#theory

[welcomehomeincorrectquotes]

Taking notes...

Hawthorn was never brought into the Home. It was believed that bringing hawthorn blossom inside would be followed by illness.

[evilherehotel]

one is a very interesting character to me. with most of the lore still up in the air as of the time this is written, it's hard to be sure who exactly she is; or, who she was. today, i want to take a closer look at what we have her character and try to figure out what that "was" could've looked like.

first, i'll start with what we know.

above all else, one is controlling. whether that be in a literal sense, when one influences the world and events around her, or in an emotional sense, when it comes to manipulating others in order to get them to agree to her deals.

in tpot 13, she tells basketball that something they have in common is not liking when things don't go their way. this makes sense for one; every little thing she does is planned, prepared, controlled. she knows the steps people will take before they even take them, she knows every move she needs to make to get under people's skin, and she knows how to make everything go according to plan.

but what about when it doesn't?

in tpot 17, it's as though that control slips. things don't go her way. she isn't nearly as put-together, nor is she calculative or patient enough to even try putting up her persona and coaxing donut in the same way she has with her other signatories. her room seems to reflect her state of mind, scattered and disorganized. she's not stable enough to think of a way to convince him, or even think to hold him down, and her lack of control in the situation gives donut more free will, the ability to reject her deal, and, more importantly, the ability to fight back.

this act is something so spontaneous, so unpredictable, that it causes one to snap and immediately try to grab this control back. she becomes blinded by rage and attacks him, yet her scare tactic only shows more of her weakness: one can't handle feeling powerless.

although she's stronger than donut and was more than willing to show him that, her behavior also seems to stem from a point of insecurity. being disobeyed, treated not as an all-powerful being but instead an equal - or even a lesser - is her breaking point. obviously anybody would be mad over getting kicked, but it's clear something deeper must've been triggered in one in order to get her that manically angry.

where did this need for control come from? how does this tie into her past?

to know this, we should first look at another key detail of her character: her deals.

on first glance, one's signatories don't have much in common. they're easy targets, people with weaknesses that one can easily find and exploit, with not much other correlation. but upon closer inspection, a pattern makes itself clear in every single person that one took into her room.

when fanny joined death pact again, she was taught to abandon her own beliefs and objectives and instead prioritize preventing death. for a while, she obliges by this, even as it causes them to lose challenges and causes her friends to drop out of the game like flies, until she decides she has enough of it and rebels against the others and their beliefs.

ice cube was used as a pawn of sorts by freesmart, a replacement for members that were held to more respect and value than her. her and the others always did what they were told for the alliance, and when she eventually splits off from freesmart, she is almost immediately coddled and controlled by book, still completely unable to speak or think for herself before she eventually snaps at book and leaves altogether.

basketball was completely complacent in bfb, her only feature outside of her loyalty to 8-ball being her empathy for others. this shines through in tpot when, even despite their differences in personality or team, basketball looks out for others more than herself, but nobody else listens to her when she tries to voice the problems she's seeing. this complete disregard for basketball and what she cares about is what causes a downward spiral of events beyond anybody's control.

gaty and two became attached to eachother very quickly, becoming almost codependent in a sense. gaty gives everything she has to two, and her willingness to stay in the hotel with them, to keep them happy - their willingness to keep her there because of their attachment - only puts her in more danger, and ends in them being separated for good.

it's stated outright by one that donut puts others over himself, even people like pencil and their mess of a team. he chooses to be selfless, a voice of reason, a leader that holds the team together despite the chaos it always brings in its wake.

her deals that weren't shown to us onscreen tie into this as well:

bomby, since his debut on bfdi, has been used as a weapon or tool by all of the people around him, mistreated and hurt and never taken seriously despite the fact that he tries to be strong and independent in the later seasons.

bell's privacy is treated as a joke by both the narrative and the others, and struggles to be left alone without help, help that more often than not isn't provided to her.

needle spent so much of her time in bfdia trying to appease others, which led to her being easy to take advantage of. she literally played on two teams at the same time in order to make everyone happy with her, but she eventually decided that she was tired of being used and left these groups, turning against them and deciding to win for herself.

barf bag's autonomy being tampered with started an apocalypse that changed the way she viewed herself and caused her to avoid her team for a brief period of time because she didn't want to be seen as a monster. in that same episode, her nightmare involved people doing things that she couldn't control and influencing her in ways that she couldn't stop.

what do you notice about all of these characters? all of them were overshadowed by others, either by prioritizing them over themselves or by being taken advantage of. all of them want to be recognized, respected, and heard, and despite that, all of them lacked one thing: control. if they wanted control in their lives, they'd have to fight for it, if they wanted power in their lives, they'd have to snap to get people to see that they deserved it. and if that weren't the case, the world around them would snap for them.

one seems to be very, very familiar with this kind of person. familiar enough for them to be her only targets, familiar enough for her to know exactly what to give them and exactly what they want to hear, familiar enough to suggest that this kind of person is much closer to her than just a means to executing her plan.

familiar enough that it could also very well suggest that this kind of person was one herself.

now, we really have no idea what one's past looked like, but we do have a crucial detail given to us by six in tpot 17: she was supposed to be gone.

this implies that one must've done something, something so bad that it made the other algebraliens decide to get rid of her for good. could this have been something ongoing until they decided enough was enough, or was it something bigger than that? had one, perhaps, snapped, the same way we saw her do when she was tested in tpot 17, the same way we saw multiple of her signatories do when they were tired of being pushed aside and looked down on?

in tpot 13, one expresses that she does have power, "but not enough." while this could easily be read in reference to her plan, it also hints at how she looks at herself: her power is not enough. one is not enough.

she needs two's power because she can't reach her goal without it. she needs to become something bigger, something more, in order for her to feel like that's enough for her. being obeyed and looked up to by her victims makes her feel powerful, like she's more, like she's enough, having constant control makes her feel like she's enough, having everything she wants handed to her makes her feel like she's enough, because maybe, she never had that.

maybe, one was just like her targets, selfless and almost complacent at times, observant enough to spot the issues others were having, even if she was the only person who did, even if none of the others took her seriously, even if they pitied her, treated her as a lesser, and acted as though she had no power in her own life.

and all of that lasted until she decided that everyone deserved to be a little selfish - it's only fair.

she became tired of giving herself and not getting anything back. she became tired of being looked down on, tired of not having control - all one wanted was control for once, and she would get that whether they liked it or not.

and that frustration was enough to make one snap and do something that earned her imprisonment in the moon, which only served as a painful and enraging reminder of how they saw her.

she was going to get out, and she was going to make sure that nobody ever looked down on her again.

for now, this is all theories, and it's a bit rough, but i appreciate you guys for sticking around this long !! lets see how well these theories hold up.. if they do.. at all.. um

[blaircmorgan]

Numbers in ACOTAR

This is the first time I'm sharing a theory of mine... I had posted this before on tiktok and Instagram (November 24th, 2023) I am reposting it bc I wasn't satisfied with the layout and it wasn't as detailed as this one. Oh and also English isn't my first language so pls don't mind if theres anything wrong in the grammar or if im bad at explaining xx

There will be SPOILERS for the entirety of ACOTAR series and House of Sky and Breath aka HOSAB!

SJM is known for using numbers like 3, 7, & 13 as symbolic constants in her worldbuilding. They’re familiar, but they’re also intentional. She uses these numbers like most fantasy authors.

However, there are some additional numbers that she has used, which are unusual of her to use and that make them stand out. Let’s take a look at these numbers:

21 & 5

In ACOSF chapter 56 (I will get back to this number later on) Gwyn gifts both Nesta & Emerie a book at Solstice. She tells them both to look at chapter 21 and page 5 (will come back to this number too).

She then tells us that this chapter is about the Valkyries death & Rebirth (aka herself, Nesta and Emerie).

“At the top of the first page, it merely said, Chapter Twenty-One.”

Notice how Twenty-One is written in cursive? Coincidence? I think not. SJM wanted us to notice this.

I noticed the unusual use of number 21 & 5. This was the first time SJM had used these numbers, so I did as Gwyn said. I checked chapter 21 and page 5 of each ACOTAR books to see what the key points of each chapter and page were. Then I also did some research on the number (21) itself as well.

Symbolism of 21

The number 21 in literature isn’t just a number. The number has been found in various works like art, mythology and literature. The number has been used to serve as a symbol of “completion, transition, or personal growth.”  More so the number has also been used to portray “characters’ coming-of-age, spiritual evolution, or a turning point in the narrative.”

As we hear from Gwyn, she made Merill add the Valkyries in a book, in chapter 21. We see that there is a turning point in the narrative with the Rebirth of the Valkyries.

The number is also used in the Bible. It is associated with resurrection. Death and Rebirth.

Now let’s ask ourselves this: Which two characters are associated with Death & Rebirth in ACOTAR?

Answer: Azriel & Elain

“I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife.” - A Court of Wings and Ruin

(Fawn symbolizes Rebirth)

CHAPTER 21

ACOSF

In ACOSF chapter 21 we see Nesta having a conversation with Elain. The conversation is about wether or not Elain should be scrying for the Dread Troves.

Elain wants to do it, but Nesta doesn’t want Elain to do it. With this they have an argument and Nesta says:

“Look at who decided to grow claws after all (...) Maybe you’ll become interesting at last, Elain.”

We see that Elain doesn’t want to just sit and be quiet anymore, she wants to do more, be more involved with helping. There is a turning point in the narrative here and perhaps even a hint at who the next book is about

Let’s also not forget the Feysand bonus chapter is right after chapter 21 so it could count as 21.5 & Feysand talked about Elain: “Let’s focus on helping one sister before we start on the other.” A hint to say  we will first read about Nesta, then Elain.

“I think she’s kind, and I’ll take kindness over nastiness any day. But I also think we haven’t yet seen all she has to offer (…) Don’t forget that gardening often results in something pretty, but it involves getting one’s hand dirty along the way.” “And thorn up by thorns” - Feysand Bonus

Feysand are talking about how there is more to Elain than we know.

ACOTAR

In ACOTAR chapter 21 we see Feyre at Calanmai.

“Everything about the stranger radiated sensual grace and ease. High Fae, no doubt. His short black hair gleamed like a raven’s feathers, offsetting his pale skin and blue eyes so deep they were violet, even in the firelight. They twinkled with amusement as he beheld me.”

This is the moment Feyre meets Rhys. This is the moment where we the readers get introduced to him as well. With Feyre meeting Rhys, there becomes a turning point in the story and as readers we knew Rhysand was going to have a bigger impact on Feyre’s story.

ACOMAF

In ACOMAF chapter 21 we see Feyre at the Weaver’s cottage.

“I froze, the ring now in my pocket of my jacket.”

Feyre gets the ring Rhysand’s mother had given to the Weaver. Rhys’s mother had said only his bride would be able to retrieve it from the Weaver (Which Feyre ofc did) and this ring ends up being Feyre’s engagement ring. Rhys had told Feyre about the ring after she had retrieved it. When they got engaged this ring was important (It’s even on the cover of ACOMAF). Feyre become the first High Lady wearing this ring. A turning point in the narrative; High Lady of Night Court.

ACOWAR

In ACOMAF chapter 21 we see Nesta is starting to train her powers (after being Made) with Amren. Not only that, but we also find out that Feyre is going to the Prison.

“To find my sister and Amren. To see which of them was still standing after their first lesson” “The fewer people who knew about my trip tomorrow to see the Carver, the safer it was”

Nesta training with Amren becomes important for Nesta’s character arc in ACOWAR, but it also becomes important for ACOSF. It also can be seen as a hint given by SJM about Nesta potentially getting her own book (Which she eventually got and again her training her powers were important.

And with Feyre going to the Prison, we get a climpse of Feyre’s future. The Bone Carver shows himself as her son to Feyre.

ACOFAS

In ACOFAS chapter 21 we get into Cassian’s POV for the first time (If we don’t count Wings and Embers). We see that there is something going on between Cassian and Nesta (hinting on the next book is theirs as SJM said; She put breadcrumbs in ACOFAS for the upcoming spin-off books in this book)

“He remained staring after her, that present in his hands. Cassian’s fingertips dug into the soft wood of the small box. He was grateful the streets were empty when he hurled that box into the Sidra.”

Cassian throws away the gift he had gotten for Nesta as she rejects it. This gift was important enough for Cassian to give to Nesta, but when she rejects it, he gets rid of it (seems familiar to another moment right?) The gift gets brought up once again in ACOSF.

(Added: Oh, I just remembered this; let’s not forget Feyre’s birthday is on the 21st of December! And she is 21 when she gives birth to Nyx! Again, Feyre’s birthday was a turning point in the world itself, if Feyre hadn’t been born that day, Prythian could still have been under Amarantha’s rule. with Nyx’s birth, we get a turning point in Feyre’s story, she’s having her own family with her husband/mate and the kid is the heir of Night Court —> Next High Lord)

PAGE 5

Cassian throws away the gift he had gotten for Nesta as she rejects it. This gift was important enough for Cassian to give to Nesta, but when she rejects it, he gets rid of it (seems familiar to another moment right?) The gift gets brought up once again in ACOSF.

ACOTAR & ACOMAF

In ACOTAR, page 5 is where Feyre shoots the wolf (Andras) with her ash arrow. This becomes the beginning of the turning point in Feyre’s story. She shoots a Fae, which leads to her ending up in the Spring Court.

In ACOMAF, page 5 we see Feyre struggling and dealing after everything she had endured Under The Mountain. This also becomes a turning point in Feyre’s story, it’s important for us readers to see, to understand and feel with her. We see that she isn’t doing well mentally.

ACOWAR & ACOFAS & ACOSF

In ACOWAR, there isn’t any pages with the number 5 and that is because Part 1 of the book is there. The Part is called “Princess of Carrion” which is a title given to Feyre.

In ACOFAS, page 5 the twins Naula & Cerridwen get’s mentioned several times. (Who are they friends with? Elain. And who do they get trained by and work for? Azriel.)

And last but not least, ACOSF, page 5 does not exist once again. The fifth page is Part 1 of the book and the Part is called: “Novice”

Novice means: a person who has just started learning or doing something.

This is an indication to Nesta’s journey, her being a Novice in the beginning of her book.

NUMBER 56

(HOSAB SPOILER!)

Now let’s get back to this number before we conclude this whole theory.

Did SJM also give us a hint from HOSAB?

In HOSAB there is someone called BansheeFan56. Now look at the username/address once again... Number 56!

Again, this isn’t a number SJM typically uses and for some reason this number stood out and then I noticed something...

In what chapter did Gwyn give the Solstice gift of Chapter 21 to Nesta & Emerie? (and basically us)

Answer: Chapter 56.

I guess SJM do love to use numbers as a hinting tool

CONCLUSION

Now with everything we know about Chapter 21 & page 5, we can come to the conclusion of who the next book is going to be focusing on.

In ACOSF chapter 21, Nesta notices that Elain is growing. In the bonus chapter 21.5, Feysand talks about how they will focus on helping Elain, after helping Nesta. Nesta’s self healing journey has been written, but her journey may not be over yet. I do think we will see more of her, but I don’t think there will be huge focus on her again like in ACOSF.

It’s time for us to focus on Elain now and there is a lot to discover about Elain.

SJM did say each book in the spin off will focus on a couple and Nessian has had their book now, so I’m certain that Nesta won’t get another book or trilogy.

Numbers has become a pattern in the ACOTAR series.

3 brothers, 3 sisters, 3 stars, 3 peaks, 3 mountains, 7 courts, 7 High Lords etc, but now we can also add 21 & 5 into this.

Chapter 21 gives us a hint for something important that is happening or going to happen

page 5 shows us some turning points as well.

The 21st chapter becomes key to the book and the upcoming one. And the 21st chapter of ACOSF hints for the upcoming book to be Elain's and most likely have Azriel as the love interest since he got a bonus chapter in ACOSF, like Cassian got a bonus chapter in ACOMAF.

Plus both Bonus chapters are focused on Elain as well.

With all that said, I want to say thank you to my friends who has helped and supported me with this theory. And also thank you (reader) for taking your time to read about my theory about SJM’s use of numbers. I hope it makes sense for you guys as it does for me and I hope you enjoyed reading this <33

I also like to thank our Gwynie for giving us the hint that the next book is focusing on Elain <3

[mylivingend]

so like- theory!!!

you know how the mains are the only ones rthat got plushies

( from wiki )

and we know Bassie is the new main of this update,

so.. why is there plushies for Bassie AND Cocoa?- Cocoa isnt a main!

actually theres only stuff for Bassie and Cocoa, Eggson and Flyte got nothing, Flyte's sister, Flutter, got a headband

( from wiki )

will, on the Easter map you can find this little area

"get her" seems to be something thats repeated over and over again, theres a note on the ground that says this,

' I don't think she should be the "main" class Toon. After evaluations it's clear she is too reliant on fellowship of Toon's she is close with. She is dependent, not independent. Reconsider… I know this is very last moment. I'm unsure she could handle the public pressure is the key position you've placed her. '

I don't think she should be the "main" class Toon

they don't want her to be a main toon, what would they do? perhaps replace her?

Cocoa has plushies, Cocoa's face is on that string thing, she and Bassie are the only ones with merch.

plus the show is targeted towards kids, and Cocoa is a cute rabbit, wouldnt kids like that? when you think of Easter you would think about rabbits won't you?

what if, they are trying to replace Bassie with Cocoa. perhaps this plan could be failing?

I don't know what their Interactions with others are

anyways just a stupid ahh theory!!

also take this =￣ω￣=

[shashapato]

Willtresor is endgame

That’s my first thought when I saw these two gaybies lol THEY LOOKED SO CUTE AND INNOCENT IN THE FIRST INTERACTION WHAT HAPPENED AHHH (well, here’s my theory)

Notice, Monty let Will have the seat while he stands, despite him thinking he’s the boss of Will :)

I really want to think that this:

Was because they made promises to each other in the maze that when they get a second life, they’ll spend it together — cuz both don’t really have a reason to want a second life (I’M SORRY BUT IT’S TRUE THEIR LIVES SUCK, WILL HAS NO ONE WHO CARES ABOUT HIM AND MONTY JUST SLEEPS AROUND POINTLESSLY)

I think they literally made their first real friend and fought through the maze together with the intentions of getting a second life that they could spend with their new friend

Because why else would they want a second life if they’ll just continue their pointless life where they live then die again? they have a reason now to believe their life could be worth living because they have someone to spend it with

Monty’s outburst was because Will planted the ideas in his head that they could live together happily, so who should he get mad at when he finds out that will never happen? WILLIAM :))

I’d like to think everything after that was Monty being defensive and not wanting to keep Will close anymore because they can’t have a life together anyway, and that’ll only hurt them both more

Him putting Duke behind a wall and picking fights with the misfits is because they can’t all have the second life

He doesn’t really want the life but he also doesn’t want to die, because religious trauma — he thinks he’ll go to hell for being the way he is, blah blah blah

If they all could have a second life, I think this will be Monty 24/7 hahaha:

This was supposed to be a shitpost, that’s why the punctuations suck BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE AN ACTUALLY GOOD THEORY WHAT

ok, anyway, Willtresor fans, FEAST ON MY THEORY

[chacochilla]

Funny theory I stole

[iteratorsex]

anytime I try and explain my rw lore ideas I feel like I'm going mad

[insanelyadd]

Most people theorizing about Mike (Deltarune Chapter 3): Mike is microphone

Me: What if Mike TV pun.

[goawaypopup]

Look Outside Posting part 4.5

This one is a quickie.

So, we've pretty solidly established that Look Outside is set around Montreal, Canada. To wit:

The currency is dollars and cents, but you can find visibly Canadian-style two-dollar coins.

I'm told the hockey uniforms are from a certain Canadian team.

You can tell Joel that the prime minister banned cartoons.

A number of characters have French names.

In Quebec specifically, some old buildings still use the European-style "first floor is the one above the ground floor" system.

The poker players were students at a CEGEP, a type of publilc general/vocational school found in Quebec.

Placide says that he extended the building's pipes to draw water directly from the St. Lawrence River.

Sam owns an "I Heart Montreal" mug.

All that aside, I have thoughts specifically on THIS guy, the gun trader:

He's got to be some kind of mafia member or something, of course. But I also think he, specifically, is American. NO, WAIT! I have actual evidence! Too!

If you ask who he is, he says "Howsabout I give ya's my social security number too?"

Canada! Does not have social security numbers! They have social insurance numbers!

[scariercnidaria]

anarchism is not a left wing ideology because it is predicated on the valorisation and emancipation of the individual over the masses, which is an inherently reactionary trend. it posits that the lynchpin contradiction of society is between the individual and the state, which obscures the true, material-economic basis of things. jeff bezos is an individual and yet not oppressed by the state because he owns private property; he is a capitalist, and the state is an apparatus meant to serve the capitalists' interests. this is its class basis. if you think the working class unable to organise a state in their class interest, in their control, then you are far more anti-worker than any """intellectual""" asking you to engage in the barest modicum of theory before you destroy/nearly destroy another revolution through collaboration á la POUM or kronstadt

[theovermanln]

Wanted to post my theory here in regards to the hanging man for funsies. Looking at the prison in ln1, theres a lot of things there that don't have any business being there with what we know about the prison. We see filing cabinets, records, papers, even secret rooms with cameras.

The inhabitants we see in the prison and lair are the Janitor, the prisoner children, the nomes, the leeches, and the hanging man. These areas cant belong to the janitor as he cant see, thered be no reason for him to even attempt to keep records, let alone look at the cameras. The children, nomes, and leeches I feel are self explanatory as to why they wouldnt be keeping records or looking at the cameras. The only person left is the hanging man. We dont know what his role on the maw was but i feel like this mysterious area would have belonged to him. He would have watched the cameras, and i feel like he was keeping records of the children. He was a manager of sorts, keeping stock, recording how many children were alive, dead and sent to the kitchen, missing altogether. He was the numbers guy, and he had a big deal with watching things. The spy cameras belonged to him, its partially how he kept track of things.

Now, this brings the question of his death. While he was alive he was a watcher, manager type. He was away from the violence, he saw things but knowing the nowhere i dont think itd be enough to affect him so much as to take his own life. The janitor and chefs are still alive and well, why was the hanging man different? Well i think he wasnt. His chair is still upright meaning he didnt kick it over to actually hang himself.

I believe that note he left is nothing. The chair is upright, he didnt kill himself. He was killed and it was framed as a suicide. Now this also brings the question, why was he murdered? I think we already have the answer knowing what we can already infer about him.

He made the mistake of spying on the lady. His naturally observant personality was exaggerated to being obsessive. The residents worst qualities are exasperated by the very nature of being in the nowhere. His observant personality was more obsessive, he spied too hard, saw something he shouldnt have. He saw the ladys "real" face. He saw what she saw in the mirror, he saw the same thing RK saw before he was killed. He saw her face and was killed for it. This brings my next point. His face. I believe i know what his face looks like.

I believe he is this man. We see many paintings the look similar to this, some where his face is changed and we see a painting of a body that lines up with this head.

I think, just like every staff member on the maw, the hanging man, or "the conspirator" as i like to call him, had portraits hung up around the maw. Once he was murdered though, his portraits were "defaced". His face was vandalized, his hanging body was painted and put on display, and it was framed as a suicide because the vindictive lady wanted to frame him as so cowardly as to take his own life. She defaced his portraits as he saw her "de faced," he saw her maskless. He saw her true colors so she vandalized his portrait to show how she saw him, she showed her own interpretation of how she thought his "true colors" were if that makes sense. All this to say she wanted to pose him as a coward and she wanted to make an example out of him.

This is a drawing i did in the style of the concept art for ln. I have a better more fleshed out drawing of him that takes more creative liberties with his design, ill make a separate post about what i believe he couldve been like to face in-game if he was still alive. One last thing, we see him show up in the school.

I think to deepen his story he was originally from the school. I have a separate theory on the lady's connections to the school. That separate theory's main idea is that the lady's magic has been sent to the school in the form of basically magic spellbooks, and the mysterious principal character has acess to this magic and he uses this magic to turn visitor children into the bullies, similar to how the lady creates nomes. With the idea that the lady is in connection to the school, i think the conspirator or hanging man was originally from the school and transferred jobs. Its why hes in charge of keeping records and watching the kids, he has expirence with the school children, and he hides away watching the children from a distance through cameras because hes used to the chaos of the bullies. He was a former school employee. Anyways, thats been my theory. Ill post a separate post about my entirely fanmade/headcannon info about him, this theory is definitley treading the line of theory and headcannon, next post about this guy will delve fully into my own ideas. I hope yall like this theory of mine, first theory type post ive made here on tumblr lol

[sihedwu]

Crystal Theory: The Binding, The One, and Everything

Alright everyone, the time has finally come to step onto the slippery slope and delve into the depths of uncertainty and various interpretations. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Today we’re gonna break down the Crystals and everything connected to them. We’ll even talk about the Medulla Crystal, by the way.

Crawling through the tag, I see you guys like to tell each other scary stories, like the Medulla Crystal is made of - get this! - actual BRAIN. Talk about nightmare fuel! >:D

Also, while lurking on a foreign website, I stumbled upon a really interesting take that the Aerrow and Piper duo were destined to be, like, the messiahs in our favorite show (hey there, I know you’re reading this >:D).

But to me, there’s something missing in all of this, like we’re seeing everything but still missing something super important. And now we’re gonna try to figure out what exactly that important thing could have eluded us. Let’s go.

Review of Hints

So, if you’ve been paying attention to the show, you’re probably aware of all the basics, such as, for example, that crystals can possibly be manufactured (episode “The Masked Masher”). But that’s not enough, we need new information. Let’s try to extract it from the hints that Mr. Asaph Fipke so kindly provided us. Let’s review them.

Our first stop is the episode “The Black Gorge”. Let’s remember the plot: our heroes decided to fly over the Black Gorge, but “something” sucked the energy out of their crystals and they fell down. But Piper found a solution:

She launched the Condor using this crystal, since the Black Gorge doesn’t affect it for some reason. Let’s remember this, it’ll come in handy.

Our next stop is the episode “Storm Warning”. Again, let’s remember the plot: the heroes stole a box of Leech Crystals, which steal energy, from the Cyclonians, and they discharged the Condor’s crystals. However, Piper again saved the situation by telling Stork to get rid of the crystals.

As we can see, as soon as Stork put the crystals in the isolator, the energy miraculously fully restored, and the Condor was able to take off. Let’s remember this and move on.

Our next stop is in the episode “The Lesson”. Let’s carefully watch what Arygyn will do now:

Let’s not get stuck on it, let’s remember it and move on.

Now let’s take a closer look at the episode “Five Days”. This time, there’s not much to comment on, it’s enough just to see it once:

Someone sees a glimmer of kindness in our beloved Master Cyclonis in this scene, while others quite reasonably ask: “who made that picture?” For us, it’s important that a photo can be stored in a crystal. Let’s remember this.

Our last stop is in the episode “The Key”. In this episode, we are introduced to the Binding.

We won’t dwell on them too much, just note that the abilities transferred through them are very reminiscent of the properties of some crystals. Let’s remember this and move on to the next step.

Fundamental Principle of How Crystals Work

So, let’s write down what we learned:

The Black Gorge somehow absorbs the energy of crystals, but does not affect the Solaris Crystal

If you drain the energy from crystals, and then remove the absorber, the energy of the crystals is immediately restored

Arygyn can turn off a crystal

Photos can be stored in crystals

Some abilities transmitted through Binding resemble the abilities of crystals

The inputs have been received. Now we can try to interpret them. I propose to do this with the following three postulates:

Postulate One: Information Can Be Stored in Crystals

This postulate is probably obvious, but its significance is far from obvious. For now, let’s focus on the fact that, in addition to photos, it should be possible to store, for example, a control program for a Suit of Untold Vengeance in a crystal.

Judging by the fact that the Medulla Crystal affects the user, we can assume that it is controlled using a neuro-interface, and the Medulla Crystal acts as a kind of “intermediary.” But that’s not important to us. Let’s move on to the next postulate:

Postulate Two: All Crystals, Without Exception, are Energy Receivers

Even the Solaris Crystal. It may sound crazy, but this assumption is fully consistent with what we see. If crystals receive energy from somewhere outside, then the miraculous restoration of energy after Stork hid the box in the isolator requires no explanation, and turning off in the Black Gorge can be compared to losing signal on a cell phone when you are outside the coverage area. However, the Solaris Crystal is still incomprehensible, as is the scene with Arygyn, so let’s move on to the final postulate:

Postulate Three: Binding is a Channel Through Which Crystals Receive Energy

So, the last postulate is quite straightforward. The scene with Arygyn should now become a little clearer, but the Solaris Crystal still requires explanation. Apparently, crystals are constantly and continuously in Binding, otherwise they would have turned off in the Black Gorge once and for all, as Arygyn seems to have done. However, in this case, we will have to assume that the analogy with cellular communication is not entirely correct, and in the “poor coverage area” the Binding simply weaken, but do not disappear completely. Weakening, they cannot provide the Condor’s take-off and the operation of the main systems, but are still able to maintain the Solaris Crystal in working order. The function of the Solaris Crystal is to accumulate solar energy; to store it, it uses the energy received from Binding. Most likely, there is not enough energy in one crystal to lift the Condor into the air, so the following explanation suggests itself: with the help of the energy accumulated by the Solaris Crystal, you can “strengthen” the weakened Binding. Apparently, this is exactly what Piper meant; in any case, this seems like a plausible explanation.

Binding and Information

According to the third postulate, this technique should be perceived as a temporary transformation of the user into a crystal. How exactly such a transformation occurs, I, unfortunately or fortunately, do not want to and will not explain, so let’s immediately move on to “unique” crystals, for example, this one:

According to the first postulate, to make this artifact, we need to record a “spell” - let’s call it that so as not to drown in the wilderness - of transforming an object into cheese in the crystal. This example is indicative, but other “unusual” crystals work in a similar way. We won’t dwell on them, let’s move on to the next point.

Source of energy

So, we assumed that crystals receive energy from somewhere outside. This entails the assumption that somewhere on Atmos there must be a source of energy for all crystals without exception. Drawing an analogy with cellular communication and, in principle, with radio waves, it is quite logical to assume that the source of all crystalline energy should resemble the TV towers and antennas familiar to us. Following this logic, the purpose of this structure becomes quite transparent:

Somewhere at this moment, an image of an incredibly advanced civilization may arise in your head, possibly reaching or very close to type 1 on the Kardashev scale, which built this transmitter to meet its energy needs. However, despite the fact that this conclusion seems logical, there are no explicit indications in the canon that this is the source of energy. With the same probability, it may be, for example, the core of the planet, and then the image of an incredibly advanced civilization will have to be seriously revised, and the purpose of this structure will remain a mystery. But whatever the source turns out to be in the end, our assumption leads us to a problem that we will now try to solve.

The One

In the episode “Origins”, this character claims that Piper is “the One”. The meaning of his words remains very, very vague to this day, but now we can try to assume what is behind them. First, you should ask an important question: since we assume that all crystalline energy is transmitted through Binding, then why are crystals needed at all on Atmos? You can just train “crystal mages” who will use Binding with the energy source, and no one will know grief. And so it turns out that this statement fits very conveniently into the picture of the world that we have just outlined. Thanks to it, we can assume that not just anyone is able to use Binding directly with the energy source, which is why they need crystals in order to be able to use this energy at all. Thus, I propose the following interpretation of these words: Piper is the primary crystal mage, that is, able to use Binding directly with the energy source. Master Cyclonis, in this case, will be a secondary crystal mage, that is, able to use Binding with crystals already connected to the source, but not directly to it. I believe this explanation is exhaustive, so we can move on to the final part of this analysis.

Piper’s Illness

Well, the moment has come to try to jump above our heads and stretch the facts to make our interpretations work on Atmos. Based on the third postulate, her illness can be explained as follows: Binding themselves are harmful to health, and their constant use will inevitably lead the user to such an outcome. However, Piper did not use Binding for 6 weeks and still got sick, and Cyclonis uses it like there’s no tomorrow and nothing happens to her from this. It is impossible to explain this just like that; we need a new entity. In order not to be completely unfounded, let’s try to derive it from these scenes:

We see that as soon as this aura covered Piper, she immediately felt better, and that Cyclonis clearly knows something that Piper doesn’t know (and doesn’t want to tell us). In order not to go beyond the third postulate, we will have to assume that secondary crystal mages, passing crystalline energy through themselves, cannot fully control it. Even after interrupting Binding, a residual charge remains in them, which, if not removed, will sooner or later bring any crystal mage to this state. Thus, I assume that Cyclonis, unlike Piper, knew that deactivation was needed to work with Binding. And in our case, Leech Crystals can act as deactivators. As for Piper’s healing, in that case we will have to assume that at this moment she used Binding directly with the energy source, thereby removing the residual charge. It sounds very doubtful, but there seems to be no better option…

So, I don’t think I’ve forgotten anything. If you’ve read this far and haven’t died of boredom, then congratulations. I do not claim to be the ultimate truth, just thoughts out loud.

Thank you all for your attention, bye.

[mixterglacia]

I have a theory.

Two actually. If, as I suspect, Ken's brain is fully (or almost) severed from the left half, that definitely explains his struggles with emotional regulation. He's doing good regardless, but that leads into my second idea.

If the Virtues can survive like the others, could Temperance manage to hollow out a space in there? It appeared they had a bit of brain stem parasite visuals going on. Is it possible that they could literally worm their way up there?

EDIT: Upon review, Ken threw the parasite-thing on the ground, but my point still stands. We don't know how the virtues regenerate/if they're patchwork like the others.

This is probably fully off the mark, but if I'm right I want a cookie. Or a Ken-themed sticker.

[aubreyplazababy]

🪻 Agnes & Ralph as a Lavender Marriage Symbol

A lavender marriage refers to a type of marriage that was historically arranged between two individuals of the opposite sex, but where one or both partners were actually queer (gay, lesbian, or bisexual). The term "lavender" is used to evoke the idea of queerness, as lavender has long been associated with LGBTQ+ culture and symbolism, though the term itself was coined in the early-to-mid 20th century. And Agatha is cannon sapphic, and Ralph existence in Westview erases suspicion, just like real lavender marriages did.

So Ralph, being a fake husband, played for sitcom illusion, as a code for Agatha’s own queer narrative makes sense. It from just “campy” to coded grief and survival. Agatha’s magic being purple, the lavender flower associations, the forced domesticity in Wanda’s illusion, all collapse into this quiet scream of reality. 💜

[thealchemistsfantasy]

If Henry's line "A wound first inflicted on me" is supposed to mean anything other than "I was the first to suffer a loss at the hands of a killer" then Scott is just expecting us to read minds. Who on God's green earth would say that and NOT mean that they were the first to have lost someone dear to them?

Especially when it is heavily implied that in the books, Will killed Charlotte out of jealousy for HENRY. So yes, it makes even more sense for Henry to refer to it as a wound inflicted on him because it was an attack largely meant to hurt HIM.

Why would Henry lie? Why would Henry be wrong? And if he is wrong/lying, how were we supposed to know? If he's lying, then what's the point of the speech if we can't trust anything else he says? The whole "lying/wrong" argument is pretty darn convenient isn't it? it saves you from having to put in the legwork to explain yourself when you can just go "Oh they were wrong/lying."

Because what else could that statement possibly mean? Why would Henry say that? What sane rational person would say "A wound first inflicted on me, but one that I let bleed out to cause all of this," and NOT mean "I was the first to suffer a loss, but I allowed it continue to affect more people and create more suffering."

Let's take a look at three sections of the monologue.

"It's only now that I understand the depth of the depravity of this creature, this monster that I unwillingly helped to create. As if what he had already done wasn't enough, he found a new way to desecrate, to humiliate, to destroy."

"Small souls trapped in prisons of my making, now set to new purpose. And used in ways i never thought imaginable. He lured them all back, back to a familiar place, back with familiar tricks. He brought them all together."

"He set some kind of trap. I don't know what it was, but he led them there again. He overpowered them, again. And he robbed them of the only thing that they had, again."

This is clearly referring to what we see in FNaF 3. In the night minigames, we see the animatronics being lured by Shadow Freddy to the safe room where they are torn apart by William Afton. This is what Henry means when he says they were lured back to the same place with the same tricks. It is exactly how the children were murdered, being lured away by an animatronic character to a backroom.

He is pretty much saying that the Funtime animatronics have the souls of the missing children inside of them ("now set to new purpose and used in ways I never thought imaginable" = programmed to abduct and kill children)

This is the most direct, the most evidence based answer you could ever get in a fnaf game. But sure, he's wrong about Charlotte being the first to die.