#also wondering what to do with the word PRETIOSITAS

[jemichi90]

Timeline shenanigans

I’ve seen people point out how the memory seen in the new animation doesn’t match the scene seen in the Praecantator puzzle, and I’m fairly confident that it’s no mistake (Klei is very intentional with such details).

Of course there is the fact that said “memory” seems to consist of fragments from various memories. Some, but not necessarily all, Maxwell’s own private memories, many from moments when Charlie wasn’t even present. But some are likely Charlie’s memories (remember that these were shown within a dream influenced by Charlie), and those often flash by quickly.

But even if it was a single memory from Maxwell’s apartment, it is clearly from a different time than the puzzle images. Now you see Maxwell struggling to keep the shadows under control in his secret compartment. In the puzzle images he was in the portrait on the wall. And not only that, the room seems to be completely messed up, with the wallpaper and posters torn and the furniture scattered around in disarray.

My initial thought, seeing how Maxwell was struggling with the shadows trying to break loose from his head, was that he’d already lost control before and turned into a monster in that room and wrecked it himself. But, that room actually does look like something seen in the puzzle images...

This memory - including Charlie as seen here - is clearly from AFTER the earthquake. The memory where she enters the secret compartment doesn’t have the apartment messed up, so that was from the moment we know from the puzzle images, but there is this one mixed in where she enters it again, another time, after the disaster.

But how can that be? These two were literally pulled into the Constant when the earthquake happened!

I can’t tell you that, but it’s clear that a lot happened in between then and “now” that we still don’t know about.

Apparently these two managed to escape the Constant at least once, returning to the ruined San Francisco, even if only briefly. But they couldn’t escape Them with Maxwell having the shadows inside him now. And there is a brief flash of Charlie turning into her shadow version in that moment as well, so I guess it wasn’t any better for her (if it’s from the same memory).

Now, it would be an easy guess to make that after this “escape”, Maxwell got locked up on the Nightmare Throne to keep him from running away again - until Wilson finally released him. But They want him back under Their control, and then we get Charlie giving him the rose (I do think Maxwell is quite aware it’s a trap, but that’s an entirely different topic).

Clearly it’s possible to leave the Constant. We’ve seen Wagstaff bring stuff out from there as well. But leaving is pointless as long as They are in control. And They are always watching.