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Maxwell skin tone.


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There's a few reasons possible.  One could be while being in the great hall aka Throne Room, the lack of actual sun created such a heavy pallor.

Another theory, and one I suspect is more the culprit, is he has a weak heart.  I'm leaning towards Cyanotic heart disease (or one of the many clusters this type falls under), which causes the blood to not flow as well as it should, which results in skin tones sometimes being pale blue/bluish tint.  This (again, to me) is verified by the many instances where Max comments about his heart unable to take a lot of strain (such as his lua's about heat and cold, ANR comic where he's clutching at his chest just from the short run to the fire, and his overall low health).

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13 minutes ago, Tainted-Petals said:

There's a few reasons possible.  One could be while being in the great hall aka Throne Room, the lack of actual sun created such a heavy pallor.

Another theory, and one I suspect is more the culprit, is he has a weak heart.  I'm leaning towards Cyanotic heart disease (or one of the many clusters this type falls under), which causes the blood to not flow as well as it should, which results in skin tones sometimes being pale blue/bluish tint.  This (again, to me) is verified by the many instances where Max comments about his heart unable to take a lot of strain (such as his lua's about heat and cold, ANR comic where he's clutching at his chest just from the short run to the fire, and his overall low health).

You think it could be a combo of both?

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Just now, Quoth143 said:

You think it could be a combo of both?

Possibly?  I know about what lack of sunlight can do to a growing body, not one already grown and aging.  I mean, by the clock of the DS world, compared to it's day cycles and how long Max was trapped there (roughly 16 years), he's been down there nearly a millennia by in game time frame (even in our time frame that's a long ass time to be without sunlight, because obviously his projections didn't do him any favours).

And heart disease can come about from extended lack of sunlight too, so maybe?  That might explain why William isn't as blue tinted as Maxwell is (though I personally enjoy the idea that being so withdrawn from sunlight only compounded an already weak heart).

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8 minutes ago, CaptainFun said:

I always assumed he was supposed to be paler/bluer to look more sickly and old. He's pretty fragile as it is. 

I mean, possibly?  But throughout most media you don't showcase frailty with blue pallor, you do it through other means (which admittedly, they have, such as his comments about his joints and back, which to be honest, I relate to so much, lmao).  But I mean, old is subjective, look at Wickerbottom who via appearance looks to be far older than Maxwell (hell just her hair colour, which again, isn't an indication as I know people as young as 18 who've gone full gray haired).  

IDK, it's all subjective until (If ever) Klei just straight up says yay or nay.  Even if they say he doesn't, I headcanon him as having a form of heart disease because it makes sense with all the hints and nods that relate to it more perfectly than other things?

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3 hours ago, Tainted-Petals said:

Another theory, and one I suspect is more the culprit, is he has a weak heart.  I'm leaning towards Cyanotic heart disease (or one of the many clusters this type falls under), which causes the blood to not flow as well as it should, which results in skin tones sometimes being pale blue/bluish tint.  This (again, to me) is verified by the many instances where Max comments about his heart unable to take a lot of strain (such as his lua's about heat and cold, ANR comic where he's clutching at his chest just from the short run to the fire, and his overall low health).

I always thought his pale skin was due to the lack of sun, but this just make so much sense. It's been quite a while since I read through them, but wasn't there a mention of some sickness in the William Carter puzzles too?

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3 minutes ago, Sinister_Fang said:

I always thought his pale skin was due to the lack of sun, but this just make so much sense. It's been quite a while since I read through them, but wasn't there a mention of some sickness in the William Carter puzzles too?

I admit, I'm not 100% sure because I don't know the passport itself for that time era (I admit I'm lacking in research for that) but it does state he passed health inspection, which implies he might have had issue passing it prior.  There are already a few holes punched at the bottom for 'surgeon inspections', so it very well could've!

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On the subject of Maxwell being old, I always thought that the throne halted a person's aging process (clothing not withstanding) and that Maxwell just looked tired when we found him on the throne. He doesn't look as different as he was when he was first transported to Their world. Admittedly his chin has become much more...square but other than that...

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1 minute ago, Quoth143 said:

On the subject of Maxwell being old, I always thought that the throne halted a person's aging process (clothing not withstanding) and that Maxwell just looked tired when we found him on the throne. He doesn't look as different as he was when he was first transported to Their world. Admittedly his chin has become much more...square but other than that...

Well, yeah.  Everyone's age has halted (probably more so due to dying and being brought back at the age you were when you arrived).  When I mentioned him being there 16 years, I meant the stress and emotional toll it takes on a person?  IDK, but remember, Wilson's survivor skin also has him missing an eye, which isn't about to grow back unless he 'dies'.

So I mean, if Max was on that throne for 16 years, when he was removed he 'died', ergo reverting back to his appearance that last time he was on the stage and taken.  So yeah, he looked old and haggard on the throne, but in DST he looks more how he would normally, like all the others (though his own survivor skin shows him to be pretty beaten up like all the others)

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1 minute ago, Tainted-Petals said:

Well, yeah.  Everyone's age has halted (probably more so due to dying and being brought back at the age you were when you arrived).  When I mentioned him being there 16 years, I meant the stress and emotional toll it takes on a person?  IDK, but remember, Wilson's survivor skin also has him missing an eye, which isn't about to grow back unless he 'dies'.

So I mean, if Max was on that throne for 16 years, when he was removed he 'died', ergo reverting back to his appearance that last time he was on the stage and taken.  So yeah, he looked old and haggard on the throne, but in DST he looks more how he would normally, like all the others (though his own survivor skin shows him to be pretty beaten up like all the others)

True, true. 

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Looking at William, personally, I've always viewed him as someone who probably isn't that physically strong to begin with and maybe had some health issues through out his life since there are some things that can begin at childhood and follow you to adulthood. (Lung problems, heart problems, etc.) He's always been rather scrawny even before taking the throne and well, looking at that passport, it is very likely there were some other factors that needed treatment before he could travel since travel stress wouldn't be too good on someone who could possibly keel over on the way. Plus, I don't picture him having anything too serious since stage performance can be stressful and can often intensify what ever problems you have. Wouldn't say it's impossible though and it could be blamed on the performances for making his condition worse.

As for his skin tone, it really could be blamed on being in the dark for too long. Someone can pale up even in old age and it really is a matter of how much sun you're getting. He might've been pale to begin with, this just made him more pale. I kind of blame it on lack of sunlight and just being stuck to that throne since I do think it can have draw backs on someone after a good while. Especially if Them are maybe some what not pleased with the ruler.

 

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But lack of sunlight can cause heart disease, or compound an already weak heart.  Hell, even that specific heart condition I mentioned is still affecting millions of people today.  Also, I'd like to state that you can still travel by ship and be quite ill:

 
 

 

 

Quote

 

"We came by steerage on a steamship in a very dark place that smelt dreadfully. There were hundreds of other people packed in with us, men, women and children, and almost all of them were sick. It took us twelve days to cross the sea, and we thought we should die, but at last the voyage was over, and we came up and saw the beautiful bay and the big woman with the spikes on her head and the lamp that is lighted at night in her hand.

 

 

That's an excerpt from immigrants to the US in 1905, there's plenty more that do talk about traveling there while ill.  I could imagine William being the sort he appears to be (literally he seems to only have appearance in mind) could scrimp and save for a better voyage than that (ill or not, he's crossing the sea and doing magic on stage, not joining the army here).

Also the theater world is rife with people who perform while really ill.  If it's what a heart is set on, I doubt William was going to let that stop him.

Quote

"It was absolutely God-awful, one of the worst times of my life! I’d thrown up twice more before the curtain went up. I managed to do the opening soliloquy, I went off, vomited into a bucket again, had some oxygen, came back on again, did the next scene and so on."

Just a quick quote of someone who was so ill, while playing Puck onstage in Midsummer Night's Dream, still managed to perform.  Illness isn't a definer to keep you out of something.  

(links to the first quote and second)

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I always thought Maxwell had a different skin tone since he played with nightmare fuel a lot and used it to cure his..."short sighted-ness"? And his skin tone changing was one of the side-effects, cause he did use to wear glasses, you can even see him wearing a pair of glasses in the William carter papers.

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5 minutes ago, GiddyGuy said:

I always thought Maxwell had a different skin tone since he played with nightmare fuel a lot and used it to cure his..."short sighted-ness"? And his skin tone changing was one of the side-effects, cause he did use to wear glasses, you can even see him wearing a pair of glasses in the William carter papers.

But he also got rid of those glasses when he moved to Cali and adopted his "Maxwell" persona, he wouldn't have had access to the fuel then.

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13 minutes ago, Tainted-Petals said:

But he also got rid of those glasses when he moved to Cali and adopted his "Maxwell" persona, he wouldn't have had access to the fuel then.

He had access to the codex umbra when he took on the new stage name. Pulling shadows out of the codex seemed to be his signature trick. So it's possible he had access to the fuel at the time. 

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Just now, Sinister_Fang said:

He had access to the codex umbra when he took on the new stage name. Pulling shadows out of the codex seemed to be his signature trick. So it's possible he had access to the fuel at the time. 

True, but you also have others who use magic, fuel and shadows without the same pallor (Wickerbottom/Charlie)

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1 minute ago, Tainted-Petals said:

True, but you also have others who use magic, fuel and shadows without the same pallor (Wickerbottom/Charlie)

Well for Wickerbottom her eyes are closed for some reason? Could it possibly be that she obtain forbidden knowledge from a book and paid the price for reading it? We don't know, cause she has like 1% of backstory.

And Charlie...when does she ever use magic? Do you mean her grue side or?

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Just now, Tainted-Petals said:

True, but you also have others who use magic, fuel and shadows without the same pallor (Wickerbottom/Charlie)

Well Charlie's power obviously came from being the night monster and/or sitting on the throne. So her powers are directly tied to Them and the nightmare fuel. The jury is still out on Wickerbottom though. Her magic is a little unusual, but if Maxwell is able to use her magic then there's a possibility that They might be involved with it in some way.

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Just now, GiddyGuy said:

Well for Wickerbottom her eyes are closed for some reason? Could it possibly be that she obtain forbidden knowledge from a book and paid the price for reading it? We don't know, cause she has like 1% of backstory.

And Charlie...when does she ever use magic? Do you mean her grue side or?

I assumed they made her eyes closed as a stylistic way of showing her having squinty/small eyes, and as for Charlie, she uses magic even when not the "Grue" half of herself, and has the same powers as Max (arguably even more powers) and isn't affected. 

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