"Touchstarved" MC Theories
My current hyperfixation is “Touchstarved” right now, so needless to say I’ve been overanalyzing things with nothing else to sink my teeth into. I have many theories, and may keep sharing speculations as I see fit or if I may be asked. Some are things inspired by others’ speculations, and I’ll do my best to find those original posts to provide credit. Others are from my own head and observations, and I’m not sure how much they have or if they’ve been mentioned by others within the fandom.
I’ll start with this one, as I think there are limited spoilers to it and it is something I’ve thought about since the initial Demo and lore drops:
MC is a Monster from the Shroud. They were either too young when they crossed from the Shroud into the mortal realm, or crossing over caused them serious trauma that inhibits memory. Or even both!
In the March 28th, 2024 post when asked about the power of Monsters, RSS states that Monsters who cross from the Shroud “undergo a dramatic transformation” and that they “adapt” the longer they’re here.
So, what if the MC crossed over when they were quite small? Either small enough to have no memory (like a toddler wandering away from their parents only to accidentally pass through in a Fogfall, but somehow not get killed by Soulless) or still young enough to be on the weaker power end. After all, each MC Origin, including the now defunct Hound, all describe the MC as having grown up from at least late childhood or a tween. Regardless, the initial transformation into taking physical form caused serious trauma to their hands (and potential memory blockage due to said trauma). In the Demo, the golden lines on MC’s hand are described as “glowing scars” and their cursed skin as “mottled.” The discoloration of the skin, in addition to the scars, implies serious physical injury.
Additionally, we see Japanese influence in characters like Ais (oni), Vere (potential kitsune), as well as the Seaspring’s architecture. For me, MC’s golden scars bring to mind “kintsugi,” the practice of repairing broken pottery with a sap lacquer dusted with gold (or other precarious metal). As well as some creation origin myths describe humans as being made from clay (a main source of pottery and ceramic). So, what if MC’s physical form was broken before completion, either a process disruption or other event? Obviously, their hands were still able to also take human form, but the physical trauma left is evident. Their “curse” may just be their Monster power/potential trapped in the surface area of their disfigured hands.
There may also be a “mind over matter” theme playing into MC’s character, and is partly why I believe they crossed over from the Shroud young. From what we’ve seen, MC has no biological parents. If MC crossed over from the Shroud along, and young, then all they would have contact with is humans. They think they’re human, and thus it tampers with their Monster power. In the old Demo, Vere describes the MC as “Not quite human, not quite Monster…” but now he states that he “underestimated” us. Keep in mind what the Studio said about Monsters adapting the longer they’re here. Children are more in tune with their intuition and imagination, and are also more impressionable. What if MC believing so wholeheartedly that they’re human has caused the dormancy of their power, except for what they cannot control in their improperly formed hands? What if when MC realizes that they are a Monster, they will be able to wake up and exercise their full power and capability? Or even evolve it, but that is a post for another day.
Now I’m going to step into something that is more of a stretch theory about MC.
MC is a divine Monster, but of different origin then a certain someone we know. Keeping on the topic of Japanese influence, what if MC is this universe's sort of version of a “kami” or localized Japanese deity? The first thing that pops up when you do a search on “kami” is that they’re believed to control nature, and then immediately points to weather and harvest. But… what if the “nature” that MC can control/ manipulate leans more toward a being’s nature and even aspects of reality itself?
In the April 15th, 2025 post about MC’s curse having long-term affects, the Studio stated that it "permanently destroys” human minds but “pacifies” Soulless (beings also from the Shroud but different from Monsters.
In the January 19th, 2024 post regarding Soulless, the little lore drop is that “they’re sinners reborn as punishment for their wickedness.”
So… MC is able affect the human mind, but due to the disrupted formation of their hands and the lacking understanding of their power, the only way they’re able to manipulate the “nature” of humans is to destroy them. For Soulless, if they are indeed reincarnated sinners, the fact that the MC’s curse allows them to pacify them is strange. My brain keeps wanting to say “a short form of forgiveness that eases their bloodlust as gods or religious faith may do,” but I don’t have the concrete thread yet to validate “why” I think that. Just throwing darts at a wall in regard to how MC could be divine Monster, or divine Monster adjacent, I suppose. Plus the religious imagery with both the option of a oracle origin and the Senobium as a centralized church.
(SPOILER AHEAD -
Not to mention the revealing of a Monster’s “true face” when coming into contact with them in some of the Chapter One previews. MC able to affect the nature/ rip away the mask shielding a Monster’s reality or true form.
- END SPOILER)
So, in summary, MC is potentially a (divine) Monster from the Shroud that crossed over when they were a child. The transformation from metaphysical to physical caused permanent damage to their physical form (their hands) where their power is not controlled, and potential memory suppression due to the trauma. Growing up in the mortal realm has led them to believe that they are human, and thus any actual Monster capabilities have become dormant, but for what is unchecked in their hands.
It is also my hope that once they come to realize they are more than a human, their Monster capabilities will start to manifest again and can potentially grow stronger. (Also, so in the endings where MC ends up with their LI, the two can be together for longer than a normal human lifespan because long happily ever after and all that jazz <3 )
