First of all, absolutely love this, please don't delete it XD and it wasn't ranty. If it was, then that's basically what me and @maxintime have been doing this whole time–
Second, I'm getting way too conspiratorial with this fandom XD but I'm about to touch on that second question about the portal. I'm also typing this out from my tablet/keyboard, so the lack of emojis is because this isn't via phone *insert crying emoji*
There was no reason behind using that font other than the fact that I like how it looks and it makes this post feel more professional. I think I centred it, but I won't actually know until I've posted. RIP if it didn't centre.
This theory is going to be so far-fetched, but it's the only working theory (outside of "because the writers made it that way") that I can give evidence and reasoning for. I'm also avoiding that "Where is Uglyville located?" Question because I don't know. I wish the writers had explained that part, at least, but here we are.
My theory for the portal is that, when it was broken and put back together DIFFERENTLY from how it originally had been, it altered the criteria required to go through it. Prior to it breaking, the portal had the outlines–
No, I couldn't find a better picture, so have an Ox getting yeeted.
But you can see the outlines of the portal, and this is prior to when it's supposed to slide open and allow a doll through. Which, mind you, the portal doesn't open when Ox is standing close to it, despite the fact that it said he had passed the Gauntlet on the big screen. Which is weird, unless that was just an oversight on animation's part, which is so fair. I didn't even think about that until right now, and it probably would have complicated the fight scene between them.
That, or (let's consider in-movie universe logic for a second) something ELSE - like the robots - actually controls when the portal opens, as seen in the orientation videos when the Uglies first arrive. Which means that the robots are ACTIVELY keeping the portal shut just because Lou is close to it.
But anyway, back to our paid program.
The symbol on the portal is that of a Pretty Doll. This might be an insane stretch, but the ONLY times that the Uglies ever enter the Institute of Perfection is when they are with a Pretty Doll.
(Man, I wish I had emojis right now)
Don't mind this I don't know how to delete it
The stupid thing won't let me reblog whilst its empty
Insert random thing here so I can reblog- ugh, finally
Voting ended onMay 25
Ignore that, I don't know how to get rid of it, but the symbol looked like bullet points, so I tapped on it–
When Moxy and her friends first arrive, they arrive with the unassigned batch of Pretty Dolls
When Ox is taken from Uglyville, he's brought back via the Spy Girls (who are Pretty Dolls)
When Moxy and the whole group of Uglies from Uglyville return for the Gauntlet, they are with Mandy (a Pretty Doll)
I...don't know how to get rid of the bullet points...
Basically, the only time we see the Uglies entering the Institute of Perfection is when they enter in "escorted", in a way, by a Pretty Doll. Which leads me to believe that the portal worked a similar way.
When the portal is rebuilt by Moxy and her friends, the outline changed to that of an UglyDoll:
Had to take a screenshot since of course you can't really Google anything for UglyDolls and get decent results. But here's the rebuilt portal. But, like, hideous XD
But my theory is that the criteria changed in that moment. Since the portal was rebuilt in the image of an UglyDoll, it now accepts Uglies to pass through and return (the logic behind returning boggles my mind as well), yada yada.
And, if I'm to stick with my theory that Lou is actually a prototype for the Exposition Robots and not the Model 12's themselves, then that means Lou still doesn't fit within the criteria to go through the portal. As Lydia stated so wonderfuly– "He ain't a real doll, girl."
Ugly or Pretty, doesn't matter, Lou doesn't fit in either category.
Let's assume that the robots, as I mentioned before, are the ones that controlled when the portal opened. Since the criteria has changed–
Actually, wait, let me back up a step, because I just thought of something...
The Uglies passed the Gauntlet, right? But Ox wasn't able to go through the portal, despite being right there at it.
What if the portal never would have opened for them BECAUSE it was still looking for those physical requirements. The machines throughout the entire factory perform physical scans. The machines in the actual factory that send imperfect dolls to recycle, and the Individualization Scanners (which broke when Moxy walked through).
My guess is that Lou wasn't wrong. They legitimately couldn't go to the Big World. They could pass the Gauntlet, sure, but even then, the orientation videos show that one Pretty Doll stepping up to the portal, posing, and the Exposition Robot marks her off before she can go through.
They must PHYSICALLY fall under the criteria of being a Pretty Doll prior to the portal having been broken and rebuilt differently.
So why does the portal stay closed?
Perhaps the training isn't stopping them from going. For all we know, those Pretty Dolls could walk straight into the Big World if the portal was left open, just like we see at the end of the movie. What is most likely the case is that the robots (and, by extension, the factory) are keeping the portal closed to prevent the Pretty Dolls from prematurely entering the Big World. If the criteria was just about skills or passing the Gauntlet, then the portal would still automatically close and be permanently closed since they ruined the Gauntlet. But it doesn't. It stays open, because now there is no one that can shut it unless they rebuild it using the Pretty Doll image again.
The best theory I have for this involves tech and the running headcanon I have that the Institute of Perfection itself runs more like a computer than an actual, physical place.
I'll put this in layman terms, because I'm learning about this stuff, too (I'm a nerd, alright? We know this XD)
Here are two real-world examples we have where something similar happens. And by "something similar" I mean cases in which something that was not previously allowed acces is given access without the permission of the original creator.
Hardware Tampering: An unauthorized act of physically altering or manipulating computer hardware in order to bypass security measures.
Obviously, if someone successfully manages to tamper into the firmward (and, by extension, the hardware) of a device, then they are able to have access without being detected. It's considered a high-risk situation for companies because these instances are hard to notice and even harder to undo. But, one thing tampering allows an unauthorized user to do is to disable what is called "lockout timers."
A lockout timer, in everyday application, is essentially what causes your laptop to go into sleep mode after inactivity. Which then requires you to log back into it if you don't do that thing where you shake the mouse just before it goes dark XD but you can adjust when computers go to sleep, and most companies use a 15-minute timer or less for security purposes.
If, in the case of the movie, the Uglies had unintentionally tampered the system, it prevents the portal from having a lockout timer, essentially keeping it permanently open.
Now for example two on what could have happened:
"Fail-Open" or "Fail-Close"
This essentially is an emergency protocal that a system automatically defaults to in the event of a power outage or if the system breaks. The best example for this is, let's say, a mall where the doors are automatic. They require a sensor in order to open, right? Because they can't just stay open and let the bugs in. If the power in a mall were to go out, those doors are set to automatically open and remain that way, to prevent people from getting trapped inside.
This ONLY occurs during emergency situations. And it is for the sake of the people already within its system.
Lou may have accidentally broken the system (i.e. The portal) so that when the Uglies rebuilt it (albeit...worse than before, so still broke) it remained permamently opened because it wasn't properly fixed. If the system still deems itself broken, the "Fail-Open" protocal remains and it will not shut for the sake of the dolls inside the Institute. Preventing them from being trapped. Excluding our boy Lou, of course, RIP.
In the midst of reading cybersecurity articles and lines of code, I lost track of where I was going, but I hope that what I wrote so far gets my point across XD
