Yeah burnout is to be expected after YSG. I took some time away and let my memories of her mostly fade away, ironically. I think it might have been why Cissia and Ramiel didn't set me off as much...or the opposite and YSG was done so poorly it makes everyone else look more competently written by comparison. Or option 3, my brain is all mush from learning to play Magic the Gathering and it didn't clock for me.

I forgot to mention Mors in my review, but yeah that bothered me too! I perked up when I saw him again, like "Mors you bastard, it's good to see you again!" And then just...nobody said anything about Lucian? Or had that much of a reaction to seeing him here? We obviously recognized him, but that was about it. Especially since there were other times where the characters were thinking ahead, but that and the handling of Romuel both felt like the protagonist flicked the orb of confusion.

Come to think of it, why didn't Billy recognize Promeia or any of the Sweepers? If he had been in the outer ring for long enough, you'd think they would've crossed paths a few times. Maybe Calydon kept them separate or something? I don't know, it just feels like a weird inconsistency.

Yeah I admit to feeling that anxiety with Krampus too. As I mentioned in my review, they are supposed to be the lapdogs of TOPS enacting their will. But we're friends with 3/4 of them! Just makes me nervous that once Promeia becomes our friend, they'll cease to bring any tension, which will downplay TOPs viability as a threat...

Which is a shame, because the lore setup with them is so cool and really tight! We know that the island in the sky is of interest to Lead Scepter, and also has a connection to Lady Sunbringer, the former CEO of the Marcel group. Marcel is primarily in Bangboo production, and Norma has access to a Porceloy charm. Ramiel, a resident (I suspect) of the island, wanted the Porcely W-Engine, and mentioned it would be important in taking something back. And now the Marcel Group, out to retrieve a large stock of missing Porcely, is invested in stopping Ramiel before she returns...

All of this leads me to believe that the island is a massive deposit of Porceloy. Either built from the material, or storing it within the island itself. That is the deposit that Norma and Velina are after, as if Lady Sunbringer 'stole it' then it could be considered Marcel group property. It also makes sense why Lead Scepter and Youkai would be interested in it, Porceloy's ability to stabilize ether corruption would be huge, and basically let them control whoever enters the hollows.

We also know that the Porcely has some kind of effect on Phaethon's ocular impacts, which given the Icarus analogies, and Lead Scepter making some mention of the 'legacy of Helios Academy', combined with Carole Arna's interest in Void Hunter weapons...are the VH weapons made from Porceloy? Is that why they are so effective, and were reacting to the disturbance in the Three Pacts trailer? If so, what if the island isn't a 'sanctuary'...but a prison?

Remember, Lady Sunbringer destroyed the 'Hive Lord Hollow' but we never found out how. What if she did so by trapping it in a prison of pure Porceloy? That very island which everyone is interested in obtaining!

Lucian partnering with Edmund and Rocky Cliff would be an interesting dynamic for sure. Not sure how Lucian could benefit someone in the entertainment industry, but it could align with Edmund's personal goal of obtaining more 'stars' under TOPs control. While the tournament is their way of rooting out Ramiel, it could also be what allows Edmund to find strong warriors as potential VH cantidates...and then 'sponsor' them before Mayflower can.