#lore breakdown

Caine wasn’t always broken… so what really caused his corruption?

From Scratch’s hidden role to the origins of the Digital Circus, we break down the AI experiment, the devs who got trapped, and the moment everything went wrong.

okay so,

first thing we see in ep one is the farm! Right off the bat we see its defenses and, woah, those are some good defenses!

The whole place is wrapped in electric fences. Then the doors are vault like doors, thick metal. Nothings getting in the Bryan doesn’t *want* getting in. I noticed that the walkway was also fenced in, even if the door fails or the fence zombies and people alike still need to get through more electric fences an then, to top off the security, the farm doesn’t start until the second fence in. So even if one electric fence gets breached, other crops will be unaffected.  this episode we also learn Bryan has the monopoly on food. He’s the only farmer in the region. (How large that is I am unsure but he seems to be the only farmer for a good while and that definitely makes him valuable and powerful)

He’s also an animal lover and likes snakes (as long as he’s at least semi-immune to their venom) which he seems to have built up some resistance to the venom. He even says they just like to bite like it’s a cute trait. Love that for him

He did straight up say he was neutral so that’s nice to learn. He helped out Kay when she lost her parents, even providing her a horse and a place to live in exchange for help around the farm. He also mentioned off handed that he does that a lot so Bryan’s farm may function something like a half-way house. A place to call home and get back on your feet In exchange for help around the place. Bryan really do show his neutrality the entire episode. He didn’t pick a side during any argument on his land and only stepped in once nick pulled a gun on Kay and even then it seemed more like he didn’t want him shooting at “his Kay” and “my turf, my land, my rules”. Which means that while on farm turf you follow Bryan’s laws or you get shot. Good to know! he’s also willing to trade with anyone and anything, without care for their side in a conflict. This is an example of true neutral which is soooo cool!

then Mario rolls up. So the accent is from a bet but Bryan kept it

I headcannon it’s about separating who he used to be before the apocalypse and who he is after it. As well as putting people at ease and making them more likely to believe in his capabilities as a farmer. he also seems like he really doesn’t want Mario to leave. I was fully prepared for Bryan to remark something along the lines of “what about me Mario, what am I supposed to do? Wait forever not knowing you’re already dead?” And the farm belonged to Bryan’s family before the apocalypse! He’s made adjustments so it can stay standing in the apocalypse but still. we also get a timeline idea for the apocalypse. Mario stated that “about a year ago I was going off to military camp then this all started” which means it’s only been about a year, give or take a few months

Bryan also apparently went to military training but Mario thought he had dropped out after a week, but apparently that wasn’t the case but Bryan refused to share until Mario agreed to stay home. (Mario did not so no answers on that front)

Thank you so much for your continued patience as I updated and overhauled portions of my slideshow! I'm still putting a couple last minute things in but the link will update so just make sure to refresh it when you come back to visit.

Here I have provided a link to my newest edition to this whole process, which is:

My change log!

At this link, you can see all the changes I made and which slides they're on. I still need to check the slide numbers again, but all the changes are listed. The new slideshow link will be in the pinned post on my home page. Thank you guys so much, and let me know if you think my new theories are too outlandish!

Also happy 4/4 (basically 8)! If Tumblr posts this after 11:59pm, which is when I scheduled it... I'm gonna be so mad smh smh

❗Spoilers ahead❗

I might be using this for an eventual lore breakdown of the episode, so stay tuned!

I watched the stream live, and have watched multiple POVs of this same event, and also we gained some more lore since then. But here is everything I wrote down while watching Wilbur’s Finale Video

/roleplaying

I am laughing because you basically you realize by about 5 minutes in: A: Wilbur and Techno are the only people fully on the same side and actually trust and know each others general stance (they may not fully know the entire plans of each other but they trust each other and know enough which is more then we can saw about anyone else), and B: Everyone else was fully aware they had two loose cannons that were for blowing up everything, stated multiple times, THE TWO WERE NOT QUIET ABOUT IT AT ALL, and you know full well the rest of them just forgot about that fact some point during the battle. 

Actual conversation they had in Techno’s first secret base with everyone being able to hear them while they geared up:

Techno: we need Manburg to be gone

Wilbur: yeah, gone, gone, completely gone, gone.

Another interesting quote:

Dream: can you tell your guys to stop point guns at me

Wilbur: they aren’t really my men anymore, they are more of a Militia at this point.

Sidenote: 

Did we all just collective miss the fact that Nikki, said “kill him, kill him” after Schlatt insulting Fundy implying wasn’t a man? Like Wow, we do need to give her more credit. Props, also why aren’t we absolutely terrified of her again?

The way everyone breaks when Schlatt dies, is hilarious. Also can we appreciate the Fucking Pettiness in Schlatt’s last words, because man had being petty motherfucker done to an art.

Then when Dream says no traitor, and Wilbur expresses confusion. Making that the 3rd time he said he was the traitor, not accounting for his less subtle ways of saying I am blow this up not matter what. Motherfuckers we all be dense, or at least he had heavy plot armor, and we all caught up in the battle, and win.

The way Wilbur laughs when Tommy says “it was meant to be”, hindsight makes the laugh terrifying. 

or the look on his face when Tommy says, ‘i can’t be the president’. or while Tommy, talks about how there wasn’t a single explosion and how they won and got through this.

Also Wilbur entire speech, is A LARGE RED FLAG, also more evidence that Wilbur and Techno are the only people that full understand each other. “-government is not the way to go, and I agree with you, everything you said, I completely agree with you.”  Refer back to the multiple times in Wilbur’s hearing that Technoblade said he wanted to wipe out Manberg, and destroy the government. 

Everyone breaking RP to support Tubbo’s panic about suddenly having to say a speech. Wholesome.

That zoom in shot when Tubbo said ‘violent activity is the last thing on my agenda’, prefect. 

Wilbur leaving, saying he was leaving, and nobody really pay attention because to them it is over. 

Then he starts monologuing to his chorus/chat. 26:27.Chekhov's gun are his first words:  a dramatic principle that states that every element in a story must be necessary, and irrelevant elements should be removed. Elements should not appear to make "false promises" by never coming into play. 

The way Wilbur lies but doesn’t lie to Phil about where he is. Very much, child just got a phone call from their parent, and their parents first question ‘where are you?’ and you know they know you are in place they said aren’t supposed to be.

Techno kills Tubbo the moment Phil actually logs in. 

Then the dramatic echoing of ‘it was never meant to be’ as Wilbur presses the button, and Tommy is exploded by Techno.

The salute, the absolute manic relief as the explosions go off. Then “My L’Manberg, Phil, My unfinished symphony, forever unfinished, if I can’t have this, no one can”

Then, he begs Phil to kill him, trying to justify it as it was what everyone would want, except we get the POVs of everyone, and everyone is too shocked to care one way or another, and actually seem horrified by Phil killing Wilbur.

And can we note Tommy is the first one to notice Techno and the Withers. 

Then Phil does adds to the confusion in by calling Technoblade, the traitor. 

He isn’t wrong, but Wilbur was the traitor to Dream, but Techno is the Traitor  to Wilbur. 

Both Tommy and Phil say Don’t Do This, and Technoblade doesn’t listen, and places the wither heads.

Wilbur ending with the Anthem. 

Then with Techno’s words, “You are the president of nothing, you country is gone”

Then his own words, “There is no L’manberg won, no Pogtopia won, I won”

this is my thoughts from the intro and theme song.

✰ “War disease and decimation led to a plague ⤷ this statement makes me think that the zombie infection was a mutation of another disease. We do see similar things during real world wars and conflicts. The most well known example being the Spanish flu, it adapted in the trenches and became deadly for most who crossed its path. (Most people point to mustard gas as the main cause of the intense adaptation).

✰ “The military attempts to grasp tightly to the ways of the past. Others have begun to live by their own means in this forsaken world. ⤷ conflict. This is going to cause conflict. This also tells us the military will be playing as one side of the conflict. Likely taking on the role of the more organized side. (My guess is we’re looking at the antagonistic side)

✰ The screen panned over groups of people during the intro, likely showing what “faction” they are a part of. Bryan appeared when the narrator said “worse than the undead, the living” ⤷ the fact he didn’t appear during “fighting off the undead” “the military” or trailblazers (what I’m calling the ones who want to make something new) suggest he could actually be antagonistic. Or he could be a neutral party who profits from the conflict?

✰ During the theme song we get two clips of Bryan. One where he seems to be engaging in trading and one where he is pointing a gun at the camera. Again, reinforcing my belief he’s going to be neutral/antagonistic

Kinger hacked the system… but did we just learn his REAL name?

From hidden files and strange dates to Caine’s code, Bubble’s mystery, and “Grant”, we break down the secrets inside the Digital Circus system.