After the ending

[Ani]

okay, I started thinking about this at work the other day and it stuck. That short has one of the most depressing endings I've ever seen, since reading 1984.

If I understand this right, at the time that the short was starting, 9 and 5 were the only two still left alive, and the catbeast made sure to cut those numbers in half. So 9 kills the catbeast and lets the souls of all his friends and comrades go free and turn into rain or whatever they were doing....

Now, here's what bugs me. 9 REALLY got the short end of the stick in this case. All his friends are now gone and turned into rain, and the only thing that was a threat is now destroyed. What else is there for him to do? Just sit around and wait for death? I doubt that, since in the movie they were apparently all up and about for over 50 years before 9 buggered his way into town and the sh*t hit the fan. And there didn't seem to be any noticeable signs of decay in their soul juice power like forgetfulness or weakness compared to how they were in the flashback in the film, so it'd be safe to assume that if they AREN'T immortal, they live exponentially longer than any human would.
There's also killing himself, but then, would that really work? He doesn't really bleed, he just apparently feels extraordinary amounts of pain, enough to black out at least when 5 spotted him through the telescope (which, if he DID bleed, he probably would've been dead before 5 could've gotten over to help him) so if he did try to kill himself by stabbing or jumping off the top of a building or something, he'd probably just become immobilized and in a world of hurt. Probably the closest thing to committing suicide he could do is blasting himself with the talisman. But then there'd be nobody to let his soul out and he'd be assigned an "And I Must Scream" fate.

He COULD spend his time exploring the entire earth, but then, there's two problems: 1) He's still got that whole semi-immortal thing going, so once he explores everything, what then? and 2) he's got at least a couple hundred centuries or so before he says anything he could have to call a companion. And at that point, he'd probably have gone completely insane from isolation.

So basically, what I think is this:

For the next couple of years or so (maybe less) 9 starts exploring around, gathering parts and building things only to realize that he has no one really to help with them. He then starts talking to himself to feign conversation or companionship. Then he builds up to talking to his dead friends who aren't there and responding to nothing. Then, he either gathers up their corpses or builds little stand ins to represent them, for instance, a golf ball with black yarn glued to the top would be 6 and he starts placing them around his home to make it seem like they're all busy or relaxing, or whatever and starts having conversations with those instead until he becomes completely out of touch with reality while the newly humid environment and bacteria from restarting the life function on earth cause his inner workings to start to seize up and rust while his fabric starts to decay slowly from decomposition finally starting up again, with 9 not noticing it happening due to his being completely out of touch with reality in his own happy little world with all his friends until finally, he's completely unable to move at all.


Yeesh, I hope somebody can provide points against that... it's kinda depressing me... o-o;

[Annadesu]

The ending is left open to interpretation, so I wouldn't say any of your theories are out of the question.

My thoughts: In the movie, as you said, 9 woke up after 50 years and the "shit hit the fan". But the "short" 9, in his alternate universe, seems to have known everyone; especially 5. So it's very likely that they all had discovered their purpose together, but got picked off one by one until only 9 was left. But walking off into the sunset with his lightstaff, he intended to fulfill their purpose alone. Perhaps in honor of them.

What's the purpose? Probably something to do with life returning, as the end of the full length movie suggested (the rain drops with little glowing organisms in them. But obviously, it's not rain in the short that makes life return. It would need to be something else). I think Shane said one of the sequel ideas was 9,7, and the twins having to shepherd in a new life, or deciding to stop it. I personally can't imagine 9 (of the short) would just wander around and talk to beach balls with faces painted on them ("WIIIIILSON!!"). Actually, I don't think short!9 could even talk at all. o.o Maybe have a cockroach friend like Wall-e? There's many possibilities. XD

And that is my two cents!

[Ani]

Yeah, but even if life WAS returning, it's not like it would rain and suddenly there'd be bugs and fishes and animals and plants the next day. It'd likely just take as long as it did after the earth had just cooled off from a ball of lava. So he'd probably have gone crazy from isolation or loss of purpose before any truly noticeable life appeared.

And I'm not saying he'd just immediately start talking to inanimate objects, but it'd build up to it after a long enough time. After all, everyone has a deep rooted need for companionship and if there's no one alive, the next best thing would be to create someone to keep you company.

[Annadesu]

How do you know it would take that long? Flowers could be popping up within 15 minutes. It's a talking doll cartoon, magical green rain, and talismans/alchemy. XD Maybe he would make things acceptable for life, and then deactivate? Maybe he needs to plug himself into a machine and it would harness his soul-energy? We don't know; and I think that's what was intended.

[Ani]

I was just using logic. It wasn't explained so I'm assuming it follows SOME form of natural laws other than something like Status Quo is god...

Wasn't the whole soul rain thing supposed to make things acceptable for life though? Why would 9 need to do more?

[Inkweaver]

I'm actually writing a fanfiction series called The Truths that follow the end of the short.

I can provide a link or a summary if someone wants

[Annadesu]

I understand where you're coming from, hon. My thoughts are just... this is a science fiction movie, in the end. If Shane Acker wants the glowing green rain to make flowers pop out of the ground, he will do so.

The "soul rain" suggests life returning. But in what form, I could not tell you. Shane's interview about a sequel said one idea was that 9 and the others would Shepard in the new life (or choose to let it die out again). But it gave no further explanation.

The rain isn't even present in the short, so there might be another way to do it.

I did, however, read an interesting theory where the rain changed all unnatural things into living organisms. Like... it would soak a wrench, and the wrench would turn into a flower. And the characters themselves became living creatures, like mini humans.

But I keep talking about the movie's ending, not the short's. XD

[Inkweaver]

^omg that's what i did. When the rain touched something ie a piece of paper, the paper folded into a human shape, and there were then paper-punks. I also did the same with glass and wood

[Ani]

I was pretty much following that the short has the same basic function as the movie, but it likely doesn't. XP

also, why does it sound hilarious for 9 to be shepherding in new life? He's like, what, 6 inches tall? I'm pretty sure most animals that would be large enough to live in an "us" sized world would use him as a chew toy. XDDDD That would be hilarious to see too, like a wolf pup or something pouncing him and shaking him around in it's mouth... XDDDD

[Annadesu]

Maybe it was your theory I read, Insane-Alchemist! I read it... 5 months ago, or something like that. I honestly don't remember.

Ani, the short and movie are different universes in themselves, and they are both alternate universes of our reality. So no, it probably dosen't. The mental image of 7 riding a horse amuses me, though. XD The twins chasing after a butterfly is freaking cute, though << *fanart plotting*

[Inkweaver]

the twins would probably just try to catalog it and then try to figure out how to fly!

[Ani]

Well, I assumed the film was just a retcon of the short, so it would follow the same made up science. Sort of like the new star trek movie. But yeah, I get it now.. Different universe and all that. Though there wasn't really anything I can recall in either film that said it was a different universe. But I didn't look at any viral information or the commentary so you'll definitely know better than me about this sort of thing. XD

[Annadesu]

Ah, I see. XD Shane (and multiple others) described the movie as an alternate universe 30s/40s, if that helps you.

[Ani]

Well, yeah, I knew that it was alternate universe Nazi Germany, it's obvious from all the black, red and white flags and the Chancellor; Gadolf Shpitler, but I wasn't aware that the short and movie themselves were separate universes from one another is all.

[0xym0ronic]

Dec 3, 2010 23:54:38 GMT -5 Ani said:

Well, yeah, I knew that it was alternate universe Nazi Germany, it's obvious from all the black, red and white flags and the Chancellor; Gadolf Shpitler, but I wasn't aware that the short and movie themselves were separate universes from one another is all.

Yeah, I can see some references to the movie, I.E., 9 being able to talk, the rest of the nine having different appearances (if you look closely, at the end, they barely have any difference from one another), or the souls descending into the sky and turning into rain--in the short, they just sink into the ground and who-knows-what happened afterwards (maybe they turned into soul-fertilizer and made plants grow? Sweet!). I think they both take place in different universes. The short is an alternate universe (AU)--therefore, the movie's an AU of an AU, and fan-made depictions are either an AU of an AU, or an AU of an AU of an AU! Fun to think about, really, but I'm trailing off of what I wanted to say.

I'm thinking that stitchpunks are practically immortal, both in the short and movie, so long as they--or at least the thing that houses their soul--stay intact. But by injuring them they'll feel pain and, depending on the injury's severity, either live albeit feeling perhaps slightly weaker, or, worst of all, eventually get weaker and weaker to the point of death. And, their body will eventually rot away, very, very slowly, but surely. However, unlike us, it doesn't matter if they're dead or alive. They'll still rot, a lot like zombies. (oh look i’m trailing off again) And this means that after a couple o' centuries, or maybe a millennium, 9... Well, can't really do anything anymore, just like you said.

Additionally, after a while, he goes mentally insane. His perception of time gets faster and faster, eventually too fast for basically anything to count. One minute it's day, the next millisecond it's night, then day again, until the sky looks like nature's epilepsy-inducing disco party. But perhaps early on in the course of this long period of time, he'll do something that could change the course of history?

Too lazy to wrack my brain for possibilities, but I'll try.

He dies from natural causes or otherwise, learns what this whole "alchemy" thing is about and tries to ressurect his friends (with or without success), builds a giant, uh, thing rather than wasting his time just walking around... Well, I'm spent. For now.