#a lore theory

[birchtreecat]

take that may be lukewarm or cold atp but Spamton is an analogy for the American citizen in the current late stage capitalism. You’re told you can make it big if you work hard. (Become a BIG SHOT!!) you climb up the corporate ladder (become spamton NEO) and you’re still bound by strings (politics, loneliness, mental illness/chronic illness, whatever it may be) that you can never escape. your life is a constant cycle of aiming for something that is unattainable in this day and age, because the American dream has always been just that- an American dream. Few ever actually achieve it for themselves, and often that dream comes with too many strings.

[olessan]

During this Live we learned that ghasts:

Are biological creatures

that they have infant forms (that appear to have external gills like salamanders)

that they rely on water for their life cycle to complete

that, related to #3, they like chomping on snowballs

that they're neutral and even friendly when not dehydrated like a frog in summer

In addition to the points in the graphic:

Flat faces with the eyes at the front, like many amphibians

smooth skin

mouth that looks tiny until opened (have you seen an axolotl or caecilian with its mouth open?)

fireballs may be analogous to skin and saliva-based weapons in amphibians

has zero mercy

cannot aim at all

makes sounds quite like the axolotl when you think about it

operates on 1.5-2 brain cells at all times

... We may be able to conclude that ghasts are amphibians.

If we look at this phylogenetically, then we may be able to speculate that ghasts are highly derived (specialized) temnospondyls, which are huge prehistoric amphibians who were like 25% mouth.

[nickpeppermint]

New baby Ghast was added, and they're super adorable!!!

But now i wonder if the baby Ghasts from Minecraft Dungeons are not canon anymore, or maybe they're translucent only in the newborn stage, and the rehydrated ones are more like toddlers? 🤔

[chloesimaginationthings]

Vanny can’t explain everything in the FNAF pizzaplex..

[xesnox]

Save me Ancient builder tribe gajinkas, save me…

Structure constructors or something, idk, I never played the Minecraft.

In the nether fortress crafting my Withers, and by Withers, heh… let’s justr say.. inter dimensional societal collapse…

Usual design rant below

I believed veils would work great for the Ancient builders as not only can they hide their identity efficiently, keeping them relatively ambiguous, but also protect from the weather in the generally warmer climates they were largely stationed in, and equally work as face masks against disease and virus‘, all whilst still being able to be stylised in different ways, allowing the shape language to remain distinct.

Other visual inspirations were pirate and sailor clothing for the cold costal tribe, Ancient Greek and farmer attire for the warm costal tribe, and funnily enough: sci-fi desert planet Civilisation concept art for the desert tribes design.

Aswell as ofcourse their own respective structures and the loot within.

The colouration does differ in my head from what I rendered, I believe a lot of the little trinkets and details would have different colors, but I didn’t want the shillouettes to clash or melt into one another in this lineless style so here are the base colors for now, as I tried the former and it didn’t look good.

Look I know they were like a massive imperial force or whatever but you cannot tell me a group of artists inventors and architects that relied heavily on their semi sentient bio-mechanical hellspawn machines (and some necromancy) to do their bidding, bunkering up immediately once the odds were no longer in their favour, could handle a punch or two.

These people probably looked like starving artists, especially after the overworled was turned into a withering shithole for a couple years, legends was definitely a fanfiction they wrote about themselves. /j

[infizero]

Want a SUPER QUICK rundown of Deltarune lore before the new Chapters drop but don't have time to watch long videos? Here you go!

And if anyone wants to send these graphics to friends to catch them up, feel free to do so! (No credit needed ^^)

[pompuff]

"I thought Caine couldn't..."

THIS MOMENT RIGHT HERE

I don't wanna jump the gun just yet and call this foreshadowing, this was clearly played off for the lolz, but I have a nagging feeling this is implying something much, much darker

It's clear that Jax said the part about the egg white* involuntarily, since he doesn't want to play this vegan bit whatsoever. But his sentence at the end; "I thought Caine couldn't..."

"... control us"??

Imagine that. They're trapped against their will, they can never go home, they're forced into stressful and scary adventures every day, but at the very least they still have free will. At least they can choose what they say and do (puppeteer employee re-evaluations aside)

Only, they can't. That can be taken away from them as well.

And Zooble knew it.

Remember this brief convo in the previous episode;

"The only thing holding Caine back is the fact that he likes us. I wouldn't push it."

ZOOBLE KNOWS SOMETHING.

Most likely they may just be wiser and/or more perceptive than most, fully comprehending the scope of Caine's powers in the circus and knowing that they're all hanging on by the threads that Caine is clutching. Or, possibly, they may have been witness to this "punishment" they mention. This may be the real reason they never go on adventures. Not cuz they just can't be fucked (tho probably true) but because they figure "If I don't do anything, I can't do anything wrong/worth punishing"

They know what Caine is capable of, and how it can be weaponized. In that sense, they were actually very forgiving to only ask for Jax to be vegan for the day as punishment for pretending to eat Gangle. I think between episode 4 & 5 we're seeing Jax come to that realization as well. It's clear that in his own way, he trusted Caine wouldn't hurt him or force him to do anything against his will, and was proven wrong twice.

Like I said, this might be foreshadowing for something later on, it might just be subtext you're meant to stew over as I have. Either way, its clear that Caine has greater capacity for evil, or at least immense harm, than most of them realize.

*also, since when do whiskey sours have egg whites?? I looked it up thinking it was a joke, but no, this is a cocktail with egg in it, wtf. Tho technically, according to google if it has an egg white it's a Boston sour, but same diff

[cookie-lore-keeper]

I genuinely think that Hollyberry Cookie always talked so lightly and cheerfully about her clear addiction to Berry juice (they call it juice, but we all know it's alcohol) is because, if she's lighthearted and treats it as "just a way she's having fun and letting loose", her friends and other cookies won't worry about her, and then she could ignore that she actually has a problem.

Hollyberry Cookie has MAJOR avoidance and coping issues. She only became an alcoholic after one of her closest friends died, and it also gave us the scene where people who weren't insane about analyzing her went "Oh shit, this is actually a problem", where she was continously drinking and her son was trying to get her to stop. I didn't grow up in an alcoholic household, but I know that scene must've resonsted with a lot of people. But, she turned to alcohol because she had no other way to cope.

She couldn't handle dealing with queenly stuff, so she passed on the kingdom to Royal Berry while she went off to Beast-Yeast to avoid her issues. Even when she heard that one of her granddaughter's was taken by a dragon, she didn't go back, even though she was heartbroken, because in her mind, the best way to cope is to avoid it and distract yourself.

Even now in the game, she still chooses to avoid and drink. It's become a joke on how much Wildberry has to stop her from drinking, but he really must be worried about her. She took him in when he was young, right? Do you ever think he had a moment similar to Royal Berry? Where he had to watch his caretaker get blackout drunk instead of dealing with her issues? But, she doesn't pay any mind to this because, to her, "It isn't a big deal."

Tldr; Hollyberry doesn't take her drinking problem seriously bcuz that would mean admitting she actually has a problem, and she doesn't want her friends and family to worry.

[roukabi]

it's for real this time you guys trust me it's really gonna happen

[shiftersinc]

The Only Human Document

Hello. For the past few months I have been working on a document deconstructing the dynamic between UNDERTALE's protagonist and the various factors surrounding them. After replaying the game I've had a revelation of sorts regarding this topic that I'd like to share with you.

For theorists in this community, I only hope that this proves useful going into DELTARUNE.

(View The Only Human document here)

[birchtreecat]

back on my Deltarune shit again this is probably another just absolutely cold even freezing take but the analogy for depression in this game goes fucking hard.

The very start of chapter 1, the light in the dark only you can see could be that ever ebbing and flowing hope, or whatever it is that keeps you- yes you the person reading this post- going despite the constant fucking HELL this world can be.

Then Chapter 2. By the end, everyone wonders why they don’t just STAY. Which is kinda similar to how many use escapism as a coping mechanism, and in turn isolation because of that escapism. If people are so horrible, if it’s so much trouble, why bother?

Ralsei being the voice of reason, the one to remind everyone that that’s a horrible idea is kinda. if you will the outside world. The human need for community, for connection. We, the player base, the target audience, play these games to see the story. To connect with the characters, to feel something. Games are a form of art and art is a form of connection. Yes, games are nice. They let the player escape into a world. But games, stories- just as everything else- have to come to an end. Eventually the player has to return to their own world. Eventually games do not hit the same and we keep chasing something that isn’t there anymore.

you can’t stay in the dark forever. at some point you have to return to the light

[olessan]

In light of recent revelations about the ghast life cycle... amphibian?? ghasts in all their ugly majesty

Theories below:

Toughened skin as adult, to retain water in nether climate

larvae hatch with a small amount of buoyancy - from gas?

ghastlings can still land and spend most of their time consuming water, snow, and ice in order to grow

do ghastlings feed on algae and other microbes, and plankton? Do adult ghasts filter them from the nether's congested air?

ghastlings that don't get enough water become ill and go into a semi-dormant stasis, at which point players find them?

9 tentacles - 2 arms, 2 legs, 1 tail, 2 barbels, and 2 gill appendages

highly derived and in order to float, they have very shortened spines and likely have massive gas bladders deep inside their body, which require water (the gas is a digestive biproduct)

species' eyes are highly light-sensitive after adapting to the nether

[g4l4xy-qu33n]

Okay, so I discovered something when re-reading Journal 3. The page that has the Oracle on it:

When I first read Journal 3, years ago, this didn't mean much. Oh look, it's the girl that saved Ford from Bill's possession by putting a metal plate in his head, hooray! (and some other stuff but anyway she didn't seem super significant at the time).

Well, this time around I recognised her, specifically because of the Book Of Bill AND thisisnotawebsitedotcom. She's Seveneyes! (the scratched out member of Bill's crew in BoB, and a blacked-out photo of her appears on the website when you put in 'seven eyes'.

I'm not sure if this means anything, but it certainly blew my mind!!

[atomicrebelfire]

✍️Tommy Kinard: Speculating His Rank in the LAFD (Canon + Structural Analysis) 📊📋🧵

���TL;DR: Based on canon clues and real-world LAFD structure, Tommy Kinard is most likely a 🎖️Fire Helicopter Pilot V—the highest pilot classification. His career path is unusual: he started in suppression at the 118 before transitioning into Air Ops using his Army flight experience.

-----------------At your own risk- Lets Spiral-----------------------------

While the show hasn’t explicitly stated his rank, there are enough visual, behavioral, and contextual clues/crumbs to build a solid case for where he fits within the LAFD—especially given the real-world structure of Air Operations.

Similar to Tommy’s military-to-LAFD career timeline, this is meant to be both canon-compliant and grounded in how the real LAFD operates, in order to build a plausible theory around Tommy’s role, rank, and seniority. It’s part character study, part structural breakdown.

🔍 Canon Facts/Clues (What We Know)

Tommy is introduced in S2 as a ground firefighter at the 118, and reintroduced in S7 as a helicopter pilot at Harbour Station.

In 7x04, he tells Buck that he used to be a pilot in the Army.

He has over 20 years of service in the LAFD (stated on-screen based of begins episodes).

He has taken helicopters out without formal clearance (7x03, 8x15). While reprimanded afterward, the fact that he has the access and autonomy to do so is notable.

He is seen launching without escort, clearly trusted to operate independently and justify his decisions after the fact.

He casually offers to teach Buck how to fly (7x04), suggesting he holds—or is qualified for—a trainer or flight instructor designation.

In 7x06, Tommy arrives at the hospital in turnout gear, soot-covered, after a fire at Angeles Crest. Raising questions about whether he was working suppression or Air Ops.

In 8x15, Tommy performs evasive maneuvers while being pursued by military helicopters—diving low, climbing high, and weaving between towers—as part of an aerial diversion to buy time and deflect pursuit.

In 7x03, Tommy helps Hen bypass red tape by taking a helicopter without official approval, offering only a vague line about Central Bureau and brushing off objections from Melton.

🚁 How Most LAFD Pilots Get There

In real life, becoming a helicopter pilot in the LAFD follows a specific and highly competitive path:

Most candidates begin with military flight experience or are already civilian-rated pilots (e.g., with commercial or instructor licenses).

However, even military pilots must first complete four years of full-time suppression duty within LAFD before becoming eligible for Air Ops roles—there are no direct-entry exceptions.

That said, their military flight hours and FAA qualifications do count toward pilot certification requirements, making them strong candidates once they transition.

They are hired into pilot trainee roles (Fire Helicopter Pilot I or II) and must pass rigorous evaluations.

Air Operations is a separate track—pilots do not typically come from suppression (ground firefighting) units.

As a result, most LAFD pilots have never served on engines or trucks.

Pilots usually work 12-hour shifts (day or night), typically on a 4-on, 4-off schedule, and remain on-call at the airport rather than responding on the ground.

🧩 Real-World LAFD Air Operations Structure

LAFD helicopter pilots are classified under the following civil service ranks:

Fire Helicopter Pilot I or II - Pilot Trainee Roles

Fire Helicopter Pilot III – Entry-level pilot

Fire Helicopter Pilot IV – Senior operational pilot

Fire Helicopter Pilot V – Training/lead pilot (sometimes informally called “chief pilot”)

These ranks are lateral to suppression-side ranks like Firefighter, Engineer, or Captain. While pilots typically don’t carry the "Captain" title unless cross-trained—but senior pilots often operate with comparable authority within their unit.

🧭 Why Tommy’s Path Is Unusual

Tommy’s trajectory breaks the mold in several important ways:

He began his LAFD career in suppression, working as a firefighter at the 118.

Only later did he transition to Air Ops, requalifying based on his Army flight experience.

This kind of cross-track shift is rare—most suppression-side firefighters never move into aviation roles, especially after years on the ground.

🔄 Update (Post-Publication): As clarified by a kind commenter, all LAFD helicopter pilots must begin in suppression roles. So Tommy’s path actually aligns with departmental requirements.

What still makes him stand out, though, is how long he remained in suppression—over a decade—before switching tracks. That kind of deep dual experience is rare.

He’s probably one of the few who might have earned credibility in both areas: the fireground and the flight deck.

This dual-track background probably makes him a unique versatile asset with extensive experience to the department.

🧵 What That Tells Us About Tommy

Tommy’s military aviation experience likely included high-risk flying, tactical decision-making, and possibly training roles—skills that directly translate to LAFD Air Ops.

He entered the LAFD through standard firefighter routes—like all Air Ops pilots must—but instead of transitioning to aviation early, he stayed in suppression for over a decade before requalifying as a pilot. (But why?! 💭🤔)

That makes his path both rare and earned.

His ability to take out helicopters independently, despite the fallout, signals a level of seniority and operational trust only afforded to top-tier personnel.

His offer to teach suggests a CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) license or LAFD-equivalent designation, reinforcing that he may also serve in a training or mentoring role.

Tommy might still be dual-certified (implied by full turnout gear after the Angeles Crest response. (Or the show forgot he’s a pilot?!)🫨🤐)

His evasive flying during the diversion mission —dodging military helicopters —points to tactical or combat-style flight training. Possibly special ops. (So sexy.😘)

He’s senior enough and holds enough field authority or just bold enough to fake it to casually override protocol with a “You didn’t get the call?” deflection.

🧠💥 Conclusion: Most Likely Rank 🎖️

Tommy Kinard is almost certainly a Fire Helicopter Pilot V, or at the very least, a senior Pilot IV on the cusp of promotion. He’s not formally titled “Chief Pilot,” but functionally operates as one—with over two decades in LAFD, firsthand suppression experience, and the kind of authority and autonomy that reflects a deeply trusted position and seniority to push limits.

He may not wear Captain’s bars, but between his dual-track career, leadership instincts, and ability to push protocol when it counts, he clearly stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the station’s most senior personnel. 💬 If I missed something or misread a clue, feel free to correct me (kindly)—or share your own version. Always open to digging deeper. After all… the writers clearly aren't worried about consistency. 😌

📎PS: 🤷‍♂️ All of this is, of course, pure speculation—built off canon clues/crumbs, real-world LAFD structure, and my completely healthy, not-at-all obsessive need to spiral over every background detail the show refuses to explain. I know 9-1-1 isn’t always that deep (and sometimes barely tries). Don’t worry, I’m seeking a therapist. 🙃👩‍⚕️ learning to chill.😎🪭

if you read till the end 🫡 & don't ask why we needed to know all this!

✨ Update: Added more canon evidence from 8x15 and 7x03 that reinforce Tommy’s seniority + elite training 👀🚁 (That somehow got lost in my Excel-to-Tumblr exchange. Damn. I need to stop. I’m putting myself in a time-out. Bye.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- PS 2: Okay, so I did mess that up🤣—turns out all LAFD pilots need to start in suppression for 4 years, and someone kindly pointed that out (thank you!! 🙏). Just to clarify, this post isn’t absolute fact—I don’t have a firefighting background, just sharing what I could find. Also, I am not from USA. please take all of this with a grain of salt. this is just a fun exercise. I've now learned even more about fire department structures than I ever planned to.

Seriously guys, stop enabling me 😭 I should be updating my resume, not drafting municipal org charts for fictional men.

[cantobear]

doodles from the past week