Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-16502426-20131006204844/@comment-16502426-20131021222509

Random theory time. Nothing says this isn't true, it has as good of a chance of being true as any theory. But is it any more likely than any other theory, or even that likely at all? Not really.

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What if the same thing that makes Forever Fall all red is somehow related to the origins of the Faunus? Perhaps it is even what causes Dust to exust. Scenario:

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'Man', the ancestors of both Faunus and Humans, have fought off the original Grimm. Some wish to live in Forever Fall and other similar places (there seem to be several red spots on the map), because they have deep spiritual significance, and are considered sacred, being the sources of dust.

However, it is known/discovered that prolonged living in these areas (not the dust itself, the location) causes mutation, leading to animal-like traits. Some people (who later become the 'Humans') interpret these mutations as the mark of evil, a return towards barbarian, animal roots. They wish to leave and set out to conquer the world and build great cities, only returning to the lands of dust to mine it.

Others (who later become the 'Faunus') interpret these changes as being a move closer to the peace of nature and the sacred characteristics of dust. They wish to stay near the sources, live a simple life, and harness the power of dust to simply keep the Grimm at bay.

The two split. The Faunus knowingly accept the changes to their bodies, and thus are shunned as animals. The Humans leave the red forests, and set out to rid the world of the Grimm.

Many generations pass, and eventually much is forgotten about the early days. All that Humans really remember about the Faunus is that they are disgusted by the fact that they are more animal than them.

As populations increase, the Faunus begin to have to live outside of the red forests. They still, however, have a deep connection to the forests. As human population increases, so does their demand for Dust. Large mining corporations such as the SDC send mining operations into the red forests.

In the human population, distrust and racism against the Faunus who are living among humans grows, especially as more and more Faunus move out into the human world. The convieniently unavailable fact is that they are being displaced by mining operations. Some resist these companies, or occasionally even strike out at them.

To combat this, the dust companies use their influence to sway public opinion even further against the Faunus, wildly blowing the few violent acts out of proportion. This eventually leads to the relocation of all Faunus to Menagerie. Of course, "It's for their own good. A place where they can live as they wish, without having to be bothered by Humans".

The Faunus don't exactly like that. Unlike the Native Americans, they actually have the means to fight back. Once the first battle is waged, more and more Faunus join the fight. Still, they are losing. Backed up against the threat of worse conditions than before, they get a break in the form of a tactical blunder by the general mentioned in Ep. 12. They capture him, and with the upper hand, bargain for peace shortly after.

However, the "equality" they negotiated is anything but that. They may now more than ever be living alongside humans (a good number having not returned to their forests after the war), but Human hatred and bigotry is there more than ever. They hit a low point, and only after a handful of generations do they even begin to gain a significant amount of support from some of the kinder Humans.

They protest for their rights, but like the American Civil Rights movement, they are met with hateful opposition, false concessions, and very slow progress. Fed up with the situation, the White Fang, as we know, becomes more aggressive and violent. They even go back to waging direct war against the Dust companies.

And there we are.

TL;DR: Greed, world domination, racial cleansing, corruption, racisim. Sounds pretty realistic to me!