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Amianne · **02-24-2016, 10:59 AM**

So I had a question..
Does it specify anywhere in lore about reincarnation? I know this might be a silly question, but I'm coming up with a little rp twist plot thing, and I would like to be accurate to lore.
Do characters reincarnate, and is there anyway for them to have glimpses of that past? Is it like your own aether recycling?
Thank you in advance for your help!

Warren Castille · **02-24-2016, 11:02 AM**

I can't speak for the absolute truth, but the only bit I remember specifically is that on death, your aether returns to the lifestream. It's probably reasonable enough to presume that it gets spun out elsewhere at a later time.

Shoshopu · **02-24-2016, 01:20 PM**

I'm with Warren on this one, that's my understanding of how it works too. However, it's also implied that when a dead thing's aether goes back into the lifestream it's scattered about- it'd be like dumping your soda into a river and then trying to fish the soda back out.

However I think something like reincarnation could happen if somehow, and the odds would be very very low of this, most or all of that person's original aether ended up getting recycled into another life, by sheer coincidence. That'd make it a very rare and special thing but totally possible, I think.

Momo · **02-24-2016, 01:53 PM**

I think reincarnation is a strong word for what I think would be the more likely scenario. Â If Soulstones, Ascians, Y'shtola, and the theories behind their circumstances are to be believed, I think it more than likely for Aehter to hold a person's memory, even into the lifestream, and indeed, perhaps that life reinvigorates the lifestream through the cycle of life-experience. Â In this way, I think that memories, certain strong memories, an instance or great happiness or sadness, fear or anger, could be recycled into a new life.

Perhaps, with a strong enough will or memory, a life form who's aether returned to the stream, could possibly pull some of its self back into new life with it? Â Sort of a magnetic will? Â We have seen strong wills play a big part in the division and staying power of a life who dies and is brought back, or who travels with extraordinary means across distance and time, so I think it is not impossible. Â How rare or likely it is? Â Well, probably not very, but I think done well it would make a good story, if you treat it with respect and imbue it with great creativity, perhaps create a story-arch with your RP group instead of just throwing this character into whatever situation at random. Â Can it be done? Â Yes! Â Should it be done lightly? No!

FreelanceWizard · **02-24-2016, 02:08 PM**

As it turns out, Koji Fox has dropped some helpful lore on this, though it's not perfectly aligned with the question. Smile

It offers a few clues, though.

Per that link, when a being dies, their anima disperses into the Lifestream. With enough faith, enough aether, and Ascian guidance, the disparate parts of an entity can be pulled back together through the ritual of summoning. However, this summoning reconfigures those parts, producing something like, but not the same as, what once lived.

This tells us that the Lifestream contains the collective memories and existence of every being that has ever lived (very FF7, that). Is it possible to, then, see parts of one's own past life? Theoretically, it might be, but "past life" is a bit of a complicated thing. Since anima disperses at the time of death, then gets mixed up in the "giant blender" of the Lifestream, while every piece of your current essence has lived before, each bit lived different lives, and wasn't even necessarily from a Son of Man. So, any memory or glimpse would be from the collective memory of the world, not from "your" past life, since there was no "you" before your soul was clad in flesh. Once you die, there is no more "you" (revenants, summonings, and so on excluded). This has certain implications regarding the Echo that I'll leave as an exercise in speculation. Smile

So, tl;dr, is reincarnation in the sense we think of it possible? I would suggest that the lore says "theoretically possible, but exceedingly unlikely," since it'd require all, or most, of your aether make it through the Lifestream and into a new body after dispersal. Note that this is different than, say, transferring a complete anima into a new or different body, which appeared to be something Allag could do (as evidenced by the CT story line and most specifically the weekly quest giver, "Noah-as-miqo'te").

Yet another RP question! Reincarnation!

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes