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+--- Thread: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! (/showthread.php?tid=11508)
Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Warren Castille - 05-07-2015
Hypothetical panic thread!
So the conversation meta of the week so far has been how we utilize lore or character devices to immerse ourselves. We've had small flares of the old DRG and WHM fights, and we've had people speculate on what DRK's power source will be, and we've all done a good job of explaining what our headcanons are made from.
So what do you do when SE obliterates that headcanon with hard, undeniable in-game proof? I'm talking so very specific that your backstory just got derailed, dumped into a compactor and turned into a teensy two-by-two cube of hopes of dreams.
Examples: SE states point-blank that any non-Padjal Succor-user goes insane and kills themself, and only the WoL is the exception.
SE reveals that all of the Sultansworn except Jenlyns are on Lolorito's payroll, and they were explicit in allowing the events of 2.55 to play out as they did.
SE reveals that anyone touched by the void has their soul consumed and they are just a puppet body being used by demons.
SE reveals that Dark Knight is a faction that's comprised of twelve people, similar to the Sith, and the story quest shows that only WoL is the new 12th man.
What do we do when the grey areas we write in suddenly get a spotlight shown on them and then eradicated? Do we retcon ourselves to avoid the fallout? Do we ignore it and march on in the face of exceptions? What's your worst-case scenario that would force you to respond in big, sweeping changes?
To answer my own question, if the Free Paladin/Sultansworn were revealed to be irredeemable bad guys? I'd maybe fluff it so he wasn't actually a Free Paladin (either by ignoring the title, or just making it a complex lie that he has to reveal to friends and family)? On the other hand, I could roll with it and turn him into a villain. On the other other hand, I could play him as naive and somehow out of touch with the scheme.
So... yes. In a nutshell, what's the worst thing SE could do to render you "noncanon" and how do you respond?
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Desu Nee - 05-07-2015
Accept it and move on. Maybe try and find a lee-way around it if it's possible, but if it's undeniable, unavoidable truth...well, some aspects of retcon are in order, I suppose. And again, it will depend on how lore-heavy is the group after all.
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Gegenji - 05-07-2015
I think the easiest way to obliterate my headcannon would be if SE somehow ended up stating that Lalafell cannot - and never could - have lived in Doma ever. Since Chachan and Gogon are both Doman Lalafell, that would neatly screw up that point of their background (and Gogon's whole "descent into madness" thing).
... Or would it?
I like to think I've kept most of my characters' details "flex" rules in various situations loose enough to adapt to anything that could be thrown at me. In the "No Doman Lalafells" ruling? Then the Gegenjis could have lived in a small Othard town near Doma and often considered part of Doma... but not. Or if there were never any Lalafell in Othard at all? I could possibly go Caspar's route and create an island near Othard that was originally settled by Lalafell and then introduced to Doman culture by Doman explorers.
If they did all that and then gave us a map saying "These are the continents, islands, and nations and nothing else"? Then I suppose I'd just have to "special snowflake" it a bit - the Gegenjis are the ONLY Lalafellan family in Doma, a family line thought to be little more than a legend of a wee folk that produced weapons for great heroes and some such.
It would take some "recon" tweaking here and there, but I don't it would affect them to enough of a degree that it would change the character too much. And if it does? Heck, I used to be a DnD DM - I'm used to having curve-balls thrown at me.
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Desu Nee - 05-07-2015
(05-07-2015, 10:17 AM)Gegenji Wrote: I think the easiest way to obliterate my headcannon would be if SE somehow ended up stating that Lalafell cannot - and never could - have lived in Doma ever. Since Chachan and Gogon are both Doman Lalafell, that would neatly screw up that point of their background (and Gogon's whole "descent into madness" thing).Pretty much what I say with much better argument. And ew, DnD
... Or would it?
I like to think I've kept most of my characters' details "flex" rules in various situations loose enough to adapt to anything that could be thrown at me. In the "No Doman Lalafells" ruling? Then the Gegenjis could have lived in a small Othard town near Doma and often considered part of Doma... but not. Or if there were never any Lalafell in Othard at all? I could possibly go Caspar's route and create an island near Othard that was originally settled by Lalafell and then introduced to Doman culture by Doman explorers.
If they did all that and then gave us a map saying "These are the continents, islands, and nations and nothing else"? Then I suppose I'd just have to "special snowflake" it a bit - the Gegenjis are the ONLY Lalafellan family in Doma, a family line thought to be little more than a legend of a wee folk that produced weapons for great heroes and some such.
It would take some "recon" tweaking here and there, but I don't it would affect them to enough of a degree that it would change the character too much. And if it does? Heck, I used to be a DnD DM - I'm used to having curve-balls thrown at me.
Pathfinder is the truth.
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Berrod Armstrong - 05-07-2015
When it turned out that Raubahn and Ilberd weren't actually heavily physical and insatiable lovers I was devastated, but a good cry in the shower made me feel better.
On a more serious note though, I just look at where I have to make adjustments and announce it to those I roleplay with before implementing them!
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Steel Wolf - 05-07-2015
That really depends on the severity of the lore carpet-bombing, honestly. If the Dark Knight quests say you're The Twelfth Man, then...well there's gobs of class stories that state the same nonsense which is outright ignored.
Now if, say, the Dark Knights only allow people to be counted as a Dark Knight if they succumb to a voidsent completely, then that's something that might cause me to retcon some things, as Steel seeks power but isn't willing to bend into servitude.
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Martiallais - 05-07-2015
Zarek's fairly safe from any kind of lore bombs I can think of...unless they say something along the lines of only Highlanders can open chakra/become monks or Highlander/Midlanders could never have children.
With Martiallais, there's a few possibilities like maybe if they said that Duskwights don't live in Ishgard (which would be contrary to some other things they've said) or if Dark Knights are actually (as Steel mentioned) empowered by Voidspawn or, even worse, dragons.Â
But yeah, I think I can roll with whatever they might drop on me one way or another.
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Kage - 05-07-2015
For a long time the only headcanon that would fuck with my head is if the current Sultansworn were -all- evil and shit, all working for Lolorito.
I would have could have played with it. Kage joined the Sultansworn knowing there were some issues with it already. He would have said that he joined because he idolized others and Nanamo and wanted to try to be the change.
And failed.
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Gegenji - 05-07-2015
(05-07-2015, 10:44 AM)Zarek Wrote: or if Dark Knights are actually (as Steel mentioned) empowered by Voidspawn or, even worse, dragons.
Would that be all that bad, though, or unmanageable? Technically Dragoons already do the same thing. Taking in the power of the enemy to defeat the enemy. Same could possibly be said for Voidspawn-empowerment! It'd take some adjustment, I'm sure, but I think Martiallais would be able to cleave to this new reveals and still remain the character you imagine them as.
And if it doesn't work? Make something up! "Hey, I'm a Umbral Blade. We're like the Dark Knights, but splintered off when they started delving into the powers of the Void. So, while we are similar... we are not the same."
(Totally wanted to use "Nightblade", before remembering there's two FCs who use that as a name.
)
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - D'aito Kuji - 05-07-2015
I think the only way my headcanon could be derailed was if SE said that Miqo'te were just Hyur in costume.
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Martiallais - 05-07-2015
(05-07-2015, 10:52 AM)Gegenji Wrote:(05-07-2015, 10:44 AM)Zarek Wrote: or if Dark Knights are actually (as Steel mentioned) empowered by Voidspawn or, even worse, dragons.
Would that be all that bad, though, or unmanageable? Technically Dragoons already do the same thing. Taking in the power of the enemy to defeat the enemy. Same could possibly be said for Voidspawn-empowerment! It'd take some adjustment, I'm sure, but I think Martiallais would be able to cleave to this new reveals and still remain the character you imagine them as.
And if it doesn't work? Make something up! "Hey, I'm a Umbral Blade. We're like the Dark Knights, but splintered off when they started delving into the powers of the Void. So, while we are similar... we are not the same."
(Totally wanted to use "Nightblade", before remembering there's two FCs who use that as a name.
Given that Dragoons are sanctioned by the See and fight for/protect Ishgard if Dark Knights did the same while turning that power -against- the corrupt (but likely appearing good) officials/nobles/etc it would drive the wedge in that much harder IMO. He's an Ishgardian and while (behind closed doors) he doesn't agree with everything the See does and the people leading it, taking the power of dragons and turning it against his own people would pretty much be jumping over the line to heretic-land.
Doable but not quite what I had in mind. I'd roll with it somehow, agreed but it would definitely take the character down a different path. It would be more 'any means necessary' than 'do the right thing at personal cost' if that makes sense?
Also Nightblades are from Elder Scrolls, too.
I think both guilds have a space in their names while the ES class doesn't. 
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Mercer - 05-07-2015
This is one of the few instances I'm glad I've kept my character outside of most of the lore factions. He's Aether numb, a sellsword, a marauder and whoreson. None of the organizations are exactly clamoring for his talents.
That said he is undertaking training to be a warrior. If it came out that only the WoL could withstand the beast within I think a good amount of good ol' fashioned bezerker RP is in order. If it comes out that only the WoL could ever take the training, then it all comes down to being trained by a fraud.
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Max - 05-07-2015
Retcon, rewrite, compromise, etc.
I honestly wouldn't be that disappointed if a headcanon of mine is debunked. I tend to expect it beforehand when roleplaying an ongoing series. I usually just adapt by rewriting it to fit the new lore. Either that or doing away with certain aspects of his story completely.
IE Max's Ala Mhigan background. If the story takes us there, there's a HUGE chance that a lot of his backstory could be invalidated (which is why I'm currently in the process of genericizing him, so his character is less likely to be rocked horrendously by future developments in the story)
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Jonexe - 05-07-2015
The only thing that could really 'ruin' Zozo is if they made an announcement that it's physically impossible to know more than one form of magic.Â
I never say that he's a WHM/BLM/otherwise; merely that he has extensively studies the base class forms. While some of his actual back story could be compromised by certain changes; he never directly comes out and tells people any of them. More, he becomes vague and skirts around the subject.
Anything that ruins what I have developed for him I could pretty easily discard. Even if the above (only one kind of magic) was put out, I could pretty easily say he's studied the other forms, but can't actually perform them.
RE: Disaster! SE just ruined your headcanon! - Unnamed Mercenary - 05-07-2015
SE kinda already did. I made my character with that in mind.
NOTE: You'll be metagaming if you "find out" what I'm going to say without actually working with me on this.
Franz is Garlean. As in, he's a pure-blooded Garlean, can't use aether, has the third eye, grew up in Garlemald, blah blah.
BUT! BUT!!! BUT I've seen Franz healing people with a book at the Grindstone and stuff!!
-yup- I went there. Franz can do magic-y things.
So! How'd I get around that? (The truth is, I never really needed to).
Franz never actually had the inherent ability to use aether. He never learned any spells, went to mage school, or any of that. What he did do was act like a dumbass and sign up for an experiment in Garlemald for artificial aether reserves. You know, like a magitech device that would draw in aether and then allow someone to weild it. Aether comes in, magic goes out. (For FF8 players, think sorta like the draw system). But it was a prototype. And it broke. Poor Franz. The Garleans deemed the thing a failure, killed the couple other surviving test subjects, and left him to go die in the desert after someone capable of magic basically fried his brain.
So this big angry hyur wakes up with a mind-splitting headache, a broken magitek device jammed somewhere in his body or maybe some personal aetherial field (like a soul) or something, and no memory of who he is. And he's highly unstable. That magitech thing is just not working properly. But he kept fighting on.
Fast forward through LOTS of just -wonderful- events and suffering, and we've got a person who's kinda sorta figured out how this device worked tacitly, had a few "accidents" with people who were more knowledgable, and has gotten control of his life aether. Sorta. He goes around casting spells without really knowing why they work, but he has a visceral understand of how they're supposed to work. So he just wings it and makes his own as he goes. Totally safe.
small edit: That's just the tip of the iceberg. Find out more in RP! (maybe)