#hylics theory

[braxiations]

What is Hylics Canon? - The Accretion

Preamble/Disclaimer

Hi! This post will be a bit different from my previous analysis and theory posts. Unlike those, I'm going to be doing very little theorizing or speculating -- at least, that's not my primary goal. What I want to do today is go over everything we know about "The Accretion," a vague event referred to numerous times throughout Hylics 2. Additionally, I'll try to draw some conclusions about what I think is Mason's authorial intent with the Accretion. I'll do my best to walk through my logic and view multiple sides, and whenever I speculate or make a stretch I'll try and be clear about it.

Before we start, I want to apologize for if I come off as rude or dismissive of certain headcanons or interpretations. Later on I'll be tackling 3 of the main theories I've seen floated around and I intended to be critical and clear when I think they contradict the established canon. However, I do not mean to invalidate these interpretations. Hylics' lore is very interpretive and vague and "canon" isn't something that needs to be strictly abided to. If your interpretation conflicts with what I've shown here, that's perfectly ok!

Basically, my post is for people who either care about adhering to canon or are just curious as to what evidence there is. That being said, let's jump in!

The Basics

"Gibby! Emerge from that vessel. The Hylemxylem was a failure. Only now does the Accretion's long dark age begin to subside." This dialogue, said by Wayne to Gibby before the final battle, is perhaps the only piece of required dialogue referencing the Accretion. This paints the Accretion as the cause of a "dark age," although it's unclear what this entails, which the Hylemxylem threatens to begin again. Many have taken this to indicate that the Hylemxylem caused the Accretion, but there isn't substantial evidence for or against this. It's certainly a valid possibility.

"Back when the accretion hit, the strongest gesture was buried." This line, spoken by one of the Waynes at Waynehouse is one of many indications that the Accretion was an event. Many other pieces of dialogue have wording that confirms this, this is just the first the player is likely to encounter. I bring this up to dispel the idea that "the Accretion" could be the name of the dark age itself.

This is also the first instance we see of the Accretion being claimed to "bury" things. This might indicate that certain objects either hit the ground with such tremendous force that they sank deep in. Alternatively, the Accretion might have actually produced a layer of matter that buried objects on the surface.

Known buried objects: - Disthlarn Moon. (New Muldul NPC: "When the Accretion buried the sage's great ship, Disthlarn Moon, my wife and I were stranded here on the surface.) - The Bombo-Genesis monitor (The TV Wayne and various other NPCs. The monitor is in Disthlarn Moon so this makes sense.) - The labyrinth ("The key is ancient. Whatever door it unlocks is likely deep underground, buried in the Accretion." Said by Smuldunde, referring to a key that unlocks a door in the labyrinth.)

You'll notice that many of the things explicitly listed as buried in the Accretion are specifically those that belong to the Sages. This makes sense given what we'll discuss in the next section.

"A great gesture may oppose Gibby. But accretions place it beyond our reach, and embolden his agents as they seek reconstitution." The Sage of Accretions gives this line, and like their name it confirms that the Accretion is just a singular instance of an accretion, and in fact there have been multiple. The Accretion, denoted by "the" and also capitalized (at least by me, the in-game dialogue is inconsistent) may have just been a particularly damaging one.

Given that a Sage of Accretions exists, they're likely not all catastrophic and could be somewhat akin to weather event. They happen from time to time and aren't necessarily bad, but under particular conditions or if emerging suddenly, they can be a disaster. These are all just assumptions though. Accretions could happen over massive spans of time and the Accretion is only referred to as such due to being the most recent. As we know that the "great gesture" referred to here was buried in the Accretion, the fact that multiple accretions place it beyond their reach may indicate that smaller accretions have occurred since. This is all just speculation.

The Age of Sages

"Our empire was undone by a sudden accretion. Only the cabinets recall its grandeur now." This line, spoken by the Sage of Monitors deep beneath Viewax's Edifice first establishes an "Empire of the Sages" and the idea that that empire was undone by the Accretion. The Empire of Sages is also referred to by Pongorma and Gibby. Pongorma specifically refers to Disthlarn Moon as a "remnant" of their empire. This indicates rather clearly that the "Age of Sages" as I've decided to call it was specifically ended by the Accretion, which cast the labyrinth and Disthlarn Moon deep into the subterranean.

"The surviving sages hid themselves, one in Viewax's edifice, another under the fortress at Foglast, and a third in those halls which recently held this ship." This line from an NPC within Disthlarn Moon directly implies that many Sages perished in the Accretion. The mention of three survivors is interesting in regard to the other three Sages we know from Hylics 1. This is something we'll talk about later in the theory section.

This provides us a pretty solid layout of events. For a time, the Sages led a prosperous empire. However, a sudden accretion ended this era of prosperity, plunging society into a dark age.

The Cabinets

An often overlooked detail is that the arcade cabinets provide some of our only looks at the world of Hylics before the Accretion. The cabinets can be presumed to have been built by the Sages, given that they protect items like the deep key that corresponds to the Sage's labyrinth. We see many within Viewax's Edifice in complete disrepair, with only one functional, as one might expect from ancient machines caught in a catastrophe.

The Sage of Monitors also remarks that "only the cabinets recall its [their empire's] grandeur now." This may suggest that the games within the cabinets are actually designed to tell important stories of the Sage's empire or hold information. This would make sense given the story we see play out, which follows a Wayne transforming into the Sage of Satellites. It's not a stretch to suggest that the Sages chose to immortalize the ascendance of one of their own.

With this in mind, we can use what's seen in the cabinets to date certain things to the pre-Accretion times.

A flag bears the image of Odozeir and Gibby, suggesting they're not only older than the Accretion but were even allied back then.

The, or a Hylemxylem, seen in the background. It resembles the reconstituted Hylemxylem in Hylics 2. This is probably the previous Hylemxylem before it grew into the Moon seen in H1.

A structure resembling the Waynehouse. Notice the egg pod in the basement, the bathroom, the bedroom, and the tv.

At least one Wayne (the player aka "Sat-Wayne.")

Poolmen

Coutures

Truculents

Numerous kinds of airships

Various other enemies

The labyrinth and drill site also indicate what species existed before the Accretion, albeit less directly. Tyros are depicted in numerous statues in the maze, and a tyro in the drill site seems to refer to a herd of galliforms as being pre-Accretion (although this dialogue is kind of vague and could refer to the labyrinth itself.) The labyrinth also has a pool hooked up to the Afterlife, implying that it existed back then too. There are also numerous enemies found inside the labyrinth which one could assume were sealed down there in the Accretion, but they may have crept in through breaches in the structure or other means. I'm not comfortable saying they're definitively pre-Accretion, although I won't disregard the possibility.

There is another character heavily implied to have lived before the Accretion, Pongorma.

This dialogue amounts to show us that Pongorma lived during the Sage's rule, and I believe we've successfully concluded earlier that the Accretion is what ended their empire. Thus, Pongorma is pre-Accretion. This fits in well with his introduction in the first game: we find him sealed away within a vault "through long ages."

The Three Main Theories / When Did it Happen??

Okay, so this is the real meat of this discussion. I'm going to lay out the three main theories I've seen discussed and go over evidence for and against each of them. I'll also be making the case for what I personally believe to be the canon intent of Mason lindroth.

Theory #1 - The Human Extinction theory: It is widely accepted that the world of Hylics is a post-human one, following some kind of apocalypse that wiped out humanity. This theory suggests that the Accretion is the event that caused this. Note that some believe humanity didn't necessarily die, but rather that they were transformed or evolved. Regardless, this event is what caused humanity to stop being human, which is really the only thing we can prove or disprove. I'm going to say "extinction" for simplicity.

Theory #2 - The Moon Crash theory: This is the only theory of the three that actually proposes a cause for the Accretion, being the crashing of the Moon at the end of Hylics 1. This theory states that, after Wayne's crew killed Gibby and trashed the Moon, it crashed into the planet, causing the Accretion.

Theory #3 - The Other Apocalypse theory: This theory is kind of vanilla compared to the other two. It just states that the Accretion happened before Hylics 1 (and presumably long after the extinction of humanity if you believe that to have also happened.) Because this theory says so little definitive about the Accretion, it's sort of the default if the other theories are disproven. As a result, it's the theory I personally subscribe to, and I will explain why below.

This is where we get into harsh, potentially theory-"disproving" territory, and I want to again reiterate that I don't intend to invalidate anyone's personal interpretations, I'm just speaking in terms of what the games show us and what I think to be canon. That being said...

The easiest of these theories to """disprove""" is the Human Extinction theory. This comes from the views of the pre-Accretion world given to us by the cabinets. The world depicted in the Accretion is very Hylics-y, still comprised of clay, having Hylics-age species, and no traces of human civilization or typical Earthen life. Even if the world and the people in it underwent some kind of transformation and the Sages and Pongorma were originally human, this directly shows that clay species and landscapes existed pre-Accretion. There are a few explanations for this, hence why I put "disprove" in quotations. One could argue that only parts of the world were clay'd at this point, or maybe the scenes depicted in the cabinets have changed over time as did the world. I personally find these explanations kind of contrived (the former would make the Accretion seem nearly redundant if the world is already transforming, and the second would make it incredibly strange for the cabinets to "recall" events if they can't recall them accurately.) There's also the language in which the Accretion and its ensuing dark age is described. Wayne calls it a dark age, and Gibby seeks to return to the Age of Sages' grandeur by forging a new zone. The "dark age" in this theory wouldn't just be a more stable society, it would be a completely different world that, to put it simply, none of the characters we know would fit into. It seems especially odd for Gibby to want a return to this sort of world when the fortress he launched transformed the inhabitants into surreal creatures. Personally, I find the Human Extinction theory to be uncompelling. While it can't be outright, factually disproven, explanations for it require inelegant contrivances. There isn't really any evidence for it either, and in my opinion it removes depth from the world's history.

Now we'll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the Moon Crash and Other Apocalypse theories. First, I'll give what (to my knowledge) is the main evidence for the Moon Crash theory. As Oxford Dictionary defines it, "Accretion" can have a few definitions, but two are primarily relevant to us. 1. the process of growth or increase, typically by the gradual accumulation of additional layers or matter. 2. the coming together and cohesion of matter under the influence of gravitation to form larger bodies. The second definition, astronomical in nature, is particularly intriguing and relevant, especially with Hylics' themes of moons. This brings light to the idea that maybe the Moon crashing into the planet is what caused the Accretion.

"Pongorma, you witnessed the empire of the Sages." Here, Gibby speaks directly to Pongorma as someone who witnessed the empire of Sages, something we previously established ended at the Accretion. This heavily implies --but again does not directly confirm-- that the other characters didn't see the empire. Why would Gibby call out Pongorma specifically if what he was saying applied to everyone? And, if the gang indirectly caused the Accretion, how could they have not witnessed the time before it? There's also the general language with which the Accretion is spoken of. As previously mentioned, Wayne says the Accretion caused a "long dark age," and Smuldunde says that the labyrinth must be "ancient." The monitor containing bombo-genesis is also called the "monitor of the ancients," indicating that the Sages must be viewed as ancient too. While Hylician lifespans and therefore general scale of time may be amplified compared to ours if that was the case we would expect adjectives such as "long" and "ancient" to be equally stretched. However, there's no indication that such timespans have passed since Hylics 1. It'd be especially odd to refer to a time as ancient if most people were alive for it. While Pongorma certainly was, his age is portrayed as an exception. Although I understand that this is ephemeral, the general vibe is that only a few years have passed (or whatever the equivalent is to Hylicians.)

The only evidence against the Other Apocalypse theory I can gather is how the remaining Sages are described. One inhabitant of Disthlarn Moon says "The surviving sages hid themselves," going on to describe the locations they're found in. Another says "Tokens from the three sages." This could be taken to say that only three Sages are currently alive, which would imply that the Sage of Computers, Brains, and Monitors from the first game have since perished. Otherwise, there'd be six. I would like to counter this with two possible explanations. For one, this dialogue exists specifically to tell the player where to find the Sages. If the NPC also said "another sage can be found in the hall of deadly statues," players would be confused because that location doesn't exist in this game. It'd defeat the purpose of this dialogue in the first place. Secondly, we know that the Hylics 1 and Hylics 2 locations are different, evidenced by Somsnosa's dialogue about moving away from her island home from the first game. It'd make sense for the NPCs to not be discussing Sages from distant lands. If you were talking about a natural disaster in your country that only left 3 politicians alive, no one would correct you saying "actually, there are plenty others in other countries!" That's simply not what you're talking about. It's even possible that the Accretion wasn't a worldwide event. The Hylics 1 location could've been unscathed and thus be equally irrelevant.

Conclusion

An analysis of all the dialogue referencing the Accretion brings us to a few conclusions I find to be rather sound.

The Accretion was a particularly sudden or strong instance of an event called an accretion. This particular accretion buried numerous objects like the labyrinth and Disthlarn Moon, as well as ending the empire of Sages and plummeting the Hylics 2 location (and possibly others) into a long dark age. "Only the cabinets recall its grandeur now." We know that Pongorma, Gibby, and Odozeir witnessed the time before the Accretion, and it seems likely that Wayne, Somsnosa, and Dedusmuln did not. As indicated by the cabinets, the previous Hylemxylem (likely the one that later became the moon) existed before the Accretion. The labyrinth shows us that so did the Afterlife. The pre-Accretion world is shown by the cabinets to be similar to the current one, still made of clay and containing many of the same species. Given the general language in which it's discussed, it's likely that the Accretion occurred before the events of either games. Less catastrophic accretions may have occurred since the large one, further burying Disthlarn Moon, but this is unclear.

I hope you all enjoyed this analysis! It was tough to write because basically everything is vague, and with this vagueness, it's tough to not rope in a billion other subjects and ideas. I ended up leaving out quite a few things because otherwise, it would've come out even longer and more bloated than it already is. I might make a follow up post containing every piece of dialogue I could find about the Accretion, the Sages, and their associated artifacts, just in case there's something significant I missed.

#hylics #hylics 2 #hylics facts #hylics analysis #hylics theory

[chemol-2]

hey guys. yknow Old Wayne from hylics 2?

yeah this guy.

yknow how its kinda implied that he’s the wayne from the first game? well.

i do know of another yellow, crescent headed character from hylics 1....

thats right, baby.............

WAYNECAT

#hylics #wayne hylics #old wayne #hylics theory #genuinely this is a theory. what if old wayne is just wayne's cat

[apple-cores]

OH, CARSORO!

(hylics 2 third anniversary wooo)

theory in which the Sauoplits were betrayed by Odozeir, for their loyalty he had promised them an artificial sage that would protect them long term. they either gave flesh or several Sauoplits were mashed together, and he wound up using it too early to protect the ritual instead. it was grotesque and now its head and theyre horrified. so they abandon him, but Odozeir can naturally swing new crowds...

#hylics #hylics 2 #carsoro #odozeir #Sauoplit #theory under readmore but i hope i did a reasonable job conveying it whatever im too chicken to peer review this too hard

[shed0kryptz]

super gayrio from the throwaway question i asked (this clip is spoiler free but if you haven’t watched the stream i recommend it !!!!)

#this stream was awesome btw !!! #i may post more clips soonn #hylics #absent moon #is mario queer ?1?1? game theory ??1?1?1?1

[c0dyc0la]

i was rambling in a server and i really wanna share this publically given Absent Moon was released about 3 days ago now, I have been fixating on Hylics And I've been listening to the music and I think i have a general theory on what I think the 3rd game is going to entail Odozier, upon the death of Gibby, worries that he will no longer serve a greater purpose. In desperation, he makes a new moon king, bathing in in terrestrial juices to strengthen it Given how Warpo are made (they are Wayne larva who have been fed a diet of nothing put poolwine), I think the new Moon King will be a Wayne. A larva forced to be hardened. Forced to become something stronger. A predecessor for Gibby. After all, it was Wayne who defeated Gibby, so obviously Wayne must be stronger in some way. I have a few ideas for the player character -They are a descendent of (Playable) Wayne -They are a descendent of Dedusmuln -They are the Moon King Wayne The first one is easy to explain- of course the main character would be the kid of the original main character The second one is a bit harder. There is the one teaser Mason posted, there is a humanoid figure with a face shape similar to how Dedusmuln's is. Likewise, it'd be shifting the main focus from Wayne to Dedusmuln, much like how the antagonist is shifting from Gibby to Odozier (in some effect) The third one is kinda hard to explain why I think why. There is the one teaser where we see what appears to be Odozier in some form. The character from the previously mentioned teaser does appear to be in front of this Odozier. My fourth, and probably silliest option, is that -We swap back and forth between the Hero Character, and the Moon King Wayne. Because perhaps they are closer than we think they are. Perhaps they were friends in younger years. Something like that. But it would be interesting. Perhaps we get to see the suffering Moon King Wayne goes through as they're shifted from a Wayne into,,, whatever they will end up becoming. I also think the game will focus on the cycle of rebirth Waynes go through. I think Hylics 1 & 2 Wayne will be depressed. Going through the endless cycle of "Eat, Sleep, Die, Repeat" (or I suppose, "Eat, Sleep, Die Over and Over, Defeat the Moon King, Repeat). I think Pongorma is also going to be affected by this in some way. In the end of "As The World Begins To Wane", it repeats "when will the cycle end?" Perhaps the entirety of the Hylics crew is all affected by this cycle. They are all doomed to fighting, dying, winning. Over and over. And it's become boring. Likewise, I note the title "The Champion of Ennui/Into The Pastel Sky" "Ennui" is a term relating to being bored because of lack of an occupation, or lack of excitement. Wayne is bored of the cycle. And perhaps he wants to die, and be pulled into the pastel sky. maybe the ending of hylics 2 was trying to say something deeper. I don't really know. Tbh, its 4AM and I'm kind of just getting all my thoughts out. I'm sure my friends are tired of me rambling about it all the time lmao

#hylics #hylics 2 #absent moon #mason lindroth #chuck salamone #theory posting #<- maybe? #idk im just rambling

[eldritch-elrics]

only a game like hylics 2 could make me love the turn-based combat (not a video game mechanic i often enjoy) but hate the sidescrolling platformer section (one of my favorite game genres)

#finally playing hylics 2!! it’s REALLY good but the movement’s pretty clunky lol #platformer section is a great idea in theory but man was it rough in practice #my post #hylics

[pik-star-memeland-adventures]

I have this weird theory that Hylics, Bit.Trip, The Neverhood, Armikrog, and BoomBots happen in he same universe.

#hylics #bit trip #boombots #armikrog #the neverhood #theory

[go-go-devil]

The Fullest History of a Hylic World

It has been three years now since I began obsessing over the purposefully vague worldbuilding of the Hylics games, so I’d say now’s about time I finally share with you all MY personal interpretation of how this world and its many ages were sculpted!

Without further ado, please enjoy my absurd history lesson 🌙

In an unknown year during an unknown age, the planet’s celestial satellite began to soften. Less than a year later the satellite, or “Moon” as it was called by the planet’s original denizens, fell from its orbit and drenched the earth in a thick, viscous matter. 99% of the flora and fauna were crushed under the weight of the moon and melted beneath it but not entirely killed, instead becoming a living terrestrial ocean.

Once the moon matter hardened into a sturdy clay, pockets of life begin to mold themselves out of the soil in the form of thin strands of clay piled on top of each other. This era is known as the Age of Insects.

It is speculated that this event occurred simultaneously alongside the final death and/or reconstitution of the few surviving mutants of the previous age, all too obsessed with their last remaining arcades, televisions, and metal detectors to attempt to rebuild their old world. Those that accept this theory title this parallel age as the Age of Non-Sequiturs.

Metamorphic beings with self-awareness evolve throughout the island chains dotted across deep, viscous oceans. Surviving electronic carapaces join them in conscious thought, displaying pictures that inspire them to create more advanced tools and architecture. The Age of Self-Actualization begins.

Grand cities are constructed (ex: Amulom, Yiithorn, etc.) as well as microwaves and paper cups. Gestures begin to be recorded onto televisions without the need of a VCR. Some computers are later domesticated, whilst others evolve further. Boats and flying ships are invented too.

The existence of the Afterlife is well-known amongst all hylics and is treated as sacred, as there are no ways of accessing it outside of dying.

Certain hylic individuals dedicate their beings so closely to understanding certain unknown aspects of their lives that their bodies begin to morph into new forms. These larger forms allow them to achieve higher states of consciousness via psychic inclinations, and thus they are labeled as “Sages” by the hylics. 

Alongside this phenomena, distant memories of the moon begin to show themselves in rock formations and living beings. Some beings view the existence of a now-absent moon in reverence, constructing pottery and even a television in its image.

The Great Conflict is fought between the Sages and a terrifying force hellbent on conquering the entire world and subjecting all beings to their violent whims. It is the first major battle fought for the sake of the earth, and it lasted a decent length of time by hylic standards. Only after defeating their most powerful general, a psychic homunculus they created named Fuller, did the conflict finally end, though some forces still survive today and wish to take what is rightfully “theirs.”

An underground building project near Amulom accidentally unearths an opening to the Afterlife. Wanting to heighten the potential of all hylic life so no more conflicts will ever be fought again, the Sages join together and construct the Hylemxylem. The massive organism uses its tendrils to suck up terrestrial juice from the Afterlife below in order to convert it into raw energy and transmit it across the atmosphere. This ushers in the enlightened Age of Sages, which lasts for a good length of time by hylic standards.

Whilst the ‘xylem persists, certain moon-obsessed beings who disagree with the harvesting of terrestrial juice begin construction on an alternate method of utopia. After many, many years, it is finally pulled out of the atmosphere and set to orbit the planet as a celestial satellite. This creates lurid controversy, but nothing too obscene.

Having taken too much juice from beneath the earth, the Hylemxylem implodes on itself. The resulting deluge of terrestrial juice engulfs most of Amulom’s archipelago. Alongside this, many of the technological advancements such as cabinets and paper cups become buried and nearly forgotten by both the remaining and future hylics. This calamitous event becomes known as The Accretion.

Gibby, self-proclaimed King of the Moon, finally makes himself known across the planet. Taking advantage of the chaos left in the wake of the Accretion, he convinces the populace that the Sages are the enemy of the hylics and establishes his celestial satellite as the single enlightening force. The Sages go into hiding, and after forming an army of soldiers and bureaucrats alike, the King enacts his spell of absurdity to reduce the earthly hylics into a state of lunacy. This, he believes, is the only way to reconstitute the earth and re-establish the Age of Sages he was denied a part in.

A yellow, crescent-headed moon being named Wayne escapes the Moon and finds a nice abandoned house to crash at for a little while. He and his only friend, Somsnosa, find a microphone and guitar in a trash can and decide to make some music. Moonage Lobotomy is formed.

One day Wayne convinces Somsnosa, alongside two other anarchists named Dedusmuln and Pongorma, to fly to the Moon and defeat Gibby once and for all. The Moon is destroyed and sanity is reestablished, but other than a single poet there were no permanent deaths recorded.

A gibbylet of Gibby survives the destruction of the Moon and finds itself in the hands of Blerol, chieftain of the newly established city of New Muldul. After several days of being convinced of its potential destructive power, the chieftain agrees to move it from a display case in his safe to be sealed within a vault on the forbidden island of Foglast.

On a peninsula nearby New Muldul, a population of creatures who call themselves Wayne, birthed by a sage-like psychic known as Old Wayne, is discovered and befriended by the locals. Preparations for Gibby’s potential return are taken seriously by friend and foe alike.

Moonage Lobotomy goes on to release its fourth studio album after the second defeat of Lord Gibby and the destruction of his recreated Hylemxylem, resulting in the highest selling record ever recorded and the first world-wide concert tour. As the tour is going on, Wayne’s species begins to grow, spreading further along other archipelagos.

Some scholars are suggesting that Gibby's reign be known as the Age of Lunacy for self-explanatory reasons, while others insist on calling it the Age of the Accretion as that was the event which kickstarted the long dark age. As of right now, though, no one has a name for this new age yet.

Wayne, lead guitarist of Moonage Lobotomy, is declared missing.

#hylics #hylics headcanons #my writing #been meaning to finally get this out of my system #feels good to write something hylics-related again <3 #also spoilers for the endings to hylics 1 and 2

[vioyume]

A List of Videos on Various RPG Maker Games:

Last Updated: April 25, 2023

Like others I am a fan of the wonderful world on RPG Maker Games, some are more popular than others but at the end of the day, the community for this genre is very small. So once in a while you'll find someone talking about these games.

This list is like a master post of sorts holding a bunch of links to many videos on these games that were made in RPG Maker (Oneshot, Ib, Yume NIkki, Omori, OFF, etc). There are no "Lets Plays" in this list.

Suggestions to this list (Videos or a Game) is welcome since finding these videos in the first place are always a hidden gem!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mix:

RPG Maker Horror Games, Surrealism, and Trauma - Sagan Hawkes (Overall overview of the RPG Horror Genre)

The Lost Art of RPG Maker Games - Thafnine (Yume Nikki, Ao Oni, Ib, The Crooked Man, The Witch's House, Mad Father)

Omori and Yume Nikki: Journey of dreams - Boy Afraid

Earthbound and Inspiration - Nitro Rad

Cult Classic RPG Maker Games - Takune (Yume Nikki, Ao Oni, OFF)

RPG Maker Horror Games Mattered - graymads (Yume NIkki, Ib, Ao Oni, Misao, OFF)

A brief retrospective of some RPGMaker games - Davey Gunface (OFF, Lisa the Painful & Joyful, Hylics, Oneshot, Grimm's Hollow, To the Moon)

Let's dive into The Indie RPG Maker Iceberg [Part One] - Smol Birb (Almost any RPG Maker Game you can think of)

Let's dive into The Indie RPG Maker Iceberg [Part Two] - Smol Birb (Almost any RPG Maker Game you can think of)

Reviewing a Bunch of RPG Maker Games - Majuular (Yume Nikki, Hylics, Toilet in Wonderland, To the Moon, Oneshot, Lawmage Academy, Suits, Fear and Hunger, The Witch's House, Space Funeral)

🪟 Yume Nikki (Original, 2018 ver, and Fangames):

How Yume Nikki Changed Everything... | A Retrospective - Sagan Hawkes

Yume Nikki - Nitro Rad

Yume 2kki - Nitro Rad

.Flow - Nitro Rad

LCDDEM | Yume Nisshi | Answered Prayers - Nitro Rad

Yume Graffiti | ME | Fleshchild - Nitro Rad

YUME NIKKI DREAM DIARY - Nitro Rad (2018 ver)

Yume Nikki - An Unforgettable Memory - Maraganger

The Yume Nikki Iceberg: Facts, Theories, and Absolutely Zero Apparitions! - Post Cards from the White Dessert

Understanding Yume Nikki - SpaceySoundy

Remembering .Flow - SpaceySoundy

UnRequited, Expiate, Usagi | Yume Nikki Fangame Reviews - Frogge

Yume Nikki's Biggest Secret - LOVEWEB - Shadok

¿Qué me he perdido? Episodio 11: Yume Nikki (Spoilers) - ¿Qué me he perdido? (Spanish with captions)

Roblox Yume Nikki Fangames - Flatface

Yume Nikki: An Endless Rabbit Hole | A Deep Dive - SonoSara

Yume Nikki: Ambiguity is Terrifying - NixasHearts

Yume Nikki and the Death Acceptance Theory - mimiyori

Explaining Yume Nikki - What Did That All Mean? Theories And Analysis - Panopticon Theatre

The Yume Nikki Novel You've Probably Never Read - Cicada Wave

What Happened to Yume Nikki Merch? | LOST MEDIA - Zereph

Yume Nikki: Interpretation VS Adaptation - NezumiVA

Why Yume Nikki Still Matters - NezumiVa

Yume Nikki: The Terror Of Isolation - graymads

Explaining .flow - A Rusted Nightmare - Theories And Analysis - Panopticon Theatre

NOMOIDA Reviews YUME NIKKI - NOMOIDA

Interview with Diana June [Yume Nikki: Dream Diary OST] - NOMOIDA (2018 ver)

🪦 Space Funeral:

Space Funeral - Nitro Rad

Space Funeral - A Twisted Reflection of the Platonic Ideal of the JRPG - Ben Saint

SPACE FUNERAL | Videogaming's Answer to David Lynch? - Weather Dependent

🌹 Ib:

The Haunting of Ib - Honey Bat

Ib - Nitro Rad

Exploring Ib and it's Remake - SpaceySoundy

Ib - With Art and Soul - Louicide

Why I Adore Ib and Garry's Friendship - AmorManx

🧍‍♂️Strange Man Anthology

The Crooked Man - Nitro Rad

You NEED to Play The Crooked Man - Ben Again

The Sandman is WEIRD - Ben Again

⚾ OFF:

OFF - Nitro Rad

Just what was OFF all about? - SpaceySoundy

Let's Review: OFF - NekoSuave93

Explaining OFF - A Dying Utopia - Theories And Analysis - Panopticon Theatre

OFF is a Terrible Game (With an Interesting World) - Boss Door

OFF: A Retrospective (Feat. @/NezumiVA) - Sagan Hawkes (Nazumi's YT channel)

Mortis Ghost's OFF: A 10th Anniversary Retrospective - NezumiVA

OFF - Tackling Morality in Video Games - Ben Again

🪚 Sen's Games (Mad Father, Misao)

Mad Father - NitroRad

Misao - NitroRad

О чём была Mad Father - ikorka (Russian)

💡 Oneshot:

Oneshot - NitroRad

Another Shot at Oneshot - NitroRad

Why Oneshot Is The Most Underrated Game Ever - Paracosm

Review: OneShot - A Fox on the Internet

OneShot's Perfect Finale - NixasHearts

Coffee Talk: Behind the Scenes Commentary on "OneShot's Perfect Finale" - NixasHearts

OneShot 2 - Boss Door

My Oneshot at Oneshot | OneShot Review - galxie

🎻 Omori:

Omori - Nitro Rad

Omori Is Beautiful - A Critique on the Modern Horror RPG - SpaceySoundy

Omori Critique: A Narrative Marvel - Engel

The ULTIMATE Omori Analysis - Munt Chunk

OMORI: The Long Awaited Masterpiece - The RPG Monger

OMORI: The Horror RPG that will 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 You. | A Complete Analysis - AssukaTV

How OMORI Breaks You: A Character Analysis | Video Essay - ButWhyLevin

OMORI Black Space II Explained - Sleepy Crest

What is Omori? - Takune

An Analysis of Omori, A True Masterpiece. (Re-Upload) - XaberVI

Review: OMORI - A Fox on the Internet

(OMORI) Why Sunny/Omori is a Fascinating Character | (A Scattershot Analysis) - Serial Introvert

BlackSpace: How to Make a Character hated. (OMORI) - jELeeoo

OMORI and Dissociative Amnesia - Daryl Talks Games (Age Restricted)

Why OMORI has SAVED RPG Maker - ToastyTime

Who is Omori? - GhostsOnVacation

How OMORI Controls You - PoorDesign

How OMORI SCARES You | Analysis of Psychological Horror - Serial Introvert

How OMORI Was Made and Why People Assumed it Was a Scam - ThatGuyGlen

Omori Changes You as a Person - kota

Not Another Earthbound-Inspired Indie Game About Depression - i am error

OMORI Explained Terribly - CrabApples

The Meaning of Omori - WillNgLee

This Is The Darkest Secret In OMORI... | Video Essay - ButWhyLevin

How Impactful Audio is in OMORI - hysteria

Analyzing OMORI's Underrated Final Boss Theme ("Whale Whale Whale") - Grey-Spark

Omori Sunny Analysis | Escaping The Dreamlike Nightmare - JJCGames

Oyasumi Sunny | Omori review - Re-2D (Russian with captions)

Miscellaneous:

These are games where they don't have enough videos to be it's own category. If a game gains more videos then it'll get a category. (3+)

The Greatest Forgotten Horror RPG - Hazel (Re:Kinder)

Grimm's Hollow: The Free Indie RPG That Stands Out - The RPG Monger (Grimm's Hollow)

Escaped Chasm - Nitro Rad

What is Hello Charlotte And Why You Should Play It - starrybunnieboy (Hello Charlotte)

#rpg maker #rpg horror #master post #ib game #oneshot #oneshot game #omori #off #off game #yume nikki #yume nikki fangame #mad father #misao #grimm's hollow #space funeral #long post #vio.txt

[chucksalamone]

Hi, I wanted to privately reach out about your album, Absent Moon. I first listened to it earlier this year and I loved the music and singing and story. It made me deeply empathize with the characters and feel a connection to their world, and I was very curious to know more. I especially loved the characterization of Wayne and Dedusmuln, and the music of Seasons. They creatively inspired me. Later I joined the Hylics Discord server, and shared some of my crazy "what-if" theories for fun. But to my surprise, you saw my message, and told me I was overthinking it, which would have been fine, except you also said my ideas made you feel nervous? And it broke my heart that my creative exercise had such a reaction. I was only trying to show how much I appreciated your work. And although I try not to think about it, I still feel guilty that I was being creative in a 'wrong' way that you seemed to find hurtful. That's why I want to clear things up. I hope this is okay.

Okay, I found it, sorry. I remember this exact interaction. My reaction wasn’t to make you feel disparaged. Not a lot of people know about the origins of absent moon, and where I was at mentally and emotionally, but for those that do you’d understand why I was taking great pride and still take great pride in that project. I’m all for fan theories, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, but the purpose of absent moon was to tell a definitive story, and being that Mason and I have been dragging our feet on, revealing what the story is about, I didn’t want any fan theories to Develop into something that would consider canon. I’ve seen this happen a lot and I’d be lying. If I said, I didn’t want to maintain complete and total control of the narrative of absent moon. Again, that’s not to say I don’t appreciate fan theories. They are most certainly welcome, however, in this instance, the story of absent moon is a complete bridge from the events of Hylics 2 to the events of Hylics 3. I’m not one for tone indicators, as I’m a bit older, but I have nothing but warmth and love for this fanbase. If you were made to feel like your ideas weren’t good, I apologize. As long as the idea is relatively nonviolent/non-sexual/etc. I’m fine with most things. I won’t speak for Mason fully on that, but he also loves looking at fanart! The best I can do is ask for you to trust that we have crafted an incredible narrative, and that I took a lot into consideration, while writing absent moon, even Moonage lobotomy. I’ve grown very close to these characters, especially because of the fanbase. In time, I hope that you can understand this explanation. I’m not asking you to forgive me I’m simply providing you with more details, as this particular instance/project has extreme personal nuance, that can only be applied to my experience (unfortunately). Perhaps one day when it’s all behind me, I’ll be able to talk about it more openly. Even after over a year, I’m still looking to absent moon to gain more insight into how I was processing things. Please feel free to reach out again.

[kitwing-moving]

i can be a wayne hylics selfshipper in theory. on paper

#🐾.txt #joke. but i like the guy he's neat :]

[braxiations]

Hylics - The PoolWayne Theory

Preamble

So, I’ve never really seen many Hylics theories be shared online. Most of what I’ve found is limited to discord servers like the Hylemxylem. So, I thought I might put my foot into the ring and share one of my own!

Now, this theory is pretty out there. I’ve done quite a lot of examining of both Hylics 1 and 2 and to my knowledge nothing contradicts my theory. I believe my idea explains quite a lot of things pretty well and adds some fun subtext to a lot of plot beats and history. However, it’s not the pure result of thorough evidence and 100% rational thinking. It’s basically a fun idea that explains some things and, in my opinion, is interesting.

The Wayne-poolman connection

To start, I’d like to point out an odd association between poolmen and Waynes. This is first seen before we even know what poolmen are: back at the Waynehouse. Here, we see Waynes slapping poolmen dummies as training. 

Now, it’s likely that this is because poolmen are Gibby’s  main infantry, and this is a point I’ll return to soon. Secondly, is Gibby Redivivus’ design. Atop his head is a Wayne head… or is it? While this is also called a warpo head by some, in actuality it’s literally just the poolman model’s head colored yellow. 

Poolmen’s heads are crescent shaped, so this makes sense. My thought upon learning this was “ha, are Waynes basically just yellow poolmen?” Well… Looking at the chibi sprites for both Wayne (or Sat-Wayne as I’ll call him) and poolmen do reveal a pretty clear similarity. While poolmen’s heads flop around so much in battle it’s hard to notice them as crescents, whenever shown as static or simplified they generally are shaped as such. 

Now, all of this is to establish that I believe poolmen and Waynes to be mirrors or counterparts to one another in some way. Personally, I think this was actually intended by Mason himself. As you’ve probably noticed though, this post is far from over.

Why does Gibby look like that?

Specifically, why does Gibby R wear a Wayne/warpo/poolman-dipped-in-yellow-paint head anyway? As many know, Gibby’s design in Hylics 2 differs from his design in H1 because it originally belonged to a (probably) different character, Fuller. In-universe, however, Gibby’s body is referred to as a “vessel.” His remains were likely put into or molded into this form by Odozeir and his followers. So, why on Fingerhead’s beige Earth would he endow him with THE FACE OF THE GUY WHO MURDERED HIS BOSS? Well, it seems that Gibby has been repping this symbol since longgg before his reconstitution, just not as a face. 

In the platforming mini-games, we get our only look at the world before the Accretion. This confirms a few interesting points: 

There was at least 1 other Wayne pre-Accretion, being Sat-Wayne himself. (Likely a Waynehouse too.)

A Hylemxylem (likely the one that became the Moon) existed pre-Accretion. (Seen in the bg.)

Gibby and Odozeir were allied before the Accretion. (Their faces are on flags together.)

This last note about the flags is important as the Gibby face used is his Redivivus design. As this was being used on flags way back when, it stands to reason that Odozeir fashioned Gibby’s vessel after the symbol itself. Likewise, this would also mean that the Waynehead was being used as part of Gibby’s iconography back then too… which is strange.

Waynes as an army

The nature of Waynes is a question that dances around the edges of Hylics 2, but it never really addresses it outright. Here’s what we know:

Waynes have a huge grudge against Gibby. They seemingly spend much of their time training in the event he becomes a problem again.

They’re all equipped for combat, seemingly naturally. They do have to train and they spend much of their time doing so.

They’re seemingly all clones of one another or something analogous. They can have some differences (some are more well-trained, at least one is either fem or trans (if Decres is canon), etc,) but most are identical. 

Waynes are kind of a problem, at least in the Hylics 2 zone. Chuck, when speaking of his writing process for An Endless Cycle, stated that he wanted to invoke this feeling. With the seemingly mutant Waynes we’ve seen in the New Hylics teasers, Waynes might be growing out of control, taking a role similar to that of invasive species. Tl;dr: they probably aren’t a part of the local natural order.

Perhaps Waynes are entirely natural, eusocial organisms like ants and their soldier-like training simply comes from the fact that they’re sapient. Their contentious placement in the Hylics 2 ecosystem could merely be them being invasive. Their single-minded grudge against Gibby could be explained in a few ways. If H1-Wayne is indeed the Old Wayne from H2, perhaps he dedicated his… children(?) to keep Gibby at bay because it was his most notable accomplishment. Where this explanation might falter is the Wayne head symbol used by Gibby, which is still left entirely unexplained. 

So… what if the symbol came first?

The theory What we know of the Wayne species’ nature, as listed in the previous section, is highly reminiscent of sci-fi ideas of modified super soldiers. In the Star Wars prequels, for example, literal clones meant only for combat are a prevalent plot point. While Waynes as ant-soldiers sufficiently explains many of these traits, the idea that Gibby’s yellow crescent predates the Waynes could only leave an artificial origin as an option. Now, of course, this point that Gibby’s symbol is older than Waynes themselves can’t be proven for certain. The oldest point in the timeline we have access to shows Sat-Wayne coexisting with the symbol. If one was older than the other we’d have no idea. What strikes me as odd, though, is why Gibby would ever associate himself with Waynes. While we don’t know if they’ve always had an antagonistic relationship, Sat-Wayne (who is again, the first Wayne we know of,) spends much of his time attacking Gibby and Odozeir’s forces. The conflict between the two groups has been ongoing, and it seems odd Gibby would choose to honor a species that has constantly attacked him for so many years without strong reason.

With this in mind, I will propose my theory: Waynes are not a naturally occurring species. Rather, they are the descendents of poolmen fashioned into super-soldiers by none other than the forces of Gibby. As such, they were changed to resemble the yellow crescent used as a symbol of Gibby for so long. Now, the manner through which this was done isn’t super important. I like to think they were selectively bred, but it’s just as possible they were genetically modified or given some of Gibby’s royal goop. It’s really just speculation.

As we have established, poolmen may be some of the primary infantry used in Gibby’s armies, especially pre-Accretion. (I would like to suggest that poolmen are the koopas of Gibby’s army, and tyros are the goombas.) With their strong resemblance to Waynes, it stands to reason that Gibby, looking for more capable soldiers, would use the poolmen as a basis. While poolmen are capable of speech, they’re generally represented as animalistic. Their only gestures used are lambaste and multiply, as well as the ability allotrope. As lambaste is literally just hitting someone, multiply is clearly their reproduction, and allotrope is a reflex, it stands to reason they aren’t capable of the hand movements required to use actual complex gestures. (They don’t even seem to have hands.) Other enemies such as the noncomfornist clearly show this ability. Thus, it stands to reason that Gibby would seek soldiers capable of doing such things. In fact stronger, modified poolmen are clearly seen in the form of poolmagnes, but they still don’t achieve these heights.

Many stories of advanced combat technology involve betrayal or an uprising from the technology itself. Thus, we may be able to explain why Waynes hate Gibby so much anyways. Created as sapient soldiers, Waynes would effectively be slaves. They would have no choice but to fight and participate in the tyrant’s cruelty. It seems likely that they would have rebelled, and Gibby may have retaliated harshly.

Sat-Wayne is alone in the Waynehouse he emerges from. H1-Wayne is clearly the only member of his species in the Hylics 1 zone. Many have noticed that the redesign of the Ghost enemies bear a strong resemblance to the skulls of Waynes. Further elaboration falls into pure speculation, so I’ll let you come to your own conclusions here.

Ultimately, we’re left with the following timeline:

Gibby employed poolmen for war.

Wanting stronger soldiers, he ordered his forces to create a more powerful breed of poolman, capable of complex reasoning and the use of gestures.

These Waynes proved too intelligent and rebelled.

Gibby reacted harshly, wiping out nearly all of them.

This begs the question of why Gibby still, by the time of Hylics 2, choses to use the yellow crescent symbol. I think this could be explained as a form of denial. If he casts aside a symbol that was always his simply because rebels used it, he would essentially be admitting defeat. Besides, an NPC in New Muldul talks about wretched anarchists who overthrew Gibby, not realizing who he’s talking to. The fact that a Wayne was responsible for killing Gibby might not be common knowledge. Gibby can simply ignore the uprising and continue to use it.

Other notes and convenient ties

One of my favorite parts of this theory is that it retroactively explains some other oddities in the games. For example, Wayne heads notoriously occur throughout the world or even on jars. If the crescent is a symbol of Gibby, who we know has influence throughout much of the world, this is rather easily explained. 

It gives us an association between Gibby and the Waynes. Many have pointed out that both have names in reference to the moon: gibbous moons and waning moons. Gibby is notoriously prideful and arrogant, so perhaps he intended the Waynes to be made in his image, giving them a similarly lunar name. 

It could explain the moon soldiers and their weakness. Many have noticed their resemblance to Waynes. Perhaps, after the rebellion of the Waynes, Gibby still desired more powerful soldiers. Moon soldiers could easily just be another artificial variety of poolmen, making them basically the cousins of Waynes. Their intense weakness could be attributed to avoiding the pitfall of making soldiers that are too powerful again. Maybe he hoped someone would see the Moon covered in soldiers and simply decide to back off. (It’s worth noting that moon soldiers might not be nearly as weak as we see them. Rather, the joke might be that at this point in the game Wayne and crew have become so strong that they’re killed in an instant.)

The fighting instinct of Waynes could explain the depression, purposelessness, and exhaustion of H2-Wayne that we see explored in Absent Moon. With this theory, Waynes would literally only exist to fight. Having defeated his greatest enemy, Wayne no longer has a purpose in life. Perhaps this lack of purpose has caused unrest in the Waynehouse, and will lead into the events of the New Hylics game that features monstrous, creature-like Waynes. 

Old Wayne remarks on the “forecasts” of the stars, apparently able to glean meaning from them. Perhaps an ability to read celestial bodies is a holdover from their days as Gibby’s soldiers. While the Hylemxylem had not yet developed into the false moon of Hylics 1, this may have been planned. Perhaps the Moon could have sent or shone signals for the Old Wayne to interpret and relay to the Waynes under their command. 

Warpos could essentially be reverted to an older, primal state by their consumption of poolwine. This doesn’t make much sense biologically but whatever.

Random biology notes

Poolmen probably contain hard, spiny components akin to the spicules found within sponges. These spicules would be poked out of their bodies in their allotrope attack. Perhaps this developed into the skeletons of Waynes. The way Wayne’s flesh and muscles melt off of him upon death is similar to how poolmen melt upon their own deaths.

Poolmen multiply and reproduce asexually, likely meaning they’re all more or less genetically identical to one another (there would be errors of course.) Wayne reproduction is more or less elusive, but their status as clones and low genetic diversity could be a remnant of their poolman ancestors.

I have a theory that the “egg pods” we see in the Waynehouse basement might be the Wayne equivalent of the hylethems that produce poolmen. However the connection between poolmen, hylethems, and hylem as a whole is a story for another time.

Summary and conclusion

I believe that Waynes are a sort of poolmen. They were either genetically modified or selectively bred from normal poolmen, as Gibby wanted to employ them as soldiers capable of complex thinking and use of gestures. These Waynes proved too powerful and intelligent, rising up against their creator. He had many of them slaughtered, creating a grudge that would last countless years and influence the Wayne species for the rest of time. 

That’s basically it. Thanks for reading! If you have any thoughts, counterpoints, or additional ideas please feel free to share! I’d really like to discuss this with people!.

#hylics #hylics wayne #wayne hylics #gibby hylics #hylics gibby #hylics 2 #hylics theory

[w4yne4ndersen]

6/7, I based this one on a theory I really liked about Decres being the first one to confront Gibby alongside Fleam but failing, thus becoming the dying Wayne larva we see in the afterlife in Hylics 2 (also this is probably my fave drawing of the bunch)

#hylics #hylics 2 #hylics fanart #decres #hylics decres #decres hylics #mason lindroth #pink floyd #shine on you crazy diamond #digital #digital art

[dread-knight]

Hour long theory video on Hylics 2 but instead of anything plot related its just the narrator trying to figure out who got Dedusmuln pregnant

[autistickaitovocaloid]

Hey do y’all remember when a few months ago when I completely lost my marbles about a room in Hylics?

Well I finally decided to follow up and look for where I meant.

Firstly, it was a lot earlier in the game than I remember. It’s found in the Recoloured World and looks like this:

[ID: A screenshot from Hylics showing Dedusmuln and Wayne in the Recoloured World. They are standing on the edge of a bridge and a small yellow building can be seen behind them. End ID]

Entering the building greets you this this:

[ID: A screenshot from Hylics showing the interior of a room. The floor is pale cream colour and the walls are yellow. A mass of worm-like clay shapes is built into the wall in the top left corner, a staircase is on the right side of the entrance, and a campfire sits in the middle of the room. The room is inhabited by Wayne, Dedusmuln, a humanoid figure with long hair, and a second humanoid figure lying on the floor. End ID]

Interacting with the figure with long hair prompts the following dialogue: “Visitors are rare. / You can use the bed upstairs if you want. / … / In summertime, among our coasts, the mackerel swarm, in countless hosts. / I have nothing more to say.” Any attempt to speak to them after that just has them repeat the last line.

Interacting with the campfire gives you this line: “It’s hot. Ouch!”

Interacting with the figure on the floor causes it to meow like Wayne and Somsnosa’s cats.

This is what the upstairs looks like:

[ID: A screenshot from Hylics showing the interior of a room. It has cream floors and yellow walls like the previous one. A window is at the top of the room and a bed sits in the bottom right corner. Wayne and Dedusmuln stand at the entrance of it. End ID]

You can’t do anything up here aside from sleeping in the bed, which gives you this bit of poetry:

[ID: Bold yellow text that reads: “The smoke of evening truth and debris / Rose like a hylics spirit in the trees” in all caps. End ID]

I unfortunately can’t find the source for both this and the line about mackerels from earlier, so if anyone knows them please lmk.

As for the part in the original post where I mentioned someone saying  “you’re not supposed to be here now” or similar, I’m like, 99.9% sure I was getting that confused with this line of dialogue from the guy who guards the vault that contains the TV that teaches you Detonation.

[ID: A screenshot from Hylics showing a yellow vault on blue ground, with a small yellow lump next to it. The vault is filled with money, a briefcase, a toilet, and a TV. A guard stands at the entrance, who Wayne and Dedusmuln are talking to. Text at the top of the screen (being spoken by the guard) reads: “Um, this vault is off-limits. Please go away. / Thank you in advance for your cooperation.” in all caps. End ID]

Anyway, that’s all for now. 

#theories analyses and the like #hylics #i don't know something about that room really scratches my brain #also despite the fact that it's a lot less mysterious than i remember #that still doesn't explain why there's just a normal looking person in there #interesting...

[go-go-devil]

Excerpts from Dedusmuln’s Academic Essay on The Nature of Paper Cups

The following passages your visual organs are about to witness have been extracted from Dr. Dedusmuln’s postdoctoral analysis on the elusive paper cups that they discovered whilst helping save the planet from King Gibby’s tyranny. 

As the original had been transcribed on 115 slabs of polymer, these excerpts were taken from segments deemed most coherent to the common, non-archeological minded hylic as per the doctor’s request, so that all may pleasantly approach the concept of these ancient cups' true potential.

Slab 3

Now that I have introduced your beings to the microcosm of the paper cup, I can imagine one question must be manifesting in your minds: What is paper?

As is the current theory, paper is a texture that once bloomed throughout the planet during the dominion of the one-lifes. They were the larval form of much larger sedentary organisms called trees, which were not too dissimilar to that of our vegetables in that they were vertical and most-likely green in color and/or soul, but vastly different in their manifestation.

A single piece of paper would be crumpled up and buried into the earth, acting as the “egg” for which the stalk of a tree would hatch out of and mutate. Over time its soft flesh would harden into a thick carapace known as “bark,” for which the one-lifes would shred to produce thousands of pieces of paper. Some of these trees were said to be as tall as our cities’ buildings!

The one-lifes molded all kinds of things out of paper, including but not limited to: writing slabs, clothing, wall-clinging memos, medicated water-closet paper for personal use, birds, money, towers, masks, and most importantly cups. It was through these cups that one-lifes were able to intake liquid, their most powerful source of energy, from coolers in order to stay alive as long as their bodies would allow. 

Paper cups were also quite remarkable in their dexterity! Whilst most paper would weaken under the moistness of such a liquid’s viscosity, the cup could most easily contain the clear juice without the threat of disintegrating. They were able to withstand crushing grip of a one-life larva, and could even be used to catch a deluge!

Slab 4

As wondrous as these facts are, however, this durability has sadly become a luxury of the past biosphere that cannot be replicated more than once now due to their immense age. Once a paper cup is used now, it’s gone forever.

Most modern era science has classified paper as a “theoretical concept” texture; one that may have existed at some point on this planet before Accretion 0 but can no longer maintain its form on our current biosphere. This prevailing attitude metamorphosed after Dr. Smuldunde’s success in their Greater Toothpick Expedition, however, due to their world-altering discovery of full intact wood textures.

If the carapace of trees were able to survive our dominion of clay, then surely it is not a farfetched theory that paper must have survived too. I had taken it upon myself to prove this theory correct, a seemingly impossible task that proved just as possible as the beheading and explosion of our planet’s demiurge.

Next I shall take the time to describe the anatomy, thermodynamics, and overall usage of the paper cups and water coolers for clay organisms. I will try to make this brief…

Slab 97

...and the essence of life itself flows from its frustum and into our flesh and souls!

Returning to the topic of Pre-Accretion societies, the resilience of these paper cups and their water coolers they harvested from make it most apparent that, like many products, were once also utilized by beings during the Age of Sages before our own Accretion buried them from us. It would be the most logical explanation behind the idea that willpower was overall greater in that era.

To confirm this, I utilized a rare benefit in my knowledge of the sage’s locations to ask them personally to reflect their memories of the past usage of paper cups toward my research.

Unfortunately, the only sage that would even appear before me again was the Sage of Death, most likely after dying damn near fifty times trying to navigate those catacombs by myself. More unfortunate still, it did not seem to recall anything about how common the usage of paper cups and water coolers were in that era, nor could it even remember how the cooler’s water tasted.

Perhaps that was to be expected. Memory loss is inevitable for immortal cells. Of course hylics of that time would have forgotten such an occurrence by now, but it seems that even psychic brains must shed off the least important of past experiences in order to concentrate most effectively on their designated symbols. Still, my disappointment was palpable. Literally, as when I left an animated statue smelled my dismay and devoured my flesh.

Even outside of the archeologist’s sphere, there have been a small cluster of rumors as to what happened to the paper cups and their coolers. Right away I will rule out the once-prevalent theory that they were left within the mythical one-life city of El Segundo, as that has since been proven false with my findings.

As much as I would forget them, I will have to spend a good portion of this text destroying the many conspiracy theories that have regrettably been gaining traction as to why the paper cups were supposedly hidden from us…

Slab 115

…which doesn’t even make a molecule sense since we don’t have a government anymore, and hopefully not ever again!

Anyhow, I could conclude this essay with a solid recommendation to retrieve and utilize any remaining paper cups your beings may find, but I’m afraid the pitch for such a wondrous discovery is not so simple.

Paper was once an abundant resource, yes, but like all one-life resources it was never destined to last. We hylics have been granted the most shining of biological miracles by even being able to find these remaining cups, let alone utilize them ourselves. Eventually the last paper cup will disintegrate into nothingness after being sipped dry by a being’s lips, and there will be nothing to be done about it.

All except one thing: to preserve its memory. Study it. Learn from it and even replicate its power through the materials we have at our disposal! We may treasure the last remnants of the legendary one-lifes, but tend to forget in our cells' immortality that one day our world may make another drastic change to the point where vegetables, terrestrial juice, and perhaps even clay itself will become as scarce a resource as paper is now.

Until that day, we must tend to the past, and use it to evolve to a greater future!

- Dr. Dedusmuln, Leading Archeologist in the Research of Paper Cups and Arcade Cabinets

#dedusmuln #hylics #hylics headcanons #my writing #hope the pick overlay on the glove isn't too weird looking #I was just trying to replicate dedus's hand since they don't wear black leather gloves (even if the game's animations stay the same)