⑄ 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚠'𝚜 𝚓𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕 ⑄

『 q & a 』

lucky for y'all I've already made a mostly-completed Q&A abt the Shier Whia arc except I wrote all the questions myself and I was just writing to myself at like 4AM in a Google Doc

okay anyways-

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[ plot-related ]

Q:
what happened to Raud and John in the beginning acts? we didn't see them anywhere near the end.

A:
I completely forgot abt them planning to meet with Harmony halfway through the story tbh-
but, canonically, they ended up going into the city - following the direction of the god-eaters. Raud ended up taking Snakebite with her, where they intended to help those who were being harmed.
John just fucking went on a massacre on the Shier Whia bc Raud wasn't there to control him-

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Q:
what was with the statues at the Core? why were two of them 'dead'?

A:
the statues represented each of the Seven Overseers.
the two dead ones were Kozbi & Juju, due to their separation from their Clans and the Core.
if they stayed as Overseers, then their statues would probably have the most terrifying boss battles due to both of their power-

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Q:
what did Kozbi mean when they accused Mitsuaki of letting the Core control him?

A:
all living Shier Whia, being products of the Core itself, pledged their loyalty to the Core the moment they were Infected. this technically counts as mind control/an incredibly strong spell - however, this spell can be broken, like when Daeva/Jilaiya left the clan. this spell can also be welcomed BACK onto the former clan member if they so desire.
Mitsuaki was still conflicted about helping an "enemy". the Core took advantage of that moment of hesitation in an attempt to stop Kozbi/the others from killing it.
Mitsu didn't notice the spell until the Core actively spoke, and by then the Core was already in full control.
Mitsu would probably be dead if Kozbi's power, "Dreams of Divinity" didn't cancel all existing effects/spells on other characters when cast.

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Q:
what happened with Jilaiya & Daeva? why were their marks hurting?

A:
since they're both weaker Shier Whia, the Core had a bigger influence on them. it was simply trying to turn them into mindless killers like their former Clanmates. it didn't work bc the Core is a bitch.
their markings were hurting due the conflict of the Core attempting to use the seals/markings on their chests to draw them back into their former lifestyle, and the duo resisting bc of their new one.

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Q:
what was the deal Kozbi made with Mitsuaki? was it something regarding showing him her face?

A:
I can't say anything abt the deal. but no, it had nothing regarding her face. Mitsuaki was just being a curious bastard at the end.

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Q:
what happened to the grove after the Core was killed??

A:
after everything was settled, a few days later Xena & her team ended up burning everything that remained - to get rid of the rot for good and get rid of any chance of Shier Whia being created again. earthbending team members rebuilt craters in the dirt and the underground caves.
the grove will quickly rebuild itself with little to no outside assistance.