Theory: Don't starve lore break the fourth wall

[Cassielu]

So I read @Tim S.s topic about portals and dimensions lore, it really inspired me that things that I thought were meaningless could be connected in some way. So I went back and looked at some old things, trying to explain the ultimate question: Why does The Constant work in such a strange way in all senses?

 

 

Let's start with Wagstaff. As you know, Wagstaff's quotes focus on how he looks at this different world and wonders at how it works. So what did he see?

Quote

"Remarkable! Upon its death, 'X's appear on its eyes."——examine fish
 "That house has been built at an alarmingly obtuse angle."——examine pighouse
"Where did I get that glass jar? Curious..."——examine caviar
"Strange that I haven't yet seen any caterpillars."——examine butterfly
"Incredible! The obsidian is converting kinetic energy into thermal energy."——examine obsidian axe
"No wire within. How does it hold a charge?"——examine lightning goat hore
"Intriguing. The internal expansion is not visible from the outside."——examine door
"A conspicuously rapid sunset! Time must flow strangely here."——when the dusk comes

Let me put it this way: it's more Gameplay than special physics.
For most games, something like breaking the fourth wall is usually designed as a little easter egg, but Wagstaff is clearly significant to Don't starve lore, and it's unlikely that the developers would have written so many string just to make people laugh, which leads me to believe that the lines make sense.

The fact that Wagstaff noticed these and the other characters didn't might have something to do with Wagstaff being "out of the world". but that's not what I want to talk about.

 

 

We've long known that Maxwell also had some fourth wall breaking stuff, but it used to be thought of as a little Easter Egg to make people laugh. Let's take another look.

Quote

"This must be game logic."——examine golden pickaxe

It's not hard to understand. Real world gold is soft. Making tools out of gold only happens in the game.

Quote

"These were a failed experiment."——examine tallbrid

So why tallbird are a "failure", The Constant is full of strange creatures, what's so special about tallbird? the only answer is: they will kill their children. Maxwell caused this to happen, even though he didn't want to.

Whichever way you look at it, this move looks more like a "programming oversight" than a biological habit. Remember how long this was mistaken for a bug?

Tallbird attacks all living things near the nest. 
Small bird is near the nest. 
Tallbird attack small bird.

May I take this to imply that Maxwell's way of remaking the world from the Nigthmare Throne is akin to programming?

 

 

Keep going, older and darker secrets: Forbidden Knowledge Trailer Puzzle

In this puzzle, there is a message written to the player in the name of Maxwell. It said "My associates at Klei Entertainment", and talked about how it felt like they'd developed Don't starve together. (laugh)

Quote

My “associates” at Klei Entertainment have been so kind as to provide us with these early visions of what they so quaintly call “Don’t Starve”. Some of these images did not suit the whims of my taste on a particular day. Others, I am holding in reserve for further adventures.

 

 

Return to Wagstaff.

Quote

"I've found it! The portal that can link worlds! The throne of ultimate power!!"——Wagstaff, examine Nigthmare Throne

This quotes tells us that the throne is also a portal that can link worlds, which explains why Maxwell is still able to talk to the player at the beginning of the game while stuck on the throne (the black portal at his feet was the throne), but it also leads me to think of another possibility: Maxwell passes through the fourth wall through the throne and touches developers and the game code. And so, in a sense, he becomes one of game developer. That's why he was able to create the world from Nigthmare Throne.

So Klei entertainment has such a good working system because they use shadow magic to kidnap game characters to work for them.

 

Once you start thinking about it, you can see how the multiple dimensions of The Constant are similar to a game save or server. If you take them as the same thing. It explains why completing the adventure mode in a single player game using a different save will see the same character you used last time, as there are many dimensions and only one throne. It also explains how the portal Maxwell and Wilson built led DS story to DST story.

 

 

The last part of the theory concerns shadow realm. I'm not very confident about it so I saved it for last.

"Go to the dark side and be on top of the world."——Triumphant Wigfrid skin description
"The shadow realm is pretty much the same as here, just darker."——Triumphant Woodie skin description

The Throne may teleport people to the Shadow Realm.

"Greetings, mortal. Come to receive gifts from the Shadow realm? You need only open your chests."——maigc skin collector

The Shadow Realm is also outside the fourth wall, or the Shadow Realm is the source code itself something. Because it's where does skin this "quite gameplay" thing come from, probably, you know what I mean.

 

 

 

[DrMcGillacactus]

We've reached dangerous levels of meta!

[thegreatJash]

We should get Triumphant skin sets for the rest of the characters. I bet Wortox would have interesting quotes for them and this "shadow realm".

[Nogard78]

1 hour ago, thegreatJash said:

We should get Triumphant skin sets for the rest of the characters. I bet Wortox and Wormwood would have interesting quotes for them and this "shadow realm".

Actually, we have Wormwood triumphant, the one with big red eye that you can see when he blooms.

[thegreatJash]

36 minutes ago, Nogard78 said:

Actually, we have Wormwood triumphant, the one with big red eye that you can see when he blooms.

lol how did I forget.

[Nogard78]

13 minutes ago, thegreatJash said:

lol how did I forget.

Well, this skin is not that much triumphant as the others, sooo that is probably why.

But back on topic, I think that Wagstaff is just a scientifist, and it amazes him how Constant works.

[minespatch]

10 hours ago, thegreatJash said:

We should get Triumphant skin sets for the rest of the characters. I bet Wortox would have interesting quotes for them and this "shadow realm".

I assumed Wortox's minotaur skin was his triumphant, but it turns out it's not his triumphant.

[Gourmand]

A LIGHTNING GOAT WHAT?

[minespatch]

1 hour ago, Gourmand said:

A LIGHTNING GOAT WHAT?

18 hours ago, Cassielu said:

"No wire within. How does it hold a charge?"——examine lightning goat hore

Volt goat...?

 

[Tim S.]

Very meta, very neat 

If Klei actually goes this route, maybe the Prismatic Gateway is actually canon haha

[Jrramon_GOLD]

You know on how some games go into your computer and reads out your windows name? What if wagstaff like said you windows name or steam name when you did something.

[HowlVoid]

How could you forget the most iconic:

"Is rock, what you not get?"

[DaZoul]

12 hours ago, Jrramon_GOLD said:

You know on how some games go into your computer and reads out your windows name? What if wagstaff like said you windows name or steam name when you did something.

The Crabby Hermit can call you by Steam Name after you've reached lvl 10 friendship with her

[Styrex]

On 6/10/2021 at 12:34 AM, Nogard78 said:

Actually, we have Wormwood triumphant, the one with big red eye that you can see when he blooms.

It's purely offtop, but i have to admit that mentioned skin also has black gem in it. It's kind of interesting since the only black ones we've seen so far were in the ancient murals.
You know, i'm talking those particular 'tainted' gems that were considered to be purple (due to ancients not having purple colour)

Spoiler

It's also important to note that each Wormwood's skin has a unique gem that represents almost every existing one. In this case black and orange gems are exceptions

And of course, skins might or might not be cannon but until we have something to disprove our speculations, this black one could as well be some previously unknown type of gem (pretty specific, mind you)
In my interpretation that could not just focus nightmare fuel (as purple does), but somehow contain or concentrate it's power. It seems logical to me since this gem is almost literally a 'heart' or 'soul gem' of Wormwood's corrupted version. 

Though, by no means to be sure.

And that's it. Just some food for thought (and i've never seen this detail being mentioned anywhere)

[Wardin25]

6 hours ago, Styrex said:

And of course, skins might or might not be cannon but until we have something to disprove our speculations, this black one could as well be some previously unknown type of gem (pretty specific, mind you)
In my interpretation that could not just focus nightmare fuel (as purple does), but somehow contain or concentrate it's power. It seems logical to me since this gem is almost literally a 'heart' or 'soul gem' of Wormwood's corrupted version. 

Though, by no means to be sure.

And that's it. Just some food for thought (and i've never seen this detail being mentioned anywhere)

but if thriumphant  skins are the characters after a while on the shadow throne, wouldnt that mean its just his green gem corrupted?

[minespatch]

22 minutes ago, Wardin25 said:

but if thriumphant  skins are the characters after a while on the shadow throne, wouldnt that mean its just his green gem corrupted?

Like a cracked gem without a crack or the magic being sucked out?

[Styrex]

14 hours ago, Wardin25 said:

but if thriumphant  skins are the characters after a while on the shadow throne, wouldnt that mean its just his green gem corrupted?

It's difinitely possible. Furthermore, i think so.

Spoiler

Let's look once again

The reason why i think so is that we can see how 'transformed' ancients were tainting some items including previously mentioned gems. 
This particular gem in triumphant skin can be 'tainted' as well. Only significant difference i see is the way they were 'tainted' (nightmare throne influence / possible influence from the shadow entity themselves)

You can also assume that attached picture not shows us a process of tainting, but rather the fact that common things (such as food and resourses) were also corrupted by owerwhelming effect of nightmare fuel.

Spoiler

May sound obvious regarding all we know, but that fact can approve: actual corruption of something is possible

And as i said earlier, this gem (now black) might also be some sort of a vessel for all that powers of shadow magic being sucked in while Wormwood was sitting on the throne. I'm not sure if it makes sense, though. Just some interesting thoughts i want to share with you. And still..
That's a mystery yet to be solved

*And also i don't mention a possibility of all Wormwood's skins being not cannon. I think, that idea deserves it's own thread since we can suppose that Wormwood was brought to life not only by magic alone. Maybe both lunar magic and certain gem come in play to make a living breathing sort-of-creature. We don't know. 
 

[Wardin25]

4 hours ago, Styrex said:

too long
 

Id like to add that woodie mentions that the dangling depth dwellers are "smart fom living away from the corruption"

[Tim S.]

On 6/13/2021 at 2:44 PM, Styrex said:

In my interpretation that could not just focus nightmare fuel (as purple does), but somehow contain or concentrate it's power. It seems logical to me since this gem is almost literally a 'heart' or 'soul gem' of Wormwood's corrupted version. 

Oh I like that thought.

"It's made of a sort of condensed magic." - Wickerbottom, exam. Gnaw's Favor
"The charge has made it incredibly powerful."  - Maxwell, exam. Iridescent Staff
"The magic of the stone appears to be inexhaustible." - Wickerbottom, exam. Iridescent Staff in Moonbase

I mean if it's possible to condense and contain Lunar Magic, why wouldn't it work with Shadow Magic?

[BezKa]

On 6/12/2021 at 2:05 PM, DaZoul said:

The Crabby Hermit can call you by Steam Name after you've reached lvl 10 friendship with her

Can she tho... Cause she definitely is lvl 10 with me but she never called me by the nick

[Styrex]

10 hours ago, Tim S. said:

I mean if it's possible to condense and contain Lunar Magic, why wouldn't it work with Shadow Magic?

That seems quite logical, yeah
 And now i also find strange the idea of ancient painters not having access to purple colour
 

Spoiler

Because we can clearly see purple used in Metheus, though with one remark to be made: actual color is primarly used on the wall. Obelisk on the other hand appears to have some small amount of blue and complete lack of purple on it

However, i don't count the difference between that two to be intentional 

 

[DaZoul]

5 hours ago, BezKa said:

Can she tho... Cause she definitely is lvl 10 with me but she never called me by the nick

Unless they removed it for some reason, yes she can

[Hornete]

4 hours ago, DaZoul said:

Unless they removed it for some reason, yes she can

No she can't, she never could.

[DaZoul]

6 minutes ago, Hornete said:

No she can't, she never could.

Wiki says it too

[Hornete]

9 minutes ago, DaZoul said:

Wiki says it too

I stand corrected.

Unfortunately she only uses it when she's at level 8, I feel like most people quickly rush through level 8(I know I do) so you don't get to see it often unfortunately. Thanks for correcting me!