ancestors at their peak?

[sharp lichen]

They were most likely at our level or higher, although it could have varied between realms. Places like Wasteland and Vault showed that they were quite competent with technology.

This means sunglasses absolutely do belong in the Sky world, btw.

[hushed steeple]

Also do ancestors belong to a single culture/country or is there any, lore supported, evidence of diversity?

[sharp lichen]

There’s no lore supported evidence, but I’ve inferred that the kingdoms were a bit different, even if they traded with each other. Look how different the Ancestor’s clothes are from each other

[torn eagle]

According to what Ive seen ingame they technologically advanced to the point of creating flying vessels, storing of memories and projecting them through certain means, light extraction devices, its still debated if krills are their creations or not and the like

Im still wondering how they did construction for huge structures

[torn eagle]

I think in the prophecy murals the elders were shown to wear similar clothing (not the final mural)

But i think one of the more consistent examples of culture diversity is the seasons themselves but that is really up for debate

[frigid tinsel]

It’s possible there were multiple ancestor cultures or subcultures. While we don’t know for sure whether there were civilizations outside the kingdom, the Enchantment crew is said to have come from “a far off land” and have the most visually different attire from the other spirits’ clothing

[hushed steeple]

Also, any clues why the Ancestors only leave cave paintings and not other, more advanced ways of sharing their culture?

[eternal totem]

Middle East canon in Sky I said so

[torn eagle]

Theres the memory cubes in vault

But as of now in game they don't function that way

[eternal totem]

Maybe memory storiation wasn’t meant to be publicly available or as easily accessible

There are memory cubes at the back of the Ark spell shop, where else outside of Vault?

[keen shore]

I like to imagine the different realms Are the different cultures if that makes sense. Like they are technically part of the same kingdom but developed differently, just bc of how different the clothes are from each spot and all, and bc I think it’s neat :}

[hushed steeple]

Also,have you classified them? By that I mean, what are their usual clothes, their sports, and more or else anything that classes them in their realm? Since we do see the rythm crew scrambled trough the realms, if Sanctuary is on vacation where did they come from?

[frigid tinsel]

The director’s chair in the Performance Theater is composed of memory cubes.
I need a nap but to start Performance second quest, our skykid kneels besides the stack of memory cubes before telling their story. So perhaps they did read the memory cubes but we the players didn’t see, and then they just sat on these valuable pieces of historical information.

I’m a bit miffed

[eternal totem]

There are definitely defunct/empty memory cubes. I notice the one at the Ark has a little stand as it sets on the counter, it looks like those wireless chargers

[violet sundial]

Those ones look more like lamps to me, idk…

I mean correct me if i’m wrong but isn’t there a difference between memory cubes and those other things that you light up to charge the Vault elevator with?

[torn eagle]

Memory cubes do need to be charged

[nimble ingot]

Memory cubes in action are either very rare, or not shown at all.

You may be further miffed to learn that there is a memory lantern skykids can have as a prop. But the darn thing just sits on the ground and does nothing at all.
No levitation spiny trick, no lighting it up to make it float or glow, not even a way to make it float unless you place something under it and then remove the supporting prop.

[eternal totem]

Kids these days on their memory cubes… back in my day we had to draw on rocks

[torn eagle]

I like to think that memory cubes act like these because of the eden blast (if eden blast did exist

[eternal totem]

We were sold a defunct memory cube

[violet sundial]

Honestly why didn’t they let us do something cool with it 😭 like literally it could’ve been one of the best props out there

[torn eagle]

Coding stuff ig, they did intend for it to be... More "active"

[violet sundial]

Wise grandparent is canonically a con artist

[nimble ingot]

We did not get memory lanterns, but shared memory candles instead. 😐

[torn eagle]

Hol up--

[violet sundial]

Wait really???? Where’d they say that

[nimble ingot]

I mean, how cool would it be to have a special lantern spell that would light up, float, and then play a memory with a skykid with one or two others in the same memory.

[torn eagle]

"Shattered but replaced with candle"

A long shot but, HMMMMM

[nimble ingot]

WHAT!!?

[torn eagle]

Concept art

[nimble ingot]

Damn, outplayed by concept art....
I tip my hat to you good sir/madam/gentle-person

[violet sundial]

I meant more the placable prop, but that is really cool!

[hushed steeple]

Last question, since I missed the season of the little prince, what's the lore surrounding it?

[torn eagle]

I mean-- the placeable came from the stationary ones found in vault

Vault are based om these concepts

[frigid tinsel]

An alien child with the Sky kingdom’s sole gender breaks everyone’s hearts

[untold notch]

pretty much!

[torn eagle]

Surprisingly there is lore tho the canonicity is debatable

One such lore piece can be found in sneezing geographers books when you relive em

[frigid tinsel]

pspspsps

[torn eagle]

Yasssd

Huge little prince tho 👀

[hushed steeple]

Next time I'll play, I'll head to the starlight desert!

[eternal totem]

Figures of importance are always depicted as larger, maybe that’s why he’s so big

[torn eagle]

More important than an elder figure? :00 (Weve noticed that those with head accessories in murals are usually elder figures, check prophecy murals)

[nimble ingot]

Its a collab between the game and the book.
The devs did mention the story being an inspiration to the lore of Sky.

The Little Prince (bot to be co fused by the Sky Prince) is the first confirmed living human child the world wpuld have seen in a long time, who visits the land of Sky and makes friends with the skykid.

The quests parodies the tales of the Little Prince's story, with the birds, the roses, the desert and the spirits of the season being direct references, while other are more subtle such as the skykid being akin to the fox, or the pilot, the krill being the snake and the Prince dying though we are not sure where he went after gling to his home.

Us skykids do know that the memories and friendship will be cherished. As the skykid was so moved by the boy, they were willing to hold on and redirect their rebirth location to the Starry desert.

Furthermore, the characters in the book were adapted to the spirits of thr season, and each one represented a realm. The most notable ones (that I would recognise off the top of my head) were Gloating Narcissist being Valley, and Slouching Soldier being Wasteland.

[nimble ingot]

A larger figure usually denotes an important charcter( like an elder) or possibly a high ranking member (such as royalty).

[nimble ingot]

That, or a priest.
Priest, or intellectual, spirit ancestors may at times appear larger, though hardly as large as an elder.

[torn eagle]

Hmm are there any other murals apart from prophecy that shows figures with head accessories?

[nimble ingot]

Of course.
Season of Enchantment, Season of Abyss, some non- season murals such as the ones in dawn and Vault (elder cutscene)

[torn eagle]

Hmm noted

Ah I remember enchantment and abyss

Totally took note of that, yes

[keen shore]

Dropping this for convenience since murals seem to be part of the current discussion [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FQgj2Ii1A9p1kSly9rehvZU-fPsKtGazuEGvE3Od-Bg]

[keen shore]

The guy to the right is probably just a vault scholar; they typically have those headdresses. I think polite scholar does for example, and levitating adept

[hushed steeple]

Modest Dancer too

[keen shore]

No, modest dancer has a headscarf. I mean the ones that stick straight up and are part of the mask

[eternal totem]

The metal headdress

[keen shore]

YEAH THAT!! Although I’m not 100% sure if it’s metal, I think we mean the same thing. Vault elder has one as well with symbols on it

[eternal totem]

Well it could depend on the era

[sly void]

İ feel like i see that metal headdress things before in a culture i but i cant remember which

[keen shore]

I was about to recommend stone as a possibility but let’s be real, that’s a recipe for horrible neck pain and I doubt it’s what they’re actually made of. I don’t think it matters too much tbh

[eternal totem]

Actually I wonder what jewelry is like in Sky, Enchantment crew are draped in gold but they’re not from around these parts. A lot of concept art depicts stone-like jewelry such as headpieces & amulets

[nimble ingot]

Jade can be another option, based on the old green mote rings.

[sly void]

Yes it can be stone
+there are some things writing on that head accecory and at old times people used to write things on stone a lot

[eternal totem]

Yes jade! That’s what I was trying to say too

[nimble ingot]

If there is such a thing as dark stone crystals, and gold.
there should be other precious metals and gems in Sky.

[eternal totem]

This was at one point on the official NetEase website for Sky, it seems to be an early development screenshot, what I want to note is the necklace accessory on the red Skykid

[rapid arrow]

There’s also a boat in the background! It’s a transportation one I believe since it looks flatter

[calm jay]

correct me if i'm wrong, but that may be the now invisible boat that's still in prairie

[rapid arrow]

I’m sorry, I’ve never heard of that. But do you mean the boat in the waving spirit memory/gen

[calm jay]

no, if you fall under the two-player door with a spirit in wl in it, there's several candles you can light up and a "boat" will take you across prairie

[rigid mural]

Below the island on which you find the Applauding Bellmaker, you can find an invisible object that, when you manage to light all the candles placed on it, starts a path around the Village !

Raider showed me once, it can be a bit tedious to do alone since the candles deactivate pretty quickly, but it's a pretty interesting asset...

[rapid arrow]

Oh wow, that’s pretty cool! I’ll have to look at it after I’m done studying. It kinda feels like a forgotten storage unit that you find, and then take some stuff from it

[eternal totem]

Ah it might be, there should be footage of it somewhere on YT or Shira’s album in its former glory

[calm jay]

https://youtu.be/MpjeL4REOe4?list=PL18B4fwrvkCnGjPOCCGrdkuBEsRpxGW4q&t=443 here's a video with the old light awaits boat! i think it is the invisible boat, those two diamonds seem hard to light, just like the two candles on the invisible one that deactivate quickly

[soft timber]

appears I heard unavailable and otherwise unused content content too!

[sharp lichen]

We all have our cues to come in here

Mine is the Season of Prophecy

[eternal totem]

Mine is Enchantment & random beta/olden times facts

[sharp lichen]

Oh and weaponry headcanons, gotta love marching adventurer with an arson bow

[scenic siren]

Legends said that an ancestor got yeet out of the planet after eating too much anti gravity spell

[soft timber]

I come in especially for unused content

[regal forge]

Show a sky kid a radio and they go feral

[soft timber]

Show me something friend shaped and you will 100% see me go feral trying to be their friend

[regal forge]

Is the king friend shaped or are they too spiky

Do you think skids can get sunburns?
What about ancestors?
Could ancestors get a sunburn if a sky kid tried hard enough to give them one?

[soft timber]

Friend shaped king

[regal forge]

King but they have the bunny mochi on all the crown/mask spikes

[regal forge]

So tell me about your favorite color

[soft timber]

TRUTH!!! Like he has all those spikes to protect the little bunny mochi, also my favorite color is pink

[regal forge]

Going to be honest. I came in here with a theory and forgot what it was. I have yet to remember

[soft timber]

Oh no!!

[tough coral]

Opinion: these r the same person

[regal forge]

Go on, I’m listening

[tough coral]

well, you see... that's it that's the post frantic stagehand and brumm hollow knight are the same person. i simply think this is true. additionally if you put the performance spirits and the grimm troupe in a room together their groups would simply merge with no formal agreements necessary. they would not join eachothers groups mind you but theyd just be causing problems Together

[native shoal]

A collaboration!

[tough coral]

exactly! i simply think this is true and it is also logically feasible in the lore for the grimm troupe to arrive in skyworld. as they feed on the flames of dead kingdoms and oh my gosh it's the perfect crossover oh wow

unrelated: a list of songs that I think fit Alef/The King. Highly recommend giving them a listen theyre good songs
•Egg and Soldiers (Cosmo Sheldrake)
•Star of the Show (GHOST)
•Reckless Battery Burns (GHOST) (This is the one I feel is ABSOLUTELY most fitting)
•GIVE ME RICE (Mili)
•Toddler With a Slingshot (Bug Hunter)

quick warning battery burns has a few sensitive themes in it, however, the song is AI generated and ergo does not follow those themes for more than a line or two. None of these songs, to my memory, have any foul language.

[simple crag]

alright so, question to help a friend, but is there at all any sort of pressure to stick to a sky lore "canon" or is it mostly speculation

[tough coral]

ive never seen or felt any pressure to stick to what little canon exists

hoooh boy I am thinking about the king i am thinking about alef my friend alef. my one powerful apocalypse-causing son. oh dear megabird they deserved better

theyre just a kid... man theyre just.... theyre a kid. they, and i say this lovingly, never even deserved to be king in the first place. they deserve to be playing outside and taking in the sun and Recieve Hug. not making important governmental decisions and difficult choices and dealing with a constant flow of people and problems

[keen shore]

none because we don’t know what the canon lore is either… 💔

although I would advise if you’re going to post a headcanon here, specify it as a headcanon, because sometimes we can mistake them for theories that we’d prove/disprove. Headcanons are 100% fine it can just be hard to tell sometimes

[tough coral]

(Holds up the king by the scruff of the neck like a baby kitten) this kid needs therapy. i said it. someone get this kid out of purgatory and into a comfortable room with a fireplace and mug of hot chocolate

[keen shore]

I agree with this take and although I am not great at wording right now I am watchin*intently

[tough coral]

basically if the king rlly is a skykid that implies they are a kid. A child. who made a big mistake because of probably a million factors from stress to sheer incompetence because they r like ten and caused the extinction of a whole civilization. and they ended up in an empty void for that mistake. and honestly this kid doesn't deserve that.

[sharp lichen]

I’d say it’s much more important to stick to the feels of the game. I’m much more adverse to a fic that’s gore and grimdark violence then one that has sunglasses in it

[tough coral]

yknow. theres several fictional characters that make me wanna hit 'em hard with a wrapping paper tube but alef/king? hwawaww i feel awful for that kid. I want to pick them up and just. hold them. I think they need that, desperately

[compact shale]

My lore brain is definitely separate from my fic brain

most of my Sky lore ideas don't make it in my fanfics and I outright make some lore up for my fics :3

[frigid tinsel]

Sky lore has inspired me to write fanfiction exploring those questions and filling the gaps

[oblique sleet]

Do you think sky kids miss the stars

[frigid tinsel]

TGC answer the question

[oblique sleet]

That’s so interesting, God I love the lord to this game

[compact shale]

What if Sky has a metaphor for existential crisis somewhere and we just don't know it /j

[scenic siren]

Only Isle, Prairie, Forest and Wasteland sent kid to put in trials, Valley and Vault didn't participate in. Maybe because the prophecy said that the king will be a short kid and people in Valley and Vault are huge (especially Vault, full of tall spirits)

[frigid tinsel]

hairology is a dead theory /hj

[scenic siren]

Also, I always found is strange that this land seems to choose its king by legs quality instead of brain

[oblique sleet]

if I may ask, who’s the king?

[scenic siren]

A "winged light" that walks

[oblique sleet]

oh fascinating

[frigid tinsel]

hmm read this: #lore-discussion-spoilers message
my ultimate write-up on the king

[compact shale]

Do I think the King is good or evil?

I think the King was in heck mentally speaking

[frigid tinsel]

you can say hell here

[tough coral]

i think the king wasn't "good" or "evil" but just... a kid. A kid who didn't know better. A kid who shouldn't have been allowed to do those trials and become king because they're, y'know. A little kid who really doesn't deserve all the responsibility and guilt and grief and everything that came with the role

[scenic siren]

Like all the kid kings/queens in history, he is probably just decor. The real ones in charge probably the elders

[frigid tinsel]

monarchs back in the day actually had a lot of say in how their kingdoms were run, idk what you're getting at

[scenic siren]

Not normal monarchs, I am saying small kid kings. Usually a high ranking member of the royal family tell them to do all the stuff, like what to do to people and who to marry, they just saying what they are told to do. They are king but have no actual power, just a pretty decor. But when something happens the kid king will be the first one to be punished
Or at least at my place

[regal forge]

For some reason whenever I picture the king I imagine them just there
Kinda like perry when they’re like “platypuses don’t do much”
That’s just the king
Stands there
Stares out at the endless sea and clouds as they brood over kingly things

I bet the king was a chibi once
I can see them doing the little run

[tough coral]

yea this exactly- told what to do and when to do it but still given the brunt of public speaking and the blame when things go wrong and the responsibility of being mature and kingly

[scenic siren]

In my country there were many young kid kings. Ascend the throne when 11, 6, there was even a king ascends the throne when he was just 1 year old. Kids kings like that usually are just decor and other royal members do all the stuff.
There is even one that has arranged marriage and married his queen when he was only 8.

[frigid tinsel]

if the king was a skykid and around for a long time, they'd likely mature at some place to take charge themself, as other king monarchs have

[scenic siren]

That depends on how stars personality get old compared to their physical age. Their mental age might develop way slower, or Valley elders who lived hundreds years would behave like old grannies by the time sky kids arrive

[frigid tinsel]

just cos you're old doesn't mean you can't have fun or enjoy things

[scenic siren]

The king may be old and just doesn't care if the world burns under, vibing and jumping around on Eden until stuff blow up -v-
That castle too high and isolated that the only view you get from there is clouds. Nice and chill.

[high bison]

Hey @tough coral
I’m back

Here are some head cannons I know you’ll love

1. There are probably millions of spirits in universe, and each sky kid befriends a different roster of spirits. Each spirit knows many sky kids, but each sky kid doesn’t know every spirit like in the actual game.

2. Spirits can visit the material world basically whenever they want, and hang out with the sky kids. Even the seasonal spirits — after they ‘move on’ once you finish the storyline — can still come back (represented by the traveling spirit mechanic). Perhaps they could act as teachers of sorts as they’ve been around for a lot longer, and impart their wisdom and knowledge so the sky kids know not to succumb to the pitfalls that the ancestors once fell into.

3. When we save the spirits, the spirits are like ghosts, attached to something in their past, tormenting them, unable to move on (symbolised by the orb of darkness in their chest, like their heart of weighed down by darkness, and the dark shell at the end of the memory)

During the memories, we are teaching the spirits to move on. While the spirits very are wise and knowledgeable — they know all the history and the mistakes that were made and how to avoid them — they need help to accept that mistakes were made and they can’t undo them, like a socially anxious teenager keeping themselves up at night cringing at something they did in the past and wishing they could go back in time and do it all over again. And while we lack the knowledge the spirits possess, we have exactly the right intuitive wisdom and childlike innocence to teach the spirits to accept the past.

Yes, the skids were originally made to fill the role of saviour and healer, to heal the land from its scars and bring home the lost stars, we can’t undo things. We can’t go back in time to prevent everything that happened. These scars run deep.. and while we can help them heal, they’ll never truely go away.
But that’s ok. Things got really bad, but life never stopped moving forward. Nothing lasts forever and everything dies eventually, and each age must come to an end and a new age must be ushered in, with its own ups and downs to be experienced.

The horrors of the past are very very real, and so is the bright future. And the past must always be buried and we must move into the future as best we can.

The only way anyone can ever move is forward.

[high bison]

@tough coral @scenic siren Also about the king, there’s a theory that the king is actually just a giant mech suit for the prince, so the people thought he was an actual king/god and not a child

Notice how there’s a tiny man in the king’s face

[tough coral]

ive seen this art! i think its very cool but also i kinda sorta maybe ignored it... and created a wildly different design because although i am a fool i have fun with my foolishness

[scenic siren]

Yes the king suffered because all resizes failed on him The last pic in Vault mural is the king screaming at an orb (resize spell?) trying to make it work. Poor shiny boi, he just had one wish to be taller than Wasteland elder

[tough coral]

here they are! my one powerful child! the king, as depicted by Snivathan Snivy the Third. technically (in this headcanon version of 'em) their name is Atlas but that got twisted thru word of mouth and Sounding Cool into Alef and. yeah

theyre actually a bit of a runt and also. kinda never progressed too far past Being A Moth before they decided the trials sounded like a fun time. poor kid never rlly got a chance to have their own life before the lives of countless others were put upon them

[scenic siren]

I think if not game-wise, spells in that world would be super rare, since all the ancestors are dead and no one left to make new spells. Flocks of ikekids might fight over the last bottle of resize spell at Ark.

Unless one day some sky kids learn to make spells themselves. And may earn thousands of candles from selling spells to other sky kids.

Or they just share all the recipes and everyone makes their own spells. Moths may fail and create questionable spells.

[high bison]

OMG HE’S ACTUALLY SO ADORABLE I WANNA PICK HIM UP AND HUG HIM GENTLY AND TELL HIM EVERYTHING’S GONNA BE OK AUBSHQVSJAVS

[tough coral]

YES!!! YES HE NEEDS THAT

[high bison]

I imagine the spirits can still make spells
That or maybe the Sky kids are making the spells themselves with candles at the arc

[tough coral]

he's actually a fairly energetic and confident kiddo but all the responsibility and then Skykid Purgatory kinda scrunkled him. he needs a hug. he needs to see another person and be told that it's not his fault and he's not to blame and to just be allowed to cry

[torn eagle]

Actually the premise of ark is "craft your own spells using the tools left behind by the ancestors" but this was abused before and therefore tgc softcapped it into a shop system where you have limited stock and selection for spells, potions, and props

[torn eagle]

Was looking at the images you see at end vault cutscene and noticed that the clothes of each spirit in the different realm images do differ and mimic the clothing of their elders

Idk if its a sign of cultural diversity or if they just did it to distinguish if a person is from what realm but I find it interesting

[hard coral]

does sky have ingame lore?

to clarify because i am incredibly confused: people seem to be aware of the fact that sky is a kingdom and that it has a king, but aside from the very distinct castle motif eden has, there seems to be no clear sign that it has/had some kind of king???

like have i been playing this game blindfolded or something?? 😭 i’m genuinely so lost on where you can find lore.. the murals? the spirit cutscenes? items??

[compact shale]

All of the above lol

but honestly there's a lot of speculation involved

like 75% or more maybe

[lofty totem]

I only believed there was a kong because of the tall pillars in the gw battlefield it looked liked the king

[torn eagle]

Murals, spirit memories, and other little area tidbits

Also concept art... If you use biblical terms to organize these tho theres "canonical" which are in game things and "apocryphal" found in concept arts

[hard coral]

what are some specific spirit memories/murals i could look towards for lore info?

edit zhii read my mind

[torn eagle]

Vault cutscene, eden projection, gw statues (yes)

[lofty totem]

Stargazer memory

[torn eagle]

Ushering stargazer, Pointing Candlemaker, (small) Tearful Lightminer, maybe in extension Rejecting Voyager, Laughing Lightcatcher (small)

Actually scratch laughing Lightcatcher and tearful lightminer, lore details are so small its almost negligible

[compact shale]

What was the lore detail for Laughing Lightcatcher? Tearful's is that ancestors can and have died of darkness plants, right?

[high bison]

There’s mention of some kind of monarch in the concept art

[torn eagle]

The details are how butterflies are stored in jars

But its a very very small detail

[compact shale]

How?

[torn eagle]

King was supposed to be an active element in eden

Buuuut XD

[torn eagle]

Using tools and then stored into jars

Tools, iirc, similar to the firework staff or daleths staff

[nimble ingot]

I love how each time the King is reading an attack, he is specifically aiming for a creature lurking about in the Storm.
Perhaps, despite all of his wrong doings, and what may appesr to be a villian of the story, he is in fact an anti hero that messed up and was trying to fix things, but still ends up failing to do so.

It would have been epic and harrowing to be a teenie tiny skykid trudging up a mountain, in the middle of the worst storm in history. All while avoiding to get caught in the crossfire between two massive titans at that.

[torn eagle]

If I remember correctly in the early concepts the battle was supposed to be the ancestors vs the light creatures

I dont wanna delve into the specifics because Im busying admiring this headcanon TvT its a good take

[untold notch]

weather forecast for eden "and today its raining rocks. again."

[wanton ivy]

hi lore chat im going to chill here for the lore

[compact shale]

Any questions?

[wanton ivy]

not really, im just here to see the ideas and stuff people come up with, they're cool

[nimble ingot]

Welp, it is 12 days till the new season starts. And the days of rainbow is just around the corner, followed by the game's anniversary.

[compact shale]

OH N O

OH N O

12 DAYS

NOT EVEN 14??????

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[high bison]

Yea I was like ‘wut’

[tranquil harbor]

where'd you get this news?

[torn eagle]

I thought the downtime was longer TvT i need to find a device to play sky again within that time period TvT

[lofty totem]

The days before a new season are getting quite shorter ,tbh i wanted to do more candle quests lol

[nimble ingot]

On the game's start up splash text.

[torn eagle]

dies

[compact shale]

(inner light gets spooked and retreats into core, causing limbs to flop over)

[tranquil harbor]

I'm surprised rainbow won't even be over

[eternal totem]

Just a heads up, it could be inaccurate until TGC says otherwise

[nimble ingot]

Welp, if that is the case, at least that claim came right from the horse's mouth.

[compact shale]

WHAT

[eternal totem]

Hopefully official news will follow soon

[tranquil harbor]

Rainbow ends on the 13th. According to the time frame, that means the new season would start on about the 10th

[compact shale]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[eternal totem]

Calm it soldier, the official date hasn’t been announced yet

[nimble ingot]

for rainbow?
There seems to be news about it being in 2 days

[eternal totem]

Oh no no, next season

[nimble ingot]

ah, understood

[scenic siren]

Do resize potion works on ancestors or elders? If Wasteland elder is tall size, can Vault elder be considered near-chibi height in elders height standard?

It's funny imagine the elders taking resize potion

[eternal totem]

It can work on spirits through a bug

Behold:

[scenic siren]

Awww!!!! How did you do that?

[compact shale]

THE SCREMBLE BEMBLES!!!!!

SHARED MEMORIES ARE THE BEST

YEAH THEY'RE ILLEGAL IN EDEN NOW BUT THIS BUG IS A PERFECT TRADE

[eternal totem]

It’s a bug with shared memories, any active spell during a viewed memory can be transferred over to constellation view

[hushed steeple]

this bug is harmless pls don't ever patch it
butterfly charmer's so cute

[scenic siren]

Wow :D I will try it
Chibi spirits are too cute!!!

[compact shale]

if this were true in-universe which spirit would have the best worst reaction to getting smoled?

[eternal totem]

Just about anyone

Chibi mask exists but I honestly think it might’ve been used for narrow mine operations (?)

[scenic siren]

Oh yes, didn't think about that possible use of chibi mask! :o
Before I think that spirit just use the mask to hide easier

[scenic siren]

Imagine putting chibi mask on fire prophet

[outer hare]

Hiking grouch, pulling a tantrum while shell collecter spams their emote constantly until the smol spell ( or whatever it is ) wears off-

[nimble ingot]

Are you serious!!?

[nimble ingot]

If only we can do a giant spell on the larger spirits like prophecy guide or fire prophet XD XD XD

[eternal totem]

Dead serious, it only works while viewing the constellation though- Yeah, that’s what I wish for also!

[nimble ingot]

I want to try this out so badly.

[eternal totem]

Asking TGC to make us hold spirit’s hands so we can spell bomb them

[nimble ingot]

This whole day I will be snickering at the thought of chibi ancestors and am going to blame the lore chat for it.
That is just hilarious!

[eternal totem]

They’re so adorable, holds them like hamburger

[nimble ingot]

It is a shame it is after the season, a chibi performance gang would have been adorable.

[eternal totem]

Maybe I got a screenshot, I’ll see

[compact shale]

NNNNYEEEEEEEEHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

[eternal totem]

Unfortunately they’re halloween chibis (yes, cosmetic spells carry over also)

[compact shale]

(picks up smoloween Stagehand)

[rigid mural]

Just had an hilarious convo but maybe the Days of Rainbow celebrations takes place in home because it's near the closets & TGC doesn't want Rally to come out. /hj

[soft timber]

slides in here and faceplants a wall there is no way that Fire Prophet hadn't gotten compliments about how cuddly they look

This spirit is built like a teddy bear but also looks like they would rival the size of the Elders if they gotten any bigger

[frigid tinsel]

Going up to someone and going “you look cuddly” or “I’d cuddle you” is creepy actually

[compact shale]

in my imagination, not when it's a child who's saying it :3 /lh

[tranquil harbor]

Children can get away with anything

[compact shale]

Excluding death and taxes.

[young ledge]

children don’t pay taxes, so they avoid those too D:

[coarse kernel]

Not from Eating Broccoli 😂 😂 😂

[frigid tinsel]

Cowards, broccoli tastes good

[compact shale]

...when you cook it like a god

[frigid tinsel]

I literally just microwave it and smear butter on it. God tier meal prep, apparently

[eternal totem]

Wait I thought you said peanut butter 😭

[frigid tinsel]

Unlike you, I don’t commit food crimes

[torn eagle]

Broccoli pizza

[compact shale]

that's because you commit other crimes

[hallow pond]

Hello, there, I wanted to know if it'd be strange if I made my skykid ocs have the ability to use the power in the lights from season of enhancement?

(A part of the lights will be stored in a special magic stone and the moth guides in my sky story can use it.)

[compact shale]

What kind of special magic stone is it?

[frigid tinsel]

It’s your fanfic, you can do whatever you want. Also, it wouldn’t be odd for skykids to use the Enchantment lights because they’re lights and skykids exhibit some degree of light manipulation already.

[eternal totem]

Yeah, we brought the lights back to them too, I don’t think they’d be able to without our help

[compact shale]

I have a headcanon that skykids can temporarily convert small parts of their inner light into different light colors that can be used to perform small light spells. Based on the Enchantment lights and colored emotes.

Of course trying to convert more would be more taxing so you can only do basic spells with this lol

[hallow pond]

Kinda like the ones in the vault but won't hurt the environment.🤔🤔

[frigid tinsel]

Do you mean power diamonds?

[brisk wasp]

lore

why is isle a bit lacking? i mean its kinda empty there, just a desert and only 3 spirits there
the elder's face/mask is not even included in ||eden door||

[flat tangle]

You see in the trailer of sky the area is practically bustling. The area is green n stuuf

[flat tangle]

What really happened depends on which theory

[eternal totem]

Isle is meant to represent the birth/infancy stage of life, that’s why it’s so desolate & barren

[torn eagle]

A thought just popped up in my head when I was thinking the situation in gw with the battles and stuff

Ive seen somewhere here said that the staff saluting captain had before couldve been a weapon, both melee and ranged (theyve said smth about how this prop in the hands of our skids shoot fireworks and maybe it actually shot smth stronger in the ancestors hands or smth like that)

The thought here is maybe theyre right? And they use power diamonds to power this staffs ranged function? (The staff has a diamond shaped hole that probably could be fitted with a power diamond)

Idk my thoughts are all over the place 💀

[hallow pond]

Yes, but actually it will just be a container to store the power in the lights from season of enhancement.

[frigid tinsel]

Skykids already store light inside themselves. Unless you have something plot relevant behind those containers

[torn eagle]

In the switch trailer it was shown to be green amd bustling like what random moth said

As for why isle elders mask isnt included in eden door there are a few (or a number) of theories regarding that

[hallow pond]

I think I'll change the way of asking,🤔🤔 I'm wondering what kind of power do the lights from season of enhancement actually have?

[torn eagle]

Blue - water
Cyan - air
Green - earth/fertility
Purple - smth about ancient secrets... It was used to create the tassels in the ark and change the sky to night time
Orange - fire

Red is most likely relatef to darkness

[hallow pond]

Oh, thanks this is actually what I want!!🥰🤣🤣

[soft timber]

appears Children can get away with anything, meaning skids can literally get away with anything and everything and the spirits would probably be like "Typical Skykids"

[torn eagle]

commits arson

[hallow pond]

Yes!!So the setting of my sky main oc, she uses the power of the purple light, and the container is a purple diamond which fits the space of the fireworks staff.😆

[soft timber]

"Typical skid" their house is the one on fire

[torn eagle]

@.@ eyo

[torn eagle]

TvT "connected with the light" to its extreme

[soft timber]

Yeo!

[frigid tinsel]

Wizard staff

[torn eagle]

Saluting captain actually a wizard confirmed?

[hallow pond]

Yes, I'm always thinking of what else the staff can do other than setting off fireworks.🤣🤣

[frigid tinsel]

If Saluting Captain’s staff worked in life just like ours, then it could’ve been a flare gun.

[frigid tinsel]

That’s cool. In my fic, skykids can use the staff like a melee weapon. It doesn’t hurt them but it can knock blokes around

[torn eagle]

Well going by the thought that it could be fitted with a power diamond

I think it can shoot light beams

[hallow pond]

But I think the one they have is more likely to put out signals asking for help?(If you remember the memory of the spirit, they are actually seeking help👀)

[torn eagle]

Wait really? I remember saluting captain with a crew at the shipwreck instead 💀

I dont remember em seeking help TvT

[frigid tinsel]

Saluting Captain’s spirit memories depict them sending others on lifeboats. They don’t use their staff

[torn eagle]

I should relive every spirit when I get back TvT

[hallow pond]

Yes, but I think it's a way to seek help.👀
(Ya, I did that when I needed someone to help open the 4 player doors.😂😂)

[hallow pond]

Umm.So cool, I think it can be used both melee and far attack.🤔

[sharp lichen]

There’s also the sword from the sword pants, even if we can’t use it

[keen shore]

I swear to god, you see something ingame capable of hurting skykids in some way, and immediately open google docs. it slaughters me every time

[frigid tinsel]

I said it doesn't hurt them

[floral grove]

Purple could just be the umbrella color for every type of magic in Sky

[frigid tinsel]

I think that's yellow cos that's the only one without a specialized purpose, so it could either be neutral or multipurpose

[hallow pond]

The purple light in translation of my native language is "心之靈” which means"spirit of the heart ". So I actually made it into the healing power, while it can heal skykid's trauma.

[floral grove]

Interesting. What trauma do Sky Kids have though? They don't seem to show any extreme distress towards anything

[neon marlin]

isnt eden a bit traumatic tho
also i come here to ask does anyone know what those fuzzy fire trial monsters are

[floral grove]

Either that or Yellow is the manifestation of Light while Purple is the manifestation of Darkness

Zhii said the purple magic made the tassels and turned the morning into night. Night is considered as dangerous in a lot of beliefs so it's easy to associate it with Darkness. In a more literal sense, it ain't night if it ain't dark. Tassels (decorations), on the other hand, could represent how Darkness deceives people with its beauty. It's kinda like how demons in some beliefs are very beautiful in order to attract more gullible people

I think that the Yellow one is supposed to represent Light just to keep the balance. The reason why it's not used much is probably because Light was found everywhere that it would be redundant to use Light magic when it's literally in the surroundings

I know "Yellow = good; Purple = bad" is cliché but if it makes sense to me then I consider it alright

[floral grove]

I doubt that Sky Kids would still be loyal to their quest to save others in Eden if it actuallly brings them trauma. I have not experienced trauma yet, but I'm certaint that people with trauma will do whatever they can to avoid whatever that triggers bad memories about the incident

[hallow pond]

Like when being krilled or the rain? In my setting, skykid can be healed when they break their arms or legs but can't be healed when the candles in their hearts get damaged.

[floral grove]

Oh, trauma as in blunt trauma? I was thinking of the trauma that messes up with one's psyche

[hallow pond]

Wow, thanks for the organization.☺️

[hallow pond]

Ya It's more about the physical ones, but you can think that way,too!☺️
Because the skykid who controls the healing ability is a helpful one, she does encourage others who are upset!! (also my sky persona.🤣)

[torn eagle]

Thank you for this one, much appreciated

[real mortar]

bursts in through the window
does anybody remember when I said cosmic manta just needed sunlight?
I have further proof of this because the manta in starlight desert also lacks direct sunlight

[torn eagle]

I mean purple is pretty vague it could be anything

Another thought, while fire, earth, wind, and water are base elements as seen in prophecy.. purple and red lights seem to be a byproduct of alchemy (spell shop in ark one with multiple colored lights most likely alchemy, while cauldron is herbology and the memory cubes are carpentry)

[feral zenith]

TELL TELL

[torn eagle]

Wot whats this @.@

[hallow pond]

And I forgot to say the ability of it comes from the user's strongest desire, so It can only be used 3 times a day.(In my sky world)

[real mortar]

WELL! all the vault manta are indoors with no access to any sunlight and they're all cosmic, I once jokingly said that they're like teenage kids who stay inside playing video games and end up paler etc. and their parents are all "you need to get outside more you're fading away"
But I just realised that the cosmic manta in starlight desert actually adds to this theory that cosmic manta are indeed lacking in direct sunlight - the manta we see in the other realms are all able to absorb sunlight, they're clearer and bright and not see through because of this (just my theory) and their fellow cosmic manta are perhaps not entirely different to themselves, they're just lacking that sunlight - since everything is sky is about light, I just feel like that's just another level of lore maybe

[torn eagle]

Do note that cosmic mantas are also called "memories"

Thooo wont ignore your theory

[real mortar]

I didn't know that, but that's probably more valid than my theory considering mine was based off my brain going "how can I make this a meme"

Having said that though, if I put my mind to it I reckon I could write a whole essay with references and all to make this meme lore seem more realistic

[hallow pond]

Woow, yes you're right!! Sooo I'm actually still setting her abilities, but the part of healing will stay still 👀.

[frigid tinsel]

No prob but I didn’t make this.

[feral zenith]

I’m assuming mantas that passed due to lack of sunlight or other causes, turning them to cosmic mantas
I mean, think of the manta bones we see in the 4th level of vault
We summon a cosmic manta from the bones
So I assume that cosmic mantas are passed mantas

[real mortar]

Can I all interest you in furthering the theory by referencing sea creatures tending to be spookier and such the deeper down they are whereas the higher up they're found and in rivers etc. they tend to be more colourful, brighter, less gonna eat your soul and it's probably partly relation to sunlight

does that mean if we summoned the whale in forest it could be a cosmic whale

[torn eagle]

Have the ancestors progressed so much they have extracted memories from mantas? 🤔 (i mean they have extracted light from light creatures but still--)

I mean vault is a place where memories and knowledge are stored

We also know that we can communicate or interact with them (memory whisperer, call, and memories carrying us like normal mantas would)

[feral zenith]

“Back in my day, cosmic mantas we’re trendy with all the kiddos!”
But yes I see your point very clear

[real mortar]

I'm glad my half a brain cell helped start a mini discussion about cosmic manta again

[keen shore]

the channel is dead atm so I will revive it with a topic that has been bothering me for a while now. so I know bird masks mean the spirit is a performer of some kind, but does the specific bird they’re given matter in terms of role or is it just a reference to their personality? like the skater having a Phoenix

[torn eagle]

Whats the bird mask for dancing performer again?

[keen shore]

I actually have no idea what kind of bird it is, although the fluffy beard + short beak kinda makes them look like a songbird to me

[torn eagle]

The bird mask = performer thing does it also apply to rhythm spirits?

[keen shore]

I think so, although it might be looser, I don’t remember if mask lore was super developed when rhythm started. Looking at the color palettes on them, the rhythm masks remind me of the elder bird they ride around which is really cute to me

[torn eagle]

Ill let rhythm slide because of this point

Peeking postman and Bearhug hermit not performers?

I remember it was said here Peeking is related to equestrian related stuff before they turned into postman

[keen shore]

I remember bearhug hermit being an axe juggler n I personally think postman was a manta racer, although I can’t remember it it’s confirmed!

[rigid mural]

Thoughtful director has an owl and is in the vault so maybe it's birds that are thematically appropriate to the mood they embody ?

[torn eagle]

So that means they are also performers right? Is there a theory why they changed or discarded their bird masks? If bird masks = performers?

Also answering your question regarding personalities.. phoenix for our dreams skater.. phoenix most notable trait is to rise up from the ashes... I remember a scene in performing dancers memory where dreams skater fell on the skating rink as if giving up

[keen shore]

Oooo that’s a good point… birds from the realm they’re in/have the same vibes as that realm would explain why performance is penguins as well, although I feel like that’s not the only reason

[torn eagle]

Im not sure about quail i am not familiar

As for song bird... Well dancing performer is a musician..

[keen shore]

I’m 90% sure it’s confirmed thst for postman at least, they’ve always had that mask, although hermit probably had a different one in the past bc axe jugglers almost definitely count as performers :0 I wonder what bird it would be…

[rigid mural]

Japanese crane ! The red marking matches :]
Beard might be because these birds symbolize longevity.

[torn eagle]

Then why is his a rabbit when he probably performed in equestrian related entertainment?

Or maybe he didnt perform at all? TvT

[keen shore]

I don’t know if manta racers count as performers enough to have bird masks honestly. I would actually guess they wouldn’t

[torn eagle]

Ho thanks!

[eternal totem]

Performer is commonly compared to a sparrow

[keen shore]

Ooooo I thought the beard was because the bird they were inspired off of had a fluffy/pale chest… hold on let me get a pic of dancing performers mask to compare beaks and markings and whatnot

[torn eagle]

Well the main entertainment in valley is actually races

With what Dark said... Manta whisperer is found in citadel/orrery on a sparrow constellation.. a correlation??

[rigid mural]

In some parts of its range, it is known as a symbol of luck, longevity, and fidelity.
Maybe Dancing Performer was returning to their village of origin to finally settle down after a more or less fulfilling life as a performer ?

[eternal totem]

Honestly I think of a pigeon when I see the mask

[keen shore]

house sparrow pic for another comparison, it kinda fits and the beak is more accurate…. Plus the white chest/neck is similar to the beard.
I think the sparrow one is more likely but I can’t tell 💔 I do think it fits the most for performer to be a songbird though

The general mask and beak shape, plus the beard reminiscent of a fluffy chest being stuck out, REALLY reminds me of wrens so I’m trying to find a wren species that fits the markings

[rigid mural]

Jenova Chen did unofficially say the Dancing Performer design is based off chinese culture, that's what sparked the controversy in fact.

[keen shore]

Does that mean if we tried to find the bird, we’d probably go for one whose symbolism comes from Chinese culture??

I am possibly a bit too invested in figuring out this bird

[eternal totem]

The comparison comes from Korean fans may I add

[rigid mural]

I hold my opinion they're a crane, since they're significant in northeastern asian culture. Beard could be to complete the hair in surrounding the mask with white to look like the bird.

[keen shore]

The only things that’s preventing me from saying crane is the beak shape, and bc I feel like if you wanted to make it obvious they’re a crane, then you’d put a distinctive large patch on their head where the red patch is. I’m not sure, though, the mask could be stylized — a lot of the birds I’m thinking of have markings on the forehead that the mask doesn’t, but are fairly close otherwise, so I was wondering if that was a possibility

[rigid mural]

Yeah but this isn't a China vs Korea debate, we're just comparing birds. I just mentioned China because japanese cranes can be seen there too & the pipa this spirit has is chinese (while the gat is korean).

[urban condor]

[rigid mural]

Purple crowned wrens have a huge colored patch on the forehead as well.

[eternal totem]

I didn’t say that because you mentioned the controversy, it’s just something I always take note of. Like how we call new players moths, while JP players call them sparrows (or used to)

[rigid mural]

@keen shore
:]

[keen shore]

OH YEAH THOSE ARE REALLY CLOSE. ESPECIALLY WI5 THE STAR ON THE FOREHEAD, WHITE CJEST, AND BEAK… THESE ARE PERFECT WHAT ARE THEY CALLED

[rigid mural]

Purple crowned wrens !

[keen shore]

I looked up the scientific name and the ONLY thing these birds don’t have going for them is thst they’re from Australia and not Asia

[rigid mural]

We got a bunch more (disregard the turtle)

[eternal totem]

Performer is a turtle confirmed

[keen shore]

one of these is not like the others

another reason why I thought of wrens is that their song is really pretty and INFAMOUSLY LOUD. the wrens around my house fit in my hand but you can hear them from so far away, so they’re like The songbird

[silk hinge]

sounds like performer's music sheet lolol

[keen shore]

I didn’t even think of comparing performers music sheet to a bird call you are so smart hold on

[rigid mural]

EURASIAN WRENS MY BELOVED
THIS IS AN EURASIAN WREN APPRECIATION ZONE
EURASIAN WREN DISLIKERS DNI

[keen shore]

I FEEL LIED TO, I WENT TO THE SKY WIKI AND PERFORMER DOESNT HAVE A MUSIC SHEET. BAMBOOZLED BY BOTH BLUECONFETTI AND MY OWN EASILY TRICKED MEMORY

[rigid mural]

I think it's Hermit and Postman

[keen shore]

||EURASIAN|| WRENS MY BELOVED
THIS IS AN ||EURASIAN|| WREN APPRECIATION ZONE
||EURASIAN|| WREN DISLIKERS DNI

[silk hinge]

HMHMHMHMHMM IT SEEMS I WAS ALSO BABMBOOZLED BY MY MEMORY

[keen shore]

in our defense, WHY DOESNT THE ONLY MUSICIAN IN THE GROUP HAVE A MUSIC SHEET??

[rigid mural]

Ppl that dislike birds DNI we are living in different worlds

[silk hinge]

oh yeah postmat had just came as a ts DUH!

[keen shore]

one of these spirits stole performers music sheet & is trying to pass it off as their own

[silk hinge]

come to think of it, the sheet's melody is in swing rhythm, kinda like bunny hops! bunny mask!

[keen shore]

omg… a musical pun

[rigid mural]

postmat

[sharp lichen]

What’s happening here

[silk hinge]

it was an unintended pum

[rigid mural]

It's ok Salem gave us psornman

[silk hinge]

lets ignore my sleepy thumbs goodnight lorechat have a nice loring

[keen shore]

sleep well blueconfetti :+)

[torn eagle]

Gnight ||whats sleep? Its 3 am||

[keen shore]

I don’t get this joke, could you explain it?

[uncut pond]

My Twitter instincts tell me it may be an inappropriate joke but I'm not sure

[torn eagle]

Lets nip it at the bud and forget abiut it

[uncut pond]

I'll take that skull emoji as a yes

[rigid mural]

Anyway.

[torn eagle]

Nachos

[uncut pond]

DORITO

[keen shore]

Dipping them in cheese

[rigid mural]

Tsadito, triangle elder
Do you think Ayin's their guacamole pal