so i think the portal generates remnant.
kind of.
so back in season 1 when he first starts going into the portal he is told he will be paid for it. and he is! specifically he is paid by helpy. and Afton comments on this, saying back in his day they send the money directly to the accounts in this line of work. this is what got my brain going and asking, why?
why do they need people to go into the portal and they pay them to do so?
I don't think its for something like exploration or cataloging differences or changes it has on the human body, if it was Bryan would have been required to keep a journal or to report to fazbear for observation but hes not. and even then, why would they do so in such a volatile environment? why not a lab?
instead, my thought is, the portal generates remnant for the company to use.
it does this via a human cadaver.
see during the series we are told that the better you do in the game the better you get paid. and what happens when you do better in a game? You feel more emotional, for better or worse.
my theory is that the portal converts that emotion into remnant. remnant that builds up in the body that gets drained every time someone leaves the portal.
This also explains how animatronic can function like possessed ones without having to kill someone to achieve it
but the portal has a downside. once it gets a human to start producing remnant, they need to use the portal to remove the buildup. otherwise, they just keep making more and more, and without something to heal it starts to "improve" the unlucky host. maximizing the abilities of the host body. increased strength, streamlining the organs, increasing blood production etc. eventually it finds flaws with everything, twisting the person into something unrecognizable.
sound familiar?
if this is how it works, it would explain the craving for the portal from Bryan, why he has inhuman super strength, can jump from two stories without so much as putting strain on his ankles, why he can suffer so many injuries and yet never die. i think that the injuries Bryan got from the twisteds gave his remnant somewhere to go. something to heal. keeping it from trying to "fix" the man. like what we see in Dylan.
Dylan lost the nerve endings and subsequent pain. he wasn't generating as much as say his brother does but enough that its felt with him being unable to leave the portal and continuing to worsen when he does leave. especially when emotional. just like Bryan.
that's also why they pay so much. I think Bryan generated positive remant which let the company use it to make animatronics (and probably so much more) without worrying about the downsides remnant made from misery or anger makes. could also explain why certain animatronics act the way they do. maybe Bryan was spilling remnant slowly into the glamrocks (and Steve!)
but that's just my headcanons, let me know your thoughts and if you have any questions in the comments and reblogs!
So artfight prompted me to draw some fanart for @spookbooo’s “Memory Psychology AU” and I’ve decided to post them on here because I think the AU is a really cool concept and this trio is also very very cool! I love them!!
{P.s please look at the images separately for better quality.}
But yeah I think these guys and this au is one of the coolest things ever so go check it out!!
Hhhh imagining an evil feeder who not only makes me fatter but turns me into something not even human.
Like being made into a literal hog of a person with fur and tusks. Or a stuffed human cow with over inflated udders. Or a like a fat werewolf who's ferocity is lost under layers of lard.
Evil feeder who not only makes you fat but makes you a monster and that's hot as hell to me.
Being on an adventure and slowly getting tf'd into a big slobby monster. You start eating everything you can find. In an unnaturally short amount of time youve put on entirely too much weight to not be spilling out of your clothes. A thin layer of sweat which you blame on the hot climate starts to get slimier and more like mucus each time you wipe it off. Your tounge gets long and sticky and your appatite starts extending to bugs and anything you can fit. And no feeding is complete without the noxious belches you erupt into afterwards. Just when you hardly think you can get more gross your belly twinges and youre forced to your knees in the murky water. Thick oozy spawn pushed out of you with such force that it slips down the legs of your shorts, collecting in the water and leaving trails down your legs. You come afterwards in a fertilizing instinct and immediately feel horrible for becoming so disgusting. Your belly relaxes but you know that your buology will force you to do this again, sooner than you want, new eggs forming already.
So there's an episode in Welcome to Newgrounds called "Isaiah's Manifesto" where a demon manipulates Isaiah and tries to isolate him so it could steal his soul, but it doesn't work so instead, it decides to steal his Manifesto and use it as a basis to curse the other Bridge Kids.
With that context out of the way, here's a comic where Skid undergoes a brutal transformation into a Tikwi [under read more bc gore warning!!]
Hi, tikhon! I love your art and little prorva- it brings me joy.
So, this has been an infection on my brain lately, but since Zerum turned out to be… well… not the best person, to put it lightly- is there going to be another reason as to why Sebastian lost his arm, or if he’s going to have a different wife (or even a wife at all)?
Mmm I thought about it once and settled on workplace injury. Just a workplace injury, at a completely safe military testing ground that totally follows every safety protocol perfectly, sure
But the idea of Seb having this giant, grotesque squid "wife" still brings me so much joy and makes me giggle ajajaja
that ask was in my posts wayyy too long but i loveee thinking about the federation as a cult 😊if i remember anything ill just rb that post and add onto it, like the fact that i just now realize i forgot the whole "no name only rank" thing they got going on too erm
I would cover s2 too, but not only is it ongoing, but the pieces do nottt fit as cleanly as it did for s1 hahaha BUT !!! there are new parts that are exclusive to s2 that do not appear for s1, like the "cucurucho being compared to that of a parent to the workers" but like i said. different writers different federation angle 👍
You mentioned The Federation worked like a cult, I would love to hear your thoughts about that! I love hearing your take about The Federation and the Cucuruchos
Edit: While writing this, the entire system of the federation was revealed for s1 and so I had to add to what I had written. Nothing was really changed actually, if anything a lot that was speculative was confirmed or denied. If something is in italics, it is a direct quote from characters themselves. Enjoy the read!
It took a bit to weave this all together and make sure my references were correct! Keep in mind that this interpretation of the federation developed during s1 so all of my evidence comes from s1 and not s2. This is important due to the different writing team behind each season depicting the federation differently and has been confirmed to be approaching "the federation" from a different angle.
To start, when I use the term "cult" I am not referring to a religious group you may typically imagine but rather an organized group that have beliefs or practices that deviate from social norm, typically the group is upheld by an individual or "core" group that enforces said rules. It is very important I clarify that the term "cult" does not strictly mean religious and can also be used when talking about political, marketing, family, or sexual cults. The reason I emphasize this is because Cucurucho themselves does not believe in a god. While conversing with Bbh on the topic of answers surrounding the island, they say quote: "humans believe in a god because they don't have answers. you're intelligent." then adding on to their statement after being questioned why they said that, "just a piece of advice" before walking away. So we can at the very least remove the idea that the federation believes in a "god" in the way we may be accustomed to. Instead, they talk down towards the idea that there is a god.
When I use the word, cult, to describe the federation, it is because they use controlling behaviors to keep their own people dependent on the group while enforcing beliefs and practices onto them that are harmful.
Let's start with the easiest example. How cults recruit. Simply put, they make you feel like you belong and give you purpose. This can be through relationships either romantic, familial, or platonic, or even as carrying similar beliefs or professions as you. Many will prey on the natural human need of wanting to be a part of something with others like them and weaponize their vulnerability against them. In which character did we hear this before?
Elena's partner had died unexpectedly, and she describes herself during this time as "not knowing where to go, what to do with herself, and having nothing" before being approached by the federation. They promise her a job on a variety of remote islands away from society where she will be given not only work, but a home where all her needs will be met and even have some time for herself. It was a dream come true after such a tragedy and motivated her to climb the ranks to eventually becoming a high ranking scientist in the genetics field within the federation for the next 20 years. This alone should be terrifying to imagine, but it only gets so much worse when you consider that the federation is profiting off of her discoveries on "strange unethical experiments" under the guise of being for a greater good. After all, they "resulted in rapid advancement of modern medicine that could have saved the person she loved" so why stop? Why stop if not for those, like her partner, who could live to see a future she would have wanted to see without the pain. This framing of the federation is extremely predatory and would have been enough to say that this is similar to tactics many cults use to recruit members, but it gets worse. It is then revealed that the federation intentionally murdered their partner in an effort to isolate Elena and use her to further their own motivations - essentially grooming her to become another pawn.
When I say grooming, please keep in mind I am using this word by its definition of "to prepare someone for a specific objective" and grooming is a key element within cults that is not exclusive to sexual relationships with children, but also with adults even outside sexual contexts. The victim is isolated from family, or in this case their partner, with the promise of a better life while building trust with the victim to prepare them to serve a hidden purpose.
So while we have the most obvious example of a cult victim spelled out for us, let's move onto the other biggest example of "cult behavior" in our list. Cucurucho.
This is probably the harder one to explain despite being the second biggest example, but it is mostly due to Cucurucho being a very mysterious character even after s1 finished, but thanks to the federation structure being shown we have a better idea of the power they hold. Including the lack of power. Cucurucho, while fitting similarly to a cult victim, is an enforcer and higher up in this "cult" hierarchy. A level 3 in a 4 level system - level 1 being the founder and "host". Their job is quite simple, they only receive instructions, must carry them out the orders, and maintain the islands image of perfection. ETHICS BE DAMNED !! They represent the face of the federation to the islanders and help maintain the island by keeping the islanders "happy". They are limited to certain phrases and speak very little if at all, usually preferring to write on books rather than speaking out loud. During s1 we were only ever confirmed that there were 2 "Cucuruchos" within the federation that none of the islanders were aware of except Jaiden. We were then confirmed afterwards that every single island has a census bureau serving an island manager (Oscurucho to the Watcher, Cucurucho to Mr. Duck). If we assume these two have the same level of authority due to Osito also saying they represent the federation similar to Cucurucho, then we can apply what Osito says about themselves to Cucurucho as well (just with a pinch of salt haha). After Osito is reprimanded by the federation for becoming "too playful" with an islander, Roier, delivers an apology letter signed by the federation commission. After this, it becomes hard to tell who is Osito and who is Cucurucho, but because of what I had established earlier, we should be able to apply whatever they say to the both of them (with the pinch of salt). Cucurucho, in a conversation with Roier who worries for them, says a phrase that summarizes who Cucurucho, at their core, is and what the federation does to their employees. "Want is a term I don't recognize". The word "querer" can be used in the context of "to like or care for something" or to "desire". If you are curious on the conversation I am referencing, a lovely user has it documented!
It's a sentimental and emotionally driven word to use. And if we take into account the rules the federation has set in place for it's employees, it makes sense on why Cucurucho does not use this wording or supposedly recognize what it means to desire since the federation's agenda goes against this. Despite spreading rhetoric and enforcing these rules to workers below them, the very same rules also apply to Cucurucho.
They follow the "host" of the islands orders because it simply is how the federation works and what is expected of them. They do not fight this and get defensive when questioned. One behavior that aligns with many cults is that they will shame and guilt other members as a means of control, through abuse or more, but in this instance it is much more clear that Cucurucho's main weapon against federation workers are verbal manipulation and abuse of their own power. These behaviors are seen to bleed profusely in their conversations with islanders by either the employees or Cucurucho themselves on the indoctrination the federation enforces. The image of what the federation deems "perfection".
While this section is meant to cover Cucurucho as an individual, the reality is that Cucurucho is less of an individual and instead more of an extension of the federation itself. During a conversation Cellbit had with a guard on the topic of Cucurucho they say, "Cucurucho is the perfect employee of the Federation, the ultimate tool, nothing he does is wrong". Cucurucho preaches that "order" must be enforced and this is shown heavily through the federation's measures of their false promise of safety. So, let's get on with the values of the federation and the consequences of not holding those values like they expect you to.
The federation. They promise a home, a job, and did I mention how they pay their employees? With their own island currency! Exclusive to the island they inhabit! Yes, that is correct! If any worker wishes to leave there is no way to pay for a way out due to their income only being valid on the island and directly tied to the federation's approval. Don't follow the orders, you drop ranks, you drop income, you starve, you die. As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, one of the main factors on why I consider the federation a "cult" is because it entices people at low points to join and slowly starts morphing the way their victims think by creating an environment that makes them rely on solely them. We haven't even gotten to the fact that lower ranking workers are constantly supervised at all times, on and off the clock. If you wish for more time to freely move without constant surveillance you must rise up the ranks. It is predatory and we have not yet gotten to what the federation does to someone who does not comply with their demands. To get to that let's take as example the very first victim we witness get punished, Osito.
During the bluebird arc, Jaiden gains Cucurucho's trust enough to allow her to see Osito in hopes of "fixing" them with her help. We were never confirmed on the position Jaiden had within the federation, but we do know she was at the very least close with Cucurucho enough to be trusted with their many "sins" the federation deemed imperfect. As we later find out with Fred, an A rank worker, having a romantic relationship with Tubbo, an islander, is extremely prohibited, even close platonic relationships like what Walter bob, a C rank worker, had with Pac and Mike would have been "against the rules". Osito showed us a glimpse of what those punishments can look like even for such high ranking members when they became too playful and gained a possible crush on Roier. They were not only silenced, but also not allowed to be near Roier for months. They were isolated and deemed "lacking in perfection, too eccentric, too casual" broken within the standards of the federation and needing to be fixed and monitored for months.
The next victim to the federation system was Walter bob. After revealing outside his job Walter had a son off the island who he fished with and grew closer to Pac and Mike, he was given his own name and a sense of individualism that was never replicated again within the federation. Walter bob stood out as the very first worker to not only look different, but also have their very first real name that was not their rank. Walter bob was punished for their friendship with the 2 islanders and sent to work within the prison where they were forced to live along with being sent to the most dangerous job the federation had to offer - the nether station where one could get trapped between realms and become lost forever.
The federation operates like a cult and honestly I really really like that about how scummy it is to literally every single character no matter the rank
