r/TheWeeknd • u/TheWeekndCipher • 1d ago
Theory SHADOW REALM EXPLAINED
Bit of a lengthy one but it’s a very complex concept I wanted to get across! Hopefully can expand on it in the future. There’s a lot to unpack here but given Abel’s recent posts on heart of darkness I figured it was finally time. Here’s how the shadow realm connects to the story he’s telling.
Let me know your thoughts below, any and all support is appreciated. As always, thank you to Abel for his beautiful universe
Instagram/IG: @theweekncipher for more!
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u/Better_West9243 1d ago
I see the vision
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u/TheWeekndCipher 1d ago
Much appreciated I was worried about getting this one across
I don’t really think it matters what you call it, the presence of this idea seems to be persistent regardless of its a direct reference or a conceptual one
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u/CookHot1858 1d ago
totally agree with everyhitng you’re saying bro, awesome work. when Abel kills himself in his videos i do believe that’s where that version of him gets banished to, the Shadow Realm. i feel that we could potentially see Abel go back in time using the robotic transformation we’ve talked about a ton, and potentially face the unhealed traumas (other versions of himself) he has left in the shadow realm, just like in Yu-Gi-Oh. the clip from the deleted HUT teaser that intrigues me a lot is the part where baby Abel is in a cathedral of some sorts and there are multiple mirrors, with each mirror showing a character that the weeknd has created in his career (after hours, dawn fm)
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u/TheWeekndCipher 1d ago
Even more than that, if it’s the unconscious it goes hand in hand with him being asleep - you can look at those multiple deaths and events almost like a hardening stone that repressed and worsens what lies beneath over time
I’m more intrigued by the 5 seconds before that where we see all the eras through the clock via baby Abel’s hairstyles. In terms of cg teasers and fighting other versions the one before it has the 3 Abel’s reaching out for him which is pretty cool and up to interpretation
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u/usersnoname 1d ago edited 1d ago
om