Inferences and headcanon

[vermilloci]

♢ INTRO ♢

Final Fantasy Type-0 is a "dead canon", meaning that there is no more material or interviews being done about it. The canon consists of the base game on the PS4, Final Fantasy Type-0: Awakening, Final Fantasy Type-0: Agito, a manga, and two novels. Because of budget, time constraints, and other projects, the canon remains unfinished and contains many unsolved mysteries/explanations. Below is a list of both inferences and headcanons I've compiled together. Most of these are pertinent to Rem.

Inferences are based on what canon information, lore, and background is available to provide extra insight and explanation into a canon event, phenomena, or power.
Headcanon are added bits, but I do try to use my inferences to back them up.

SPOILERS for Final Fantasy Type 0 and all of its adjuncts ahead.

♢ POWERS & CAPABILITIES ♢

• Magic negation and Crystal Jammer. Pertinent to both Machina and Rem, who were not raised by Arecia, they are not able to keep their magic when a magic-negation device is used-- initially. In game, Arecia explains that phantoma is the reason that the Class 0 cadets are able to use magic even when the Crystal/magic is negated. Also in game, consuming phantoma replenishes the magic gauge. This implies that the cadets use the power of souls to not only amplify their magic, but sustain their magic in times where they otherwise would be limited.
  
  • In the manga where a magic-jammer is used against the party, Rem overcomes this handicap by brute-forcing her spells anyways.
    
  • In Colonel Faith's Last Stand mission, another type of magic-jammer is introduced. Whereas in the previous missions if a magical-jammer was used, Rem was excluded from participating, in this one she is allowed. She stands alongside the rest of Class 0 with her magic still intact. The only magic limited for all party members is healing-type.
    
  • Inference: Rem overcomes magic-negation devices at latest by canon-end, but most certainly sooner (as the manga implies). She, too, uses phantoma to assist with this. (See "Phantoma" below.)
• Rem has the abilities known as Manalchemy "mana-alchemy" and a peculiar attack called "Siphon Sphere" and "Siphon Delta". Manalchemy involves the conversation of one source of power/magic to another; for Rem, this involves converting the power/magic of a creature (i.e. fire, electric) or human (neutral) and either taking it for herself or giving it to others. Given the nature of Rem's power, it seems she's siphoning not just a specific element from a living being, but their life essence.
  
  • Inference: Rem's manalchemy and siphoning abilities are something she's specifically developed in relation to her abilities to see, siphon, and reap both magic and souls.
    
  • In the Siphon Delta attack, a white, crystalline mist reaps across the field, and this is notable because the essence of this white power is specific to the Void. Her Siphon Delta attack not only drains the magic from someone, but kills them-- and upon death, their soul is automatically harvested (consumed at that, not stored for later use).
    
  • Headcanon: She's honed these skills because of her weakened constitution/soul. It was as much a survival tactic as it was used to defend against her enemies.

♢ L'CIE STATUS & ABILITIES ♢

• L'Cie are regarded as demigods in canon-- especially those classified as "Primus" l'cie. Visually we only see a fraction of their power and battles, as most of the game consists of playing characters who are not l'cie. When you are able to play as a l'cie, you are only able to play as a Secundus l'cie, not a Primus. Rem is a Primus l'cie.
  
• The highlighted areas represent the devastation as either wrought by a l'cie (box 12) or survived by a l'cie (boxes 3; 10-9). Earth map juxtaposed to give a sense of scale. See map linked or look below, and note that this is not a single continent, but Orience's entire globe, as later on an airship going over the edges of the map brings you back on the opposite side.
  
  • 
  • Box 3: We see that even Secundus can survive an Ultima Bomb-- a bomb so powerful that it literally wipes out an entire nation and region.
    • Inference: if a Secundus l'cie can survive this sort of attack with injuries, then so can Rem as a Primus with no problem.
  • Two Primus l'cie fighting can wipe out entire sub-regions and cities. see box 12 above for the (smaller) crater left on the map. When a l'cie enters the battlefield, soldiers are called to retreat because they will most likely be annihilated in the collateral damage l'cie cause.
    
  • Boxes 9-10. Secundus l'cie can block and survive a Verboten Eidolon attack. We see this with Machina against the Verboten Eidolon Alexander, whose attack not only obliterates Milites' wall, but leaves a scar on the globe so large it permanently changes the map. see the mark cutting boxes 9 & 10.
    
    • Inference: if a Secundus l'cie can use magic to utterly block this sort of world-wrecking attack, so can a Primus.
• So a few caveats, tho'. Rem is a new Primus L'cie. Inference: She's still getting used to her powers.
  
• Once becoming a l'cie, it makes the person immortal. L'cie cease to age. As for personality/will, two things influence the rate at which a l'cie self deteriorates: (1) how long they've been a l'cie and (2) how strong the Crystal impresses its will upon their chosen.
• Although effectively immortal as a l'cie... Rem is also, well, not. Her soul is made weak by the goddess who created the Crystals in the first place.
• Inference: the goddess' curse/shackle/whatever-you-wanna-call-it supersedes the Crystal's ability to make Rem immortal.
  
• Headcanon: however, the l'cie status does grant her extra time. She ceases aging, but she will still suffer from the curse and eventually deteriorate.
• Orience l'cie can enter the Void. We see this as both Rem and Machina, among others l'cie in the extra Type-0 canon, are able to travel to Pandemonium... which is in the Void.
  
• Verboten Eidolons. A secundus l'cie (Caetuna) is shown to be able to siphon living soldiers' phantoma, sacrificing their lives to summon a Verboten. Other Verboten Eidolons are said to take a toll of 8000+ experienced mages' phantoma or "half the nation's population" to be summoned.
  
  • Inference: If a Secundus l'cie can siphon the phantoma of "half the nation's population" in one sitting, so can a Primus take that many souls at once.
• In FFT-0: Agito, we see a single Flare attack from a secundus l'cie wipe out an entire base, and then another Milites battalion, roughly 50k people in one hit.
  • Inference: u know the drill. If a Secundus can do this, so can a Primus.

♢ PHANTOMA ♢

• "Souls return to the celestial father, and flesh to the terrestrial mother—so says the law of nature. Some spirits, however, are not so fortunate. Some wander for eternity, searching for a purpose."
  
• Dr. Arecia early on tells Ace and the other Class 0 cadets to not tell Rem and Machina about all the classified info about phantoma... Yet they're still ordered to harvest it, and they're still allowed into the "sacred" place that houses the Altocyrstarium where they too, can exchange the souls they’ve collected to enhance their power.
  • Inference: Since it is both "sacred" to a literal goddess and doesn't appear to be in the same plane as Orience, the Altocrystarium is within a section of the Void (not that they know they're in the Void). The cadets are able to go there because Arecia gives them a portal only they can use.
    
  • Like the others, Machina and Rem can exchange souls to enhance their magic.
    
    • Inference: It's really not that "classified" for Machina or Rem, tbh. They know what they're doing, and they are one of the 16 people in the world of Orience who can harvest phantoma. They just don't know why-- which is on the same level of the rest of Class 0's ignorance. There are orders to kill anyone who is not authorized to know about research and accumulation of phantoma.
• Machina and Rem, along with Class 0, are part of the 16 "Loci"-- they're ~special~ souls as created by the Mother-Creator (Dr. Al-Rashia).
• Headcanon: As part of the "Loci"-- even as the two who were abandoned by the goddess-- Machina and Rem knew they could both sense others' souls and harvest them upon death, even at a young age. They, of course, kept this information to themselves, because cycle after cycle of being told to keep this more-or-less a secret, the "soul" remembers. It is conditioning that became subconscious.
• That being said, canonically, neither is shy about reaping phantoma after a battle. It's what they've always done in each cycle, and what they continue to do pretty much automatically at battle-end. Also, no one else can see phantoma, so it's not as if others know what they're doing to the corpses afterward. (There is one NPC exception to this.)

♢ SUMMONS ♢

• Inference: It is implied that, unlike mortals, l'cie do not have to sacrifice themselves to summon an Eidolon. Within Caetuna's Rubicus entry, it's mentioned that she, as a l'cie, she can call any Eidolon as well as control 1000s at once. Logically, she would have to sacrifice others' phantoma in order to call an Eidolon to the field while still remaining upon it herself. We see this happen in canon when she summons the Verboten Eidolon named Alexander: Caetuna siphons the older mages' power and phantoma, channeling it, and sacrificing all their lives to call the Eidolon forth. While it's likely she also gives a portion of her own power, her soul doesn't leave her completely; instead, having fulfilled her Focus, she crystallizes.
  
• Rubrum has at least 1000s of Eidolons, with divisions based on the FF archetypes as seen in the game (i.e. "Shiva-class", "Ifrit-class"). Other FF summons do appear in the mobile games, such as Leviathan, Titan, Ixion, Ramuh, Knights of the Round, and the Phoenix. These do not appear in the PS4 base game, so Rem has no access to them. Inference: These other summons exist in the Type-0 base game, as well, and are listed in the Crystarium somewhere.
  • Inference: Given how studious she is ("To date, she has outperformed [Machina] on all written exams."), she would know of these other Eidolons.
• Inference: a note about the Phoenix. The "Vermillion Bird" is mythologically not the same as a phoenix, but in Type-0, they are essentially the same. The Vermillion Bird Triad maneuver will conjure not an Eidolon, but a silhouette of a giant, fiery bird that incinerates the battlefield. Not only does this not demand a human sacrifice to conjure, but it also grants reraise.
  • Headcanon: this Triad Maunver was developed because the actual Phoenix is classified as Verboten (see below), and Sorcery developed this spell to allow some bit of access to its power.
  • Inference: While the concept art of a Phoenix exists, it did not end up in the main game. Instead, the Phoenix does appear in the Awakening mobile game as seen here. As one can see in the video, the Phoenix is depicted to have gears decorating its design, in line with Rubrum. Additionally, the fiery sphere with gears from which it emerges is the same as Etro's Gate as seen in the final level of the game, Pandemonium. See below for side-by-side comparisons.
  • 
  • Headcanon: Rem is aware of this summon, too. Seeing as it emerges from Etro's Gate, it is probably a challenge to summon, if not Verboten.
• 
• Inference: Eidolons are regulated by magical authorization. This is seen in how, while they may have knowledge of an Eidolon, the cadets do not have access to them all the time. For one example, the Special-class Eidolon of Odin (specific in the first mission), requires no human sacrifice. They are authorized to summon this Odin, but as soon as the battle is done, this privilege is taken away. They can no longer summon the Special-class Odin, even if (1) they know how to summon this special-class, and (2) it would be greatly beneficial to their team, seeing as no casualty would be required to bring this Eidolon to the battlefield. For another example, there are certain squadrons within Rubrum's military that are specifically for summoning. If all soldiers were allowed to summon as a last-ditch effort on the field, it'd be rather chaotic.
• Inference: Verboten Eidolons are forbidden for two reasons. First, the amount of sacrifice it takes (some Eidlons take up to "half the nation's population", as well as the power it takes to call one. L'cie can summon Verboten with their power + sacrificing others' lives. Second, because they don't want some non-l'cie maniac doing a mass-sacrifice of themselves and others, the charter for these Eidolons must be known by the summoner, as well as authorized by the Sorcery administration to use them. Sorcery oversees the authorization of summons. Summons not known to Sorcery (such as how many are initially discovered upon the battlefield by a desperate soldier) are swiftly noted and listed by the department.
• Inference: Summons can be made personal to a specific person. Dr. Arecia's personal Eidolon, Bahamut Zero, is one only she can use. While this can be a special case, considering Arecia is actually a goddess, it also implies that other Eidolons can be made private by Sorcery.
• Inference: Additional note about Arecia/Bahamut Zero. Bahamut Zero, similar to the Phoenix, is summoned through a channel to Etro's gate. See this portal from which it emerges.
• A note on the Unseen Realm and Void.
• "Within all mortals exists an extraordinary latent power, flowing forth from one's consciousness and manifesting itself as a great beast. At the tender age of eighteen, my spirit on the verge of drifting from its human vessel, I too witness'd that nigh divine power take physical form. Only in death can one bring life to these awesome creatures. Thus, unto my people, I offer a warning: call upon the power of these beasts only shouldst thou be prepared to surrender thy life."
  
• Eidolons require the power found within a soul to be called, necessitating the sacrifice of it. Eidolons are noted to originate from somewhere beyond the mortal realm; however, it is not specified if this means the Void/Beyond or the Unseen Realm. Eidolons can only appear on the battlefield for a limited time, after which they vanish back to their original realm. In the Fabula Nova Crystallis lore, the Unseen realm is Etro's realm-- the realm of the dead. The sacrifice-of-souls suggests that there is a sort of exchange-of-souls going on, but that even with such an exchange, a being from the other realm (that is, the Eidolon), can only linger for so long. In Type-0's case, it's very brief, maybe 90s at most for many of the summons in the Ps4 game, or just for the duration of a special attack as seen in Type-0: Awakening.
  • Inference: This implies that either 1) they're swiftly pulled back because they're from either the void or the Unseen Realm; or 2) it's a soul-for-a-soul trade. Regardless, the Eidolons do not last in the living realm because they're not supposed to be in the realm of the living.
    
  • Headcanon: I'm okay with agreeing with the "all Eidolons are from the Unseen Realm" theory as it's a soul-for-a-soul type of trade... But I'm also partial to the theory that most Eidolons are from the Void, while the special ones-- Bahamut ZERO, the Phoenix-- are from the Unseen Realm, as both their summons depict Etro's Gate. The former is summoned by a creator-goddess; the latter literally comes from the sphere with gears that is Etro's Gate in Orience. Gonna leave this up in the air until it becomes pertinent to a thread tbh.

♢ BACKGROUND ♢

• See "phantoma" for early detection/use of phantoma.
  
• Deja-vu. "The soul remembers", as Dr. Arecia puts it. While this is mostly a subconscious influence on Rem, she is as affected as any other Loci.
  • Headcanon: Rem experiences deja-vu for key points (Tempus Finis in particular).
• Recalling the Dead. Rem does not specifically recall the dead, but she has a very strange association with it compared to the others. For example, after her village is burned down by Milites, somehow as a child, she is able to dig through the ashes, locate, and pick out every single villager's knowing tag within the rubble. She is able to identify each of the knowing tags as to whom they belonged (i.e. this is the baker's, this is her neighbor's).
  • Inference: Early-life for Rem (and by extension, Machina), does not change much within each cycle, mostly because they are powerless children at this point. This means that compared to all the variations that occur later during adolescence, this early stage is consistent. From previous cycles of doing the exact same thing each time, Rem is able to subconsciously know and locate each knowing tag and where to find it each time the village-burning occurs.
    • Rem, canonically, does not tell anyone she went back to her village to find each knowing-tag until late-game. She does this risking the scrutiny she'll receive from others.
• "Etro's Smile". According to Hajime Tabata, the game's writer/director, Rem's smile is Etro's smile, and Etro looks over Machina via Rem's eyes. This bears some significance, as Etro is the goddess of death-- who is only mentioned once in the Nameless Tome. She's much more relevant in Final Fantasy XIII; however, Rem somehow has a unique tie to the goddess, but we just don't know what.
  • Inference: Rem has a few unique abilities that are in relation to death/life. 1. All "Loci" have the ability to see and harvest phantoma; however Rem has the unique ability via Siphon Delta to not only drain someone's life then their soul, but also consume it on the spot. We know this because unlike gathering other phantoma from corpses, the phantoma taken from an enemy does not show up in the inventory afterward. No other character can do this. 2. While all cadets can learn the "Reraise" spell via the Altocrystarium, only Rem can naturally achieve a work-around to the Reraise spell. Granted, her version only lasts 10 seconds, but it is an ability unique to her.
  • Inference: Rem is somehow tied to the goddess of death, but that's kinda the extent of it, and the mysteries of this game were never finished. The actual Etro is in the "Unseen Realm".
  • Inference: This loose tie to Etro may also add an extra reason as to why Arecia (who is the creator-goddess of Orience) dislikes Rem, as she is one of the gods who wishes to open the gate to the Unseen Realm.

♢ WORLD HISTORY/BACKGROUND ♢

• Holidays
  • Winter Holiday: In FFT-0:Agito there's a winter holiday called "Starry Night". The banner for this holiday features a decorated evergreen tree. It's also loosely associated with snow because students also have this ~brilliant idea~ to go into Milites territory and steal their "Snow Shine", aka the "snow that doesn't melt". While the banner itself is obviously based on a real world yule/christmas tree to coincide with the holiday when the mobile game event occurred, listen, it's the best thing we get for Orience having an associated winter holiday!! So I'm gonna run with it and try to make some interpretation of it to fit the world of Orience.
    • Inference: This winter holiday is something that the people of the Dominion, as well as Milites, celebrate during the winter months. Could be a solstice-type of deal? For the Dominion, it definietly has to do with the the night sky. Stargazing is definitely a thing during this time.
    • The mobile game also features a constellation linked to each Eidolon, each having seven stars. Eidolons were once worshiped as "war gods" before being regarded as more-or-less weapons of war.
    • Headcanon: Since this is a "Starry Night" festival, the festival might originally have had a religious association with it (in the Dominion, at least), which then grew to be more secular. Traditions include decorating wreaths, trees, mistletoe etc, but also with a focus on stars/starlight with lights to symbolize the Eidolons' celestial markers. Ornaments are made of tiny crystals linked together in the Eidolons' unique astral constellations. Gift-giving is also celebrated, with a focus on a starry theme.
    • Headcanon: Since there is canon evidence (as mentioned above) with this holiday being associated with snow, among the Eidolons' constellations, there is a heavier emphasis on Shiva-class Eidolons' constellations (see two images below of the shiva-class).