#wmg

Honestly, what a God…

The theory that he was a God's Knight is dead, that was always a fringe theory I never actually believed anyway. I just saw the gag potential in it. Instead, my original idea seems to be closer to the truth.

Beyond the obvious visual similarities between the Commander's limbs and Eito's scythe, the way the Commander attacks reminds me a lot of Eito, as well:

Pythagoras (the guy who didn't invent Pythagoras' theorem) famously believed that beans were humans, and that's why neither he nor his cult ate them.

If beans are indeed humans, then ghouls would be able to eat them. This would explain why they would be able to drink coffee, since it's made with coffee beans.

Why wouldn't they eat other bean types though? Perhaps they never tried it, assuming they were the same as other "human food", and that it would still taste disgusting.

Maybe some philosophy nerd ghoul had this theory a while ago and tried to eat beans, but they accidentally bought kidney beans and then cooked them improperly and poisoned themself.

hazing ritual where apprentices have to fight a kittypet and successfully steal its collar.

apprentices helping their mentors put their collars on before a big battle, like squires.

even more prestigious to wear a collar with a bell. that means you killed a kittypet that was actually a good hunter!

I wasn't completely wedded to the theory, but my idea boiled down to that. Chaisee and Dooshim (and presumably the other zongdus) had negotiated a secret pact amongst themselves to declare independence for the shang cities as a fifth nation. With their complete control of all international trade they've got more wealth than anybody except the central national governments, and the book was very emphatic on the power that money has. After all, the Platinum Affair was what had started this entire crisis.

Working together the shangs may have even outmassed the fortunes of the various world leaders, provided they all committed. Hence, "Unanimity". If they played the four nations off against one another that may have been enough to carve out their own independent realm.

As the story progressed and Yangchen continued to find absolutely nothing -- no shipments of weapons or stockpiles of resources or vaults full of cash -- I leaned more heavily into the theory. Because if I was right it wasn't a single thing that she was looking for, it was an agreement.

I'd say I was about 70% certain that I had it pegged correctly.

So, here's my theory for Sonic 4:

First, they might try to give it a subtitle that can be shortened to CD, because Amy and Metal Sonic both first appeared in Sonic CD.

Second, and the big one, between 2 and 3, Ivo and Stone made an AI and blueprints for Metal Sonic. Unfortunately, the AI immediately went rogue, calling itself Metal Overlord, and the two had to seal it away. Gerald's messing with Ivo's tech somehow unsealed/awakened Metal Overlord, and it immediately set about mass manufacturing Metal Sonics.