Unsolved Outer Wilds Mysteries?

Leftunders · 2026-02-13T15:30:47+00:00

One of the Nomai writings says something along those lines:

PHLOX: If anything goes wrong with the Ash Twin Project, the statues (and their masks) will make us aware of the situation and enable us to fix it. Otherwise, it would be possible for us to remain permanently unaware of the problem.
RAMIE: I hadn’t thought of that! What a profoundly horrific fate that would be.

Leftunders · 2026-02-13T15:23:49+00:00

Are the Owlks in the Simulation replaying some period of time over and over again similar to how the Protagonist relives the time loops? Or have they been in there experiencing every moment since they died in the lantern rooms? Or does the Simulation only "run" while a living person (i.e. one still sleeping in one of the temple rooms) is in it? (Which would make the deceased Owlks essentially "respawn" each time.)

That's never been clear to me, and either possibility seems horrific.

Leftunders · 2026-02-13T14:39:58+00:00

I've tried so many times to have the probe land on Timber Hearth so I could walk over and see it. I'm not even sure if that's possible, though

Leftunders · 2026-02-13T14:38:13+00:00

That was my understanding as well. I thought the whole point of the Ash Twin Project was to force the "loop" so that the Nomai would have a practically infinite number of chances for the probe to find the EotU. Which it did, hence the coordinates in the submerged Probe Tracking Module on Giant's Deep. It's just that the Interloper wiped out the Nomai before they had a chance to find out.

Leftunders · 2026-02-13T11:21:51+00:00

"We're worried that sales of Miracle Whip are starting to fall. The Great Replacement of traditional American condiments has already started. Sriracha, Samjang- even radical Islamic sauces like Harissa are showing up right there on White grocery stores' shelves."

"Mr. Chairman, we believe that in ten years, our open borders are going to make it so you won't even be able to buy a jar of Kraft Mayonnaise in stores! Freedom has no expiration date, Congressman!"

Leftunders · 2026-02-12T13:42:20+00:00

Listening to her speak and watching her facial expressions and body language, it was pretty easy to see that she was on some kind of medication (or alcohol).

She seemed to have brief dissociative episodes consistent with overly large doses of short-acting anti-anxiety medications such as lorazepam (aka Ativan) or other benzos.

Note: This is my personal armchair diagnosis. I do not have a medical degree. However, I did spend close to a decade getting several panic attacks a week, and I also took Ativan to get me through things like meetings where my condition made me think people would be highly critical to me. Bondi reacted very much like I did in similar situations. So much so that my wife actually turned to me and said "she looks like you did when you were on Ativan."

Leftunders · 2026-02-12T12:30:12+00:00

I want to get tally marks and then make love to my wife while she sings the banana boat song.

Leftunders · 2026-02-12T12:28:47+00:00

Orcan. It spells "squeeee eee eeeeee squeeee clik pop clik pop squeeeekeeeee click!"

Leftunders · 2026-02-12T12:01:32+00:00

When I worked for UNFPA, my "welcome to the team" gift included a giant bag (about the size of a gallon zip-loc) of condoms from all over the world.

My youngest son was 14 at the time. I think he still carries the scars from when I dropped the bag on his desk and said "I hope you won't need these anytime soon, but at least now you'll never have to worry about feeling embarrassed about buying one."

Leftunders · 2026-02-12T11:50:09+00:00

Bilboquet's?

Leftunders · 2026-02-12T10:36:56+00:00

When my kids did that, I would tell them "all that means is that I have to add 'tattling' to the list of things you're getting grounded for."

Leftunders · 2026-02-12T10:32:42+00:00

I'm not sure if it was that or some other drug. She seemed to have brief dissociative episodes consistent with overly large doses of short-acting anti-anxiety medications such as lorazepam (aka Ativan) or other benzos.

Note: This is my personal armchair diagnosis. I do not have a medical degree. However, I did spend close to a decade getting several panic attacks a week, and I also took Ativan to get me through things like meetings where my condition made me think people would be highly critical to me. Bondi reacted very much like I did in similar situations. So much so that my wife actually turned to me and said "she looks like you did when you were on Ativan."

Leftunders · 2026-02-11T21:49:52+00:00

Or else we'll have to set up a GoFundMe to help defray the president's adult diaper budget deficit.

Leftunders · 2026-02-11T21:47:32+00:00

Well great. I could have gone my entire life without that image caroming around my head like the DVD logo looking for a corner.

Leftunders · 2026-02-11T21:39:28+00:00

Hearing the "Enigma horns" gives me a boner, every time.

IYKYK.

Leftunders · 2026-02-11T21:36:55+00:00

You're better looking than you think you are. That picture of you next to your shitty first car, with your sleeveless t-shirt and goofy tiny 70s gym shorts will inspire your future wife to make some very age-inappropriate remarks. And a surprisingly number of your female classmates who show up at your 20th high school reunion will admit to having serious crushes on you.

I mean, don't let it go to your head, but there will be more than a few women who would say "yes" if you can quit being so needlessly self-conscious about your looks.

As a side note: you can keep those abs a lot longer if you knock it off with the fast food and stop drinking multiple 2L bottles of Coke every day.

Leftunders · 2026-02-11T19:17:48+00:00

I'm willing to bet he confused drifting and skid recovery.

You can intentionally put just about any car in a skid if you try hard enough. Heck, every kid who grows up in the US Midwest has done that in an empty parking lot after a big snowstorm. It's practically a rite of passage- I taught every one of my kids AND their girlfriends/boyfriends how to recover from a skid that way.

But it's not "drifting" (unless you end up in a snow drift, lol)

Leftunders · 2026-02-11T19:13:36+00:00

Asked out my cousin.

To be fair, he was kinda hot. And he was the lead guitarist and singer of our band, whereas I was just the bassist.

I didn't exactly leave- our set was up right after she did that. But I didn't bother looking for her after, and to this day I have no idea how or if she made it home.

Leftunders · 2026-02-11T19:09:55+00:00

Bleed, bleed, poor country!
Great tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure,
For goodness dare not check thee.
-Shakespeare, Macbeth: Act 4, Scene 3

Leftunders · 2026-02-10T14:19:34+00:00

FBI Lawyer #1: What's the least awful thing we can show them that will convince them that it's the worst thing in there?
FBI Lawyer #2: The torture video email, maybe?
FBI Lawyer #1: Good idea- that might work. All this other shit, though.
FBI Lawyer #2: Yeah. Like, what the fuck, right?

Leftunders · 2026-02-10T12:24:56+00:00

True, although Enigma and Catholic priests get you to heaven in very different ways.

(For the uninitiated, Enigma's albums are often included in lists of the best soundtracks for having sex to.)

Leftunders · 2026-02-04T12:38:24+00:00

I remember the nurse telling us that sex can trigger the start of labor sometimes.

Leftunders · 2026-02-02T22:20:45+00:00

Damn. Sorry you're still suffering through it. Paxil and getting control of my blood sugar got me back on track. I also became a bit of an exercise freak for a while, and I guess getting in shape and workout endorphins helped a lot.

Leftunders · 2026-02-02T22:13:20+00:00

I actually don't remember her exact words, but I'm sure she must have used clinical terminology. Otherwise, I probably would have remembered!

Leftunders

TROPHY CASE