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novelmachine · 2 years

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Wonderful and Strange

PART 1: Their Simple Dreams Have Become Nightmares

Oh shit we’re doing parts now. Oh okay yeah. This was an entirely different post, a little one strictly focused on Finn and what his other “versions” might be. Then the latest episode of Bittersweet dropped and I am still picking up the pieces. Here I am diving a little deeper into the lore because I hyperfixate and cannot let things go. I’ve gone over characterization and theories based on the events of Bittersweet and it’s sister series Echoes of Evalas and Shattered (formerly titled [REDACTED]). Looking at this post now, it’s more of a breakdown of what we know combined with wild speculation. So more of the same, but broader. I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be worthwhile in the end.

PART 2: He’s Watching

It’s been established that Finn is weird. He’s throwing off the vibes. He is the most flexible character in the Yuuriverse canon. While different original characters have had AUs (see Cowboy Seth and SW Alphonse) Finn shows the most range. The main point of interest is Source Finn, the storyteller, “scribe and steward, lover and friend, protagonist and antagonist.” [1] He is capable of crossing between the world of Evalas and the worlds of the Dreamers, memory manipulation, and time displacement. Through studying the portals to these dreamscapes he learned everyone’s story doesn’t end with death. They carry on in some distant plane. It is Finn’s responsibility to sooth the souls that pass on [2] and make sure the power held by those souls is not abused. Why he began this work in the first place is still unclear.

Source Finn, although not the first to premiere in audios, is considered the “blueprint” for all other Finns in the canon: the gardener, the bunny, and the barista. All of them share similarities, such as a bright personality and an affinity for magic. It’s thought that the beings that exist in the Dreamers’ worlds are those that have died and moved on from Evalas; a kind of afterlife. With that in mind, it could be concluded that these versions of Finn that live outside of Evalas should not exist. One could argue these are doppelgangers. However, doppelgangers are oftentimes depicted as harbinger of bad luck or evil twins. [3]This might be the case for Yandere Finn. However, the rest may simply be shadows of the original. Echoes perhaps. The existence of Bunny Finn is a big clue that they may have been thoughtforms all along. He is a literal plot bunny, "an idea for a story (usually used to refer to fanfic) that gnaws at the brain until written." [5]

It’s very possible these Finns were not made with intention. The existing fragments of Finn are the memories he left behind. Finn should not have been in these other worlds because he had not yet passed on. Still, he left a large enough impression. Dreamers remembered him. The worlds beyond Evalas compensated for his presence when Source Finn returned home. Residual memories of a strong enough being became autonomous thoughtforms. These echoes are real inside the Dreamers’ worlds, left to their own devices, some more concrete and tangible than others. The longer their storyline persists, the stronger they become, blissfully unaware of where they came from.

PART 3: Reality is an Illusion, the Universe is a Hologram

By the end of Bittersweet Chapter 3, we know that Finn has not the unintrusive voyeur. He had reprimanded his fellow steward before he too became a Dreamer. After his passing, Finn began to indulge. Seth recalls someone telling him about how someone can cast a spell under the right conditions. [7] After speaking with him, Alphonse remembers meeting Finn at a gas station long after his parents had passed away. [8] He may have been the driving force behind Alphonse returning to Seth one last time and saving him. There may have also been instances overlooked that could have been Source Finn instead of one of his fractals. Bunny Finn acts so confused about his situation, and doesn’t recognize he’s in his own garden. [9] Garden Finn is cryptic and poetic when describing a honeysuckle and the deeper meanings behind flowers. [10]

Things are not as they should be, and it’s not just taking a toll on Source Finn. It’s heavily insinuated that Bunny Finn found his way into Garden Finn’s world. [11] Barista Finn is nowhere to be found, with Faust being the only one who might remember he even existed. One of the Bittersweet Chapter 3 Part 11 promo tweets reads "Always the hero. Always the one to act first, ask forgiveness later. It's all perfectly clear to me, you haven't changed a bit, you're just a bit shattered these days." [12] Although the picture associated with the tweet is Alphonse, the wording seems more fitting of Finn’s situation and the shards of himself left behind in the other worlds. This feels more like a quote from Alphonse directed at Finn.

PART 4: Temporary Psychosis

Faust, Derek, Jessie, Alphonse, Seth, and BS!Listener have all been influenced by Finn in some way or another, to a point where they each have some memory of him and what he is capable of. So far the ones who are shown to have remembered the most have had near-death experiences. Alphonse was nearly done in by Derek’s goons, Seth got knocked out with a baseball bat, BS!Listener may have been the one to have been shot at the end of Chapter 3 Part 10, and Derek was stabbed repeatedly by Alphonse all those years ago. This theory does not hold much water, however, when we think of Faust and Jessie. The only thing remotely close could be Faust’s comment about a storm and waves and Faust himself being the sea while Finn is a lighthouse, which could imply an incident with drowning. [13] The title of the audio in question is “Drown It All.”

How much someone knows seems to be proximity and frequency based. Seth, and BS!Listener recall the rewritten events in the city as a dream. Seth knows someone told him about magic under the moonlight, but never puts a name to it. Alphonse has had at least two encounters with Finn. The first was long after his parents had passed, at a gas station. The second is when Finn disappeared the goons who were attaching Al and turned back the clock. Afterwards, Alphonse will get headaches from trying to remember it all. Faust has these same symptoms. He remembers Finn enough to know his proper shift at the coffee shop he frequents, and can describe small traits such as waxing poetic and needing to wear glasses. From this, we can gather that Faust knows Finn well.

Derek seems to be the one who knows or remembers the most. He’s picked up on how convenient the world seems to be for certain individuals. Alphonse was able to get a second chance after a chance meeting with BS!Listener and the town began to accept him. Seth, convicted of attempted murder, involvement in drug dealing, and who knows what else, was released on good behavior after a short period. The Bittersweet trio were seemingly able to have a picturesque Christmas after a turbulent first meeting. Derek believes this may have been orchestrated because they are special in some way, and wants to use this to shape the world in his favor. [14] He insinuates that Jessie was going to use the trio to achieve her goals and refused to explain her knowledge to them. Although it may be a torn scrap of paper, there is possibly a piece of Source Finn’s original purple and red cloak sticking out of the journal Auron found.

Speaking of Auron, after the time shift, he may have been displaced as well. The events of this timeline changed to where Auron made the effort to get the trio out of the way so he could deal with Derek personally. Additionally, although he may not have directly interacted with Finn in the series yet, he has some inkling of Finn’s tower. We could also make the argument that Faust’s barista listener may have been displaced as well. They insist they’ve always worked the same shift and don’t know of anyone who worked there whose name began with F, despite Faust’s argument to the contrary. The veil between Evalas and the other realities is crumbling. The Dreamers are waking up.

PART 5: The Owls Are Not What They Seem

One of the biggest questions that remains unanswered in the Bittersweet/Shattered/Echoes of Evalas saga is who Finn’s fellow steward is. This person was just as invested in the world of the Dreamers as Source Finn is now. They were as close as could be. Together they kept the world of Dreamers a secret from the population of Evalas, all while being scrutinized by the Lord Bishop of the realm. In the end, Finn’s fellow steward fell, and became a Dreamer in the Bittersweet world Finn watches so closely. Based on the evidence we’ve gathered, and their connections to Finn and the world of Evalas, the two most likely candidates are Faust and Auron.

Auron and Source Finn mirror each other as far as story beats and characterization. Auron is associated with tower imagery. He has a lofty office space overlooking the city. He calls his Listener Rookie, or Rook for short, much like the tower chess piece. His stepbrother makes a comment about how out of touch he is, looking down from his ivory tower. [15] The Tower holds great significant to Finn, as that is where his work is done. And of course, there is a large painting of a tower that hangs above his desk. They each deal in indulgence, addiction, and selfishness. They both self-isolate, choosing to carry heavy burdens on their shoulders.

When it comes to Faust, he and Finn compliment each other thematically. Both have a cosmic aesthetic; silver and gold, celestial bodies, blues, purples, and black. Both practice magic in some form. Faust reads tarot and understands auras. Finn can manipulate magic and travel through time and space. Religious iconography and theming surrounds both characters. Faust, for having a made a still unexplained “deal with the devil,” is appropriately named after Doctor Faustus. [16] He assumes the alias Judas at a Halloween party. [17] Evalas may be a theocracy, with members of the religious body such as the Lord Bishop in control. Finn cannot reveal the knowledge he’s become privy to, let alone his own father, or else the faith of may will be shaken and the order enacted will crumble. [18]

While both could fit the role, I believe in Faust slightly more than Auron. The bond Finn and his fellow steward shared was formidable. Although it’s not clear how long ago the steward died and joined the Dreamers, the way Finn mourns speaks volumes. He can’t even bring himself to disturb his old room. [19] Faust hints at how he came to the coffee shop to be comforted by Finn. When his barista Listener urges him to try to remember Finn, he can only describe him as a lighthouse, a guiding light. [20] This sounds like what Source Finn does in his tower as a “soother of souls,” not just a barista Faust saw regularly. When he can’t remember any more, he finds himself crying, as one would over the loss of someone dear to them.

However, there is another player. Finn mentions someone else. “The last person who sought to treat the Dreamers in their worlds as a source of power was stopped before he could perfect his methods.” [21] If we take the dialogue at face value, we could infer Finn is referring to Derek. Upon looking behind the curtain, Derek became power hungry and sought out the Bittersweet Trio. When time was rewound, he was silenced and put to rest. However, that doesn’t make sense with the context of Chapter 3 Part 12, when Auron stumbles upon Derek’s journal. It could be Yandere Finn, who has in past videos made references to other worlds and realities, and a “pathetic mage.” [22] But again, this doesn’t track. To our knowledge, Finn is unaware of the different versions of himself.

If Faust was Finn’s fellow steward, I would propose that Auron was their predecessor. Auron has residual memories of his past life and of Evalas. There’s that portrait of the old tower above the desk in his office. He calls himself a Dreamer very pointedly during his conversation with Jessie. [23] The description of the [REDACTED] playlist reads “Storyteller? Quaint, but I am the ink, and these are my pages.” [24] Auron is a writer, a Dreamer of Dreams. Shattered is his side of the story. This could be a message from his point of view, directed towards Finn, possessively, smugly maybe. To explore how Finn and Auron can have opposing morals and goals, look no further that the Squid Game simulation. [25] Auron is labeled Player #218, while Finn is labeled Player #199. In the Squid Game series, Sang-woo (Player #218) deceived Ali (Player #199) in order to survive and make it to the next challenge. In the YV simulation, Auron wins the final game against Finn. Although created for fun and likely the biggest reach I’ll make in any theory post here, it’s interesting it worked out like that. (Source Finn is labeled Player #001, so yeah it’s more theming than actual plot relevance. Disregard this blurb and let me have fun.)

PART 6: Three Things

Three is a magic number, as the saying goes, and can be an effective writing device. The number three is prominent in the connected Yuuriverse works. As of now, there are three connected series: Bittersweet, Shattered, and Echoes of Evalas. The Bittersweet Trio are a group of characters that are connected on emotional level, and more powerful for it. Finn, Faust, and Auron are a mysterious trio grouped together due to a possible connection to Evalas and the magics Finn experiments with. There is said to be three portals to the Dreamers realms, which is mirrored in the cape Source Finn wears. [26] And finally, there are three Finn fragments—garden, bunny, barista—that were created from the storyteller.

There is the concept of the Rule of Three. The law states that energy of any sort put out into the universe will be returned three-fold. [27] We see this in action in the story of Bittersweet. Small offers of kindness and understanding in the beginning leads to forgiveness and unbreakable bonds. It is strongly implied throughout the later episodes of Chapter 3 that the Bittersweet Trio is powerful. [28] Derek and Jessie could have used them, and Finn confirms that those in Evalas could harness their power as well. [29] The continuous cycle of love could make the trio unstoppable.

Looking more into Evalas, the concept of the afterlife and soothing the souls of the deceased brings to mind chthonic deities and the underworld in Greek mythology. Hecate the gatekeeper, Hermes the guide, Hades the king, all have a role to play in the grand scheme of things. [30] Perhaps Faust, Finn, and Auron will be revealed to have played similar roles. The Underworlds is made up of three planes: Elysium, the Asphodel Meadows, and Tartarus. [31] Elysium is meant for heroes, a paradise where all aspired to go. The Asphodel Meadows is for the normies, left to wander in grayness. Tartarus is well know for imprisonment and punishment. The three portals to the worlds of the Dreamers may parallel these locations.

PART 7: One Hundred Percent Certain That We’re Not Sure

Obviously the story isn’t over yet. Not even close. The Bittersweet trio are finally going home to deal with the aftermath of their excursion. Jessie and Seth have cut ties. Auron has found the breadcrumbs Derek was following. Charlie’s off on his own. Finn is an enigma. Faust is nowhere to be found, waiting to make his grand reappearance. There are still countless unknown variables that will reveal themselves in due time. And we’ll be waiting.

Characters and scripts written by Yuurivoice Artwork created by Jackie Eleanor Sources (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)

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