#Clancy was supposed to be a Bishop

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glossy flume
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Theory: Clancy was a Bishop in training to be the 10th bishop of Dema but got his mind wiped for questioning the lessons taught to him.
Evidence:
1. Clancy was raised by the bishops.
On the Dema website, the image se__lf.jpg is of a young boy. The image being called "self" means that it is Clancy as a child. When that image was reversed search it gave us the connection to Andre Weil, a french mathematician apart of the real life Nicolas Bourbaki group and one of the only names of that group to appear as an actual bishop in the canon. The full image is of this young child standing with Andre. If this is Clancy the full image, in the canon, is of Clancy standing with an uncloaked Bishop as a young child and not the Bishop of his village. Odd. Unless the bishops were raising him as one of their own.

2. Clancy only noticed the walls in his 9th year.
"Naturally, to fuel my hope, I looked out upon the distance of land that had cultivated me, only this time a new awareness of the obstruction that my youthful ignorance had allowed me to overlook. Was it that the whole time? How had I not seen something so obvious?" (988 06MOOON 18). Clancy goes to look at the land of Trench to make him feel better, "naturally", like this is something he has regularly done in the past. However, he is met with the walls as if it was the first time he noticed them. "How had I not seen something so obvious?", what if, while in training, he lived in the towers in the middle of Dema. The towers look above the walls and out over the landscape of trench. But in his 9th year of schooling he began to realize how corrupt his lessons were and questioned the bishops too much. So they wiped his memory and sent him to Keons village to live out the rest of his days as a citizen.

MORE BELLOW v

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3. Clancy isn't some random escapee.
First questions: Why would Nico take a random citizen beyond the walls? Clancy states that he first escaped by "trick[ing] Nico into taking me outside the walls. I created a fiery diversion. I escaped." (I Am Clancy). Why would Nico take a random citizen beyond the walls? Why would Nico listen to the request of some random citizen who isn't even from his district? Unless that citizen was important or special in someway. Second question: Why haven't the bishops made attempts to retrieve the other Banditos? If the Bishops know that the banditos are real and are escapees why haven't they gone after them? In the Levitate music video, why do they only target Clancy when they have the opportunity to take down the WHOLE CAMP? Why do they seem to target only Clancy? It doesn't add up. Third question: Why would Josh go and risk his life and the lives of the banditos for some rando who got snatched? Unless, they had never seen a bishop come out to retrieve someone before. What if Clancy getting brought back in was something that had only occurred with him? If he realized who and what he was while with the banditos it could mean the down fall of Dema so they can't let that happen and must retrieve him.

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4. Clancy is an exception.
Clancy can do what only the bishops do. Seize people. Not only that but the bishops can seize him while he is still alive! Clancy rights about the events in the Jumpsuit music video from a 3rd person perspective. He states that he hid in a cave and watched it happen. From that description he says, "The presence of the robed rider seemed to paralyze the man. He stood still as he was approached, powerless as the outstretched hand smeared his neck. I had never seen a Bishop possess power like this." (018 07MOON 018). Clancy later connects that what he saw was actually him, “Legends and stories that I assumed were myth, inspired by children’s nightmares - talks of what the bishops would use the bodies for. Those ‘honorable’ citizens who achieved The Glorious Gone - referred to as available vessels. It all begins to make sense. The episodes I would have: the blood red vision, my dreams of flying, the out of body account of the rider in the river...Had we all been “seized” by the bishops using this same technique?" (022 03MOON 18). In the I am Clancy video Clancy says, "We call it 'seizing.' The rules are that you can only seize or control a dead body, and only for a short while. Also, they, the bishops, are the only ones who can do it." But Clancy was alive in the Jumpsuit music video and yet was able to be seized... he is different, he is special.

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Additional theory and more evidence
5. Clancy is the child of Keons
Keons is constantly described as being very nice to Clancy and comforting to him.
1: "While we had heard legends of the ruthlessness of other bishops, Keons possessed a stoic demeanor unlike anyone I had ever met, and we were all proud to serve." (988 06MOOON 18) 2: "Keons had always seemed gentle and warm - this Bishop, at least out here, seemed like something else." (018 07MOON 018). 3: "Keons approached as the sun rose one morning. I wasn’t scared, I was relieved. After all that he had taught me, his presence was the most comforting moment that I had in days, and I couldn’t help but be happy to see him. In true Keons fashion, he wrapped his arms around me, then put his hand under my face, looked me in the eyes, and said 'Clancy, child, let’s go home.'" (019 01MOON 22). 4: "The only difference was who was waiting for me. Four of them. Three of them were unknown to me, but one was clearly Keons. I know his voice." (022 03MOON 16) 5: "At the end of the session, Keons would take my pen, gather my writings, and send me back. This went on for months." (022 03MOON 16). The bishops seem to know the Keons is a comfort to Clancy and make him retrieve him from another escape attempt, or take him back to his room after the writing sessions. They think his presence will keep Clancy passive. Not only does Clancy feel and report a closeness to Keons but we know Keons reciprocates guardian like feelings because he sacrifices himself to save Clancy from the clutches of the bishops in the end. They obviously share a father-son like bond. (This also opens the door for a very fun Father, Son, and Holy Ghost comparison)

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Conclusion:
Clancy was meant to be a bishop and doesn't even realize it yet. Perhaps in Next Semester we'll see Clancy regain his memory from his training and how Clancy was kicked to the curb for passing his class because he understood the material too well and was demoted for questioning it moral implications.

upper dome
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this is making me think on another level

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but fr, all of this matches up and i can't think of anything that would contradict that

tropic osprey
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its always bothered me that we got a whole letter from clancy dated to joshs birth date , if clancy is supposed to be tyler then he wouldnt even be born yet

twin cave
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the whole thing with clancy tricking nico to take him out of dema is the most insane thing about the i am clancy video. like ..just dropping that really specific plot point with no prior hints at that being what happened. it's so weird and it definitely points to him being closer to the bishops than other citizens

burnt surge
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fire ass theory omg

pearl halo
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this makes so much sense! Especially in the sense that the bishops are his worse fear and emotions and sometimes your worst enemy is yourself, so he was meant to be something negative in his head but instead turns it around.

uneven cave
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A note that may support this theory, but may be partially headcanon: The black paint. The black paint is worn by Bishops, and it is a tool that Bishops smear onto citizens in order to control them.

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Let's look at concerts now.

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During Scaled and Icy era shows, Clancy is putting the black paint on himself in a ritualistic manner. During this time, he is being used as a propaganda tool for the Bishops. But when else did we see Clancy put the paint on himself?

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Blurryface era shows.
Which may represent Clancy's life before he requested to be taken outside of Dema.

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Clancy's life as a Bishop trainee, when he outwardly embraced the aesthetics of the Bishops but inwardly wished for a different life.

terse temple
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I've thought of this before too because why would Clancy have all the abilities that the Bishops do? Why is it titled "Nico and the Niners", which to me reads as Nico and nine others (so 10 total)? Why did Keons have such an affinity for Clancy?
"Save half of your taxes then overtake your former self" I agree, I think he's gonna learn about who he used to be and use that power/knowledge to take down DEMA

uneven cave
lime dove
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What if the paint spreads up his face like it has been spreading down his chest and it covers half his face like the bishops?

uneven cave
fleet nymph
lime dove
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Like he doesn’t want to show it…

uneven cave