unforum

[DaturaStramonium]

[Toadbert]

[BlankSlate]

Maybe the Ark IS death. There is no other escape from slendy.

[Spritey]

[Toadbert]

It does sound possible, but why would totheark need Jay and Tim working together to lead them to killing themself?

[Spritey]

[Xicon]

I'm going to say it one more time.

There is literally no evidence that the ark is anything but a metaphor. The only places we've seen the phrase "to the ark" are in the channel name and in the videos made by the channel. If we're going to take the ark to be some super important key to the mystery that is Marble Hornets, why aren't we looking for the lakes that, in stillness, are going to kill everybody one night? Why aren't we looking for the doors unopened? Why aren't we trying to figure out every other piece of cryptic shit that has come out of that channel? Just because this particular piece of cryptic shit has recurred three times? Yes, that's right, it's only been said three times.

No, the ark is, at present, far more likely to be just another cryptic term from our creepy mutual friend. I find it more likely that it is simply a metaphor referring to the resolution to the conflict with Alex and the Operator. Until such time as a character actually makes reference to some tangible thing, we have no reason to assume the ark is anything but a metaphor at best, except for delusion.

EDIT: Since I saw someone mentioning frequency of mentions of the ark, I'll point out that it wasn't mentioned at all in season 2. It was mentioned in the channel name, in Entry ######, and in Decay.

[Toadbert]

It was also mentioned in the last frame of Exit.

[Jingleman]

Three years of buildup for a metaphor would be pretty anticlimactic. Of course, the word "ark" is more about the connotations of a refuge or safe container, whether for people or objects, than any literal meaning as a box or boat. In that sense, almost any use of the "ark" label takes on some degree of metaphor and poetic license.

Still, the fact that the channel name and presumed self-proclaimed name of one of the central antagonists of the series focuses on a quest "to the ark" is such a strong indication that it's more than just whatever the climax of the story is, that I can't believe that it's merely a metaphor. We just know nothing about it.

In fact, if we're talking about what there's "literally no evidence" for, then there's literally no evidence that it is a metaphor. All we know about it is that TTA thinks it's something to which Jay will lead him. It could literally be anything, real or imagined. We have no evidence either way. That being the case, I don't see why the default position would be "metaphor" in a series where impossible, supernatural things happen all the time, and defeating the main antagonist would apparently require something more than natural means.

"Lakes in stillness" were just code for "LISTEN." "Doors unopened" was about calling Jay back to the house. Most of the cryptic stuff has been fulfilled or solved, and even where it hasn't, most of it is just one-off riddles. The "ark" keeps coming back. It's in the channel name. It's in the description of almost all of TTA's videos. That makes it different than the normal crypticism.

[Lithp]

Since we're talking about this phrase again, I first interpreted it as "the Ark is The Operator."

My thought process was that The Operator was a freaky faceless thing that made people disappear. Like Death. Also with the usage of "him," it sounded like he wanted to be lead to a man. Like SlenderMAN. And the whole thing sounded like it was referring to a single subject.

No idea how that could work now, but there you have it.

[ReverendJ]

[Jingleman]

[Xicon]

[Jingleman]

Haha, absence of evidence that it's literal isn't evidence that it's metaphorical. Besides, "doors" were literal. A lot of people think "the twins" were literal (real, anyway), as Masky and Hoody. Alex's birthday was literal. "The trees" was literal. "Watching you" was literal. Every time TTA mentions the ark, it is as something reachable. "Where is the ark?" "You will lead us to the ark." "He will lead me to the ark."

The only conclusion anybody's jumping to is that the ark is a completely mysterious, but probably reachable, thing that could fit the description of nearly anything that gets introduced in the series, physical or otherwise. But in a supernatural series that will require more than a metaphor to survive, with only this one thing mentioned repeatedly as an ultimate goal, the onus is on those who would say it's merely metaphor to show evidence, not the other way around. It's presented as if TTA believes it's real; therefore assuming it's merely metaphor is the unfounded leap.

And the word "ark" appears in the description tags and channel name of dozens of videos, plus the direct mentions in the videos, over the course of three years. That counts as buildup that an "ark" is important. "What we know" about the creators is debatable and subjective and most importantly, OOG.

As for disappointment, even if it's not real, they are going to have to address what TTA thinks it is. That will be enough either way. And don't tell me you wouldn't be disappointed if they fail to mention it all, not confirming it either way. Then you'd have to deal with "the ark is literal" theories until the end of time.

[Lithp]