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Part 6

Stand by Motion

I believe one of Ann’s stand by emotes holds more importance to her background than one may suspect.  Neither in her deduction, letters or background information is Ann’s death explicitly caused by someone. Rather than the object itself. That being the pike (cross) which pierced her heart. 

I believe Ann’s in-game power holds a truth to her death. The details of the night aren’t elaborated on but one thing we do know is the moon wasn’t out that night, leaving the entire sky in complete darkness. I believe Apostle (The cat) may have knocked the ornament cross from a tree or possibly from a building resulting in the cross falling and piercing through Ann’s trapezius and exiting through her sternum.

(This may be hinted at through her visit animation)

My Hypothesis

The cat:

Apostle seems to turn its followers into martyrs so they may be reborn and in debt to its power. 

This hypothesis would be supported by Alva and Ann’s deaths followed by Apostles appearance and offer of revival and ‘salvation’  in exchange for them to renounce their faith and or ideals in place of its (Apostles) own. 

Note:

(I believe the cat is a manifested form of the deity, not the actual deity itself.)

Cycle of death:

Hermit was committed to making a perpetual motion machine but in the end he seemed to have been a device in an endless cycle of death and rebirth.

I believe the plague which hit Ann’s village was caused by Alva’s positive and negative electromagnetic tethers (This is supported by the symptoms and hints within Ann’s deduction) Why would Apostle want this from Alva? And why would it go after Ann?

I believe Apostle needs to consume the life force/souls of people to sustain itself and has made a never ending cycle of plagues, death, followers, revival and salvation to achieve this. Alva sent the electromagnetic plague to Ann and

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Part 5

Plague

Symptoms: 

Ann’s deduction lists the symptoms of plague, these include but are not limited to vomiting, spasms, and high fever. These symptoms from the plague have a striking resemblance to the symptoms of electro shock. Which would match up with Alva. Both in concept and in gameplay. His ability is "Selflessness” which spreads/contaminates survivors with positive and negative polarities across all survivors like a disease

Costume (Flavor texts)

I’ve taken samples of some of Ann’s and Alva’s skins which I find interesting and could be related to her story and their connection 

These skins reference the blame put on Ann for the Plague.

Reference to Ann’s 7th Deduction (Call of The Holy Temple)

Possibly some of Ann’s final thoughts before her revival.

One of Ann’s inspirations ‘Cat’s of Ulthar’ were part of H.P. Lovecraft’s Dream Cycle Collection, which was the same collection Dream Witch was introduced in?

These tie into my theory of Alva’s further involvement in Ann’s fate.

I believe these to be further implications for Alva’s thoughts on the Eye of Darkness cult.

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Part 4

Inspirations

Ann:

Ann seems to be based on a few notable stories, people, and events.

The Black plague, The Meowing Nuns, Salem, Massachusetts, cats of ulthar. 

Cats of Ulthar

After a plague a boy (menes)  was left with nothing but a cat.. His kitten disappears and he prays to the sun. (Horned creatures with flaming discs?) The dark travelers left and  in Ulthar all cats were gone for a day, a little boy said they went to the old couple's house at twilight. Next dawn all the cats had returned. The cats ate the old people. A law was passed banning the killing of cats in Ulthar. 

The cats of Ulthar are part of the Dream Cycle collection. Similarities: plague, cats, dark religious people, obsession with sun, orphan after plague, allowed persecution.

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Part 3

Connections

Ann and Alva: Both Ann and Alva possess a silver cross shaped pendants with an Ember colored eye, scarring across their bodies as well, Both have a similar cat/eye motif in their abilities and design, Not to mention Apostle appears in Hermit’s trailer beside his death bed  and Ann’s trailer as well.

Hermit design notes from images above:

His skin is covered with bandages, hideous and terrifying scars could be vaguely seen under them.

A necklace in the shape of a vertical eye is worn on the hermit's chest, perhaps this is related to the mysterious power he has obtained...

The scepter in his hand is shaped like a standing black cat, mysterious and noble.

The entangled wires are faintly visible on the scepter. There are two buttons on the grip, to switch between the magnetic poles.

What can be taken away from this? The pendant both Ann and Alve possess are related to the followers of the Eye of Darkness (apostle). They are linked to the powers of Ann and Alva. Alva is the scientific spectrum while Ann is the religious.

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Part 2

Design

Habit:

Ann is dressed in a black tattered habit which has been sewn back together in areas. On her head sits black veil atop a white torn up apostolnik which has been sewn up her neck.

Both the back and mid chest have been split open and sewn back together, revealing muscle.  

Mask:

Ann wears a glossy blue-gray mask covered with streaks of black running down from the eyes and a crack above the left eye socket.

She has bandaging around both her upper right arm and upper left thigh.

Weapon Ann’s pike/cross can be speculated to be decoration from it’s cross like design and I believe it is the same item which impaled, in official art it even has blood on it’s point.

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Part 1

Background: Ann had developed a particular condition in which her eyes became unusual around the same time as this development a plague had struck the place Ann lived. The plague took many lives including those of her parents. 

Ann’s eyes became the subject of rumor -”Devil eyes” and the plague was thought to be brought on by her. Ann would gain a large inheritance from her parents, jealousy from those around her would further the rumors into harassment and death threats. 

The stress of the harassment and death threats would cause Ann to suffer from mental debilitation and weakness, as well as auditory and visual hallucinations. 

On a moonless night Ann would seek refuge in a church as she couldn’t sleep. 

While she approached the church she would be impaled by a pike resembling a cross, Ann would be left slowly dying in the woods -“special eyes” stared at her through the darkness from a Cat-like figure.

Deduction:

Ann’s deductions are interesting, they reveal certain details relating to Alva (Hermit) and Ann’s father’s relationship.  First the symptoms of the plague   

are “Vomiting, spasms, and high fever, etc.” 

These may sound like the average disease. However these particular Symptoms are Similar to those of electrical shock. Why is this important? Alva (Hermit) was both in contact and of the same worship habits as Ann’s father. Specifically they both worshiped the same cat shaped idol. 

The unknown mode of transmission would also align if the cause of the plague wasn’t from bacteria, viruses or any other common cause. 

Letters:

Ann’s letters are interesting, only one of her current three letters have been written from her perspective, the other two are her fathers.

The first letter is Ann’s, she references the eerily realistic cat idol he and Alva worshiped, and talked to her aunt Laura.

The second letter is from Ann's father who addresses Alva as noble and reasonable for converting him. As well as renouncing his old faith for its lies about Hannah (his wife) and Ann his daughter.

The third and final letter (So far) I believe is Ann’s father’s diary entry from within Oletus Manor, he was occupying a room next to Alva and had seen Apostle in his window, taking it as an omen or sorts. 

He then writes about a woman (possibly Ann), having given him the Eye of Darkness.  

Note:

(It’s unclear whether or not these letters take place before or after the events of the plague, but I believe they take place before which would explain how Ann’s father and Hermit came into contact.)

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An-n introduction hehe:

In this analysis I’ll be looking at Ann’s backstory, deduction, letters, character design, inspiration, Costume flavor texts, and stand by motion -Which I believe hold an importance or insight to who Ann is and the events surrounding her. Lastly, I'll end with my hypothesis.