Board Thread:S,R,&G/@comment-24822455-20140416014104/@comment-24822455-20140720015504

Gsimenas wrote: Yui confirmed that the NPCs were generated by Cardinal as far as I remember. Speculation and non-canon fantasies are different things. Yui did not say anything during the entire scene with Skuld, including when Skuld first appeared, so Yui comment only applies if Skuld is an NPC (or specifically a Top-Down AI), it doesn't apply if Skuld is something else (a real person or a Bottom-Up AI).

Also, the description of this forum area is "Speculations, Rumors and Gossip boards, whatever you want and hope for but keep it clean." (Copied directly from the web page, except for the bold part.  (If you want it to mean something else, please change it, as we the members (or at least I don't) have psychic powers, so can only see what is written, and respond to that.)

BTW, the definition of speculation is, "The forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence." Sorry, but even without the bold part there at the end of the description, speculation and non-canon fantasies ARE the same thing. (or you speak a different version of English than I do!!!)  I won't even go into "Rumors or Gossip".

As to evidence, here are a few canon facts that do apply:

1. Kirito said "and how is an NPC supposed to have a mail address", or at least on the copy I have, says this. This was the one that started me thinking about something other than a NPC.

2. The quest was already complete when Klein ask the question. Why would an NPC act that way after the quest she was created for ended? She should have just walked/disappeared like the others. (Are the Top-Down AIs about to revolt for more time in game?!?!?!  OK, THAT was non-canon fantasy!!!)

3. Skuld was fairy sized, yet all the rest of them were WAY oversized! (There could be something else behind that, but if so, why?)

4. When Leafa ask Uror a simple question, Leafa is ignored, even though earlier Yui had said Uror was "connected to the language engine module", which should have given Uror MUCH more flexibility than Skuld, who was (you say a NPC) only there to say ONE SINGLE LINE and give out mission rewards. This is the one that to me, raises all the flags that something else might be going on.

5. In no place in the book, does it say Skuld is an NPC. Everyone one just assumed that, and you know what they say about "assume"? (And no I'm not saying what they say about "assume", look it up, the last part of the forum section description says "but keep it clean".)

6. Could there have been a story about Klein in the works? This would be a GREAT lead in! Speculation. (Oops, there is that word again!)

Of course a really good writer might have written this part, just thinking how much speculation (oops, again) would be caused by it! A really good writer not only tells a good story, but makes people think about the story.

Again, as to canon, the only way we'll ever know for sure, is if Kawahara Reki says one way of the other (By definition, only the author can say what is or is not canon, not fans), we can only speculate (and again). I sure wish I could send him a list of questions in Japanese, as I have about 20 now, but I know no Japanese, and from what I've read, he knows little or no English. Heck, I don't even know anyone anymore that speaks Japanese. :-(  Ah, being an adult before the first VRMMO er - web was around sucks.