rosemary to my bread🌿🍞

INK'S FRIDGE

all of my top frames from the show, memes, and art I received/inspired by what I wrote are featured here

fanart credits from:

@/theo-doodle-draw

[birthday bash '24 fanart] [baby star] [ink & ace in blankies]

@/bowlolol

[goop!4 timeline fanart]

@/change-name-later

[4 tried to cheer 3 up w/ boombox] [Mr. S]

@/34saveme34

[heterochromia 4]

@/of-pots-and-dots

[heterochromia 4] [HC eye 4 again :)]

@/poggieking43

[heterochromia 4 sketch]

@/mage-ical-character-person

[clown 4!!]

@/lyn-and-lucky

[heterochromia 4: literal sunshine] [goop!4 from concept #5 fanart]

SMG4 OC: Ace 🪄

FINALLY got a reference sheet for this silly guy!!

[here's the link for the OG post for more content]

For full info, here's his page in my carrd!!!

TAGS TO MY CURRENT THEORIES:

⭐ #goop!SMG4 // #👁️

[what-if scenario of the keyboard goo still being inside of SMG4, Venom style]

OTHER TAGS:

⭐ #horus hc 4

[cyan and magenta heterochromia-eyed 4 hc // edits by yours truly or featured in other people's art]

⭐ #🧿

[...?]

⭐️ #spletzer & co

[AU, when you take ace attorney elements into the SMG4 universe]

⭐️ #ink reviews

[SMG4 episode reaction and reviews]

⭐️ #ink rambles // #mind palace ramblings

[me going insane and sharing my thoughts with the world. the other one is a more deranged side, this is what happens when you have a theorist checking every single frame on episodes and notices some shit]

⭐️ #ink music box

[all the song recommendations I got from my inbox, mostly for SMG4 characters and ships]

⭐️ #ink episode concepts

[SMG4 episode ideas i came up with, Masterpost]

⭐ #ink answers

[answering my askbox]

⭐ #fanart for ink

[we just got some fanart, we just got some fanart,i wonder who it's from? (also on Ink's Fridge)]

⭐ #ink fridge

[overall stuff i really like that needs to be in a museum/immortalized (full collage in Ink's Fridge)]

⭐ #smg4 oc: ace

[my wonderful oc for the SMG4 show, Ace the Traveling Magician 💫]

THEORY ARCHIVE:

⭐ #once upon a perfect smg4

[twisted parallels of IGBP and "Once Upon an SMG4"]

⭐ #wotfi 2024 predictions

[self-explanitory lol]

⭐ #puzzlevision 2

[Final battle with Mr Puzzles, made before WOTFI '24 arc. Origin of Eye of Ra/Horus theory, Goop!Four theories]

Let’s start from the beginning. There’s actually a couple of details shown within the first 10 seconds:

If you happen to catch it in the captions, there was distant gunfire when the zams logo pops up -> which could explain the teaser where the casings are off to the side

tv’s and candles were set up first before the mural for the shrine, having prepared getting these items ahead of time

if you look through the window, it’s a clear starry night → (perhaps) a parallel to the night of the break-out in GNP, the trailer released on the anniversary

numerous bullet casings that bounce from the wall (which I love that dedication btw) are very different from the typical ones WPNZ had in SMG4. I like to think his gun would switch caliber depending on the situation.

what WPNZ first done to the wall is nothing how it turns out at the end, he just shooting. not a big deal tbh, I found that pretty funny.

With Puzzles in the Rift

A short section to cover, but this flashback obviously takes place after the Rift closes from the SMG4 world and before the duo gets separated.

also yes Puzzles saying “Don’t let go” and then they immediately got split up, but you get to really see in slowmo his face realizing that they won’t be able to which is heartbreaking

I might as well talk about it here, but the fact that WPNZ is getting flashbacks and what he presumed was the last thing he heard of Puzzles say, “Don’t let go! No! WPNZ!” -> this definitely haunted him for years

The Corkboard

Ah yes, this is exactly what many of yall were waiting for. And before I dissect it, a couple frames before this shot, you can see the same warehouse windows, so it could mean that WPNZ has been using this for years as a hideout and for his investigation/search. Got that? Good bc for this one, I’m gonna focus on the pushpin colors bc they’re relevant (I'll try the best I can to add edits of the screenshot)

red pins + string — connecting cutouts of news articles, a front story of the newspaper “Another Planet Destroyed?”, bird’s-eye view of map, photos of planets, a note that says “Where Am I?”, and a fingerprint strip (but let me be clear, one of the red pins IS NOT connected to the suspect list; it’s on some articles beside it) → I’ll try the best I can to go through these

articles: While we can’t read what those articles say (except of that headline), it can still be helpful for us. And, folks, here's where I come in. That's right, I’ve previously worked in the production and journalism field irl, so I can tell you exactly what these excerpts could imply based on official code. The strip articles, or column stories as we say, are usually reserved for smaller stories or continuous updates of a previous issue. Examples include movie reviews, a commercial boom of a store, or an on-going criminal investigation. It usually isn't of a big event that the press is invited to cover, likely local, fit around 250 words each (or depending on the paper size of the newspaper). So it would make sense for WPNZ to keep these if he's trying to figure out where he and Puzzles ended up, every details matters.

front story: the fact that the headline goes “Another Planet Destroyed?” implies that (1) a local planet is destroyed and (2) this happened before, the wording says that this may be the second or third occurrence. Now, this may be an older issue therefore old news, but at the time, this might be the second planet of the system gone. Considering the impact direction in the photo, it has to be caused by an external factor, not internal. Perhaps it could be something to do with that structure of the Evil Organization(tm)??

fingerprint ID strip: this is one of the most peculiar items for me bc none of the characters that we know of in cav have 5 fingers. Both Puzzles and WPNZ have 4, Bone Drone has 3. So, this gotta be a new character that we don’t know of, and somehow connected to Puzzles according to WPNZ. And before anyone says anything, the strip is not connected to the suspects so it doesn’t necessary mean it could belong to one of them. It could be related to the column article that’s behind it. But it’s also a fact these kind of strips are used for two main reasons, federal security/police protocol and funeral homes. Either way, unless WPNZ already got involved in this universe’s black market, how the hell did he get this?

the map: A bird’s eye view of a street, two circles labeled as “A” for small buildings and “B” for a particular section of a big building → we don’t have much info to get from the map itself, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the location for Puzzles or WPNZ (otherwise there would’ve been an indication). BUT using the context/items around it, it could imply that this street and the info from the article cutouts surrounding it is of the blue planet.

the picture of Puzzles: it looks like to be cut out from a big flyer or newspaper → it could imply two things for the series, (1) they’re on the same planet but separated by location OR (2) there’s intergalactic press and communication

planets: There are (so far) 3 confirmed planets that WPNZ discovered in his search and sorta made sections on the board—a yellow planet with 1 satellite (top left section), a blue ring planet that’s broken but still seems to still obtain life (bottom left section), and a gray ring planet with 2 satellite (bottom right section). Naturally, being thrown from the rift to some unknown place and as a hitman, WPNZ had to investigate where he is. And for the press to mention these planets at all, they have to be important for society in some way. (as for the grey planet connecting to the Destroyed Planet story, I’ll get to that)

blue pins — connecting the photo of Puzzles and the “how long can I look?” → it could be as (1) an implication aka “how long can I look for him?”, and (2) an indication since WPNZ’s iconic colors are blue, yellow, and grays so this is meant to say that Puzzles is one of his top priorities of the search. It’s personal for him.

yellow pin — only on the the grayish-planet → while this is part of the red string, its pin is yellow. So it could mean that this gray planet is different of the other planets but it’s still connected to the destruction story, “where I am” note, and the overall picture. It could mean one of two things: (1) this planet in the picture is what it looked like before it got destroyed OR (2) in reverse, he (and maybe Puzzles) are on the same planet. Either option, WPNZ may take this as concerning; if multiple planets have been destroyed, who’s to say that pattern wouldn’t continue? He’s on a time-crunch for his search. And if you’ve been following the blue pins theory, then you can take this as WPNZ’s second priority.

green pin — only on the broadcasting tower → this one may be the tricky because theirs no red string connecting any other item. the first thought I’ve seen people have is that Puzzles and WPNZ may able to use broadcasting to their advantage, either to communicate or possibly travel. I mean they are robots, and it makes sense if you’re following the blue+yellow color theory. But I’d like to add my own thought bc of one thing, the green sticky notes. The board does have sticky-notes but there are two green ones that are the same, one on the destroyed-planet story and one on the small section about the yellow planet, with question marks. I think that WPNZ has been a bit of theorizing on his own, wondering if this broadcasting signal had something to do with these planets. Is it a broadcast for a message, or is it really a broadcasting to execute? First step of power is to control the communication… hmm….

suspects — A section dedicated of 4 suspects, not connected by the red string or used colors of the pins before but apparently part of WPNZ’s investigation. Now the suspects doesn’t necessarily mean they are involved with the broadcasting or the planets destruction or even connected to Puzzles, I mean it could be, but it could also mean that they have information that WPNZ needs. The fact that these are silhouettes could be that these could be potential characters in the order they’re numbered, they seem to have a reputation too with the articles attached behind their photos. (ngl #4 reminded me of Toomp for some reason, I do miss him)

for the sake of convenience, I color-coded the screenshot so we can refer back to it

...Eh, it's messy but we'll make it work. Would this corkboard even be relevant in cav? *shrugs* who knows, but it is funny to imagine WPNZ stopping by an office supplies store just to make this lmao

The Shrine

Can we talk about the shrine? Let’s talk about the shrines:

a neat detail of WPNZ misspelling Puzzles’ name as “Puzzlez”, and the smoke effect after he made the mural

WPNZ playing “taps” with his chainsaw was legit hilarious

as said before, WPNZ must’ve prepared the items ahead of time. He didn’t just make that mural, he actually went out of this way to get the stuff. and most importantly, there was a chance that he first gathered the TV’s for a different purpose. Back in the GNP arc, before the breakout, WPNZ interacted Puzzles with different TV models and no matter the case, Puzzles figured out how to transmit himself to them. I do think WPNZ gathered all these TV’s, believing that Puzzles would be looking for him as much as he is to Puzzles. Hoping that one day, Puzzles would find him somehow (which I will get that in a second). WPNZ knew how capable Puzzles was.

I’ve pointed this before but the parallels both Puzzles and WPNZ have set up their shrines and how they interact with them is SO GOOD. But if we’re gonna talk about parallels here, I gotta talk about Puzzles:

his shrine for WPNZ is small. Just a picture frame (no idea where he would get a photo) and some candles, set on a table. It feels a lot more intimate, personal and simple.

And yet, compared to WPNZ’s shrine for him, it’s set to the side and in the dark despite the candles. Before anyone says anything, it’s not that Puzzles easily moved on from WPNZ, or that he didn’t care. Here’s the thing, Puzzles has been struggling with perfection for a long time and yall know how isolation could really push his mind into a spiral, right after his sacrifice too. Without WPNZ there to ground him or be even around, Puzzles is going to fall back into his thoughts. For YEARS with this fog in his mind, this shrine mixed in the mess of thoughts.

Until, the TV glowed. Maybe he thought back in WOTFI ‘25 with the au WPNZ. They don’t know about the future, but it all depends how it turns out from Puzzles takes it, what he does. So Puzzles may take that as a sign.

(ALSO while the room is kinda dark, Puzzles is in a blue hue. hmm, food for thought)

And now, back to WPNZ:

if you know WPNZ’s character, then y’know that he’s reckless, devoted, clever. But overall, a pretty simple guy. Now, you’d think the shrine he’d make would be simple too, right? But he really did go all out. Full-on memorial, a salute, and everything. Quite ceremonious, but only bc he thought it might be something Puzzles (the “I love a good drama” guy himself) would like.

And in comparison, the shrine is right out in the open of this warehouse, bright from both the candles and even the moonlight. (if we bring it back to Puzzles, WPNZ is fully in golden light.) Hell, he even got emotional/out of breath from the flashbacks with his last moment with Puzzles, making this. WPNZ would usually reserve the great gestures for the people he cared about, Karen and Puzzles, but this was one of the big ones. I might even think he thought that if Puzzles did happen to find this warehouse somehow, that he’d know WPNZ didn’t forget about him.

It’s not just about the shrines tho…

Speaking of Karen, so y’know how WPNZ had that corkboard? Well, it did feel awfully familiar and I stand corrected: it was the same dedication that WPNZ had in finding Karen and the kids, spending years just as he is with Puzzles. Well, actually, “was” bc there’s one big difference: he set up this memorial as a good-bye. Back in SOTC, WPNZ kept pushing to be back with Karen, be part of a family again. More so wanting to be back in the good old days with his old partner, this ideal. But then he realized that he was the one in the wrong, and that they moved on without him. As much as it hurted, as he said, he did the same and was still kicking. Even giving Karen piece of mind that she really is a good mother to their kids, admitting that his mistake back in SOTC.

So with Puzzles, ofc WPNZ is going to end of the planet to find Puzzles since the rift. Besides, Puzzles also did everything he could to correct his wrongs back in WOTFI 2025, finding him. One of the people who got to see him more than just a walking weapon. WPNZ had to try. But years have passed, and who knows how much has changed? If Puzzles is dead, either from the rift or was in a planet that got destroyed, the harder the pain is gonna be. But if he keeps pushing and Puzzles has moved on, he might sour another relationship. It’s a lose-lose situation for him, all while he can't lose another person again not after everything.

That’s where his lines come in to play, “Fly high, Shakespeare. I hope you’re out there somewhere.” WPNZ really did change, did redeem himself. He held their relationship dearly, his expression mixed with somber and admiration, and only wished for Puzzles to be safe. Then, WPNZ went back to being his purpose as hitman, what he was literally built to be.

…well except, that good-bye didn’t last long, did it?

Broadcasting

In that moment when WPNZ had his back turned and and a screen turned on pink, it reminded me so much of the end of SOTC. In SOTC, WPNZ feels defeated after a fight in the warehouse, in the rain and pink lighting, until the screen in front of him turned on to static before Puzzles revealing himself to him. Same thing here, WPNZ feeling defeated after his failed search for Puzzles while he’s staying in a warehouse when a screen turned on to static. I’m sure he thought that it was Puzzles for a second there.

Well, it technically wasn’t, instead it was the logo for the suspected villain organization involved in this series. Back in this corkboard, he connected broadcast signals to Puzzles, whether it’s bc of Puzzles’ powers or involved what’s happening to them. Whatever the case to him, whoever is broadcasting this could have information and that could also lead to Puzzles. That is a sign for him.

btw a small note, the fact that the organization’s logo seen built on Bone Drone’s model and the structure spotted outside the warehouse, so all of those are connected

also the fact that the logo’s trademarked. Hell, not even Puzzles’s logo is trademarked, so y’know these guys are the real deal here lol

The List

As it turned out, the list of names that WPNZ had included some of the zam team that's working on cav, which I thought was a fun lil’ thing to add. Tried the best I can to connect to their correct names:

Blendin Babyr → Brendan Blaber (oh hey Puzzles’ VA! …oh wait ig he dead)

Jani Matra Gran-no → Gianni Matragrano (insert spiderman meme with WPNZ’ VA + WPNZ)

Zubrina Twyluh → Sabrina Twyla

N. KolisKortez → X

Zakri Pressyada → Zachary Preciado

Mygul Covatz → Michael Kovach (well duh, this one was obvious)

King of Oragam-3 → X

Mr. Appvoed → X

Super Bot → X

Baron Blackstar → X

Alex Ulrick → Alexander Ulrick (WPNZ actually spelled that right lmao)

Blob Emperor Goozar → X

Duke of Black Holes → X

Couldn’t get everyone, just found these through socials and discord, but you get the point. Bonus note: WPNZ really improved on his handwriting from that note for Karen, honestly good for him

Pilot Date

so having October 31st seems like a no-brainer, right? Villains, Bone Drone, whatever the hell that giant structure is outside the warehouse. Quite fitting for Halloween honestly.

BUT if it happened to be connected to Puzzles somehow, it’s had to be the SMG4 WOTFI’s where Puzzles was a main antagonist for several of those and arcs in general. Closest I was able to get was the 2023 one (aka the casino one) where Puzzles had his first physical appearance, 29th of October

(Probably) Unrelated Details But Gonna Say It Anyway

according to the moon (yes, the fuckin moon), the shrine is in the south end of the warehouse, making the structure east, and the time is early evening. Which also means that the planet WPNZ is on has at least one moon. ...listen I'm a space lover—

the warehouse is obviously fictional but I was able to narrow it down to actually be a small industrial production workshop or warehouse bay, based on the pillars and other interior details. According to city infrastructure, these kind of warehouse would typically be built in the industrial district and near big transportation areas (highways, bay ports, etc.). Now, I won’t do deeper than that but I did find it interesting for WPNZ to choose this building to be his hideout, as mentioned above. It’s obviously abandoned, any building left behind is fitting enough, but the windows does come with some advantages. I’ve compared the height of the brick border to WPNZ, in which they’re pretty much the same height and WPNZ is pretty tall ngl. SO anyone from the outside wouldn’t be able to peak/break in as easily without the effort, while WPNZ would have the advantage of surveillance and escape points. Plus, with the single roll-up door on the front, WPNZ wouldn’t have to worry so much of anyone ambushing him. He is reckless, yes, but he is clever which I gotta credit him for.

for some reason, Bone Drone sounds like it came from a videogame enemy like Goombas from Mario (and I'm not the first to say it), so maybe Bone Drone could originally be a minion of sorts. His character design also kinda supports that. Just spitballing here.

thinking about the bullet, ofc, but also toomp gear.... 🤔

And well, I think that’s what I got from my analysis; maybe I’ll add on to this if I think there's more. Either way, I’m very excited about cav and you bet I’m gonna continue theorizing and talk about my OC!! Hope we get to see our duo reunite soon