Post by cheeriko on Feb 3, 2010 19:20:12 GMT -5
Recently I've been researching for a fanfic I've been writing and came to realize a severe problem with my understanding of the Ion Replicas.
I know that Replica!Ion is number seven and I believe Sync even states is is number five in the game, but what exactly is Florian? I've heard some people claim he is part of the original seven created (number 6) and some say Mohs just threw him together at the last second. Both theories are possible, but I see major flaws with both...
Number 6: From a translation I found of Shiro no Ashita 2 (a novelization of events in the game plus additional info) it is inferred that Florian was the 6th Replica created after Sync. The reason he was discarded was because of his low mobility (I'm assuming this means he was too clumsy or couldn't learn to walk fast enough). Florian was able to survive and was later found by Mohs who decided to keep him in case the seventh replica died. Whether Shiro no Ashita can be considered cannon or not is up in the air. There isn't much information on the book itself aside from it having some official pictures in it, so there is a strong possibility it is also official.
The problems I have with this starts with the fact it implies that Florian is just as old as Sync and Ion. Unless he has been running around lose in the wild until recently (in which case he should be more feral) he should be closer to the same maturity level as Sync and Replica!Ion were. The only plausible explanation I can come up with to cover this is extreme isolation after Mohs recaptured him.
My second problem with this is that all this information comes from only one translation I have been able to find. I haven't seen the original document to compare for myself if it has been mistranslated in some way or was just thrown into the translation for filler. Since the book seems to be extremely rare and I guess the fanbase isn't massive enough for it to be easily found I haven't been able to find other information to confirm this other than some people speculating Florian is the 6th. I must admit this explanation appeals to me on the fangirly basis that I can legitimately piece together how Sync and Florian may have met at some point in the past and have a kinship of sorts, but I don't want to commit to it without further evidence. (I'm probably taking this too seriously, though. XD)
Number 8(+?): Florian being number eight would make sense given his vulnerability and being so readily trusting/naive when the party finds him. I do believe he has been alive for some time before being found, though, since he lacks the monotone of replicas that had just been programmed yet he was able to speak and move around without problems Luke faced. Florian also exhibits more stamina than Replica!Ion did when we see him running around and reading the end of the Planet Score without too much fatigue (He did stumble to the ground, but was quickly back on his feet. We don't actually know how far he had read, though, so that's not a very good example.) I imagine a replica built after the seventh would have some minor improvements.
However, there is a problem I have. If Florian was recently created from the Original Ion's data, he should resemble a 12 year old. Sync and Replica!Ion had two years to mature physically so a more recent replica would have to be smaller/younger in appearance. The only way I could think to amend this flaw would be to assume Florian was made shortly after the seventh was, but that argument also has the same hole in it as him being created two years prior with the original 7.
Neither argument is very strong, I'm afraid. I'd really like to verify what Shiro no Ashita says about Florian specifically...
I've also heard conflicting accounts of Florian becoming the next Fon Master. According to one reliable source, I was told that in the drama CDs the characters say the seat of Fon Master is vacant at the very end of the game and none of them want Florian to fill the position. Tritheim is the only one I know of officially becoming Grand Maestro. But I've seen several people say they think Florian is the next Fon Master. Which, for convenience sake, I could see happening, but I feel like that would undermine the purpose of Florian as the one replica who would get a chance at a real life.
I know that Replica!Ion is number seven and I believe Sync even states is is number five in the game, but what exactly is Florian? I've heard some people claim he is part of the original seven created (number 6) and some say Mohs just threw him together at the last second. Both theories are possible, but I see major flaws with both...
Number 6: From a translation I found of Shiro no Ashita 2 (a novelization of events in the game plus additional info) it is inferred that Florian was the 6th Replica created after Sync. The reason he was discarded was because of his low mobility (I'm assuming this means he was too clumsy or couldn't learn to walk fast enough). Florian was able to survive and was later found by Mohs who decided to keep him in case the seventh replica died. Whether Shiro no Ashita can be considered cannon or not is up in the air. There isn't much information on the book itself aside from it having some official pictures in it, so there is a strong possibility it is also official.
The problems I have with this starts with the fact it implies that Florian is just as old as Sync and Ion. Unless he has been running around lose in the wild until recently (in which case he should be more feral) he should be closer to the same maturity level as Sync and Replica!Ion were. The only plausible explanation I can come up with to cover this is extreme isolation after Mohs recaptured him.
My second problem with this is that all this information comes from only one translation I have been able to find. I haven't seen the original document to compare for myself if it has been mistranslated in some way or was just thrown into the translation for filler. Since the book seems to be extremely rare and I guess the fanbase isn't massive enough for it to be easily found I haven't been able to find other information to confirm this other than some people speculating Florian is the 6th. I must admit this explanation appeals to me on the fangirly basis that I can legitimately piece together how Sync and Florian may have met at some point in the past and have a kinship of sorts, but I don't want to commit to it without further evidence. (I'm probably taking this too seriously, though. XD)
Number 8(+?): Florian being number eight would make sense given his vulnerability and being so readily trusting/naive when the party finds him. I do believe he has been alive for some time before being found, though, since he lacks the monotone of replicas that had just been programmed yet he was able to speak and move around without problems Luke faced. Florian also exhibits more stamina than Replica!Ion did when we see him running around and reading the end of the Planet Score without too much fatigue (He did stumble to the ground, but was quickly back on his feet. We don't actually know how far he had read, though, so that's not a very good example.) I imagine a replica built after the seventh would have some minor improvements.
However, there is a problem I have. If Florian was recently created from the Original Ion's data, he should resemble a 12 year old. Sync and Replica!Ion had two years to mature physically so a more recent replica would have to be smaller/younger in appearance. The only way I could think to amend this flaw would be to assume Florian was made shortly after the seventh was, but that argument also has the same hole in it as him being created two years prior with the original 7.
Neither argument is very strong, I'm afraid. I'd really like to verify what Shiro no Ashita says about Florian specifically...
I've also heard conflicting accounts of Florian becoming the next Fon Master. According to one reliable source, I was told that in the drama CDs the characters say the seat of Fon Master is vacant at the very end of the game and none of them want Florian to fill the position. Tritheim is the only one I know of officially becoming Grand Maestro. But I've seen several people say they think Florian is the next Fon Master. Which, for convenience sake, I could see happening, but I feel like that would undermine the purpose of Florian as the one replica who would get a chance at a real life.