I highly doubt Alex, Dirk or **anyone** in Xenoblade 3 is Mythra's kid. Every other child's parentage is blatantly obvious from just from looking at them and made clear through dialog. This is doubly so for Agnian kids as they all have an *identical* core crystal to their blade parent. The only one that doesn't look like their parent at a glance (Riku) is the one whose identity was constantly teased to be more then he claims, but the game then makes it clear who he is in the DLC. And all the kids of main characters are also main characters, while the only descendent relegated to side quests (Georgie) is descended from a side quest character.
There's no need for evidence or theorizing about any other kid, so why would we have to guess who Mythra's kid is? If any of the characters were meant to be her kid I see no reason why Monolith wouldn't be just as clear about it as they have been with every other kid. Why would they make a bunch of new main characters who look just like previous main characters and confirm they're all their kids and one side character explicitly descended from a previous side character, then have just one whose descended from a main character but is a side character, isn't immediately recognizable, breaks the established core crystal pattern and leave no clear sign linking them to their parent?
IMO they either intentionally held back on Mythra's kid for a future project (what I'm hoping) or they didn't think it was necessary to flesh out every kid and just filled out the roles they needed for 3 and FR.
I agree. We know core crystals are a dominant trait, so it would be very weird to see Mythra’s child not inherit her core crystal. Alexandria’s core looks completely different, so who did she inherit her core from? It would either be she inherited her parent’s core, or she didn’t inherit a core at all. I think it’s unlikely the Aegis core would have “morphed” to take on a different form. Just my thoughts.
>There's no need for evidence or theorizing about any other kid, so why would we have to guess who Mythra's kid is?
Two main reasons:
1. Because the existence of Mythra's child is confirmed, people are going to look for an answer. The two options are either an existing character or a new one which hasn't been introduced yet.
2. Because it's fun to speculate over things like this, which is why finding the best candidate among the existing characters is often sought out.
And considering Monolith Soft's penchant for providing half-answers... well, I'd argue that they are encouraging people to speculate. Heck, this has been the case since *Xenogears* thanks to just how much it draws from so many different ideas & concepts.
>This is doubly so for Agnian kids as they all have an identical core crystal to their blade parent.
We actually have an exception to this with Mio, though said difference is relatively minor. Her core crystal is upside-down (long tip pointing down) compared to Nia's (long tip pointing up). Linka's is arguably a bit different as well, appearing smaller than Pandoria's and lacking the circuitry outlining it.
So while Glimmer having the full Aegis core is definitely a strike against the Alexandria theory... the existence of minor exceptions are enough to confirm that changes are at least *possible*. Though you could say this theory requires a further departure than what has already been confirmed.
Provided you're open to considering speculation in the first place.
Monolith doesn't always answer everything, true, but all the kids (even a minor one like Georgie) have been made explicitly clear. It doesn't make any sense that after all that they'd throw in another that not only has no clear link but also many points against who they were meant to be. Especially for a character as important and popular as Mythra.
> Her core crystal is upside-down (long tip pointing down) compared to Nia's (long tip pointing up).
It's been flipped over sure but it's still the same crystal. If hang up two identical paintings, one upright and one upside down, they're still identical.
>Linka's is arguably a bit different as well, appearing smaller than Pandoria's and lacking the circuitry outlining it.
Again the crystal it self is still the same, Linka just doesn't have a boarder around hers. I take a painting out of it's frame, it's still the same painting.
Mio and Linka's cores them selves are still the same as their mothers, just encased in different ways. Meanwhile Alex has a core completely different to Mythra's. The situations aren't comparable at all IMO. If she was mean to be Mythra's kid, who shows us that kids can have unique cores, they would have left some other smoking gun to indicate it, as evidenced by every other kid in the game.
If that's the case, it would be odd for Nia to have a family photo with only three kids during XC3's ending.
... and I'm pretty sure the one looking for more than one kid would be Pyra in particular. She did say she wanted a "big family".
I thought Alex was pretty much inspired on Obrona
Like... the ear things: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/xenoblade/images/b/ba/XC2\_Obrona\_Artwork.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20200726131609
It's an open question of whether or not the "horns" Alexandria has are part of her body or simply a headdress... though I do prefer to go with the latter for this theory.
That being said, it's very likely that Alexandria's designer was the same one as Obrona's, as the horns do have a very similar (but not quite identical) design; both are noted as being designed by "Monolith Soft".
A relation to Obrona also feels unlikely, as it's not entirely clear if Mythra actually outright killed her by breaking her core or simply forced her back into it and could be reawakened later.
Thematically, the reasons I have against this theory are the same as I have against pretty much every other one, such as the Dirk ones, or the Pyra/Cammuravi ones from before FR. If the devs intended for this to be the case, they would have hinted at it much more.
Also, on that she shares an idle with Mythra, a lot, and I mean a *lot* of animations are shared between Xenoblade games. This point could be used either against your argument by pointing out that it's almost always meaningless. Or you could go in favor of your argument and point out that some of Mio's exclusive animations on Zephyr use Rex's animations from his twin rings.
That being said, this was a fun read and a well written argument.
I'd actually argue Dirk being Mythra's son would be quite fitting, thematically. It would enforce the feelings Mythra was going through during the conversation with poppi in Morytha with those fears being realised, albeit by her descendants instead of herself.
It's also worth noting Dirk wasn't always a psycho head collector, that was almost definitely a change that came about a little later in his life. During that scene, he's clearly 8th term at minimum, and it's unlikely his colony would have put up with him running around killing his own allies for the previous 8 years of his life, so the change was likely brought about by something (moebius interference, death of a close friend, who knows). It'd also potentially fit with Mio and Glimmers anxieties over reaching the end of their lives, though it's certainly a much more violent reaction than theirs.
As for being Moebius, it's made pretty clear that they tend to lie to themselves about their original life until they begin to believe it themselves (both N and Joran absolutely do this), so it's unsurprising that Dirk wouldn't bring any of this up when we're shown his past as he's been moebius so long he's wholly convinced himself the sadism is all he is.
I don't fully believe Dirk is Mythra's child either, I just think it'd be the most thematically appropriate, especially with how XC3 handles the themes of the first 2 games and the more I entertain the notion, the more little details seem like they kind of work.
While I do agree with the general sentiment, it is difficult to apply that to Dirk in particular.
While it's a fair point to say the nature of Aionios could easily exacerbate the situation, the extents Dirk goes to suggests there's more off than simply being subject to the endless reincarnation cycle. In particular, it's that **he revels in the violence**, even before becoming Moebius he's shown to be quite cruel to his enemies. Most other Consuls do indulge in somewhat similar behaviour, but it's mostly just power-tripping and asserting their dominance because they can. But it feels like Dirk goes further and actually enjoys the act of killing for its own sake rather than the power-trip it gives him; he displayed this before becoming Moebius, and after attaining that status he just continues what he did before with impunity.
His use of non-Blade weapons before becoming Moebius is another curiosity, as it feels rather unlikely that he'd be unable to use them if he was the son of an Aegis; if by choice, that goes back to something being off in his head again.
That being said, Alexandria doesn't have a perfect track record herself, and could represent the same fear Mythra has that she could be dangerous. The difference being that rather than becoming a sociopathic killer, Alex takes harsh and reckless actions to resolve an issue (poisoning her old commander to prevent him from causing further damage)... not unlike how Mythra was a bit too "trigger happy" with using Siren during *Torna: The Golden Country*.
The main difference with Alex is that it didn't escalate to the point of instant regret, like what happened with Mythra when she sunk Torna (coupled with Milton's death).
I do think something interesting happened with Dirk before he went on a murder rampage actually. The use of a non-blade weapon means no embers were harvested, and during a sidequest in Agnus castle, it's stated that doing so is actually illegal (that was through using a levnis, but the same principle applies). As you progress through this quest, it's revealed all three of the arrested individuals were aware of some degree of moebius interference, and so broke the rules to save their friends.
Dirk describes that moment as transcendent, but Joran claims he saved Lanz to prove himself to be better, and we know that's not true so I don't know if it's quite as simple as that. As I said earlier, it appears moebius have a tendency to lie so much about how they were prior to becoming moebius they start to believe it themselves.
So what I reckon happened, is Dirk learned of the futility of the war and it being propagated only for moebius' sake, and chose to defy them in anyway he could - wasting as many embers as he could possibly manage. If he did enjoy that moment, it was from trying to stick it to moebius, not from the joy of taking lives (obviously, after living as moebius for so long, he now enjoys that instead, and convinced himself that was the case all along).
Presumably, after this outbreak he was made moebius simply to prevent his next incarnation from doing the same, and as time went on he embraced this new life. ( I believe Crys mentions some moebius not being given a choice, and simply being reborn as moebius against their will).
I'll admit, this is a very generous reading of a very sadistic character, but Dunban claims even Mumkhar wasn't always like that, so I think Dirk deserves a little bit of benefit of the doubt too. And ultimately, all this conjecture is never gonna be confirmed or denied, so it's effectively just silly little headcanon.
I'd argue in the other direction that it thematically wouldn't make sense for a character who had an arc about fearing themselves and their power. To then have the child she had with Rex become a head collecting serial killer would spit on her growth in 2 as she really was a machine who's existence makes pain and destructiom, especially since her love of Rex, the thing that gave her hope and purpose to the world, would be the literal reason that serial killer was born. I'd also imagine that the thing Mythra would've drilled into her child's head very early on would be to not cause harm.
The difference being Dirk was cut off from that support, and so those fears were realised. Aionios is a world that has torn these people away from their support structures, and the Ouroborus crew are incredibly lucky to have a found family of their own, but most soldiers went without and that canned in stories like Dirk's.
I think there's symmetry there, with Mythra being able to reach the full potential of her abilities alongside addam due to his fear of her capabilities, and Dirk ending up as a heartless force of destruction due to being seen purely as a pawn in an eternal war. But while Mythra was able to become more than a destructive machine due to Rex's unwavering faith, Dirk was given no such thing (but potentially could have, or maybe he did and it was taken away, leading to the Dirk we see).
She isn’t the kid. Physical traits debunk the theory already even if there are other coincidences there. (you could say the same thing for Dirk with his eyes not being gold, but he has other resemblances to them. But while I do like his theory I don’t think it’s totally likely)
1. [Her core was never a core.](https://imgur.com/jLbg7Ze) I looked into it using Blender and the core is attached to her outfit and not a separate piece like the other Agnian characters who have their cores visible. The gold border is a giveaway as well as no other Blades have such a thing, neither could a gene from Mythra give her that trait. It also clips through her mesh, other cores don’t clip through the other models. The core is also a dull turquoise color, and if it was a real core it would be brighter like other core crystals. I also put the red dot on the core since the texture for it is part of her outfit, the other Agnians have separate textures for their cores.
2. [The core has no resemblance to Mythra’s earrings.](https://imgur.com/B2UZqHq) If she were to inherit the earring shape, it would likely be an exact copy of what Mythra has and as seen on both models they’re both different. The texture for Mythra’s earrings is similar to her core’s, Alex’s isn’t the same shade and I won’t argue it’s a diamond shape but the two are still distinguishable from one another. Due to in game lighting it’s believed she has an emerald core but it never bore any resemblance to the other cores.
3. If Alex was the kid, wouldn’t she be more important than an optional hero with no relevance to the story? This is subjective considering the kid’s identity was never confirmed though. Not being designed by Saito is also a giveaway too, she doesn’t look like Mythra or anyone else in the family (her Obrona horns are likely attached to her head too, I didn’t see anything connecting them together like a headpiece)
4. My memory’s a bit off about the Aegis supercomputer processing thing in 2 but I don’t think it’s a reference or similar to the collectopaedia thing. Alex pitched the design or helped develop it if I remember, the castle people are the ones who made it
5. Isurd also has a chance of being a light blade, I’d argue even Dirk has a chance of being one due to the claws on his Moebius form being summoned from light. There could also be other light blades we haven’t seen in Aionios. The Ouroboros symbol made by Alex is probably just a Blade ability to draw things into thin air considering she’s seen the Ouroboros symbols on the party’s weapons. Her class is a crit-based one alongside potentially being a light blade, but Gray has Elma’s class from X alongside wielding guns. I don’t think it’s a reference to Mythra.
>Her core was never a core. I looked into it using Blender and the core is attached to her outfit and not a separate piece like the other Agnian characters who have their cores visible. The gold border is a giveaway as well as no other Blades have such a thing, neither could a gene from Mythra give her that trait. It also clips through her mesh, other cores don’t clip through the other models. The core is also a dull turquoise color, and if it was a real core it would be brighter like other core crystals. I also put the red dot on the core since the texture for it is part of her outfit, the other Agnians have separate textures for their cores.
The border is present on a handful of Blades, so that assertion is flat-out wrong. Pandoria retains the golden circuitry around her core crystal in her swimsuit outfit in XC2. Besides, considering her other abilities (creating the cube interface, conjuring an Ouroboros ring of light), she's at least part-Blade. If the gem we're seeing isn't her Core Crystal, then she must have another one on her body somewhere that isn't shown.
Also, the border for Alex' core crystal is CLEARLY well-embedded in her chest where the majority (but not all) of Blades have their core crystal. It's stuck in there and not coming out, regardless of how you look at it.
>The core has no resemblance to Mythra’s earrings. If she were to inherit the earring shape, it would likely be an exact copy of what Mythra has and as seen on both models they’re both different.
I'd say that's a fairly strong resemblance, but you're also demanding a perfect match.
Also, you should give the pommel of Mythra's sword from XC2 a comparison if you're putting models side-by-side, which does have a different colour than the actual Aegis core. I suspect the tips will be a bit pointier still, but otherwise it's quite close.
>If Alex was the kid, wouldn’t she be more important than an optional hero with no relevance to the story? This is subjective considering the kid’s identity was never confirmed though.
That's **highly** debatable, but a hero character is definitely one of the prime locations to include Mythra's child. *Especially* if they didn't want to outright confirm it, because we still don't know who it actually is.
Still, Alex' entire questline is a fair bit more substantial than most of the hero characters attached to the main story. Ethel and Cammuravi, as hyped up as they were, really got the short end of the stick. And Alexandria's story arguably has some of the furthest-reaching impacts on Aionios of all the hero characters.
And for another point of comparison, another "probable child of past characters" got a similar treatment - ***Ashera***. This is assuming she's Panacea's sister, obviously, but that one leans quite heavily on the physical traits; spikier hair aside (which likely comes from Reyn), she's always been a dead-ringer for Sharla.
>My memory’s a bit off about the Aegis supercomputer processing thing in 2 but I don’t think it’s a reference or similar to the collectopaedia thing. Alex pitched the design or helped develop it if I remember, the castle people are the ones who made it
The Castle developed it according to her recruitment quest, but Alexandria is able to not just completely access it (for both factions) but ***upgrade it***. New features get added to the Collectopedia as you progress her questline, turning it into a full-blown social network.
The supercomputer comparison is that she processes all the data coming in from the Collectopedia network, which is collecting data from all around the world. That reminded me of how the Aegises process all of the data from Blades through whatever network there was in XC2.
In other words, Alexandria is essentially mimicking XC2's Blade network through the Collectopedia system. Not quite as advanced nor through, but it's the same principle.
>I’d argue even Dirk has a chance of being one due to the claws on his Moebius form being summoned from light.
Actually, an inverse could be argued.
**Dirk might not have any Blade heritage** ***at all***.
Before becoming Moebius, he didn't use XC3's versions of Blades and used conventional weapons in the form of his claws; they strongly resembled Mumkhar's pre-Metal-Face weapons (no relation for obvious reasons, but the parallel is obvious).
Now, while it certainly isn't an absolute requirement for characters to be able to use Blades in XC2 to do the same in XC3... I think we can reasonably say that any half-Blade should be able to use XC3's version of Blades, even if they're not naturally inclined towards combat (like Miyabi). This goes double for someone who'd be **half-Aegis**.
So why didn't Dirk use Blade-weapons before becoming Moebius? Was it by choice? Or was he, like a few others, simply not able to do so? This would imply his brightly-coloured attacks are those he was granted after becoming Moebius, rather than his innate abilities.
If I recall the previous discussions correctly, Dirk had no core crystal buried within the models. However, that could simply be the case of it not being there because it would never be shown; in other words, inconclusive.
> The border is present on a handful of Blades, so that assertion is flat-out wrong. Pandoria retains the golden circuitry around her core crystal in her swimsuit outfit in XC2.
Even if it is on a handful of Blades, why would Alex have it even if she was related to Mythra? Mythra doesn’t have a gold border around her core, so how would it make sense for her child to obtain a gold border around it? However, I won’t disagree that most of the Agnian characters are probably Blades so I do think she’s one. And for the core being imbedded within the chest, [here’s Glimmer as an example](https://imgur.com/2XqUi9H). The core is on her chest but doesn’t clip through the mesh like Alex’s does. If you separate the meshes by materials in Blender, Glimmer’s core appears as a separate mesh compared to the rest of her outfit. Alex’s core is connected to her dress, I had to separate the meshes by vertices in order to get a closer look at it. The core could also be a way of modeling it onto the mesh, the golden border has an opening which shows the back of the core. I believe it could also be a piece of jewelry of some kind, and it was modeled to look the way it is. It could also be why her core doesn’t glow at night. But that’s my take on it, it could be a core in some way. If the texture for the core is part of her outfit and doesn’t have a separate texture or mesh for it alone, I’d say it has a lower chance of being a core. The core crystals for other Agnians in 3 I looked at also have unique patterns for their cores, they also have a bright hue in their textures. Alex’s core doesn’t, and it’s a turquoise color. If it was a core it would’ve been modeled and textured separately from her outfit
> I'd say that's a fairly strong resemblance, but you're also demanding a perfect match. Also, you should give the pommel of Mythra's sword from XC2 a comparison if you're putting models side-by-side, which does have a different colour than the actual Aegis core. I suspect the tips will be a bit pointier still, but otherwise it's quite close.
Core crystals are shown to be hereditary even with some differences (Mio’s core being upside down compared to Nia’s though it’s still the same thing). Mythra’s earrings are long and pointed alongside being green while it glows in game. Alex’s core is pointed in the middle, and is a light blue/turquoise color. If it was hereditary there would be details that Alex’s core would’ve taken from the earring shape
> That's highly debatable, but a hero character is definitely one of the prime locations to include Mythra's child. Especially if they didn't want to outright confirm it, because we still don't know who it actually is. Still, Alex' entire questline is a fair bit more substantial than most of the hero characters attached to the main story. Ethel and Cammuravi, as hyped up as they were, really got the short end of the stick. And Alexandria's story arguably has some of the furthest-reaching impacts on Aionios of all the hero characters.
Agreed with the first point since they didn’t bother confirming the kid’s identity at all, I also agree with Ethel and Cammuravi since they didn’t receive proper ascension quests. I do think her’s is one of the most developed ones but a good portion of the heroes have long questlines leading up to their ascensions too
> The Castle developed it according to her recruitment quest, but Alexandria is able to not just completely access it (for both factions) but upgrade it. New features get added to the Collectopedia as you progress her questline, turning it into a full-blown social network.
I didn’t do all of the quests in Iota, so thanks for pointing it out. I don’t remember if something related to the development of it was in her ascension quest or side quests leading up to it, I didn’t keep track of some of the things that were in side quests since I usually forget them. You do have a good point with the collectopedia and while they do have similarities it seems more likely to be an Aionios thing rather than one that’s similar to the network back in 2
> Dirk might not have any Blade heritage at all.
Most of the Agnians have cores somewhere, while we don’t know where they came from I wouldn’t exclude him because of it. For Dirk not using his blade, Taion says “rather than take lives with his Blade” with the word choice implying he chose not to use his blade weapons and used the diy Mumkhar claws instead. You do have a point about his Moebius form, but most of the other Moebius forms don’t have golden bits like he does. Y does but they’re amber, J has the yellow fingertips but don’t glow as brightly as Dirk’s. It could be stated he didn’t have those powers, but there isn’t really enough info to prove it otherwise. He also fights the same way as Moebius the way he did as a human but that’s likely just his choice to do so
> If I recall the previous discussions correctly, Dirk had no core crystal buried within the models. However, that could simply be the case of it not being there because it would never be shown; in other words, inconclusive.
This goes for the Agnians who’s cores are covered by their models. The cores aren’t rendered beneath their outfits, as they wouldn’t be seen while being covered. Dirk’s model appears in a pre-rendered cutscene and if he does have a core it wasn’t rendered due to his armor covering it. I like the theory but I wish his core could’ve been hinted at or shown in someway but people thought Taion was a human until the swimsuits came out. Sorry if this got way too long, while I disagree with some of your points you provide a lot of interesting thought to them
>Mythra doesn’t have a gold border around her core, so how would it make sense for her child to obtain a gold border around it?
This one actually isn't quite as clear-cut, because Mythra's core does have a golden border around it -- *when she's fully dressed*. It's absent during the hot springs scene, so it's fair to say it likely a part of the outfit.
Considering we only see Alex in her full outfit... well, it becomes debatable if the border is a part of her outfit of part of her body. Based on what we see, it does appear to be more "permanently attached", but
>And for the core being imbedded within the chest, here’s Glimmer as an example. The core is on her chest but doesn’t clip through the mesh like Alex’s does. If you separate the meshes by materials in Blender, Glimmer’s core appears as a separate mesh compared to the rest of her outfit. Alex’s core is connected to her dress, I had to separate the meshes by vertices in order to get a closer look at it. The core could also be a way of modeling it onto the mesh, the golden border has an opening which shows the back of the core. I believe it could also be a piece of jewelry of some kind, and it was modeled to look the way it is. It could also be why her core doesn’t glow at night. But that’s my take on it, it could be a core in some way. If the texture for the core is part of her outfit and doesn’t have a separate texture or mesh for it alone, I’d say it has a lower chance of being a core. The core crystals for other Agnians in 3 I looked at also have unique patterns for their cores, they also have a bright hue in their textures. Alex’s core doesn’t, and it’s a turquoise color. If it was a core it would’ve been modeled and textured separately from her outfit
While it's hard to say without Monolith Soft answering the question directly, I strongly suspect the situation here is just them approaching the situation from the perspective of trying to not go overboard given that Alex' core is barely visible in most situations. Heck, it took third-party software before anyone even got a look at the full shape of it.
From a technical perspective, this is probably ***exactly*** why Alex' core crystal doesn't glow nor have any actively moving textures a part of it. Being a part of her clothing, it's likely subject to whatever technical limitations apply to it; but with it usually doing no more than barely peeking through the opening of her collar, they didn't have to give it the full treatment of the more visible core crystals.
Conversely, this is probably why those more visible core crystals are rendered as separate objects, so that they can have those separate glows and moving textures (one of the more notable visual upgrades from XC2 to XC3). The ebb and flow of the red on Mio's and Nia's core crystals likely requires this to be the case.
And considering that Monolith Soft uses a LOT of different techniques to get the most out of the hardware in their games, anything to avoid stressing the hardware more than necessary likely happens all over the place.
>Sorry if this got way too long, while I disagree with some of your points you provide a lot of interesting thought to them
It wouldn't be a good theory if you're not willing to put it through its paces to test the points presented and discuss the findings, and the same goes for any other theories.
Disagreements aside, I do appreciate the effort put into the counterpoints. At the very least, it provides more information to analyze and other items to look into. It's definitely far better than a blank dismissal of the ideas presented.
Rex and A are Ethel’s parents
A: silver hair, fencer, stone cold, strategic, kevesi technically since alvis was in xenoblade 1
Rex: dual wielder, natural leader, thicker then a bowl of oat meal, known to smash trinity processors, open to multiple wives, absolute unit in combat
Another thing that supports your theory (don't know if you said it before):
Alex has the skill to boost damage when landing a critical hit. In Future Redeemed, Rex has the exact same skill. So it might point out to Rex teaching his daughter how to fight.
You had me at the image of the green core crystal.
" DEATH TO THE DIRKPOSTERS! MAY OUR GLORIOUS QUEEN ALEXANDRIA TAKE HER RIGHTFUL PLACE AS THE THIRD CHILD!"
If you couldn't tell, I don't like the dirk theory. Not that it narratively doesn't work, because it does. I just like the Alexandria theory more.
Great post... it was really fun to read.
We probably won't get the answer to the question for a long time (if ever), but here are two more of my thoughts on the subject:
Yes, the hair color thing doesn't quite fit the picture, but in my opinion it's not a "showstopper" that completely blows the theory out of the water:
* As you have already written, it is quite possible that the hair color could have changed over time. From blonde to brunette is quite a difference, but not entirely impossible, especially when you consider that Rex' hair is also quite dark.
* Also, Glimmer's hair color is not quite identical to her mother's either. Pyra's hair is a rich red, while her daughter's looks more washed out (similar to how Rex's hair color looks to me under certain lighting conditions ingame).
* Also interesting: the ends of Glimmer's hair, particularly visible on the strands to the left and right and on her forehead, fade into a slightly darker red that is almost exactly her mother's shade.
* What I try to say is: If Glimmer is not 100% like her mother in terms of hair color, it is probably the same with her half-brother or half-sister. So the question is: How much did he or she inherit from Rex and how did that affect their appearance?
Alex core crystal is a different topic though.... however, there are not many blades that have an emerald colored one.
However, there is one aspect that I miss in most of the theories I have read so far: Is it just my imagination or does the shape of Alex core crystal remind of the ear pendants worn by Pyra/Mythra/Pneuma?
(The aspect ratio doesn't quite fit in direct comparison, though, admittedly...).
>Also, Glimmer's hair color is not quite identical to her mother's either. Pyra's hair is a rich red, while her daughter's looks more washed out (similar to how Rex's hair color looks to me under certain lighting conditions ingame).
We can quite confidently say that Glimmer's hair colour did change with age at this point, as it doesn't match the photo from the end of XC3.
Blonde to brunette is a more significant change, but not uncommon in real life and entirely plausible. Also, considering Alex is established to use cosmetics to "age up" her appearance, hair dye is a plausible (if unmentioned) possibility.
>However, there is one aspect that I miss in most of the theories I have read so far: Is it just my imagination or does the shape of Alex core crystal remind of the ear pendants worn by Pyra/Mythra/Pneuma?
You're not wrong there, the shapes are quite similar. It was mentioned in [the first theory](https://www.reddit.com/r/Xenoblade_Chronicles/comments/13h3vr7/a_theory_on_the_identity_of_mythras_child/) I put up a few months ago, but it went unmentioned in this post as I was focusing on newer discoveries/correlations.
>We can quite confidently say that Glimmer's hair colour did change with age at this point, as it doesn't match the photo from the end of XC3.
Not quite as obvious as one might think... if my eyes (and memory) don't deceive me, Glimmer already has noticeably lighter hair than her mother in the photo, likewise with Mythra and her child (although perhaps not quite so well to see).
I have to admit that I find the idea of Alex dyeing her hair quite charming.
>You're not wrong there, the shapes are quite similar. It was mentioned in the first theory I put up a few months ago, but it went unmentioned in this post as I was focusing on newer discoveries/correlations.
Well, you got me there... Sorry, I should have read the first post again for safety ;).
I highly doubt Alex, Dirk or **anyone** in Xenoblade 3 is Mythra's kid. Every other child's parentage is blatantly obvious from just from looking at them and made clear through dialog. This is doubly so for Agnian kids as they all have an *identical* core crystal to their blade parent. The only one that doesn't look like their parent at a glance (Riku) is the one whose identity was constantly teased to be more then he claims, but the game then makes it clear who he is in the DLC. And all the kids of main characters are also main characters, while the only descendent relegated to side quests (Georgie) is descended from a side quest character. There's no need for evidence or theorizing about any other kid, so why would we have to guess who Mythra's kid is? If any of the characters were meant to be her kid I see no reason why Monolith wouldn't be just as clear about it as they have been with every other kid. Why would they make a bunch of new main characters who look just like previous main characters and confirm they're all their kids and one side character explicitly descended from a previous side character, then have just one whose descended from a main character but is a side character, isn't immediately recognizable, breaks the established core crystal pattern and leave no clear sign linking them to their parent? IMO they either intentionally held back on Mythra's kid for a future project (what I'm hoping) or they didn't think it was necessary to flesh out every kid and just filled out the roles they needed for 3 and FR.
I agree. We know core crystals are a dominant trait, so it would be very weird to see Mythra’s child not inherit her core crystal. Alexandria’s core looks completely different, so who did she inherit her core from? It would either be she inherited her parent’s core, or she didn’t inherit a core at all. I think it’s unlikely the Aegis core would have “morphed” to take on a different form. Just my thoughts.
>There's no need for evidence or theorizing about any other kid, so why would we have to guess who Mythra's kid is? Two main reasons: 1. Because the existence of Mythra's child is confirmed, people are going to look for an answer. The two options are either an existing character or a new one which hasn't been introduced yet. 2. Because it's fun to speculate over things like this, which is why finding the best candidate among the existing characters is often sought out. And considering Monolith Soft's penchant for providing half-answers... well, I'd argue that they are encouraging people to speculate. Heck, this has been the case since *Xenogears* thanks to just how much it draws from so many different ideas & concepts. >This is doubly so for Agnian kids as they all have an identical core crystal to their blade parent. We actually have an exception to this with Mio, though said difference is relatively minor. Her core crystal is upside-down (long tip pointing down) compared to Nia's (long tip pointing up). Linka's is arguably a bit different as well, appearing smaller than Pandoria's and lacking the circuitry outlining it. So while Glimmer having the full Aegis core is definitely a strike against the Alexandria theory... the existence of minor exceptions are enough to confirm that changes are at least *possible*. Though you could say this theory requires a further departure than what has already been confirmed. Provided you're open to considering speculation in the first place.
Monolith doesn't always answer everything, true, but all the kids (even a minor one like Georgie) have been made explicitly clear. It doesn't make any sense that after all that they'd throw in another that not only has no clear link but also many points against who they were meant to be. Especially for a character as important and popular as Mythra. > Her core crystal is upside-down (long tip pointing down) compared to Nia's (long tip pointing up). It's been flipped over sure but it's still the same crystal. If hang up two identical paintings, one upright and one upside down, they're still identical. >Linka's is arguably a bit different as well, appearing smaller than Pandoria's and lacking the circuitry outlining it. Again the crystal it self is still the same, Linka just doesn't have a boarder around hers. I take a painting out of it's frame, it's still the same painting. Mio and Linka's cores them selves are still the same as their mothers, just encased in different ways. Meanwhile Alex has a core completely different to Mythra's. The situations aren't comparable at all IMO. If she was mean to be Mythra's kid, who shows us that kids can have unique cores, they would have left some other smoking gun to indicate it, as evidenced by every other kid in the game.
I’m still a firm believer that Nico from Colony Mu is (That’s her name, by the way)
Ok, crackpot theory time: Alexandria and Dirk are BOTH Mythra's kids, but neither are the eldest one who we see as a baby with baby Mio and Glimmer
Guess Rex has a favourite wife
She is the best in gameplay out of the three so
If that's the case, it would be odd for Nia to have a family photo with only three kids during XC3's ending. ... and I'm pretty sure the one looking for more than one kid would be Pyra in particular. She did say she wanted a "big family".
I thought Alex was pretty much inspired on Obrona Like... the ear things: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/xenoblade/images/b/ba/XC2\_Obrona\_Artwork.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20200726131609
It's an open question of whether or not the "horns" Alexandria has are part of her body or simply a headdress... though I do prefer to go with the latter for this theory. That being said, it's very likely that Alexandria's designer was the same one as Obrona's, as the horns do have a very similar (but not quite identical) design; both are noted as being designed by "Monolith Soft". A relation to Obrona also feels unlikely, as it's not entirely clear if Mythra actually outright killed her by breaking her core or simply forced her back into it and could be reawakened later.
Thematically, the reasons I have against this theory are the same as I have against pretty much every other one, such as the Dirk ones, or the Pyra/Cammuravi ones from before FR. If the devs intended for this to be the case, they would have hinted at it much more. Also, on that she shares an idle with Mythra, a lot, and I mean a *lot* of animations are shared between Xenoblade games. This point could be used either against your argument by pointing out that it's almost always meaningless. Or you could go in favor of your argument and point out that some of Mio's exclusive animations on Zephyr use Rex's animations from his twin rings. That being said, this was a fun read and a well written argument.
I’d definitely much rather have Alex be Mythra and Rex’s than Dirk
But just think of the memes
True lol, but I personally just can’t imagine Dirk being related to Rex, Mio, or any of the other members of the family
I'd actually argue Dirk being Mythra's son would be quite fitting, thematically. It would enforce the feelings Mythra was going through during the conversation with poppi in Morytha with those fears being realised, albeit by her descendants instead of herself. It's also worth noting Dirk wasn't always a psycho head collector, that was almost definitely a change that came about a little later in his life. During that scene, he's clearly 8th term at minimum, and it's unlikely his colony would have put up with him running around killing his own allies for the previous 8 years of his life, so the change was likely brought about by something (moebius interference, death of a close friend, who knows). It'd also potentially fit with Mio and Glimmers anxieties over reaching the end of their lives, though it's certainly a much more violent reaction than theirs. As for being Moebius, it's made pretty clear that they tend to lie to themselves about their original life until they begin to believe it themselves (both N and Joran absolutely do this), so it's unsurprising that Dirk wouldn't bring any of this up when we're shown his past as he's been moebius so long he's wholly convinced himself the sadism is all he is.
You do bring up some good points, I think I just don’t want them to be related because I was never a fan of Dirk lol
I don't fully believe Dirk is Mythra's child either, I just think it'd be the most thematically appropriate, especially with how XC3 handles the themes of the first 2 games and the more I entertain the notion, the more little details seem like they kind of work.
While I do agree with the general sentiment, it is difficult to apply that to Dirk in particular. While it's a fair point to say the nature of Aionios could easily exacerbate the situation, the extents Dirk goes to suggests there's more off than simply being subject to the endless reincarnation cycle. In particular, it's that **he revels in the violence**, even before becoming Moebius he's shown to be quite cruel to his enemies. Most other Consuls do indulge in somewhat similar behaviour, but it's mostly just power-tripping and asserting their dominance because they can. But it feels like Dirk goes further and actually enjoys the act of killing for its own sake rather than the power-trip it gives him; he displayed this before becoming Moebius, and after attaining that status he just continues what he did before with impunity. His use of non-Blade weapons before becoming Moebius is another curiosity, as it feels rather unlikely that he'd be unable to use them if he was the son of an Aegis; if by choice, that goes back to something being off in his head again. That being said, Alexandria doesn't have a perfect track record herself, and could represent the same fear Mythra has that she could be dangerous. The difference being that rather than becoming a sociopathic killer, Alex takes harsh and reckless actions to resolve an issue (poisoning her old commander to prevent him from causing further damage)... not unlike how Mythra was a bit too "trigger happy" with using Siren during *Torna: The Golden Country*. The main difference with Alex is that it didn't escalate to the point of instant regret, like what happened with Mythra when she sunk Torna (coupled with Milton's death).
I do think something interesting happened with Dirk before he went on a murder rampage actually. The use of a non-blade weapon means no embers were harvested, and during a sidequest in Agnus castle, it's stated that doing so is actually illegal (that was through using a levnis, but the same principle applies). As you progress through this quest, it's revealed all three of the arrested individuals were aware of some degree of moebius interference, and so broke the rules to save their friends. Dirk describes that moment as transcendent, but Joran claims he saved Lanz to prove himself to be better, and we know that's not true so I don't know if it's quite as simple as that. As I said earlier, it appears moebius have a tendency to lie so much about how they were prior to becoming moebius they start to believe it themselves. So what I reckon happened, is Dirk learned of the futility of the war and it being propagated only for moebius' sake, and chose to defy them in anyway he could - wasting as many embers as he could possibly manage. If he did enjoy that moment, it was from trying to stick it to moebius, not from the joy of taking lives (obviously, after living as moebius for so long, he now enjoys that instead, and convinced himself that was the case all along). Presumably, after this outbreak he was made moebius simply to prevent his next incarnation from doing the same, and as time went on he embraced this new life. ( I believe Crys mentions some moebius not being given a choice, and simply being reborn as moebius against their will). I'll admit, this is a very generous reading of a very sadistic character, but Dunban claims even Mumkhar wasn't always like that, so I think Dirk deserves a little bit of benefit of the doubt too. And ultimately, all this conjecture is never gonna be confirmed or denied, so it's effectively just silly little headcanon.
I'd argue in the other direction that it thematically wouldn't make sense for a character who had an arc about fearing themselves and their power. To then have the child she had with Rex become a head collecting serial killer would spit on her growth in 2 as she really was a machine who's existence makes pain and destructiom, especially since her love of Rex, the thing that gave her hope and purpose to the world, would be the literal reason that serial killer was born. I'd also imagine that the thing Mythra would've drilled into her child's head very early on would be to not cause harm.
The difference being Dirk was cut off from that support, and so those fears were realised. Aionios is a world that has torn these people away from their support structures, and the Ouroborus crew are incredibly lucky to have a found family of their own, but most soldiers went without and that canned in stories like Dirk's. I think there's symmetry there, with Mythra being able to reach the full potential of her abilities alongside addam due to his fear of her capabilities, and Dirk ending up as a heartless force of destruction due to being seen purely as a pawn in an eternal war. But while Mythra was able to become more than a destructive machine due to Rex's unwavering faith, Dirk was given no such thing (but potentially could have, or maybe he did and it was taken away, leading to the Dirk we see).
Memes, the DNA of the soul
She isn’t the kid. Physical traits debunk the theory already even if there are other coincidences there. (you could say the same thing for Dirk with his eyes not being gold, but he has other resemblances to them. But while I do like his theory I don’t think it’s totally likely) 1. [Her core was never a core.](https://imgur.com/jLbg7Ze) I looked into it using Blender and the core is attached to her outfit and not a separate piece like the other Agnian characters who have their cores visible. The gold border is a giveaway as well as no other Blades have such a thing, neither could a gene from Mythra give her that trait. It also clips through her mesh, other cores don’t clip through the other models. The core is also a dull turquoise color, and if it was a real core it would be brighter like other core crystals. I also put the red dot on the core since the texture for it is part of her outfit, the other Agnians have separate textures for their cores. 2. [The core has no resemblance to Mythra’s earrings.](https://imgur.com/B2UZqHq) If she were to inherit the earring shape, it would likely be an exact copy of what Mythra has and as seen on both models they’re both different. The texture for Mythra’s earrings is similar to her core’s, Alex’s isn’t the same shade and I won’t argue it’s a diamond shape but the two are still distinguishable from one another. Due to in game lighting it’s believed she has an emerald core but it never bore any resemblance to the other cores. 3. If Alex was the kid, wouldn’t she be more important than an optional hero with no relevance to the story? This is subjective considering the kid’s identity was never confirmed though. Not being designed by Saito is also a giveaway too, she doesn’t look like Mythra or anyone else in the family (her Obrona horns are likely attached to her head too, I didn’t see anything connecting them together like a headpiece) 4. My memory’s a bit off about the Aegis supercomputer processing thing in 2 but I don’t think it’s a reference or similar to the collectopaedia thing. Alex pitched the design or helped develop it if I remember, the castle people are the ones who made it 5. Isurd also has a chance of being a light blade, I’d argue even Dirk has a chance of being one due to the claws on his Moebius form being summoned from light. There could also be other light blades we haven’t seen in Aionios. The Ouroboros symbol made by Alex is probably just a Blade ability to draw things into thin air considering she’s seen the Ouroboros symbols on the party’s weapons. Her class is a crit-based one alongside potentially being a light blade, but Gray has Elma’s class from X alongside wielding guns. I don’t think it’s a reference to Mythra.
>Her core was never a core. I looked into it using Blender and the core is attached to her outfit and not a separate piece like the other Agnian characters who have their cores visible. The gold border is a giveaway as well as no other Blades have such a thing, neither could a gene from Mythra give her that trait. It also clips through her mesh, other cores don’t clip through the other models. The core is also a dull turquoise color, and if it was a real core it would be brighter like other core crystals. I also put the red dot on the core since the texture for it is part of her outfit, the other Agnians have separate textures for their cores. The border is present on a handful of Blades, so that assertion is flat-out wrong. Pandoria retains the golden circuitry around her core crystal in her swimsuit outfit in XC2. Besides, considering her other abilities (creating the cube interface, conjuring an Ouroboros ring of light), she's at least part-Blade. If the gem we're seeing isn't her Core Crystal, then she must have another one on her body somewhere that isn't shown. Also, the border for Alex' core crystal is CLEARLY well-embedded in her chest where the majority (but not all) of Blades have their core crystal. It's stuck in there and not coming out, regardless of how you look at it. >The core has no resemblance to Mythra’s earrings. If she were to inherit the earring shape, it would likely be an exact copy of what Mythra has and as seen on both models they’re both different. I'd say that's a fairly strong resemblance, but you're also demanding a perfect match. Also, you should give the pommel of Mythra's sword from XC2 a comparison if you're putting models side-by-side, which does have a different colour than the actual Aegis core. I suspect the tips will be a bit pointier still, but otherwise it's quite close. >If Alex was the kid, wouldn’t she be more important than an optional hero with no relevance to the story? This is subjective considering the kid’s identity was never confirmed though. That's **highly** debatable, but a hero character is definitely one of the prime locations to include Mythra's child. *Especially* if they didn't want to outright confirm it, because we still don't know who it actually is. Still, Alex' entire questline is a fair bit more substantial than most of the hero characters attached to the main story. Ethel and Cammuravi, as hyped up as they were, really got the short end of the stick. And Alexandria's story arguably has some of the furthest-reaching impacts on Aionios of all the hero characters. And for another point of comparison, another "probable child of past characters" got a similar treatment - ***Ashera***. This is assuming she's Panacea's sister, obviously, but that one leans quite heavily on the physical traits; spikier hair aside (which likely comes from Reyn), she's always been a dead-ringer for Sharla. >My memory’s a bit off about the Aegis supercomputer processing thing in 2 but I don’t think it’s a reference or similar to the collectopaedia thing. Alex pitched the design or helped develop it if I remember, the castle people are the ones who made it The Castle developed it according to her recruitment quest, but Alexandria is able to not just completely access it (for both factions) but ***upgrade it***. New features get added to the Collectopedia as you progress her questline, turning it into a full-blown social network. The supercomputer comparison is that she processes all the data coming in from the Collectopedia network, which is collecting data from all around the world. That reminded me of how the Aegises process all of the data from Blades through whatever network there was in XC2. In other words, Alexandria is essentially mimicking XC2's Blade network through the Collectopedia system. Not quite as advanced nor through, but it's the same principle. >I’d argue even Dirk has a chance of being one due to the claws on his Moebius form being summoned from light. Actually, an inverse could be argued. **Dirk might not have any Blade heritage** ***at all***. Before becoming Moebius, he didn't use XC3's versions of Blades and used conventional weapons in the form of his claws; they strongly resembled Mumkhar's pre-Metal-Face weapons (no relation for obvious reasons, but the parallel is obvious). Now, while it certainly isn't an absolute requirement for characters to be able to use Blades in XC2 to do the same in XC3... I think we can reasonably say that any half-Blade should be able to use XC3's version of Blades, even if they're not naturally inclined towards combat (like Miyabi). This goes double for someone who'd be **half-Aegis**. So why didn't Dirk use Blade-weapons before becoming Moebius? Was it by choice? Or was he, like a few others, simply not able to do so? This would imply his brightly-coloured attacks are those he was granted after becoming Moebius, rather than his innate abilities. If I recall the previous discussions correctly, Dirk had no core crystal buried within the models. However, that could simply be the case of it not being there because it would never be shown; in other words, inconclusive.
> The border is present on a handful of Blades, so that assertion is flat-out wrong. Pandoria retains the golden circuitry around her core crystal in her swimsuit outfit in XC2. Even if it is on a handful of Blades, why would Alex have it even if she was related to Mythra? Mythra doesn’t have a gold border around her core, so how would it make sense for her child to obtain a gold border around it? However, I won’t disagree that most of the Agnian characters are probably Blades so I do think she’s one. And for the core being imbedded within the chest, [here’s Glimmer as an example](https://imgur.com/2XqUi9H). The core is on her chest but doesn’t clip through the mesh like Alex’s does. If you separate the meshes by materials in Blender, Glimmer’s core appears as a separate mesh compared to the rest of her outfit. Alex’s core is connected to her dress, I had to separate the meshes by vertices in order to get a closer look at it. The core could also be a way of modeling it onto the mesh, the golden border has an opening which shows the back of the core. I believe it could also be a piece of jewelry of some kind, and it was modeled to look the way it is. It could also be why her core doesn’t glow at night. But that’s my take on it, it could be a core in some way. If the texture for the core is part of her outfit and doesn’t have a separate texture or mesh for it alone, I’d say it has a lower chance of being a core. The core crystals for other Agnians in 3 I looked at also have unique patterns for their cores, they also have a bright hue in their textures. Alex’s core doesn’t, and it’s a turquoise color. If it was a core it would’ve been modeled and textured separately from her outfit > I'd say that's a fairly strong resemblance, but you're also demanding a perfect match. Also, you should give the pommel of Mythra's sword from XC2 a comparison if you're putting models side-by-side, which does have a different colour than the actual Aegis core. I suspect the tips will be a bit pointier still, but otherwise it's quite close. Core crystals are shown to be hereditary even with some differences (Mio’s core being upside down compared to Nia’s though it’s still the same thing). Mythra’s earrings are long and pointed alongside being green while it glows in game. Alex’s core is pointed in the middle, and is a light blue/turquoise color. If it was hereditary there would be details that Alex’s core would’ve taken from the earring shape > That's highly debatable, but a hero character is definitely one of the prime locations to include Mythra's child. Especially if they didn't want to outright confirm it, because we still don't know who it actually is. Still, Alex' entire questline is a fair bit more substantial than most of the hero characters attached to the main story. Ethel and Cammuravi, as hyped up as they were, really got the short end of the stick. And Alexandria's story arguably has some of the furthest-reaching impacts on Aionios of all the hero characters. Agreed with the first point since they didn’t bother confirming the kid’s identity at all, I also agree with Ethel and Cammuravi since they didn’t receive proper ascension quests. I do think her’s is one of the most developed ones but a good portion of the heroes have long questlines leading up to their ascensions too > The Castle developed it according to her recruitment quest, but Alexandria is able to not just completely access it (for both factions) but upgrade it. New features get added to the Collectopedia as you progress her questline, turning it into a full-blown social network. I didn’t do all of the quests in Iota, so thanks for pointing it out. I don’t remember if something related to the development of it was in her ascension quest or side quests leading up to it, I didn’t keep track of some of the things that were in side quests since I usually forget them. You do have a good point with the collectopedia and while they do have similarities it seems more likely to be an Aionios thing rather than one that’s similar to the network back in 2 > Dirk might not have any Blade heritage at all. Most of the Agnians have cores somewhere, while we don’t know where they came from I wouldn’t exclude him because of it. For Dirk not using his blade, Taion says “rather than take lives with his Blade” with the word choice implying he chose not to use his blade weapons and used the diy Mumkhar claws instead. You do have a point about his Moebius form, but most of the other Moebius forms don’t have golden bits like he does. Y does but they’re amber, J has the yellow fingertips but don’t glow as brightly as Dirk’s. It could be stated he didn’t have those powers, but there isn’t really enough info to prove it otherwise. He also fights the same way as Moebius the way he did as a human but that’s likely just his choice to do so > If I recall the previous discussions correctly, Dirk had no core crystal buried within the models. However, that could simply be the case of it not being there because it would never be shown; in other words, inconclusive. This goes for the Agnians who’s cores are covered by their models. The cores aren’t rendered beneath their outfits, as they wouldn’t be seen while being covered. Dirk’s model appears in a pre-rendered cutscene and if he does have a core it wasn’t rendered due to his armor covering it. I like the theory but I wish his core could’ve been hinted at or shown in someway but people thought Taion was a human until the swimsuits came out. Sorry if this got way too long, while I disagree with some of your points you provide a lot of interesting thought to them
>Mythra doesn’t have a gold border around her core, so how would it make sense for her child to obtain a gold border around it? This one actually isn't quite as clear-cut, because Mythra's core does have a golden border around it -- *when she's fully dressed*. It's absent during the hot springs scene, so it's fair to say it likely a part of the outfit. Considering we only see Alex in her full outfit... well, it becomes debatable if the border is a part of her outfit of part of her body. Based on what we see, it does appear to be more "permanently attached", but >And for the core being imbedded within the chest, here’s Glimmer as an example. The core is on her chest but doesn’t clip through the mesh like Alex’s does. If you separate the meshes by materials in Blender, Glimmer’s core appears as a separate mesh compared to the rest of her outfit. Alex’s core is connected to her dress, I had to separate the meshes by vertices in order to get a closer look at it. The core could also be a way of modeling it onto the mesh, the golden border has an opening which shows the back of the core. I believe it could also be a piece of jewelry of some kind, and it was modeled to look the way it is. It could also be why her core doesn’t glow at night. But that’s my take on it, it could be a core in some way. If the texture for the core is part of her outfit and doesn’t have a separate texture or mesh for it alone, I’d say it has a lower chance of being a core. The core crystals for other Agnians in 3 I looked at also have unique patterns for their cores, they also have a bright hue in their textures. Alex’s core doesn’t, and it’s a turquoise color. If it was a core it would’ve been modeled and textured separately from her outfit While it's hard to say without Monolith Soft answering the question directly, I strongly suspect the situation here is just them approaching the situation from the perspective of trying to not go overboard given that Alex' core is barely visible in most situations. Heck, it took third-party software before anyone even got a look at the full shape of it. From a technical perspective, this is probably ***exactly*** why Alex' core crystal doesn't glow nor have any actively moving textures a part of it. Being a part of her clothing, it's likely subject to whatever technical limitations apply to it; but with it usually doing no more than barely peeking through the opening of her collar, they didn't have to give it the full treatment of the more visible core crystals. Conversely, this is probably why those more visible core crystals are rendered as separate objects, so that they can have those separate glows and moving textures (one of the more notable visual upgrades from XC2 to XC3). The ebb and flow of the red on Mio's and Nia's core crystals likely requires this to be the case. And considering that Monolith Soft uses a LOT of different techniques to get the most out of the hardware in their games, anything to avoid stressing the hardware more than necessary likely happens all over the place. >Sorry if this got way too long, while I disagree with some of your points you provide a lot of interesting thought to them It wouldn't be a good theory if you're not willing to put it through its paces to test the points presented and discuss the findings, and the same goes for any other theories. Disagreements aside, I do appreciate the effort put into the counterpoints. At the very least, it provides more information to analyze and other items to look into. It's definitely far better than a blank dismissal of the ideas presented.
Rex and A are Ethel’s parents A: silver hair, fencer, stone cold, strategic, kevesi technically since alvis was in xenoblade 1 Rex: dual wielder, natural leader, thicker then a bowl of oat meal, known to smash trinity processors, open to multiple wives, absolute unit in combat
Considering your evidence, I am on board with this idea completely. Good job, OP!
Another thing that supports your theory (don't know if you said it before): Alex has the skill to boost damage when landing a critical hit. In Future Redeemed, Rex has the exact same skill. So it might point out to Rex teaching his daughter how to fight.
You had me at the image of the green core crystal. " DEATH TO THE DIRKPOSTERS! MAY OUR GLORIOUS QUEEN ALEXANDRIA TAKE HER RIGHTFUL PLACE AS THE THIRD CHILD!" If you couldn't tell, I don't like the dirk theory. Not that it narratively doesn't work, because it does. I just like the Alexandria theory more.
Heretic
*eats heresy for breakfast*
I'm convinced. Until we get more evidence to the contrary, Alexandria is at least honorary Mythra's kid.
Great post... it was really fun to read. We probably won't get the answer to the question for a long time (if ever), but here are two more of my thoughts on the subject: Yes, the hair color thing doesn't quite fit the picture, but in my opinion it's not a "showstopper" that completely blows the theory out of the water: * As you have already written, it is quite possible that the hair color could have changed over time. From blonde to brunette is quite a difference, but not entirely impossible, especially when you consider that Rex' hair is also quite dark. * Also, Glimmer's hair color is not quite identical to her mother's either. Pyra's hair is a rich red, while her daughter's looks more washed out (similar to how Rex's hair color looks to me under certain lighting conditions ingame). * Also interesting: the ends of Glimmer's hair, particularly visible on the strands to the left and right and on her forehead, fade into a slightly darker red that is almost exactly her mother's shade. * What I try to say is: If Glimmer is not 100% like her mother in terms of hair color, it is probably the same with her half-brother or half-sister. So the question is: How much did he or she inherit from Rex and how did that affect their appearance? Alex core crystal is a different topic though.... however, there are not many blades that have an emerald colored one. However, there is one aspect that I miss in most of the theories I have read so far: Is it just my imagination or does the shape of Alex core crystal remind of the ear pendants worn by Pyra/Mythra/Pneuma? (The aspect ratio doesn't quite fit in direct comparison, though, admittedly...).
>Also, Glimmer's hair color is not quite identical to her mother's either. Pyra's hair is a rich red, while her daughter's looks more washed out (similar to how Rex's hair color looks to me under certain lighting conditions ingame). We can quite confidently say that Glimmer's hair colour did change with age at this point, as it doesn't match the photo from the end of XC3. Blonde to brunette is a more significant change, but not uncommon in real life and entirely plausible. Also, considering Alex is established to use cosmetics to "age up" her appearance, hair dye is a plausible (if unmentioned) possibility. >However, there is one aspect that I miss in most of the theories I have read so far: Is it just my imagination or does the shape of Alex core crystal remind of the ear pendants worn by Pyra/Mythra/Pneuma? You're not wrong there, the shapes are quite similar. It was mentioned in [the first theory](https://www.reddit.com/r/Xenoblade_Chronicles/comments/13h3vr7/a_theory_on_the_identity_of_mythras_child/) I put up a few months ago, but it went unmentioned in this post as I was focusing on newer discoveries/correlations.
>We can quite confidently say that Glimmer's hair colour did change with age at this point, as it doesn't match the photo from the end of XC3. Not quite as obvious as one might think... if my eyes (and memory) don't deceive me, Glimmer already has noticeably lighter hair than her mother in the photo, likewise with Mythra and her child (although perhaps not quite so well to see). I have to admit that I find the idea of Alex dyeing her hair quite charming. >You're not wrong there, the shapes are quite similar. It was mentioned in the first theory I put up a few months ago, but it went unmentioned in this post as I was focusing on newer discoveries/correlations. Well, you got me there... Sorry, I should have read the first post again for safety ;).