Hyperanalizing the new Klei animation.
Woooo boy, here we go! Since you guys requested for it, I'm here to provide!
You know, for a long time I've been dreaming of an animation dedicated solely to WX-78 and Wormwood, and it's actually here now! And I still can't believe it's real.
I'd like to give you my thoughts and personal interpretations of what happened in the video. I've already discussed this with a few people on discord but I also wanted to share this here.
Starting off with the title of the video – Nature This most likely refers to each of them and who they are at their core. With the main plotline being them going against their nature for the other, I'd say it's quite fitting.
So the video starts off with the two of them presumably going on a hunt, given the glass cutter WX-78 is brandishing.
Here, we immediately see the contrast of their personalities, as Wormwood wanders off to pet a moleworm, WX-78 goes chasing after a few woodland critters, trampling over some flowers in the process, showing their blatant lack of care for all things organic.
They manage to corner a rabbit, looking eager to end it's life–
(I was actually surprised that Wormwood didn't try to intervene here once, but I guess he knew that it was a necessary evil)
...And you know, I've always wondered why klei hasn't shown us much of WX-78's darker side before. Usually, the animations portray them as someone relatively passive or neutral, the most violent thing they did on screen up until now, was rip out their empathy module. But in this animation their violent tendencies are suddenly amped up to a 100, finally living up to their self-proclaimed title of a "KILLER ROBOT".
...But why is that? Why is this the moment WX-78 chooses to finally lash out?
Since they're usually all bark no bite. They're eager to shout threats left and right, but when it comes to actually going through with them, they rarely ever do so.
Well... considering that this likely happens during or after the survivors team up with Wagstaff, I'd imagine WX-78 feels very angry and betrayed by their group. Which then results in them taking out their pent up emotions on some defenseless animals.
That still leaves one question: why did Wormwood choose to accompany them? We know that he's not a big fan of violence, and yet he indulged them anyway, knowing full-well about their intentions. Did he simply want to spend time with them? Didn't want them to be lonely? Wanted to keep them in check, in case they went overkill? Or did he have another, completely unrelated reason?
Who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Interestingly enough, WX-78 doesn't seem bothered by Wormwood's presence at all. So we can assume that at the very least, they tolerate him.
Now, back to analyzing the short–
After WX-78 strikes and misses the rabbit, they instead hit a birch tree, transforming it into a poison birchnut tree through some hella unlucky RNG. And based on their (frankly hilarious) expression we can already tell, that they know they stand zero chance against that thing. They manage to just barely dodge it's first two attacks, before attempting to make a run for it. Unfortunately for them, the tree then spawns a billion birch nutters which quickly overwhelm them, causing them to trip and loose consciousness.
(Now this moment I'm sure shocked many, including myself) As Wormwood suddenly rushes to their aid. Setting aside his moral code, he grabs their discarded glass cutter and begins ably slashing through the birch nutters, eventually completely vanquishing both the tree and it's minions. (Which in itself is a grand feat without cheesing it with arson–)
...When the adrenaline wears off though, he feels horribly guilty. He collapses by the birchnut's stump, mourning the loss of precious plant lives.
...And yet...he can't help but to also feel relieved, when he notices his barely conscious robot friend peering at him. He gives them such a tender, loving smile.
Suddenly, the severity of his crimes feel justified, if only a little bit. He's doing this to save his friend, and no matter how much he cares for plant life, his two-legged friends will always come first.
But it's this scene right here which cements just how deeply Wormwood cares for WX-78. He deliberately mutilates himself twice, just to ensure that WX-78 would be comfortable.
He tends to their wounds, cooks up some of the birch nutters' remains and even chops more trees for the fire wood, all so when the robot finally awakens, they'll have warmth and food waiting for them.
At that moment, Wormwood didn't care about anything, save for his robot friend (or at least he was forcing himself not to care)
After he is done, however, he goes away to ponder and gaze up at the moon.
(The segment where he extends his arms toward Alter in a welcoming embrace, seems to confirm that he not only did not forget about his origins, but has eagerly accepted them.)
When WX-78 wakes up though, that's when things get really interesting. At first they're somewhat confused and dazed, slowly assessing the scene. They see all the proof of Wormwood's sacrifice in their name, and yet, they're neither vindicated nor do they reject it.
They're not even disgusted upon noticing plant matter clinging to their body, they don't just rip it off and leave immediately. They don't even consider marching up to him to retrieve their glass cutter.
No, instead, they just look up at him.
Have you ever seen them make such an expression before? Their face is deceptively simple, yet so much emotion is hidden behind that (O_O)
Perhaps it's disbelief they are feeling. That someone would be willing to go this far for them. (While I believe the other survivors care for them more or less, I don't think they've ever been shown this much kindess before)
Perhaps they're feeling grateful? After all, he did just save their life, made sure they had something to eat and were comfortable to boot.
Or perhaps... it's something much deeper than that. A growing admiration? A dawning realization? An inexplicable tug in their chest? How can someone even care for them this much...? How did they not see it before? How did they dismiss him so easily? Bundle him up with the rest of the organics, expecting only the worst from him.
They even briefly saw how he fought for them. He was swift and thorough. Did they ever even see him fight before? Especially this earnestly? He hated every moment of what he was doing but he did it in a heartbeat. For them.
How were they supposed to feel about any of this...? They weren't even supposed to feel!
Yet Wormwood was forcing them to go against their programming, making them feel all sorts of things... Things they've never felt before, which is enough to confuse them, disturb them, as we know from later on.
...But at that single moment, they don't feel shame or disgust.
Instead, they stand up and join him on that hill.
Wormwood looks so surprised when he sees them, like he can't actually believe they had showed up.
WX-78, meanwhile, acts very awkward and out of place, but they don't chicken out, not yet. Despite their embarrassment, they humor this idea, even copying the way he sits, as if to assure him, they're interested in what he's doing.
When the shock finally wears off, Wormwood is so ecstatic, he actually starts to cry again. Though this time, out of pure happiness.
(This alone implies, that WX-78 had likely never done anything like this before. Neither with him, nor anyone else. Wormwood might as well be the only one who managed to coax them out of their shell of logic and cruelty, if only for a short while...)
When he starts crying, WX-78 is feeling even more awkward and anxious than ever. So much so, they avert their gaze, but still, they remain seated.
It's only when the clouds part and the moon reveals itself, does WX-78 finally snap out of that tranquility.
Its when Their pupil falls on them, do they suddenly feel very exposed. All their shame, out in the open to be seen by the one entity they respect the most.
Perhaps they could feel it watching them, judging them, as they become painfully aware of their emotions– intense, confusing, disgusting emotions.
They can not allow this to go on.
(If it were just the two of them, maybe they would allow themself to relax and savor this moment... But when there's someone else to see them like this, they're compelled to retreat back into the safety of their facade.)
That's when their eyes fall back onto their glass cutter. Up until this point, they haven't looked at it even once.
And while Wormwood is distracted drinking in the moon's glow, WX-78 uses this opportunity to snatch the glass cutter and leave. Discarding both their sling and the vines, which previously enveloped the weapon, they symbolically reject Wormwood's offer of friendship in favor of returning to their pattern of violence.
Wormwood soon notices that they are gone, and so he goes looking for them. When he finds them, however, he lets out a gasp of horror, taking in the scene, where many creatures and plants have been laid to waste.
And amidst this nightmare, stands none other than WX-78.
(So when I first watched this scene, I admittedly thought it was kinda creepy, but looking back on it now, it kinda makes me sad...)
While there are animal corpses and dead plants littering the ground, there's also parts of machinery and WX-78's own blood/oil staining their body and the ground beneath them.
(I'm assuming that most of their injuries came from that dead tree guard over to the left. It's slash attack seems to be the culprit behind the injuries to their eye, side and arm.)
...Then, there's their glass cutter, which in contrast with its wielder, looks almost too clean.
It's as if despite all the pain they've inflicted onto others, at the end of the day... they are the one hurt the most by their actions.
...yet they can't help but continue to spiral.
Even their expression isn't anything like when they attempted to slay that rabbit at the beginning of the video. They don't look pleased or manic, instead, they seem strangely tired and resigned when they meet Wormwood's gaze. Its almost, as if they're saying: "WHAT DID YOU EXPECT...?"
So in conclusion, I don't think that this is WX-78 going back to their old ways because they wanted to. It might just be, that they felt like they had to. That it was just...easier.
After all, what's the one thing they're scared of the most?
Water? Nope, not even close.
It's vulnerability, getting close to people, laying bare all the "flawed" parts of themself they don't want anyone to see.
...And yet for a moment, for the briefest moment of going completely against their nature...They wanted for something other than logic and cruelty.
They wanted Wormwood... to be their friend.
Or maybe something more but that's for us with shippers brains lol
The issue was never them not caring enough, but caring far too much for their own comfort
...But how can they just discard all they had ever known and believed in?
The simple answer is: they can't.
Not immediately, at least.
Personally, I think that Wormwood did an amazing job here, all things considered. He managed to do something very few are capable of– uncovering WX-78's hidden, softer side.
I don't think all is lost for these two, I suspect they will become genuinely close friends in time. Wormwood obviously cares deeply for WX-78, as is shown here. He knows what to expect of them, even if it's still hurtful to see. He might be upset with them, but he can never bring himself to hate them.
And whatever it was, that WX-78 felt, when they looked up at him on that hill, I doubt it's going away anytime soon.
