#bloom and rage theory

[saint-sera]

What if the box is a time capsule they all forgot about and Kat asked Dylan to find and send it to Autumm

[ars-de-elysium]

I’m still working at finishing all the collectibles in Tape 1, but after replaying a majority of the scenes I figured it’s time for some of my Tape 2 Thoughts and Theories!! This will probably be updated after I play through a few more times to try out some of the different dialogue/choice options, so I’ll call this Part 1 for now!

Spoilers under the cut!

Most of my thoughts come from Present Day Swann and Co talking about the past, when they’re narrating over events from 1995, some of these are quick comments I believe were meant to slip under the radar while your attentions drawn elsewhere…

I’m really hoping to get better insight into Dylans character, its stated multiple times by Swann that if she knew everything that was going on that she may have spoken kinder of her (Depending on your dialogue choices,) and at first I assumed this to mean Kat’s Leukemia and trying to watch out for her sister, but after going through Corey’s things in his bike and reading the letter that she wrote him and the bruises on her face in the final scenes, I’m highly suspicious of Corey, but at the same time I think there’s more going on behind the scenes specifically with her family. Kat and Dylans parents sound extremely strict with multiple lines talking about the amount of trouble they’d be in simply being someplace they shouldn’t or even talking on the phone. Even Corey makes references to the girls parents and the punishment they’d face by not listening to them, yet not wanting to get in the middle of it himself.

And speaking of Corey, there’s another line of Dialogue given by Present Day Swann during the fight between all the girls and Corey at the Movie Palace/Ice Cream Shop. Autumn says that after things with Corey got worse, implying that we’ll see more of a conflict with him in Tape 2 given that the events at the Blue Spruce didn’t seem too different from other interactions with him. Tying that into one of the very first flashbacks we get while Swann is sitting in the car, I think that Corey will be our main antagonist in Tape 2, as the figure in the woods with the Wolf Mask shares some resemblance from the small bit we see of them- I also think that whatever event takes place with this character directly ties into something happening to the Mikaelsen Ranch. Autumn makes another comment about how Corey got blamed for ‘What Happened at the Ranch.’

The Mikaelsen Ranch seems to be the main attraction of Velvet Cove, with the Water Tower featuring Antlers that I assume connect to the towns obsession with the Deer Farm and Hunting. In the Present Day However, the Water Tower isn’t quite so glorious and Velvet Cove seems to not care about repairing it as other towns would for their prized attractions. While this could be an impact from the Abyss and it’s possible consequences, it could also be from Velvet Cove moving on from the ranch, the cork board outside of the Bar features one Pamphlet about the Ranch, but is otherwise covered in other events to experience in Velvet Cove, unfortunately the downfall of the Ranch could also be from the Mikaelsens grieving- (Which I don’t want to think about at all because I’m fully expecting Kat to walk into the Blue Spruce by the end of Tape 2. 😢) But we also know the Mikaelsen Ranch will be a major point of interest in Tape 2 as we see some event unfold possibly resulting in its Destruction, whatever happened it doesn’t seem like they were able to get it back to its former Glory and Velvet Cove appears to have moved on from its Deer Ranch Era.

And a fun little throwaway theory that I’m still playing around with is the connection between the Mining Article in the Blue Spruce and the Mining Letters/Mining Equipment left behind in Fawns Rest. The article mentions something about a bunch of Miners Missing from Copper Co. and people organizing a search for them, but based on what we found at Fawns Rest the Cabin could have belonged to one the Missing Miners, which begs the question did someone else find the Abyss before Swann and Co, or is the Abyss even a result of some Mining Accident gone wrong?

They’re’s probably a whole bunch of clues I’m missing in regard to any of my theories, and I still have some things to finish up in the game along with some dialogue options to try but regardless this game has me HOOKED. I can’t wait all the way until April 15, I need some answers now!! But for now, I’ll just have to settle with pouring everything into Tape 1 to search for some answers for now!!

[ourlittlepoet]

The girls, their names, and what I found interesting that im probably overthinking:

Autumn Lockhart:

"deer in the forest". Autumn is an odd one to me. now, here's the thing... the mikaelsen's are known for their deer hunting ranch. now, idk how it is in the UK, but deer hunting in america mostly falls on one season: fall/autumn.

it's also very interesting to me that in folklore, deers are seen as helpers/adversaries. they have a connection to the wild and the fae world... but they can also be malevolent. interesting, to say the least.

Nora Malakian:

"light" "angel/messenger" nora's not the only one of the girls whose name comes from angelic/holy origins. but, she IS the only one who isn't tied to... an animal of sorts. what with autumn being "lockhart" (deer), and kat being cat, and swann being....... swan?

(come back to this next part once u read Kat's).

i wanted to introduce Michael before introduced everyone to The Book of Malachi (aka: malaki, which is most of nora's surname). the book of malachi in the bible focuses on 1) stopping people from turning their backs on faith, 2) be faithful to the covenant.

i found it weird that for whatever reason, nora is the only one who goes with what kat wants without second thought. swann can decline the blood curse and so can autumn.

Kathryn Mikaelsen:

"pure" "the son of he who is like god" here's the funny thing about the name michael. just like malakian, the name is tethered to "god".

archangel michael was the angel who protected god against the devil. michael is considered the "bringer of justice" (ahem, a song about justice/vengance) and "the healer of the sick" (AHEM).

Swann Holloway:

we all know what swans symbolize on the surface. so, i dug a little deeper. and by deeper, i mean deeper...

"holy spring" "waters of the underworld" "swan lake"

the cabin is on a running SPRING OF WATER and swan is in it. remember the secret stash box? swann wrote a fic that had her in the water. on top of that, the book swann gives cat is called "willow CREEK".

as for swan LAKE, i just so happen to be a massive fan of this ballet, so let me put everyone on game.

do u remember the first conversation u had with your mother in the car? she was complaining that her friend carol didnt like the "tragic ending" to her story.

now to be perfectly honest? i have no idea if im reaching. but i am very much thinking.... maybe this is all connected? especially swann. i think swann's is... unfortunately accurate.

[thealexchen]

What do you think will happen in Tape 2? I think, based on the trailer and the reminiscing flashbacks, we're gonna do something to Corey's bike, by keying it, or choosing to do something worse, and then he'll burn the hideout as payback and cause a forest fire. I feel like we might get a choice that determines what happens to Corey. Like, do we save him, or let him die in the fire? Also, I'm curious what could be in the box. If it turns out to be a head, I am gonna scream.

I don't think it's a head!! 😂 It's the size of a shoebox and you can hear something small rattling around inside if you turn the box around. If anything, it might be Swann's VHS tapes of that summer or her old camcorder. I don't do a lot of theory crafting, so just bear with me here.

From the reveal trailer, we definitely know Fawn's Rest/Curse will sadly burn down at some point. The group in 2022 speaks about it in the past tense in a way that implies it's not there anymore, and Swann also implies she "lost" a lot of her sentimental items before she moved like they were destroyed instead of simply misplaced, and a lot of those items were in the cabin.

Given DN's track record (like Nathan and Victoria), Corey and Dylan are likely red herrings. This game might not have a main antagonist at all, with its pacing and smaller cast of characters. More likely, the fire could've been an accident, since there's a prominent fireplace in the cabin, and it spread into the forest.

Alternatively, Kat could start a fire at the ranch out of anger at her family-- maybe her beloved fawn Gertie was killed, or the Abyss is affecting her mental state. All the girls' eyes glow purple the day after they see and throw something into the Abyss, and it seems to be strengthened by anger and hate, given how the purple glow shows up on Corey's face and he seems to become physically hurt and feel threatened by them enough to leave the scene.

In the very beginning of the game, the girls are running for their lives from a person in a wolf mask. I think that's most likely Corey. If he's a red herring, either it's a prank gone wrong, or the Abyss is affecting him.

Some other theories I've seen mostly on Reddit:

You as Swann have to make some big choices during the fire, and her appearance in 2022 could be choice-determinant (a possible reason why all her 2022 scenes are in first-person. Like, maybe she has burn scars depending on your choices).

Kat is trapped in the Abyss and possibly still 16 years old. Either she jumped in herself, or the girls made some insane trade to keep her alive and healthy.

Kat is in the Abyss and that's why the group can't remember the summer of 1995 clearly

Swann got affected by the Abyss somehow and it altered her appearance or memories

Time travel/shadows theory: The freeze-frame shadows of various characters (discovered to be Swann, Corey, and Kat) are their characters across time. The person who says "Bloody Mary" back to Swann sounds a lot like... adult Swann. Could that be her stuck in a time loop or briefly sent back to 1995? Another example is in the last scene of Tape 1, when Swann, Nora, and Autumn in 2022 briefly see their teenage selves in the parking lot of The Blue Spruce the night of the concert. Swann looks down at the box, back up, and they're gone again. Stylistic choice, or did they actually see their past selves?

The fifth girl theory: Some Redditors have speculated that the Abyss affected the girls' memories to the extent that they forgot an entire additional person. The box says "I WAS THERE" and "REMEMBER 1995" and the game has a few odd moments where the camera is no longer behind Swann's shoulder but from the POV of someone else. Fake cameraman, or secret fifth girl? I don't think it's as likely for DN to introduce a whole new character at the end of the game when they put so much effort into characterizing the quartet, but it's fun to think about.

Kat sent the package across time

Or, Kat sent the package in the present day and is secretly alive

Dylan sent the package

Pam and Gus sent the package

Pam and Gus are the secret villains or they're involved with the supernatural happenings in Velvet Cove

The possible "fifth friend" sent the package

Nora isn't actually married anymore and she's putting on a front for how happy she seems (okay I know this one is much more lighthearted but I wanna see endgame canon sapphic middle-aged relationships! Please!!)

The game will not have a happy ending (it's Dontnod, but the game also opens with Swann either agreeing or not with her mom's take about happy endings at her book club)

Call me crazy but... I think the girls might be queer. But I'm not sure yet. /j

Thank you for asking!

[supyovalk]

Okay it's may come out of nowhere but... for the Don't nod fellas out there... I got a bloom & rage theory.

[SPOILERS FOR TAPE 1]

And it's simple- Kat is alive, and is the one who made the 2022 Bloom & Rage box.

EXHIBIT A - Cross-Reference Required Existence

Who in the hell could've both known about Bloom & Rage's existence AND know about Autumn's location? It's not either of the bullys, they barely had knowledge of Bloom or Rage, Autumn or the Abyss' events. Which only leaves Kat as the only reasonable answer.

EXHIBIT B - Reactivated Abyss

At the end of Tape 1, we seem to see the Abyss reactivating in 2022. Now assuming it was not a reaction from the girls returning, who the hell could've reactivated it? Obivously the one who made the pact, Kat.

Now how the hell Kat survived? Simple. Dylan's statement about having short to live was proven wrong. Diagnosis can be complex and even wrong, more so in 1995. Hell, there's a chance it's actually not Leukemia and some sort of Supernatural Illness.

[bluepebbled]

Something something - might be reading into it - but the fact that Swann is always/usually the one holding the light up for everyone else in the group. Does this tie into the fact she's the one that most fondly remembers their Summer? Was she the glue (besides Kat) that held the group together?

She was both the light and record keeper.

So, what would've happened if Swann hadn't recorded that red balloon?

[blockednddeleted]

not sure if anyone else has pointed this out yet or not

but during the scene in nora's garage, kat mentions how she had an experience with some supernatural deer creature.

then its like, we know how important deer are in this story, the range and gerdy. and given what we know about kat so far, it makes sense why these things would be so linked for her story

which makes me wonder

could that encounter, what something like a year prior (which would also be around the time this leukemia shows up, interesting...), be an inciting incident for the plot?

kat jokes about making a deal with the devil. that or signs are pointing to it being fae related (please god let them stay tf away from indigenous cultures for this one. put an indigenous character in the game as a lead and that would be a start)

and from what we know about the missing miners, i'm getting the sense that this supernatural entity could be a protector of the forest and its fauna. maybe the miners posed a threat to it so the creature lured or trapped them to keep it safe. the guy did mention how at night there seemed to be something trying to call him out into the forest

which could be said for kat, but then she seems to have an awareness of what's going on and a hidden agenda she's carrying out

so she meets this creature, they both have a mutual interest in protecting the deer of the forest. they make a pact. whatever the deal is, it would explain the strange knowledge she seems to possess; of the fairy ring, the way she urged them to sing the curse as an incantation, the blood pact, the whole scene with the abyss

this is a girl that is giving off every sign that she knows exactly what she's doing

and i think back to the convo about the creature she met and i get an ominous feeling that its connected

god could u imagine if gerdy turned out to be the creature

[bulletbilltime]

Lost Record Soundtrack Songs

Someone else on Tumblr asked about the licensed songs from the Lost Records soundtrack, and since Tunefind is still lagging on listing the songs, here's the list I could find from the game credits!

Main Soundtrack:

Nora Kelly Band - See You in Hell Dreamers (Ruth Radelet) The Wild Unknown (Ruth Radelet) A Place Like Home (Ruth Radelet) Liminal Spaces (Milk Bone) Riot (Milk & Bone) Velvet Cove (Milk & Bone) Moonlight (Milk & Bone) The Abyss (Milk & Bone)

Licensed Songs:

Beach House - Myth Babes in Toyland - Sweet 69 The Dø - Sparks (3'48") Bratmobile - Love Thing Beach House - Lazuli Cocteau Twins - Cherry Coloured Funk

And also we have a handful of songs that appear to be credited to Ruth Radelet and Milk & Bone that aren't in the Tape 1 OST on Spotify? Possibly OST songs from Tape 2? 👀

The Veil (Ruth Radelet) Without A Trace (Ruth Radelet) Stranger (Ruth Radelet) Youth (Ruth Radelet) Sometimes (Ruth Radelet) Forgone (Milk & Bone) Insomnia (Milk & Bone)

Happy listening!

[son-of-a-belcher]

Lost Records question:

What do people think the reveal is going to be with adult Swan? Like they’re very specifically avoiding showing her.

Originally I thought they might have transitioned but if that was the case Autumn and Nora would have to be the most well adjusted people to take that reveal without even a blink.

I’m kind of wondering if she ends up with a scar of some kind?

[mantis-yippee]

Sorry I've been kinda dead, been busy, as an apology, take the warm up I did of Autumn from Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, don't know it? You should.

I promise I'll actually post more soon and yes, S3 this April for Chaos Theory woo!

the Baldening returns tomorrow too okay bye

[a-smol-gay-tree]

SPOILERS FOR TAPE 1

Yuuuup I played Lost Records: Bloom and Rage & wanna share a few thoughts n theories about Tape 1 and how I think Tape 2 might go

I hope I don't just sound like a crazy Game theory Video bfksbdk

SO my dumb ass did not really notice any of the shadow figures, so I'm glad I sniffed through the tags on here lol My oblivious ass will always miss something

But after seeing some theories about those, I'm thinking like Kat probably starts a fire at the ranch and either Corey knows and chases after her or is sent to go look for her like seen before. As a kid, Kat would probably escape to the cabin as it's secret and safe and finds her way back to the abyss.

The girls will probably find her there cause "of course she's go to the cabin" and have a dramatic and emotional scene at the abyss

Enter Corey.

Pissed and confused (but mostly pissed) is upset about the incident, whether he saw her do it or finds out here that she did would both work. Another screaming match between the girls and him, possibly getting physical. With Kat's condition getting worse and knowing her time is limited, she'd probably be pissed that she's the one that has to die while "this fucking asshole gets to live"

And pulls him into the abyss with her - a sacrifice, vengeance, justice, and Kat getting to finally make a choice that's solely hers in her life. She wrote a song about "seeing Corey in Hell" and this feels like an awfully close second

As a newspaper on The Box says, there's a search for missing local (likely Corey since it'd probably say "child" if it was Kat) and well. . . He'd certainly be missing if he's in some sort of otherworldly abyss portal thing

And maybe one of em says Missing Child too, but I also believe Kat sent The Box. I'm not. . . Fully sure how ngl but that has been my first and main theory for a good while when I played the game. Maybe the abyss is some type of time portal or alt universe portal and she can send The Box (which I think is full of Swann's tapes maybe) to the girls in the future/main timeline

That's my blurb! Tumblr is that place for shouting into the void and I gotta do that

[ourlittlepoet]

Bloom and Rage Theory

So, I thought of something. I replayed the game for the nth time, and i wanted to see if I could put some things together.

I've always had this feeling that the girls did something terrible, and that's why they had to separate and ditch the camera. why else would swann say "i lost the camera some time that summer"? and why did they say poor dylan? what happened to dylan that would make the girls feel bad for her as adults?

so, my question is: what did the girls do that would lead them to 1) separate and make vows to one another, 2) ditch the camera, and 3) feel bad for dylan?

my theory is this — the girls did something and someone (likely corey) died as a result.

why do i think that? well...

when i played this game, i always ALWAYS waited before making a decision. most times, im rewarded w scenes/dialogue like this:

this was right before the concert. "hiding the evidence" = the truck they stole. but still, it's worth mentioning that the idea's crossed their minds already.

each girl (during the abyss scene) made a wish, and each girl's wish basically came true one way or another.

nora wished to be famous "like, rockstar LEVEL famous", and now she's an influencer.

kat wished to "get out" "get us out" and all of them managed to get out of velvet cove one way or another. ontop of that, she managed to get tickets that would get them out of velvet cove.

autumn didn't make a wish, and coincidentally her throwing the rock was the ONLY time the abyss didnt glow during this part of the game.

then, there's swann, who wished to either be strong or free. ive seen playthroughs of people where swann gives a flower. all four of my playthroughs had swann giving away a bundle of her hair. we have yet to see the longterm results of this, but who knows.

now, keep that in mind okay. the girls made wishes and it all came true.

remember this scene? in the teaser trailer?

right.

we haven't seen this yet.

what if a fire breaks out? what if that fire burns down the ranch, and what if the girls were the ones who started the fire?

and again... what if someone died as a result of it? someone important to dylan, and corey gets blamed for it?

what if someone died, and they have to keep quiet about it?

that being said, what if they DO throw the cam corder in the abyss? what if they do that and swann or somebody in the group (im guessing autumn/nora) accidentally says "i just want us to forget this all happened", and they did? because the abyss granted their wish?

on top of that, kat did mention that corey wants the ranch, and yet if you look at the flyers in the blue spruce, it says "Dylan Mikaelsen Welcomes you!" and not a damn thing about Corey Litchfield. So either he's dead or they break up.

i dont know i this is a working theory, but i have a feeling this might be what happens. we'll see on tape 2, but idk, i feel like it makes proper sense. the only thing im bothered by is the fact that Adult Nora says "someone might be listening" like as if she knows what they did.

what do yall think?

[thealexchen]

Which LIS game (and Bloom and Rage/tell me why) because DontNod had your personal fav art style of them all? I think LIS2 is my fav because it’s still kind of cartoony? (Idk the right term but not as like realism) but it’s better detailed than LIS.

I love how LiS's art style worked with the limitations of the PS3's tech and DN's budget. The hand-painted textures and framerate still holds up today, and I adore the drawn in-game "photos" and the 2D animated wind, fire, and water effects that carried over into LiS2, they're so cute and charming.

But I really have to hand it to DN for how incredible Bloom & Rage looks. There are still little glitches like hands clipping through each other, skipped over animations, and object physics not quite working, but it seriously blows my mind how much better B&R looks in every way compared to LiS and TMW. The characters have detailed skin textures, cloth textures, and more details in their hair without looking uncanny. Some objects can look lower-fidelity compared to the characters, but the wide shots of scenery are just so gorgeous. Compared to games like The Last of Us or Death Stranding, I love that Dontnod strives to be unreal in their graphics, not hyperreal. Most AAA games kind of all look the same after awhile with the same gloomy lighting and attempts to be as realistic as possible, but you can recognize a Dontnod project because every game has an actual art direction that focuses on artistic concepts: colors, value, contrast, composition, cinematography, and more.

Bloom & Rage has such unique color palettes: in the past, the purple/green contrast in the playground sets this eerie, intriguing, liminal mood as the girls are getting to know each other late at night. Are purple skies and green lights realistic? Hell no, but it's a really fucking cool vibe. Then in Nora's garage when they're watching Swann's music video, the blues and reds evoke the neon lighting of a retro movie theater, something exciting and different from the everyday. All of the past segments have beautifully saturated summer colors to dial up the nostalgia factor, while the present segments are all washed out and in cool tones for winter. Dontnod's only commitment to realism was giving the characters realistic facial imperfections (acne, freckles, etc), diverse body types, and such expressive eyes. All of the closeups in this game are so beautiful to look at and also give the game a greater sense of intimacy.

Now I really wish we could've seen what a LiS game could look like in 2025 with DN's current art direction and tech. Deck Nine's games look fine enough, and they've always had the more expressive facial animations and lip sync between the two. But I have to agree with some fans who think the flat lighting and overly smooth textures make the characters look too much like Sims (in True Colors but even more in Double Exposure), whereas DN's softer, more reactive lighting engine is more visually interesting and pleasing to the eye.

Thanks for asking!

[taamlok]

seeing posts that are like "i can't wait to see 2022 kat!" don't hold your breath beloved

[westbifire]

Ok so let's talk about the ravens in Lost Records:Bloom and Rages new trailer

Throughout the trailer there are only three clips, all at night, of ravens being the focal point (maybe I missed some in the background idk)

-The Omen-

The first is in the very beginning of the trailer where we see a murder of ravens flying in a circle above the abyss. Which I took as a warning for the trailers more serious and painful theme.

I couldn't really find anything else interesting with this one but that makes sense since it's the beginning of the trailer and this clip is played again at the end and longer.

-The Abyss Beckons-

The second time is in the future where a raven lands on Autumn's car. This is the clip, titled The Abyss Beckons, that teased the trailer a few days before it was released.

The raven has purple eyes like the glowing color of the abyss. During this part of the trailer Autumn says "We forgot for a reason".

-Into the Abyss-

So the last raven scene goes back to the first scene where the line "the horrors that you did" is said as the crows fly into the abyss. Leading up to that line we see the surrounding forest which has flowers that glow purple similarly to the ravens eyes.

-Symbolism-

So what do ravens symbolize? The stereotypical answer is bad luck but ravens can also be a symbol of ancient wisdom. Ravens have also be seen as God's messengers in the mortal world.

In the case of Lost Records I think they symbolize both. In the bad omen sense ravens have only appeared in the one trailer that shows the pain the gang goes through. And as messengers, Swan says in a different trailer that they haven't heard of anything for twenty seven years which may be a stretch but not worth ignoring.

[miharuhebinata]

interesting conversation between this lady pam and the nameless bartender