String theory and the cycle

[RichKiller]

So recently @RadZakpakshowed me a quote from Tag, which hopefully will allow you to see the storyline in a new light.

Here is the quote from Tag, coming from Samantha: 
 

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The four are connected through the Aether. Their souls are linked to it. Interwoven and intertwined.
If the universe were held together with tape und bits of string, they are that string. Pull the string, it all unravels. It falls apart.

 

This quote compacts a lot. Recall the SoE note from Richtofen:


So here we are introduced to the idea that there is a string holding the universe together. As Richtofen describes it,
115 is the fabric of space-time, the multiverse, what holds everything together. 

 

String theory, of course, is a well researched topic in physics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_theory
In the zombies storyline, that string is taken literally, as it ties the whole universe together. 
The SoE note has further image coming from the wiki page of worldlines, a sub-topic in string theory (as well as references to worldsheets and world volume):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_line

 

 

Similarly, in the following interview with Jason Blundell, he associates the craziness of Aether by "its spaghetti" (16:35). 
 

Below we have yet another reference to the space-time fabric, in the following cipher. Once again, we can think of the fabric as literal fabric made out the 115 string. Changes to the 115 amounts within the fabric imply the collapse of space-time, i.e the collapse of the dimensions. 

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Richtofen must understand that using these teleporters to jump between dimensions is both dangerous and imprecise. At any point, the fabric of space-time could collapse if the proper amounts of 115 are not maintained. l am also concerned about the unknown effects of trans-dimensional jumps. l have noticed even with my brief travels that new memories and emotions have flooded my mind, suddenly appearing from nowhere. l am also sure something is happening on a molecular level as well.

 

Furthermore, consider the following cipher as well: 
 

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Kronorium Excerpt 349561223:
The Summoning Key is one of the oldest artifacts in all creation. It was used by the first one to mix all the dimensions with life, giving each one its unique balance. Under certain circumstances, it has the ability to form bridges between dimensions allowing the transfer of life forces back and forth. It resides in the 63rd dimensions of creation.

The first one used the summoning key to tie the mix the dimensions with life, but more specifically, the lives of the main four. We have a further cipher talking about this topic, showcasing Monty's plan as given by Maxis:
 

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Edward, as you know it is imperative you and the group find the exact versions of yourselves that I have highlighted in each universe. Only by killing that version of yourself in that particular universe at that particular moment in time will we be successful once each of you other selves are killed across all the universes. Remember, we are only immune because we opened the portal in France but I am afraid this might not be permanent. I fear there is something M isn't telling me and that there is not much time left for us.

The later part really means that the main four are removed across all the universes, further brought up in the following interview with Jason Blundell (8:23):

As said, the main four are the string, pull the string, and the universe falls apart. 

 

We can further see what Richtofens plans to do in the note:

 

"A universe has been born... the others must be undone..."
Here we can see yet another glimsp into Richtofen's goal, which is to prevail and survive the collapse (more on that later) in the final universe. 
The word "undone" is particularly interesting. The above discussing makes things clearer: Undoing means undoing the tie, i.e untying each universe, one by one.
There are two more interesting references to "undone". The first comes in the song Carry on from Tranzit:

Quote

Calling me the one, I'm undone
And they'll all run from the chosen one (1 5)

The second one comes from the following SoE cipher (There's no X at the end): 
 

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M is interested in these worthless beings.
All his work will be undone.

With the SoE note, we can tell that the work here is the multiverse itself. M is mainly the code-name for Monty in the discussions of Maxis and Richtofen, and so it seems that Richtofen believes that Monty created the multiverse, saying that his work will be undone. This may mean that Monty is "the first one", using the summoning key to bind the souls of the four with the multiverse.
 

Spoiler

That being said, string theory also has in part a sub-theory named M-theory:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-theory  Here, the one who came up with the theory (funny enough, named Edward), suggests M should mean "magic", "mystery" or "membrane", and the true meaning of M should be established once the theory is complete. M-theory also uses in part "Knot theory", which is the mathematical fields studying the math of knots and ties. 
This whole M-theory seems like interesting/funny coincidence. 

The plan is to separate the souls from the different dimensions, as the dimensions are represented by parallel 2D surfaces (worldsheet, if you will: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldsheet),
and the arrows show the path the souls take, from the dimensions, to the summoning key, and from then to the house. Just like the summoning key was used to mix life with the dimensions, it is now undoing that process, and unties the souls. 

 

Now comes to question: If we only kill one certain variation, the Ultimis test subjects, how do we erase all the versions all together?
This is where the cycle comes to play. Multiple quotes talk about how the souls of the main four are shattered to different pieces. Here are a few examples: 
 

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"Bit by bit, piece by piece. I will bring order to the Universe. "- Richtofen, DE

"Broken, shattered, and scattered. This is my life."- Richtofen, DE

"Mein Gott... what have I done?! (pants) Stop it Edward. Breathe. (pants) It's okay... it's okay. This is important.
This is what you have to do. Even if another part of you dies, each and every time." - Richtofen, TG (The Giant)

 

In each iteration of the cycle, Richtofen collects another fragment of the souls. This is particularly interesting as Richtofen kills his child self at the same location in space-time, i.e dimension 2210, and again, we get the souls from the frozen Ultimis test subjects. 

 

Except... the cycle as we see it in BO3 is not the only time where the main four die:
 

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It's not all bad news, Nikolai. We may have failed in our mission, but at least there is one less Richtofen to deal with. If it is any consolation, tell him that the first one was the hardest. I should know, I've killed at least three Richtofen's. There was the one in the fire, the one with the boat hook, and the one - what? No one told me. Sorry, forget what I just said. Everything will be fine.

Here Nikolai in the radio talks about the death of Ultimis Richtofen, telling TG Nikolai to comfort, Primis Richtofen, telling him the first one, the child, was the hardest to kill (as given in the above quote, as well as others).
Nikolai says his death was not bad, as they have to deal with one less Richtofen, and that he killed at least 3 others (note that Nikolai struggles to remember how many Richtofens he kill, saying "at least three").
But as we know, Primis Richtofen did not use the summoning key on Ultimis Richtofen in the TG intro, and he did pick something that he tries to keep secret from the others (worth saying I've seen lately the theory saying he picked the radio which he uses to communicate in DE, however notice that in this radio he communicates with Eagle's nest, and so the communications goes via the P.A. system of DE and Moon. Also there is then no point for Richtofen to hide the truth. Besides, this part seems to be one of the planned storyline knockouts). 
Nikolai then turns to find some truth, telling TG Nikolai to forget what he said. As we know a part of the lie, there might not even be a soul to pick at that point, given the multiple references to Zombie Richtofen at that cut-scene. 

So we know there's a crew trying to kill Richtofens. We got a lot of knowledge here regards how the universe is functioning. Is Richtofen really going the right way? There are multiple references to Primis Richtofen as a fool, or in other words, unwise: 

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"Wisdom means little to the unwise."- Comic issue #5, Cipher #3

"The agents of chaos must be controlled"- Comic issue #3, Cipher #1

Given the discussions regards the soul fragments, the following quotes The Giant are particularly interesting: 
 

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Nikolai: Your words are empty, your soul is hollow. How could you ever hope to put things right?
Richtofen: Nikolai, I realize that I'm often hostile towards you, It's simply because your ideologies are diametrically opposed to mine.

 

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"Are you nothing but an agent of chaos, Richtofen? Many years have we hunted you..."- Nikolai, TG

 

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Takeo: You have a great disdain for the German, why does your hatred run so deep?
Nikolai: Do I really need to explain that? I mean, really?! Have you forgotten Richtofen's thirst for chaos? He is a monster... an animal.
Takeo: He is a... troubled soul, I can see it in his eyes, but a monster? Huh, I think not! 

Richtofen describes their different approaches as opposed to one another diametrically (i.e the furthest from each other). From a more deeper (yet basic) analysis of The Giant we can tell that the Primis crew that comes to The Giant comes to stop Primis Richtofen. However, as said, they do serve a purpose in the cycle by killing Richtofens, but seemingly have stopped due to understanding this leads only to the chaos Richtofen brings to space-time, leading to the collapse of space-time:
 

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"You may have destroyed the very fabric of space and time"- Takeo to Richtofen, TG

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"Damn it Richtofen, I thought we were done with this"- Nikolai to Primis Richtofen, TG intro

The ideas here can be further reinforced with a full analysis of TG. As said, the coming Primis crew really thinks Primis Richtofen does harm, and as Takeo describes it, using again the theme of the string: 
 

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"The future hangs by a thread, you must awaken the test subject."- Nikolai to Ultimis Richtofen, TG intro

There is a lot more to talk about here, as always. I do want to lastly talk about "the vessel for Maxis":



The vessel for Maxis, and more related repeating quotes revolving the Origins intro, show us the plan Richtofen brings many times: 
 

Quote

 

I must work quickly, there is so much to do, a vessel for Maxis, the staffs, the opening of the gateway.

 

This plan is repeated many times, in different variations, as a part of the 115-induced delusions Primis Richtofen experiencing, with the main part repeated planned in his mind as seen in Origins and other maps. The vessel for Maxis in Origins refers to Richtofen's securing Maxis' mind and putting it in the drone, which is then used to secure Maxis into Agartha. 
Recalled that Samantha describes the string as something that tied the souls of the main for to the universe, and there are "Interwoven and intertwined."
Interestingly, Richtofen has the following quote from Origins, via interaction with the Maxis drone:
 

Quote

"Once again Maxis, our lives and deaths are intertwined"

 

Richtofen believes his fate of Maxis are tied together by the the string of the universe. Therefore, if Primis Richtofen wants to live, he needs to secure the live of Maxis as well. By that law, Richtofen needs to be interested in "the vessel for Maxis", whether he goes by his own plan, or someone else's.

That would be it for now! Again, there's a lot to dive into in many aspects, including more about the cycle, the souls fragments, Samantha, fate, and so on. The storyline is really interconnected together with a nice thread, everything is tied together to one another and so I always feel there is another part of the puzzles to showcase. If you have any questions feel free to comment below. 
Thank you for reading, and hopefully you enjoyed this thread (no pun intended P= )!
 

[clueless]

What a lot to take in! My mind is actually blown from this, more brains to you! I think the idea of what Richtofen did to his Ultimis counterpart's body is important in the moment but as you pointed out it may have been a direction cut short in favor of another. I need to read this again to absorb more of it before having a more in-depth discussion about this, so I'll end this with my initial thoughts - WOW!

[anonymous]

Great thread, Rich, thank you for sharing it. That stuff about the Stringtheory and Worldlines really goes beyond what my brain can comprehend. Also cool find about that 'M-theory', I think this is no coincidence. Given the references to worldlines and the stringtheory, Blundell knew his stuff regarding this topic, and I'm quite positive he also bumped upon that M-theory. M of magic, mystery...or Monty?

 

Question here: Do you think teleportation via the MTD or via the Red Portals (seen generated by the Summoning Key, weird rooms in Shadows of Evil and the Corruption Engine in Revelations) differ in how they work? I've always considered matter transference as matter-->energy through aether-->matter at another location, whilst Red Portals may be literal vowing of our 3th spatial dimensions, generating a wormhole.

Also, what's your idea about the big holes seen in the sky in Origins and Gorod Krovi. Why are these portals so much different than the small ones we see in Shadows, Revelations, etc

[RichKiller]

5 hours ago, anonymous said:

 I'm quite positive he also bumped upon that M-theory. M of magic, mystery...or Monty?

Yeah that's what I was going with. Again, not entirely sure if that was intentional or a coincidence. Regardless, that's a part of the fun. 
 

5 hours ago, anonymous said:

Question here: Do you think teleportation via the MTD or via the Red Portals (seen generated by the Summoning Key, weird rooms in Shadows of Evil and the Corruption Engine in Revelations) differ in how they work? I've always considered matter transference as matter-->energy through aether-->matter at another location, whilst Red Portals may be literal vowing of our 3th spatial dimensions, generating a wormhole. Also, what's your idea about the big holes seen in the sky in Origins and Gorod Krovi. Why are these portals so much different than the small ones we see in Shadows, Revelations, etc

Those are good questions that slightly deviate from the thread here but I'll try to connect them.
The overall topic of different teleportation methods and their associate color is interesting overall, but as with other color problems such as the zombies eyes and 115 it's tough to properly say what's going on. Regardless, we can something regards the different rifts we have in the game.

The name in the files for the SoE rifts are refered to as keeper portals:

  

 

 

We also have of course the Apothicon Rift stone, having an Apothicon Rift as well. 

 

 

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"Complete the Ritual! The gateworm's energy must be released!"- Shadowman, before starting the final PaP ritual. 

There is also a rift used by Maxis, who leaves a message in the dimension:
 

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To any survivors of this realm, I am truly sorry. I wish I could offer you some words of comfort, but I cannot. It is my hope that I can rid the universe of the evil that has plagued us for so long. But in my heart, I know many more dimensions will be lost forever as we continue our journey towards peace. Forgive me.

This connects to the previous discussion: Maxis and Richtofen, with the help of Doctor Monty of course, destroy the universes one by one, in order to save the final universe, which Primis Richtofen and Maxis wish to be in. 
 

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Remember what I told you Edward, the scars left by Samantha's past actions allow us to communicate across the rift. Follow my words: I will find you. When you release the beacon, I will secure your extraction and destroy the site. Remember, the burden is yours to carry Edward. The others must never know the truth

We can also hear these rifts during The Giant EE: 

The rifts are "tincy-vincy" (actual quote) holes in the fabric of time and space. Thinking of the Aether as an actual fabric, the rifts are truly the fabric being teared apart, like a scar in a more alive entity, with blood flowing through it's veins. The flow is more tied to different theories of physics, Aether theories, and even computer science. This also includes the the wormhole theory you brought up. 

 

 

 

 

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Kronorium Excerpt 27101978
The life force from the dead world allows the bearer to flow with all creation.

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Richtofen must understand that using these teleporters to jump between dimensions is both dangerous and imprecise. At any point, the fabric of space-time could collapse if the proper amounts of 115 are not maintained. l am also concerned about the unknown effects of trans-dimensional jumps. l have noticed even with my brief travels that new memories and emotions have flooded my mind, suddenly appearing from nowhere. l am also sure something is happening on a molecular level as well.

Quote

In these dark days, I find myself clinging to the belief that there may still be a way to set things right. Though my understanding of the ethereal realm remains limited, I am convinced that the manipulation of the energy fields within all matter is vital to uncovering the dimensional gateway itself. It is my sincerest hope that somewhere in the realm beyond my beloved Samantha still lives. I can only pray that Edward will have the courage to fulfill the vow he made all those years ago.

 

 

I think it would not be right to limit the interpretation of Aether into one specific concept. This story is really the mix of all of them together (6:04):
 

 

So to answer your question, I'd say the different rifts are more associated with who opens ("Samantha's space-time scars", "Apothicon rifts", etc.)  and their purpose (communication, moving souls, a door for the Apothicons, etc.), rather than the physical explanation behind them. Regardless, if this post learns us anything, is that we should explore the different associates behind explanations, in and out of physics, and also that we should consider the literal meaning of certain concepts. Going back to where I started this comment, this is all a part of the fun.