Headcanons, theories, ideas I want to hear them all--for science!

[AlphaCentari27]

Ok, I had a very lengthy post to add to the forum, but I must have timed out and got logged off.  Let's try this again, shall we?

 

It's been a while since I have wrote a lengthy fanfic.  Recently I got the idea in my head that it would be fun to write a Don't Starve fanfic that explains how Charlie got turned into the night monster.

 

I have already made progress on the introduction that gives us a glimpse of what Maxwell and Charlie are like before getting sucked into the DS world.  That being said very quickly I am going to have a head on collision with some serious writer's block unless I start coming up some plausible answers to lingering questions. 

 

As much as possible I am going to try to avoid asking questions that are impossible to answer because we simply have no information to go on.

 

To kick off the discussion...

 

1) Prior to Maxwell's final act was he visiting the Don't Starve world?

 

- This would explain how he lost track of time, which prompted Charlie to look for him at his hotel apartment.

 

- We also have the jackalope skull in Maxwell's apartment.  However I don't believe the rabbits actually have horns in DS.

 

**IF Maxwell has been visiting the DS world, why is he doing this?  Is he mining gold to line his pockets?  Is he harvesting nightmare fuel?  Is Maxwell training and testing the limits his mind and body are able to endure so can perform his act?

 

**IF Maxwell has been traveling to the DS world, how is it that he was able to get back to the "real world"?  Is that why there are shadow hands hanging out in his apartment?  To pull him out of the DS world and bring him back home?

 

2) Are Maxwell and William Carter two separate and distinct personalities co-existing in the same body?

 

- Maxwell has the ability to fragment his mind and summon shadow puppets to do his bidding.  We see this in game play and for the briefest of moments a shadow Maxwell can be seen in the Forbidden Knowledge trailer.

 

- In one of the William Carter puzzles.  Maxwell is advertising for a lady assistant and the person to contact is listed as William Carter at the Palace Hotel.  It could merely be the case that his legal name is still William Carter, but he prefers people call him by his adopted stage name: Maxwell. 

 

- But then what are we to make of the changing picture in Maxwell's apartment?  Does the picture merely exist to show a contrast between the man he was and the man he has become?  Did Charlie meet William Carter before being introduced to "Maxwell."

 

- At least in my opinion I am inclined to think the constant strain of keeping William Carter tucked away in some corner of his mind would take it's toll on Maxwell and therefore be unsustainable.

 

3) What is the origin of the Codex Umbra (besides what we already know)?

 

- Codex Umbra = book of shadows, contains information about magical items, shadow creatures.

 

- The name Codes Umbra suggests it is written in Latin (?) and of European origin (?).  Though the inclusion of the obelisks suggests a working knowledge of Egyptian culture (?).

 

- Who wrote the Codex Umbra?  Did they travel to and live in the DS world?

 

- How did this book make it's way to America where Maxwell found it?

 

 

I will stop here for now.  I've found a few useful threads with theories on Charlie and THEM, but not as many as I'd like.  Maybe I just need to dig deeper into the archives of lost and forgotten threads?

Edited December 20, 2014 by AlphaCentari27

[Silentdarkness1]

1. Likely.

2. ABSOLUTELY.

3. That's left up to our imaginations.

 

Now, chew on these theories/headcanons.

 

-----------------------------------------

 

1. The event listed in Praecantor caused the infamous San Francisco Quake. Suggested time periods line up.

2. Abigail's death is Wendy's fault. And she knows it. That's why she's so emotionally dead. And it's also why Abby's ghost haunts her. At the same time, Abigail still cares about Wendy. Her sister, after all.

3. THEY are, or were, the Thulians. The civilization that once inhabitated those ruins. They came across nightmare fuel, and became obsessed with it. And it mutated the Thulians into THEM.

Edited December 20, 2014 by Silentdarkness1

[AlphaCentari27]

1. The event listed in Praecantor caused the infamous San Francisco Quake. Suggested time periods line up.

 

Could you elaborate a little more?  Or provide a link?  I'm not really sure what you are referring to. 

From what I understand I'm very sure that it's been established as fact that the San Francisco quake happened on the same day that Maxwell and Charlie got brought into the DS world by THEM.  The timing of Maxwell's show going wrong, the sudden appearance of THEM and the San Francisco quake all seem to line up.

 

2. Abigail's death is Wendy's fault. And she knows it. That's why she's so emotionally dead. And it's also why Abby's ghost haunts her. At the same time, Abigail still cares about Wendy. Her sister, after all.

 

It's certainly possible and realistic.  Losing a sibling can be very traumatic and twin siblings in particular seem to share a special bond. Though I do wonder what effect Maxwell's presumed death had on Jack and by extension Abigail and Wendy.  My feeling is that it takes a series of traumatic experiences for someone to be as fatalistic as Wendy.

 

3. THEY are, or were, the Thulians. The civilization that once inhabitated those ruins. They came across nightmare fuel, and became obsessed with it. And it mutated the Thulians into THEM.

 

Hmmmm...perhaps...  Though what we can discern of the Thulians physical appearance from the statues that are left behind doesn't seem to closely match that of the shadow creatures.  :shrug:  It's hard to say.  I find myself leaning toward the idea that the Thulians harvested the shadow creatures for nightmare fuel.  The over use of this fuel source drove them insane destroying the environment and themselves in the process. 

 

Maybe at some point the shadow creatures were able to fight back and decimated the Thulians?  It would be an interesting twist...the shadow creatures once harvested as a resource now decide to harvest humans and other animals for their own purposes.

[Silentdarkness1]

Could you elaborate a little more?  Or provide a link?  I'm not really sure what you are referring to. 

From what I understand I'm very sure that it's been established as fact that the San Francisco quake happened on the same day that Maxwell and Charlie got brought into the DS world by THEM.  The timing of Maxwell's show going wrong, the sudden appearance of THEM and the San Francisco quake all seem to line up.

 

You got it.

 

 

 

 

It's certainly possible and realistic.  Losing a sibling can be very traumatic and twin siblings in particular seem to share a special bond. Though I do wonder what effect Maxwell's presumed death had on Jack and by extension Abigail and Wendy.  My feeling is that it takes a series of traumatic experiences for someone to be as fatalistic as Wendy.

 

It's not the first time she tragically lost someone. As the pond examination quote would show....

 

 

Hmmmm...perhaps...  Though what we can discern of the Thulians physical appearance from the statues that are left behind doesn't seem to closely match that of the shadow creatures.  :shrug:  It's hard to say.  I find myself leaning toward the idea that the Thulians harvested the shadow creatures for nightmare fuel.  The over use of this fuel source drove them insane destroying the environment and themselves in the process. 

 

Maybe that's a depiction of what THEY look like. As some of the Thulians started to turn, those who had not been transformed yet looked upon the transformed, and saw them as gods, making statues in their images. Also, there seems to be a certain amount of amalgousness to where it comes from. A race of shadow beings down there? It doesn't quite sound right. I believe the stuff is being piped in from a massive, unmoving source below the Ruins. Like an ocean!

 

 

Maybe at some point the shadow creatures were able to fight back and decimated the Thulians?  It would be an interesting twist...the shadow creatures once harvested as a resource now decide to harvest humans and other animals for their own purposes.

 

 

If this is the case, you gotta wonder where the Shadow Creatures specifically are from. I don't think they're of actual pure darkness. In which case, light would hurt them. So, the age old "they're darkness, yo" concept doesn't work for me.

 

In case you're still not convinced, how about this? After the Thulians became gods, they started toying around a bit, but eventually, they got BORED. And.....so, they sent a strange book into our realm. The Codex Umbra. Hoping to find a king of sorts among men from another land. Bingo. Maxwell.

 

[Willette]

guys, i think i have something worked out here

[Mobbstar]

guys, i think i have something worked out here

 

I see.

...

Wilson sucks Maxwell's olive and enjoys every second of it.

...

Enlightening.

 

EDIT: Do you really want to know what lies beyond?

Edited December 23, 2014 by Mobbstar

[Unsound Mind]

Okay okay, I've thought a lot about this. I'm currently writing a fanfic, and I came up with quite a few theories.

 

The void theory - There are three planes of reality: Earth, the DS world, and the spooky place underneath the ruins which I will refer to as the Nether. I will also refer to the DS world as the Void. The three planes of reality are connected like this:

 

[          ]------------              [                ]

[ Earth ]            ---             [ DS world ]  <~ Nether is in the center of DS world

[          ]                 ---___[                ]

 

There are two parts to a bridge between the worlds, a long straight part coming from earth, and stairs dropping down to the DS world. This bridge at one time was whole, but after several unfortunate events the stairs were destroyed, leaving only the straight part of the bridge. 

 

Now, before I go on, I need to explain a theory that was presented a long time ago here on the forums, and I do not take credit for it. 

 

In the theory, they related a person's soul, their memories, and their body to a musician, sheet music, and an instrument respectively. The musician is a person's consciousness or soul, the sheet music is a person's memories, thoughts, everything that makes a them a person, and when the song ends, that person dies. The instrument is simply the physical body.

 

On Earth, the musician does his thing uninhibited. When the shadow watchers abduct people, they record the musician's song (mannerisms, memories, ect.) and store it, like a song being recorded by a tape recorder. It plays the same song over and over again, and if it ends, it can be replayed. This is why the DS characters can die over and over again. Not only that, but since the song never changes, the characters don't age.

 

In order for this to work, however, the Shadow Watchers still need the musician, which isn't as easy to transfer. They can only get the musician if he travels across the gap.

 

According to the past theory, a person's song can only exist in one place at once, so the musician crosses the gap. 

 

Now remember how I said the stairs were missing from the bridge? Imagine a person hopping from the straight part down a level to the DS world. They can jump down to the world, but they can't go back up without the stairs, making this a one way trip.

 

Now why do They want William Carter?

 

I imagine that the Shadow Watchers are like the monsters from Lovecraft--beings of power that were banished from Earth because they were violent, and more than anything, they wish to come back to Earth and rule as they once did. 

 

So, they taught an unsuspecting human magic and groomed him into the perfect puppet master--one that would fix the gap between the worlds and allow the Shadow Watchers access again. Charlie was also a part of Their plan, but only as leverage and motivation for Maxwell to find a way home. 

 

The throne mechanic was created by the Shadow Watchers, which gives the user control over the Void and allows them to channel their magic. With it, one can fix the bridge.

 

I'm not entirely sure what happened to Charlie, but I theorize that her recording was somehow deleted, leaving only her musician behind. Without her memories or thoughts, Charlie has no idea who she is and has no physical body, which is why she can't be seen.

 

Now, the Shadow Watchers aren't going to tell Maxwell that they want him to bridge the gap so they can take over the world. He would probably flat out refuse. They have to be sneaky about it, and simply watch and hope he'll figure out a way back as Maxwell plays around with his powers. And my guess is that the phonograph is for creative stimulation, and the Shadow Watchers don't understand humans and that one song played for an eternity is maddening. 

 

So what about the other characters? They used to be guinea pigs for gap travel, but when Maxwell couldn't find a way to send them back, they became entertainment. The Shadow Watchers don't mind, because they love negative energy and thoughts.

 

The last thought I'll leave you with is about the Thulecites. Perhaps they were the original guards that were supposed to keep the Shadow Watchers locked away. When they started tampering with nightmare fuel, the Shadow Watchers were able to gain the upper hand and destroyed them. 

 

If you read all of this haphazard mumbo jumbo, thanks. I've been wanting to get that off my chest for a while, and hopefully you can understand it.

 

 

[AlphaCentari27]

Okay okay, I've thought a lot about this. I'm currently writing a fanfic, and I came up with quite a few theories.

 

The void theory - There are three planes of reality: Earth, the DS world, and the spooky place underneath the ruins which I will refer to as the Nether. I will also refer to the DS world as the Void. The three planes of reality are connected like this:

 

[          ]------------              [                ]

[ Earth ]            ---             [ DS world ]  <~ Nether is in the center of DS world

[          ]                 ---___[                ]

 

There are two parts to a bridge between the worlds, a long straight part coming from earth, and stairs dropping down to the DS world. This bridge at one time was whole, but after several unfortunate events the stairs were destroyed, leaving only the straight part of the bridge. 

 

Now, before I go on, I need to explain a theory that was presented a long time ago here on the forums, and I do not take credit for it. 

 

In the theory, they related a person's soul, their memories, and their body to a musician, sheet music, and an instrument respectively. The musician is a person's consciousness or soul, the sheet music is a person's memories, thoughts, everything that makes a them a person, and when the song ends, that person dies. The instrument is simply the physical body.

 

On Earth, the musician does his thing uninhibited. When the shadow watchers abduct people, they record the musician's song (mannerisms, memories, ect.) and store it, like a song being recorded by a tape recorder. It plays the same song over and over again, and if it ends, it can be replayed. This is why the DS characters can die over and over again. Not only that, but since the song never changes, the characters don't age.

 

In order for this to work, however, the Shadow Watchers still need the musician, which isn't as easy to transfer. They can only get the musician if he travels across the gap.

 

According to the past theory, a person's song can only exist in one place at once, so the musician crosses the gap. 

 

Now remember how I said the stairs were missing from the bridge? Imagine a person hopping from the straight part down a level to the DS world. They can jump down to the world, but they can't go back up without the stairs, making this a one way trip.

 

Now why do They want William Carter?

 

I imagine that the Shadow Watchers are like the monsters from Lovecraft--beings of power that were banished from Earth because they were violent, and more than anything, they wish to come back to Earth and rule as they once did. 

 

So, they taught an unsuspecting human magic and groomed him into the perfect puppet master--one that would fix the gap between the worlds and allow the Shadow Watchers access again. Charlie was also a part of Their plan, but only as leverage and motivation for Maxwell to find a way home. 

 

The throne mechanic was created by the Shadow Watchers, which gives the user control over the Void and allows them to channel their magic. With it, one can fix the bridge.

 

I'm not entirely sure what happened to Charlie, but I theorize that her recording was somehow deleted, leaving only her musician behind. Without her memories or thoughts, Charlie has no idea who she is and has no physical body, which is why she can't be seen.

 

Now, the Shadow Watchers aren't going to tell Maxwell that they want him to bridge the gap so they can take over the world. He would probably flat out refuse. They have to be sneaky about it, and simply watch and hope he'll figure out a way back as Maxwell plays around with his powers. And my guess is that the phonograph is for creative stimulation, and the Shadow Watchers don't understand humans and that one song played for an eternity is maddening. 

 

So what about the other characters? They used to be guinea pigs for gap travel, but when Maxwell couldn't find a way to send them back, they became entertainment. The Shadow Watchers don't mind, because they love negative energy and thoughts.

 

The last thought I'll leave you with is about the Thulecites. Perhaps they were the original guards that were supposed to keep the Shadow Watchers locked away. When they started tampering with nightmare fuel, the Shadow Watchers were able to gain the upper hand and destroyed them. 

 

If you read all of this haphazard mumbo jumbo, thanks. I've been wanting to get that off my chest for a while, and hopefully you can understand it.

 

 

 

Thanks for the post. 

 

I'll need to re-read this a few more times to give a more thoughtful reflection.

Edited December 24, 2014 by AlphaCentari27

[Willette]

Okay okay, I've thought a lot about this. I'm currently writing a fanfic, and I came up with quite a few theories.

 

The void theory - There are three planes of reality: Earth, the DS world, and the spooky place underneath the ruins which I will refer to as the Nether. I will also refer to the DS world as the Void. The three planes of reality are connected like this:

 

[          ]------------              [                ]

[ Earth ]            ---             [ DS world ]  <~ Nether is in the center of DS world

[          ]                 ---___[                ]

 

There are two parts to a bridge between the worlds, a long straight part coming from earth, and stairs dropping down to the DS world. This bridge at one time was whole, but after several unfortunate events the stairs were destroyed, leaving only the straight part of the bridge. 

 

Now, before I go on, I need to explain a theory that was presented a long time ago here on the forums, and I do not take credit for it. 

 

In the theory, they related a person's soul, their memories, and their body to a musician, sheet music, and an instrument respectively. The musician is a person's consciousness or soul, the sheet music is a person's memories, thoughts, everything that makes a them a person, and when the song ends, that person dies. The instrument is simply the physical body.

 

On Earth, the musician does his thing uninhibited. When the shadow watchers abduct people, they record the musician's song (mannerisms, memories, ect.) and store it, like a song being recorded by a tape recorder. It plays the same song over and over again, and if it ends, it can be replayed. This is why the DS characters can die over and over again. Not only that, but since the song never changes, the characters don't age.

 

In order for this to work, however, the Shadow Watchers still need the musician, which isn't as easy to transfer. They can only get the musician if he travels across the gap.

 

According to the past theory, a person's song can only exist in one place at once, so the musician crosses the gap. 

 

Now remember how I said the stairs were missing from the bridge? Imagine a person hopping from the straight part down a level to the DS world. They can jump down to the world, but they can't go back up without the stairs, making this a one way trip.

 

Now why do They want William Carter?

 

I imagine that the Shadow Watchers are like the monsters from Lovecraft--beings of power that were banished from Earth because they were violent, and more than anything, they wish to come back to Earth and rule as they once did. 

 

So, they taught an unsuspecting human magic and groomed him into the perfect puppet master--one that would fix the gap between the worlds and allow the Shadow Watchers access again. Charlie was also a part of Their plan, but only as leverage and motivation for Maxwell to find a way home. 

 

The throne mechanic was created by the Shadow Watchers, which gives the user control over the Void and allows them to channel their magic. With it, one can fix the bridge.

 

I'm not entirely sure what happened to Charlie, but I theorize that her recording was somehow deleted, leaving only her musician behind. Without her memories or thoughts, Charlie has no idea who she is and has no physical body, which is why she can't be seen.

 

Now, the Shadow Watchers aren't going to tell Maxwell that they want him to bridge the gap so they can take over the world. He would probably flat out refuse. They have to be sneaky about it, and simply watch and hope he'll figure out a way back as Maxwell plays around with his powers. And my guess is that the phonograph is for creative stimulation, and the Shadow Watchers don't understand humans and that one song played for an eternity is maddening. 

 

So what about the other characters? They used to be guinea pigs for gap travel, but when Maxwell couldn't find a way to send them back, they became entertainment. The Shadow Watchers don't mind, because they love negative energy and thoughts.

 

The last thought I'll leave you with is about the Thulecites. Perhaps they were the original guards that were supposed to keep the Shadow Watchers locked away. When they started tampering with nightmare fuel, the Shadow Watchers were able to gain the upper hand and destroyed them. 

 

If you read all of this haphazard mumbo jumbo, thanks. I've been wanting to get that off my chest for a while, and hopefully you can understand it.

 

 

i really like the theory that connects characters and music.

But, if the recorded music is somehow like a person's life, maybe that ragtime isn't just music? Maybe it's something a lot more, and it can be related to either Maxwell's or Charlie's existence?

 

A song for eternity would probably not be as maddening as we think, human brain has learnt to filter important and unimportant things, so if something is very repetitive, the brain just doesn't pay attention to it anymore. Just like you can't see your nose, if you don't think about it.

 

So, why would it draw a person insane then? Maybe it's someone's life that never ends? Or the life of the ds world itself? Or maybe none of this makes sense, that works well too.

Edited December 24, 2014 by Willette

[YesterdaysMindr]

Maxwell's final act caused the 'quake of 1906, maxwell is simply a pawn to THEM, they either 1. have intentions no one can fathom or 2. just like seeing the characters go insane slowly. maxwell is simply a vessel, who in turn is forced to vessel himself through radios and such to abduct characters. How he is forced, we don't know. In my opinion, a lot of things weigh maxwell's moral ground.

 

I'll seperate evidence into two categories, One that says maxwell deserved it, while the other says he didn't.

 

INNOCENT claims that say, the nightmare throne is impossibly maddening and no one deserves such a fate.

GUILTY claims that he was toying around with forces he wasn't supposed to.

INNOCENT claims that he didn't entirely know what he was doing.

GUILTY claims that he was abusing powerful creatures and should have figured out the problem.

INNOCENT claims he was ruined anyway, and the book "saved" him temporarily, at the price of the throne.

GUILTY claims "tough luck."

 

Whether maxwell deserved it or not, he was dragged into the book, which functioned as a portal to the DS universe. The portal can only be opened by the Shadow Hands seen in both the recording of his final act and wilson's origin backstory video. Charlie was turned into the grue for a bigger purpose that is of yet unknown. Maxwell isn't trying to save charlie by bringing the characters here, he's simply being forced to entertain Them. 

 

Another theory is that they are LITERALLY pulled into the book, which is why the graphics look the way they do. But that's not really as important.

[AlphaCentari27]

Been a while since I have been on the forum.

 

Hope to get caught up on re-reading the posts, replying and resume working on my Don't Starve fanfics.

 

Has anyone else noticed this...

 

 

Maxwell on the nightmare throne (above).

 

 

 

Wolfgang on the throne (above).

 

Do you see a difference looking at the two different images show above (aside from the obvious)?

 

 

What about now?  Comparing this image with the image where Wolfgang is seated on the throne.

 

It is 100% completely possible that me and anyone else who has noticed this is attempting to read too much into this so take this with a grain of salt.  When Maxwell is seated on the throne there are 4 curly-shadow structures at the top of the back rest (purely ornamental?).  When Wolfgang or any of the other characters take Maxwell's place there are only 2 of these same structures.

 

Does this potentially mean something?  That more shadow, more nightmare fuel is required to keep Maxwell in his place compared to the other characters?  Is reaching the throne only the beginning of a long process of acquiring knowledge, power and generally being broken in as the shadow creatures vessel that controls the world? 

 

IDK...but if the simple act of bowing and which hand Maxwell uses has meaning that can be derived from it then maybe how many points the chair has is symbolically indicative of something.