In Red String Theory, the scissors Elias used to cut these threads of fate are normally different in each culture. But in this one, itβs likely the tailorβs snips because in some cultures, Red String Theory was heavily influenced by the image of women doing embroidery or tailors in general. They were used in cord-cutting rituals to end the bond between two people, to unweave their fates from each other.
So now let me be fucking delulu because Elias is holding FIVE red threads. And you know what else is five? Our boys on that anomaly castle show. So yeah, basically Elias was cutting every connection these five had with MC, I suppose.
If you like thinking heβs a big fat manipulative liar, then it could foreshadow that he might betray us in the future or that he has something to hide (and I ainβt talking about the concept of the show iykyk).
If you like being even more delulu, then heβs just that possessive and jealous that he doesnβt want anybody else to win your heart.
Wait a second, Iβm not done yet!!! Those gold arrows are likely just there for aesthetic purposes. But we never know if theyβre Cupidβs love arrows from Eros eh??
Imagine dating Ritsu, and one day he suddenly sits you down, looking all serious and businesslike, and asks if you still love him. Youβre completely confused about why he would even ask that.
Without another word, he pulls out a thick stack of documents. According to him, theyβre charts and data tracking the number of times youβve kissed him this month. The total is 20% lower than every other month. Yes, heβs been keeping track of how many times you kiss him and even how often you say you love him.
After reading through his ridiculously long records, you finally reassure him that of course you still love him. Youβve just been busy this month, and youβre sorry if you made him feel neglected.
He adjusts his tie and replies calmly,
βI already know that. I calculated the probability of you no longer loving me, itβs 0.00001%.β
Apparently, heβs also been carefully following your routine and giving you the exact amount of affection you prefer. Just when you think it canβt get any more absurd, he pulls out another stack of documents, analysis charts detailing your habits, hobbies, likes, dislikes, and daily routines etc. Heβs studied and researched extensively to find a model that fits perfectly into your βideal partnerβ category.
You canβt help but laugh at how silly and serious he is at the same time.
You tell him you love him for who he is, he doesnβt need to mold himself into any perfect model. Then you mention that youβll be free this weekend and want to spend more time with him, asking if heβs available.
βOf course,β he says. βI strictly follow a healthy workβlife balance. Weekends are my free time, and my free time belongs entirely to you.β
βWithout charge, right?β
He shakes his head. The charge is your affection, that definitely counts for something.
After a long discussion and negotiation, Ritsu concludes that you must kiss him at least 3 times a day, triple that on weekends, to ensure his charts and data remain stable and aligned. The monthly total must never drop below 50 kisses. If it does, heβll have to book a couples consultation for the two of you.
He promises to match your efforts as well and hopes youβll cooperate with him.
Not knowing what else to say, you softly kiss him to shut him up. His cheeks turn crimson as you kiss him again.
βDonβt count that for today,β you whisper. βIβll give you more tomorrow.β
Poor Ren has to witness all of this during his shift β οΈ
Alan, Elias, Taiga and my theory on Elias' stigma and motivations.
And y'all, please be considerate and put spoilers under the "Keep Reading" line. Tagging your post is one thing, but if you don't actually hide the content, people will still see the spoilers while scrolling. Not everyone in the fandom is a longtime player like us.
I saw people asking why Elias didn't transport MC and Alan with the rest. Tbh, he actually explained that to everybody at the end when they were at Darkwick handing in their reports.
Did he lie? Absolutely, but it was still for the mission.
First, he explained to Ritsu that he had a bad feeling from the start. Seeing how Taiga seemed to be aiming for the Rogue route, he simply went along with it because he trusted Taiga to have a plan. As many people have theorized that both Elias and Taiga have memories of different timelines or a time loop, it would be natural for him to trust Taiga to have a plan.
Also, there could be a case where Elias knows about Taiga's stigma, or at least has some hints about it, which is why he decided to support Taiga a bit.
If you pay attention to Deadly in Love (1), you'll see that every time Taiga made comments about the anomaly host's game rules, Elias was quick to back him up, and so was Haku (we know Haku and Taiga are close in some way. They tend to send Haku with Taiga on inter-House off campus missions). So Elias likely knew Taiga had a plan right from the beginning.
He also mentioned that he had a hint that the anomaly host could only monitor them through the cameras when Taiga destroyed one during the card game trial.
Now, he explained that he transported everybody in order to prevent MC from picking the right Suitor because it would trigger the Suitor Ending and likely ruin the plan Taiga had.
He knew Alan was the Rogue. That's why he left him behind with MC to trigger the Rogue Ending.
"But why did he keep denying that he knew who the Rogue was?"
Well, I think it's simple.
The one who knew Alan was the Rogue was actually Sho. When he followed the director, who at the time was one of the anomaly's puppets, he was able to grab the script and see that Alan was supposed to be the Rogue.
"Why didn't Sho say anything about that?"
It could have been something that happened at the last minute, and he didn't get the chance to tell anyone. Or maybe he understood Alan well enough to know that Alan would never lie. So he believed Alan genuinely didn't know he was supposed to be the Rogue.
Next, how did Elias know?
I'd say Elias had some hints because he literally heard the staff panicking that the Rogue card was nowhere to be found and that they had messed up MC's and Alan's cards.
But if you remember the order in which everyone came to take their cards, the staff panicked when it was Ritsu's turn (Ritsu said Alan and Elias were the last 2 to receive their cards).
By the time Alan and Elias had taken their cards, and there were 4 people before them: Ritsu, Taiga, Sho and Haku.
So Elias had to do some inclusion-exclusion math to figure out who exactly the Rogue was. Since that ghoul likely didn't even know they were the Rogue, it became a bit of a hit-or-miss situation, so he had to observe more. He knew the staff had messed up the cards, but he didn't know exactly who had received the Rogue card.
Also, during the final trial about lying and all that, Taiga called out Elias for blatantly lying when Elias said he had no idea who the Rogue was. Taiga earned points, so that means Elias lied, right?
But Elias later tried to explain to MC that he didn't lie and that he didn't know who the Rogue was. I don't know why he had to lie to MC.
I understand why he lied to Taiga though. He likely knew and wanted Taiga to call Doubt on him so Cupid would shoot the arrow, knowing Sho would do something about it and end the trial right there. He also might have wanted Taiga to earn more points. Who knows?
BUT after rereading the episode so many times, I came to a different conclusion.
Elias used the last trial to confirm his suspicions about who the real Rogue was among the 5 ghouls. He likely had a hint that the person didn't even know they were the Rogue, and he also considered the possibility that there could be more than one Rogue. So he used the trial to strengthen his theory and narrow down who was most likely the Rogue. In the end, he concluded that it was Alan.
So, in a way, you could say Elias directly used the trial and indirectly used Taiga's ability, combined with the clues he had already gathered, to figure out who the real Rogue was.
I can also see why he said he wasn't sure because he genuinely wasn't. For example, he also mentioned the possibility that there could be more than one Rogue.
It could be possible. Sho only mentioned that he saw people's roles and saw Alan's role as the Rogue (he said he flipped through the script). He never specifically said Alan was the only Rogue. But whatever, we probably don't need to go that deep into the script anyway.
So Elias might have only been 60/40 convinced that Alan was the Rogue.
"Then why didn't he say anything? Why leave Alan behind?"
I don't know, but I'd say it's because he knew there were anomalies wandering around. So leaving Alan behind, whose stigma can rearrange those anomalies' organs, was probably the better idea. Alan could protect MC while buying time.
He also wanted the anomaly host to reveal Alan as the Rogue because he needed the ending to be triggered.
It could also be that he needed to explain the situation to everyone else before they moved back to the main hall, so he had to teleport with them while leaving Alan behind.
In conclusion, Alan and Taiga were both important to his plan, which is why he did what he did.
I trust Taiga and Elias trusts Taiga. Therefore, I trust Elias' actions and motivations. He has reasons for not telling certain things, just as much as Haku and Taiga do when they don't want to talk about certain things.
As I've mentioned several times before, Elias is very strategic and resourceful. He observes, analyzes and understands other people's strengths and weaknesses, and he knows how to utilize them.
I might not trust him completely because, at the end of the day, we don't know him that well. But I trust his judgment of others and the way he navigates situations and plans strategies to achieve success.
Looking back at the Dionysia mission, they hid a lot of things from MC. But did the plan go the way they intended? Yes.
So let's just say I trust him to make plans that help people survive.
I don't think he'd betray the others during a mission because, realistically, he'd probably die too if that happened.
Smart people don't let others die. Smart people use others.
Anyway...
What the hell is Elias' stigma?
As I've mentioned several times before, I think his stigma has something to do with manipulating space or something along those lines.
He cares a lot about structure and layout, and we can see that more clearly during the Dionysia episodes. His campus stories also always contain one or more elements related to that.
Also, if you all remember, in Deadly in Love (1), Elias asked Haku several times whether he could feel the energy of the place, whether it had changed, or whether anything felt odd.
Haku said the energy was scattered throughout the place instead of covering the whole area or gathering at one central point.
Later, in Deadly in Love (2), Haku confirmed that the castle itself wasn't an anomaly but more like a container holding numerous types of anomalies (kind of similar to the Dragon Triangle where they retrieved the anomaly ship with Frostheim).
So we also know the culprits are the same ones from the Dragon Triangle case, and they've been trying to feed these anomalies.
Why did Elias keep asking Haku about the energy of the place?Β I believe it was crucial to understanding or using his own stigma.
As Elias said, his stigma isn't really useful. But Elias knows how to utilize everything around him. Even with the most "useless" stigma, I think he'd still be able to accomplish something.
The fact that he needed to ask Haku might be because he could already see something strange about the castle's structure and layout, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where to start. So asking Haku was a way to confirm whether those odd locations were hidden rooms or simply places where the anomalies were concentrated.
Second, there's the flower Elias had that turned out to be a Bug, an anomaly that can teleport you when you look into its eye.
He managed to capture one, although I'm not sure when he even grabbed it. I believe it happened when all the ghouls were transported back to their rooms and had to walk through the door to talk with MC one last time.
Now, why did it look like a flower? Was the anomaly host disguising it as one?
Later, we see the flower vase turn into a puddle of anomaly with a ton of eyes. So I firmly believe the Bug was disguised as the flower.
But how the hell was Elias able to capture one, and how was he able to reveal its true form?
I have no idea. The man hides so much that I honestly can't tell how he did it.
Let's just assume it wasn't that difficult to catch one since they don't really attack you directly. He could have wrapped a blanket around the Bug and voilΓ , captured it.
But what if the flower was actually Elias transforming the Bug into one?
Because if it's connected to his flower point, then it would eventually return to the vase once removed, right?
So how did he have one in his vest pocket?
I believe that's either one of his "magic tricks" as he called them, or it's related to his stigma, allowing him to change the appearance of objects.
No idea so far.
Also, if you look at the scene where the anomaly got out, everyone took out their artifact except Elias. From his chibi battle animations, his artifact seems to be the dagger.
So if his stigma really isn't that useful, then it's probably not effective in direct combat, which is likely why he didn't feel the need to pull it out. The others' artifacts were probably more useful in that situation.
But then again, it could also be that he simply didn't want to use his stigma, so bringing out his artifact didn't mean anything at that moment.
Or maybe he did pull it out, but MC was blocking his other hand, so I can't really confirm it.
Elias hid the information about the lab during the game because he claimed he didn't know whether the anomaly could hear them, even though he also knew the anomaly could only see them where there were cameras.
Which confused me a bit. Like, bro, you could've told us in the kitchen, right?
But then again, I think it would've been a bit of a hassle to gather everybody in the kitchen at the same time when everyone was busy doing their own job and snooping around.
And dare I say it, Ritsu and Sho were actually the sanest ones here because Ritsu literally asked why nobody was telling each other about their plans. It would've been way more effective if they had helped each other out. Haku just said he didn't want to blow their cover, that's all. But again, I can understand Haku's and Elias' way of working. They won't say things when they're uncertain themselves.
I'd say Elias, Haku and Taiga are the type who don't talk much when they're working or concentrating. They need space to do their own thing, so communication probably isn't their priority.
Taiga also seemed impressed when Elias explained his plan and how he understood that Taiga already had one. And knowing Taiga, he doesn't like it when people doubt or question him too much. So talking less doing more, and subtly following his lead and plan is probably what he prefers (??)
Elias and lots of CAPITAL CAP HE SAID. I won't spoil anything but this is my thought on the guy.
I assume he's so used to lying to other people since he was a kid because some of his lies are actually pretty harmless, like white lies. As for other stuff, he just straight up hides it without further elaboration rather than outright lying. Sometimes he doesn't even need to lie at all, but he does it anyway, like it's some habit that's already stuck with him.
For example, if someone at work asks me if I had breakfast, I'd say, "Yeah, full course set. Muffin and scrambled eggs with honey drizzle on top, some yogurt with strawberries on the side, oh and orange juice too." But in reality, I didn't have anything. The closest thing to having breakfast would probably be the tap water I almost accidentally drank while brushing my teeth in the morning. Anyway.
So I just assume the fact that he lies so much could also stem from childhood habits, not just because of whatever spy theory background he has. Even if he's not a SUS character, I believe he'd still lie because he likes messing with people. That's all.
Also, if you think about it, he rarely bothers coming up with excuses or elaborate lies either way. He lies, everybody knows he's capping, and he doesn't seem to gaf if people know either. He's either that chill, or he genuinely finds it a waste of time and effort trying to come up with believable lies for these people he's talking to, including the MC.
So why is he like this? Lying while clearly knowing people know he's capping, yet somehow he still gets away with it.
Maybe because he's some magician, and magicians never reveal their secrets ayaya.
One of the many things I like about Ruiβs character is that he wasnβt just some kind of playboy figure. Yes, he knows how to talk to ladies, and yes, he knows how to flirt smoothly.
But listen.
even if heβs handsome and a smooth talker, if he carries such a deadly curse, I believe most people, including the girls who once flocked around him, would definitely keep their distance. I mean, why would anyone willingly get close to someone who could kill you with a single touch just because heβs good looking and charming? That would be insane... unless you have a death wish, iykyk.
So Iβve always believed that most people on campus knew he was a reliable person, kind hearted and always looking out for others. Thatβs mainly why, even when heβs cursed and rumors and whispers swirl around him, certain groups of students still arenβt that afraid to be around him.
He might keep his distance to protect others, but I believe his old friends or even the regular students he used to help so often, must have missed him in some way.
Sho be doing all the shit that 8yo me thought every teenager in America would be doing at 15 in high school.
Clubbing, driving, cooking, skiing (I made ts up), designing, being a mechanic, fixing bikes, fighting in a fight ring, scamming rich people, having a cute but annoyed best friend, babysitting, putting up with an annoying brother, having daddy/mommy issues (kind of we donβt know yet), starting a business, owning a fucking food truck that he built himself, having all the girls (and boys) flock around him, ranking top 10 (#5) on the freshman exam, sparring with Alan, training with Alan, being friendly, having a charming smile, being reliable, outgoing, chill, caring, flirting with the Honor Roll, running around the school for whatever idea Leo comes up with, putting up with Leo, breaking out of prison, speeding, fighting monsters, going on undercover missions and having good relationship with Hotarubi Captain... what else?
Doing all ts while still keeping good grades I guess???
Youβre dating Sho, and one day you catch your boyfriendβs brother, Professor Hyde, kissing a strange woman on the street before helping her into a car and walking away into a building.
Your jaw drops so low it nearly hits the floor. When you return to Darkwick, you immediately barge everywhere looking for Sho, only to find him in the Pit sparring with Alan.
Alan: How many times have I told you? You canβt be in the Pit.
Sho: Why didnβt anyone stop her?
Students: We tried, but she tickled all of usβ¦
Alan: β¦
Alan didnβt train them all just to be defeated by some girl making them laugh by poking their sides.
Sho: What happened? Do you need something?
Yes, obviously. You just saw that white-haired dude kiss a woman on the street, publicly. You need to know whether the woman is in danger or needs help.
Sho laughs at your dramatic reaction, shrugging as he casually tells you that it was probably his sister-in-law.
Sho has a sister-in-law?!!!!!
He has never told you about that.
You start bombarding him with questions about the woman, and the boy sighs heavily, overwhelmed by your stream of curiosity.
But as nosy as you are, there is someone who always beats you at that.
Leo Kurosagi.
He pops out of nowhere with his phone already out.
βHydeβs spouse, [her name]. Dated for three years, married for three years. Had [number] partners before Hyde, but none of the relationships lasted long. Currently working at-β
Sho has to stop him before he spreads all of his sister-in-lawβs personal information for everyone to hear.
Your jaw drops even more because Sho never told you he had a sister-in-law, and Hyde definitely doesnβt give off the vibe of a married man.
Like where the hell is his ring? Why isnβt he wearing it? Is this man loyal or not? But with all the shady and suspicious things he does, maybe being unfaithful would be the last thing on the list of tasks heβs running around this island for.
Anywayβ¦
You go from Sho has a sister-in-law to Hyde has a freaking wife?!
How?! Like, how?! How did they meet? How did they even get to know each other?
You start shaking Sho around while asking about it. Heβs getting a headache while Leo absolutely does not help, he just keeps asking more leading questions that make you even more curious.
Back then Sho didnβt tell Leo either. Leo just figured it out himself and forced Sho to share more information with him, so now heβs trying to pay Sho back for hiding things.
βYes, my brother has a wife. Itβs not the weirdest thing compared to all the things weβve seen so far.β
Well, yeah, but⦠Hyde with a spouse.
You try to imagine it: Hyde getting down on one knee and proposing to someone.
That would be priceless to see.
After that, you learn from Sho that Hyde and his sister-in-law go way back, but they only really got to know each other while Hyde was studying at Darkwick. After graduating, he immediately married her, saying she was the most wonderful person he could ever dream of, so he had to marry her before someone else did.
He always tells Sho that sheβs too good for him. And maybe thatβs true.
He doesnβt wear his ring because he always loses it while working, so he actually keeps it on a necklace. No one ever notices it anyway.
And when Sho says his sister-in-law is planning to have a baby, your jaw drops even lower.
Oh my god. Sho is going to be an uncle soon.
You canβt stop imagining Sho taking care of a baby, and suddenly.
βLetβs get married. I canβt let that blindfolded guy have kids before us.β
