#it kind of solves a plot problem and thematically it's really cool so i'm going with it lol

[embershroud108]

As much as I love the cold open in 2x9 where Ekko repeatedly saves Jinx from blowing herself up (one of my favorite scenes of the show), Ekko's sudden and impeccably timed appearance feels....a bit contrived. But it occurred to me that there's a possible really cool in-universe explanation for it that I haven't seen anyone suggest yet; namely that Jinx's Hexgem bomb effectively summoned Ekko back from the alternate universe.

Recall in 2x5, in the scene where Jayce returns from his AU. His re-materialization in the main universe is immediately preceded by Salo manipulating a Hexgem "battery" (for lack of a better term) that we see has started to deteriorate

Salo pulls the battery out, starts to carry it away, and then the Anomaly appears and Jayce re-materializes.

I don't think the timing is a coincidence. I think Salo's physical manipulation of this deteriorating Hextech device triggered the Anomaly and Jayce's reappearance at that particular moment.

This is consistent with the first appearance of the Anomaly in 2x3 which appears to be triggered when Heimerdinger touches the deteriorated part of the floor in the same room.

Now, Jayce was at the Hexgate tower when Viktor essentially opened a portal for him back to the main universe with the Anomaly. But what if the other side of that poral (the one in the main universe) didn't open until someone (Salo, accidentally) triggered it or "unlocked" it in roughly the "same" location. In other words, Jayce went from the Hexgate tower in the AU back to roughly the same location in the MU, but the timing of his return was contingent on Salo accidentally triggering the Anomaly at that particular moment.

With me so far?

Ok, so what if something similar happened to Ekko? What if, like Salo with Jayce, Jinx unintentionally "unlocked" Ekko's portal back to the MU with her manipulation of a Hextech device?

Jayce's portal back was at the Hexgate, but Ekko's portal back was in Powder's lab in the AU, which means his point of return would be in the "same" location in the MU, Jinx's lab. Similar to Jayce, the point in time of Ekko's return was contingent on the release of energy of the exploding Hexgem in Jinx's grenade (or perhaps simply her handling of it before exploding it) which inadvertently opened the other end of the portal Ekko had created and was using in the AU.

Meaning that from Ekko's perspective, this

was immediately followed by this

Which would explain how and why he was there at *exactly* the right moment to save Jinx.

So the very thing Jinx was trying to use to kill herself actually ended up helping save her.

[anneapocalypse]

It didn't have to be you.

I'm not just okay with it, I actually really like the fact that the Warrior of Light and their companions take a more supporting role in Dawntrail. I enjoyed the Scions' role in the story and was happy to see all my faves onscreen, I just didn't mind them taking the backseat to some new characters. I really loved Wuk Lamat and also enjoyed Erenville and Koana and Bakool Ja Ja and even Zoraal Ja as a villain a great deal. But it's more than just the fact that I loved the new characters and the focus on developing them and their setting.

So much of the Warrior of Light's story has been about... the burdens of being the Warrior of Light. How awful and exhausting and isolating and even depersonalizing it can be to be the only one who can solve the problem, again and again and again. It's such a thing in ARR that the patches kind of lampshade the dehumanization your character faces, the way the Scions kind of take the WoL for granted early on, something I've written about before. It's still present as late as Shadowbringers, being a major point of that story's plot that only the Warrior of Light can do this thing, and they very nearly die as a result. This theme finally finds its resolution in Endwalker when you meet Hydaelyn face to face, you learn of the promise made in another time, you learn why it had to be you.

That story arc is finished now. You've done what only you could do. You know why you were the Warrior of Light. If you were at Carteneau, you know why you survived and came back. You know why Hydaelyn had to keep you alive, even as so many of your friends died around you. (That last thing in particular is such a major part of Ariane's story arc; it's the central thing she's wrestling with in the fic I'm currently working on, so it was at the forefront of my mind playing Dawntrail.)

It doesn't have to be you anymore.

That's not a downside for me. That is the appeal. It felt so appropriate to me after the tremendously heavy, world-ending stakes of Endwalker. My character could be invested without everything riding on her shoulders. She could help, voluntarily (in-universe, obviously the game asks you to accept this premise in order to like, play it), without everyone looking to her and going, "Well, it has to be you, so you'll do it, right?" In fact, had that continued, it wouldn't have felt right to me. It would have felt like it undid some of the narrative and thematic closure that Endwalker offered.

So this felt like the natural progression of the Warrior of Light's role in the story following Endwalker to me, and I thought it worked for the story, while allowing me to still feel invested and see a cool new setting and meet some great new characters.

[synthient]

So sometime around the premiere event 2 days ago, they appear to have plopped Ncuti and Varada down in front of this blue curtain and had them do a string of zoom interviews.

Interestingly, they seem to have gone to smaller outlets for this particular promo push - we're talking random youtube channels with names like "Mama's Geeky" (you can see both actors fighting not to laugh when that one's spoken aloud), and a 14-year-old interviewer from something called "Kids First." They also seem to have provided each interviewer with a screener of Robot Revolution. Several of the interviewers casually quote or spoil minor plot beats from the episode.

And because these interviews were edited and posted by these small outlets instead of by the bbc, disney plus, or someone like the hollywood reporter, they also appear to have kept in some of the actors' more spolier-y answers.

I've been able to dig up at least a handful of these interviews on youtube [link 1, link 2, link 3, link 4 (RTD in this one instead of the actors)]. I think this breakdown video also has clips from one or two more that I haven't found in full yet.

So here's my quick overview of some of the info across these videos:

One of the interviewers greets the actors as "Doctor and Queen." I'm guessing this means that the robots think Belinda is their queen (probably because she bought the star certificate to their sun)

According to the actors, Belinda "calls the Doctor the f out" and "sets boundaries" with him. Ncuti describes the Doctor in this season as "fighting against his own intentions" and dealing with the consequences of his actions

Really fascinating moment where Varada is talking about how it's cool that her double-casting was integrated into the plot, and says that Belinda and the Doctor have "a connection that spans thousands of years." Ncuti has a bit of a 🤐 expression as she says that

Ncuti theys Belinda again: "they just challenge the Doctor so well"

Ncuti implies multiple times that one or more classic enemies are returning. He's "checked off his bucket list" something or someone he wanted the Doctor to face. He throws in some kind of "but I don't know how much I can say yet" after each of these comments

Belinda is an emergency room nurse who "knows who she is in this world," is the protagonist of her own story, and is frustrated to get dragged into someone else's. She's less starry-eyed than Ruby, and her job has taught her to have an empathetic but firm reaction to people in crisis

The 14-year-old interviewer asks what messages this season is trying to have for kids, and gets what actually seems like a really thematically interesting response: keep a sense of "compassion, open-mindedness, and understanding" about other people, even when facing adversaries. "There's a level of understanding of reasonings of why people do the things they do." "It's also [about] being authentic to yourself, and it being a constant journey to discover what that means." Learn from "the consequences of your actions," connect with others, "make sure you have the right people around you"

We're going to learn more about the Docto's past and time lord history

Shifting to the interview with RTD now: the Tardis is apparently "bouncing off" the specific date that Belinda left Earth, May 24 2025 (this does probably de-confirm period Belinda :/). The episode where they finally break the seal on that date will air on May 24 irl

He mentions giving notes to the new writers to try things like making the Doctor "angrier than we've ever seen him," or "have more of a laugh than we've ever seen," or "let's change his character here so he's more off-kilter, slightly out of it"

One of the biggest challenges of writing for the show is figuring out how to have "the cleverest person in the world traveling around in the most brilliant spaceship in the universe" and still come up with problems that are a struggle for the Doctor to solve

If you're Online TM and you want to avoid spoilers, the most important episodes to watch right away are 3 and 6, or The Well and Interstellar Song Contest

[icharchivist]

I have finished winter troupe debut episode! It was very dramatic lmao. Was enjoyable though. Winter troupe all had very interesting characters and It's nice to see a troupe that is all adults.

Since I complained about spring troupe issues being solved by not talking about it. I have to talk about how winter troupes issues were solved by literal outside forces trapping them or letting them read peoples minds.

I'm guessing they did this because unlike the teens who are more willing to be open about themselves and pester others,,,, adults are a lot less likely. (Before winter the adults were, sakyo, and itaru? cause the uni students aren't really adults yet. sakyo opens up to Izumi because he knows and trusts her. Itaru. Hasn't really opened up yet but he's getting there.) Whereas winter troupe is a group of strangers and the two who know each other literally are in the middle of massive misunderstanding/fight?/idk mutual disappointment.

(Also misumi just getting trapped in random time loops???? Holy shit is he ok???? Like he was able to figure it was tsumugi and tasuku this time but what if he doesn't know the people? I have so many questions)

Ok rant over. I have accepted that magic exists in a3 and all it wants is for people to get along and understand each other. But yeah once I crawl through the events and next act I have to rewatch spring hahaha. I definitely wasn't fair to them.

Homare oh my god. Just. Holds gently. I want to protect him. No one deserves to be called a broken cyborg :(

Gahhh all of winter troupe I just want to protect.

Also I saw fuyupoly is a thing? Because I'm excited to see the troupe develop more.

(you said you had a Google drive of the inbetween acts events :eyes: should I message you or something?)

tHEY’RE SO DRAMATIC I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.....

And yeah tbh when you talked about Spring having communication problems my first thought was “oh BOY you haven’t seen Winter yet” DLKFJDLFKJDFLKJDFLK

I. think about Winter much more than i should but yeah, pretty much it’s the fact they’re adults and strangers and just. are extremely conflict avoidant, all of them, for various reasons. Tsumugi because of his crushed confidence, Tasuku because he struggles to convey his feelings and he lost Tsumugi in the past, Hisoka because he litterally has no past and it freaks him out (Homare was spot on when he said Hisoka knew he couldn’t defend himself), Homare because he’s scared he’ll mess up again, and Azuma because he spent his life keeping people at armlength.  They’re all adult and agreeable people, and they are also all pretty understanding in some way, so they let some conflict pass by hoping it will be over soon. Some of them like Tsumugi, Azuma and Homare are also pretty analytic of people on a psychological way so they can try to navigate with what they know. 

But in the end without communication it’s not going very far, but they don’t really know how to do it when all of them are adults who have got used to it. 

so yeah, like you said it’s really that they’re adults and that unlike the youngest ones i think it’s just. they’re all used to compromise and compromise a part of themselves as well. 

but yeah the magic being the thing solving it cracks me up all the time i’m just. Like. okay. Okay cool okay. Normal. Like. Thematically wise i think it’s because Winter is a season that’s so cold and sad but there’s a bit of magic in it (like the magic of christmas) and i think that’s what it is meant to echo but that’s. so out of the blue DLKFJDKLFJDLKFJLDF that said once that just accepted i really love the way the three magical events reflects the characters (Tasuku and Tsumugi needed to reconnect and find back the comfort they had with one another and plushies are considered comfort items that helps transition into a safer place, it’s also linked to childhood and those two are childhood friends. Homare and the loupe are pretty straight forward, he needed to see closer, deeper. Azuma and Hisoka both were locked into a room, isolated, just like their past (or in Hisoka’s case what his flashbacks implies) make them feel isolated, having experienced loss).). I am FASCINATED with Winter. i just. akjhfkdhfkdjfmldjfmd?? sljhfjldk.

but aah i’m glad you enjoyed the ride so much i’m so happy!!

and god yeah please someone check on Misumi i worry for him wtf

and Homare’s arc yeah!! yeah!!! his arc is one of my fav arc i just. really love how it all plays out. It’s really rare to see a story goes “here’s a character with low empathy: and he’s the most loving and kind character you can imagine”. The way he struggles from it, how sad it makes him, this way to see himself, everything makes me want to cry for hours. I want to hold him so bad.

Fuyupoly is definitly a thing yeah. Fuyupoly my beloved. I adore Fuyupoly so much 😭 but Winter is honestly a slow burn, especially in comparaison to the rest of the teams. 

I actually didn’t think much of them at first read (Azuma and Hisoka were already my favs though, i’m so soft for them)(also i say that but i know i found back screenshot of me crying about fuyu on first read so i did feel a lot but it didn’t hit me until late, how much i actually cared), and now i legit can’t stop thinking about all of them. I don’t know how much it says about their slowburn or what it says about me but; Winter.

ANYWAY congratz on finishing the main story of act 1 :3c and yeah, i’d prefer if i could share it in private (bc it’s, a lot of content and if i provide it in public this is clearly piracy and DLKFJDF i know a3 tends to take down some of this content and i’m trying to be stealthy).

Though if you don’t want to come off anon, you can tell me in another anon’s ask, i’ll link you my drive, then you’ll need to send me an ask to tell me you got it so i can delete the post, if you prefer?

anyway the drive is up and ready anytime. i just didn’t update some of the latest act 2′s events but act 1 is filled and that’s the priority. so you know also this drive includes 1) Story events, 2) the songs linked to each plays (which tells the story of the plays, def recommand it), 3) All the backstages from limited time cards i could get. Backstages linked to specific events are inside their specific event files, else the cards which didn’t come in an event are in the “Scouting file”.  What’s important to read plotwise is the Event stories. The backstages are very good and i def recommand it but it may be overwhelming so you can skip them and come back later for them DLKJFLDKFJFD it’s really just the main plot of each event that you should watch.

(also i should mention only the first two events are fully voiced, the rest are just with some voicelines here and there, but i still recommand watching it bc of the mood with the music and the sprites and all)

so yeah ready to send it anytime you want  !! :3c