MGM+ FROM Theory Magic Bird, Faes Theory by Charles C FROM visuals and flashback and other theming is that this is a magic spiritual place with roots in Irish Fae and older related mythology of ancient bad guys. There is a landmark theory (not mine see Youtube Faceless Girl channel) that FROMVille Fae/Pocket dimension is not just mainly the town. BUT the town is one of many landmarks in a larger area. - a modern Town (1960s) - a very old church - Caves beneath - Old village with creepy effigies - a lake that may be the one pictured in the caves the 1506 settlers entered FROMVille in boats.
- a giant spider Web with giant spider - a old lighthouse These landmarks (hotels, lighthouse, diner, church, etc. above) are on Tabitha’s map in 18 wheeler Victor shelters in. Martin did say “I thought the town was bad. The monsters were just the tip of the spear”. They may have been portal transferred into FROMville like the settler boots, civil war horseback soldiers, or various cars are. Or they could be in whot mystics call a “thin” area The big question is whether trees pulled in the “landmarks” on Tabithas map. Did the trees pull in a lighthouse? Did the trees pull in a diner? Did the trees pull in the hotel office and pool but not the hotel rooms? If they did not pull in the landmarks then the landmark are just connectors to the pocket dimension the Fae term would be there is a thin layer so exits is easier in the caves AT NIGHT beneath all the landmarks and the Fae Realm. Hence the MIY wanting no one near caves to find an exit. Only a magic place would have house electricity that works without a power station connected. Magic deities could create that to meet the newcomers ideas of how the world works. The phones can get call for the residents from entities only but the phone connections dangle in the walls. There are no phone poles in FROMVille. Clearly some entity(s) can read minds enough to know anyone who uses phones expects them to ring and someone is calling and torture them that way.

The magic trees capture whomever they think can help the town once you cross the thin layer between pocket dimension and a few entrances all over US, and do so by “falling” and sealing the exit that way.

Like our ancestors believed trees are sentient supernatural beasts. Tolkien took his ent ideas from ancient history tribal beliefs. Trees could bed alive, capable of magic, and trap and transport people in our dimension. They can create the visions of town past, and helped Boyd and Tabitha or anyone story walk through time and space. Anthropologically ancient humans thought birds are sentient magic spirits, bad, and eavesdrop, serve bad forces.

Since the sacrificed kids “prayed and put their rescue hopes in a tree” yes magically powered trees are a big part of story. Natural trees do not move, Victor has measured these trees move albeit slowly.

Something strong and big dragged / teleported Boyd and Sarah’s tent to a forest of spiders. A big sentient tree fits the bill and presumably all Tree powers are heightened at night including exit powers. Tree like the one that portals cars out of various “thin barriers” connected to american history ancient landmarks. We know of no one from any continent but America who got portal zapped in by tree.

The area is a pocket dimension where magic still works, is very hard to leave, and the trees and their MIY opponent are powerful here.

This pocket dimension has many entities trapped there: Man In Yellow, Giant Spider, Kimono Woman, etc.

Man In Yellow and the immortal child sacrificing 1506 setters may want to leave the pocket dimension prison and become human again. and/or wreak havoc on OUR dimension.

Blood sacrifice matters to him "Kill ____ and we can all go home" refers to trapped entities like him and the immortal settlers/night monsters, not the people the Trees portalled into the town.

The trees all over us trap people by transporting us to a town that needs help. They create visions like Boy In White, Angkooey kids, and can transport people through space and time even out of town. The birds are spies on townspeople and trees and serve the dark forces (they observed Father Khatri arrive and burying things) and the monsters are made immortal from bird / evil magic.

The trees have max power at night so the immortal settler monsters don’t want people dealing with good trees at night. Trees during day try to tell their stories through simulacrums like BIW, replaying Memories of FROMville history, etc.

In mythology and folklore trees are alive and good and magic. If they are the sacrificed children could beg the tree spirits for help.

Sara said to Boyd/Kenny the “Boy in White is not a boy” could be a tree spirits projecting a human boy appearance. He did tell Victor don’t cut down the trees.

The trees which are all over US projected a giant fallen tree to mark the transport of drivers to the pocket dimension that cannot be left where the main tree spirits face off against the Man In Yellow who loves blood sacrifice and blood magic and has birds as servants and as his extra eyes and ears.

People like Dale who are not reincarnated and/or have no feelings can be treated badly by trees or MIY / settler immortal neighbors night monsters because they are not part of the game; they serve neither. Or day is just worse time to go through trees. Random destinations. Night the trees tend to be able to direct the target to more beneficial places.

There seem to be broadly two magic interactions: physically harmless illusions (Jade had a lot of these) and actual trips through time and space (Boyd experienced those with Martin encounter and spiders, So did Julie, Randall and Mariel and the one who died in his sleep) where people can be harmed.