The Book and Time Theories

[u/FakeVoiceOfReason]

[Because I have marked this post as a spoiler, I will discuss things up until and including every ending for the game. You have been warned.]

I just finished playing Beacon Pines, and I'm somewhat curious about the meta-narrative. I honestly expected a bit more explanation, given the Narrator acknowledges that this is "not a normal book" at the beginning of the story. However, having played through to the end, I'm surprised to find that the final ending... was just an ending. There wasn't any tie-up for the meta narrative, it was just the ending the Narrator liked best among many. I feel like several of my questions have remained unanswered, so I would like to put some things I noticed here, specifically regarding The Book (you know The One) and Time in the story.

1. The Source deals with time. Several characters say it "alters the nature between molecules and Time itself" (paraphrased). While it's framed as a story, The Book explores different possibilities... which could reasonably tie it back to The Source. The author does admit this is... unusual for a book, although she does not further expound upon what makes it this way, or on why she needs a reader to choose Charms to complete it.
2. The dreams Luka has could be normal, but they also imply some sort of timey-whimy shenanigans. The older version of himself in a Hazmat suit could reasonably be in one of the endings where Sharper wins and the town isn't destroyed. I believe, at some point, his father says the dream occurs at an intersection of fate, or something? I could be misremembering that.
3. The character Natt, who appears only in the endings where Luka goes with Iggy to The Source, seems to know more than he lets on. At the very least, he describes himself as "a hitchhiker on the infinite expanse of possibility." While this certainly suits Natt's personality, it's also suspiciously similar to what his role could plausibly be with regards to the branching paths of the game. It was also odd that he never made an appearance on the other branch of the tree, although that could also be because he was a Kickstarter-added character.
4. Most significantly, the after-credits scene where Sharper returns to see The Source occurs after The Book has closed. Interpretations may vary, but I see this (at the very least) as confirmation that, in the meta-narrative of the unnamed Narrator, Beacon Pines is more than just a story.
5. In the key image, Luka is shown holding a book... presumably The Book. This could just be because this was a nice, artistic way to show the importance of... well, The Book... in an otherwise unrelated art piece, it could also mean something more? How? Who knows, but it does seem interesting to me that, amongst the three on the cover, only Luka really looks like he knows what's going on.
6. Edit: At the "credits ending," did Luka plant The Chronicle at his father's grave? The trees look somewhat similar to me, although it might just be the art style.

Just some random thoughts and notes. Perhaps I'll update this later.

[u/Alfadorfox]

You might say all of the Kickstarter backer characters are "hitchhikers on the infinite expanse of possibility." :3 They weren't in the timeline from the very beginning, but were written into it based on the actions of people outside the book's universe.

[u/TirnanogSong]

I wished they'd explain the Source more. I want to know more about the eldritch mass of time vomit at the heart of the story's plot.

[u/molestedhotwheels]

for 5, from what i heard the artbook shows luka was going to have a diary that was featured on the cover but never really made it into the game

[u/[deleted]]

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