#Bendy: The Lost Ones

[mickeys-malarkey]

Pt. 3/3: My BATDR Timeline & Plot Twist Theories!

First, I think both BATIM and BATDR take place sometime between 1978 and 1991. I already suspected BATDR was happening in the ‘80s based on the fact that card readers – which have featured in many of the environment screenshots we've seen – were invented in 1979...

…and Audrey's clothes and hairstyle look very 1980s.

Then they released the images of Audrey's office, where her chair and desk lamps also look very 1980s, and the wallpaper and flooring looks pretty 1970s…

…and @inkdemonapologist pointed out that the type of bankruptcy we see documents for in Joey's apartment didn't exist until 1978…

…and I remembered that Joey's apartment also had a newspaper whose headline took place in the future— Princess Diana's 30th birthday which, as TetraBitGaming on YouTube pointed out, would be in 1991 since Princess Diana was born in 1961. She should be two years old if BATIM were really taking place in 1963!

Maybe, at the time, they didn't mean for these two to be clues, since they seem to have rolled the date backwards a bit from the newspaper one; but at this point it feels pretty clear when BATDR takes place, to me. And I'm even more certain than I already was, after finding out that this image from the JDS website…

…is titled “museum” (good work yoinking it, @halfusek /gen 👍🏻), that we know the ink dimension's new home: Nathan Arch Sr.'s private Joey Drew Studios museum that he mentioned he was curating in TIOL (meaning it's existed since around 1972).

“Over the years, I have collected every single piece of the studio memorabilia I could find to restore it to its former glory, to create, in a sense, a private museum that gleamed with the true vision of Joey Drew…” ~ Nathan Arch, The Illusion of Living, pg. 2

Also, besides the fact the museum image has clearly aged, here's some more evidence that at least a few years have probably passed since Bendy was purchased: it generally takes a fair bit more time (years!!) to make movies/documentaries, as Archgate Pictures seems to have made about Joey, than it does to make shorts.

As for BATIM, I think that time has been moving as normal outside of the loop, we were just seeing a repeat of that significant day in 1963; Henry and Joey have been trapped in the ink dimension for somewhere between twenty and thirty years, and the bankruptcy paperwork and Princess Diana newspaper were pieces of the real world leaking into the memory. This explains how there seems to be evidence of Audrey in BATIM and how BATDR is still supposedly neither sequel nor prequel to BATIM despite all the evidence that it takes place long after 1963! They're happening at the same time!! I wonder if Audrey is the daughter of the little girl we hear at the end of BATIM? So, Henry's (great-)granddaughter or Joey's (great-)great-niece?

Now, onto my big theory: the plot twist.

If they handle it right, it would be really, really cool if “break the cycle” really doesn't just mean “end the time loop” but also “break the cycle of abuse/trauma” and a lot of the huge cast of not-so-innocent characters wind up with the potential to get redemption arcs. I have an idea of exactly how they might be planning on even providing the opportunity for Joey.

Victor McKnight commented this on his Artistic Hallowing music video and pinned it:

Those last two sentences. “Make sure you're watching every second! You don't want to miss any vital information. 😉” Does that not sound to anyone else like he's got insider information? Now, I want y'all to watch these music videos that either Victor himself or his brother Noah were suspiciously involved in all of (and one of which is supposedly a BATDS song but for some reason involves Audrey) and tell me if you notice any patterns.

This one seems to be a duet between Sammy and the Ink Demon, both singing to Audrey. Sammy mostly sings in the default sepiatone, asking us things like “Can you see me? Can you feel me?” (that feels so… sad… and desperate…) and telling us things like “make sense of the consequence we witnessed on that day” (Excuse me, you're telling me that there was a consequence for something on a specific, significant day that we witnessed?? 👀) The demon, on the other hand, mostly sings when the grayscale effect is on, and seems to just be playing a stereotypical villain roll until you notice “be forced to believe what I see” (why would we even give a crap about what you're seeing /srs? How the actual heck would we see what you're seeing /gen? You don't even have eyeballs, bro /j) and “be damned in this evil received” (how do you receive evil that damns you? Maybe by being abused and becoming an abuser in response?).

Two apparently-separate characters singing with the same voice but very different tones and outlooks on the situation, still both singing to Audrey, in this one. One mostly sings in the default sepiatone, again, at first seeming more hopeful, helpful, and friendly until you start noticing ominous comments like “you've made mistakes, accept the change. You will be punished too” (*incoherent noises* 🚨🚨) and “welcome to my dream . . . you still think you are safe in my dream.” The other mostly sings when the grayscale effect is on, again, and seems much more aggressive and seductive until you start noticing comments like “take up your weapons, just leave my friends be” (why is this stereotypically evil-seeming character both telling us to take up weapons, not just letting us have them, and asking us to leave his friends alone with them?).

More hints that the demon who will rise and presumably is most important to the story is linked to grayscale, in this one.

And, in this one, Sammy's asking if the grayscale-linked demon is the one who will set him free (as he claims to be in the first two videos).

Across all four of these first videos, there seems to be an overall “things change when we switch from the default sepiatone to grayscale” and “grayscale is dangerous and seems hopeless but it's important and linked to truth and freedom” theme…

…You're telling me that Sammy and his followers' past (BATIM?) selves were worshipping an imposter demon…? And the truth will be revealed in BATDR…?

Hum, hum, hum… fascinating. I'd noticed the sepiatone vs. grayscale split and imposter vs. true savior thing long before I read the books; for the longest time, I thought it meant we would be dealing with a Henry-Bendy and a Joey-Bendy, as I've been seeing people theorizing. But then I read TIOL, and discovered what I think is evidence that this info is indeed canon and was not left on the cutting room floor while BATDR was in development limbo.

Nathan makes a very strange note on Joey's story about the Sparkle Unicorn speakeasy…

“…I remember this night well. Though I remember it being at the Bee Room, gold and black, not silver as the main design aesthetic. Doesn't really make much of a difference though, I suppose.” ~ Nathan Arch, The Illusion of Living, pg. 44 (emphasis added)

Nathan remembers that night in sepiatone, Joey remembers it in grayscale.

Now, I've seen all kinds of theories all over about how Wilson actually “banished/killed the ink demon…” “Wilson took advantage of some sort of blip in Bendy's existence that happened when Joey died,” “Wilson got rid of him by purifying him and turning him into Dapper Bendy,” “Wilson got rid of him by fusing him with either Henry or Joey,” “Wilson got rid of him by trapping him in Henry's loop,” “he didn't, Wilson's just another liar manipulating everyone,” etc…

What if we're looking at this from the wrong angle? What if the point is that, whatever happened, neither of the BATDR Bendys is the original soulless monster we see in BATIM and the books? What if, whether they share a body or are separate, there are two human souls involved here? What if one of those souls is the “new evil” in the ink dimension, not Wilson, who may have been meddling in ink dimension affairs since 1963?

Going back to the time frame I propose BATDR is happening in… Joey was born in 1901, which means that if Nathan was 18 or 19 when Joey was just turning 16, then he was born in 1899 or 1898. So, in 1978, Nathan would've been 79 or 80, and in 1991 he would've been 92 or 93. Especially considering the clues that point towards Nathan having been a smoker, it wouldn't surprise me if he's straight-up already dead in BATDR. Mayhaps for 211 days? During Loop 414…? Could this be why the BATIM loop is different, with Henry apparently not remembering anything that previous versions of himself could? The now-previous owner of their prison has died of old age and/or lung cancer? And could that be why the JDS museum has fallen into bankruptcy? Has Nathan Jr. taken over and isn't as ruthless a businessman as his father?

Itsjustjord on YouTube pointed this out in his trailer reaction, which when he said it set my Clue Radar off so that I went to the trailer again to get a closer look. And… well… *clears throat*

…Do y'all see this weird effect over Dapper Bendy? Compared to every other character we see in the trailer as well as the environment around him, does it not look as if we're seeing him, specifically, through some sort of cartoony filter? Maybe it'll only be in circumstances like this (far away in weird lighting) that the edges of the illusion will fray in-game, based on the other teaser image we have of him, but it definitely looks off to me.

Especially with what I now suspect Allison and Susie's situations were in relation to Nathan, I think that the ink creatures’ perfection vs. imperfection has nothing to do with how pure/good vs. impure/evil their hearts are as we've been lead to believe/is the conventional surface-level reading, but instead how intact vs. broken their hearts are. I think that the more horrific the ink being's appearance, the more the soul inside was abused while it was alive. Allison isn't a perfect Alice because she's a better person, it's because she obeyed Nathan and wasn't made to suffer as severely as Susie, who Nathan chose to be his next Isabel. So, why is one new Bendy (apparently created after Joey lost everything, I suspect even being made to watch his Shoulder Angel's murder before being murdered himself) so much scarier than the original (created before Joey lost everything) and the other so goshdarn perfect, proportions and all?

Maybe the banning of everything related to Sammy's demon cult and Henry under Wilson's rule has to do with his decades-old mission to keep the Creators from joining forces, as well as everyone including himself feeling like they're finally free from The Great Puppet Master?

I love Dapper Bendy's design as much as everyone else!! He's positively adorable, and it would also be a nice outcome if the baby boy is exactly what he seems and just a precious lil friend to love forever; but I theorize that Dapper Bendy is the perfectly sane, untraumatized, and truly evil one, that (assuming we actually get choices in BATDR, unlike in BATIM) his route, no matter how things seem in the moment, is the wrong one, that he's Nathan. And I think Freaky Teeth Bendy (that's been my nickname for him since we first saw him and I'm sticking to it lolol) is the damaged as heck but able to be saved one, that his route is the correct one, that he's Joey. I also think that we won't get to see either demon for what they really are – won't be able to get the True, Broken Cycle, “Joey's Redeemed & Nathan Faces Justice” Ending – unless we somehow unlock Grayscale Mode like we could in BATIM and gain the ability to see Joey's truth. Until then, we'll be seeing the demons the way Nathan wants us to see them. Through Nathan's tainted, gaslighting, sepiatone filter.

If I'm right, the fact that they did choose these color palettes is so perfectly poetic~! Sepiatone is what happens when black-and-white images have been chemically altered for preservation purposes; Nathan's altered our perception of himself, Joey, and all the events surrounding them, and his version of events is much more resilient. Meanwhile, Joey's would be more pure and unaltered but easily destroyed— including by himself, with his Illusion of Living coping mechanism… The only thing that could make it more perfect is if not only do we get to see Henry in BATDR, but when we do he's an angelic toon… *Vibrates with excitement*

Please, please, please, JDS, let me be right about where you're going with this!! Cause this would genuinely be so freaking cool…!! 🙏🏻 I hope that we eventually get to “rejoice with our founders,” as Artistic Hallowing says, when they're reunited.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk, rofl. Congratulations on making it through the ramblings of a hyped AuDHD fangirl (though, I guess we already knew you were capable, if you've read TIOL. I could do a whole nother rant on evidence that Joey's basically confirmed canonically ADHD(+?), my freaking gosh). 😝

Read the Rest of the Original Analysis/Theory: Part One • Part Two • Unexpected Part Four

BATDR Analysis/Post-Playthrough Theory Revision: Part One • Part Two • Part Three • Part Four

[angelofthepage]

Sammy, who's your favorite lost one? You can't say you don't have a favorite you gotta answer.

Really? You expect me to pick a favorite amongst my flock? Blasphemous! All of the Lord's subjects are of equal value, they all play their part in the grand cycle of our realm!

...That said...recently I've grown to enjoy the...company, of this one particular sheep. You, probably wouldn't know him. A little on the younger side, always sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. But despite his nosiness...he's quite a bright spirit. A small light amongst the dark puddles. He seems rather...ashamed. Carries many regrets from our lives before the ink. I can relate. He merely wishes to set things right. I've tried to assure him that we will. For our Lord can be merciful, under the right circumstances. Surely, if we do everything right, he will set us free, won't he? I suppose, my former housemate is also a good choice. Porter was a reasonable roommate before running off. Gave me my space, until he got too excited, then he wouldn't shut up. But...it was nice to have some company. A shame he keeps running off. I haven't seen much of him since he took to Flow. A shame he hasn't used such a gift to help the rest of our flock, make my job a little easier. Then again...how do you know of my flock in the first place? Don't...tell anyone. Forget I said anything!

[ask-buddy-lewek]

hey bill. *leans in and whispers.* you dating anybody? *whispers more quietly* constance, maybe?

I am not dating anybody at the moment … why does everybody seem to get the impression that Constance and I are in love? She’s a dear friend and a very bright young woman with a very good head on her shoulders, but she and I are nothing more than good friends.

Besides, relationships are not something I’m currently interested in looking for anytime soon… I don’t need to give the public further reason to jump to wild conclusions about me or my life, everyone seems to do that easily enough as it is…

[inkdemonapologist]

Last night on the Sammyserver that idea of "was Joey's personality also being corrupted by the ink" was brought up in the context of, if we go off TLO, then what feeling in Joey would be enhanced by the ink? So obviously I had to ponder this, and man... I think if I were to pick a TLO-Style Ink-Enhanced Emotion for Joey Drew I'd actually lean towards….. insecurity?

It's the thing he most wants to hide -- that he could ever be anything other than confidently competent -- and It's a part of him that gets worse and worse the deeper he gets. In TioL, he's obviously spilling his weirdly insecure bragging everywhere, but in the stories he tells we see enough of a version of him that like…. had genuinely good friends, who liked him, and it just seems like he couldn't have always been that bad. But we do see he was always insecure under his confident persona, that he didn't like people poking at whether he was good enough or rich enough or smart enough, and he admits in the book how much this bothers him.

Then we get to DCTL and he's obsessed with proving himself. He's throwing this huge party and insisting to Buddy that he's "gotta make them all think… gotta make them all KNOW" that he's still important. His most blatant moments of overt sexism -- the weird importance he places on being "manly," and his claim that Abby can't possibly be as good at business as he is -- are in extreme contrast to his comments about Abby in TioL, and his own history of being raised by a mother who ran the business side of things. While you could read his comments in TioL as empty virtue signaling, I think it's a lot easier to read the DCTL moments as Joey sliding into something gross that he didn't used to believe, in order to justify himself and make himself feel bigger in a moment when he felt his reputation being threatened. In TLO he's EVEN MORE DESPERATE, getting so weird and passive-aggressive at this party over some kid not recognising him, and Bill takes one look at him outside the party and can plainly see he's "new money" that's trying way too hard to flaunt his wealth.

In the end, that building, raging insecurity overtook everything, made everything seem like a worthwhile sacrifice in order to Stay In Control… and eventually, it took a once-charming man and made a fool out of him, just as the ink took Sammy's desire to serve and be loved in return and transformed him into a joke.

[inkdemondraws]

The Man makes a machine and a machine makes a monster. You know what happened after that? A Man loses everything

[magiefish]

OK SO I've started reading The Lost Ones book and the story is told from multiple perspectives and the one in the prologue is Wally's and right off the bat I see this:

So you're telling me? That Wally saw the ink demon?? And he just, didn't DO anything about it? Like he knew about the creatures and he just LEFT???

Uh, hey Wally. What The Fuck?

[lucky-dreamfisher]

Did you notice that Constance from The Lost Ones and the Gent CEO share surnames?

Coincidence. Constance makes no mention of knowing what Gent is, and she talks about her father and family living in poverty, but Alan Gray is said to have a lot of money in BATDR.

All the more reason to think the books aren't canon, or at the very least not relevant to the games.

[liv-log]

i just had to

[shiorimia]

No longer baby, now evil

[kinoselynn]

valentines batdr doodles(please note they are not all meant to be romantic and their relationships are up to viewer interpretation)

[ink-incorporated-official]

"Sometimes"? Who still occasionally henry hunts?

A lot of people still occasionally hunt Henry, which we are trying to curb. The usual ones are Alice Angel, Sammy, and the butcher gang, but some other coworkers also join it at random times. Norman does it accidentally as a consequence of overwhelm.

- Alice

[mickeys-malarkey]

This series was intended for Bendyversary of 2023… but, life happened. 🫠🔥 1½ years late's better than never? 😅

A Love Letter to TMATM + the Rest of Bendy by Domino Effect Part 1/8:

“Descendants of the Three Kings”

“Reaching Shadow”

[lucin-kun]

This audio came into my mind when I was thinking of my Ink Demon headcanon

[ask-buddy-lewek]

buddy!! what is your favorite food? and do you play any musical instruments? or, at least used to? and for bill: do you enjoy working with mr connor and what do you think of him?

I’d have to say my favorite food would be anything simple, we can’t really afford anything too crazy or exotic…but Ma does make good cabbage rolls, or Pirogies on occasion. As for if I’ve ever played an instrument…not really…and honestly, I’m more interested in creating art through drawing or sketching, not so much through music… -Buddy

I feel like I’ve answered this question quite a few times but my response hasn’t really changed. He’s a hard working man that values common sense and genuine effort, he’s a bit blunt or a bit rough around the edges but I don’t mind that. In fact, I appreciate someone who’s willing to be straight with you no matter who you are or where you come from, believe me…it’s actually incredibly refreshing. Compared to people always walking on eggshells around you or even worse, showing you fake kindness due to your wealth or social class.

I wish there were more people that weren’t so afraid of my status or wealth. If it’s not out of fear, it’s out of expectancy, wanting something in return for what they’ve shown me, knowing I have resources or at least connections to what they might want…

I’m just sick of it, and Mr. Connor is one of the few people in my life that’s genuinely treated me like a person, not some valuable decorated item on a pedestal… -Bill

[reanimationstation]

he's doing So Well. not concerning at all (CONSTANCE GET OUTTA THERE)

[archer-kacey]

Problems with erasing Bendy Book canon:

With the FNAF books, we were told they were canon-divergent fairly early on. For Bendy, this was never specified, leading many to believe this was all just straight-up canon information that they were running with for theorycrafting. For a long time.

Why the hell would you de-canonize the ENTIRE origin story of Boris? He's a central character to Bendy and the Ink Machine.

You're going to throw out THE ENTIRE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF YOUR MAIN VILLAIN? THAT'S.......NOT A GOOD IDEA!

(And before it's pointed out, no, we don't "need" Illusion of Living for "gay evidence." The point here is y'all released an autobiography for one of your two main characters and you're saying it's not canon. That's ludicrous.)

Things that were explained/brought up in the novels that apparently "aren't canon anymore": how Sammy got infected, Thomas's conflicting feelings about the machine he created, the origin of Boris the wolf, several instances of Joey's gaslighting and manipulative behavior and his slow descent into madness after Henry's departure, a look into Gent technology and the Gent experiments that took place after they switched over to "research", Abby Lambert (who SHOULD be in the mainline games all things considered), Joey Drew's ENTIRE AUTOBIOGRAPHY including his PHILOSOPHIES AND REAL ASS LIFE, ANDDD the themes of classism, racism, and sexism that were VERY present at that time in history. Among other things.

You're taking out several new characters for no reason. I'm not saying they all need to return, but it makes zero sense to introduce a bunch of new guys and then immediately abandon them...only to introduce a bunch of OTHER new guys.

I've seen a few comments in response to Mike that go along the lines of "oh thank goodness now I don't need to read the books to understand the lore!" No disrespect, but I think that's a fundamental misunderstanding of what the books do. They enhance your understanding of all the background plot. You don't need to read the books to understand the games. But that shouldn't mean erasing the existing information's canonicity because not everyone wants to read it.

Bendy isn't FNAF. Bendy has a much more streamlined plot. Not everything fits perfectly of course, but to take out such a large chunk of what we THOUGHT was the plot (or plot-adjacent) is headscratching to me. You claim to care about the plot, characters and worldbuilding and then you decide that some of the BEST written interpretations of these characters and their world just aren't "legitimate" now? .......All of a sudden?

I want to punch something