Questions regarding WoG (what is accepted and what is not)

[Astral_Trinity439]

Hello everyone, hope y'all are doing well.

So I asked this question to some staff in discord but some is not enough, thus comes this question thread.

So there's this review section on the Japanese site (syosetu) which allows author-reader interaction to an extent.

Now the author of TenSura (Fuse) according to himself had a habit of skipping/removing lengthy explanations in the WN version. According tl himself, it was because he wanted to keep the novel in the light read category.

Problem is, this caused a lot of unexplained stuff and a lot of what-if questions for the readers at the time (back in 2013-15), so they would often ask the single questions and the author would answer.

My question is if we can treat these explanations as usable.

Before answering, keep in mind the following things.

• VSBW sometimes rejects WoG basically because in many of those cases, its actual scalers who are asking the author questions, mostly related to scaling in order to scale the series higher.

But the WN impressions/reviews page has the following pros, or at least "had" them back when the author used to answer questions:

1. ALL (and I really mean it as someone who read all the 1400+ pages in the given link) of the relevant/useable questions were asked AND answered back in 2013-2015, with rarely some extending to 2016.
2. Around 2016 (start or middle), the author stopped relying (or rarely did) and didn't read the impressions according to himself), so he didn't read any of the brainrot or scaling questions that scalers asked in the recent (from page 1-300 or 400). And nor did he answer ANY of them.
3. Back in 2013-2015, the question-answers took place while the author was simultaneously writing the web novel itself, so they were consistent.
4. Basically, most of the QnAs were like:
   1. The author uploads a chapter.
   2. Readers read the chapter and ask questions right then (time difference being anywhere from a few minutes to at best a few days).
   3. Author would answer them with a time difference of anywhere between a few minutes to at best a few days.
5. And in some rare cases, new readers would ask questions regarding older chapters, but even then the author was simultaneously writing the Novel so the answers were still consistent.
6. The most "recent" answered questions were back from 2016, just a few months after the WN main story and the major side stories ended.
7. VSBW was pretty much Nonexistent by then, barely known. (Was created around 2011 but barley known and WAYYY to different standards back then lol).
8. Powerscaling wasn't as popular a hobby back then + most of the questions were relevant to the plot itself and on-going chapters, and other questions were all what-ifs regarding lore/future plot.

You can track the reviews with the on-going chapter release dates at the time.
Examples:
Note: All of these are rough translations done by good old gpt since I can't be having translation staff translating all these text walls just for a QnA.

Spoiler: Examples

For minor cases, there is a chapter where it says Black Flame (attack technique) reaches hundreds of Millions of degrees without any explanation. This is what the author explains it as in the reviews page:

[Comment]

A flame with a diameter of five meters that reaches several hundred million degrees Celsius… If that amount of heat were released, it would be at a level where the entire Earth would instantly evaporate and explode from vaporization.

Even the surface temperature of the sun is only about six thousand degrees, yet you can casually emit heat that vastly surpasses that — isn’t that already far beyond the trump card of the Beast Demon Lord, Rimuru-san?

If the attack could actually hit, then probably even Br□ly could be killed in one blow. There’s a lot to comment on there.

…Isn’t a flame of several hundred million degrees Celsius a bit too exaggerated? Honestly, that would destroy the star itself.

Considering that even the armor of a Ga○dam, which is known for its toughness, can be penetrated by a beam rifle-level attack, maybe you should reconsider the durability of magisteel in this work.

Posted by: Deleted account
Date: April 24, 2013, 01:54

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[Author Response]

In the author’s image, it’s more like a movement of heat only.

Magicules are made to flow into and out of the triple barrier, changing the inside into a vacuum state. In the thinly spread middle layer, “molecular manipulation” is performed to accelerate the molecules.
In a state where no collisions occur — meaning there is no pressure increase — only the molecular speed is super-accelerated.
In this condition, the inner barrier is released. The movement of the molecules is then directed in a spiral pattern and made to strike the target.
By transferring kinetic energy through molecular collisions at unimaginable acceleration, the molecules of the target are made to resonate in a chain reaction, instantly reaching a temperature of several hundred million degrees.
This exceeds the boiling point of all substances and turns the target into plasma.
Neutron rays and other emissions produced are drawn back inward through the spatial distortion of the outer barrier.
The minimum amount of magicules required to incinerate the target is calculated, and nearly all of the generated heat energy is reused to maintain the barrier’s strength.
At the same time as the target is burned away, all the accelerated molecular kinetic energy is absorbed by “Gluttony,” returning things to their original state.
If that is not possible, it is stored within the isolated stomach space, recovering the energy used to accelerate the molecules.
Even when the barrier is released, no shockwave or residual heat remains.

Maybe I can just say “because it’s magic!” as an excuse.
Even tens of thousands of degrees is extreme enough — maybe I should change it. ^^;

Ah, beam rifles were actually charged particle cannons, right? They should be extremely high temperature.

— Fuse
April 24, 2013, 18:21

A level higher, the author explains sub abilities of a skill that's widely unexplained except for having time travel and time stop.

[Comment]

The hero’s ultimate skill being “Save & Load,” that’s overflowing with romance.
However, if you can’t change events you previously observed, then carrying memories completely back into the past would actually be a disadvantage, wouldn’t it?
Maybe Yog-Sothoth would be able to override that kind of restriction?

I’m curious about what happens after Rimuru’s bad ending...
Did Raphael awaken?

Posted by: Kam
Age: 23–29, Male
Date: July 28, 2013, 19:59

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[Author Response]

The moment of awakening is the save point, and you can return to it any number of times.
You can’t jump into the future, but within the time you’ve advanced, you can redo things as many times as you like.

The powers of “time stop,” “time reversal,” and “fast-forwarding time”
are also included in the ability. Pretty much invincible.

As for the “observed phenomena” restriction — that only applies to before awakening.
After awakening, that limitation no longer exists. However, it can only be manipulated from the point of awakening onward.

As for Bad End Rimuru — if he’s still alive, he seems likely to awaken into something other than Raphael.
Not a gentle personality like Raphael’s, but something born from negative emotions.
That would be tough.

— Fuse
July 28, 2013, 20:24

Another case the author indicating the existence of different world-lines/timelines and that the verse does not follow attractor Field theory (which is equivalent of saying all the different world-lines/timelines physically exist, and separately instead of merging into one).

[Comment]

Don’t call it Reading Steiner (lol).
Personally, I think it should be read as “Observer of Solitude.”
Even in the lyrics of the Steins;Gate anime song “Hacking to the Gate,” there’s the phrase “Observer of Solitude.”

Anyway, back to the topic.
I think I’ve understood the flow now.

Original worldline...

1. The Chuunibyou-named force attacks Tempest.
2. Chloe panics. Time becomes unstable.
3. She uses spatial transfer on the spot. Because of that, she doesn’t encounter Hinata, and Tempest is protected.
4. However, afterward, the Holy Knights attack Tempest — Rimuru dies.
5.Clayman awakens. During Walpurgis, Yuuki takes over the Hero’s body.
6. Everything’s a mess — Luminous gets beaten by Milim, the Lion Lord dies protecting Frey.
7. The Hero, manipulated by Yuuki, is defeated by Guy.
8. Back to the past.

This worldline...

1. The Chuunibyou attack on Tempest.
2. Chloe endures.
3. As a result, she encounters Hinata. Somehow escapes.
4. However, many casualties occur in Tempest. Rimuru snaps (+α) and says “I’ll become a True Demon Lord.” Ultimate Skill manifests!
5. Victory over the Holy Knights. Also eliminates the parasite attached to Hinata.
6. Hinata dies, but since the parasite is gone, Chloe evolves in a pure state — and Hinata is revived.

So that’s correct?
Then, does Hinata’s death seem necessary in every worldline — meaning she absolutely must die one way or another?
Also, in the previous worldline, maybe Rimuru survived and altered the past?

Final question:
Maybe I just missed it, but wasn’t the Hero inside the Holy Ark the one who collapsed in the fight with Veldora? Not sure...

Well, that’s fine.
So, my question — where exactly did Chloe begin?

She was summoned, merged with her past self, became unrecognizable — where did she go after that?

She time-traveled, Yuuki revived the Hero, that Hero was Chloe + Hinata, Hinata was absorbed by Chloe, killed by Guy, then went back to the past.
That connects to the merging with her past self.

So where did the Hero in the Holy Ark come from?
And what happened to the child-Chloe of this worldline...?

Aaaahhh, I regret being born stupid.

Posted by: 桐生直隆
Age: 18–22
Date: July 28, 2013, 17:09

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[Author Response]

It’s okay.
That terminology doesn’t appear in the main story!
I also haven’t expanded into “Attractor Field Theory,” so it should be fine. Probably.

Chloe’s origin — that’s a secret.
I think it was when she was summoned by Yuuki, but if I use certain hidden settings, it changes.
However, since it might get confusing, I’ll probably avoid using those... though I might still use them.

The Hero inside the Holy Ark is Chloe (plus Hinata), who has lived from the past up to the present.
Before Hinata was summoned, she (Chloe) put herself to sleep.
That Holy Ark is one of her own abilities.
Luminous is her friend, so she asked her to take care of it.

As for the Chloe who disappeared — think of her as sleeping, clinging to the awakened Hero.

— Fuse
July 28, 2013, 19:55

There's also a case the on going arc was about battle in a way that it's unbound by the flow of time, and the reader described it was a battle involving movement on the 4th (time) dimension, but the author implies that there is a (different) 4th dimension, the one used in spatial abilities like teleportation. Do note that this 4th dimension was already introduced before, just not called a higher-dimension or 4th.

[One Word]
A battle on a whole new level has begun!
Fourth-dimensional combat, freed from the constraints of three dimensions, is now...
Posted by: Yakitori
January 21, 2014 22:07
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[Author Response]

　There might even be a fourth dimension.
　After all, teleportation is dimensional travel lol
— Fuse
January 21, 2014 23:56

So, given all the above points and taking into consideration the fact that this stuff could help resolve previous threads and arguments rejected due to lack of explanation, is this stuff usable?

 

[KLOL506]

For all that we know, only WoG that already reaffirms what exists in the main source material is valid, especially if it's not asked about in a battleboarding-esque way of pestering people and as long as it doesn't contradict anything else.

 

[Astral_Trinity439]

For all that we know, only WoG that already reaffirms what exists in the main source material is valid

For all I'm aware of, only questions regarding what is actually relevant to the Novel's plot are answered.

And to begin with, in all the pages from 2013-2016 (around 800 pages) I've read, there was not a single question like "Is this 5D?" or "Is this capable of destroying the multiverse?" etc.

Even all the above cases I gave above were relevant to the plot as described, which one can see reading the cases themselves as well

especially if it's not asked about in a battleboarding-esque way of pestering people

The author, at least in the past (2013-2016) answered almost every question (unless it was overlapping with another) and clarified how he prefers this over inserting text walls in the novel that make it hard to read. (It would take some time but I can find that specific reply as well if someone wants).

and as long as it doesn't contradict anything else.

It doesn't.

So the answer in your thoughts?

 

[Agnaa]

Before answering, keep in mind the following things.

• VSBW bans WoG basically because most of the times, its actual scalers who are asking the author questions, mostly related to scaling in order to scale the series higher.

We don't ban WoG. No clue what you're talking about here.

So, given all the above points and taking into consideration the fact that this stuff could help resolve previous threads and arguments rejected due to lack of explanation, is this stuff usable?

I have not been given a reason to believe they won't be usable.

 

[Astral_Trinity439]

We don't ban WoG. No clue what you're talking about here.

Apologies, my phrasing was wrong. I'll correct it.

I have not been given a reason to believe they won't be usable.

Alright, thanks for answering.

 

[Qawsedf234]

For all that we know, only WoG that already reaffirms what exists in the main source material is valid, especially if it's not asked about in a battleboarding-esque way of pestering people and as long as it doesn't contradict anything else.

There's a difference between an author saying "This ability generates flames reaching millions of degrees" and a user asking "Does this technique produce flames that reach millions of degrees" more or less.

 

[Agnaa]

Apologies, my phrasing was wrong. I'll correct it.

Before answering, keep in mind the following things.

• VSBW sometimes rejects WoG basically because in many of those cases, its actual scalers who are asking the author questions, mostly related to scaling in order to scale the series higher.

Well yeah in that case it's pretty self obvious.

You know that the standards are to reject it if it's scalers asking questions to get the series to be rated higher (or if it contradicts the main series, obviously isn't serious, etc.).

And you argue that such a thing isn't happening there.

You don't need us to tell you what you already know.

I don't like these sorts of threads which are basically "Our rules say that if a series does A it gets B. This series does A, does it get B?" It's either obviously true, or you're hiding information that contradicts your stance to try to fish for staff agreeing with you, so you can use that as a weapon against people who disagree with you later.

 

[Astral_Trinity439]

Well yeah in that case it's pretty self obvious.

You know that the standards are to reject it if it's scalers asking questions to get the series to be rated higher (or if it contradicts the main series, obviously isn't serious, etc.).

And you argue that such a thing isn't happening there.

You don't need us to tell you what you already know.

I don't like these sorts of threads which are basically "Our rules say that if a series does A it gets B. This series does A, does it get B?" It's either obviously true, or you're hiding information that contradicts your stance to try to fish for staff agreeing with you, so you can use that as a weapon against people who disagree with you later.

It's just a habit of mine to add as much info as possible (that I myself think is relevant, as it might not be so from another pov).

Plus I wasn't sure how far our rule regarding (it is allowed) would go, even if, for example, that wog (even if relevant to plot) shifted the Cosmology from tier 2 to tier 1.

I just want everything clarified explicitly since the amount of old arguments and threads that can be resolved using WoG is a LOT.