Quote Originally Posted by ferroaj View Post
Eyes are traditionally "windows to the soul". In the LO's case, their eyes are still clear, which is why I'm thinking these are some human/zombie hybrid. They still have a hint of clarity, of humanity. We don't have much evidence of it, but I believe the Little Ones are really smart. Eyes also communicate intelligence--think to all of the people who describe an encounter with a whale or dolphin "you can just look into its eyes and you know that it's thinking". I think they're perfectly capable of learning, planning, using tools and technology. Plus, they're developing physically and it only makes sense that they'd be developing mentally too. It's possible that the transition from human to LO just resets all of the synapses of their brains. The infection grows valves and arteries on hearts, so rewiring a brain isn't too farfetched. It's almost like they're children all over again -- relearning how to manipulate their environments to get the outcomes they want. From then on, it's operant conditioning. Good behaviors get repeated; You learn from what you observe, so sit in the shadows or hang in the trees and watch. If they can still understand the concept of death (something a normal zombie doesn't even consider), they can feel danger, maybe even fear, which would further encourage careful planning and risk analysis.

I'm pretty stuck on the idea that Ink is their creator, and we know there are at least 12, right? I love the idea that we have NO idea how many he's created. He could still be creating and numbering away in his lab. The fact that Ink numbers his creations intrigues me. Normally, things that you care about (even lab subjects) have names. Numbers are the opposite of humanizing. Numbers are for criminals and masses. The Jews in Auschwitz were tattooed with numbers, too. The human survivors are clinging to names as a societal comfort, and they get uncomfortable when that is taken away, like Kimmet's refusal to read Carl's nametag.

So what if their selection isn't so much an honor. Maybe it's a punishment. It could explain the self-inflicted wounds too. It could be repentance, a pain response, a response to psychological trauma, who knows? Maybe retaining some humanity is actually a curse for the special ones... Maybe they can still feel all their human emotions?
I think the 'self-inflicted wounds' we see has something to do with the way in which the virus is passed, at least as far as the little ones virus is. Based on the crummy teeth, and previous theory of choosing who to turn and who to eat, I think they scratch more to turn, not bite. Think of a little one scratching a human, it would be a crazy big scratch due to those nails, and if you grow substantially following this to be a 6' + ADLO, the scratches would make sense to grow as well, making them more prominent.....They may appear self-inflicted, but perhaps they are just the means of turning.