#Dhmis theories

[persy-r-bozo]

DHMIS - The Yap EPIC - Red Guy

Red is so fascinating to me. He's like a tragic oddity no matter where he travels. He is monotoned and hidden despite being the largest and arguably most brightly colored one there.

I AM IN LOVE with the unable to fit in anxiety and fear thing he has as well, He's too weird for his people. too Normal for the weird freaks.

i think red truly is bonded to the other two. He cares for them and wants them to be safe and far from danger. But here's the thing, I like to think red himself thinks he is a danger to them. He wants to be there to help and comfort them but at the same time, he thinks he's not good enough, that he'll just end up hurting them in some way. Like despite the brain fog a lil voice in his head tell him over and over again he hurt them. either in a "You lead them too their doom" or a "You gave them hope when it was never possible" even "You left to help, but you just made things worse"

think he feels guilty, and blames himself for everything even though he doesn't know why. he might just be doing it out of self hatred or he might have helped Roy or was blind to things in the past he never realized or fully remembers.

That guilt makes him distant. He loves them but he wont show it out of fear for them. I think in transport this is shown perfectly.

he wants them to be in a safe town. he wants them to have friends and neighbor's. he wants them far away from that house and happier and healthier. But he clearly mentions he wont be staying with them. that he will live separately from them. And reassures yellow that it will be ok and better, i don't think he said that because he dislikes them (yeah he gets annoyed sometimes but that's normal) I think he said that because he feels he needs to be separate so they can fully live normal happy lives. and when everything starts to fall apart, he panics. he is swallowed by anxiety. that ticking time bomb finally exploded. he yells out of fear and that fear turns into anger. The keys were dangled in front of him and they were taken away.

During the campsite scene red rocks himself and hides his face a little bit, covering his mouth after telling yellow its going to be ok. He failed again, he hurt them again.

The energy i get from red is someone who cares. and tries. but he keeps failing, it keeps hurting them and that hurts him, only making him more distant.

That is interesting as well, red is truly unpredictable. that urge to help and escape can make red go crazy but it could also truly help. if he were to open up more he could clear his mind just a little bit and connect with his lil found family. But he could also break more, He could accept this world or his "role" If he's Only going to be a monster that only hurts his friends he might as well do it on purpose. get it over with. (what I'm saying is red could easily get better and bond more AND easily have a corruption arch leading him to become a darker force)- (Both possible! and honestly super interesting topics to dive into) like he has main character energy, but he is pushed by the world itself to sit down and mumble along the songs.

in short i see red as a tragic overthinking anxious mess. on the verge of breaking. and that break could help him connect or truly shatter him. (Good Cry Vs "What's even the Point")

He made himself a cage and locked himself inside it.

too bad for him there are two goobers who are determined to get inside and let him out for a walk. no matter what he thinks.

-Relationship views-

Yellow: That's his little guy, the fellow who makes him smile even though every day is a dreaded one. Red overthinks to himself, But yellow doesn't give a damn he just wants to eat breakfast and watch Tv with his Semi Dad #2! and that makes red feel better, just to hang out and be included in whatever yellas doing, and i think red tries to teach him actually good things, like cooking and cleaning. (Lil cute headcannon!! I have a small head cannon that red doesn't like Grolton and Horvis. he doesn't hate it. its just he wouldn't ever choose to watch it personally, But its yellows favorite show and it makes his mornings whenever its on, so he sits and watches it with him.)

Duck: Hes SMITTEN FR FR. I think red does Love duck. But i also think red is practically chained inside the closet. I wouldn't be surprised if his stringy puppet family or species as a whole isn't exactly supportive of anything that's not "Normal or the same" And with how duck tends to dance around some topics and how he seems to be aggressive toward anything that changes his personal life. i think red just decided that staying in the dark - so to speak- is better than potentially losing his family again. But then the fridge scene happened, Red spoke about his feelings and duck was soft and even recuperated to a degree. If we get another season i can see their relationship become more interesting.

Roy: I dont think red remembers roy, the fog and day loop stuff makes the past more so hard to remember. However i do think they were business partners or at least acquaintances, the guy you hang and drink with every two weeks and talk about your lives. HOWEVER Uh. that changed didn't it? I said this in a random post once before. but i think that if red were to see Roy again, it be one of the few times red truly gets aggressive. (I mean even in the friendship ending he sounds more like he's venting than actually throwing hands.) That he wouldn't remember Roy or what he even did, but he'd remember the feelings, the horrible Fear and Hatred mixture. Like "I don't Know you, But i know you Have to go. my Everything is screaming at me to tear you apart. i need you OUT." Plus i think its awesome when a normally quiet character gets aggressive, its awesome and scary! i can see red tearing though the walls, chasing Roy relentlessly, no matter how many times the houses foundation starts to fall on him, or how many times he gets scratched by rusted nails, he just doesn't stop. (I think it would be super neat)

Lesley: I don't think red even knows Lesley exists. Roy might have mentioned her in the past, but i don't think reds ever even seen her. But if they were to meet i think they'd be chill with each other, drinking tea and talking about those scamps downstairs, but there would be a time limit. Because its just a matter of time before Red slips and mentions how badly he wants to move them away, or Lesley slips and Implies how she's Lowkey In control of everything. and the two of them remember that their protective enemies.

[thingsaday]

Lesley is… FASCINATING. It’s really hard to choose a favorite character in the series, but she’s up there with charged yellow for me. 

~~~~~DHMIS SPOILERS AHEAD (Obviously) ~~~~~

As for headcannons, I definitely subscribe to the idea that she, Roy, and yellow are a family of sorts. Roy is most obviously yellow’s dad (based on yellow’s direct lines about him). As for Lesley being yellow’s mom… that ties into a more general (and probably not original) theory I have about the nature of the show. 

I like to imagine that the show represents a purgatory of sorts. More specifically, that the main cast (not including teachers) represent people who have died and are forced to keep living the same day over and over again (June 19th or 20th; maybe when they died?). We get the most overt hints about this for yellow and Lesley in episodes 5 and 6 of the TV series. 

In episode 5: Transport, we get these scenes - giving us a plausible reason for yellow’s death (car accident) and a perpetrator (LE5L3Y). Given that we can hear Lesley’s VA scream “CAREFUL!”, well... you get the drift. Then, of course, there’s the iconic line: “YOU’RE NOT MY REAL SON!” from episode 6. 

How Lesley may have died is a little murkier, but given that she’s confirmed to be a puppet as well (and has those stitches/ scars), I imagine that she died in the  car crash above or shortly afterwards.

You can find a number of theory videos about this, but based on the D on yellow’s jumper, and the appearances of the name “David” in the series (most prominently on the gravestone), I believe David was yellow’s name when he was alive. However, in my posts, I’ll stick to referring to the yellows as “yellow” and “Charged Yellow” (or “Smart Yellow) both to distinguish them from the human David, and avoid assigning non-canon names until we learn more! :) 

I would have stopped there, but there’s also evidence to support the idea that Duck was perhaps an old man who died, due to his association with the symbols shown in episode 4 of the first series: 

“An old man died” “-but look a computer!” 

I’ve honestly got no clue about red, but I like to imagine that he’s around duck’s age for… reasons. I also don’t think he’s related to yellow’s family given his search for his own family, and his depiction as a neighbor in the clayhill daydream from episode 5. 

Thus, my cobbled-together family tree looks a bit like this: 

Of course, those are just my theories based on analyses and ideas I like - I may be dead wrong! (pun intended) Lmk what you guys think in the replies :)

~~~

@anonwithanaccount  @iaminyourhouse @newbieboy​ ​ and anons thank you for the asks! 

[thesilliesgotme]

I’ve been rewatching dhmis and here are some fun and interesting things I’ve found (up to mid family episode)

Why does yellow have a wanted poster??? Is it cause he killed duck(theory)??? BEFORE YOU GET ANGRY I HAVE PROOF/THEORY

(Click to zoom I forgot to crop) in the foods episode he eats duck canned without really realizing, and todney has a picture of yellow holding duck like he had killed him

Anyways they tried to rename yellow to shrigis which is close to shringhold (which is the butterfly) and then later there’s a statue of the king I think that’s silly

There’s also a few mentions of rats and rat meat idk what that’s about

There’s also quite a lot of symbols hidden around in the episodes

I’d add more pics but I’m at image limit, anyways back to watching byeeee 👋👋👋

[queam]

Headcanon that the reason why sketch is never seen again is because they straight up just left the show

Like they left the whole narrative because they got bored

[sillysadduck]

OMG!!! U also hc Yellow as a child actor before he "died"???? omg???? Me too??? My au is surronding it!! thats so cool!!!

OF COURSE YESYES it's my favorite theory, I think it would be fitting since I think Roy is implied to be a TV show director and Lesley has the vibes of a children's TV show host... imo the entire Gribbleston family was a part of it!

[warren-your-friend]

The reason Warren stayed in Yellow Guy's head in the first place, is because the Brain Friends were spouting stuff that Warren had said already. That's obvious, of course. But I really think that his whole thought process wasn't that he cared about the fact that the Brain Friends believed him, but the fact that they reflected Yellow Guy's belief in him and the things that he had said.

The plan was just to be friends with Yellow Guy the whole time. And he did eventually plan on leaving, but not until he used the Brain Friends Inception-style, whether to make Yellow care more about him or to manipulate him into investing in a business/podcast idk.

Just a thought.

[pumpernickleqandsal24]

Theories and breaking down Don't Hug Me I'm Scared: the show.

⚠️TW: Mentions of death, violence⚠️

Yellow Guy represents Lesley's son.

It is no question that Lesley shouting "You're not my son." to Yellow Guy was really odd and came out of nowhere. There was obviously some anger and pain in her voice which implies that said son is deceased.

Close to the end of the tape of specifically 'moving into the neighborhood' in episode 5's "Transport", Yellow Guy seems to be so distracted that he ends up getting hit by a car. Obviously the part is cut out right before he is hit. I predict Lesley's son was distracted by a supposed ball rolling into a busy road, or a butterfly (or any animal) and decided to follow it, leading to his death.

Yellow Guy's childlike demeanor and how he acts implies that Lesley's son was a child when he died. She made him in an attempt to cope with her loss and seemingly have a fragment of him with her by making Yellow Guy act just like her son when he was alive. She never got over it and not expecting Yellow Guy's arrival made her detach her feelings of seeing him as a sort of replacement, making her act out and scream at him.

Roy cares for Yellow Guy

Okay. This may turn some heads. Roy isn't the best parent, I will say that. But he did save his son from forever being apart of that..ugh..'family'. The way he growled at Yellow Guy after entering the home came off as "Get out of here. This is going to get ugly." and in return proceeded to eat the family alive offscreen, enough time for Yellow Guy to escape. It was his own way of protecting him. While also being extremely ominous. I think Roy knows when too far is too far, which comes down to my next theory:

Roy is NOT controlled by Lesley

I do think Roy was created by Lesley or someone of a higher power in the company, but any fragments of him in Lesley's room are not to be found.

The chips, or crisps, are there though, which implies that the rather unsettling family we saw IS being controlled by Lesley. Knowing this, Roy attempted to put an end to them and succeeded. At first, he was lenient with them to a point, until he witnessed his son got caught up in it, which was when he stepped in.

Or maybe he was just hungry.

The name "David" on the gravestone was not a coincidence.

I believe that was Lesley's doing. Considering the coffin was so confused and appalled when Duck told him that wasn't his name.

Also, I believe the initial "D" on Yellow Guy's outfit implies that is his actual name in which case he shares the same name as Lesley's son. (Just a theory. A FILM THEORY) If it is ever confirmed by the creators.

I honestly could go on and on about my theories. Let me know if you have any! I LOVE breaking down shows and films in general.

[ohmyplasticstars]

Roy shower thoughts,,,

Okay here me out, if Lesley has brown eyes, (I assume she does since I stared at her from my big flat screen tele so I got a really close look at her) and yellow guy has green eyes

Then Roy probably has green eyes too if he was charged

Maybe he's so drained that he can't even speak properly cause of it, and eats other puppets as sustainable energy since this guy can figure out a computer run a business farm (ref to old dhmis) but can't change his batteries

Maybe it irks him to open his own body to slide batteries, unlike his son

[pleasehugmeimscared]

Wait what if the yellow guy who ate duck was actually the yellow guy who lived up with the Big Boys

[karetypee]

Wakey wakey time :D

[persy-r-bozo]

Everytime the trio makes something. A drawing, a painting, music, anything artsy really.

It's always gets destroyed or used agenst them

And i think there's something there about how people who are considered "wierd" or "diffrent" use art as a comfort and a way of escape and how the world seems to hurt them and misuse thier art for money or power

[thingsaday]

Asks... Let’s do this!

(Starting with those without drawn responses :)c ) 

Thank you so much!!

As for my favorite.... I really, really like the notebook. I know that’s a sort of basic answer but, what can I say? I’m a creator!

I also remember being super obsessed with @modmad ’s humanizations of her waaaay back in 2014. [Link to an example of those awesome designs here].

mMMmm I have been sitting on this ask for a while because I didn’t want to spoil the Charged Battery AU comic buuuut...

My little theory is that Roy resides up the hidden staircase we see in the back of Lesley’s room; e.g. he’s on a higher level than even Lesley herself. (This is somewhat supported by the creators consistently joking about him ‘helping’ create the show.) That’s at least the headcanon I based his appearance on in the comic! 

In the epilogue… perhaps ;)

You, anon, have some great ideas! 

As for how it will affect them in the AU… I like the idea that the ‘language’ that it’s written in becomes more/ less legible to them as they become more/ less self-aware, respectively. In other words, charged Yellow can consistently read/write the book’s symbols, Red can sometimes read them, Duck rarely can, and to uncharged Yellow they’re total nonsense. 

Hehe thanks for giving it a read! Gotta love that psychological horror >:)

They are all so delightfully traumatized :’)

Via the official DHMIS interview....

*Charged Yellow: I rather prefer a well-cooked Rigatoni. 

*Gently Holds*

Thank you all for sending asks! Even if I’m not able to respond to every one, I read and appreciate them all!

(@captain-caviar, @serenaluna15, @lilygeb, @bgs-cave-o-thots​ and the many anons who sent some!) 

[thesilliesgotme]

INFODUMP CAUSE I CANT SLEEP

Long post so beware

1 deaths/kills

on the episode when they get too creative they start using meat and organs to 'decorate' and be creative with (red puts glitter on a heart) so something did die, duck also dies twice, once by the veggie can (eats his insides) and he literally dies, red is supposed to die in a lake, yellow has almost died multiple times, like the episode with warren, yellow dad kills and eats an entire family of 4, they all kill warren with that spear thing and they also insult him, electracy my beloved almost dies due to power overload, and briefcase, tony (clock) veggie can, and the train man all die(all but train man die from the same guy), duck kills a bread child in the family episode, coffin possibly dies due to yellow getting duck, and stain Edwards is killed by duck in the same episode

2 teachers

I personally think the teachers are for keeping the trio entertained and educated along with making it seem like a children's show, because Lesley is at the very top of the house so she runs the show, being able to see everyone and all. She's got replacements for if they die or go missing (like the transport episode or the death episode. Also the eat healthy episode), I think the teachers are also there to keep an eye on them, like how tony is always watching in the living room, or in the family episode they teach them not to leave each other (stay In the house), or even the lamp who is in their room. also the death episode seems a bit odd plan because he doesn't teach too much and also puts them in emotional distress. Like how yellow can't let go and red makes a replacement that is later on killed. And coffin seems more annoyed and just wants to do his job as a coffin. No matter how bad things are they usually resolve themselves or the episode ends and Lesley fixes everything

3 trio dynamic

Red is 100% the father figure out of the 3 of them, he helps clean, has the recliner chair, and has the most common sense, he also drives in the transport episode (probably cause he's the only one who can reach the pedals) red also tries to make sure everyone gets along, when yellow breaks something Duck yells at him for being stupid and red steps in and yells at him for speaking like that to yellow because he said he wouldn't anymore, meaning red must have talked to duck about being mean to yellow and going easy on him, most likely because he isn't the sharpest tool on the shed (the episode does end in a fight between the 3 of them but still) Duck is kind of like the grumpy old man/husband (fluffybird yes ik) he's usually reading the newspaper and has a short temper with everyone except Colin who is nice to him and sometimes red. Duck finds the comedy in most situations and tries to take charge, he can't live without red and yellow even if he is really rude to them both, he teases red for being jealous of him being dead and he very obviously misses them in the family episode because he's the first to go. He is relived when red comes back but acts like he isn't. He also isn't mean to yellow when he brings him back from coffin and enjoys his time in the house relaxing and watching TV. Yellow is 110% the autistic son. He is very much like a child due to his old batteries and his neglectfully father who he still loves. His father probably forgot to change his batteries after a while and because he's a shitty person who lives in the walls he doesn't care. Assuming Roy (father) uses batteries too he may have become an alcoholic or drug user of some point and let his batteries go bad, maybe even before yellows went bad and yellow might have been too young to know how to replace them so he also became like Roy. Roy only speaks in grunts and noises so his must be worse than yellows. Yellow must also have gotten used to his batteries faster than his dad or just had to adapt to stay with the other 2 because when electracy has his batteries she becomes unstable along with the power overload.

4 Lesley

She's the attic dwelling mother. There are hints to her existence before the electricity episode, in the transport episode the licence plate and names on transport man are all Lesley, showing that she 'owns' the teachers in some way, like their figures in the dollhouse. I don't remember what episode it is exactly but there is one where red finds a ripe of device that controls what teachers pop up and what they do, Roy does find red back there so either Roy controls the teachers or Lesley does and Roy just watches. Also I think it's before the electricity episode but the opening scene with the house where it spins it shows a gloves hand winding up the house so it turns on and spins. In the attic when yellow finds Lesley you can see her gloved hands playing the piano with the house on top. She has all these items on display from other episodes and has lots of figures of the trio. When yellow tries to help and puts a duck figure down its head falls off, either referencing to the death episode where duck kills stain Edwards by chopping his head off or it's because only Lesley can put the puppets down.

5 the family theory

When Lesley and yellow meet in the attic she yells at him for not being his real son. Which means Roy would be her husband/ex husband/child father because Roy is yellows dad. There are lots of theories about this, like how yellow and Roy could be her dead family and to cope she kidnaped 4 people to make a semi family and decided to teach them for her own entertainment or to make her child happy, a dad and 2 friends/family members. Some people think that Lesley made the trio but there are multiple missing posters shown and the dates June 19-20 are shown which must be their kidnaping date. And for the dollhouse/dolls in the attic maybe Lesley is some sort of half being, she could have sold her soul to be this sort of puppeteer role to keep them all alive for whatever reasons she may have

This is just what I think and have noticed! Feel free to reblog and add theories/corrections/explanations I would love to hear more!

[ultimateloserboy]

WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME ABOUT THE DHMIS STORYBOARDS WHAT THE FUCK I MUST ANALYZE IMMEDIATELY

Ok so Adam Beer storyboarded some of the scenes for dhmis, and looking over them they give some REALLY JUICY information that was cut from the actual scenes!!!

he did one for a scene in jobs as well as death, but those arent too different from the finished product. the scenes that werent included are cute but theyre not vital to the lore or anything, yaknow?

death is almost completely the same, but i appreciate this drawing of red guy hes so shaped

but anyway, like i said, these two aren’t necessarily important, all the info we have from these storyboards is the same general info that we get in the finished show. However, Adam Beer worked on one other episode that includes a good chunk of cut lines and you know what that is? ELECTRICITY!!!!!!!

THATS RIGHT BABY WE HAVE MORE LESLEY LINES THAT PROVE MY WHOLE POINT!!! FUCK YOU LESLEY HATERS I KNEW SHE WASNT THE VILLAIN FROM DAY ONE!!!!!!

HER MEMORY IS FOGGY. SHE DOESNT WANT “US” GETTING IN TROUBLE WITH SOMEONE ELSE. WHAT DID I TELL YALL. I TOLD YALL SHES JUST AS TRAPPED AS THE OTHERS WHAT DID I SAY.

and the fact shes labeled as the narrator the whole time is so interesting because the narrator of a story does not necessarily control or create it, they simply tell it in an organized manner. SHE ISNT CREATING THE STORY SHE IS KEEPING IT IN LINE, TELLING IT PROPERLY, KEEPING EVERYTHING IN ITS PROPER PLACE OR ELSE SHE GETS IN TROUBLE DO YOU UNDERSTAND?? SHE IS TRAPPED AND MEANS NO HARM. SHE FIXES THEM UP WHEN THEY ARE BROKEN. SHE IS SIMPLY THE MESSENGER.

AND THIS. THIS FUCKING DOOR. I KNEW IT MEANT SOMETHING AND LOOK. ITS ON THE FOURTH WALL. AND THE STAIRS LEAD UP. SHE IS NOT RUNNING THE HOUSE. THERE IS SOMETHING ABOVE HER, POSSIBLY IMPLIED TO BE THE IRL PEOPLE WORKING ON THE SHOW BUT THATS JUST MY GUESS.

but anyway dont yall EVER shit talk my girl lesley again you hear me?? shes just a silly old lady and she doesnt aim to hurt anyone. although it doesnt matter what she aims to do, because no matter her own wants, she is still dancing in chains.

ive told yall a million times. but she doesnt say “WE” for nothing. god im going to EXPLODE

[dhmis-tinhatter]

“yellow guy is a kid” “yellow guy is an adult” yellow guy is a young adult who is intentionally kept in a child-like state (by denying him new batteries) in order to make him easier to control

[inbarfink]

Among the various readings and interpretations of What the Hell is Up With the Ending to the DHMIS Web Show - one of the more interesting ones (from my perspective, at leas) has always been that it’s all a metaphor for repeating patterns of trauma and/or abuse. 

As in, most of the narrative of the DHMIS Webshow has been some sort of surrealist metaphor for Roy being an overcontrolling and manipulative parental figure for his son and his friends

And then the ending shows them finally escaping his influence -

Only that without a frame of reference for just how screwed-up their upbringing really was and without any healthy way to process their various traumas, they end up being in danger of just replicating his abuse on their own. Either on each other or maybe on the color-swapped characters who can, like, represent their own children or something. 

And so the vague ending of the Webshow is an open question, yes, the trio might’ve gotten physically away from Roy’s influence - but are they free from it mentally?

Or are they doomed to snap back into their old familiar world?

And the interesting thing about this is that like… that could be what the Web Show is about on a metaphorical level. But in the TV Show, with its greater emphasis on interpersonal conflicts and the characters - the idea of our main trio unknowingly replicating the abuse they live under is not just something we can hypothetically ruminate on. It’s something we can actually see, something we can actually feel.

Like, the first thing that made me think of Yellow and Red’s interactions with Stain Edwards.

This is basically the closest the Three of Them can get to being parental figures within the confines of the Format. He starts out as such a sweet and curious child-like being, his title for himself is literally ‘the Forever Boy’. And, well…

Red and Yellow are just so uncomfortable with his curiosity and thirst for adventure that they basically immediately try and stomp it right out. And that’s like a whole big thing about DHMIS, isn’t it? The way that children’s edutainment and the education system actually curbs children's curiosity and desire for learning so they can better memorize easily-digestible simplified concepts and Respect Their Authority Figures. 

You know, it’s the whole thing with…

And that’s kinda how Red acts with Stain? He’s a lot less violent and more subdued about it - but he also discourages the little guy from asking questions and wanting to explore the world. 

And he is trying to push him into fitting more into the Format. And, like, managing his life like the Trio’s own life is managed by the Format. First more generally into what being part of the DHMIS main trio is supposed to mean (‘just sit here and something will happen’) and then eventually literally turning him into something he didn’t want to be. 

And from our more familiar perspective, it’s clear that Red Guy really just genuinely thinks at this point that sitting passively and Waiting to Be Taught At is how things are Supposed to Be and can’t really imagine things going any other way. He is honestly just trying to get Stain to understand how their life is supposed to work. (Well until it starts becoming about making a new Duck) 

And it’s also clear to us how much Red Guy is motivated by just unaddressed grief about Duck and wanting to avoid conflict with Yellow Guy, who's a lot more explictly lashing out at Stain in his grief

"What's the matter with him?" "Nothing. Just don't look at him." "What? Where can I look? I can't look at him, can't look over there..." "No, if, if you want to look at stuff, just tell me and I-I'll make a list. Of where you should or should not look..." "Seems like a weird system..." "Yeah, well, you seem like a weird little...thing with...and you don't even... the other guy at least had his own clothes"

But looking at it from Stain’s perspective, taking aside our understanding of Red’s character and motivation. This is just an authority figure giving him a nonsense set of rules and then lashing out at him when he questions it. Never giving a deeper explanation than ‘this is how it’s supposed to be’ and basically punishing his curiosity.

Kinda like, well, how the Teachers tend to interact with the trio.

And then there’s Yellow Guy who’s just totally lashing out at Stain through the whole thing, because, again, he can’t process the grief of losing Duck. Because his environment did not give him the tools to properly process that trauma and he has no healthy frame of reference to grief and that’s kinda...

Yeah, that’s just what I was talking about. Stain’s subplot in ‘Death’ is just Yellow and Red having not interrogated their abusive environment and not really dealing with their trauma and thus repeating the patterns of the Teachers on their new child-like figure.

Which then culminates with either Duck killing Stain in the name of preserving the status-quo of the format (“there’s only supposed to be three of us”) or with Stain having internalized so much of what Yellow and Red (but mainly Red) taught him about what he’s supposed to be that he was willing to kill in the name of the Format - and then slotted in perfectly in the unadventurous, unquestioning role of Duck.

And this lil narrative is especially interesting if you believe any variance of the David Theory. Because Yellow and Red were mainly motivated in their mistreatment of Stain by their Grief about a ‘dead’ family member. Which could mirror Lesley's trapping and mistreatment of the trio and her own motivations. 

But I think this idea of mirroring and repeating patterns of abuse are reflected in more than just this one episode. It’s also reflected in the way Red and Duck tend to mistreat Yellow.

Because while Yellow doesn’t slot as neatly into the Child position like Stain did- his simplistic naïveté does mean he often plays a Child-like role in our favorite Forced Family dynamic. And the way that Duck and Red can often condescend to him can… very well mirror the condescending way the teachers address all three of them.

Especially when you also consider the similar manner both the Teachers and Red + Duck react to Yellow being fully charged in ‘Electricity’. They are all so nervous about Yellow breaking away from his supposed ‘role’ as the Stupid One. 

And they especially all seem so very insecure about the idea that Yellow might be smarter than they are.

And that’s, you know, also an aspect of children’s education that tends to actually harm children and their curiosity. This desire for ‘respect’ towards authority figures and this egotistical need for teachers and parents to always be smarter than their kids - causing them to subtly or bluntly punish children for just being clever or inquisitive. 

It’s, you know “I’m the adult, you are the child. I am supposed to be the Smart and Knowledgeable one and you are the one who must be taught. And you need to play your role!”

Again, that seems to be the whole thing in ‘Time’.

Here it’s a lot more subtle and less openly hostile, but Yellow can tell that just like that Insurance Teacher,  Red and Duck’s egos have also been hurt by the fact that they might not be smarter than Yellow Guy anymore. And he considers going back to the role he’s ‘supposed to be’, even though being fully-charged seems to feel better for him (‘this doesn’t feel wrong’), just for them. 

That’s almost literally a child giving up on a pursuit of knowledge just to placate his parental figures. 

And then, you know, his refusal to do so and his assertion of his own ability to make decisions for himself (his own maturity, "they're not in charge of us anymore" "Maybe they never were") is directly what leads to him ascending and disassembling not just the trio’s dynamic but the very structure of the Format. 

And I think, it’s not just that Red and Duck’s treatment of Yellow mirrors the way the teachers treat the Three of Them - it might be a result of it as well. With how condescending the teachers are towards them in general, bullying Yellow is their way to assert some sort of maturity and intelligence for themselves. It's super-fucked up, but this is how they internalized expressing what ‘intelligence’ is supposed to look like. And they have no frame of reference for a way of feeling smart or in control that doesn’t involve shutting someone else down. Because that's what literally every authority figure does for them all the time.

Now, do I think that means that our trio is doomed to mirror those patterns? That they will always inevitability repeat the horrors they go through on each other and others? Well, just like with every ‘cycle of abuse’, it can always be broken. But it will take some actual understanding and self-awareness and personal healing from the trio. 

And without this, they’re not just trapped within the Horrors physically, but also spiritually as well. Without it, no matter if they do manage to run away, on some level, their journey will always end up back at home....